Part 1: Asfalia Chapter 7: An Offer we Couldn't Refuse

“If you are willing to take the next step in your service, please step through the door.” Cronus and Lyra stepped to the side as the door behind them swung open, “Step through and find your assigned room. Remove all clothing down to the base, take a seat on one of the medical cots, and please allow the medics full access to your right arm.”

Gallo was the first to get up and walk through the door without another word. Despite the fear that was radiating through everyone else, we all made our way as well, though it was a process, one that Cronus and Lyra were perfectly prepared to allow us extra time. None of us were actively leaving the wrong way, so it seemed we were allowed as much time as possible to contemplate on if we were going to let our lives end there or continue on.

When Dreyma, Freya and Sage entered the door I decided enough was enough. I wasn’t able to leave by any other way so I figured seeing this through was my best option as well. I didn’t want to be last person standing in that room but being as ready as Gallo was also not something I could ever pretend to be true.

The opposite side of the door was less than kind. I followed the long hallway lined with curtain dividers where privacy was just an illusion. I could hear everything on the other side vitals were being taken, wincing with pain, and curses being flung at the nurses as they were drawing blood. Then I came to my own little cut out of this nightmare. I stepped behind the curtain and dressed down taking a seat on the low mesh cot.

Calling the person who entered a nurse would have been a misjudgment. This soldier was hardly someone with bedside manners or who could have once called my mother a co-worker. They acted as if not getting done in a timely manner was going to see them killed. Their hands grabbed my arm, twisting it to better suit their needs as they tied a rubber band to my upper arm to draw blood.

“Up.” He spoke shortly and then turned to a clipboard as the blood runned out into a bag to my side, “Age?”

“Eighteen?” It was as if they didn’t know anything about me.

“You’re 130 pounds.” He spoke, writing it down, “Not much muscle mass. You’re going to be put on a special diet going forward.” He flipped through the clipboard and tore out a page, handing it to me, “Follow this. We will know if you don’t”

“Okay…” I trailed off, looking at the guidelines. Breakfast was a high protein, followed by a salad lunch, and high protein dinner. Halfway through the day, between lunch and dinner, I was apparently allowed a protein shake. “What’s with all the protein?”

“You need it.” he spoke again and then looked at the blood bag, “Vitamin supplements too. Those will be part of your morning breakfast.”

I wanted to protest, but I had no idea what I was protesting at this point. I knew I was going to be starting training so maybe I was going to need all this protein and vitamin pills. My mind was starting to just accept that maybe if I followed their rules I’d somehow fly under the radar and survive. What I was living for though seemed to be fading. My life was now properly of this forsaken government. Did I really need to fight so hard to survive when it seemed like my life was effectively over?

Next I was allowed to get dressed and then was moved over to a large lounge area. Some of us seemed to have more of a clue to what was happening than others but all around morale was slipping.

“What do you make of this?” Sylis spat as she examined her bandaged arm.

“An experiment clearly.” Freya answered back.

Chitchat passed the time as we waited for everyone else to join our group. It seemed to help at least to ease our minds to get to know each other. I learned Dreyma and Freya had made up their own language when they were younger much to the dismay of their family.

Sage apparently was the top of her class at her school which was about an hour farther south far into the hotter area of our land. She was fascinated by fae magic that was across the barrier and had studied how humans were affected by the magic of the barrier, even some able to use a rudimentary kind of nature magic. Her grandfather had spent a great deal of time working at the barrier when he returned he had a deeper connection to the land which allowed her family to become some of the best tree herders. I knew her family’s business well, we all did. The Lorins Lumber and Woodworking brand produced some of the best for houses and bridges. Before she was noticed Sage was excited to continue to work in her family’s business.

That seemed to be the tragedy of the day. We had all had plans beyond what we were being told to do. Gallo wanted to join the service as a careerist, it suited her well so that’s why she was happy to have been noticed. Sylis, of course objected at every turn but wasn’t about to throw her life away in protest of how that situation was unfolding.

Some time later Cronus came through the door, this time alone and an audible sigh of relief filled the room knowing that Lyra was not going to intimidate us if only for a brief moment. ‘Ladies.” he acknowledged the crowd and flipped to another area of his clipboard. “When I call your name please move to your assigned table in the next room.”

The door behind him looked like a meeting hall but still far more ornate than necessary. One thing this place did not lack was funding for decorations. Maybe, we could all hope, if we survived through enough of this we could serve our lives here away from the fighting and war. Such a silly dream, I laughed, how was I going to break the news to everyone? They were expecting me back in five years… five years such a short time. Why now does it need to be forever?

“Sylis, Maylin, Freya. Group One.” Cronus paused waiting for them to all exit the room, “Gallo and Shen Group two.” The pause lingered as they looked at each other before moving through to the next room, “Group three: Ashai, Dreyma, Sage.” Then I heard him call behind me, “Group four Yuki and Varis.”

When we took our seats at the designated table we were left alone. The room was set up for a presentation. A large chalkboard was at the head of the room facing us all as we sat at our circular tables.

Sage was the first to break silence at ours.

“Any new theories?” She smiled sweetly, the conspiracies thick on her tongue.

“I hope it’s not more room hopping and needles. They’ve poked us raw already.” Dreyma joked.