The tactical training arena looked nothing like the firing range or the cognitive test room.
This space was chaos frozen mid-motion.
Abandoned cars.
Broken concrete slabs.
Stacked crates.
Door frames leading nowhere.
And overhead, a grid of lights that flickered like a malfunctioning sun.
It was a battlefield disguised as a warehouse.
And Jack was supposed to run through it.
Rafael stood at the center, arms crossed over his chest, wearing a tactical vest and a look that said you're about to hate me.
"Jack," he began, "yesterday you survived gunfire. Today I want to see if you can survive a Tuesday."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Why does Tuesday sound worse than gunfire?"
"Because on Tuesdays," Rafael said, "we do tactical movement."
Jack swore under his breath.
Maya, who had come only to observe, smirked faintly from the sidelines.
Rafael clapped his hands once. "Let's begin. Rule number one: stop thinking."
Jack blinked. "You do remember that I'm literally built to think, right?"
"Today you're built to move," Rafael said. "Brains are useless if you get shot in the first three seconds."
Jack sighed. "Great pep talk. Really motivational."
Rafael ignored him.
He tossed Jack a padded training weapon — a replica assault rifle with weight but no muzzle.
"First exercise: navigating cover."
Jack caught the gun awkwardly. "Cover? I can do that."
Rafael pointed to the course.
"Then prove it. Move from one end to the other. Avoid the drones."
Jack frowned. "What drones—"
A mechanical whirr echoed from above.
Jack looked up.
Five small spherical drones uncloaked themselves from the rafters, glowing red like angry insects.
"Oh," Jack said quietly. "Those drones."
"They're set to low-impact taser mode," Rafael said. "Won't kill you. Probably."
"Probably?!" Jack's voice cracked.
Maya crossed her arms. "He's exaggerating. Mostly."
"Mostly?!" Jack repeated.
Rafael grinned. "Begin."
The First Run
Jack sprinted forward just as the first drone fired.
Electric blue crackled past his shoulder.
"MOVE, JACK!" Rafael barked.
"I AM MOVING!"
Jack dove behind a crate. His shoulder slammed into the wood hard enough to make him wince.
A drone zipped to his left.
Jack darted to the next piece of cover.
Another drone fired.
He yelped.
"WHY IS IT AIMING AT MY FACE?!"
"It senses fear," Rafael called. "They're attracted to it!"
Jack scowled. "I hate you."
Rafael shrugged. "You'll thank me when you're not dead."
Jack rolled forward, lunging behind a half-crumbled wall. He peeked out, saw two drones coordinating a cross-angle, and dove out of the way just as they fired.
He hit the ground and skidded across dust.
"Ow—ow—OW—"
Maya called out: "Less complaining, more moving!"
Jack pushed to his feet. The drones shifted, tightening formation.
"Okay," Jack muttered. "They hate me. They really hate me."
"They're programmed to chase the slowest person," Rafael said.
"I AM NOT SLOW!"
A drone clipped Jack's hip with a light shock.
"OW! OKAY, MAYBE I'M A LITTLE SLOW!"
Maya actually laughed under her breath.
Jack reached the end of the course — panting, sweating, and glaring at everything.
Rafael blew a whistle. "Not bad for a first run."
Jack bent over, hands on his knees. "I think my entire soul got tasered."
"You've got three more runs," Rafael said.
Jack groaned into the floor. "Just bury me here."
Run Two — Controlled Movement
Rafael reset the drones.
This time he stood closer, adjusting Jack's elbow, shifting his stance, positioning his feet.
"Stop running like you're fleeing a burning building," Rafael said. "Move like you're stalking someone through it."
Jack blinked. "That… actually makes sense. In a terrifying way."
"Exactly."
Rafael demonstrated, moving low and fast, weaving between cover points with practiced grace.
"Your turn."
Jack tried to mimic the movement.
He tripped over his own foot.
"Smooth," Rafael said. "Like butter."
"Shut up," Jack muttered.
Maya spoke up from the sidelines.
"Keep your weight forward," she instructed. "Balance shifts faster that way."
Jack nodded and tried again.
This time, he didn't trip.
He slid behind cover.
Pivoted.
Moved to the next point.
A drone zipped overhead, firing — and Jack managed to dodge.
Only to slam his head against a low beam.
"OW!"
Maya winced sympathetically. Rafael didn't.
"Better," Rafael said. "Still awful, but better."
Jack groaned. "Your positivity is overwhelming."
Run Three — Under Fire
Rafael handed him a second training rifle.
"What's this for?" Jack asked.
"You're advancing under fire."
Jack turned pale. "I can barely advance without falling!"
"Good," Rafael said. "Now do it with shooting."
Jack pointed at the drones. "You want me to shoot THOSE?!"
"Yes."
"They fly!"
"Correct."
"They're small!"
"Correct."
"They hate me!"
"Correct."
Jack screamed wordlessly into the ceiling.
Rafael patted his shoulder. "This will help build multitasking skills. And confidence."
"And bullet wounds," Jack muttered.
Rafael smirked. "They don't have bullets. Only tasers."
"MUCH BETTER!"
Rafael blew the whistle. "Go!"
Jack sprinted.
Drones fired.
Jack ducked.
He rolled.
He fired back.
His shots went wide.
Rafael yelled, "Aim, don't panic!"
"I'M VERY PANICKED!"
A drone grazed Jack's leg with a spark.
He screamed.
"OHHH WHY DOES EVERYTHING HURT TODAY?!"
Maya called out, "You're supposed to hit the drones, not scream at them!"
Jack yelled back, "I'M MULTITASKING!"
He fired again — and this time clipped a drone's sensor. It wobbled and crashed.
"YES!" Jack shouted. "FEAR ME, ROBOT DEMONS!"
Another drone immediately shocked him in the shoulder.
"AAGH! I TAKE IT BACK! DON'T FEAR ME!"
Rafael doubled over laughing.
Even Maya struggled not to smile.
Jack reached the end point again and fell flat on his back.
He panted, "I hate drones… I hate cover… I hate Tuesdays…"
Rafael bent over him. "One more run."
Jack stared up at the ceiling.
"Rafael… buddy… friend… beloved mentor…"
"No."
"Please—"
"No."
Jack groaned so loudly it echoed through the training hall.
Run Four — The Breakthrough
This time Maya stepped forward.
"Jack."
He sat up slowly.
Her voice softened. "Listen to me."
He looked up.
Her gaze was steady, grounding.
"You're not competing against the drones," she said. "You're competing against yourself. Against the part of you that hesitates."
Jack swallowed.
"You survived a Helix soldier," she continued. "You faced a simulation of Mercer himself. These drones are annoying, not deadly."
Jack nodded.
Her voice dropped lower.
"You can do this."
Something in Jack's chest steadied.
This time when Rafael activated the drones, Jack didn't run blindly.
He moved with intent.
He ducked behind cover before the shot hit.
He pivoted faster.
He aimed more carefully.
He controlled his breathing.
Rafael shouted commands:
"Left drone incoming!"
Jack fired.
Direct hit.
"Two behind you!"
Jack rolled, firing mid-turn, hitting one.
A spark hit the ground inches from him — but he kept moving.
Maya's voice cut through the noise.
"Eyes forward! Don't chase the drones — anticipate them!"
Jack inhaled deeply.
He focused.
He let his instincts guide him.
He felt something—
a strange clarity,
a sharpness,
a flicker of reflex beyond normal.
His mind predicted the drone paths before they moved.
He sprinted forward.
Rolled.
Fired.
Three drones dropped almost simultaneously.
Rafael's jaw fell open.
Maya's eyes widened.
Jack made it to the end of the course and collapsed, panting, chest pounding — but grinning through the exhaustion.
Rafael broke into a rare smile.
"Jack… that was actually impressive."
Jack, still on the floor, gasped, "Record… that compliment… in history…"
Maya approached him, kneeling beside him.
She wiped sweat from his forehead with her sleeve.
"You did it," she whispered.
Jack's voice was soft. "I… think I did."
"You moved like an operative," she said.
Jack looked up into her dark eyes.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Rafael coughed loudly.
"Uh-huh. Training's over. Save the staring contest for later."
Maya shot him a glare. "Don't you have reports to file?"
Rafael raised his hands and walked away. "Fine, fine. I'll leave the children alone."
Jack groaned. "We're standing right here."
"You're on the floor," Rafael called back.
Jack sighed.
Maya helped him sit up.
Her hand lingered for a moment too long.
He felt the warmth of her touch even after she pulled away.
The Warning
Rafael returned with a tablet, expression serious.
"Ward just sent a message," he said.
Jack's smile faded.
"What now?"
Rafael turned the tablet around.
A surveillance still flashed.
Grainy.
Dark.
A woman in a black bodysuit perched atop a building, watching Astra from afar.
Her eyes glowed faintly green.
Maya tensed instantly.
"No," she breathed. "Not her."
Jack frowned. "Who is that?"
Rafael sighed.
"Mantis."
Maya's jaw clenched.
"She's here."
Jack didn't fully understand what that meant.
But from Maya's expression—
It wasn't good.
Not at all.