Chapter 486 (2/2)

“Yup, with a few improvements,” Ghost said with a sly smile. “This time, I predict that the enemies you will face will be more powerful and vicious than Rhonda Khan was… I’ve made ample preparations for different eventualities. Do your best to reach them all, so I can produce a better product next time.”

******

Jane found herself in an interesting position, poised between needing to retch and vomit and being bored to tears.

She had just come in from ‘Gym’, which was basically just physical training. The adults set up obstacle courses and traps, forcing the kids to go through them over and over until they finally could finish in under a minute, or until the full 2 hours of gym time had finished.

Jane had finished today, just barely, but it was already Thursday, and the course would change over the weekend, so a new heck would be waiting for them on Monday. Afterward, Jane would want to cry, and her body would hurt in strange ways, but her daddy got so furious when she complained, so she could do nothing but keep quiet.

Some days she fantasized about going and living with Uncle Hank for a while, just so she didn’t have to hurt so much all the time. But not today. After all, she had finished the course before the end of the week, and that would earn her a smile from daddy.

And at least gym was better than Targets.

Jane shivered. Targets involved learning to use the guns that Ghost made for everybody. Jane thought it was dumb. She was in the biggest city in the Zone, protected by the highest walls. And she was in grade school. Why should she use a gun?

But that part of her spoke with Uncle Hank’s voice, and daddy always got so mad when she complained about that. So she bottled it up and always tried to hold her pee until Targets class, so she could have a small break.

Right now, they were sitting in Class Theory. At first, Jane had liked this class, because it was a break from exercise, but most of the classes were just sitting still and watching the strange animations made by Ghost, which was frustrating in an entirely different way. At least if they had been given paper, Jane could have spent her time doodling her cat, Happencakes, but even when asked, the teachers refused, as if they expected her to use any sort of small freedom to escape from the constant class.

“Upon reaching 14,” The voice from the video boomed, “Every child will have the opportunity to receive a Class from a Village Spirit. Classes are important because they often determine what Tiers of Citizenship you will have access to.”

‘Except me,’ Jane thought to herself, picturing her Tier 4 daddy, and Tier 3 Uncle Hank. Even if she got a Class like Veterinarian, she knew they would help her be a high Tier.

Then Jane frowned. She wasn’t really sure what the differences between the Tiers really were, besides that higher was better. And all daddy and mom’s friends were higher Tiers, while Uncle Hank spent most of his time helping out people who had lower Tiers. But everybody talked about it often enough that Jane knew it was something she should pay attention to.

“Today’s lesson will focus on the 4 most powerful people in the UHF.” The voice continued, “Starting with Eric Todd, Level 46. His class is Demolitions Maniac, and he uses his control over remote Mana Detonations to trigger powerful and elaborate explosions, destroying his enemies in a powerful display.”

On screen, actual footage of the bomb man was shown, and he threw out several bombs around an armored turtle. Several exploded at key points, knocking others in different spots, that then exploded, destabilizing the footing beneath the turtle. Right when it stumbled, a quick explosion sent a bomb quickly forward, beneath the turtle’s vulnerable stomach. Then the screen turned white, as the man detonated his bomb.

Jane’s eyes glazed over. So boring.

Next was the Hyper Pilot, Level 44. Although she was the lowest Level of the Top 4 of the UHF, she was the favorite of Ghost, who delighted in making her new Exosuits to try.

Then there was the Plasma Furnace, a man who held two extremely large plasma miniguns. Jane glanced around. Most of the other kids were as blank-eyed as she was. But some were looking at the TV with serious, longing expressions. She shook her head sadly. She had watched her Uncle Hank shoot an eagle out of the sky with a pistol once. That was what strong people really did, not all these explosions.

Uncle Hank had been somewhat sad afterward, but he had let Jane keep the feathers to make a crown. Her mom eventually took it away, saying she would get lice.

Finally, there was the Spartan Shock Trooper. He didn’t wear a true Exosuit, just a Manatech armor hybrid, and carried just a standard looking plasma rifle. But when he moved, it was uncannily fast, and he seemed to be able to detect the movement of enemies all around him, even though it was impossible for the man to see them outside of his helmet.

‘Not as fast as Uncle Hank,’ Jane thought with a sniff.