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"Four minutes remaining." Missy was sure that the cold robotic voice was speaking directly to her. It didn't matter that she could look to her left or right to see her squaddies climbing the rock wall around her. It didn't matter that the other rookies were sweating, straining, and in pain as they scaled the surface just like she was. No, at this moment as her muscles screamed at her and her vision blurred Missy knew that the cold, metallic voice was aimed solely at her.
One hand up. Look for the hook. Grab. Pull up. One hand up. She let the mantra repeat in her head, trying to ignore the fact that even the slowest of her fellow squaddies had made it to the top. Her arms stung, trembling whenever she pulled herself higher. The joints in her fingers were on fire. She tried to distract herself by doing the math; she was forced up this wall three days a week, and she had been at the Academy for three weeks. Ten times on this hateful surface. On their first attempt, Captain Appet had assured them all that the course would get easier, that they would soon be able to finish the whole course in the twenty minutes. She told them that someday they would find it easy to run the mile, scale the wall, and make it safely through the attack track to grab one of the nine pendants that hung on hooks at the end of the track.
"Three minutes remaining," the emotionless voice droned, as Missy finally reached the top of the climbing wall, pulling herself up inch by agonizing inch until she was resting firmly at the top. Jackson had taken his pendant on his second day on the course. The rest of her squadmates had followed his example, eventually being able to get their pendants within the time limit as well. Boosted by the extra hours of physical training given to anyone who didn't win their pendant, even the weaker members of her squad had started finishing the course in twenty minutes.
Missy dragged herself to her feet and began running, each breath burning her lungs. The track loomed in front of her, and she wobbled slightly. The first hurdle sprang, spring-loaded, from the track, and she jumped it purely from muscle memory. She forgot about the second trap, a small laser that slammed into her back after a small audio alarm. It sent her sprawling on her stomach.
"One minute remaining." It was possible she missed the two-minute warning, but Missy was willing to believe that the voice was being vindictive, just to her. She wouldn't be able to make it. Her eyes filled with tears as she rolled over onto her back, staring up at the far wall, a row of empty hooks to hold pendants. Blinking away tears, she half-turned to check again, shouldn't mine still be up there?
"Ten seconds. Nine seconds." As the final time began counting down, Missy's view was obscured by Preston, jogging down his own track. With his pendant already collected, the traps and attacks had been de-activated, and his pace was easy and light.
"You look pretty beat," he had stopped next to her, hands in his pockets, a smile on his face. Missy tried not to swear, she simply groaned and turned her head away. A small weight fell on her chest, and she looked down to find her pendant, letters glowing in her name around the edge.
"Thought you could use a break," Preston somehow managed to act both offhanded and smug at the same time, and jogged off before she had time to respond. "Time over," The robotic voice droned, and for the first time added "No pendants remain." Missy clasped her pendant in her hand, completely confused.
"I don't know, Missy, it's not like Preston is some monster, incapable of being decent once in a while." Aimee pointed out, as she spooned another bite of protein paste into her mouth and grimaced.
"You have to admit, it's out of character for him," Missy spoke lower. She leaned towards her friend, more worried than Aimee that Preston might hear them from the other end of the table, "he's not the kind of person who just does something for nothing."
"Well ok, maybe we haven't seen him do something for nothing, but so what? We've known each other for, what, a month?"
"Is that really all? It feels like longer."
"That's all. For all we know, Preston could have some hidden depths."
"No," Missy shook her head, "we know Preston. He did it to get something, or maybe he just wants me to owe him a favor." She was even more sure as she said it out loud, even though Aimee was shaking her head. The more she thought about it, the angrier it made her. How dare he make that decision for me? She hadn't asked for his help, and she'd been handling her extra physical training just fine, although if she was being honest with herself, the prospect of her first day without the extra hour of physical training was wonderful.
Missy lapsed into silence as she stewed for the entire length of the meal, and continued dwelling on the incident throughout the afternoon. She hated being the "fragile" one in her squad. Aimee had mentioned it before, how Missy's pale skin, tiny stature, and jet black hair made her look like a porcelain doll. In another life, she would've valued her delicate looks, but here it had become her bane. My squaddies feel sorry for me…my friends feel like they have to carry me…and Preston thinks he can take advantage of me. By the end of the rookies' final class she had worked herself into a fit of indignation. She stalked into the barracks bristling and ready to take offense at the slightest provocation.
Preston was leaning back in a chair, tossing his pendant into the air and catching it again. Jackson and Aimee lay in their respective bunks, reading on their respective tablets. Tess was lounging at the card table in the corner, hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling. Julia and Li had linked their tablets together to play a game. Alex and Marcus were elsewhere, forced to spend their small amount of free time to make up for various failures in training. Missy technically should've been out with them, and she blushed when she realized it. The indignation and resentment that had been boiling inside her burst out before she could stop it.
"How dare you!" She shouted, and the entire barracks suddenly went quiet. Her face went hot as the entire room of her squadmates stared, startled and confused. For a moment Missy tried to remember if she had ever raised her voice with her squaddies before. Preston looked the most shocked of all, his head cocked to one side inquisitively, and his look of innocence enraged Missy into continuing at the same volume. "What, am I just some charity case to you, is that it? 'Poor weak blushing Missy'?" she knew she wasn't doing herself favors by flushing, and she blinked away tears as she almost screamed the rest, "you figured you'd better carry me along so I stopped embarrassing the team?"
"I'm gonna see if they've got something to snack on in mess," Tess stood suddenly and made her way past Missy, followed awkwardly and silently by Julia and Li. Aimee grabbed Jackson by the wrist as she too left. On her way out she mouthed something at Missy with a pained look, but Missy simply shook her head, too angry to process what her friend was trying to say.
Preston was on his feet now, crossing his arms and lifting his chin in a look that was somewhere between confusion, defensiveness, and hostility.
"What the fuck are you so mad about?"
"You think I'm too weak to take care of myself? Or do you think I owe you now?" Now that Missy was alone with him the situation didn't seem quite so clear cut. The conversation had gone a lot smoother in her head, and she was starting to feel self conscious.
"You weren't gonna get the pendant so I got you the pendant, what's the fucking problem?" Preston shot back, "why does it have to be some big deal?"
"It is a big deal!" Missy squeaked, regretting the words even as they were leaving her mouth, "Maybe I wanted to get the pendant on my own! Maybe I don't want to be the weak little fragile doll that everyone has to take care of!"
"I don't think you're a doll-"
"And I don't want you lording it over me, acting like I owe you a favor now!"
"Who said anything about a favor?" Preston looked so helpless and frustrated that Missy's anger was starting to fade away.
"I just don't want to owe anyone anything," she mumbled, embarrassed and slightly ashamed now that her anger was wearing off.
"Ok, you don't owe me anything," Preston placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her closely, "I told you already, I just did it 'cause you looked like you needed a break."
Missy felt awful, and the kind action of the hand on her shoulder was so unlike Preston that she felt even worse. I wouldn't think he's the type to be kind like this. I would expect him to make some horrible joke about giving him a blowjob to even the scales. She blushed at the thought, and immediately hated herself for it. I don't want to be the blushing innocent teammate. Just once, I want to be the smooth girl who's in control.
The thought came to her unbidden; a way to become the smooth woman in control and to not feel beholden to Preston anymore. "Um..can you…" no, don't ask him to do it, tell him to do it. "Sit down on the bed there," she commanded. She was already blushing furiously at what she was about to do, but she was also steeling herself up for it. To his credit, Preston had obeyed, sitting on the edge of the nearest bunk and giving her a confused look. That tiny bit of obedience gave Missy a little bit of confidence, and she knelt on her knees beside the bed.
Continue the story here
Source: reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/1rgyd1/orbital_academy_iii
I look forward to these stories. Nice writing style and a welcome departure from the usual stories.
Glad to hear you enjoy them! I’m going to be settling into a weekly posting schedule, so be sure to check back on Monday!
Thoroughly enjoying your series. On the paragraph starting with, "I’m gonna see if they’ve got something to snack on in mess…" The character "Aimee’s" name is misspelled as "Ainee" a couple of sentences in.
Thanks, good catch. I’ll have to go through and make some corrections when I can get to a computer; I really appreciate the notes!
My pleasure!!!