Before classes started the next morning, Team Goldilocks was called to the dean’s office. As much as Anand wanted to focus on the simulations, he forced himself to attend the meeting. He had only ever seen the office in passing but it was hard not to notice it. The room was right by the entrance to the main school building and Dean Willis always stood outside his door with coffee in hand every morning. He’d greet every single student that passed him with a warm greeting. The man was the most easy-going GDF agent Anand had ever met. The only person who could challenge that position now was probably Ray.

As Anand and his friends walked the halls, they were acutely aware of the whispers around him. Teachers and students alike were looking at the posse as they passed by. Anand was sure he heard grumblings about the GDF and “special cases.” He knew others were going to learn about him and his friends’ situation but it was surprising how the whole campus was aware after only three days.

“Hello, Mr. Desai.” Dean Willis said as Anand and his friends approached the office. “Good to see you, Ms. Stetson. A happy morning, Mr. Kekoa.”

The three friends greeted him back as the dean gestured everyone inside. He shut the door behind them so as to not draw undue attention. Dean Willis’ office was surprisingly plain with only a few shelves of books, a desk and some chairs. Everyone sat down while Dean Willis checked something on his computer.

“I’m meeting with all the special GDF recruits today and have separated them based on their confirmed teams. You’re actually my first so I apologize if this is a bit of a mess,” he explained. Even while speaking seriously, Dean Willis had a smile on his face. “First of all, I’d like to congratulate you on receiving such a wonderful opportunity with the Gaia Defense Force. The faculty has been informed that you are now agents. We were not told your exact positions but know some of your responsibilities. We also have a handful of ways we’ll be supporting you in case a mission arises during the school day. Though we will be supporting you, there are some rules you will need to follow.”

“First of all, please do not abuse your position to do something unruly. If we are to treat you like agents, we trust you to act like agents. Second, do not tell others of your exact position if possible. You may inform them that you are agents-in-training and have been admitted to special courses provided by our school. However, do not tell them any specific information. This was requested by the Gaia Defense Force.”

“We weren’t planning to tell anyone so you don’t need to worry about it,” Anand replied.

“Good. Finally, please be mindful.”

Ray rubbed his cybernetic arm and said, “That’s mainly meant for me, isn’t it?”

“Actually, it’s meant for all of you,” Dean Willis clarified. “I have done the ‘basic’ GDF training that you will be doing. In a short time, you will be leagues ahead of your schoolmates. We need you to be careful during classes. Don’t share information about the GDF that isn’t common knowledge. Don’t go all out during sparring sessions. Things like that.”

“We’ll make sure to act like nothing’s changed,” Eve said with a smile.

“That’s all we ask. Now, I believe you each have classes soon and I don’t want to keep you. Have a good day,” Dean Willis replied and gestured for the students to leave.

The group split up for their classes but not a single one of them could concentrate. Today was the first day of their real training. But Anand knew he had to remain focused on his usual classes. There was no way he could let his grades slip. He had to be the best no matter what. It didn’t help that anytime students had a chance, they pestered him about the GDF. They just had to know what they could do to become special agents as well. They all wanted an easy route to a guaranteed job. Anand wondered how many of them would be willing to face down an Oghrodi on a whim.

The moment classes were over for the day, Anand dashed to the teleporter. He caught Ray as he was getting to the union. As per usual, Eve was already waiting. Since they were now fully registered agents, they could use the teleporters as needed. Ray finally got his chance to practice what they’d learned.

Upon arriving at the base, they tried to remain professional while quickly walking to the meeting room. They arrived to see Alec and JP waiting for them.

“Are you ready?” JP asked with a smile. Alec shared a similar smile but it was far more disconcerting.

For the next few months Team Goldilocks had to keep up with everything Alec and JP threw at them. They had thought beating Conrad’s simulations would be difficult but that was nothing. Basic training was split into conditioning and combat. The simple descriptions of the training did them no justice.

JP and Alec handled conditioning with easy-to-follow instructions. Team Goldilocks believed they’d been conditioned enough by Cahl Prep. They were very wrong. A single command from JP to run around the track ended with the recruits coughing and wheezing. While they were still recuperating, Alec would bark at them to start weight training. Unlike JP's pleasant demeanor, Alec’s was hellish. He took every chance to reproach the recruits. If they made the mistake of almost succeeding, Alec worked them harder. By the time they finished weight training, no one could feel their arms and legs. The recruits were given a concoction that gave them a bit of stamina. Foolishly, they believed it was to help them return to normalcy for the day but instead they were forced to run the track again. Anand and Eve both held back tears but Ray let loose. JP made a point that working through teary eyes was its own form of training.

During the few brief pauses in their training, the team focused on strategizing to beat Conrad’s simulations. They were able to beat Conrad but every once in a while he’d add something new. From random civilians to broken equipment, there was always something getting in the way of the team’s Oghrodi search. Each member of the team practiced separately in their free time. Their plans brought their own merits and together they were able to create proper strategies to overcome Conrad.

Alongside basic training were the lessons that interested everyone the most. It was simply dubbed “Specialization.” Each recruit worked individually with the member of Team Lucky best suited to handle the training needed for their Glaive’s abilities.

Ray worked with JP to master the use of his sword and shield. Though the inclusion of flamethrowers was unique, it wasn’t anything the experienced agent couldn’t handle. Meanwhile, Eve trained with Alec to master as many weapons as possible. Anand wasn’t sure why since she only had the pistol and rifle on her Glaive. Everyone agreed Anand had it worst of all. His training was overseen by Boss. He wasn’t as harsh as Alec but his cryptic emotions confused Anand to no end.

“So, why do you pilot your BEAR solo?” Anand asked while studying during a break. “And if anyone can do it, how come they normally need six pilots?”

“Each BEAR has six operators, two of which are pilots. Papa BEAR has one due to us losing our secondary pilot,” Boss said in a monotone voice.

“Was that Laxman?”

Boss nodded. He always stared blankly into the distance during conversations with Anand.

“How much have you heard about him?” Boss asked. “I assume the team has mentioned him during your training.”

“Only sometimes,” Anand replied. “Just that he was part of Team Lucky and used the first Glaive prototype approved for missions.”

“He also foolishly succumbed to his emotions and rushed headfirst into danger. Much like yourself,” Boss said sharply.

Anand hung his head and said, “I’m working on it.”

“Are you? We can’t allow you onto the battlefield if you are unable to control yourself.” Boss grumbled. “We should have made Laxman follow the same rule.”

“What happened?”

Boss let out a heavy sigh—the most emotion he’d shown since meeting Anand.

“During his last mission, we all left Papa BEAR to chase an Oghrodi on foot,” Boss explained. Little did we know it was a trap. Laxman was equipped with his Glaive and took it upon himself to act as a decoy while we retreated. He should have been right behind us but he didn’t return. Upon returning to Papa BEAR, we tore that building apart and forced the Oghrodi back. By the time we found Laxman, all that was left was a corpse.”

Anand replied somberly, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Boss let out a soft hum. “We knew no one could replace him so I trained diligently to handle piloting the BEAR alone. The team and I made sure we were truly in sync so something like that never happened again. And I forced them to promise that no one would be self-sacrificing like Laxman was.”

“Do you hate him for staying behind?” Anand asked.

“The reason doesn’t matter. I just hate him,” Boss replied. “We can discuss this more later. For now, focus on your training.”

Boss’ “training” consisted of teaching a few techniques before beating Anand within an inch of his life. Gale was on standby to help him recover before Boss beat the recruit down again. At first, Anand was sure it was because Boss had it out for him. No matter how detailed Anand's questions were, Boss always gave confusing answers. Clarification on techniques was a distant hope. All Anand could do was try to figure out the secrets to each move while fighting.

At least, that was the case until he could stay standing against Boss. If he kept his footing, Anand was able to watch how his mentor attacked. And within each technique were openings for him to take advantage of. When he finally got a handle on reacting to a technique, Boss would change it up. Then it was Anand’s job to find a new opening. By the time two months had passed, Anand was able to hold his own for almost ten minutes. Unfortunately, Boss took this as a sign that he no longer needed to hold back. He stopped treating Anand as a student and instead as a proper adversary. They would fight seriously until either Anand gave up or Boss stopped the fight. It was usually Boss who had to stop it since Anand would get himself killed.

“How did you know the kind of training I needed?” Anand asked while catching his breath after one such bout. He was nursing a wound on his leg.

Boss sighed. It seemed to be his only way of expressing emotion.

“I was the agent who was tasked with replacing Laxman as a Glaive,” he explained. “Much like you, I did not use a weapon. Thus I needed to learn to utilize a Glaive to its fullest potential without causing myself undue harm. Eventually, the GDF decided to use new recruits for Project Glaive and I was shifted back into my position as a BEAR pilot. Even so, I continued to practice what I’d learned as a Glaive. I found it to be an effective fighting style. When my team was informed of your team’s choices, I personally requested Director Graves that I be in charge of your training.”

“I thought you just wanted to beat me up.” Anand chuckled.

“What good would that do? The reason my team and I work you to the bone is because we need you ready for battle as soon as possible. It would be problematic if you were ill-prepared when a rift appears.”

Anand had gotten so accustomed to training, he’d often find himself forgetting the reason for it all. There hadn’t been any rifts for a while. The minimal amount of time between them was two months and by now four had passed.

“Alright, that’s enough sparring for today. Let’s get back to the lounge,” Boss said.

Anand was invigorated and hopped to his feet. Nothing was better than relaxing in Team Lucky’s personal lounge after a long day of training.

It was located down the hall from the firing range. At the end of the hall was a locked door with a scanner and team Goldilocks had been granted access to it. The room was heavily soundproofed to block out the sounds of firearms outside. Special systems were in place to get the attention of Team Lucky and Goldilocks when necessary.

Eve and Ray were relaxing on a couch and eating while recordings from past rifts were playing on a wall-mounted television. The walls were lined with commendations and awards the team members had received over the years. The right side of the room was split by a glass divider with a door. On the other side was a meeting room that had become the recruits’ classroom a month ago. Near the couch was a small kitchen where Alec was roaming around and making a snack while JP read something on his tablet.

Ray noticed Anand’s bruises as he sat on the couch.

“Geez, Anand. Still getting rocked by Boss?” Ray asked.

“I can hold on for ten minutes,” Anand said. “But once that switch flips, I can’t fight for more than 30 seconds.”

“Have you ever thought of ramping up like Boss does?” Eve asked.

Anand nodded. “Yeah, that was my first thought. I tried taking it easier when Boss wasn’t trying but then he just wiped the floor with me in three minutes.”

“You need to learn to properly gauge the enemy,” Boss said while entering the meeting room.

Team Goldilocks knew to follow him. Conrad was working on something inside.

“Sorry, we haven’t done any simulations lately but I thought it was time I improved them,” he said.

After a few swipes of his tablet, a three dimensional holographic landscape emerged from the table. It was a few city blocks with multiple buildings in different states of disarray. Anand and his friends each retrieved their tablets and loaded the simulation program.

“This is a modified version of the first module,” Boss said. “There’s only one Oghrodi but instead of finding it, you have to trap it. We’ve equipped the simulated Glaives with equipment to assist you.”

Anand clicked on his tablet button marked “Inventory.” Inside was a single item labelled as “Net.”

“These aren’t fish, you know?” he asked rhetorically. “A net won’t catch an Oghrodi.”

Conrad grinned slyly. “We have capsules that expand into nets with electric currents running through them. A weaker version has been used to subdue large animals who’ve run rampant during rift appearances. The ones we’ve made will take down an Oghrodi. Not to mention, the simulated Oghrodi has a 0% chance of breaking out. But you’ll have to create an opening to catch it. Now, let’s begin.”

For months Conrad had been telling the team to move together but Anand always took the first step. This signalled Eve and Ray that the mission started. Anand moved his token along the wall of a crumpled building and stayed near a corner of the street. Ray no longer rushed around randomly. Instead, he entered a different building and emerged from the other side. Meanwhile, Eve hid amongst the broken debris and cloaked herself while watching over her allies. By watching the landscape intently, the trio was able to see a flash of the Oghrodi token as it moved.

“Did you catch that?” Eve asked.

“Got it. Moving in with shield at the ready,” Ray confirmed.

Anand said nothing and had his token rush forward.

On Conrad’s next move, the Oghrodi appeared on the street a couple of blocks away from Anand. It moved towards him and stopped, signalling the next move. Eve fired a shot to the right of the Oghrodi, driving it to the opposite side. There it was met by Ray and staggered. Anand rushed for the Oghrodi but stopped short.

“Why are you stopping?” Ray asked.

“Keep going, Anand,” Eve said.

“Nope, my turn.” Conrad interrupted as he moved his token towards Anand’s. It stopped in its tracks and Conrad chuckled. “I see.”

“What? Why’d you stop?” Ray asked.

A large sign appeared over the hologram reading, “YOU WIN.”

“Boss, we talked about this.” Conrad groaned before turning back to Team Goldilocks. “To answer your question, Ray; Anand trapped me. When he stopped short, he set up the net so if I moved, it would ensnare me.”

Eve excitedly patted Anand’s back and exclaimed, “Nice job, dude!”

“Not necessarily,” Conrad said.

“What? Why?” Eve asked.

Boss walked around the table to get a full view of the hologram.

In a monotone voice he said, “Eve, did either you or Ray know what Anand was doing? Because, just from watching, I was unsure of his plan.”

“What Boss is trying to say is that you need to communicate. Eve and Ray did but Anand; you were completely silent.” Conrad added.

“I was trying to execute my plan,” Anand replied.

“You can still communicate,” Boss said. “Is biting your tongue worse than the alternative?”

“But, I knew I could catch it.”

“In the simulation, you catch things instantly. Do you think that’s how it normally works? What if an Oghrodi breaks out and you’re the only one near it because your allies have no idea what you were doing? What if they got hurt trying to save you?”

Anand kneaded his fists under the table. “I think I could get away.”

Boss grit his teeth and replied, “I know you couldn’t.”

“I succeeded, didn’t I?” Anand exclaimed defensively as he stood up.

“What good is it if you succeed alone? Is it worth losing your friends over? Or dying?”

Anand didn’t say anything and rushed out of the lounge. He turned the corner and ran up a set of stairs until he was on the top floor. The hallway was unfamiliar but he didn’t hesitate to run until arriving at a door that led to the roof. Anand stepped outside and gasped as the cold air enveloped him. In front of him was a long walkway with bars on either side. To his left was a steep drop and to his right was the metal gate above the hangar. Anand shivered as he walked to the end of the roof. He knelt and rested his head against the chilly railing while watching vehicles being tested in the distance.

He was frustrated beyond reason. His plan worked yet he was still branded a failure. He’d worked tirelessly with the simulations. But that still wasn’t enough. Anand was a failure. Even in success, he’d failed. He couldn’t do anything right. It didn’t matter what research he did or what his plans were, he always failed. His father was right. No matter what Anand tried to do, that was always going to be the case. And if he kept failing, the ones who’d get hurt were Ray and Eve. Their deaths would be on his hands.

Anand quickly brushed the tears from his eyes. What was the point in crying? It’s not like any of this was some groundbreaking revelation.

“Hey Anand, you doing okay?” Eve asked as she sat next to him with her back against the railing.

“I’m sorry,” Anand mumbled.

He heard a loud metal clang to his left where Ray was resting his cybernetic arm against the rail.

“Not that I don’t love to hear you apologize, but why?” he asked.

“I kept thinking I could do everything but…” Anand muttered. “I can’t do anything right.”

“You know you can rely on us, right?” Eve said softly. “We’ve got your back. We may not plan like you do but we’ve got our own strengths.”

“In some situations, we’re better than you,” Ray added chidingly.

“I know… I just… I thought I could solve the problems alone.”

Eve shook her head. “If you keep thinking that way we’ll just worry about you more.”

“If my plans work, you have no reason to worry,” Anand replied.

“Yeah. It’s a lot less worrisome when your friend puts himself in danger without telling you what he’s planning,” Ray said sarcastically. “And it’ll be super cool when Eve and I follow you blindly and everyone dies.”

Eve stared daggers at Ray. He held up his hands in surrender.

Anand hung his head. “I’m going to get us all killed. I’m such a fuckup.”

Eve turned her attention back to Anand and sighed. “No one thinks that. Trust us when we’re training and it’ll stick during missions. We’re a team.”

“More than that, we’re your friends. Just talk to us, man.” Ray added. “Heck, the only reason Team Lucky is harder on you is because you’re our leader.”

“Who decided on that?” Anand complained.

“We did,” Eve replied. “You know the most about the GDF and Oghrodi. You do research in your free time. Not to mention, you’ve used a Glaive.”

“Are you a little reckless? A tad idiotic? A massive overthinker?” Ray asked and answered his own questions. “Sure.”

Eve reached across Anand to punch Ray.

She patted Anand’s back lightly and said, “Once you figure out how to communicate, you’ll be perfect.”

“Why do you sound so sure that I can figure it out?” Anand asked.

Eve pursed her lips and sighed. “I’ve never actually seen you fail at anything. No matter what some people say.“

“Not to mention, this isn’t some class you hate. This is the GDF. The thing you’ve been obsessed with since we were kids,” Ray said. “If anyone deserves to lead us, it’s you.”

“I…” Anand hesitated. His heart swelled but he couldn’t say anything.

“Don’t worry. Show us later,” Eve replied as she walked back to the building.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Ray said while following.

Anand didn’t leave. He shivered from the cold air permanently hanging over the hangar. Even with goosebumps covering his arms, he felt warm.