“Recognized: Ethan Rider, Infiltrator. Code: 0005. Test file uploaded for first use. Welcome to The Alliance, Mr. Rider!”

Ethan stared at his reflection in the suit’s tinted glass. The elegant suit awaited his entrance as the successful start-up finished its course.

“Well… Hop in!”Breach said motioning to Ethan with an open palm.

He walked behind the suit. An air-burster was attached to the back of it as well as a holster for any weapons he’d carry. The shiny, metallic exterior was comprised of individual scales that constantly moved around the suit.

“I call it moving metal,” said Breach. “It’s a technology I developed. The problem with rigid designs is it’s unchanging. The profile you create can either be one of mobility, or durability. One that gives you an aerodynamic profile or one that makes you air resistant. You can’t have both. But if every piece of metal is moving, you can choose how to shape your suit. The only unfortunate weight added to the suit is the lead plating.”

“Lead plating?” asked Ethan as he ran his fingers over the metallic vertebrae of the suit.

“We typically operate in the abandoned regions which are always radioactive. It’s usually not too bad, but we still need a coating of lead to prevent us from being poisoned. The suit wouldn’t be half as heavy as it is now if we removed the lead.”

The back of the suit opened up and Ethan stepped inside. The exo-suit contracted to fit his body shape snugly. Ethan shivered as every part of his body felt like it was being poked by a needle. The suit was far from comfortable. He couldn’t imagine moving around in this.

“Would it kill you to put some cushions in here?” asked Ethan.

“You’re feeling uncomfortable because you’re not in your jumpsuit. Nobody gets into an exo-suit in jeans and a t-shirt,” Breach laughed. “Just stay in there a little longer. Let the U.I. boot up.”

A neon green loading bar appeared in front of Ethan. It morphed into a circle which then scattered across the screen. Several pieces of information filled the edges of the transparent screen in front of him.

The suit greeted Ethan, “Hello, Mr. Rider.”

“Uh… Hi?”

“Thank you for responding. That is the first time anyone has responded to that question in 25 years. But that’s okay since I can’t commit suicide even if I want to,” she responded in an overly joyous voice that did not match the tone of her words at all. “As you can see, to your bottom left are your vitals. This tells me when you’re dead. I mean how dead you are… I meant how… healthy you are?”

“Yeah…I got it…You really want me dead…”

“Correct! Moving on…To your right is the current model of your suit. It can be switched from durable and slow to fragile and agile. At the bottom is your targeting system. All this, combined with my superior intellect and your below-average training, will result in an UNSTOPPABLE KILLING MACHINE THAT WILL BATHE IN THE LUKEWARM BLOOD OF OUR ENEMIES! I mean…perform optimally to achieve our noble goals.”

Ethan immediately stepped out of the suit and promptly shut it down. The suit’s head dropped down and the floodlights faded. The scales instantly ceased their fluid motion and clicked back into place.

“Who the hell programmed her?” asked Ethan pointing towards the suit.

“Well, I programmed her to be really nice and helpful. But being an A.I. she developed her own personality. Every day she sounds more and more like my wife when she’s pissed,” Breach said as a peculiar expression that screamed trauma washed over his face for a brief second.

Remind me not to piss off your wife, Ethan thought as he returned the remote to Breach.

John cleared his throat, “Breach, please show Ethan around. I need to report to Steve.”

“Yes sir!” Breach said.

John left the private quarters silently as Breach through his gentle arm around Ethan’s shoulders. He walked Ethan down the metallic staircase. Ethan stepped onto a grass-green carpet that traversed the hangar.

“So, this would be the aerial hangar,” Breach said pointing to the massive aircraft suspended over Ethan’s head. Some were fighter jets painted in matt-black and others were transport planes designed to carry soldiers and weaponry.

“On the next level below this is the training facilities. Some are physical, but most are virtual simulations,” he added. “But right now, we’re getting something to eat!”

“Oh, I don’t think I’m hungry…” protested Ethan. He bitterly hated overwhelming crowds and all he’d get are hundreds of critical eyes fixated on him as if he was an alien coming from space. Aside from that, public eating areas made his skin crawl with how dirty every table would be. Ethan imagined the revolting smell of dumped food filling his sensitive nostrils as he entered the hall. Overfilled trashcans that spewed into the walkways and the deafening sound of toneless voices all mixed and muddled together. It was enough to make him anxious.

“Well, then I’ll eat, and you can just sit,” Breach said with a smile.

To Ethan’s surprise, the hall was not nearly as full as he anticipated. Most of the seats were unoccupied, and the place was relatively clean. There was a mighty buffet at the back of the grand hall where most of the people were gathered. The bulk of the hall was seating and trash cans. Most of the seating was either dark grey or hazel brown which made the seats seem cleaner than they actually were. The tabletops were made from plastic with red tablecloths thrown over them.

It's not that bad, Ethan thought. Breach smacked Ethan on his back which made him stumble forward. They walked to a table for four people to sit down. Ethan pulled out his sanitizer and quickly sprayed his seat and wiped it clean.

“You know we don’t live in a slum, right?” chuckled Breach.

“Might as well. This shit’s disgusting. Do you know how many sicknesses breed in stale food? I should have brought my surgical mask and gloves or else I’ll catch a minor infection.”

“No, and I certainly would not like to know,” Breach said in response before sitting down opposite him. He raised his finger as he opened up his link to call someone.

“Hello, Rico?... Yes?... Bring us some food… Yes, I know. Just bring food for me; he doesn’t want to eat… okay but remember the sauce… Thank you, bye.”

Ethan began to fidget with his hands. An awkward silence filled the space between him and Breach who was seemingly oblivious to this silence. It seemed his mind had drifted aimlessly from reality and what sat opposite Ethan was merely a hollow vessel. He wished his mind could veer from reality like that.

He snapped back to reality when an Italian man sat next to him and punched him in the shoulder. He had a flowing beard that looked like an impenetrable bush and a mustache that joined his beard. His expressive eyebrows were thick, and his hair draped down to the base of his neck that curled up right at the end.

“Not. A. Word. Rico,” Breach warned as he begrudgingly handed Rico fifty Rand.

“The way your team got your asses handed to you; I should have bet hundred!” he said opening his wallet to slide the note in.

“Ethan, this is my friend Rico Veratti. Rico, this is Ethan Rider, the new infiltrator,” Breach monotonously said as if all the life had been drained from him.

“Please excuse friend,” Rico chuckled. “He is not so happy Galaxy FC lost 4-0 last night. Where are you from Mr. Driver?”

“Uhm… It’s Rider. And I’m from extension 15 in Durban South. Just a few streets down from the station.”

“Oh! You are not far from me then. You come for dinner tomorrow, no?” he offered.

Ethan’s eyebrows furrowed, “Wait, what? You just learned my name.”

“You are new here, no? Then you come for dinner. I invite you and Breach and anyone else you want to bring. I make big feast for you.”

“Just give in, mate,” muttered Breach. “He’s not going to stop until you agree.”

Ethan lifted his hands in surrender, “Alright then, I’ll pop in tomorrow. How many are you inviting?”

“I don’t know!” Rico chuckled impulsively throwing his arms in the air. “Maybe just infiltrator and some friends. Don’t worry. Me and wife are professional chef. My food better than my English.”

“I have a passion for cooking as well,” added Ethan. “What cuisine do yo-”

“You have no idea what I just heard,” interrupted Amber. “Galaxy FC just lost-”

“Fucking hell!” hissed Breach as he grabbed his drink and what was left of his food and left the table in an instant.

“What’s up with him?”

“Galaxy fan,” Rico said. “Amber, I have feast for Rider with Breach. You come too, no?”

Amber twirled the stirrer in her coffee, “You sure it’s a good idea to invite a recruit to dinner? Aren’t they like… most likely to be spies?”

“I’m. Right. Here,” muttered Ethan.

Rico smirked, “Don’t worry. I put truth serum in glass of water. If he spy, he will tell me. Then I slit throat.”

“What?!”

“Nothing,” dismissed Rico with a wave of the hand.

Just when I thought these guys were normal, Ethan thought.