Inside the practice area...
Rinea
The red haired man glances up at Rinea, before looking back down at the little black robot. “Just Reid will do, Rinea. Good luck in your test.” With that, he poked at the robot a few times more with the screwdriver, before replacing the black panel.
As Rinea stepped into the room, the door slid shut behind her. The interior of the practice room looked more like a cell than anything else. The walls, ceiling and floor were fashioned from the same metal as the hallway. Other than a half-sphere of clear crystal that was embedded into the center of the ceiling, there were no decorations or furnishings. A soft humming noise was the only sound that could be heard. Even the chattering and music that constantly filled the air had been silenced.
“The test will begin in just one moment, Rinea,” Wes’ voice could be heard within her head. “Just try to relax.”
Above, the crystal sparkled and took on a faint yellow glow. Then, the room around her disappeared, replaced by the familiar darkness of space. Even the floor below her had vanished, leaving her with the familiar feeling of weightlessness. The freezing atmosphere of space was familiar, but the cold did not bother her that much. She floated in an asteroid field, surrounded by asteroids of varying sizes and color. A small planet could be seen in the distance, and Rinea immediately recognized the pale green sphere—Alcuria, a planet that she and her father had occasionally trained on.
Marcus
After bidding good luck to Jonn and Rinea, Marcus chose a practice room and stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind him. The interior of the practice room looked more like a cell than anything else. The walls, ceiling and floor were fashioned from the same metal as the hallway. Other than a half-sphere of clear crystal that was embedded into the center of the ceiling, there were no decorations or furnishings. A soft humming noise was the only sound that could be heard.
“The test will begin in just one moment, Marcus,” Wes’ voice could be heard within his head. “Just try to relax.”
Above, the crystal sparkled and took on a faint yellow glow. Then, the room around him disappeared, replaced by another, more familiar room. He immediately recognized his high school’s gymnasium. The smell of sweat in the air, the feeling of the mats beneath his feet, the sound of the cheering crowd; it all felt so real. On one wall, he saw banners announcing the State Wrestling Championships.
He stood outside the white line that marked the edges of the ring. Across from him was another boy, slightly taller, but definitely the same weight class. He wore the colors of a rival school. The ref stood between the two of them, gesturing for them to take their places. It was time for the match to begin.
Jonn
After bidding good luck to his classmates, Jonn stepped into the practice room, and the door shut behind him. The interior of the room looked more like a cell than anything else. The walls, ceiling and floor were fashioned from the same metal as the hallway. Other than a half-sphere of clear crystal that was embedded into the center of the ceiling, there were no decorations or furnishings. A soft humming noise was the only sound that could be heard.
“The test will begin in just one moment, Jonn,” Wes’ voice could be heard within his head. “Just try to relax.”
Above, the crystal sparkled and took on a faint yellow glow. Then, the room around him disappeared. Jonn found himself standing on a rock, surrounded by rolling green hills. The air smelled fresh, clean. The day was overcast, there was a chill in the air, and he felt raindrops as they fell upon his face and arms.
“Jonn, come on!” A familiar voice called out. Turning, Jonn saw Nathan Turner, a buddy from the National Guard. They had occasionally gotten together to go hiking, and sure enough, Nate had his hiking gear on. “We going, or what?”
