"Oh I totally forgot about you Darell, why don't you come in." Sgt. Damascus laughed.
Darell was one of the military soldiers he was actually still young in his early to mid twenties, so he was still a newbie when it came to being a first liner.
The five who were sitting down still looking at Mikeal who was trying so hard to avoid making eye contact with them, were distracted by Darell's youthful looks.
So all heads turned to him.
"Students this is Darell Major, he is one of our new first liners and he is a grade five just like you guys." Lt. Ashley Grey introduced him.
Darell was quite a shy guy while he was being introduced he couldn't maintain eye contact with the students, he was busy looking around the office.
"He's a first liner? Get out of here." Griffin found that hard to believe.
"Well actually young sir it happens that I'm the only one in my squad to be graded five, my squad mates are all grade threes and fours." Darell corrected.
"Wow!" Griffin in disbelief.
"You know what, I do kinda believe that. I mean look at you." Celine commented.
Darell blushed but hid it so well, one thing about Darell that was obvious is the way he was. He was other worldly handsome; he was Caucasian with afro-silky hair and his jawline was perfect and chiseled and his eyes were hazel.
So it was no shocker that Celine found him very attractive, it looked like out of the group of five only three people took interest in Darell. While Mikeal and Alexia didn't say anything nor react to him or his impressive military status.
"Forgive me sir, but why exactly did you summon me here?" Darell humbled himself.
Sgt. Damascus remembered, "Oh yeah, I got distracted by your looks. The reason I have called you is that I want you to take these five to their accommodation."
Darell's face changed into confusion.
"I don't mean to speak out of term, but isn't that the lower grade' job."
Something in Lt. Ashley Grey shifted, "Look boy! You don't not question anything when the sergeant tells you to do something."
Feeling embarassed about the stupid question he just asked Darell humbled himself and apologized.
"I'm sorry ma'am, I'm sorry too sir. Please forgive my incompetence."
"It's okay Grey and you boy don't worry about it, but to answer your question. The reason I chose you is because these ones you see here are a special case." Sgt. Damascus tried to give him the answer he wanted.
"Forgive me for asking, but if you don't mind me asking. How special are they." Darell asked.
"Well why doesn't Grey answer your question." Sgt. Damascus looked at Lt. Ashley Grey.
"Thank you sir." she was flattered, "well it's because these ones managed to get a grade that even you couldn't in your first year." she explained.
"Wait, you don't mean?" Darell hoped that the answer he thought wasn't true.
Lt. Ashley Grey saw the expression on Darell's face and she couldn't help herself but enjoy seeing him like that.
"Yep, the grade you are thinking of right now, is their grade all of them you see right before sitting right before you eyes."
"These are all the fifth grades, that everyone in the academy was fussing about."
Darell took a good look at the students sitting down and he could not believe it.
"So now you understand why I chose it to be you who takes care of them?" Sgt. Damascus said.
Darell looked at him and Lt. Ashley Grey.
"Yes sir." He understood.
An emergency alert appeared on the sergeant's desk, beeping waiting to be answered.
Sgt. Damascus looked at Darell, "well don't waste any time now off you go."
Clearly whatever emergency alert that was it was private so Darell understood why he was being chased out now, he followed the order and took the others and left.
Inside the office Sgt. Damascus and Lt. Ashley Grey looked at each other with worry in their faces.
"You don't think?" Lt. Ashley Grey asked.
"Isn't it that obvious, Grey?"
Sgt. Damascus took a deep breath right before he answered.
Darell had now taken the gang other of Sgt. Damascus's office and accompanying them to where they are going to stay while they are in the academy, Darell showed them all of the places inside the headquarters that they never had a chance to explore.
They saw the classes that they were going to attend, showed them the place where they will eat during lunch, a library where countless knowledge of books were found and even gave them a sneak peak of what goes on behind the making of the exo-skeleton suits.
When they got in that restricted area when they peaked they saw the same torn exo-skeleton suit that Mikeal was wearing during the test, it was beyond recognition and releasing some unidentified steam.
On the other side of the room was written 'Restricted Area, Personnel Clearance Only'
"What is going on in that room?" Hector pointing it out.
Darell looking at the room, "Oh that one is restricted even I cannot enter it."
They they continued to explore, tensions between Mikeal and Alexia were high one of them felt betrayed that the other one didn't tell them about their test, and that's how Alexia felt.
Mikeal was walking right in front of her looking everywhere else but her, obviously he knew that she was mad at him for not telling her anything.
Every since they were young they were always close, there was nothing that they didn't share with each other from the first time Alexia got her first period to Mikeal having a major crush on a girl, they always been close.
But today out of all days they didn't even see eye to eye, Alexia was walking with Hector who was so lost by the wonders of the Headquarters. While Griffin and Celine were still getting well acquainted.
"Can you really believe that we are here?" Hector tried to start up a conversation with Alexia.
But Alexia couldn't care any less as she was distracted with looking at Mikeal who was avoiding with his everything not to talk to her.
"Hey! Alexia, are you there?" Hector seeing that she's not paying attention to him waved his hand in her face.
That's when she snapped out of it, "Mmh, oh I'm sorry were you saying something?"
Though she snapped out of it, Hector could see it clear as daylight that Alexia was really occupied with Mikeal. So in order to avoid making her mad he chose to dismiss it.
"Uh, no I was just making sure that you're doing well."
Then Hector left Alexia and walked with Mikeal.
"Yo, man whatever it is that you did Alexia looks pissed." Hector whispered to Mikeal.
Mikeal walked slow, "I know."
The exploration of the headquarters finally concluded and now it was time for Darell to take them to their accommodation, they left the headquarters and found themselves outside again.
"Wait a minute, are we going to our room?" Hector asked.
"Well we are but they are not. Oh, you thought that your rooms are inside the headquarters? Oh, no just come with me and you'll see them." Darell laughed.
He then led the way showing them parts of the military they didn't even know that it even existed, he showed them where the airships would land, and where the military vehicles would be parked and found, the training ground where they'll do their PE and they even saw the cages that were empty being taken to the headquarters.
The outside was packed with different military personnel from the first liner soldiers to the medical profession.
All of them walking together talking.
They kept walking for quite some time until finally, they arrived where they were heading. They entered one of the military buildings that was alone far from the headquarters, they got inside and got inside the elevator and went up.
The building was way more beautiful than the headquarters, it was more like a residential area than a army ready attack battle station, as they were going up. Down they saw all of the students who had just entered the building being accompanied by someone taking them to their rooms.
The building was more like a five story building, it's appearance it was like one of those secret lairs of superheroes or something like that, they reached the fifth floor.
Upon arriving they saw that the fifth floor looked a lot better than the other floors, if this was a hotel then the fifth floor would be a suite.
"Woah." All of them gasped in unison.
"Now this is awesome." Hector left everyone else behind and just ran all the way.
Darell stopped in the hallway and handed them their smart ID cards.
"Oh, yes here you go."
"What is this?" Griffin as he carefully studied it.
"Right my bad, those are your ID smart cards they have been updated now, as you can see it has all of your initials and when you look right under your photo you'll see your graded level." Darell explained to them.
They saw exactly what he said they were going to see, every single one of their cards had written grade five.
"Now, before I go remember that each of you have your own room and behind your card you shall see your room alphabet from A to E. And don't worry about your stuff they are already in your designated rooms, now go rest starting from tomorrow you are going to be working your asses off."
Then Darell left.
Everyone else looked at their room alphabet behind their cards and saw which rooms were they at.
"What room did you get?" Celine asked Alexia.
"I got room D and how about you?" Alexia asked her too.
Celine looked at her card, "Would you look at that I got C."
"Ugh man, looks like I'm your neighbour Alexia since I got E." Hector sounded disappointed.
"And what about you Griffin?" Celine rushed to check his card.
"I guess I got A." He showed her.
"Which means that Mikeal is B." Alexia said.
Hearing that sounded like music to Griffin's ears.
"You hear that freak show? We are going to be neighbours.
He gave Mikeal a sinister smile and look.