Storm

It was still early, so we had the floor all to ourselves. Nothing drastic, just basic kicks and punches. Enjoying the exercise. We were both dressed in training gi, a rather dull ash-gray colour. Jonny had just flipped me onto my back , and as I lay there looking at the ceiling of the training gym my eyes started to itch again. Before I could lift my hands a line of fire stretched across my eyebrows, and something slid across my eye banks, sealing my eyes behind a transparent wall. And that triggered the rest of the changes. I could feel my heart rate increasing drastically, feel skin across my throat hardening, as well as across my groin. I lifted my hands, feeling removed from my body, and saw the knuckles change to something that resembled broken glass, many sharp edges absorbing the light from the electric overheads. My fingers smoothed into a whole unit, and something that like dulled metal burned as it slid from beneath my skin on each hand, transforming the edges into razor weapons. My entire body burned and itched as internal and external changes took place, and I heard myself cry out in pain. Then it was over, the pain gone as if a switch was turned off. I almost floated upright.

And the world changed colour before my eyes. Everything was much brighter, edges were sharper. Cleaner. I saw people coming into the gym, moving as if through mud. Except for Jonny. Shock rippled through me as I saw the changes in me reflected on his body. He looked- designed. Like somebody wanted a human shaped fighting machine. Two black lenses covered his eyes, forming part of his face. Hiding his eyes. He nodded at me, and I knew what he thought. After all, we were brothers, designed, but I'm guessing far more than was expected.

Let's test this.

We attacked simultaneously, but I rolled beneath his attack, drove my foot into his stomach. It was like kicking a wall. He grabbed my foot, and twisted me around, even as I scissored his legs from underneath him. We fell, but so slowly that I had time to punch him twice, in the throat and chest. Both times had no effect, except for the skin parting before my knuckles, and closing even as I pulled my fist away. Jonny drove his elbow into my groin, but I felt nothing like the expected agony.

We rolled apart, came to our feet. People were standing at the edge of the mats, still in slow motion, afraid to come into the fighting square. It felt- right. Like this was how things are supposed to be. Memory clawed its way into my mind. Images of arenas, faces screaming for blood at the edges, other opponents, none of them human. Victories, for defeat meant death. But that was only- training. I do not know how I knew this.

Jonny attacked again, three punches that came so fast that I hardly saw them. I rolled with them, and feinted to the left, and landed a strike with the heel of my hand to his chest. He lifted slightly, and chopped downwards with the edge of his hand. I blocked, and kicked again, striking his knee. He folded, but flipped backwards even as I struck downwards.

And then the coldness of a stunner field dropped over the training area. I felt things in my body resist the field, but everything was not yet aligned as it should be, and I fell into blackness.

* * *

"I do not think that it will be necessary for me to tell you exactly how much trouble this morning has caused." The tall man stood with his back to the group, and everybody in the room could hear the tension in his voice. "Not only did most of the advanced functions reactivate this morning, but it so in front of a lot of people. And rumour is already spreading. And to crown everything, our Emperor has heard of the little episode. If it wasn't for the fact that he needs the technology contained in them, and we are the only ones he trust enough to give it to him-" He let his sentence fade away.

"Fuck!" The other people tried not to look surprised. Altin Dimel never swore. But he was feeling the pressure of his job now.