Chapter 11: Down the Rabbit Hole

                                    

                                          
Being part of the milatary, sleep deprivation became second nature to Jacob. So when he was awoken by the sound of shuffling boots and early morning chatter, he managed to get up with little strain.
The room that had been assigned to him the night before was more luxurious than he had been expecting. The spacious loft had its own cupboard that was filled with freshly pressed military jumpsuits. It had its own bathroom, which held both a bath and shower- the likes of which, Jacob hadn't seen since the bombs fell. Lastly, in the corner of the room, a small kettle with assorted condiments lay in wait for his consumption.
It appeared that being part of an elite squadron came with some benefits. 
Jacob slid out from beneath the sheets, which were drenched with sweat. The one thing the room did not have was air conditioning and the small fan had done very little in terms of keeping the room cool. The unbearable humidity had forced him to strip down and sleep under nothing but a thin sheet. 
Jacob reached down for the pile of clothes he had discarded the night before, just as the door to his quaters slid open and Liana strolled in.
"We're heading out within the hour, I hope you've-" 
Liana looked down at where Jacob was crouching. An uncomfortable silence fell over the room for what seemed like an ungodly amount of time.
                          
"I swear it's not as bad as it looks- " Jacob started quickly.
                          
"I don't even want to know." Liana interjected, turning around to hide her crimson face. 
                          
"Last night was hot and I was...-"
                          
"Whatever you do in your free time has nothing to do with me Harken. Meet outside the training hall in 10 minutes."
                          
"Yes maam." Jacob replied, still locked in position. With that, Liana marched out of the room, leaving Jacob to crouch in silence. 
He sighed.
                          
"Great start." 
                          
Ten minutes later, Jacob was freshly dressed and waiting by the glass doors of the training centre. He was surprised at how sophisticated the facilities here were. In the short time that humans had inhabited the planet, they had erected a multitude of high tech buildings. The training facility was one such example of this; standing an impressive three stories tall, it spanned the length of a football field. Jacob's admiration of the building's architecture was cut short by the arrival of Marek. Jacob stood to attention and saluted his teammate.
                          
"Mr Jake." He said, bowing sarcastically.
                          
His forehead glistened with sweat. He had already begun to work out. 
                          
"Marek, good to see you again."
                          
"Likewise. Good to see you made it on time, Liana would have chewed you out had you been a minute later than her. How's the ole wound doing?" Jacob had forgotten entirely about his wound. The medi-gel had sped the healing process up an alarming amount. He gently prodded at it, testing to see if it still hurt.
                          
"Seems all good." He said in a surprised tone.
                          
"Healed nice and quick eh?" Marek chuckled. "It has something to do with this place, patches you up in no time. Must be something in the water."
                          
Jacob was about to object that he hadn't actually drunk any of the water yet but was interrupted by the arrival of Liana. Her hair was pulled perfectly into a tight bun and she wore a sleek fitting training jumpsuit, similar to Marek's. Jacob tugged consciously at his own mismatched, grey suit. 
                          
He felt like a true outsider.
                          
Liana jogged up the stairs that lead to where the two men were standing. 
                          
"Follow." She said simply. 
                          
The doors smoothly slid open, allowing Liana to jog through uninterrupted. Marek followed after her as if it was second nature. Still worrying about how glaringly he stood out, Jacob took a bit longer to catch on to what was happening. He awkwardly composed himself and fumbled after them, just as the doors of the training facility closed in front of him. He slammed into the glass doors at full force, bouncing off the, now reverberating, doors. He fell to the floor, clutching at his nose.