Jaxon

Earth

     Jaxon knew the risks of the mission before he even got into the sleeping pod. His small figure and light complexion stood out from the other teens who were also chosen for the mission. Because of this, he was often a target for ridicule, even though he had proven his worth time and again during the training process.

     There had been seventy of them when the program started. They were all four years old, male, and chosen from the best houses all over the world. They were trained mentally and physically, pushed to their limits and often beyond. Slowly, some children were cut from the program for various reasons, mostly from low grades and bad performances.

     Their diet was strict and limited. They had to be ready for the food they would be eating when they reached their final destination. And exercise was mandatory. As the boys got older, they grew bigger, stronger, and taller than normal. However, genetics had a different plan for Jaxon. He didn't grow as tall as the others and wasn't as strong. His mind though, was sharp and his intelligence exceptionally high. It was this and his remarkable acrobatic skills that kept him from getting cut.

     After eleven years of brutal training, they were down to thirty teens left. The day of launch was coming soon, and tensions started to suddenly get high. There were a lot of deadlines moved forward and a lot of new orders coming down from the top.

     "As you know." Their commanding officer addressed them. "We have a relatively new settlement on Earth Beta. You have been chosen as officers, scientists, and builders for the settlement. You will receive your placement orders based on your skill. It will take you six years to get there. You will be placed into cryogenic pods after you leave the moon port to ensure that you are in perfectly fit condition when you arrive." He looked at the teens that stood in line. It looked like there was a gap in the line. He walked down and saw what he thought was a gap was actually a five-foot four teen. He was standing between two six-foot teens that slightly hid his presence.

     The officer scoffed when he looked at the boy, causing a few of the boys to turn up their lips in evil smiles. The boys on either side of him even went so far as to try and crowd him out of line.

     "As of one year ago." The officer continued. "We lost all contact with EB. It's unknown what you will find when you arrive. Your job is to set up communications and report back as soon as you assess the situation. Further orders will be given at that time." He turned around and looked at the young men one more time. He almost had a pride in what they had accomplished with most of them. With one finale sneer at Jaxon, he stomped his foot on the ground. "Company dismissed!"

     "Sir yes Sir!" They all yelled in unison and filed out of the room.

     "Hey!" Jaxon was shoved slightly as he was inspecting one of the pods.

     "Oh... sorry. Didn't see you there." One of the future officers said sarcastically. "Maybe you should wear a safety vest. Or heals."

     "You know Blade, if one of these pods should fail to work... say... yours for example..." Jaxon said with a slightly crooked grin and a shimmer in his dark blue eyes. "There's nothing to really do on the ship... it'll be a long long boring ride there."

     Blade's face turned into a frown. His brown eyes narrowed, and he took a step towards Jaxon, towering over him. Jaxon didn't seem intimidated at all. "Is that a threat?" Blade asked, shoving him a little harder this time.

     "And if it is..." Jaxon turned his attention back to the pod and wrote down a few more things.

     Blade took the tablet out of Jaxon's hands and held it above his head. Jaxon just sighed. "What are you going to do now? Where's all those threats?"

     Another hand came up from behind Blade and pulled the tablet out of his. Blade gave a squeak and Jaxon laughed. "Leave him alone. Don't you know that we scientists travel in packs for safety?"

     Blade scoffed at the newcomer and glared at him. They were both about the same height and build, but Blade didn't have as much of a brain as this kid did. Blade backed down, but he pointed a threatening finger at Jaxon before leaving.

     "You know I could have taken care of myself, Ash." Jaxon said with a sigh.

     "I know." Ash handed the tablet back to him. "But then we wouldn't have heard that amazing example of a mousy squeak." Both boys laughed and went back to work.

     The launch was now only a week away. The boys really weren't nervous about leaving. The way they were trained, they had been cut off from all family. They had no one here on earth to miss. And no one that would miss them. They only had each other and needed to make sure and work as a team to accomplish this important mission. To their superiors they appeared to be ready. Obeying every order. Working together to solve complex puzzles, and so on. But behind the scenes, when no one was there... they were still just boys.

     They each had a personality. Each had flaws that they kept hidden the best they could. This was no different for Jaxon. He was always curious and often was found reading old books from Earth Before. His favorite were the pictures of nature and animals.

     As soon as they landed on EB, they were to be broken up into their three factions and start their tasks after reporting to Earth that they had arrived. They were going to turn the small settlement into a full-blown working port. Although they were supposed to work as a team, human nature will always get in the way, no matter how hard they try to drill it out. The boys would often hang out with their own fractions and saw the others as competition or looked down on them depending on their skill.

     Each faction was assigned a leader. Blade was the leader of the officers. He was in charge of everything from security to making sure the other two groups were on track. The other two teams were awaiting a leader to be chosen.

     "Scientist Jaxon." The CO from before had called him into the main office. Jaxon saluted and tried to stand tall. The boys didn't have last names. It was just one more thing they took from them. "What are your skills?"

     "Sir?" Jaxon wasn't sure what he meant.

     "Your skills. Why did we keep you when you look... like that?" He motioned to his size more than anything else.

     "Sir, advanced intellect, advanced problem solving, advanced linguistics, advanced reflexes..."

     "That's enough." Jaxon stopped talking but kept his tense stance. "If it were up to me, you would have been cut from the program all together. But you seemed to have impressed some of the higher ups." The man handed Jaxon a folder. "You're the new lead scientist. Inside are your orders and responsibilities."

     Jaxon loosened up a bit and took the packet. He looked down at the plain manila envelope with his name on it. He didn't want this; he didn't want to be in charge of anything. He just wanted to do his job and go unnoticed. This just meant that the other teens had even more reason to hate him.

     "How the hell?" Ash looked over the papers as Jaxon sighed. "I mean, you are the most qualified really. But..."

     "You can say it." Jaxon ran his hand across his shaved black fuzz. "I'm not exactly reaching for the stars? People like me are in 'short' supply?"

     Ash playfully punched Jaxon's arm. "That's not funny. And you deserve this."

     "Thanks. The real reason I told you first, was I can choose my own right-hand man." He scrunched his nose a bit and gave a crooked smile. "I could really use your help in getting the others to work with me."

     "You can count on me buddy." Ash leaned on top of Jaxon's head like he always did to annoy him. Jaxon just sighed and facepalmed as Ash laughed at him.