PROJECT SPARTA

CHAPTER 8

"You know who else started in the garage?" Cusick led him. Mac awaited the answer. "Every computer genius in history!"

The room chuckled at Cusick, causing him to fidget and adjust himself, unsure how to react to the laughter. Hardy came up to Cusick and patted him on the shoulder in a way that politely asked him to step away from the podium. Cusick was reluctant to give up the spotlight, but waddled back to the line with the other instructors.

Hardy returned to the podium.

"And lastly I am your History instructor. We will have classroom sessions learning about ancient warfare and battles. This is where we will train your minds on strategy. Since you all are a top secret project in and of yourselves, you will have the highest security clearance. We will study hundreds of missions very few people even knew took place. We will dissect what went right, what went wrong and why they were successful or not. We will study everything from the Trojan War to the Cold War. We will study the geopolitical landscape of the world and many languages."

With a shifting in his stance, he moved to the conclusion of his speech.

"These men and woman will teach you the necessary skills you will need to survive. I would trust them if I were you, because I can assure you they know what they are talking about. If you think this training is going to be a cake-walk like the rest of your life has been, you got another thing coming, because we already know how brilliant you are. But make no mistake, we will make your time here challenging," he presented the syllabus like marching orders.

"Tomorrow you will start with a physical and mental assessment. This will be a one-time process. Tonight you are free to do what you please. There is no curfew in the Compound. You all need to learn how to raise yourselves. If you are tired in the morning I assure you, you will be sorry. Remember, nothing is as it seems. Good evening Spartans!" he nodded and the instructors filed out after him.

A cacophony of nervous excitement burst out in the Mess Hall, as the recruits stood and carried on with their evening. Xander, however, remained in his seat and processed everything he had just heard. He had been able to analyze many of the Spartans and conclude upon their potential expertise. He knew from Jooles soft expression and interest in espionage training that she would be an expert of stealth, Bronson's size led Xander to believe he would be a combat specialist, Mac from the way he typed while he talked was obviously a computer genius of sorts. He knew that Seamus must have been a ballistics expert, judging from the ash on his fingers. Tobias's stutter was only the result of his mouth not being able to keep up with his mind. Ezra would most likely be groomed into a strategist and code breaker, Xander deduced from the newspaper crossword in his lap. His eyes turned to Fiona and he realized he was unable to analyze her, as he was captivated by her sight. It led him to a sullen thought.

All of these recruits have some kind of expertise but what is mine?

There was a nervous excitement in the air, it was like the first day of college.

"Nothing is as it seems?" Xander asked himself, but loud enough for those next to him to hear.

"Yeah, nothing is as it seems," Ashton responded to him. "Our Project Motto. It's supposed to remind us to always be on guard and to always have a questioning mind. Never take anything for granted because the moment you do is the moment you'll get burned. It also tells us that despite our simulated surroundings, the real world is out there. Real people with real ideas and real freedom that we need to protect. We must never forget why we are here,"

"Yeah... and why are we here?" Xander asked.

"We are here to train how to kill terrorists and protect our country. If we fail, people will die and we will too," Ezra said plainly. This was the first time the gravity of the Project weighed on Xander. He felt lost upon arrival, but he's been told where he was and now why he was there, and it didn't feel any better. As he reflected, an assertive yell sounded through the room.