Read Online The Cupel Recruits by Susan Willshire - Free Book Online
Authors: Susan Willshire
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don’t want to?” Jane asked while folding her hands with finality on the table in front of her. Again, Saraceni’s response was pat:
“We will not force you to participate in training, but if you leave right now, you will die. I can tell you that if you do learn what we have to teach, you will absolutely be able to help those you love most in the world in a very meaningful way. This I promise you.” And so the gauntlet was thrown. Anyone who did not buy into the concept of the training heart and soul would be resistant and jeopardize the mission, so voluntary acceptance of each team member was absolutely critical. The room remained silent.
“Okay, then, I think we have ourselves a training class,” Saraceni boomed with a solitary clap of his hands in the space in front of him. The dramatic gesture was not really his personal style, but had been shown in data analysis of prior classes to increase the firmness of commitment by 23%, so he did it. They needed every possible edge, even if he personally disliked the tactics at times.
“Please take a short break and have some water from the tray in the back of the room and we will continue,” said Saraceni. The class milled about, glancing at the features of the room, sipping water and looking at one another skeptically. They were bought in just enough to not leave, but little more at this point. It was already late in the afternoon. Molior should have been hungry by this point, but they were not. After about 20 minutes, they noticed Saraceni turning the power on to a machine in the front left of the room and pressing some buttons, so the class gradually returned to their seats. Saraceni went to the door, receiving a rolling bin from a pair of hands belonging to an unseen visitor. Gabriel craned his neck in an attempt to see the faceless minion, but to no avail. Saraceni wheeled the bin behind a screen near the machine and faced the class.
“This device is called a sensory awareness platform. It will measure the ability of your bodies to respond to a variety of stimuli. A test for each of you is necessary to ensure your bodies are operating properly and prepared for steps in the coming weeks. It is not a comfortable test. Nausea is fairly common. Should you feel ill, there is a bin behind this soundproof screen. Who would like to go first?” Saraceni saw an opportunity to give the recruits some control over their own destiny by picking the order, so he liked to provide freedoms whenever possible. David Running Wolf stood up immediately. ‘The bravest’ Saraceni thought to himself at the speed of David’s ascension.
Running Wolf proceeded through the test as Wood and Stone had the day before, but without the benefit of experience, and remained stoic throughout the process. He correctly identified each experience and, thus, passed the test. He became ill immediately following and dove behind the screen, emerging shaky and somewhat green. And so it proceeded through the remainder of the recruits. Near identical experiences, except George, who did not become ill, just slightly queasy, and Jane Gray Windsor, who did not pass the test.
“It’s not uncommon with more petite frames to require subtle recalibration,” Saraceni informed her when she failed. “Jane, please remain here and I will see you to our medical team for attention. The rest of you are free to return to your rooms. Your doors are no longer locked, so you have access to the common area for your team, but your quadrant is still closed from the rest of the facility, so please note the doors at each end of the master hallway are locked. I know this has been a long and difficult day. I encourage you all to get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The recruits, still tired and now queasy, returned to their rooms on shaky legs. Gabriel walked with his father and Enam down the hall toward their rooms.
“Dad, I have a lot I think we should all discuss, but I’m so exhausted. Can you wake me up as
“We will not force you to participate in training, but if you leave right now, you will die. I can tell you that if you do learn what we have to teach, you will absolutely be able to help those you love most in the world in a very meaningful way. This I promise you.” And so the gauntlet was thrown. Anyone who did not buy into the concept of the training heart and soul would be resistant and jeopardize the mission, so voluntary acceptance of each team member was absolutely critical. The room remained silent.
“Okay, then, I think we have ourselves a training class,” Saraceni boomed with a solitary clap of his hands in the space in front of him. The dramatic gesture was not really his personal style, but had been shown in data analysis of prior classes to increase the firmness of commitment by 23%, so he did it. They needed every possible edge, even if he personally disliked the tactics at times.
“Please take a short break and have some water from the tray in the back of the room and we will continue,” said Saraceni. The class milled about, glancing at the features of the room, sipping water and looking at one another skeptically. They were bought in just enough to not leave, but little more at this point. It was already late in the afternoon. Molior should have been hungry by this point, but they were not. After about 20 minutes, they noticed Saraceni turning the power on to a machine in the front left of the room and pressing some buttons, so the class gradually returned to their seats. Saraceni went to the door, receiving a rolling bin from a pair of hands belonging to an unseen visitor. Gabriel craned his neck in an attempt to see the faceless minion, but to no avail. Saraceni wheeled the bin behind a screen near the machine and faced the class.
“This device is called a sensory awareness platform. It will measure the ability of your bodies to respond to a variety of stimuli. A test for each of you is necessary to ensure your bodies are operating properly and prepared for steps in the coming weeks. It is not a comfortable test. Nausea is fairly common. Should you feel ill, there is a bin behind this soundproof screen. Who would like to go first?” Saraceni saw an opportunity to give the recruits some control over their own destiny by picking the order, so he liked to provide freedoms whenever possible. David Running Wolf stood up immediately. ‘The bravest’ Saraceni thought to himself at the speed of David’s ascension.
Running Wolf proceeded through the test as Wood and Stone had the day before, but without the benefit of experience, and remained stoic throughout the process. He correctly identified each experience and, thus, passed the test. He became ill immediately following and dove behind the screen, emerging shaky and somewhat green. And so it proceeded through the remainder of the recruits. Near identical experiences, except George, who did not become ill, just slightly queasy, and Jane Gray Windsor, who did not pass the test.
“It’s not uncommon with more petite frames to require subtle recalibration,” Saraceni informed her when she failed. “Jane, please remain here and I will see you to our medical team for attention. The rest of you are free to return to your rooms. Your doors are no longer locked, so you have access to the common area for your team, but your quadrant is still closed from the rest of the facility, so please note the doors at each end of the master hallway are locked. I know this has been a long and difficult day. I encourage you all to get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The recruits, still tired and now queasy, returned to their rooms on shaky legs. Gabriel walked with his father and Enam down the hall toward their rooms.
“Dad, I have a lot I think we should all discuss, but I’m so exhausted. Can you wake me up as
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