CHAPTER 34- Welcoming Soldiers

Captain Bron and Mark entered the experimentation room through the elevator, approaching General Maverick who was engaged in conversation with Dr. Feriz. Upon seeing them, General Maverick inquired, "What are you two doing here? I thought you were supposed to be preparing for tonight."

Captain Bron saluted and began to speak, but Mark quickly interjected, saying, "I apologize for the interruption, sir. I just wanted to inquire about Spectre."

"By the way, why do you refer to her as Spectre? Is there something I missed?" General Maverick asked.

"No, sir. Mark simply chose the name Spectre as a symbol of their friendship," Captain explained.

"Yeah, I like it because she's like the protagonist of a movie I watched before," Mark chimed in with a smile.

"Apologies for interrupting your conversation, but Jhohan is not dead. There is something inside her body that is helping to maintain her vital functions," Dr. Feriz stated, while observing Jhohan's body inside the transparent machine through the window.

"Oh, yes!" Mark exclaimed, performing a little dancing move.

"If you're certain about that, I am truly grateful for your help," Mark expressed his gratitude.

"I genuinely believe that she is still alive," Mark added as he shook Dr. Feriz's shoulder.

"He still retains his childlike nature," Captain Bron whispered to General Maverick, referring to Mark's actions.

"You were quite similar when you were young; you can't deny that," General Maverick smiled and whispered back to Captain Bron.

"Let him express what he feels. It will help him regain his focus for tonight," General Maverick added.

"Do I look old to you? I'm still young, you know. I just gained more of this," Mark said, flexing his muscles and trying to appear boastful.

"Nah, you have to accept that you're growing old. And lastly, you're only looking young because of those artificial legs," General Maverick teased, giving Captain Bron a playful jab.

"Why are you being so harsh? Are you jealous because I have these?" Captain Bron retorted, pointing at his legs.

"Haha," General Maverick let out a strange laugh in response.

Captain Bron shook his head and said, "You're always against me."

"Hey Mark, I've done what you requested. Now, you need to get back on the ground and focus on the task at hand," Captain Bron shifted his attention and started heading back towards the elevator.

"Just a second, Captain!" Mark replied

"How long until she wakes up?" Mark asked, looking at Jhohan.

"It depends on how well her body recovers," Dr. Feriz replied.

"Hey Mark, you're pushing my patience. We're running out of time," Captain Bron urged.

"You have to leave now, Mark. There's still a lot for you to do," General Maverick said.

"I'm coming!" Mark said, hurrying to catch up with Captain Bron.

"Why is it that when you want to stop time, it speeds up even more, but when you want to make time go faster, it slows down? Is there something ingrained in our minds?" Mark pondered as they approached the hallway.

"Hey Mark, stop with that nonsense. Your behavior has changed since you woke up. It could be the bullet affecting your brain," Captain Bron responded.

"A bullet? Someone shot me?" Mark asked, surprised.

"Just forget about it," Captain Bron dismissed the question.

"Hmm, that might explain why I've been feeling strange," Mark mused.

"I think they're approaching," Captain Bron remarked, glancing at his watch to check the time.

From the entrance of the building, they witnessed helicopters landing on the nearby airfield, accompanied by a passenger aircraft.

"Now we can witness the skills of the soldiers from the other city," Captain Bron remarked, observing the scene at the airfield.

"Sir, you can ride with me !" a soldier, stopping the vehicle nearby, offered to Captain Bron.

Both Mark and Captain Bron nodded in agreement and climbed into the vehicle.

"I'm Sergeant Colan, sir, from Class B. It's an honor to have the best captain in the Obsidian Base join me for the ride," the driver introduced himself.

"Well, I appreciate the kind words, but I think you may have received some incorrect information," Captain Bron responded.

"I apologize for your loss, sir, but your team has achieved a lot more than others, and that's because of your exceptional leadership," the driver insisted.

"Sergeant, there's no need to compare us to others. Our duty is to protect the nation, not to collect medals," Captain Bron asserted.

"I understand, sir, but you truly deserve those medals, why didn't you accept them?" the driver replied.

"Enough about that. Let's focus on your driving," Captain Bron said, diverting the conversation.

"They rewarded you? You should accept them. It must be cool to see yourself being recognized in front of a crowd, with an official placing a medal on your chest. And then, of course, there would be a celebration and the attention of beautiful girls, just like you fantasize, right?" Mark said.

"Mark, enough with your daydreaming. This is not the time or place for such fantasies. We have a serious mission ahead, and I need you to stay focused," Captain Bron said sternly.

"Alright, I understand. I was just trying to lighten the mood," Mark replied.

"You're not lightening my mood, Mark. In fact, you're making me regret bringing you along to welcome those soldiers. I've been disappointed with your attitude ever since you woke up," Captain Bron said, frustration evident in his voice.

"And please, just be quiet, okay?" he added firmly.

"Alright, Roger that, Mr. Captain," Mark replied with a weird sound.

Captain Bron let out a deep sigh.

As they arrived on the airfield, the bottom side of the transport aircraft opened with a satisfying sound. Captain Bron stepped out of the vehicle and began to shake hands with each of the soldiers. The first person he greeted was Lieutenant Nashia Colter, an attractive woman with a model-like appearance, standing at 5'8" tall, with blonde hair and fair skin tone.

"Hi, sir. I'm Lieutenant Nashia Colter from New Gratias City," she introduced herself.

The second person was a muscular man, standing at 6 feet tall with a bald head and a balanced skin tone.

"Hey, you're the image of Obsidian soldiers, right?" he remarked. "Just call me Lieutenant Carlos from New Gratias."

The third individual was a shorter man, standing at 5'1" with a clean-cut, muscular build and brown skin tone.

"Hi, sir. Nice to meet you. I'm Sergeant Gabby Broly from Zinio City," he greeted.

The fourth person was a slightly muscular female with a serious expression, standing at 5'9" tall with her tied black hair. She had a brown skin tone.

"Hi, sir. I'm Captain Kelly Wong from Athens City. It's nice to meet you," she said.

The fifth person was a male with a balanced body, standing at 5'7" tall. He wore eyeglasses and a black cap, and had a caramel skin tone.

"Nice to see you, sir. I'm Sergeant Kevan King from Zinio City," he introduced himself.

All of them were dressed in military uniforms and carried large backpacks.

Captain Bron looked around and asked, "Is there no one here from Mharsia City?"

"I'm here, sir. I got separated from the others since our city is just a little step with the Obsidian Base," the man standing to his right said, looking tired from running.

"By the way, I'm Sergeant Koby Chen. I'm the only volunteer from Mharsia City," he explained.

After receiving warm greetings from Captain Bron, they walked towards the Training Facility.

"It's been a long time, Nashia. You look more gorgeous than before," Carlos quickly put his hand around her shoulder.

"Stop with your outdated style, Sergeant Carlos. I'm already married," she said firmly.

"If you want to stay alive after this, you should focus on this mission. Our enemy is not cowardly like you. If you had proposed to me before, we might be living under the same roof now. Please remove your hands from me," she added.

Carlos removed his hands and said, "Yeah, I was a coward back then, and I regret that. But this time, you should survive on your own."

"I'm tired of saving you again," Carlos added with a smirk.

"Shut up, Bald Guy. It was just an accident," Nashia replied.

Meanwhile, Koby Chen noticed Mark standing next to Captain Bron. "You look younger than us. Where are you from?" he asked.

"Hehe, yeah, but I'm taller than you. Why did you and Gabby join the military when your heights didn't meet the qualifications?" Mark asked with a smirk.

Captain Bron immediately tapped Mark's head.

"Ouch, what's wrong?"

"Please excuse him, Sergeant. He's a bit confused. Don't bother asking him anything. You won't gain anything from it," Captain Bron said.

"That's fine. It seems he's just trying to make a joke," Koby said.

"I'm not joking. I was serious," Mark insisted.

Captain Bron tapped his head again.

"Ouch, okay, fine. I'm sorry," Mark said, rubbing his head.

"You better keep quiet, or I'll let my gun shut your head," Captain Bron replied, feeling embarrassed.

Only three of them, Captain Kelly Wong, Sergeant Gabby Broly, and Sergeant Kevan King, approached the building quietly.

As they descended to the Training Base in the transparent elevator, Gabby exclaimed, "Wow, they were right. Obsidian Base has made significant improvements."

Kevan King noticed some young people on the shooting range and asked, "Who are those young people out there?"

Captain Bron replied, "Those are the volunteers from Maharlika, Sergeant. We lost a lot of personnel in the previous attack, so we needed to add some new recruits."

"They will be part of the first elite soldiers in Obsidian Base. We'll call them GONE Soldiers," he added.

"Yeah, I've heard about that. I hope they'll survive," Gabby said.