Power Requires Sacrifice

Cars in the area dodged the failing van, concerned citizens called the emergency hotline and the driver tried turning the engine over repeatedly but it kept stalling, over and over again.

He turned to look back at Mari and suddenly his humanity was found.

"My family," he begged her. "My children, please. Please."

For the first time in her life, someone of a higher rank was not looking down at her through their nose but asking with her, pleading with her. She was now in charge, and a pang of guilt hit her soul because it felt good.

"I'm not doing this because you asked," Mari said. "I'm doing this for my friends. Let me in the front."

Without arguing, the driver pulled a lever and the glass partition separated. Mari traded places with the driver and decided right then and there was a good time to learn how to drive.

Tiffany was not going to miss her chance to see her threat through.

Tiffany lunged for the guard and gave him a swift left hook. The guard grunted in surprise because it hurt a little. Not a lot, but enough for him to take her seriously.  When she tried to punch him again he grabbed her by the left wrist. She tried punching with her right hand next, but he grabbed her by that wrist as well. She tried pulling away, and the more she struggled the more her captor laughed.

With one giant pull backwards she headbumped him with all the strength she had and he collapsed, unconscious.

"Oh shit you really killed that guy," said one of the girls.

Everyone was awkwardly silent for two seconds.

"That was badass," she continued.

The girls started chanting her name and the driver now backed up close to Mari and tried getting on her good side to stay alive.

"So uh, how good of a driver are you," he asked.

"I can't."

The driver prayed to the gods that they would help guide his children in his absence.

Mari ignored his prayers and tried to focus on the front panel of the van. She splayed out her palms on the dashboard and took a deep breath. She tried to concentrate, but it was difficult as the speed of descent was increasing, and everyone was lifting to the roof of the van.

Mari grabbed the steering wheel with one wheel, kept one hand on the dashboard, and tried to channel the same fury she had before. She whispered to herself silently that she could do it. That she was strong. She didn't really believe it but a small part of her wanted to.

The driver attempted to turn the engine again but it kept stalling. While Mari was trying to figure out how she electrocuted the van, a random delivery bot strayed into the van's path of destruction. Sparks flew everywhere when it hit the van, causing Mari to tense up and shock the van into power again.

"Get out of the way," the driver desperately shouted.

Mari moved to the side and the driver deftly swerved other vehicles and rose up into the air again.

"Let us go," Tiffany shouted. "She saved us, what else do you want!"

"We'll take you to the military base," the driver grumbled. "We're late anyway."

"What do you mean we're late," Mari asked.

"You'll see when we get there."

Twenty minutes later, the last van of the group of girls descended into Parking Lot D of the Fadeno Military Base. The same recruits from the transit center were waiting for them in the dark, their heads shaved, humiliated and terrorized.

Mari and all the girls poured out the van and were utterly confused at the scene in front of them, as were the other recruits that were forced to wait in the parking lot until everyone else arrived.

"This was a hazing ritual," Tiffany asked slowly, stretching the words out, her anger rising with each syllable. "You made us think we were going to be killed or sold and it was a hazing ritual!?"

"Yes," said the driver. "You must be prepared to sacrifice anything and everything in dangerous situations at a moment's notice."

Tiffany strode over to driver and slapped him right across the face, causing shocked gasps. The driver wasn't hurt because of the mask but his ego was bruised. She spat at his feet and walked away.

"Die in a hole."

Mari looked around and felt like there were less people there than when they left. She looked at the edge of the group and  saw a commanding officer, LT. ORRO, and cautiously walked up to him.

"Sir?"

He raised his eyebrows at her and grunted a yes.

"Where is everyone?"

"Some of them left after they got here. They were afraid after being 'kidnapped,'" Lt. Orro said. 

He said the word 'kidnapped' with quotation marks using his fingers as if it were funny to make people believe they were dying, many of them their first day away from home.

"There is another van that just hasn't arrived yet. Group of boys. Should be here any minute now."

Any minute now was twenty minutes later.

A van that was erratically driving throughout the air jerkingly made its descent to the parking lot, and almost crash landed once it hit the ground. No one came out once it landed, but loud thumps could be heard from the inside. 

A loud squeak and several crunches were heard as the door looked like it was being sucked inwards. Everyone started talking loudly over each other and Lt. Orro made them get back out of fear of what would happen next.

A young man with blood on his tennis shoes apathetically threw the van door to the ground after tearing it off its hinges and stepped out of the van. Several others followed out with him, grim faces on all of them.

"What did you do," Lt. Orro screamed.

"What had to be done, of course. After I beat the driver's face to a pulp the other one  told me this was prank. The next prank will be me crushing your skull in."

"Who do you think you are talking to me that way!"

"Eric. Bye."

Eric walked out of the parking and Lt. Orro's brown face somehow turned red from his blood pressure rising at the severe insubordination of it all.

"You cannot leave without getting your head shaved. All of you," Lt. Orro informed them. "There is a building nearby."

"You think I'm gonna let some wierdo shave my head after another one made me think I was gonna die," Eric asked. "You're insane."

"Those who refused to get their heads shaved left. Most of them girls. Poor girls. Strange, isn't it?"

It was not strange to Mari.

Poor girls grew their hair out long so if their family was in dire straits, and had no other options left, they could sell their hair to be made into wigs for a pretty penny. Mari didn't care that much for her hair. She didn't wash it as often as she should, but that was more of financial limitations than apathy.

Cutting her hair meant giving up a lot of things.

No more money to give her family. No rich man to fall in love with her and rescue her some day. No more hiding her tears under her bangs when she was called it or the thing. 

"Whatever, I came this far, I can grow it back," Tiffany said. "I killed a guy today, I can get my head shaved."

"Actually, he's alive! Just unconscious," the driver yelled from afar.

Tiffany was mildly disappointed. She rolled her eyes and made her way past Eric towards the grey building with a sign that said INTAKE. Those that had been waiting in the parking lot for hours were relieved they could finally leave while the rest were anxious about the future.

If the first day entailed being kidnapped, what would the rest of training be like?

Inside the sterile intake facility was a large barbershop made for speed and not appearance. The young men and women sat stone faced as their heads were shaved down to buzz cuts and instead of now being individuals they were all one.

Mari sat in the chair with the barber who had many tattoos on his left arm. They symbolized all the battles he had been through, the friends he had lost, gained, never came home. His other arm was cybernetic, and the one her preferred to cut hair with, even though he was left-handed.

Mari stopped her barber before he shaved her head.

"Can I do it myself," she asked.

"I've never had anyone ask me that before," he replied.

"But it's not against the rules, is it?"

"No it's not," he chuckled. "Just make sure to do it right."

Other recruits had strange admiration and respect when they saw Mari shave her head. She went slowly, trying her hardest to make sure that everything would be uniform. As the locs of hair fell to the floor so did the parts of her past.

She said goodbye to the shame of being kicked out of stores by bigoted shopkeepers.

Goodbye to the pain and abuse from being pushed down stairwells, spat on, and harassed by classmates.

Goodbye to the pressures of being the only child to finish high school.

When she was done shaving her head, she looked into the mirror, and it was left uneven in many parts. She asked the barber to finish it off for her and he was more than happy to do it for her. When he was done, he, like all the barbers, told her what they told all the recruits.

"Power requires sacrifice. Duty will require sacrifice. You will make hard choices and compromises. Do you want to continue?"

"My life has been only a series of hard choices and compromises."

"You must have been powerful this entire time without even realizing it," he told her.

She gave a nod and a small smile but then started to cry. Not from sadness but relief. The barber was not surprised by her tears, but by what happened after. 

Tiffany got up from her chair and went over to hold her. The girl who gave her the bobby pin went over to hold her. And one by one all the girls and boys went into a group and held each other.

For the first time in her life, Mari did not feel alone at school.