Crash Course

Braxton entered the next room. It was filled with training dummies. Some were made to be the size and weight of humans. Others had critical strike areas shown by yellow circles, their color worn away by constant use.

"Ah, I see they brought in another recruit. Where did they find you? Never mind, I don't really care what shithole prison they dragged a worthless little shit like you out of. I'm Sargent Blitz to you. You can call me Sarg for short. It's my job to teach you hand to hand combat techniques. I've been to the other side of the gate. So, I suggest you listen to what I have to tell you. Learn fast or you will die quick. You have three days to pick up as much survival skills as you can. Don't worry about escaping. The nanites control the security access you are allowed. The walls won't even open to let you past." Sargent Blitz talked as he began to loosen up.

"Three days, that's it?" Braxton stated glumly.

"You have any martial arts training?" Blitz asked ignoring his question. He'd been doing this for ten years, after spending two years surviving on Planet Blood Furnace. The bulk of the last eight hundred people that he trained, after they lost contact with the base camp, were all prisoners and vagrants. He cared little for them.

"Just a little street fighting. Nothing special and nothing lethal." Braxton replied quickly.

"I'll teach you to kill with nothing but your bare hands. You will encounter some humanoid type creatures past the gate but those are rare. Most are merely animals and beasts. Not all creatures are hostile, so don't think you have to kill everything. If you decide to kill something, their eyes should be a focus of your attacks. On bug type creatures, their antenna are typically a weakness. Reading the manual unlocked this room. So, practice the skills you learned in it for the next three hours. I will correct your form if you make mistakes." Blitz ordered.

Braxton started practicing the knife hand move. He attacked the critical areas of the target dummies. When he hit the throat, Blitz quickly said "Ignore that area. Few of the creatures have that as a weak point. You can skip the crotch too. Focus on the joints. If the creature has a third eye, hit it if at all possible."

"Okay." Braxton responded.

"Okay! Nothing is ok, you respond with Yes Sir!" Blitz bellowed.

Then he punched Braxton in the gut. Braxton buckled and crumpled on the ground. Blitz didn't stop there, he rushed forward seeing the recruit laying on the ground. Braxton saw Blitz coming after him and scooted away as quickly as he could. Blitz stopped his pursuit and said "Good you're not dead yet. If you lay down the enemy won't stop coming. Now, get off your ass and get back to training. You only have two and a half hours left to master these techniques. Whatever you fail to learn now, if you survive long enough out there, you can master on your own."

The following three hours were much the same. Braxton returned to his room at the end of the lesson black and blue. He found a MRE (Meal Ready to Eat)sitting on the desk waiting for him. The package was sealed. He read the directions on the package and heated the meal inside. It was better than eating out of the trash.

He reviewed the lessons from the day. As he did a message played in his mind. "Skills mastered; knife hand thrust, heel stomp skull crusher and power knee."

Braxton finished his meal then laid down. He ached all over. He had been punched and kicked as hard as he figured Blitz could muster. But he did learn to pay more attention to his surroundings and dodged a few of the attacks towards the end of the day. He didn't dare not focus on his primary target. When he tried that Blitz attacked until he landed a flurry of blows. It wasn't a fun way to learn but it was effective.

Braxton fell asleep quickly after his head hit the pillow. It felt like he had just closed his eyes, then he heard "Alert, Alert and blaring sirens" play in his head. He quickly opened his eyes and saw red circles around the outside of his vision briefly. Like the arrow, he was able to ignore it quickly but it was still there. He saw Blitz 's boot coming down on his head and was able to block the attack.

"Shit reflexes! You should've heard me walk in he door. The bug's claws would've went right through your arms and they would be drinking your brains now. You better learn to sleep light! Get up, it's time to train in weapons." Blitz ordered.

"How long was I sleeping?" Braxton asked, clearly annoyed.

This probably wasn't the smartest thing he could've done. Blitz grabbed him by his hair and pulled him off the bed. Then drug him into the gym. They went through the room and into another forty by forty foot room. This room had weapons of all kinds along the walls. There were racks of swords and knives. Spears and other pole arms lined the surface. Staffs, clubs and bo staffs were also available.

"This is the melee room. Pick three weapons." Blitz ordered.

Braxton walked to the walls. He was looking at them slowly. "Hurry up, it isn't like you will have time in combat." Blitz said impatiently.

He grabbed a club, a thin sword and a spear. He approached Blitz with them in his hands. Blitz equipped a shield on his arm. "Attack me." Blitz ordered.

Braxton started flailing wildly with the three weapons in his hands. "What the hell are you doing? If you want to dual wield fine. But use your storage space. Those weapons are yours to take with you. You need to learn how to use them. You get one hour with each."

The next three hours were initially just him swinging until his arms got tired. Then Blitz picked up a bo staff and used it like a sword. He broke Braxton's defenses easily. Over time the younger man picked up on how to block. Many of the strikes he took, actually cracked bones. "Don't worry. The nanites will heal the injuries. It takes time but, as long as you are still alive they will keep working." Blitz informed him.

"What else can the nanites do?" Braxton asked as the pair sparred.

"They process the blood you drink and strengthen your body. This is what you need to rely on the most over there. When I left, things were going badly. The base camp was under attack. I was injured and sent back to summon reinforcements into the battle. None of them returned. I've been restricted here since then. I've got no idea what you will run into once you land. Anything nonhuman over there has special properties in their blood, your nanites can absorb them. They will convert it into useful nutrients your body will change. It will make you stronger and faster, that is how I earned the name Blitz." Blitz stated casually.

"Is that it?" Braxton pressed.

"There was talk among the scientists there, they might make clones. The nanites could transfer your essence into the new body after your death. It was still under development last I knew, but we haven't had contact with anyone over there for ten years. Many things might be possible now, if the scientists are still alive." Blitz replied.

The alarm went off on Blitz's wrist watch, indicating that this lesson time had ended. "Times up, I hope you learned enough. Next stop for you is a shower and then the energy tank. I hope you aren't fond of that hair. All of it has to come off, you have four hours to get it all shaved and get showered. Trust me when I say, you don't want the others to help. They aren't as nice as I am. This is where we say goodbye. Good luck out there."

"Thanks." Braxton stated. He didn't think he would miss Blitz's abuse but, he had learned quite a bit from him none he less.

The next four hours where relaxing. He ran clippers over his head and shaved the few hairs he had on his upper lip. He had not started growing any on his face yet. He didn't think he needed to shave his head bald. He didn't think about shaving his arms or legs either. He enjoyed the shower immensely. It had been a few months since his last proper shower. When he came out, his clothes had been removed and there were none waiting. All that remained there was a towel to dry off with.

At the end of the four hours the green arrow appeared again. It directed him to a wall that he assumed had a new door for him to go through. As expected the wall vanished and the door appeared. It opened at his approach.