"All you need to do is punch this machine and we'll see."
They tried everything they could beforehand. All kinds of scouters, scanners, pulse detectors and other junk and gizmos that they could find in this massive laboratory. It either doesn't work for me or I destroy it immediately. Perhaps nothing here was designed to be used on robots - the Earthlings still haven't perfected and adapted to the technology. Now, I stood in front of this machine, this apparatus, that looked more like a mechanic punching bag. I think I've seen things like that in a tournament before... Much like here, they used it to determine power.
"So I punch the soft part?"
"Yes. Go for it when you are ready."
I shrugged and sent my right fist towards it. A weak strike, something I'd use on an Earthling, rather than a formidable warrior. As it collided with the machine... much to their surprise and my dismay, just the opening shockwave cracked the structure hard enough that the whole thing went out in a violent exothermic reaction. It exploded. Like everything here. Jeez, what do they even put in these things that makes them so fragile and allergic to blowing up?
Obviously, they were shocked. Why wouldn't they be? It took just a few seconds for Captain Mindaugas to blink and shake his head, finally waking up from the shock. He immediately muttered:
"Corps A. There's no way around it."
The other soldier wasn't quite so sure, though. "There's still a big gap between the maximum capacity of this machine and Corps A requirements."
"Look, Corporal Aleksejus, he's just going to break everything here until we get to that point. I'm not going to waste any more time here." Mindaugas walked up to a computer, entered some information in, then spoke to me:
"What's you full name?"
It's not a big deal. I'm no Earthling superhero to hide my identity from everyone. "Frank Mayhem."
"Age? Birth date?"
"I have no idea." They wouldn't believe if I said '50-ish' anyway.
"Place of birth?"
"No idea." Not even lying this time.
"Are you a citizen?"
"No."
"Well, now you are." The printer next to the computer printed out a tiny card, which Mindaugas picked up and handed over to me. It said "IDENTIFICATION CARD" at the very top, with my name, picture and mostly made up information filling up the paper. There was a royal seal in the background, and a signature at the back. What an odd thing, I wonder what it's even used for... More or less emotionless, I put the card in my back pocket. Meanwhile, the Corporal added his own trivia:
"The A Corps headquarters are 50 kilometers to the southeast, in the middle of a thick forest, but you'll definitely find it. Someone strong enough to become a member of the highest rank of the Iron Wolves should have zero problem getting there."
What an odd way of encouragement. Nevertheless, I nodded. Captain Mindaugas pointed to the door in the back, I nodded again, turned around and walked off.
Walked off.
Why do I do this?
After slowly walking out of the lab, I leaped up and shot out forward, towards the supposed location of the Corps A headquarters. I passed through the force field, which made me wonder what it's point actually is as people can pass right through it. Eh, it probably has to do something with the identification card or my Iron Wolf badge. As soon as I left the field, all facilities went behind my back, and I was treated by a wild forest. An actual, untouched forest a kilometer under me. We shouldn't be that far from the Heartland, right? Every time I had ever visited it, all I had always been greeted by were farmlands, lots and lots of roads, villages, power plants, factories and, of course, the Capital. Vilnius. Lithuanians often overhype their main city, claiming it's the greatest in the Universe or at least on Earth.
Whatever you say, guys. I mean, nobody's downplaying Vilnius. It's a really old town with many interesting sights. But hey, there is always something or someone better. Somewhere. I learned that one the hard way. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. After a few seconds of flight - gotta love the hypersonic flight speeds - the forest in front of me started to thin out, paths and roads started to carve through the land like knives through a freshly down and knocked out body. Well, maybe less bloody than that, but that's what I thought of at first.
Oh, here's something on the horizon! I could see the forest changing into a field, and then the buildings appeared. There were lots of them. A what appears to be a radio tower, with
the flag of the Great Lithuanian Empire flying at the very top stood in the middle. I'm no vexilologist, but I kind of like that flag. It's a great representation of what the nation is - a huge complicated bunch of flamboyant hyper-nationalists with so much stuff going on over there, in their lands, and also in their flag. They tried to shove everything they could in it.
Alright, no time to waste on any more head rants! I charged forward and aimed myself towards the part where a large road cut into the center of the headquarters. That's probably where most of the stuff happens. I flew through a force field, and didn't get shot down. What, they recognize me? Maybe. I turned off the flight module, and descended down, as walls closed in on every side. You could probably find everything in here, even souvenir shops.
Wait, why would a secret military base have a souvenir shop? Frank, don't be stupid!
...Whatever you say, brain. If I'm turning schizophrenic with this crap, I hope the other me is a bit nicer.
Anyhow, my feet touched down on the cold hard asphalt path, and what I saw was a group of people around a TV set, along with the whole road being choke full of people - some in odd black uniforms, others in civilian clothing. Like in the beginning of this whole... thing. I took a head turn to look at what it was saying - it showed a map with arrows indicating troop movements, and the reporter speaking:
"...during the first few hours of combat in what has already been named as "The Third Tragedy" of "The Third World War", American and European forces have began a serious push on Lithuanian forces in the area...The Great Emperor is not fearstruck, as... ...he speaks of his first trump card... ...Danzigas is..."
I couldn't make put anything past that due to all the noise. Boy, it's a busy day, isn't it? If I want to speak with someone, they need to be close... Oh, there's a costumed one passing by! I immediately grabbed on his shoulder and exclaimed:
"Excuse me! I'm a recruit in this Corps, can you tell me where I need to go to sign up and stuff?"
"Jeez, no need to shout, I have super-hearing. It's the short magenta building down the road."
"Boy, that must suck when there's all this noise all over the area. Thanks!" He merely shrugged and walked away, back to where he was heading. I swear, that uniform looked like something ripped straight out of an Earthling history textbook. I just can't tell which one it was... Eh. Much like him, I shrugged it off and moved my way.
The building was easy to spot - it had a flag waving above the front door, and the color easily struck out from the grey and black mass that surrounded every living being here on sight. There was a line of recruits waiting around, but as I entered it on the back, I soon saw that it moved really fast. Everyone was entering in normal clothing and left in the same all-black, already seen suit. A cap with sun shielding and a golden symbol of a riding knight on where the forehead should be - Lithuania's coat of arms. A yellow-green-red armband on the left upper arm. The Iron Wolf badge on the chest.
Yeah, I've seen this style somewhere.
A few dozen people entered and left, and it was finally my turn. I walked through the open door into the dim room, and what I saw were a few muscled lieutenants and a small person in the center, waiting for me.
No.
No.
Someone's pulling my leg! But no, it was true. As I approached it, the facial features became clear. It's that little non-Earthling prince I saw earlier! In Corps A uniform!.. It looks so weird on him.
"Identification?" one of the men at the side spoke in a low, brutal, threatening voice. Oh, yeah. I took the card out of my back pocket and handed it to the person asking. He checked it, nodded, gave it back to me, then the Prince's eyes flashed and I suddenly saw why he was here. Or why he felt so non-Earthlingy. My clothes were there, on the table, while my body was fancying the black uniform.
The kid's a ki user or something. They waited for me, looked into my eyes, as if I didn't give them anything in return. Oh, right, the respect part. I slightly nodded my head.
That was not enough. The official at the right, with physical force I haven't felt since Hera, grabbed onto my shoulder, pulled me down until I was kneeling in front of the kid, held me there for a few seconds, then lifted me back and pushed me towards the door, where I came from.
I walked off. I didn't try to blast them into oblivion, like my past self would have done. Fifty years ago, when I first came here, there were only a few people on the
planet that could challenge me, but now, the Earthlings have grown some muscle. And I'm no longer an outsider or a foreign body - I'm a part of that muscle.
But something doesn't really feel right about all this.