He went downstairs and found his father. The three of them had a breakfast together, with the presence of Corel, who also said goodbye to Aiden.
Soon a siren rang from afar and the boy knew what it meant. His father turned to him and started giving reminders that Aiden was tired of hearing.
“Don't forget to brush your teeth every day and don't let anyone abuse your power, show these army guys who's boss!”
Aiden just agreed whit a motion of the head and hugged his family once again before leaving home
A few meters away he saw General Roy Pardalis with a girl by his side. At the age of seventeen, she was blonde, with long hair pulled back and had piercing blue eyes, and also wore military clothing. Aiden was surprised by her beauty and lost her posture for a second. It wasn't until he saw the general's serious gaze that he straightened his spine and made a respectful greeting.
“Aiden MacCoy, this is Evelin Simeht. She will accompany you on her journey.”
“Simeht?”, he asked surprised “Do you have any relation to Guardian Simeht?”
Despite the girl's beauty, her expression was not one of the friendliest.
“He is my father.”
The short, rude answer made the boy think better of his next words.
“Two years before you received your destiny”, Pardalis spoke to Aiden, “Evelin received hers: to protect the chosen one. We've been confused all this time until you show up, clearing it up.”
“So, you're my bodyguard?” Aiden repented as soon as he asked the question and saw Evelin's sharp look as an answer. Pardalis acted interrupting the moment.
“Now come on, you're going to have plenty of time to get to know each other better.”
The three followed without further words to a ship. It wasn't any air car Aiden had ever seen, but a real military transport ship. He sat in front of Evelin while Pardalis went to the cockpit. The ship promptly began to take off.
There was plenty of internal space with several chairs attached to the walls, and it was uncomfortable for the boy to be alone with Evelin in those conditions.
“Look”, said Evelin to the surprise of the boy “I do not want to be rude, but both of us have a job to do, regardless of what we want. And you better treat me for who I am and not for who my father is.”
Aiden imagined this as a good opportunity, but she soon shut up and the boy felt the mood too heavy to start any conversation, so he just agreed shyly.
After a little less than an hour, the ship started to descend. When the side doors opened, Aiden found himself in a large hangar with a multitude of different ships, all military.
Curious people looked at the two descending from the ship, some people in military uniforms, others who looked like mechanics and one was even a cook; however, when general Pardalis emerged, he scared them all.
“Are you all off duty? Get back to your stations immediately if you want to have dinner tonight!”
Quickly the crowd disappeared, leaving only a few mechanics working and two guards prowling the area trying to observe Aiden discreetly.
Pardalis started walking, hoping that the two of them follow him.
“This is the largest Gardenia base on land. Administered by Marshal Magnum Laserfield, it is almost eighty kilometers from the city.”
The three entered a panoramic elevator. As they went up, they saw the entire exterior of the quarter. It was made of a lightly purplish metal that the boy could imagine to be very sturdy. The base was longer than tall, and had ten floors, several security towers and a large empty land, where Aiden could see soldiers doing their training.
The elevator stopped on the sixth floor, where Evelin left. Aiden started going after her when Pardalis stopped him.
“I will show you your quarters soon, but first you will have a conversation with the marshal.”
He watched Evelin disappearing through the corridors and continued the quiet ascent with the general. He had met marshal Laserfield. He was an old man, but very energetic from what he remembered. His black skin contrasted with her short gray hair accompanied by a goatee of the same color. He remembered him smiling a lot and telling the boy stupid jokes when he was young when they met. If General Pardalis wasn't friendly, at least he knew he could count on the marshal.
Upon arriving on the top floor, Pardalis walked with strides and Aiden had to exert to accompany him. The floor and walls of the hallway were composed of a white material with large and numerous windows making the environment even clearer.
When the doors at the end of the corridor opened, Aiden found himself in a very imposing environment. It was the base control bridge, a vaulted room with a large circular window showing the outside. Various tables with computers were occupied by people working on them. Those people wore army uniforms too, but they were a little different from the others, lighter and simpler, appearing to be the uniform of the administration.
In the back of the room, was an imposing chair in front of a screen much larger than the others. In it sat the marshal.
As soon as he saw the boy coming in, he got up and smiled. Yet something seemed wrong with him. Now the energetic man he had met had a tired look and appeared to be much older. However, he still presented himself as a gentle man. As he approached, the general saluted and Aiden promptly imitated him causing a slight laugh at the marshal.
“Hello again, Mr. Aiden. Are you ready for your life in the army?”
The boy faltered to answer, which, to the marshal, was the answer itself.
“Of course, sir! I'll do my best!”
“Very good. General Pardalis, you can take him to see the base. I have other business to attend to at the moment.”
Aiden thought the conversation was too shallow. The marshal sat down again while the general headed for the elevator. The boy
