The Gauntlet

Chapter 09 - Full Gear

After only a week, Codi came to the conclusion that she positively hated the R.E.M.T. devices. Using them was straightforward enough, uploading combat drills and techniques into the rig's memory banks. When she lay down the spines arranged along the main bar folded in around her face and hummed faintly with energy. They were uncomfortable, unnerving, and made it almost impossible to sleep.

Vasco's prediction of the side effects had been accurate to a tee. When she did manage to fall asleep with the contraption attached to her it was only to wake up feeling like death. Her head ached after every night spent plugged in and more than once she'd vomited after a long session. It felt like she hadn't slept in months.

The others seemed to be faring little better. Max had permanent bags under his eyes, Lita's normally well groomed exterior became bedraggled and unkempt, and the more than once she'd seen Lucas or Lazlo fall asleep during meals or theory sessions. The negatives were plain to see.

However, no matter how much she detested the devices, Codi could not deny that they worked as advertised. In three weeks she had assimilated all the basic techniques as well an entire working knowledge of the Martian combat art, Ithcad. A brutal hybrid of wrestling and power boxing, it suited her perfectly, and although in the Gauntlet it would be impossible to stick to a single discipline, this one was fast becoming her mainstay. Thanks to the R.E.M.T. she'd learned in three weeks what should have taken at least a year.

With the mental knowledge embedded prior to any physical training the group's learning curve was beginning to increase exponentially. They branched out to touch on more and more martial arts, ranging from historical old Earth disciplines that survived the march of time, to new hand to hand techniques from the colonies, some of them specifically tailored to Gauntlet combat. Although it would be impossible to learn every technique in time, being able to recognise at a glance what system an opponent was using would be a godsend.

The final morning of their third month, Codi awoke with a splitting headache, a sign that her R.E.M.T. had been doing its job through the night hours. With a groan of effort she sat up and tugged the rig from her head, placing it on the bedside table. Sitting for several minutes, she waited to see if last night's regimen would make her throw up. For now at least, her stomach remained settled.

Swinging gingerly off the bed she winced as the motion brought another surge of pain behind her eyes. As well as the machines worked she doubted that she, or any of the others for that matter, could keep this up for another three months. Halfway into the schedule and she felt so drained she could barely function.

Dragging on her leggings and tank top, she slouched from the room, her movements lethargic and sluggish. Each step jolted the pain in her head, making it difficult to think straight. On autopilot she made her way into the breakfast area where she found the twins had already arrived. They looked awful.

Lucas had his head down, resting on crossed arms and as such didn't even notice her when she walked past. Lazlo turned his bloodshot gaze on her and tried to smile. My God, she thought, these contraptions are going to end up killing us!

Without the energy to speak, she simply inclined her head to him and continued forward to where three bowls of the mineral thick porridge waited. Vasco must have prepared them earlier, but right now he was nowhere in sight. She scooped one up and trudged back over to the table.

"How you feeling?" Lazlo managed, weakly stirring his own meal.

"Oh…un-brilliant," Codi muttered. She leaned an elbow on the table, pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand and closing her eyes. When she opened them again she looked to Lucas. "Is he okay?"

"Just tired." Lazlo nudged his twin, extracting an unintelligible grumble. "He'll live."

Codi rubbed her eyes again and began forcing down the porridge like she did every morning. However bad she felt, she knew she'd need the energy later on. Vasco wasn't letting up with their training schedule, despite the ill effects of the R.E.M.T's. So she shovelled the stuff in with grim determination.

It wasn't long before Max slunk into the room, his eyes red-rimmed and tired. He flopped down beside her and drained half a cup of coffee in one long slurp before shaking his head. After a long, silent moment he spoke up.

"This is too much," he murmured. "I don't know about the rest of you but I can't keep using that machine. It's messing me up."

Lazlo gave a nod of agreement. Lucas just grunted.

Codi spooned down the last of her breakfast and looked at him. "But what happens if we stop?"

"What do you mean?"

"I hate these things too, but remember what Vasco said. If we stop using them then we'll never be ready in time."

"I don't care," Max shot back, and for the first time she heard a measure of steel in his voice. "These things may be helping but using them every night, every week of every month, it's more than any of us can handle. They weren't meant to be used like this. They're for short bursts only."

"Well what's your plan then?"

"We tell Vasco exactly that." Max spread his hands wide. "He's not thinking this through. He's got all those dolts who bankroll this place breathing down his neck for results this year. That's all that's on his mind. If we make him understand that…that we at least need a break then maybe we can all get a good night's sleep."

"I'm game," Lucas groaned, his voice muffled by his arms. "I've had it with these things." Lazlo nodded his agreement, ruffling his brother's hair with a free hand.

Codi looked her team mates over. A good night's sleep certainly sounded appealing right now, and none of them looked in particularly healthy shape. She decided that Max was right – if they kept using the sleep trainers much longer they would all end up losing their minds. Maybe it would be best to sacrifice some fighting knowledge in order to keep a measure of sanity. Pushing the empty bowl away she stood up.

"Alright," she said. "I'm convinced. I feel like death, and I'm sick of it. Let's go and have a talk with Mr. Vasco."

"What…right now?"

"Right now." She glared at them. "Come on, let's go get Lita. It'll probably look better if we're all there."

The trio scrambled upright with speed that belayed their obvious fatigue and fell into step behind her as she stomped from the cafeteria, the new sense of purpose lending a slight spring to her step. They were halfway out the door when they nearly collided with the final member of the team coming the other way. Lita took a lethargic step back, stifling a yawn as she peered at them through sleep blurred eyes.

"Where are you all off to?" she inquired.

"We're off to pay Vasco a visit," Codi said. "We're fed up of the sleep rigs. We need a break. You in?" Lita hesitated for a moment, but Codi could tell from one look that she was just as burnt out as the rest of them. Her eyes were bleary and red, her long black hair was a dishevelled mess and her shoulders hung in a sunken posture. So instead of waiting for an answer she simply took the other girl by the arms, spun her round and continued walking.

They wound their way through Brax-Delta until they reached the gymnasium, where sure enough, Vasco was waiting, doing final checks of the training equipment before they arrived.

"Early this morning, eh?" he declared without looking at them. "Good, cos we've got a lot to get through."

Codi stopped a couple of feet away and stood, her hands clasped awkwardly behind her back as she waited. When no reply came Vasco looked up from the weight apparatus he was adjusting to find the group staring back at him. It didn't take him long to realise that something was wrong.

Straightening up, he folded his arms and faced them. "Alright, what?"

Codi exchanged an uncertain look with Max. She hadn't exactly worked out how to approach this delicately. Instead she decided bluntness would be the best approach.

"We're sick of using the R.E.M.T. rigs," she said flatly. "We need a break." She could almost feel the black look that descended on her.

"You need a break," Vasco repeated slowly. "I see."

"Look at us," Max put in. "None of us are at a hundred percent. The rigs are starting to do more harm than good. What use is all the knowledge if we're all too gassed to put it into practice?"

Vasco took a breath, measuring his own response. "I understand that."

"You've not been using them," Codi blurted out. "You don't understand how we all feel right now!" She knew she shouldn't be shouting at her coach, but the pounding headache coupled with lack of sleep and her own fiery temperament was enough to let her throw caution aside. "All you care about is getting some kind of miracle result at the Gauntlet and you're going to break us trying to get it!"

"Codi-,"

"No! This stops now!" she yelled, her temper flowing free. "I want to sleep – I mean really sleep. I feel like I'm losing my mind! For God's sake, stop acting like such a hard a*s and at least pretend you're human for once!"

The echo of her voice rang around the training area for what felt like an age. When silence descended she balled both hands into fists by her sides and waited, holding Vasco's gaze. He looked from her, examining the other haggard competitors with a critical eye. After over a minute of silent study he eventually spoke.

"I take it you all feel the same way?"

A collection of mutters and nods greeted his question.

Vasco sighed. "I know I'm pushing you hard, but it's not about me. It's about you. If you don't put in the work you won't stand a chance."

"If we keep going like this we won't make it to the Gauntlet," Lucas interjected.

"Alright, alright." Vasco held up a hand for silence. "If you're all decided on this then there's not much point in me arguing about it. What exactly do you want?"

"We just want to ease back on using the R.E.M.T." Max took over. "We know it works. God knows I've learned a lot, but we can't keep it up, not every night."

He looked them over cupping his elbow in one hand while stroking his chin with the other. "Fair enough. Just understand that without using them you'll be behind – you won't have the same knowledge as the kids you're going to be up against."

"I'll take my chances," Codi said.

"And the rest of you?"

The others nodded their agreement, and it occurred to Codi that this was the first thing they'd ever attempted as a unified team.

Vasco gave a rueful smile. "I never liked the R.E.M.Ts anyway. Besides, something arrived today that ought to cheer you up. Come with me."

He strode past their confused looks and into the corridor beyond, beckoning them to follow. Codi did as she was bidden and fell into step behind him. Upon catching a bemused glance from Lita she simply shrugged.

When they entered the lift Vasco punched the button to take them to the top floor. As the elevator hummed into life he spoke.

"The sleep rigs aren't the only tool we've got to speed up your learning curve. I've got some help from a friend, and we're setting up a friendly tournament."

"A tournament?"

"Three local academies are coming to Kantha in two months for a mock competition, hosted by us."

Codi's eyebrows shot up. "They're coming here?!"

"That's what I said."

"What…I mean, is that a good idea?"

"The five of you need get a taste of a Gauntlet fight before you have to compete in the real thing," Vasco answered. "In two months they'll be here. We've got that long for you to get used to a real combat suit."

The doors opened and he turned away from the corridor to his office, instead leading them into an area of the academy they hadn't yet visited. After a right hand turn Vasco halted in front of a formidable looking metal security door. It was much larger than any other doors in the building, constructed of solid metal and with an immense locking wheel mounted in the centre of the structure.

"That's some vault," Codi observed.

"The stuff in this room is expensive, kid," he returned.

"How expensive?"

"You don't want to know." He punched a code into the panel on the left side of the door then gripped the wheel in the centre and turned. A clanking sound emanated from the other side as the locking mechanism disengaged. Vasco gave the door a slight push and it swung open with a barely audible hiss.

Stepping inside, the only thing Codi saw was five standing caskets arranged in a semi-circular ring, and she could see her name – her name – printed at the top of one in bold white letters. As the others moved in Vasco pressed a button built into the wall on his right. All at once an electronic hum sounded and the caskets opened, their faces splitting down the middle and moving to either side. Codi's eyes widened at the sight of what lay within.

"These are Mark XV Gauntlet Combat Exoskeletons," Vasco declared. Then a smile slipped across his face. "The most expensive sports equipment ever designed."

"Wow…" Codi breathed, stepping towards her suit as though in a trance. The design was similar to the practice suits they had been using, but at the same time looked vastly more impressive.

From throat to foot the suit was one unit, completely connected. The breast plate and heavy padded segments around the thighs, shins and forearms shone with a polished gleam under the lighting of the room. Reaching up, she ran her fingers gently over the flawless surface, the armour and fabric coloured a deep, rich green. Golden strips ran down over both shoulder guards and on either side of the chest plate and she could see things that looked like servos placed around all the joints. However, what seemed to pass for a helmet made her uneasy.

The head brace consisted of a neck guard and six bars arranged in a circle, but from what Codi could see there was nothing to actually protect the face in the design. She gave Vasco a questioning look.

"That's the headgear?" Max said, as though he'd read her mind.

Vasco smiled knowingly. "Look a bit closer."

Codi peered at the top of the suit in confusion. For a few seconds she thought Vasco was just being obtuse, then she noticed a faint shimmer in the air, as if the light was reflecting off something. Squinting, she tipped her head to one side.

"What's that?"

"It's a nano-fibre mask made of tungsten threads," Vasco explained. "Made properly they're more or less invisible."

"What's wrong with a normal helmet?"

"A normal helmet built to withstand the forces in the Gauntlet would have to cover your whole head. They use these for the spectacle. In the Gauntlet they like to see peoples' faces. When the suit is powered up the mask will align to follow the contours of the soft tissue. It's like wearing a second skin made of metal. The tungsten will dissipate around ninety percent of any impact."

"Cool," Lucas commented.

Codi couldn't fault her team mate's assessment. She stared at the suit, a tingling sensation rising up her spine as Vasco continued.

"Every padded segment is formed of an impact resistant carbon weave," he said. "The main suit itself is made of a nano-carbon fibre and lined with impact sensors. The mechanisms over the joints let you run faster, jump higher and hit harder. This suit is one big upgrade for your body." He grinned at the awestruck group. "Let's get to work."