VR WARS Volume II - Coalition Army

THE PERFECT CANDIDATE

With the meeting concluded and everyone exiting the building, Angelo remembered one small detail still roaming in the wind: he still did not have a companion to go to the prom.

In a momentary lapse of judgment, Kat sprung to his mind and left just as quickly as she was an entity whose actions he couldn’t foresee or have the slightest control over. She might get herself into trouble and drag all of us alongside, he thought. The perfect candidate needed to be someone who would not get in the way of their plan but rather, support it, and, at the same time, she needed to possess enough keenness to act as a covert spy.

But who could suit the bill?

Days turned to weeks, with intense training every day for its entirety at a time. Their studies had been put on hold for the sake of not interfering with their schedule, except for the history department, who doubled its efforts to drill the students' heads with belligerent teachings old and new faster than ever before—the need for funds to keep them going outweighed all other forms of studying.

Preparations in their homeland’s capital were spartan, sending each individual closer to the edge of mental exhaustion but perfectly soldierly. In a matter of half a month, the three men in charge of leading their universities had mastered various forms of combat, with Pedro dominating overall strategy in all periods of conflict with its textbook coordinated plans, Rui overthrowing all logic of early modern warfare by coming up with brand new tactics and Angelo perfecting his instincts with unorthodox approaches in every form of conflict, especially in ancient scenarios. As their commanders had acquired a specialty in combat, so did their students, who took after their leaders to become masters in the same form of martial might. However, mutual respect, a crude factor needed to hold all three pieces in check, was still absent. No matter how many times the UAT prevailed under overwhelming odds, a respite in the way they were treated was nowhere in sight.

Angelo knew his superiors were playing with fire, but that seemed to bother him more than it did all the others under his command. The truth was, there was no reason for everyone to get involved in a new conflict, except if one had ulterior motives or plain ambition. It was for this reason alone that he kept quiet and out of trouble; he knew the time would come for him to seize the glory for himself.

While the constant rainy season faded with the coming of brighter days, Angelo’s indecision remained constant. The reasons for this weren’t only his strict list or the lack of beautiful women in the UAT for him to choose from; some even went so far as to offer themselves to be his companion, as was the case for lieutenant Nicole and his classmate Sofia. Yet, the number one person he thought would annoy him the most for him to take her wasn’t on the list of contenders. When he asked her why she plainly stated: “This gal doesn’t do fancy.”

Bearing desperation all over as the days came and went, it took him a while to find an adequate date to be at his side. That was until he randomly bumped into a particular person while he searched the library for new sources of material to study. It was on the eve of the prom night when he became lost in her gaze that he realized just how perfect she was for their little covert operation.

“What do you want?” The ideal candidate abruptly asked with a bit of awkwardness in her voice.

“Vera! Just the person I was looking for, ha-ha-haaaa.”

She frowned, pursing her lips at Angelo and his obvious gestures; she could see right through his lies. “Huhhum…Again, what do you want?”

Yikes…I thought she had a change of heart. I wasn’t expecting her to drop head over heels for me so soon….still…Time for some Angel of Death kind of charm! He playfully toyed in his mind; no way would that ever happen in reality. Her feelings for him, although shaken, had not entirely subsided. Angelo acknowledged the conversation they’d had a couple of weeks ago had been a step in the right direction, but it would take much more than that for him to gain her trust and unswerving loyalty. Before assuming the role of acting first lieutenant of the elite Phoenix Unit after Valadão’s disposal, Vera Soares had already distinguished herself as both a capable leader and a ferocious fighter, a fact that scared Angelo more than anyone else under his command. She’s a beast that has the ability to tear me apart if she wants to. Terrified might be the best word to describe the way he felt about her. I know that, in the Virtual World, I have enough confidence in myself to face her and win; I’m ninety-nine percent sure of this…it’s that mysterious one percent that bothers me the most. In all the battles they had fought, her actions had sustained her description. She would often throw herself at a group of enemies, like a wild animal, beat half of them, and get killed in the process. She’s definitely dangerous but also exquisite. Her beauty blinds like the sun, yet she holds all the darkness of the night…I need both of those qualities…for the prom, naturally.

Her cooperation was vital. Vera needed to be his companion; there was no one else better suited for the job, even if it meant throwing himself at her sharp fangs, “L-listen. I know we’ve had our disagreements in the past–”

“That’s putting it mildly. You broke my nose, idiot.” She viciously lashed out, bringing up that tragic event that they both agreed beforehand wouldn't happen anymore. It shook Angelo’s nerves more than he’d wanted to admit. Where the f**k did that come from?! I thought we had put this behind us…Bitch! At that moment, Vera stumbled on her words; the conflicted interests inside of her were rebounding without control.

“You almost killed me!” He furiously refuted, disregarding the silent rule coexisting in such a place. A fact that brought everyone’s attention down on them almost immediately. Not wishing to be the center of attention for too long and with his loner instincts kicking in, sending brainwave signals for him to flee as soon as possible, Angelo swallowed his pride and committed all his strength to appease Vera, who looked just as anxious to leave as he was. “I need your help, it's important! Will you…be my date to the prom?”

“What?!” She drew back from the sudden impact, her face blushing red like a tomato.

“Oh, no, no, no. It’s not like that, I swear!” He tried to explain by elevating his arms and swinging them around in a “no” gesture. “I need your help in collecting information on our opponents.” She stopped her embarrassment, disappointed that his reason was that alone, “Why me?”

“Because you’re an amazing judge of character, extremely sharp when it comes to reading people, and incredibly beautiful too," in a surprise demonstration of fluid vocabulary, he got those words out without budging. A rare display of bravado on his part that gained him a few “oohs” and “aahs” from the interested crowd observing the pair, thinking it was a romantic affair.

Angelo tossed the ball onto Vera’s turf, and she had to make the next move. But with her blushing increasing once more and her ironclad defenses about to crack for the ‘Angel of Death,’ it was his following and unnecessary words that immediately botched everything. "I swear I’m not trying anything on you. It’s just…your beauty can be turned into a weapon in disguise.

"Well, that train got off the rail fast.”

Realizing the blunder he had made, the inexperienced young Commander bit his lip, sensing her interest fading fast and a rejection looming ever closer on the horizon. If he failed to persuade her, it would be due to his ineptitude from being a hermit with barely any social attributes. As the magnanimous leader, he thought himself to be, that hurt his pride more than the fast-approaching rejection. Worst of all, with so many preying eyes surrounding them and clinging to every word they said, any positive outcome would spread like wildfire, with a negative one spreading just as quickly. Being the target of judgmental ponderation in the opposite s*x of his ranks and the ones outside his circle of influence would make his job even more stressful. Dammit, why did I have to bet so high! So many women and I had to choose the f*****g aphrodite of the bunch? Why?!… I mean, it’s not because of her pretty face, golden-brown hair like smooth honey dripping from her shoulders, that bubble butt, that wondrous cleavage held up by nothing but an undersized navy blue crop top shirt...! Or those lips that resemble a deep crimson flower bloomed beautifully. With his eyesight drifting at the same speed as his increasingly poetic thoughts converged to give the absolute image of beauty, contradictions began clouding his judgment, drowning all logic previously stated.

“…You’re staring so much,” Vera voiced her apprehension, timidly breaking eye contact with him.

“S-sorry!” He scratched the back of his head, realizing how much pressure in the atmosphere weighed down on them. “I have a feeling our paths are supposed to cross somewhere along the line. So how about we give it a head start?”

With his eyes and hers finally meeting once more and her fighting spirit to resist him breaking down, her answer came not by words but by a small nod; the appeal in it made him break into a smile, as did she. Noiseless applause came from the nearby spectators who mistook their shared positivity as the beginning of their relationship.

““It's really not like that,”” both mumbled telepathically in sync.

Yet only he knew what it meant: Angelo wasn’t the dense type who would get worked up and play dumb at times like that. He could read her body language like no other, the dexterity he gained from occasionally watching countless couples in the past now worked to his advantage. Ha-ha-ha, gotcha! Her ice fortress is melting away!