Chapter 4 All the cadets raced into the mess hall, I was pushed back and forth as everyone tried to get to the front where the admiral was standing. Crater tapped me on the shoulder. “You okay Nix?” Crater asked with a worried look on his face. “I’m fine,” I said “I am just worried what this is all about,” I shrugged as if I wasn’t scared. “Same here,” Crater said as he looked around, “so many aids are here, and the admiral looks worried, and that is not a good combination.” He chuckled nervously. I nodded. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, I looked around to see Slink. “You are okay, yah?” she asked putting her hands on my shoulders, how worried did I look? I wasn’t that worried, I mean scared? Yes but seriously, everyone is asking me if I am okay. Am I okay? “I am fine,” I said, taking her hands off my shoulders, it was embarrassing. “Please everyone calm down!” The admiral said, there was suddenly silence, everyone's eyes were on the admiral. “We have an announcement!” she continued, “Please keep quiet,” she added as everyone started to get loud again. “A cadet, goes by the name: Loretta Mavise, has disappeared! She is nowhere to be seen, if you see her report immediately!” The admiral raised her hand as everyone started to whisper, “Another goes by the name: Dixie Main, has disappeared, report if you find her or know where she is, you are now dismissed!” She finished lowering her hand. “What?” I said allowed, people don’t just ‘disappear’ in Alta. There were whispers everywhere, I took a breath, she did not say class was canceled. I looked at my watch, 0645. I turned around. “Crater it’s 0645 we better start heading to the classroom.” I said. He nodded and we both started to walk out of the mess hall, the rest of the Eruption flight followed us to class. When we entered it was 0655 and Flinch was nowhere to be seen. “Okay flight, lets just go into our Mockpits and practice the controls,” Target said, ushering us into them, Slaughter groaned like this had happened before. I wanted to go tell him to shut up, but instead I took a breath and got into my Mockpit beside his. Butter kindly waved to me, I just looked at him, what was that supposed to mean? I looked at Crater, he hadn’t noticed, I looked back at Butter, he had turned away to go into his Mockpit. I was confused. “Nix,” Target said sternly, “I said get into your Mockpit,” I snapped out of my thoughts and apologized. I stepped into my mockpit and barely listened to Target drone on about the controls and what they do, which we all already knew. Slaughter groaned again, Target was about to scold him when Flinch came in. Everyone fell silent and went still. Even Slaughter gave her some respect by shutting his nabbing mouth.
“I apologize for being late cadets,” she said with a frozen worried look, “As you know already, unless you are lazy sleepy heads,” she added guiding her gaze to Slaughter who scoffed and look embarrassed, “You will know that two girls have gone missing,” she continued, “So as they said be on the lookout and report if you have any leads or ideas where they are.” She finished. We all nodded and she went to the desk where she turned the holograms on, Target jumped into hers and we all got our helmets on. In the hologram there were three groups of Krell, Target assigned three groups of cadets to take down each group on their own. Butter and Blink, Crater and Slink, and of course me, Target, and Slaughter. I don't exactly understand why I hated Slaughter so much, he just was so dislikeable, with that face and stupidly hadsome looks. I sighed when she assigned me to Slaughter and Target. Flinch told us to start and I took off trying to get ahead of Slaughter. “Nix we are supposed to do it together!” Slaughter surprisingly yelled at me, probably just because he didn’t want to see that I was better then him again. I slowed down a little so he could catch up, Target was speeding up, also surprised at what I did. “ We need a plan Nix,” Target scolded me. We always needed a plan, I wish I could just do it alone, all ten Krell would be swept out like dirt on my wood floor at home. “Ugh-” I started, but then I stopped myself, I sounded like Slaughter and I did not want to sound like Slaughter, “Right, I’m sorry Target,” I said, fixing my answer. “It’s fine, I understand your eagerness to get out there and defeat some Krell and save your friends who are too slow and Alta would be destroyed by the time they got into the air,” she said like she was retelling something that had happened to her. That was oddly specific, I thought softly chuckling. “What is that supposed to mean?!” Butter asked outrageously, throwing up his arms, quickly bringing them back to the controls, barely missing a Krell heading straight for him. I chuckled again. The light on my panel started blinking, meaning Crater was in my private line. “Nix?” I heard Crater start, “Are you okay? Lately you have been. . .” He paused, probably thinking of a word that wouldn’t be rude, “Off?” He decided. I sighed, it was true. I thought about what to say. “I don’t know Atlas, I’ve just. . .” I broke off taking out two more Krell by smashing them together with my lightlance, “I just, I want more challenges, I want to. . .” I continued, “I want to take my mind off death, I want to just run away from all the battles that are taking my friends away, I love to fight, but I just. . .” I couldn’t explain how I felt. “Nix,” he paused, “Erine, you are the best flight leader ever, I don’t care what you think you just are,” Crater said. I checked the panel making sure no one else was tuning in, I smiled. “Thank you Crater,” I said smiling, he meant it, he truly thought that way. I killed another Krell and Target hit her IMP and I shot down another as Slaughter lightlanced the last. “Okay,” Flinch said, turning off the hologram after we finished the groups, “Let’s call it a day, I have been called, another cadet has disappeared,” and with that she left. We all exchanged worried looks as she left the room, another?
