i'm shouting from this world

Recruitment officers were crawling all over the academy, it seemed. He didn’t see them all the time of course, but whenever there was an opportune moment to show his skills and worth, Yuri seemed to spot a nearby officer to call over. Not that this bothered him—if he could showcase a number of his abilities to a different array of people, then all the better for him.

There was a bounce in his steps as he led the woman to one of the simulation rooms. “How’s your visit to the academy been so far?” he asked in an attempt to strike up small talk. Yuri steered the conversation as smoothly as he could, avoiding anything potentially sensitive and making sure to not let the silences draw out too long when they grew awkward. The recruiter appeared to respond well to it. Yuri couldn’t tell if she knew exactly what he was doing or not, but either way didn’t hinder him. “Anyways, let me just set up the stimulation and then we can get started.” They both laughed lightly as he punched in a set of buttons. Good luck, cadet. He needed less luck and more skill, and hopefully he had enough to impress the UNSC officer. The door slid up and he took a deep breath before stepping inside.

And promptly jumping to the left. The simulation wasted no time in testing his reaction time, but fortunately he had plenty of quick reflexes to dodge a majority of the jabs and swings at him. He ducked while simultaneously stepping forward to reach for the projection’s free arm and twist it behind its back. It never uttered a sound as Yuri brought out his knife and slashed it across the back of the neck. When he’d first arrived to the academy, the startling realism of the simulations had put him off at first. He could feel the weight of the projection against him, heard the body thump to the floor as he turned and swept his leg across the floor to trip another hologram.

Another quick lunge placed his weapon straight between the enemy’s eyes; the projection never stood a chance. The body suddenly gave way, forcing Yuri to slip out before the dead weight trapped him to the ground and the other projections seized the opportunity; then it would be game over. It disappeared in a flurry of pixelated light.

He heard a shot behind him just as he felt a sharp burn in his shoulder. Yuri lurched over, twisting his gaze behind him to spot a hidden projection before he promptly raised his arm and shot it in the head. Sometimes the simulation was just too damn clever with how realistic it could be. Rather than waste time muttering and complaining to himself, he jumped away to avoid a kick to the chest. Before the other could react, he stretched out his arms to reach for the falling leg and tugged it forward, forcing the projection to lose balance and fall flat on its back. Within seconds, he’d planted the blade into its throat.

Another mysterious shot, but it was the last one. One more enemy and the simulation would be complete. Yuri ground his teeth together, trying to spot the projection, but gloriously failing. He fell to the ground before the next shot could take him again. Precious seconds passed before he heard another shot and identified the final projection, and it was aiming its gun straight at him again. Sighing, he rolled away and went to his knees. Well, this knife was specially weighted, wasn’t it? He almost squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled his arm back and threw.

It was with a heavy heart that Yuri trudged over to the abandoned chess board. The cadet rarely attempted to play on his own, as he found it rather tedious and difficult to battle himself in a game of strategy and deception. He bent down to sweep up the board and pieces, strewn across the pristine floor. A bit too loudly, he placed the board on the nearest free table so he could swiftly move the pieces to starting position. His expression stoic—a rare sight, as he was usually bubbling with excitement and puppy-like grins—he began the game with the Ruy Lopez. The beginning moves were always the easiest, almost done out of rote memorization as the experienced rarely deviated from the usual chain. Each time he set down a piece in its predicted position, he immediately spun the board by the corner in order to counter appropriately.

“Mind if I jump in, cadet?” A deep voice interrupted Yuri’s thoughts and left the chess board spinning until a broad hand reached down to carefully grasp one of its sides. When the boy looked up, he found himself face to face with another recruitment officer. His demeanor morphed to suit the situation. Smiling genially, he held out a hand toward the empty chair.

“Certainly, sir. It’s black’s turn right now,” he replied. He lowered his head so he could examine the white pieces in front of him. Curious eyes wandered up to stare at the burly man as he moved a rook forward.

“Tell me, cadet,” the officer began. They exchanged one move after the other, almost as if they intended to end the game in a matter of minutes, but the rapid pacing set Yuri’s heart racing and his mouth stretching into a wild grin. “Do you play chess often?”

“It depends on what you mean by often, sir. I do play it a couple times a week, but sometimes more dependin’ on my mood.” The cadet answered faithfully. “I wouldn’t want to take too much time away from my schoolwork.”

He heard the grin in the man’s voice as the officer made a counter. “Speaking of schoolwork, how is it? Heavy burden on your shoulders?”

Yuri paused from the game, looking up to smile reassuringly. No matter what the cadet actually thought, the smile seemed genuine and the reply convincing, “Not at all, sir. I’m doin’ perfectly fine, and I have high hopes I’ll do well.”

The officer nodded. “Good, good, and on that note, what do you expect to be doing post-graduation?”

The conversation continued in that matter, with the man casually asking one question after the other and Yuri faithfully answering to the best of his abilities. He sat with his back straight and always grinning or smiling when he answered like he was in an interview, but the boy had a way of making it appear natural, like he always did it. Over the course of the questioning, the two had gone through a number of games, each with a unique strategy or set of moves showcased by one or the other. The cadet had even managed to steal a couple of wins from the adult.

“Sir!” Yuri called out to the UNSC recruitment officer with a confident grin splayed across his lips. He waved an arm to catch her attention. The woman kept walking, but turned her neck toward the pair and adjusted her pathway accordingly. Hands are folded neatly behind her erect back when she strode toward them. She tilted her head, lips moving to form a question, “What is it, cadet?”

“Well, you’re here to observe our skills and such, right? I was just thinkin’ you might like to watch us train for a bit,” he answered, a hand motioning between himself and Michael. His expression changed suddenly, as if he’d just forgotten something. “I’m Cadet Yuri, by the way, and this is Cadet Michael.”

She nodded her head briskly, never losing her form as she gestured with one arm for the two to lead the way. “You are correct, and please, lead the way. May I assume you are about to begin weaponry training?”

The younger boy nodded, shooting Michael an easy smile before he led the group toward the appropriate area, a happy bounce in his steps while he held the S2 sniper rifle in his arms. He stepped onto the elevated platform and leaned over to grab a pair of glasses to don. Yuri hummed idly as he donned the protective eyewear. He rolled his neck, bones crackling softly as he eyed the targets currently hanging still in the distance. “I’m not very good with weapons, to be honest,” he admitted to both the officer and Michael. His hands firmly gripped the rifle when he glanced at them both before gazing at the dummies with an intent gaze. “Well, if it’s snipin’ I’m not a disaster.”