The Tri-form: Last Line
Copyright© 2025 by THodge
Chapter 2: Barracks, First Night
The barracks at Fort Meridian weren’t fancy.
Concrete walls.
Metal bunks.
A single flickering light that buzzed like it was dying of boredom.
But after a full day of mech training, it felt like a luxury hotel.
Christian dropped onto his bunk with a groan, peeling off the sweat‑soaked bodysuit like it was glued to his skin. His muscles throbbed in places he didn’t know had muscles.
Across the room, Rico flopped onto his bed face‑first and didn’t move.
“I’m dead,” he mumbled into the pillow. “Tell my mom I died doing something stupid.”
Alice snorted as she kicked off her boots. “We’ll tell her you tripped over your mech four times.”
Rico lifted a hand weakly. “It was three.”
“Four,” Alice said. “I counted. I fell four times too, so I know.”
Christian smirked. “You fell five times.”
Alice sat up, scandalized. “I did NOT fall five times!”
Carina raised a hand from her bunk. “You fell four times and almost fell a fifth. That counts spiritually.”
Alice pointed at her. “Traitor.”
John, sitting on the edge of his bed and untying his boots with military precision, finally spoke.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ve seen worse first days.”
Alice blinked. “Really?”
John nodded. “Back in the Airborne, we had a guy who jumped out of the plane and forgot to pull his chute.”
Rico sat up fast. “What?!”
“He lived,” John added calmly. “Landed in a swamp. Broke both legs. But lived.”
Alice stared. “Okay, that does make me feel better.”
John smirked faintly. “Yeah. After he healed up, we all called him Lawn Dart.”
Rico burst out laughing. “LAWN DART? Oh man, that’s brutal.”
Alice pointed at John. “You’re terrifying.”
John shrugged. “He earned the nickname.”
Christian leaned back against the wall, watching them with a tired smile. He wasn’t used to this — the noise, the banter, the easy way they bounced off each other. He’d spent most of his life in workshops where the loudest thing was a malfunctioning engine.
Carina stretched her arms over her head. “So what did everyone do before this? Besides falling over in expensive machinery.”
Rico groaned. “I was a rescue diver. Pulled people out of collapsed buildings, flooded tunnels, burning cars ... you know, fun stuff.”
Alice blinked. “That sounds terrifying.”
Rico shrugged. “Eh. You get used to it. Plus, I look great in a wetsuit.”
Alice threw a sock at him.
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