Chapter 25: Sparring Session

The first few minutes of Calix’s Parkour run were nothing short of a disaster. He couldn’t hit a single mark and constantly leapt too far or not far enough. His timing was off, his strength was off – everything was off. He found himself fighting himself as much as the course.

Things went downhill from there. The ability to trust one’s self and one’s abilities is paramount in Parkour. A traceur who was constantly second-guessing his abilities just didn’t survive. Calix couldn’t depend on anything about himself.

It wasn’t until about ten-minutes in – and countless falls, scrapes and bruises – when he stopped and re-started at the beginning. One of his greatest abilities was to compile the data around him and use it to his advantage. With a faint tremble of fear, he turned his ability loose on himself. Concentrating intensely, he started learning about himself, the changes to his body, the increased strength and speed, even as he mapped the course around him.

It was slow, difficult work and he could feel the added complexity of re-learning his own body giving him a headache, but it began to pay off. Slowly, one jump, twist, flip or kick at a time, he began to re-learn. It would take time – much time – but he knew eventually he’d be back up to the top of his game. Actually, even faster since his reflexes and strength would be greatly enhanced.

For now, he let himself go slow, learning what he could do – and what he couldn’t. He took heart when, for the most part, after two complete, frustrating laps through the course he had restored some small semblance of his speed and natural instincts.

“You are adapting faster than I anticipated,” Artemis spoke as Calix caught his breath after the second lap. He’d done four laps before without needing to stop – but those four laps hadn’t had his concentration split between the course and his own body.

“I’m glad you think so,” Calix shook his head in disgust. “I’m overshooting all my marks, my timing is shit, and I’ve fallen more times today than I have since I was four years old.”

He took a deep breath and toweled off his face and hands. “I suck.”

“Your strength is several orders of magnitude greater and your reflexes are several orders of magnitude faster than they were,” Artemis intoned. “Yet you managed the last third of the course with no falls and only two marginal mistakes.”

“Yeah, well, two mistakes are enough to kill you twice over,” Calix blew out his breath. “Plus, I took that last half of the course slow.”

“And yet your speed for the last third of the course is better by seven seconds than your previous best.”

“You’re kidding?” Calix couldn’t believe it.

“Although you perceived you were going slow, that was predominantly because your increased musculature and attuned nervous system allow you to travel faster,” Artemis explained. “If I understand the context, once you are able to attune yourself to your new normalized abilities, I anticipate a 212% improvement on the final third of the course from your current best.”

Calix chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. It made sense. He was stronger and he was faster. Once he got accustomed to his new body, he’d be much faster – his body had never been able to keep up with his brain.

With renewed sense of hope, he tossed the towel into the waste receptacle and started the course again. This pass, he concentrated even harder on his new strength and speed, concentrated harder on re-calculating his new body’s abilities.

He had no delusions. He knew it would take days and perhaps weeks to re-map his body – but it could not be done without hard work. He had no trouble putting in the work.

He was so focused on himself and his immediate vicinity he never noticed the three Marines come in. They, however, noticed him.

“Son of a bitch!” Gunter snarled. “It’s him.”

“Him? Him who?” Private Dunning asked, looking at the man working through the Parkour course. The man was tall, but it appeared natural. His muscles, while well developed, were not Marine issue.

“It’s the fucking Navy pansy who sucker-punched me when I was about to get some trim off his slit,” Gunter snarled, flexing his arms and fists. “I think I’m gonna go teach him a lesson.”

“Whoa, son,” Lance Corporal Robicheaux stepped in front of his compatriot. “Not a good idea. Not like this, anyway. Shit like that can get you court-martialed.”

“I don’t fucking care,” Gunter scowled grimly. “I’m gonna fuck him up and take all his bitches.”

“Dude,” Dunning laughed weakly. He needed to cool the hot head down but he wasn’t certain how. He’d never seen a bigger asshole in his life – and being hopped up on the ‘roids powering the changes to his physique made him an even bigger asshole.

Besides, he might need to protect Gunter from himself. Gunter was big – but the muscles were bulky, and he’d need time to adjust to them. The guy down below looked fast and quick. He might give Gunter more than the man could handle.

“You can’t just pop over and beat on him,” he said intently. He had to make this as clear as possible – because he wasn’t certain Gunter was all that bright. “That’s assault and besides being against the law, it’s just fucking wrong.”

Gunter just grunted, watching Calix working his way through the Parkour course. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, just watched as Calix made his way under, over or through the various obstacles.

“Just look at his pansy ass,” he finally grunted. “Twirling and flipping like a goddamn little girl. He reminds me of one of those fucking gay-ass male ballerinas. Fucking pansy ass. This is gonna be easier than I thought. I just have to be careful he doesn’t slap me or scratch at my eyes like a fucking whore.”

He rolled his shoulders and gave an evil, little chuckle. “Hell, I don’t bend that way but I might just fuck his little ass with my massive cock – just give him a little thrill before I fuck him up.”

Dunning and Robicheaux just looked at each other, eyebrows raised. The man on the obstacle course was impressive. Even before they’d been enhanced, they wouldn’t have been able to do what he was doing. Now, with their enhanced physiques, it would be impossible to twist and turn and contort themselves the way he could. The standard Marine package made them stronger and faster, but the bulging muscles cost them quite a bit of dexterity.

“I’m gonna go down there and show him how a real man goes through that course,” Gunter declared, unaware of the frowns on his comrades’ faces. “Real men just fucking hammer their way through the fucking obstacles. I just want him to get a taste of the pain I’m gonna bring him.”

The two men just watched him walk out.

“Maybe we should have stopped him?” Dunning asked.

“Maybe,” Robicheaux shrugged. “Fucking prick. It’s all I can do not to cave his skull in most of the time. Does he really think he’s the first swinging dick to go through the med-tubes? I swear, if he struts around any more...”

Robicheaux blew out a long breath while slowly shaking his head. “I almost wish the guy down there would beat the fuck out of him for us, but we couldn’t be so lucky. Yeah, the little guy can move but Gunter’s a wall of fucking muscle now. That guy could hit him a hundred times and not do any damage. Besides, I bet you anything the guy sees our boy crushing the course and heads for home.”

Robicheaux frowned and continued. “If they start going at it, though, we’ll have to break it up before Gunter kills him. The Lieu-y would probably have our ass if he gets court-martialed. It might be worth it, though.”

Dunning shook his head.

“I’m not so sure it’s going to play out like that,” he mused. “I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. That guy looks pretty fucking fast for an unenhanced Navy guy. Plus, he looks pretty big – naturally big, you know? I mean, Gunter will definitely have him in strength because of the upgrades – but he’s new. He hasn’t had time to grow into ‘em. I don’t think he’s going to have as big an advantage as you think.”

“Wager?” Robicheaux asked with a snarky grin.

“You’re on,” Dunning laughed, slapping the guy on the back. “I’ll put up ... seven nights with Riya versus the same with Yvonne.”

Robicheaux just laughed. “Don’t you get tired of fucking Yvonne? Colleen is going to get a complex.”

Dunning shrugged with a grin. “I like my women with a little more meat on their bones.”

Robicheaux shook his head in mock dejection. “Man, I think you got your priorities wrong. Colleen is only 15 and she’s got the tightest little pussy...”

“Maybe,” Dunning slapped his friend on the back again. “But she ain’t got no titties. I can motorboat Yvonne’s big ole titties – you can’t do that with Colleen.”

Calix heard the commotion at the start of the course. He crouched on a small platform, his eyes drifting back to the course beginning. He was disgusted to see a Marine just wading into the obstacles, kicking, hitting or plain throwing them out of his way.

“He isn’t going to ruin the course, is he Artemis?”

“No,” Artemis replied. “The constructs are nanite creations - thus their ability to dynamically move and re-configure. They will reset before you get back to the start.”

Calix frowned. There was something familiar about the Marine, but he couldn’t place him. It bothered him. Calix prided himself on having a very good memory so his inability to identify the Marine was problematic. “Artemis, who is the Marine? I swear I know him, but I just can’t place him.”

“The Marine is Private Leopold Gunter,” the AI replied. “He is the one who was attempting to use Brianna Danielle Gebel during dependent extraction two days ago. He is the one with whom you had an altercation.”

Calix whistled. “That’s Gunter? Someone’s been juicing. How long has he been out of the med-tubes?”

“Two days,” Artemis replied.

“Huh.” Calix wondered at the coincidence of the Private choosing to exercise in this gym at this particular time. He didn’t really believe in coincidences. He especially didn’t believe Gunter’s display of strength and destruction was aimed at anyone else but him. More than likely, Gunter was trying to make a point.

Unfortunately, his point was a good one – or would be if he’d caught Calix only a day earlier. The standard Marine package used tools such as Human Growth Hormone and steroids to increase the bulk of muscles.

Calix had gone a different route, opting for density instead of bulk. It wasn’t new – but the extent to which Calix pushed the technology in a human being was. Calix’s modifications made the change harder and more dangerous than the Marine package – and required additional monitoring which would be problematic for Marines dropped into combat – but Calix had the time. Theoretically, he would be just as strong and fast as a standard Marine – possibly even marginally stronger and faster.

He hoped Gunter didn’t plan on putting it to the test. He wasn’t ready. He could barely get through the obstacle course.

Plus, he felt naked. He didn’t have his armor – he’d yet to request it from Octavia. He hadn’t forgotten it – not really – but it hadn’t seemed a priority. There was so much he had to do in the past few days.

And the new armor he’d discussed with Artemis just wasn’t ready yet. It was still in the planning stages.

Calix took a deep breath and continued his Parkour run. Only now, he had the added pressure of Gunter. He didn’t know for certain the man would look for a confrontation – but he couldn’t rule it out. He had to be ready.

Calix pushed everything else aside. The distraction of Gunter, the worry about what might happen, the concern about his new physique – he pushed everything into a pretty box and buried it down deep. Now, there was only his body and the obstacle course.

He leapt, noting the added push from his feet. He compensated, smacking his hands down onto a platform and letting his legs flow over him. A push from his hands launched him to the next platform, which was falling steadily downward.

His feet contacted the platform and he let his momentum carry him down into a crouch as he viewed the next obstacle. He had a choice – over or through it because the obstacle had a window large enough for him to fit through. He wasn’t even aware he’d made the decision before his legs were pushing him off the descending ledge and his arms extended over his head, his body tightening into a straight plank. He flew through the window, his hands grabbing onto a rapidly ascending platform.

He rode the platform to the top, hanging from the side, then used his fingertips to allow the upward momentum, as the platform suddenly started to descend, to perform a two-handed vault over the narrow platform.

He landed on his side on a longer platform and rolled, kipping up to stand at the edge. He paused a heartbeat, then moved forward, tic tac’ing between two walls and then underbarring – moving feet first while grabbing a bar above to increase momentum – through an obstacle that resembled a very wide ladder.

Through it all, he was taking careful note of his body, how it moved, where it worked and didn’t work. He was feeling the way his body flowed and reacted and adjusting his sense of self, turning it into a rhythm he could learn and build on. It would take some time – days, a week, maybe a month – but he could feel the rhythm coming to him, could feel his mind starting to mold to his body.

He finished the third run and stopped. Gunter was maybe a third of the way around the course, but the beginning had already reset. Damage behind the man was fixing itself as if he’d never been there.

Calix couldn’t help the shake of his head. Parkour was a lifestyle – you couldn’t choose the obstacles in your life, you could only choose to go above, underneath or through. The secret was to use as little energy as possible. While there were definitely times where Gunter’s way was necessary – destroying an impediment in your path – it was the lazy way. It was also the most dangerous way because inevitably you would come up against something or someone that couldn’t be moved or broken.

Calix turned and retrieved his towel. He was sweating profusely, sweating far more than he should have. The changes to his body had taken a lot out of him. Parkour was difficult when your body was foreign to you because you had to fight your body as much as the course. It was something he’d not really had to worry about in quite a few years.

Dried, he took the lift to the weight room, leaving Gunter behind. He debated continuing his workout but thought better of it. Sometimes the best way to win a fight was to avoid it altogether. He had no delusions Gunter’s presence didn’t portend future encounters – but he saw no reason to force the encounter right then. He had no skin in this game.

He was surprised to see the two other Marines waiting in the weight room. It didn’t make sense for them to be here – he knew the Marine warren had gymnasiums of their own. He was instantly alert.

“Gentlemen,” he nodded, turning his steps towards the door.

“You were pretty impressive in there,” Dunning remarked. “That was Parkour, right?”

“Yeah,” Calix answered, pasting a smile on his face. He didn’t stop, however, heading for the doorway.

“Do you think you could show us some stuff?” Robicheaux asked. “You know, maybe something big guys like us could do?”

“Maybe some other time,” Calix said calmly. “I’ve had enough for one day.”

Robicheaux moved and cut him off, putting himself between Calix and the doorway. Calix readied himself but was surprised at the sincere look on the man’s face. “Oh, come on. Please. What about those somersaults and stuff? We’re on the frontlines with the dickheads, man. I think some of those moves could help keep us alive.”

“Just show us a few moves,” Dunning plead. Calix glanced at him and was surprised he appeared to be sincere as well. “A little light sparring. It could really help us out. Yeah, we’re big – but the bugs are big, too. Any kind of advantage could make a difference. Just – a quick demonstration, maybe practice a little, teach us some of those movements.”

“I don’t think the changes you’ve made to your body is conducive to it,” Calix explained. The two men appeared to be earnest – and he couldn’t fault them for it. He was wavering, Octavia’s words about being part of something bigger rolling through is mind. “You’re stronger and faster but you need to have some dexterity, too. You just don’t have the range of movement in your arms and legs.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Besides, I’m beat.” He sighed again, chewing his lip and glancing back at the Parkour run.

Dunning followed his gaze before turning back. “Don’t worry about that prick. I can’t say he won’t come along – we are in charge of his training – but we’ll do our best to keep him in line. Who knows, maybe he’ll even learn something.”

“Honestly?” Calix shrugged. “I’m not really that worried about him. I’m more worried I won’t be able to stop if he starts something.”

He shook his foreboding feeling off and smiled. He had to give the two the benefit of the doubt. “Alright. 1500. We’ll meet back here, and I can show you guys a few Parkour moves. I can’t really promise they’ll be helpful – I’ll have to give some thought to what would work with your size and lack of dexterity – but I’ll show you what I can.”

“Fair enough,” Dunning smiled, holding out his hand. “Private Monty Dunning.”

With a smile, Calix shook the man’s hand. “Ensign Calix Gebel.”

“Seems like a good guy,” Dunning remarked as the door closed behind Calix. “Young, though.”

“Yeah,” Robicheaux agreed. “I still think Gunter can take him – but you might be right. It might not be as one-sided as I thought.

“Where’s the pussy?” Gunter snarled from behind him. “He run home to mommy already?”

Dunning looked over at Robicheaux and just rolled his eyes. It was all Robicheaux could do not to laugh. Once he’d gotten himself under control, he turned to Gunter.

“He had some shit to do,” Robicheaux replied. “Don’t worry about him. He’s agreed to come back at 1500 and show us some of his Parkour moves. Maybe spar a little.”

Gunter got a big grin on his face. “Yeah. Spar. I’ll spar his little ass into the hospital.”

Dunning closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. There was a profound look of anger on his face when he re-opened his eyes. “Listen, meat – you’re going to observe, and fucking learn. Do you understand? If there’s any sparring, you will NOT take it too far.”

“What?” Gunter snarled. “The pansy-ass ask you to fight his battles for him.”

Robicheaux blew out a long breath, struggling to reign in his temper. “I’ve had just about enough of you. Now, listen and listen closely. Gebel has agreed to try to teach us some Parkour – because we asked him to. We’re hoping we can learn something that just might save our lives – or let us save someone else’s life. If I don’t hear you say you can control yourself and NOT start something with the man – then you’ll be too busy with another, LONGER dose of PT to join us at 1500. Do I make myself clear?”

“Fuck!” Gunter screamed. “What’d he do, let you fuck his tight ass or something? Why’re you covering for him. We’re fucking Reapers – we take what we want and shit out what’s left!”

“Yeah, I can see a long road of PT in your future,” Dunning hissed.

Gunter’s eyes narrowed. The bastard probably agreed to let the two of them bone his slits or something. He couldn’t miss his shot at taking the fuckwad down a peg or two. He relaxed his face and tried hard to look contrite. “Sorry. I’m just still pissed because of when he sucker-punched me. I can control myself. I won’t fuck up the pussy – sorry, I won’t take the sparring too far.”

Dunning and Robicheaux looked at each other. Neither of them believed Gunter – but maybe, just maybe he might learn a valuable lesson. Maybe Gebel would take him down a few times and teach him some humility. Besides, they’d be there in the event Gunter took things too far.

“All right – but you’re on a short leash, private,” Robicheaux said finally.

The three men arrived at the gym a few minutes early.

“Remember,” Dunning ordered. “You apologize to him. He’ll show us some Parkour, maybe teach us a few things. We might get to spar with him – if we do, you’re not to try to hurt him. Do you understand me?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Gunter said quietly. Inside, he was stewing. He knew he’d get his shot – he’d just have to make the most of it.

Calix entered the room confidently and nodded at the three men. As he’d been instructed, Gunter stepped forward and thrust out his hand. “I’m sorry about moving in on your slave,” he said as earnestly as he could manage. “It was wrong.”

Calix was surprised. Gunter seemed sincere enough, but he didn’t trust it completely. A leopard doesn’t easily change its spots. Still, the man had made the effort. Calix took Gunter’s hand and shook it solemnly.

The four men moved down to the Parkour run. Calix remained alert – mostly paying attention to Gunter but not completely relaxing towards the other two. He had Artemis start them off with a pair of eight-meter walls perpendicular to each other.

“This is a tic-tac,” he explained. “Basically, I’m going to jump at one wall and push off with my leg towards the other.” He quickly demonstrated, landing lightly back on his feet.

“It’s not really that impressive – until you start putting a few of them together,” he jumped at the first wall and used his leg to push up and off towards the second. He repeated the move on the second and then again on the first, moving up the wall until he could grab the top. “You have to be careful with this. After the first push off, you’re not going to get as much height on the second and each tac will be slightly less high. Most people can only do three or four but with your added musculature, you might be able to do more. Who wants to try it?”

Dunning was eager and Calix walked him through going back and forth. The man managed two jumps but the third one had his foot almost back where it’d first planted and the fourth basically landed him back on the ground.

“Shit,” Dunning cursed. “You made that look easy.”

Calix chuckled. “I’ve got years of experience. You had the right attitude but you’re going to have to practice it.”

“Shit, that looks easy,” Gunter sneered. He leapt at the first wall but pushed off too hard and couldn’t turn enough to get his leg ready for the second wall. He ended up crashing into the wall and falling flat on his back.

“FUCK!” he snarled as he stood up. “What good is that shit anyway? I’ll just use a fucking grapple.”

“Unless you don’t have a grapple,” Robicheaux rolled his eyes. “Let me try.”

Dunning and Robicheaux made some slight progress but Gunter refused to try again. He decided there was no way he was going to look foolish in front of these three – especially the pansy-ass.

For the next three quarters of an hour, Calix continued instructing them. He walked them through a safety vault – one of the easiest vaults and the vault many of the others are built on. He added the side vault and then showed them the cat leap and an underbar. He bypassed the Kong Vault – they had enough trouble with the dexterity needed for the underbar – and decided to call it a night. The three didn’t even have the basics down but they should know the moves well enough to practice. He agreed to schedule another session when time permitted.

“How about some light sparring?” Robicheaux suggested.

“Using Parkour?” Calix asked in confusion. “I don’t think you have the basics down enough.”