Life Chapter #8 - 1993

Ada cradled the hot water bottle in her lap, attempting to ignore the remnant numbness and chill in her fingers as she scribbled an essay with her non-dominant hand. The Academy was becoming more demanding and creative with their training lessons. One such example was today when they scheduled a pain tolerance class right before their history test.

The class involved dunking their writing hand in an ice bath and forcing them to remain there for at least ten minutes. Anyone that failed were duly punished or worse, killed, so the candidates kept their mouths shut and grimaced as the clock ticked by. Even if it was spring and the weather had warmed up, it was still a little cold on some days. Of course, the trainees were rewarded with warmth when they succeeded but having to rush for history test immediately made things rather difficult in the area of concentration.

No wonder they had been encouraging ambidexterity for the past few weeks, it was a preparation for this.

While physical training was fun, theory like language, history, and science made it feel like high school all over again. Except they had to learn a lot more things than what was listed in the high school syllabus. Facts about countries that they had never heard of were drilled into their heads and they were continuously tested. No one dared to question why they had to be schooled in foreign affairs and they kept quiet, going with the flow.

She finished her paper with time to spare, going through the points she listed about Maldives and its controversial government along with details about the coup d'état that took place not too long ago. To Ada, it was quite interesting to study about the rest of the World. Most Americans tended to live in their own little bubble, thinking the rest of the Earth revolved around them but the reality was otherwise.

As the teenager read through her essay, she also scrutinized her imperfect handwriting which was slanted at an angle and still did not hold the elegance of writing hand. She would have to keep practising at night, writing every letter in the alphabet and stringing random words in her notebook.

The bell rang five minutes later, signaling the end of the test. Ada rubbed her right hand against the hot water bottle, slowly regaining more sensation in her digits. Melissa was at her side with her own bottle in hand and struck a conversation with her, "That was some test wasn't it? Making us write with our non-dominant hand."

"I think it's ingenious," Belinda said and crossed her arms. Her hot water bottle hung at her hip, clearly no longer requiring a use for it. Though if one observed the girl long enough, they could see Belinda shoving her writing hand under her armpit, rubbing her fingers against the warm skin.

For some reason, the twins stuck around her after the incident and Ada grudgingly accepted their company though she maintained a distance from Belinda who was still as grating as ever.

"You have to wonder what sort of incident requires you to write after being frozen," Ada replied, still assuming that they were training to be some sort of soldiers.

Belinda snorted. "Who knows? We just have to be prepared for anything. That is what they have been throwing at us recently. It makes me feel there will be a graduation ceremony coming up soon…"

Before they could continue to speculate further, a booming voice rang out from the front of the crowd of trainees. "Gather up, everyone! Report to the training room ASAP."

A collective groan could be heard from the others as they headed towards the destination. What was it now? They had just finished two rather trying events. Was this third one the ultimate icing on the cake that would break everyone's spirits?

Ada's question was answered upon setting foot in the training room which had been converted into what appeared to be a target range. Black and white targets could be seen on the far side of the room and metal crates were located near the entrance where the trainees were currently gathered.

"I have good news today! We shall begin firearms training this week so I hope you are excited and warm enough to lay your hands on a gun!" Mr. Evans barked. The trainees' interests were piqued and those who were still seeking comfort from the hot water bottle quickly clipped the bottle to their hips. Others rapidly rubbed their palms together and blew hot breath onto their fingertips.

Mr. Evans opened a crate and the teenagers waited in bated breath… only for the trainer to pull out safety goggles and ear muffs. "Safety first! Do you think we will let you handle loaded guns right away? Hell no! You'll be practising with unloaded ones along with the appropriate safety gear!"

That was a disappointing way to burst their bubble and ruin their mood. They should have known that Mr. Evans would not be so nice.

"What are you waiting for?! Grab your gear!" He hollered once more, catching everyone's attention as they lined up to retrieve the equipment.

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Feet apart, knees slightly bent...

Ada thought to herself as she performed the motions at the shooting range. It was one of those leisure times in her daily schedule.

Double-handed grip, finger off trigger, and look down the sight.

Her hands held the handgun in its proper grip and she lifted the weapon to focus on her target. It took her a couple of seconds to aim and her finger slid into the trigger, pressing it and feeling the firearm discharge within her grasp.

The bullet made its mark in the middle of the target just like the previous ones. If she could only speed up the time taken to focus, she could be quick and lethal. Ada would be a force to be reckoned with.

Now that the clips which were allocated to her were empty, she unloaded them and returned the gun back to the crate before slipping off the ear muffs and goggles.

"Nice shooting, Miss Wong. How would you like to try other weapons instead?" Miss Ryder asked. She was one of the people who were in charge of looking after the equipment and Ada had been interacting with her daily for firearms practice.

"Me? I doubt Mr. Evans would approve."

Ryder laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about him. You need to be acquainted with a wide range of weaponry. Let's try something somewhat similar but different." She then pulled out a compact crossbow from the crate and proceeded to unfold the hinges.

"You still need to aim and fire but this is a lot quieter than the noisy handgun."

The trainer then handed the crossbow to Ada along with a handful of bolts before adjusting the target to come a little closer. The teen looked at the bulky device with skepticism but decided to play with her new toy anyway. With some instruction from the older woman, Ada loaded the bolt and pulled back the string. She positioned the stock against her shoulder and looked down the crossbow's sight.

Pulling the trigger, the bolt flew with a whoosh and embedded itself in the target. Ada reloaded and let loose another bolt. For some reason, the crossbow was a lot more fun than the handgun. It might have been a big weapon but it was still effective.

Miss Ryder watched Ada with a smile. "You can use various kinds of bolts too. Explosive, electrified, poison tipped, the possibilities are endless."

Ada removed the stock from her shoulder and folded the crossbow. "Thanks but this looks a little cumbersome though. How would it be useful in a fight?"

"Have you learned nothing from trainer Jasmine, girl? Don't judge a book by its cover. Jasmine is petite but she packs a punch. Crossbow bolts can be reused unlike bullets. That puts it at a slight advantage over firearms."

A blush crept up on Ada's face upon being scolded, something that she had not experienced for a long time. "I apologize for my ignorance. What other weapons are there in the crate?" She craned her neck in an attempt to peek at the box's contents.

Ryder slammed the crate shut with a smirk and a wagging finger. "Nuh uh, one new weapon per week. I've been really generous today. Keep practising your skills first and then you can play with more."

Ada gave the woman a nod and departed, it was almost time for dinner.

The scent of baked chocolate was in the air when she reached the cafeteria and Ada had to fight the childhood memory that threatened to re-surface. She took a deep breath and focused on how delicious dessert would be. The rich taste that would coat her tongue and leave her feeling satisfied. The primary reason on why she loved chocolate would be conveniently discarded and left behind in the remnants of her past.

Scooping the fried rice into her tray and grabbing a serving of chocolate cake, she headed to an empty table where she was soon joined by the twins and Kevin. Belinda looked like she was about to fall asleep on top of her dinner as she accidentally bumped into her sister's shoulder.

"You look like hell," Ada quipped, taking the opportunity to make a jibe at the girl who tormented her in the past.

"That new combat trainer is insane. Forcing us to complete a set number of moves in less than seven minutes!"

Kevin set his spoon down and whispered, "I heard from the other trainers that he isn't new. He has been teaching combat for years but had something urgent to attend to in the past few months so Jasmine took his place temporarily. We were lucky that we didn't have to go through his hellish training."

Belinda scrunched her face and took a careful bite of her dinner. "Huh, interesting. No wonder he said that he was the captain of an elite squad in a police force and that we should be honoured to be learning under him. I doubt I would want to spar again in my free time."

"We will have to face him sooner or later. There is an Advanced Combat course next month," Melissa replied, gently reaching out to rub her sister's sore arm.

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud whine from the PA system. "All trainees are reminded to attend the mandatory haircut session before shower block."

Her hair had been growing out over the past couple of seasons and it was nice to have some sort of protection on her neck during winter. But the trainers had been constantly nagging that long hair was a disadvantage in combat and that it could be easily grabbed by the enemy. Plus, when long hair fell loose, it obscured one's vision.

Ada might have been used to having a ponytail but she was inclined to agree with her trainees. Based on her own experience, long hair could get in the way whenever it fell loose from the confines of the hair tie upon the completion of a series of cartwheels.

The youths grumbled about the rather authoritarian nature of their appearances but continued to power through their dinner, heading to the grooming room soon afterwards to get the haircut done and over with.

As Ada watched strands of hair flutter down to the ground, she closed her eyes, as if hypnotized by her hair's movements. She began to dream about a warm hand gingerly grasping the ends of her tresses, snipping off any wayward strands to make the length even. A pair of lips descended on her temple followed by the scent of floral detergent and Ada soon realized that her dreams were toying with her.

She willed herself to hit the pause button in her dream state and her surroundings began to melt away. Ada turned around to see a swirl of colours speed off into the distance, leaving her in a dark abyss. Now, everything was quiet and peaceful.

Hazel eyes opened in time to hear the trainer say, "All done." Sweeping off the tiny flecks of hair tickling her neck, Ada walked into the shower room, feeling a tad proud of suppressing her past.

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"Melissa, please cease all activities and step forward." The PA system interrupted the daily breakfast chatter and Ada watched as the girl pushed her tray aside and stood up, making her way to the front of the dining hall.

Mr. Evans then met her with a gun pointed to her head and the hall remained so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Belinda clenched her fists and stood up but was immediately yelled at by Evans to sit down. The headstrong sister refused and instead, walked towards Melissa.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Belinda hissed as she glared at Mr. Evans with hatred. The man unfurled a medical report in his hand.

"Melissa broke the rules, evaded her contraceptive shots, and is now with child. Unless the father stands up, we will neutralize every single male in this room."

All the guys in the cafeteria looked at each other and the brotherhood that they shared in the past few months quickly evaporated away and was replaced by suspicion.

"It was me." Kevin said and he stood up confidently from his seat. There was no trace of fear on his face but Ada could see up close that his fingers trembled slightly.

"Come forward!"

The trio of youths stood in line as the gun swept back and forth between them. "Now, who should be the first to go? You know the rules."

"Take my life instead!" Belinda stepped up to the barrel of the pistol and allowed it to aim in the middle of her forehead. She had sworn to her dying parents to protect her sister and she would fulfil it to the end.

"And mine too! Two lives for two." Kevin said as he took a brave stride forward while Melissa sank down to her knees and pleaded tearfully as she grabbed Kevin's pant leg but her boyfriend just shrugged off her grasp.

"No please, don't! I'm the one who should be responsible! My life and my unborn child for both of their safety!"

The commotion soon attracted the attention from the other trainers as they filed in behind Mr. Evans. Melissa kept begging to no avail as her sister and Kevin stood unwavering in front of the gun. Everyone remained in their seats out of curiosity and fear.

"I'm sorry, sis." Belinda said and wrenched the pistol from Mr. Evans hold, pointing it at Kevin and pulling the trigger. Before his body hit the floor, Belinda turned the gun on herself as she closed her eyes to meet oblivion.

Melissa screamed in anguish as both bodies slumped in a pile in front of her and blood soon stained the pristine white floor. "NOOO!" She cradled the misshapen heads of her loved ones and bawled, letting loose a string of swear words at the trainers and The Academy.

Mr. Evans looked down at her coldly and raised an arm, signaling Jasmine and Miss Ryder to step forth and take the distraught girl into their custody. Melissa's dramatics caused him to come up with other plans to make Melissa suffer. Death was just too easy for the girl.

"Let this be a lesson to all! Toy with the rules, pay with your life! Now resume your breakfast. Your final test starts in an hour!"

Ada was shaken by the drama that unfolded, her table was now empty and she looked down at her tray, shoveling as much sustenance as she could into her mouth. She did her best to erase the bloody scene from her mind and resisted the urge to hurl. Ada knew The Academy was a ruthless place but taking an innocent life? It just seemed pointless. They could always take Melissa's child away and raise it to be their prized pupil.

Little did the trainees know that this was deliberate. The staff had already known that Melissa was pregnant but held off the confrontation until the right moment. It was done to see who had the mental capacity to press forward in the face of trauma and horror. The final test was critical in selecting those who could advance to the next stage.

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The test had already started and everyone were separated into groups and brought into different waiting rooms. Each trainee had a metallic wristband attached to their arms too. No one knew the band's purpose but it appeared to be some sort of tracker.

It was quite unnerving as the occupants in the room slowly dwindled and Ada could have sworn that the temperature dipped whenever a trainee was called to leave. She sat still and rubbed her bare hands against her biceps. Whatever the test was, she needed to keep her muscles warm and ready for quick, evasive movements.

"Ada Wong," a mechanical voice boomed through the room and the teenager stood up, walking past the sliding doors and disappearing into the long corridor beyond. The pathway was bare and Ada only had the sounds of her footsteps to accompany her. She reached the end and the doors slid open to reveal a bare arena with a giant circle on the floor.

The raven haired girl continued to walk forward and noticed a small balcony space jutting out from the walls. She squinted, spotting at least five figures that were going to spectate. The doors on the other end of the arena slid open to reveal a trembling Melissa and her stoic escorts that held a firm grip on each arm. Jasmine shoved the poor girl into the arena and walked off, allowing the doors to close behind them.

Ada and Melissa were now alone inside the circle. It did not take a genius to figure out what the test was. Two candidates in an empty space usually meant a duel.

A microphone whined and an unfamiliar voice spoke, "You will fight each other till the buzzer sounds. The winner gets to leave and advance to the next stage of training. If you don't fight, the wristband will keep shocking you until you comply."

Ada got into her stance but her opponent had her arms dangling to the side uselessly. Melissa had already given up the fight before it even started.

"Commence."

Ada hesitated for a split second before charging forward with a battle cry, pulling her arm back and swinging a fist at Melissa's face. As friendly her opponent was to her, she could not hold back. No point getting electrocuted by being sympathetic. At least she was avoiding Melissa's abdomen which was her weak point.

There was a resounding crack as Melissa was knocked to the floor on her knees and she coughed, spitting out a small white object along with a spittle of blood. She then screamed in agony as she clutched her wrist. The band encircled around her flesh grew bright blue and zapped her skin.

Still, Melissa chose not to lift a finger and Ada swung her foot towards her opponent's shoulder blades. The girl fell prone onto the ground, unmoving. This fight was all too easy and somehow, rather unfair. The trainers had not intervened yet so Ada waited as the wristband electrocuted the girl once more.

"My dear Melissa, we will offer you a special deal. Win this fight and you will be allowed to leave with some compensation on the side. You will be able to raise your child too. Isn't that what you want?" The voice spoke again.

Melissa shut her eyes and clapped her ears, not wanting to listen a single word of what they had to say. She was rewarded with more shocks and Ada could only stand at a distance and watch the girl twitch uncontrollably. Her agonized screams filled the arena and went on for a minute before she raised her arm. "STOP! PLEASE STOP! I'LL FIGHT."

"Good girl. Carry on."

Catching her breath, Melissa pushed herself to her feet unsteadily and stood up with her hands raised protectively in front of her face. Ada mirrored the movement and they circled around each other. The Asian teen decided to dart from side to side, making Melissa lose her focus some more. Ada closed the distance between them and let loose a small series of punches against Melissa's upper torso.

Melissa was pushed back from each punch as she weakly deflected the blows. Towards the end of Ada's attack, Melissa managed to find a lucky opening and caught one of Ada's fists with both hands. One hand quickly slipped down to Ada's elbow and pushed hard, feeling the joint pop.

Ada howled and lowered her center of gravity before jumping off the floor, cartwheeling backwards without using her hands. She managed to kick Melissa in the face and both girls stumbled away from each other. Now Ada would show no mercy. She was down to one usable arm and it was time to strike Melissa where she would really hurt.

Before they could advance on each other, small columns appeared from the ground and Ada quickly leapt onto an ascending pillar to gain the advantage of higher ground. She flattened herself against the column as it rose a few inches more till it was about six feet high.

A blonde spectator with sunglasses raised an eyebrow and was impressed by the girl's resourcefulness. The other candidates before Ada did not have foresight to take the high road. This was going to be quite an interesting battle that was not going to be deadly game of hide and seek.

Ada carefully peered out from her hiding spot to catch a glimpse of Melissa swiftly darting from pillar to pillar. Her opponent kept her gaze at eye level, failing to angle her focus upwards where Ada was. The element of surprise was on Wong's side. Melissa kept rolling out of cover as she unknowingly made her way towards Ada's column.

Just a little closer.

Ada thought to herself as she got onto her knees and watched her prey like a lioness. Finally, Melissa neared the pillar and Ada took the opportunity to strike, jumping off the top of her hiding spot and making contact on her unsuspecting opponent. Melissa immediately had all the air knocked out of her as Ada landed on her and Melissa's back collided against the floor painfully. There was a brief moment of discomfort before all sensation in Melissa's lower body was lost.

Ada sat on Melissa's abdomen and using her remaining hand, gripped the girl's throat, slowly choking the life out of her. Melissa countered by using her hands to wrap around Ada's throat as well. Neither would give up easily.

Realizing that her opponent was not using her legs, Ada held tightly onto Melissa's neck and rolled along the floor a few times, feeling Melissa's grip loosen before letting go of the girl and reaching up to wrench prying fingers away. Now that she was free, Ada pivoted and got back up to her feet, waiting for Melissa to stand up.

After five seconds, she realized that Melissa could not stand at all. The floor rumbled as the columns returned back to the ground. A small platform containing a pistol then rose up in front of Ada.

"Kill her, Miss Wong," the voice rang out cruelly and Ada stepped forward to take the weapon into her possession.

Was this the right thing to do? She was trained to fight but to murder? That was not the way. Ada decided to stall for time by slowly walking around Melissa in a circle, as if taunting her prey.

"Do it now!"

Her wrist tingled and a sudden jolt of comprehension then struck her. Death had accompanied them all along. From the time the first trainee was killed last summer until now, the body count at The Academy had always been high and constant. All tests ended up with failures who perished. Now she, the winner, was to be one to dispose of the failure. It all made sense now.

Ada flicked off the safety and raised the gun towards Melissa.

"Please… Ada… Help me!" Her opponent sobbed out loud as she lay paralyzed on the floor. "Please! For Belinda and Kevin! I promise to always have your back!"

Those words made Ada stop in her tracks.

"I promise to get you back."

Her mother's words were suddenly haunting her and Ada's face contorted into tranquil fury. "Promises are always broken," she said coldly.

Ada Wong pulled the trigger and Melissa's skull burst open in a bloody, unrecognizable mess. Very soon, Ada would become a legend for taking two lives with a single shot as trainees after her would never learn of the true context of the situation.

A buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the fight.

"Congratulations, Miss Wong. Now, please read this set of documents."

Another platform rose up in front of her and Ada's blood ran cold when she saw the image on the first page. It contained a photograph of the Rogers dated at the beginning of the current year. She set the gun down and took the document into her hand, scrutinizing the picture further. They appeared to be enjoying a day out as smiles were plastered on their faces. Her adoptive family was actually alive! The Academy had blackmailed her to join this new life.

She frowned at the image and looked up at the trainers. "Why am I not surprised?" Ada flipped a page to find a forged letter under her name which was addressed to the Rogers. The typeface contained heartfelt words thanking the family for their care and understanding through the years. It ended with a few sappy sentences about wanting to find her own path in life and that she would write back occasionally.

Ada thought her hand would tremble as she read the letter but instead, she had clenched the bottom corner of the page with an unreadable expression on her face. So what if the truth was known? She could never go back to her old life after all this. Her soul had been stained with death, deception, and darkness.

The Academy would never willingly let her go anyway. She would just end up as another corpse to the pile if she betrayed her true feelings. She was now a pawn in their game and the prize was her father's hopeful resurrection. That would be her new objective and focus in life now. Find Guo Xiang and get the hell away from The Academy's reach.

Swallowing the bile that was building up in her throat from the disgusting revelation, she threw the paper into the air and picked up the pistol, firing a few shots into the letter, riddling it with holes. If they wanted a game, she will play her part carefully. Until then, she could only vent her anger on the fake document.

Apparently, that was a satisfactory reaction and another set of doors opened up to the side. Ada looked up at the balcony quizzically.

"You have passed this test, proceed through the doors and attend the briefing."

She nodded and holding her dislocated elbow close to her body, the raven haired woman walked down the corridor beyond where she heard whispers of ongoing conversation. As she entered the room, she saw less than ten trainees huddled in a circle. A couple had bandaged heads with streaks of dried blood dotting the dressing while others had nasty bruises on their skins along with more bandages on various body parts.

Ada was immediately ushered to the group and Jemma quickly attended to her, popping her dislocated elbow into place which caused the teen to gasp loudly. Her arm was promptly set in a sling and she was given painkillers to swallow to ease any lingering discomfort she might feel afterwards. Once her needs were tended to, everyone turned their attention to her, peppering her with questions about her fight. She obliged and sated their curiosity.

It was then she realized that those who were currently in the room had emerged victorious from their deathmatch. The rest who did not make it were dead. Being alive was an odd feeling but she could not help but bask in the glory that she was one of the best who survived. They fell silent for their fellow comrades but soon resumed the discussion on what advanced training would entail.

After an hour, the last trainee made it into the room followed shortly by the man in the suit.

"To everyone who is in this room right now, I heartily congratulate you but your journey has only begun. I welcome you to the world of espionage."

Eyebrows were raised across the room. They had been under the impression that they were in a military institute. Now their new profession made sense. The harsh environment, the easy killings, it was all part and parcel of this new life.

"From now on, you will be assigned a mentor on a monthly rotational basis. Learn all you can from them for each have a unique set of skills that would prove useful in your careers."

The youths in the room sat up with their backs a little straighter, feeling proud.

"Enjoy the rest of your downtime. The real work begins next week. You are dismissed."