Page 62 of Meteor Storm

“How’s that work?”

I stepped into the room further, moving through one of the holographic branches. The floor was uneven as if it had become a rocky forest path.

Thilar reactivated the holographic blade in his hand. “With this. Contact with the images will read as damage.”

“But it won’t train you in actual contact?”

“Not without the suit. The suit has pain receptors to mimic real contact, but I was not training for contact. I was training for balance and awareness.”

“You training for something in particular or just passing time?”

“Monrians are always training for something.”

“Why didn’t I see that answer coming?”

“Are you gaining your strength, Penny? Or do you prefer Amelia?”

“Yes. And Penny is fine. Amelia was…” I sighed. “Another life. Your food tastes like shit, by the way, but I’m feeling much better.”

“I asked Luca to find out what your body needs and she’s fashioned your food to match.”

“Oh,” I nodded. “Thank you.”

“Monrian food, however, is bland. We do not make the effort valerians do.”

“I imagine taste is the last thing on your mind when you’re training to be super soldiers. Speaking of training, show me this room’s function.”

“It is meant to mimic any situation you want.”

“What’s that mean?”

The corner of his lips rose, and he walked across the room to the same control display he was toying with when we arrived. After hitting a few indicators, the holograms surrounding us began to change, and reshape themselves, creating a false world with winding vines and low clouds that moved realistically and slowly across the space.

“Wow,” I gawked, fascinated. “The Nexus could use something like this.”

I scanned the changed, warehouse-sized chamber, curious what else it could do.

In all my years on Earth, I thought I would be prepared for anything. Mekah Prime proved I wasn’t and I hated how vulnerable I was in the expanse. How small I was. How wildly unfit I was to survive on my own.

“Ok, let’s train,” I exhaled sharply.

Thilar cocked his head at me. “Train?”

“Yeah. It’s a training simulation. Let’s train.”

“You are still recovering.”

“No, I’m recovered and I’m bored. So, let’s train.”

Thilar’s eyes wandered across the length of my body as if he was checking me for injuries and then he smirked.

“I can tell you have had training of some kind in your past. You move well. What is an environment that would challenge you, Penelope?”

The sound of my full name made me pause again and I blinked, momentarily caught off guard. How a man could say a name like it was a proposal for marriage was beyond me, but it made my insides flutter every time.

“Uh, I would say something very uneven. Something layered.”

“Yes, you’re fast on flat ground, but perhaps you can work on balance. What about lighting?”