Page 9 of Shadow's Chosen

"Oh, those are our most latest and advanced translators," Toni explained. "They not only let the user understand the common tongue but also send transmitters to the brain to aid in memory and speech. Very similar to what was given to you and your team while you traveled here. In a couple days or less, depending on how fluent they are with language, the team will be able to understand and speak drogin."

"So, they really aren't from here?" Elise asked curiously.

"They are not. From what we gathered, they come from Xolis. Thankfully, we are quite familiar with those within that territory. Many immigrants and refugees from that empire have made a home here," Toni said.

Elise thought that over for a long second and became both fascinated and disturbed.Empire. Just when she thought it was shocking enough to learn about this advanced civilization, knowing that there were others was...intimidating to say the least. She wondered if the Grayhart team had known and how much the facility was keeping secret. Whatever it meant, Earth and its territories were in for a huge wake-up call. "So, they...have come all this way to help us?" Elise asked.

"For the bounty," Toni said. "Now, if you will pardon me, I must attend to other matters. Please enjoy your stay." With the room emptied, Toni let the door close shut then turned away. Elise stood there for a moment longer.So they are bounty hunters, she thought then slowly slipped back toward the elevators where her team waited.

"You going to the training room too?" Bruce asked as Elise came up beside him in front of the elevator doors.

"Is that where everyone else is going?" Elise asked.

"Not me," said Helen. "All the medical supplies will be available on site and a short video on how to use them. I'm sticking to my room and having a long bath."

"I'll pass too," said Tom. "I wanna know what kind of tech they got. And what their network is like. Supposedly these Ulinks they provide are like our ISpads, only smarter."

"So, you in?" Adrien asked her as the elevator door opened.

Elise stepped into the car alongside them. "I'd like to see what they got," she said. Judging by everything else she'd seen so far, the drogin's weapons were likely way better than her team’s. And if they wanted to be on the same playing field as the others, they'd be wise to learn how to use them.

"I heard one of the drogin mention sparring pits," said Reese. "Wonder how well they fight."

"Better than you, I imagine," said Amy.

Reese muttered a couple of dirty words her way, and Amy laughed. Elise grinned too. "I'll take you on, Reese," she said. "Give them a good show."

"Yeah, right."

The elevator stopped at mid-level, and the doors opened to a long hallway beyond. Already, there were large groups of drogin practicing with weapons inside enclosed rooms on either side. Glass walls gave Elise a close view inside each one. As Helen and Tom took the elevator up, Elise and the rest of her team went down the passage until they came to an empty room with a drogin assistant at the doorway. By the door was a rack with a load of weapons in various shapes and sizes. The drogin bowed their head to them and explained each gun to the team—how they fired and the range and power of each. Some shot blue fire, others electric rounds. There were armor piercers, smoke poppers, rocket launchers, and guns that even shot poison. As they chose their weapons carefully, they each took their positions at various firing spots and fired several rounds at concrete thick poles situated at the far back wall of the room. Elise chose a small but—what the drogin called—easily accessible yet powerful shooter and took position. The handle of the gun was light, and she was pleased with the ease of grip. What was strange, however, was its shape. It had a look of a slingshot or a small crossbow only there was no string attaching the two bow ends. As she fired, bright yellow arrows shot from the top base. When she held the trigger, the gun seemed to power up, and when she released the trigger, the arrows shot brighter and went farther. It was strange as all hell, but she loved it and chose it as her main shooter. She also chose what was largely a sniper rifle that could be easily carried behind her back as her second.

Bruce, of course, chose the largest and most obnoxious weapon that shot heavy armor piercing rounds while Jerico and Reese chose guns that shot electric rounds. Amy went with poison shots and Adrien chose fire. Once they were satisfied with their weapons, they gave the guns up to the drogin who made a checklist of their gear for tomorrow. From there, they left the firing area and headed farther into the training quarters. The hall opened out into a wide space, leading them onto a transparent bridge that looked down into several walled off areas. One was clearly a glorified gym, with equipment that looked more like massive robotic machines than the simple weight lifts from Earth but which the drogin used easily. In the second room were simulators of some kind, with virtual headsets and game-grade guns (a glorified arcade, Elise thought), and at the far back, in the last section, the biggest by far, were the sparring pits where drogin wore padded armor and took to fighting in pairs or even groups. Beyond them was a separately closed off part of the building with a drogin guarding the door.

Elise was convinced to try the simulators first. They were astoundingly advanced, with realistic projections of the cityscape below. She practiced with aiming and maneuvering alleyways and streets but soon grew tired of it, uninterested in the virtual copy. She tried out the machines in the gym next, guided by an assistant on how to use them. Afterward, she knew she'd be more sore than she had been in a long time but was grateful for the burn. She was finishing her last set when a pair of drogin walked over to her and Amy, who sat nearby with a pair of weights.

"High day to you." One drogin bowed.

Elise could see by its bulkier frame that it was male, its slender face reminding her of a greyhound. Elise bowed her head in turn as she wiped the sweat from her neck with a towel.

"My name is Ronin," he said. "This is my brother, Bo." The other merely bobbed his head.

"Elise." Elise tapped at her chest. "And that is Amy." She pointed to the female behind her.

"Very nice to meet you." Ronin's eyes shifted between her and Amy. "We are scouts for this sector. We met some of those from the other team. Those who have gone missing. Terrible thing to have happened. I sincerely hope they can be found."

Elise smiled out of politeness. "I hope so too."

"We will be helping your team tomorrow to track a path to them."

"You've been down in the undercity before?" Elise asked.

"Yes, a few times for smaller missions."

"What is it like?"

Ronin tilted his head back, his honey-colored eyes looking up at the ceiling then back at her. "If I can be very honest...it is a dark place. Not for the weak willed. There, the immoral and tainted make their home. Perhaps I shouldn't be saying but...you deserve to be warned. It is a very dark place, not just physically."

Elise looked over to Amy, who merely shrugged. "Well, we wouldn't have expected a cheery wonderland."

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