In the Air Tonight

[Asa Shi'ne]

Some years ago…

Asa awoke with a jolt. She had a sense of shock that she could not describe and it felt most unusual to her. Quickly though, she regained her composure and recalled why she had awoke; her alarm then set off, and Asa leaned over to turn it off. Crawling out of bed, the cold air creeped across her naked body, causing her to shiver slightly. The air is always so cold, Asa thought to herself. Approaching her wardrobe, she took out one of the many pairs of fatigues stacked atop of each other and slipped into them.

Today is weapons inspection, she thought. Asa was looking forward to this greatly. She had been practicing and researching for this day for two whole years, all theory and such, but she knew she was ready. A small feeling of eagerness poked at her, but Asa remained expressionless. She wasn’t supposed to feel anything; Asa and the other clones were literally bred to be cold, emotionless assassins. Any sort of emotion interfered with that. It didn’t stop them from experiencing any emotion though, and each confided that they have what could be called hints of emotion. Asa herself often felt eager or joy, while others had claimed being able to feel anger, disappointment, and sadness. Whatever they felt, they kept such things a secret from those watching them, afraid of what it may imply. They knew that those in control had high expectations, as they were bred to be the elite of the elite.

Asa walked out of her room into a common area where she found the five others congregating before breakfast. The six of them were clones, but they all agreed that because they are all related by blood, that they are sisters. This revelation gave each of them a bit more meaning to life and brought them closer together. They knew no matter what, they would stick with each other to the end. Asa spied Demma, her best friend, and they exchanged short smiles. If Asa trusted her sisters with her life, then the trusted Demma with that and more; the two of them felt a strong bond between them ever since they began to train together. She didn’t show it, but being with Demma made her feel confident.

Asa wasn’t halfway done eating before a PA speaker sparked with sound, “Please begin morning routines. Inspections to follow.”

 

[Asa Shi'ne]

Morning routines were simple. After breakfast, Asa and her sisters would proceed to the gym for physical training. She enjoyed running the track mostly, but they were let known that they had to diversify their exercise.

The six of them made their way through the long white corridors, making just a few bends until they reached the gym. The room was quite massive, almost like a hangar without any ships inside. Around the outside were some marked lanes for running, and the inside was littered with a multitude of training equipment such as an obstacle course, weights, and the like.

Asa took to the running track with Demma following behind her. She enjoyed running, because it allowed her to think clearly and uninterrupted. Sometimes Asa thought about her sisters and how they compared to each other…but more recently she began thinking about her life. Now while she hadn’t paid it too much mind in the past, the older she got the more suspicious she became of everything around her. Just a couple weeks ago, she had noticed that there was a large black panel high up on one side of the gym, which almost appeared to be some sort of window. She also had noticed a smaller similar panel in their common area, which overlooked where they ate and talked.

Asa hadn’t thought before that they might be constantly being watched. It made her question why her sisters and she were there in the first place. Asa couldn’t think of any other way she could be living, but at the same time she couldn’t help the thought that this wasn’t normal. She knew it wasn’t normal. Asa understood she was being trained to be an assassin, to be a lethal weapon. Surely for that to make sense though, there had to be people who needed to be killed, and therefore had a completely different life than the one Asa was experiencing right now. It boggled her mind. It was these thoughts that filled her head most days she ran, and they almost stopped her from recognizing the fact that her sister Cehly was calling to her.

“Asa!” she barked, “Spar with me please”

Asa nodded, "Of course!" before giving a quick smile back at Demma who continued racing around the track.

 

[Asa Shi'ne]

As Asa walked over to the sparring mat, Cehly was already in battle stance, just waiting to be engaged. She grabbed a training sword from a nearby rack, feeling its weight in her hand as she flourished it around and let the dull blade cut through the air. Asa turned her focus on her opponent before lunging forward into combat.

Her moves were quick and efficient; her sword slashed towards Cehly’s left side and as soon as it had contacted the blade it was already being redirected to come in from a different angle. Each and every subsequent parry and deflection was met with Asa’s sword turning the counter into a strike or feigning another. It was for Asa’s style of combat that Cehly had called out to her. While Asa took an aggressive stance and was always on the attack, Cehly played defensively, maintaining her stance and positions to always be able to counter an incoming blow.

While they seemed evenly matched, they both knew one of them was holding back. Asa’s sword would clash again Cehly’s just to be redirected into another swing. Her fluid motions were impressive to watch, as the flurry of attacks were being countered by the other’s defense. Asa could feel a bead of sweat drip down her forehead as she put all her attention into her swordplay; time almost seemed to slow down as she unconsciously analyzed Cehly’s parries searching for a lapse in defense. The sound of metal on metal ceased as Asa was able to tap her opponents hand with her sword and bring it to rest on Cehly’s hip. Both of the girls were breathing fairly hard as they stared into each other’s eyes, the loser admitting defeat in a glance of shame.

Asa spoke, “Thank you Cehly,” she rested her hand on Cehly’s shoulder and brought their foreheads together gently in a small embrace of sisterly love. “You always grant me a challenge when sparring and are improving.”

“You as well, Asa,” admitted Cehly, trying to catch her breath, “Though I will best you one day.”


Asa feigned a little smile before stepping back and taking on an aggressive stance, "Again?"