Yurzif Maverick stood in a long line waiting to be served.

It had been yet another long and taxing day on the A.I.G.E. Plantation.

The laborers were smelly and damp with sweat, finally relieved of the sun’s scorching pressure. Sparkling galaxies filled the night sky above them although they were difficult to see beneath the glaring flood lights.

“Stop skipping the line, asshole!” A raspy male voice shouted.

“Make me, you punk!” came the retort.

“Come on y’all” the server shouted. “Y’all wanna do this the hard way or the easy way? Y’all wanna be soldiers but you can’t even stand in a straight line?”

“Shut up, chum bucket.” Someone grumbled.

Insults were funny but Yurzif just wanted to get his serving of potatoes and find somewhere to relax for a couple of hours. Killer was in line in front of Maz who kept slapping him in the back of the head and blaming the guy behind him.

“Maz, don’t make me come back there and whoop your behind.” He warned.

“Go ahead.” Maz replied. “You’ll just lose your spot.”

“A necessary sacrifice.” Killer said.

Maz picked up a handful of dust and was about to pour it down Killer’s shirt until a hand grabbed his wrist.

It belonged to a low ranking soldier named Simon Jerriter, probably a former Aige.

He demanded respect from all the Aiges but he didn’t deserve any, despite how he felt about himself.

“Stop playing around.” He scolded. “Killer, if I catch you instigating, I’ll make sure you do bathroom duty.”

Maz felt his anger flare up.

“Get off of me.” He said, staring him in the eyes with menace.

Had the soldier not released the boy’s arm, Maz was certain he would have chomped his knuckles off.

Simon walked away, shaking his head.

The line moved on. Yurzif was up next.

He approached the table and was served a chunky portion glazed in oil and butter. It looked kind of disgusting.

He slammed some ketchup on the potatoes and walked off to the meeting hole where Maz and Killer joined him shortly after.

“I can’t believe Kaisse walked out on us again.” Maz said, mashing his potatoes with his fist. Yurzif stared at him questioningly.

“He’s a selfish bum.” Killer replied. “What would you expect?”

“First it was Hanzo, now it’s him.” Yurzif added.

“Seriously,” Killer laughed. “What happened to Hanzo? It’s been three weeks now.”

“I guess he chickened out.” Yurzif shrugged.

“I bet his mama told him he ain’t going anywhere until he finishes his chores.” Maz snickered. “By the time he was done, we were gone.”

“Maybe we could ask someone—one of the soldiers—where he is.” Killer suggested. “Maybe he actually made it to bootcamp without us.”

“He’d better not have!” Maz shouted with a full mouth.

“Calm down, you lunatic.” Yurzif retorted.

“Shut up. If Hanzo made it to bootcamp then what the hell are we doing here? We oughta…”

“I don’t actually know if he made it there or not.” Killer said. “If anything he’s probably back at home trying to get his mom to take him there.”

“But after three weeks, you don’t think he would have at least followed up with us by now?”

“How am I supposed to know, fool?” Killer exclaimed.

“You’re the brains here!” Maz said. “You’re supposed to know everything!”

“Actually,” Yurzif said. “I am the brains of the operation. And my calculations say, Hanzo’s still in Blackleaf.”

“That sounds like something Kaisse would say. As a matter of fact, he’s the guy we should be asking! All he does is ride off to that stupid outpost and get free food and shelter while we’re stuck out here getting torched to death in the middle of the desert digging for goddamn potatoes!!”

Maz’s rant echoed around the compound, catching the attention of a number of diggers and soldiers.

He cleared his throat and sat down, finishing the rest of his meal.

Neither of them said anything for a beat.

Moments later, the horn for formation blew and all had to wipe their mess kits clean and head in front of the office in a timely fashion.

“Come on, double time!” Simon Jerriter shouted. “Y’all run like little girls!”

Once all the men were gathered and arranged in rows, Captain Charole walked outdoors inhaling the fresh desert air.

Two vehicles pulled up to the compound entrance.

The drivers killed the engines and stepped out, followed by Barbara, two other soldiers and three slender girls.

The girls were escorted into the compound and invited to stand on the deck beside Charole in front of formation.

They took their places, standing somewhat at attention.

“Well, boys!” Captain Charole announced proudly. “Looks like we have some new faces here today! These fine young ladies have endured great hardships to come all the way here and start their careers.

Fellas, I’d like to introduce you to our new comrades, Fibby, Suggy and Naga Hillbridge. Sisters, welcome to A.I.G.E. Compound.”

Fibby was a brunette of average height and she wore her hair in a ponytail with a red bandanna over her forehead. Naga was the tallest, a girl with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. She wore a long white dress with a cropped denim jacket. It was an odd choice of clothing considering she was going to be slamming shovels into the dust for the next several weeks or so.

Suggy was the youngest and therefore the shortest. She was a blonde little girl with freckled cheeks and blue eyes wearing pants, a shirt and a jacket.

Out of the three sisters she was by far the most out of place. She looked to be about ten years old or less.

Fibby was probably the most suitable out of the three. She wore brown cargo pants and a tank top and had a bit of a tenacious demeanor, though not quite threatening.

Naga looked dreamy and delicate, while Suggy was just trying to look tough in front of an audience full of sweaty, overworked, testosterone charged men.

Their presence was met with mixed silence.

“So Cap’n Charole’s doing child labor now,” Someone murmured.

People started snickering.

“Alright, girls!” Charole cleared his throat. The three sisters straightened up.

“This is where you learn to live! This is where you learn to shine! You didn’t make it to Ultimate Soldier? That ain’t no issue! Bein’ an A.I.G.E. should bring you a sense of pride! It shows that you work hard, that you’re determined to make it to the top ranks of this country’s greatest military force! I always say, you’ll only miss all of the shots that you don’t take. And that’s why we’re here, to make you better for better tomorrows! We’re a family here! If you need anything, just ask us and we’ll help you out. We want you to succeed, you unnerstand? So be real with us and we’ll be real with you. Always, remember that when the going gets tough, it never lasts and when you come upon that brighter tomorrow you’ll be glad that you went through this! Ain’t that right, boys?”

“Yes sir!”

“Now let’s hear it for Ultimate Soldier! One, Two, Three, Four—”

“We dig, We die, We obey the law!!” The Aiges joined in.

Fibby furrowed her brow.

“Alright, go ahead and line up.” Charole said.

The three sisters hurried into formation with Suggy cartwheeling behind them.

Moments later, formation was dismissed and the A.I.G.E.s dispersed about the compound while Fibby Suggy and Naga stood around awkwardly not sure what to do.

Killer, Maz and Yurzif reunited with each other on the way to meet Barbara who was standing by the office talking to the soldiers.

“Fibby?” Killer exclaimed in a hushed tone. “What kind of name is Fibby?”

“Suggy does it for me.” Yurzif laughed.

“Yeah,” Maz agreed, “Suggy sounds retarded.”

“Those have to be nicknames.”

The three boys approached the group of soldiers Barbara was socializing with but one of them gave them a rather dirty look.

“Hey, Barbara,” Maz said. “How’s that sweet potato casserole?”

The girl smiled wryly but didn’t answer.

“Can’t you see we’re talking, digger?” The first soldier glared.

“What?” Maz snapped.

Yurzif held Maz’s shoulder. “Easy Maz.”

“I said, we’re talking.” The soldier growled. The other soldiers looked on, expressions unreadable.

Maz matched the first soldier’s energy. “Yeah, well we’re talking now. Deal with it.”

“Keep spouting nonsense and I’ll drop you, punk.”

“Only thing you ever dropped is your underwear.”

The soldier turned to face the little brat, surrounded by a murderous aura.

Killer and Yurzif stepped forward to hold their companion back.

“Come on, Maz.” Yurzif said, “It’s not worth it.”

Maz didn’t seem to hear. Something inside of him started to flare up. Something familiar. Something invigorating.

He stepped forward and pitched a wild haymaker.

It looked fast as hell to others but to the soldier it was slow and predictable.

He grabbed the boy’s wrist with almost enough pressure to break it and backhanded him with knuckled gloves.

He struck him again without restraint, expecting the boy to give in and start crying.

Anger seized Maz with greater strength than the soldier had.

He grabbed the smacking hand, jumped and catapulted both feet into the soldier’s face.

The man’s head jolted backward as Maz back flipped and landed, rushing in with another blow.

The soldier recovered and sent a roundhouse forward.

In a trail of dust, Maz slid underneath and behind the man and jumped on his back, deploying a rear naked choke.

“Next time you call me a digger, put the word grave before it, jackass!!” Maz snarled with wicked humor.

The soldier struggled with the clingy parasite, staggering around trying to rip him off. Maz felt his hold start to slip so he doubled down and chomped into his ear.

The man grit his teeth in agony, refusing to cry out.

Killer rushed in and started jawing him in the mouth until a solid kick to the chest blew him backward.

The soldier slammed Maz to the ground in a burst of rage and tried to stomp his face in but the kid rolled away and flung a fistful of sand into his eyes.

The man flinched and in came Yurzif with a shovel cocked like a baseball bat.

He swung and the spade cracked the man’s temple with a loud pang!

The soldier stumbled to the ground on one knee, dazed.

Onlookers were speechless, slowly gathering to watch the spectacle.

Yurzif raised the shovel to finish him off but as he brought it down, the handle shattered to pieces.

The soldier lunged on him, eyes burning with fury.

Yurzif, in his attempt to evade, slipped on a potato and fell on his back.

The soldier took his throat in both hands and started throttling him.

Killer slammed into the attacker with a powerful knee and wrestled him to the ground but in a dizzying series of movements, the soldier wrapped him up in an armbar.

Pain shot through Killer’s arm as it hyperextended until he was sure it would snap.

Maz flew in with a spinning roundhouse to his opponent’s head but he snatched his ankle and flung him across the field into the office wall.

The building shook on impact and the boy collapsed.

In a stroke of luck, Killer broke free of the armbar and retreated several paces from the soldier who rose up boiling in rage, utterly humiliated by the wit and skill of these supposed newbies.

Yurzif flung the remainder of the broken shovel at the guy and he splintered it once again with a mere flick of the wrist.

His eyes radiated. His spirit pressure shot up, causing the dust and pebbles to scatter away from his feet. Killer trembled under the sudden gale, knowing that this time around, there was no way they’d be able to hold out against him any longer.

“Come on, Maz!” One of the Aiges shouted from the sidelines. “Get your head back in the game!!!”

By then, a large crowd had gathered, cheering the boys on with great zeal. No Aige had dared stand up to the soldiers, let alone hold their own in a fight against them. It was unlike anything they’d seen.

The other soldiers remained near the office and although their faces were neutral, their eyes betrayed indifference.

Even Barbara was surprised.

She turned to see Maz pick himself up, startled by the savage grin on his face as he bolted off the deck and charged the furious militant again.

The soldier turned and bolted forward in the blink of an eye, eclipsing Maz’s face with an open hand.

Suddenly, his arm was knocked from its path of travel and he went bowling off to the side.

Maz was seized by the arm and thrown to the ground, his head stapled into the gritty soil by a solid boot.

The tempestuous lad thrashed and squirmed until a long blade plunged into the earth just an inch away from his face.

He fell silent, staring into his own eyes in the reflection of cold steel.

The man holding him down was another soldier, amused but by no means someone to be taken lightly.

The man looked over to his fellow officer who picked himself off the ground but did not seem able to get his head up.

“Why don’t you get yourself a drink, Roman?” He remarked.

The man clenched his jaw, wiping away the blood on his face but said nothing.

“I gotta’ give it to you.” The soldier said to the boy beneath him. “You’re a tough little bastard.”

His words bounced in Maz’s ears but he absorbed the compliment to think about later.

“But acting like a wild bamanooga won’t get you very far around here. Keep pulling stunts like that you’ll get a hell of a lot more than a broken arm.” He increased the pressure on his elbow to prove his point.

“Are we clear?”

Maz delayed for a few seconds, then nodded his head.

The soldier released him and retrieved his sword, walking back toward the office behind Roman, sending warning glances to the other Aiges who might have been fostering ideas of rebellion.

Maz set his palms on the earth and hoisted himself up, smiling mischievously.

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

“Did you see that??”

“That soldier just got his ass handed to him.”

“You saw how he cracked him with that shovel! I was laughing my ass off!”

Yurzif massaged his aching throat, not particularly in the mood to hear a bunch of sycophantic praise. Killer was just as weary but his body was still vibrating with adrenaline.

“You guys are insane!” An Aige named Miles exclaimed, “What school are you guys from?”

“We ain’t from no school.” Killer said, dusting himself off.

“They’re from Blackleaf. Y’all don’t know about Blackleaf.”

“Shut up, Stein.” Billy cut in. “You don’t even know your mother from a can of paint.”

People laughed but Stein was serious.

“I’m telling you, I heard about people from Blackleaf. They kill bandits and thugs like it’s a hobby.”

“So they’re police officers?” Someone laughed.

“No, idiot. They’re assassins, I think.”

“You think?”

“Listen, me and Pa were driving through the backwoods on our way to town and the whole road was covered with a bunch of dead gang bangers and black leaves were spread all over the place. That’s how I know it was them.”

Killer grinned but he didn’t say a word.

He caught up with Yurzif and Maz, while the rest of the goons went on with their boisterous conjecture, arguing over who knew what, when and where.

It was at that moment Barbara approached the three boys. Seeing her walk outside the bounds of the kitchen onto the digging grounds was quite unusual, considering her disdain toward the Aiges in general.

“How did you do that?” She asked, studying each of them.

“Do what?” Maz replied.

“Roman is far from an amateur, even by Ultimate Soldier’s standards. On his worst days he can slay dragons blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back.”

“So much for that, I guess.” Yurzif shrugged. Killer laughed.

“You know they’ll probably blacklist you for that.” Barbara continued. “They say attacking a soldier is akin to disrespecting the King.”

“Yeah well, he started it.” Maz protested, touching the burning scar on his cheek where the man smacked him. “I should report that son of witch for child abuse and then wash his stupid face again.”

“You guys are crazy.” Barbara said. “But I like that kind of crazy.”

“Say,” Killer began, “It seems like you run pretty close to the soldiers.”

“Yeah, sometimes. Why?”

“We’re wondering if you might know something about a friend of ours.” Maz said. “His name is Hanzo. He was supposed to ride with us to the training base in Baveoma when Ultimate Soldier came to Blackleaf.”

“I wouldn’t know much about things like that.” She replied. “I guess I could ask some of the higher ups. You said his name was Hanzo?”

“Yeah. Hanzo Blackstar.”

Barbara looked away, narrowing her eyes in deep thought. The name suddenly rang a bell but she could not remember where from.

Maz furrowed his eyebrows. “You know him?”

She shook her head slowly. “No. But it sounds familiar. I don’t know why.”

Killer and Yurzif exchanged glances.

“Maybe you met him when you came to Blackleaf that one time.”

She nodded in aquiscense. “Maybe. What does he look like?”

“He’s a dark skinned dude with a curly afro. He always wears this orange dragon skin jacket. He usually hangs with us.”

“I see.” The chef said. Her gaze seemed to expand. “What happened to him again?”

Maz explained the situation in detail, though there wasn’t much to tell from his standpoint. The ringleader of the Landboys went inside his mom’s house on the day they were supposed to leave and never came back out.

So he either must have been grounded or he simply came late to the screening where he passed and they sent him off to the fort in Baveoma.

Barbara understood.

“I’ll ask around.” She said, “If I find anything, I’ll let you know.

In the meantime, try not to cause any trouble, okay?”

“Sure.” Maz said disingenuously.

“Alright. I have to go and take care of some things. I’ll see you guys sometime tomorrow.”

Maz put up two fingers. “Okay, peace.”

The chef turned and went away, leaving the three companions with the other Aiges, some of whom were reenacting the recent brawl.

“I gotta use the freakin’ john.” Yurzif grimaced. “

“Then go and use it.” Killer replied.

“Those things are damn rank full of mashed potatoes.”

“Better drop that load, buddy.” Maz grinned.

“Disgusting.” Yurzif hissed and hurried off to the units, clutching his stomach.

He took a silent oath that he would never eat another potato again.

“Damn, my arm hurts!” Killer complained, squeezing his elbow.

“Tell me about it.” Maz said. “These guys have an obsession with breaking people’s arms.”

“Idiot! You’re the one that started fighting him!”

“Because that punk deserved it!” Maz argued. “Should have kept his mouth shut!”

“Easy to say when you’re still in one piece. He was literally about to crush your skull.”

“Whatever. He got his butt whooped. If Kaisse and Hanzo were here, we would have buried him.”

“How did you guys do that?” One of the diggers approached them with a shovel mounted on his shoulders.

“Stop asking dumb questions.” Killer replied.

“No, I’m talking about Barbara. She never talks to anybody!”

“Like I said, stop asking dumb questions.”

“These guys are some kind of wizards. Not only did they kick a soldier’s butt, they also stole his girlfriend!”

All of the attention was annoying but it was inevitable. Fighting a soldier wasn’t something they’d ever done nor really considered outside of fantasy.

Killer made a mental note to avoid doing anything out of the ordinary from then on although it was really Maz that needed to be restrained whenever someone provoked his murderous instincts.

Yurzif exited the bathroom unit, gagging on the putrid smell of fecal mounds.

When are these people going to get more scent bombs? He growled.

He washed his hands in the nearby basin and marched back into the field wondering when he was going to get out of this place.

The nights were bearable but once the sun rolled its way back around to the east, it was hell on earth.

Maz and Killer were sitting along the edge of a hole with some other guys talking about their experiences with gangs among other things.

Yurzif approached, drying his hands and took a seat beside Stein who was busy telling his story.

Half of the compound had retired for the night, eager to get as much sleep as possible before morning.

The Hillbridge sisters, who had been completely forgotten about after Maz’s controversial stunt, walked around observing the disorganized acreage full of gaping pits and tunnels.

“I thought there were bungalows here.” Suggy complained.

“No, this isn’t the girl scouts.” Fibby said.

“We have to sleep outside in these holes?” She asked.

“Yes.”

“But why??”

“Don’t worry,” Naga said. “We’ll only be here for a few days.”

“I thought we were going to a soldier camp!”

“So did we.” Fibby replied scornfully.

“It looks like we’re the only girls here besides Barbara.” Naga observed.

“Unfortunately…” said Fibby.

The sisters decided to rest by the fence away from the ominous looking holes.

They rolled out their sleeping bags and sat down, watching the other Aiges engage in horseplay and crack jokes well into the night.

As the hours went by most of the plantation had dispersed and all the commotion began to wind down as the remaining laborers finally took rest.

There were a few armed soldiers on patrol but that was all in terms of activity.

Fibby listened to the peaceful cadence of crickets and the calm breeze racing over the dark plains.

Beyond the fence below the shower of stars, a dull white aura was present at the edge of the horizon, a symbolic visage of freedom beyond the confines of the plantation.

Time and place ceased to exist in a realm of nothingness.

If ever in that emptiness did something stir, it was the isolated worlds manifested by the ambitions, desires, sorrows and fears of the lower self.

Such places were poorly explored and often chaotic and senseless, leaving those wandering souls questioning why they’d invested any emotion into them to begin with.

Others simply faded off into the void, becoming joyfully absent from all things only to be rudely awakened by the sound of someone shouting their name through a loudspeaker.

“Get your asses up!!” A male voice yelled with the authority of a drill sergeant.

“Come on y’all!” Captain Charole shouted. “It’s already late! It’s time to start diggin!! Haul them potatoes fellas!”

Fury ejected through Killer’s teeth in the form of dust.

Curse this place.

Someone came and shook him violently, then went off to the next person.

“Get up you stupid monkeys!!” A female voice shouted. It was Fibby, the new girl.

The entire plantation was forced awake and summoned from the depths of the earth like the living dead.

The formation horn was blown and the discombobulated horde hustled toward the office and lined up.

It was an incredibly annoying process but one would be fooling themselves if they didn’t realize how lenient the soldiers were. If it were the real army, every last one of them would be planking in the dirt for hours with constant shouting and gunfire blowing their ears out.

Killer thought about this and ultimately concluded that he did not care. If they allowed such messy, disjointed organization, then he would take advantage of it just like the others.

All were present, the remaining laggards and absentees dragged out of seclusion.

“I want my mommy!!” someone wailed.

Laughter rippled through the lines as Captain Charole stepped out of the office and addressed the men with a hearty good morning.

“It’s good to see you fellas looking real energetic today!” He said. “That’s a good thing! Always approach each day with a fresh start, another opportunity to improve yourself from the blunders from yesterday!”

Clearing his throat with a fist, he added, “With that being said, we had a little incident with one of our soldiers last night…”

Killer rolled his eyes as his digmates started buzzing about the fight as if their memories had been taken and given back to them suddenly. One of the soldiers lifted a rifle and shot into the navy morning skies to silence them.

“This kind of behavior won’t be tolerated, fellas.” Charole continued. “I won’t call any names but come on, y’all. I expect better. I understand we’re tired and it’s easy to get a little aggressive when we’re all out here in the desert far away from home but you have to understand, these soldiers are trying to look out for your best interests. Believe it or not, a few of our veterans were busy fighting off a bunch of Jagrunners while y’all were sound asleep! Think about that for a minute.”

Jagrunners were a type of desert reptile that resembled a red eyed skink with wings. They were larger than a humvee but smaller than most known dragons. Their hides served as a great material for clothing and their jagged scales from which they earned their name, made great armor, potions and the like.

Once hunted near extinction, the creatures underwent a phenomenon known as rebirth vengeance where their dwindling population shot up drastically in recent years.

They weren’t often confrontational but when they found a reason to be, they were quite a force to be reckoned with.

“I just want y’all to be mindful of what we do to keep y’all safe. I’ll be the first to tell you, it’s dangerous out here in the Sebata plains and Jagrunners ain’t even the worst of what we’ve got.”

Charole ended his lecture and started peeling through pages on a clipboard.

“So yesterday, we successfully shipped over a hundred cartloads of potatoes. Our shipments have reached their delivery points by way of air and rail with little to no damage to the product, therefore, in that department we are also successful.”

Who gives a damn about some potatoes?! Killer growled mentally.

Charole went on reading over the production rate, oblivious to everyone’s resentful disinterest over how many potatoes were being delivered to god knows where.

“Scuse’ me Cap’n.” An Aige’s hand went up.

Charole paused to allow the man to speak.

“I thought we were diggin’ all these holes jus’ so we can find out why all these taters are growing under the ground.”

“W-Well, see tha—tha—that's…” Charole stuttered. “That’s exactly what we’re doing! I mean, why not kill two birds with one stone? We find out the cause and in the meantime we get a little more bang for our buck, am I right?”

“Bang for what buck?” Another exclaimed. “We ain’t gettin’ paid!”

“Yeah!! He’s right!! We ain’t getting paid for this!!”

“Whoa now,” Charole said. “Listen y’all don’t get paid to think. Y’all get paid to—”

“What?!” Maz cried.

Yurzif started laughing at the absurdity of what he’d just heard.

Shouts of anger started erupting through formation and suddenly the army of diggers started to look like an army of protesters on the verge of overthrowing a corrupt government.

Gunfire went off but this time it sprayed bullets through the disjointed lines. Evidently, no one was hurt but they were effectively silenced.

These guys are a bunch of tyrants. Killer thought.

Order was restored and Charole attempted to explain his choice of words but Rufus, the soldier that incapacitated Maz last night, intervened.

“Alright, idiots.” he said, “You already know why you’re here. You’re here to work and do what we tell you to do until further notice. Most of you were trying to get enlisted or go to bootcamp or whatever but guess what? You failed the examinations and that’s why you’re here. Just in case you forgot, A.I.G.E. stands for Almost Isn’t Good Enough. So until you start showing some significant improvement you’re going to be out here digging holes even if we run out of potatoes. You might as well consider this your boot camp because let me tell you, this stuff is easy compared to what is normally expected of soldiers.

With that said, we do have some good news to share with you all after breakfast, so long as you keep yourselves behaved for the next few hours. Is that understood?”

No one said anything but they didn’t bother to object either. Rufus accepted their response and gave the stage back to Captain Charole.

“Thank you, sir.” the man said. “So just like Mr. Rufus said, we have some news to share with y’all but I won’t be the one making that disclosure. We’ll be leaving that to a special guest of ours when he gets here. Anyway, it’s already past six in the morning.”

He glanced down at his watch as the rising sun, one fourth of its full glory peeked over the horizon, spilling rays of gold over the office walls and the shadowy contours of his face.

“Go ahead and fall out, boys! Grab your shovels and pickaxes and get to work! Let’s have a productive day!”

The men fell out of formation, sighing and yawning as they went to fetch their tools.

Before long, the fields were crowded again, carved out by the forceful blows of axes and shovels, picked apart by dry fingers in search of more bitter, rumpy potatoes.

Maz found a sweet potato almost as soon as he got started and rushed to the office to turn it in.

Killer shook his head as he walked through the dust flooded maze of holes with a pickaxe on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of the morning sun pressing against his skin.

To his left he saw Fibby and her sisters tapping at the earth, trying to dig their own hole.

At times, mounds of dirt and potatoes spilled back into the pits they were pulled from and men had to go and clear them out again.

Gazing at all of the acreage, Killer began to wonder how long he was going to be here and how deep they were going to dig until they found the source of these things.

There was something strange about all of this.

He surmised that these potatoes weren’t actually growing at all, that someone must have buried them but he didn’t know what for.

If it was to hide something, he didn’t see how that would be advantageous considering the fact that hundreds of people like him were carving through the earth’s crust just to find the end or the origin of the conundrum.

Also, he found it equally bizarre that there were plenty of Aiges who’d been digging away for months longer than he had and yet they’d hardly made any substantial progress to match that duration.

Perhaps they were relocated from other plantations.

He noticed some of the older diggers were stronger and more introverted, proudly showing off the cavernous battle scars running their muscular physiques.

If he ever made eye contact with them, they held his gaze only for as long as he could comfortably bear. Their expressions were blank yet almost sinister which cemented the impression that these guys were actually some kind of ex-convicts.

They were more prone to adhere to orders given by the soldiers and sometimes took on authoritative roles to help keep the other digmates in check.

It also dawned on Killer that some of the faces he’d seen when he’d first arrived were suddenly nowhere to be found, as if pulled from existence.

Ideally, they’d been promoted or transferred.

Skully was an Aige who was somewhere between a teenager and an adult. He was large and built but not quite as muscular as his older counterparts. He was quite the troublemaker in his hometown, that is until his parents turned him in to authorities who sentenced him to the plantations under the jurisdiction of Ultimate Soldier.

He was to redeem himself and learn discipline before ever setting foot back in his people’s house again.

Too bad for them, he decided on not going back anyway, setting his ambitions on becoming a soldier.

Killer happened to overhear his backstory which suddenly made him rethink the reason he and his friends were branded as A.I.G.E.s.

Were they considered troublemakers?

They thought they were doing folks a favor keeping crooks at bay even though their services weren’t particularly needed.

The Landboys name had spread over to other towns and neighborhoods as just another gang of rascals hungry for violence and domination, which to some degree was the truth.

It was actually quite interesting to see how much influence they’d gained on the minds of people.

Perhaps it had long since gotten to the point that their escapades were being reported to the local justice system.

Even Stein confessed to being a witness of their shenanigans. Such as it was.

As the hours began to diminish, a few humvees rolled up to the plantation, followed by fresh tire prints stretching farther than the eye could see.

Kaisse emerged from one of them and Barbara from another.

He and a few other Aiges helped carry several steaming hot trays of potato slices oozing with cheese to the kitchen, while Barbara passed by the busy workers, catching a glimpse of Yurzif hauling a crate with another guy on the opposite end.

Maz was underground punching holes in the dirt columns just to harden his fists for battle.

He was judged enviously by the others although he was nowhere as bad as Alex who kept falling asleep leaning on his shovel.

A long thirty minutes ensued before breakfast was finally announced and all came rushing into line to get their share of cheese slathered, roasted potato slices.

It was quite a delightful improvement from the usual greasy lumps they were served.

Barbara received a slew of praises and catcalls from the guys but she brushed it off seemingly with graceful indifference.

Once all the couple of hundred goons were served, she retreated to the confines of the office for some time.

The Landboys reunited with each other at their designated meeting hole and informed Kaisse about the brawl incident the night prior.

“Why didn’t you idiots call me?” he complained, his mouth full of cheesy fries.

“What did you want us to do?” Killer remarked, “Run all the way across the desert in the middle of the night just to find you?”

“You could have called me. Doesn’t the office have a phone?”

“Do you really think those tyrants will let us use a damn phone?? They won’t even let us write letters.”

“We’re slaves.” Yurzif said. “You heard Captain Charole. We don’t get paid to think.”

“Do we get paid at all??” Maz asked.

“Nope.” Killer said.

“Hah!” Kaisse exclaimed. “A bunch of impoverished losers. I actually get paid for what I do.”

“Shut up, traitor.” Killer said, throwing a potato at his head. “Go back and finish playing telephony before we hang you for treason.”

“You’re just mad because I passed the exams.”

“No, you just talk too much, which just so happened to work in your favor.”

“Whatever.” Kaisse said.

“Oh, yeah.” Maz spoke up, “We asked Barbara about Hanzo.”

“And?”

“She said she’ll find out if he made it to bootcamp or not.”

“He’s probably pulling weeds in his backyard.”

“Actually, that doesn’t quite seem to be the case.” Barbara said, standing over the boys with her arms crossed.

Kaisse almost tossed his mess kit at her in surprise but he thought twice as she held his gaze with her calming burgundy eyes.

“Huh?’ Maz furrowed his brow. “You telling me he went to Baveoma??”

“No.” She said, looking at him. “I didn’t say that.”

“Then what happened?”

“Take a look for yourself.” She tossed a trimmed segment of a newspaper between them. The breeze carried it over the hole and Killer reached out and snatched it before Maz could.

He read over the news article, instantly recognizing the mugshot of his old friend.

The others gathered over his shoulder, invigorated by curiosity.

“Maz, your breath smells like a carcass.” Killer grilled.

“Shut up and read, you turkey.”

Killer grumbled something under his breath and began reading the passage.

“Blackleaf is a village known for producing some of the worst scum on earth, however, reports suggest that they’ve decided to do something right for once, albeit for the sake of publicity. Hanzo Blackstar, a seventeen year old warrior thug with ties to the Deebo gang has been reportedly booted from his own village for desecrating sacred statues of the locals and consistent vandalism of private property, persons and other valued material. His worst offense is notably his horrid comments against the military and the King…”

Killer paused, his narration faltering as he came upon censored passages.

“What’s with the strikethroughs?” He asked.

“The soldier I got this article from did that. He said that the news journalists were heavily exaggerating things. But keep reading.”

Killer read on.

“…upon further investigation our reliable sources have informed us that the ex-gang leader was last seen heading into Vallhans Valley where he has gone missing since. Detective Hoff Kilmer along with a team of highly skilled specialists were dispatched to find and capture the fugitive, however, they were only able to recover a broken short sword along a trail of evidence that ultimately led to the body of a decapitated individual whose name has not been disclosed. In terms of the vagrant, it appears he has yet to be found…”

Killer reached the end of the article with a blank expression.

“Huh?” Maz cocked his head.

“I don’t get it.” Kaisse said.

“He was booted out of the village? Or did he leave on his own?”

“Who published this garbage??” Killer cried. “Talking trash about Blackleaf!”

“Like I said,” Barbara continued in a lowered voice. “They exaggerated some things.”

“But I don’t get it. Why would Hanzo go into Vallhans Valley?”

“Surely you know him better than I do.”

“Yeah but…” Yurzif began. He was cut off by the formation horn.

“Damn, already?” Kaisse complained lazily.

“We’ll talk later.” Barbara said, retreating from the boys. “Maybe this evening.”

Within the next twenty minutes, the workers aligned themselves in rows yet again, moaning about the heat and joint pain. A few fistfights had to be broken up as order was established but before long all stood moderately still, simply waiting for their superiors to spill the beans on this supposed good news.

Charole was on the deck as usual, the troops lining the wall of the sand tinted office behind him. Rufus was off to the side smoking a cigar with his jacket draped over his right shoulder.

“Okay, fellas.” Charole grinned heartily. “As promised, we’re going to fill you in on a new campaign policy we’ll be implementing soon, so go ahead and jump for joy on that.”

No one jumped for joy because they still didn’t know what this campaign entailed, although it seemed ambitious given the way they spoke of it.

“As I mentioned earlier,” the Aige Captain continued, “I will not be disclosing that information to you. Instead, I would like to give the honor to one of our most prodigious soldiers who will be overseeing the affairs of the compound for today. So without further ado…”

Charole stepped aside as the office door swayed inward.

The formation watched earnestly as a polished boot stepped heel first onto the deck followed by the figure of a man gliding out of the shadows.

“Lieutenant Shinobu, it’s an honor to have you here sir.”

Shinobu walked into full view, standing beside Charole, wearing his black uniform with the tailored trench coat bearing his rank insignia on the right shoulder.

His face was solemn, his gaze eclipsed by expensive looking shades that only seemed to accentuate his visage.

His hands were fully gloved, relaxed but ready as if to strike.

There was a long moment of silence as the formation observed him.

At first glance, he was nothing special but the longer he stood there, the stranger and more sophisticated he seemed.

Even the breeze took on a dramatic effect in his presence.

“Now, guys…” Charole went on rathely, “Lieutenant Shinobu is one of a kind. He and I go way back. Believe it or not, this man is a real celebrity in the flesh, a true testament to grit and character that y’all should aspire to. This man single handedly…”

Shinobu stuck his palm out, gesturing to the man to shut up.

“Oop—My apologies sir.” Charole chuckled, face red with embarrassment.

The soldier moved into the captain’s position and released a silent breath.

“Good morning to you all,” He spoke. “My name is Shinobu Azumaru, lieutenant first class. I’m here today to inform you of some new changes that will be taking place, not only here on this compound but on all A.I.G.E. Establishments.

This change is what we call operation new mandate, an order given by the King himself.

What this means is that all A.I.G.E. personnel will no longer be confined to mundane work and odd jobs such as what you are doing here.

You will participate in soldier class assignments, supervised training and other activities to sharpen your skills and intelligence.

The goal of this is to prepare you all to enlist as official soldiers as quickly and efficiently as possible. As such, you will be expected to transcend your current limitations and prove yourselves worthy of our positions and salaries.

A.I.G.E. troops should spend no longer than six months in this division, though there are some of you who would prefer to remain branded as diggers for as long as it’s convenient.

Regardless, your pay will increase significantly as we set this program into effect. All you have to do is perform and see it through. We will be watching.”

The man allowed a moment of silence so the sudden information could sink in. The Aiges seemed intrigued so far.

“Should any of you wish to opt out of this program, you must submit your resignation letter with your reasons listed and thus you will return to your previous life. If you are here by law, you’ll also be permitted to do the same although there’s no guarantee your appeal will be approved.

Make your decision within three days. Any appeal after that will not be accepted. By then, you’d best consider yourself an official soldier.

Is that understood?”

“Yes sir!” Some of the Aiges shouted. Others replied late, not used to responding so promptly.

“Are there any questions?”

One troop raised his hand. “What kind of missions are we going on?”

“Your assignments will vary between humanitarian aid and providing support during combat. There are assignments specifically tailored to this division, those that are not of our immediate concern but are well suited to your level of experience.

Make no mistake. It will be dangerous and survival is not guaranteed.

However, so long as you stay alert and follow orders, your chances of survival are exponentially higher.”

The Aiges nodded in understanding.

“Are you going to lead us on these expeditions?” Another asked.

“Not necessarily.” Shinobu replied, crossing his arms. “Anything else?”

The troops murmured amongst each other but no one spoke up otherwise.

After a moment or two, Shinobu concluded his speech.

“Long live the King.” He said, turning away from the formation and retreated back inside of the office.

In a burst of pride, Captain Charole launched his fist into the air and screamed in his thick accent.

“LONG LIVE THE KING!!!”

The Aiges chanted the declaration several times, pumping their fists with equal valor.

The others, including Yurzif burst into laughter.

The formation dismissed itself without command and everyone scattered onto the digging grounds chattering eagerly about the upcoming changes to the A.I.G.E. Division.

Maz was obviously pleased to hear they would now be going on dangerous missions.

The others were just glad that they might have a chance to get out of the desert. Hopefully none of their missions would occur in such a place.

It was already hot enough.

Yurzif was still laughing at Charole’s overzealous proclamation as he grabbed a standing shovel and followed up with Killer and the gang.

Kaisse was also mocking the Aige Captain, lifting his shovel in the air like a knight’s sword.

Killer smacked him in the back of the head. “Shut up and go back to the office.”

Kaisse rounded on Killer and shouted a war cry before bringing the spade down on his friend.

Killer casually stepped out of harm’s way as it smacked the ground with a whump.

“Who the heck is that guy?” Maz said, referring to the lieutenant.

Kaisse finally came to senses.

“Lieutenant Shinobu.” He answered.

“Obviously, but…like, who is he for real? He gives off a strange vibe.”

Kaisse planted his shovel and shrugged. “I’ve seen him at the outpost a couple of times. He always walks around with those glasses on because he thinks he looks cool.”

“What do you mean, he gives you a strange vibe?” Killer asked Maz.

“I don’t know.” Maz replied. “Something just felt off.”

“Don’t try to find out either.” Yurzif said. “Because we’re not going to save your ass again.”

“Damn right.” Killer agreed. “You freaking psychopath.”

Maz rolled his eyes and shook his head. His friends just didn’t understand him.

The group fell silent for a beat as if trying to remember some important topic they’d yet to discuss.

Maz snapped his fingers in realization but before he could say anything, Simon Jerriter approached and yelled at them for idling when they should have been working.

The group begrudgingly took up their digging tools and began to disperse.

“Wait.” Barbara called out.

The boys turned to see her walking past Simon to address them.

“Lieutenant Shinobu wants to speak with you.” She said, “All of you.”

The Landboys glanced at each other with a mixture of surprise and concern.

They followed the chef back toward the office.

“Get back to work, Simon.” Maz sneered. Killer punched Maz in the shoulder.

Barbara led the boys inside of the office. It was dim inside, warm but not hot.

They walked down a short hallway with maps and oval picture frames hanging on either side.

On the left was a red door with a tag that read;

Charole’s Office

Barbara opened the door and walked in, followed by the Landboys.

They found Charole seated at a wide desk, reading letters through the lenses of a pair of spectacles he had not worn earlier.

He greeted the boys and nodded to his left where Shinobu stood, leaning against the wall beside a window with his arms folded.

He relaxed and greeted the boys each with a handshake. He shook hands with Maz last but the boy tightened his grip with a stubborn smirk as he introduced himself.

Shinobu stared at him with an unreadable expression as the smaller hand tried to squeeze his into submission.

Maz’s grin started to fade as he found the man’s grip to be harder than steel.

He retracted his arm and spent a moment trying to comprehend the exchange.

The lieutenant nodded to Charole and the other soldiers who stood about the room which prompted them to leave.

Shinobu sat behind the cluttered desk and clasped his hands in deep contemplation.

After a moment of clock ticking silence, he spoke.

“So Barbara tells me you guys are curious about the disappearance of your friend, Hanzo Blackstar?.”

“Yeah.” Killer replied, glancing at a stack of papers under the lieutenant’s finger.

“How do you know him?” Maz asked.

“I don’t.” Shinobu replied. “That article you read was the only reason I know of him. I do, however, know of Blackleaf village.”

“So what the heck happened to him?” Kaisse spoke up. “Is he dead?”

“I doubt it.” Shinobu said with the faintest smirk. “Your friend was last seen at a festival near Vallhans Valley. It seems he entered the valley to claim an outstanding bounty. He left quite a mess behind him, which to our aid, led us to the corpse of a high profile individual.”

The boys stared at the lieutenant blankly, not sure exactly what he was implying.

“Are you saying…” Yurzif narrowed his eyes quizzically, “Hanzo killed someone?”

“I’m saying, the last trace of him ended upon the discovery of the deceased.”

“So he just disappeared after that?” Maz asked.

“More or less.” Shinobu answered.

“But how were you able to find out where he went in the first place?”

“As I said before, your friend isn't exactly the stealthy type. But I suppose I can’t blame him. Vallhans Valley is a dangerous place, teeming with all sorts of vicious creatures.

It wasn’t difficult to find evidence of his encounters, especially for our unit.”

Killer scratched his head, glancing to his companions for suggestions they did not have.

“So that’s it?” Maz said. “He just vanished??”

“Quite so. We have ways of tracking a person down by their aura. It isn’t always reliable but in his case, his aura is quite potent. Beyond the corpse, there was simply nothing left to go by.”

The boys were silent, not sure what else to say.

“What about gates or wormholes?” Barbara spoke up, leaning against the wall.

“That’s one explanation. However, the energy produced by such phenomena was absent as well.”

“So then what the freak happened to him??” Killer exclaimed nervously.

He felt Shinobu’s gaze land on him through his shades.

“I wonder.” He said casually.

“I’m not telling you this so you can panic. I think it’s best that you assume that he is alive.”

“Why even tell us this at all?” Maz asked.

“You would have preferred not to know?”

Maz shrugged.

“Then why did you ask Barbara to find out about him?”

Maz shrugged again.

“I guess it just seemed weird that he didn’t show up after all this time. He was always talking about becoming a soldier.”

Shinobu spent a moment in thought, rearranging items on the desk for no apparent reason.

“We’ll keep our eyes out for him.” He said at last. “You’re not the only ones asking for his whereabouts. I trust you all not to share this conversation with anyone outside of this gathering.”

The lads nodded in understanding.

“Is it really that serious though?” Yurzif asked. “He probably just got lost in the woods or maybe he’s trying to escape from the consequences of killing that guy or whatever.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” The lieutenant said cryptically. “I will say that this friend of yours is quite gifted. I’ve also come to know of your vigilantism in recent years. It seems you all have a reputation of causing trouble.”

Maz grinned.

Killer scratched his head with a smirk.

“That’s all for now.” Shinobu said. “If we find him, you’ll know soon enough. In the meantime, continue as you were before.”

Barbara sighed and rocked off the wall.

The boys seemed to have more questions but they decided to talk quietly amongst themselves as she opened the door and let them file out into the hall.

The chef closed the door behind them but remained in the room with the lieutenant. The man removed his shades, revealing a set of stunning silver eyes that seemed to glint even in the slightest bit of light.

“Is that why you came here?” Barbara asked. “Just to tell them that?”

“Professional curiosity.” Shinobu droned, casting his gaze out the window. “Blackleaf has long since had an interesting relationship with Ultimate Soldier.”

“How so?” She asked.

“You’ve been there yourself, haven’t you?”

“For a wedding, yes.”

“I suppose you weren’t aware of the…veterans.”

“Well…there could be veterans anywhere, right?” Barbara replied.

Shinobu combed through his thick black hair with his fingers. He slipped his glasses back on and stood up, pushing them in place with his finger.

“To be honest, I’m not sure I want to know what happened to the damn kid.” He said, walking past the thoughtful chef and opened the door.

He exited the office and Barbara followed behind him, pulling it shut.