From under the great expanse of blue sky, Changmin looked across the vast grounds of the academy training grounds, towards multitude of tents scattered across the area of the expansive green field dotted by students and personnel crawling like ants for assembly. The evaluations were today, and the anxious captain glanced surreptitiously at his odd lot team. Mai and Junho were going through their equipment while Taecyeon and Seulong were reviewing the course blueprints they received from the Weather Station. Wooyoung stood to one side unmoving as always, his exposed eye watchful of his surroundings.

It was only eight in the morning, but already the heat was oppressive with the summer solstice rolling around. The digital clock mounted on the high watchtower by the main buildings indicated the temperature to be twenty-eight degrees Celcius, but Changmin felt it was much warmer than that. He loosened his uniform collar and cursed the black fabric required for combat. Sweat trickled down his face, neck, and back, and his hands were damp as they picked up his bag from the ground and tossed it onto the plastic tables next to their tent.

Clouds rolled across the clear sky in big puffs of cumulus clouds interspersed with the feathery cirrus clouds which were far and few in between. There was no wind at all at ground level. Evaluations were to commence at 1000 hours, and Changmin scouted the area for other units as they piled into their alma mater.

It had been almost five years since Changmin had set foot in the Academy, but to the captain it felt longer than that. As soon as he had graduated he was sent to an outpost the tropics. Tensions were still high as the Unistate Act was still being drafted, and demilitarized zones everywhere were strung taut with the fear of an impending war. Changmin had lost his father the year prior to his graduation, a casualty of war. Posthumous awards of honor were not enough consolation. Scars did not heal by covering it up with something pretty.

In another week or so, hopefully less, Schatten was to move onwards, focusing instead on their targets instead of doing whatever case was handed to them. Changmin felt as if it was about time they returned to their original goals. How it even became so that they were suddenly taking regular cases was now irrelevant. Mai and Junho had seen their targets firsthand, and soon enough they would be identified and apprehended. No one was invisible in NeoSeoul. Not anymore. There was no place for these people to hide, and Changmin would find them and put them to justice.

Finally, he shrugged off the button down shirt and tossed it to the side. He flapped his black cotton shirt against his skin in an attempt to cool himself, he couldn’t even think of another time it was this hot. Glancing at their designated tent, Changmin mulled over the possibility that it was cooler inside. Fuu coming out looking distressed, however, shooed the thought away.

“Why is it this warm?” she huffed, pulling out a plastic fan and waving it in her face.

“It’s summer, what do you expect?” Taecyeon muttered, not looking up from his tablet. “Rock-paper-scissors, Fuu?”

The analyst rolled her eye. “I don’t think so. I’m taking off-range support today. You wouldn’t want to waste your mid-range support training would you?”

There was a tartness in the way Fuu spoke, and Taecyeon’s brows knotted together. “I’m a strategist, not infantry.”

“Not today,” Changmin intervened before the argument went further. Fuu was not by any means anything like Mai. On the contrary, Fuu was usually soft-spoken and gentle, except when it came to addressing the issue of her and Taecyeon’s overlapping duties. By official designation, both were analysts, though the former worked more with computers while the latter with tactics. “Fuu stays off-range, and Taec and Seulong are intermediate-range, Seulong brings in Explosive X where needed. Mai and I are your scouts, Junho is our sniper, and Wooyoung brings in the rear. It’s not that complicated. We’ve done it before.”

His voice came out exasperated, tired and unwilling to argue. The rookies were suddenly quiet in their corner, their eyes meeting, sending unvoiced thoughts to the other. Mai felt the gravity of the situation in the way anxiety and anticipation mixed in the air. It was almost like going out on a mission, only different. Today they were actually going to be graded based on several parameters, speed being the key one. Mai pressed her lips tightly, speed required that none of them stumble on the strategy Taecyeon would design. Speed meant having to act like a team. Her eyes instinctively fell on Wooyoung.

The inspector had not said a word since arriving at the Academy and Mai could only wonder why. Her discovery of what year he had graduated, something Mai insisted to be accidental, made her only more curious about him. Wooyoung was a year ahead of her, and yet she had no recollection of him. They were both in the tactical division, and yet Mai was certain to never have come across him. She was sure she would remember him. No one forgets a scowl like Wooyoung’s, regardless of how insufferable he may have been.

From her vantage point she couldn’t quite see his face entirely, only his profile was visible to her along with that vexing fringe of hair covering his eye. She swiped a trickle of seat from her brow and scowled, how was it possible that Wooyoung appeared to be unaffected by the heat.

“I still don’t get what happened to your hair.”

Mai slightly turned towards Seulong, who like Changmin had divested himself of their outer uniform. “I told you, I had it fixed. I didn’t cut it off. It was either my head or my hair.”

Seulong grimaced. “Ouch. So you really did fight them?”

Mai nodded, answering Seulong with a neutral hum. She could feel Junho’s eyes boring the back of her head, and she kept her eyes forward. Not being completely honest with the captain left an acrid churning in her stomach. She wanted to come clean and tell them everything she could about them- even the fact that Junho was involved- especially the fact that Junho was involved.

She was snapped out of her reverie by Taecyeon and Seulong sandwiching her in between them. She struggled in between the two, but both men shushed her and she searched the area for what could possibly have had their attention.

“There they are, Big Bang and 2ne1,” Seulong whispered, nodding towards the open field where the General’s special operatives were camped. They too were dressed down, even they were not immune to the heat.

“Elite squad, nine members. They hold the record for today’s course. The most we can hope for is to at least not take bottom ranks.”

“A little faith, Taecyeon,” Changmin said, standing next to the trio. “It’s just another course, and they’re just another team.” Or at least the captain wanted to believe.

“I have their data on my log. Man, these people are sick. I can’t even think about the training they went through. Remember those rumors about the plugsuit and hardsuit technology maybe a year back? Well, they’re officially licensed to carry them. One each.”

Mai looked up at Taecyeon who had his face buried in his tablet. Her brows furrowed together, what were plugsuits and hardsuits? She redirected her attention to Seulong who wore a similar expression as Taecyeon. Why did they both appear to be so impressed and scared? She opened to ask the question, but Junho had beaten her to it.

“Hardsuits? I thought the military only gave clearances to plugsuits?”

Mai bit the insides of her cheeks as she listened to the men of her team, minus Wooyoung of course, discuss the specifics of these so-called suits. She never paid attention to rumors, military technology or otherwise, and so she had never came across this bit of data. Changmin looked at her sympathetically and smiled softly.

“They’re a little complex to explain Mai,” the captain said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll have to wait a little. Later when they take the course you’ll see what they’re talking about.”

At exactly 10am, the sirens rang through the grounds and every unit threw on their uniforms as they scampered into file. Up front were General Yang Hyunsook, Chief Lee Sooman, and Assistant Chief Park Jinyoung. Announcements were quick, as even the higher-ranking officers did not want to stay any longer under the sun. After being dismissed, Schatten found themselves positioned behind Fuu’s live feed of the operative course. It was eerily silent as the audience waited in anticipation as the General’s unit, formally designated Wahrheit, entered the training course.

Gasps and murmurs erupted from the audience as the first member of Wahrheit stepped out into the field. Taeyeon’s glasses flashed with fascination. “That’s Choi Seunghyun, on the field, he’s known as either T.O.P or Tempo.”

Choi Seunghyun, known on the field as Tempo, walked out into the first partition of the field. He was completely covered in a hardened alloy full suit plate armor glazed in black- a hardsuit custom fit to his very biology. To the observer’s eye, Tempo was nothing more than a piece of walking powered exoskeleton. Even with the armor on, he did not appear to be encumbered by the heavy body armor. His face was covered by a helmet and a mirror-like visor, but the crowd still felt as if his eyes pierced through them.

Mai’s eyes grew in wonder as she continued to watch Tempo. “That’s a hardsuit?” she stuttered.

Taecyeon nodded. “Hardsuits are part hardened combat armor and part cybertronics. The technology has been long debated on because using them requires a neural tap from the helmet. Every move is linked to the brain, it’s almost as if you’re controlling your own limbs without the extra added weight. Those things are made up of at least ten layers of polymer resin, even more depending on your combat style.”

“Exoskeleton research had always been troubled with the weight of the armor. It limits mobility and range of motion, but look at that customization,” Junho said, pointing at Tempo’s hardsuit, “The exoskeleton was built for him. It’s like hardened skin. It’s basically a wearable robot built to your specifics.”

Mai’s head was going in circles as even Seulong and Fuu joined in on the technical discussion of the hardsuits. After Tempo walked in, he was followed by the rest of the team. Red armor was Kwon Jiyong or G-Dragon, silver was Dong Youngbae or Sol, blue armor was Lee Seungri or Victory, and green armor was Kang Daesung or D-lite. Behind them, were the four members of 2ne1, the so called New Evolution of the 21st century because the latest technology was installed into their hardsuits- they were considered the perfect soldiers. In white armor, was Bom or Queen. No other given name was specified for her other than this. Next to her, in pink and purple, was Park Dara also known as Hearts, in a lighter shade of blue, was Lee Chaerin, or CL, known on the field as Ace, and their last member was Gong Minji or Joker, who was in yellow.

With her vision blurring because of the sudden influx of color on the field, Mai turned away and towards her unit. Changmin was smiling gently at her, obviously amused. “A little too bright for combat, aren’t they?”

Mai nodded at the captain. “Sir, have you seen them in combat?”

Changmin considered the question for a moment, his head turning slightly downwards as he thought. “Only three suits so far. T.O.P, Queen, and G-Dragon. Queen acts as the long-range support unit while T.O.P and G-Dragon are forward assault units. Taecyeon has a list of their positions, though he has a tendency to make things sound more complex than they actually are.”

Mai agreed wholeheartedly with the captain’s statement. Watching Taecyeon, Seulong, Fuu, and Junho fanboy/girl over Wahrheit was just a tad bit disconcerting for her. What was so interesting about a box of crayons walking around the field? She pressed her lips into a tight line, determined not to be swayed by her teammates obvious adoration.

With all nine members of Wahrheit on the field, the grounds appeared to be overcrowded even with the sleek design of the exosuits. Jiyong was the first to make a move, turning his head towards Dara who stepped forward. She lifted her hand against the first obstacle, a wall for them to scale, not unlike the walls of Δ-II. Her visors gleamed and one could never be sure if it were from the sun or from the suit itself. Next to her Daesung stood just as still, his only movement were from his fingers punching in several commands on the mini-computer attached to his wrist.

From Daesung’s fingertips appeared a series of wires that attached themselves onto the wall. A visible jolt of electricity leaped across the wires and a sharp crack of static whipped across the grounds. “Wall is stabilized.” Daesung stated, retrieving the wires and snapping his mini-computer closed.

All nine units deployed pneumatic grappling hooks from their wrists and in a row, they scaled the wall taking only seconds until they were at the other side. Wahrheit branched off into threes upon the intersection. The first group, towards the right lane, consisted of Jiyong, Dara, and Seunghyun. Whatever obstacle they had in their path, it was easily obliterated as they charged through the course. The second group was Youngbae, Bom, and CL who took the straight path. Towards the left were the remaining members, Minzy, Seungri, and Daesung. Like the first group, the two others hardly even expended any effort to clear the path to their target. Their mission was to secure the area and take down all the adversaries they come across.

Because it was a practice route, real weapons could not be used. Instead, laser indicators in the form of their weapons of choice were given to them to use. All they needed to do was to literally tag an opponent and a sensor on the their armors would signal the hit. They hadn’t missed so far, and it was less than two minutes into the course.

The main objective was to capture the facility, and that would involve searching the whole area out for the flag that marked the command base. Stop the chain of command and victory would follow. The facility was manned by several volunteers, each equally equipped with their own offensive and defensive systems. Four men guarded the final partition on the north-eastern corner of the grounds. Youngbae’s team were the nearest to it, and each member already separated ways towards the three remaining rooms yet to be cleared.

On the southwestern end of the facility, the third group was busy picking off attackers one by one. Daesung stood to a corner shooting small beams of light from his wrist, while Seungri and Minzy used a more frontal approach. As soon as the last enemy was down, all three filed into the last remaining room, the door suddenly barring shut behind them.

Meanwhile, the first team on the opposite end had found a pathway that led outside of the facility, where not surprisingly, an armored tank lay in wait. Taecyeon bit his teeth nervously seeing the large army vehicle, if this was part of the obstacle, then there was no way Schatten was going to be able to get past that. None of them were equipped against heavy machinery.

Seunghyun deployed two grenades on the launchers on his forearms, and Seulong bolted from his seat, pressing his face against the screen. “Are those knuckle boomers?!”

Taecyeon yanked the other away from the monitor, “Does it matter?! Did you see the rail guns equipped on those hardsuits?! Why aren’t we allowed to use rail guns?!”

Again, Mai rolled her eyes. True, the technology was proving to be impressive, but for her, relying too heavily on them would definitely impair their personnel. She was more than certain there were risks in using the suits and that these outweighed the benefits, but the higher-ups were refusing to see it.

Above the grounds, on an elevated platform, sat the three of the most powerful men of NeoSeoul. Aside from the High Minister, it was the Army General and Chief of Police who held reigns over the sector. Changmin glanced upwards and towards his commanding officer. It was the Chief of Police who held direct command over Schatten, though more often than not it was the Assistant Chief Changmin reported to. His thoughts flew back to the latest reports and his own suspicions, he needed to talk to the Assistant Chief Park Jinyoung about his speculations. He decided to confront his senior officer after the day was done.

“What?! They have glowy beams of doom too?!” Seulong and Taecyeon’s surprised and overwhelmed cry was followed by Fuu’s own ranting on the use of laser cannons on the field.

The captain returned his gaze to the northeastern end of the course to find the remnants of the command room and the remaining flashes of light from Youngbae’s weapon. He turned to Mai. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure,” she answered, brows furrowed and lips tightly pressed. “At first everyone was watching the tank group shred the vehicle into pieces, then when they realized the third group was trapped in the last room they were in, each of the members started punching holes on the walls. The last bit in the command room took us all by surprise, he just...he just blasted the whole room away.”

Filtering out the sounds of his own team and the rest of the audience’s varied reactions, Changmin focused his attention on the timestamp on the monitor. It had taken Wahrheit four minutes and 48 seconds to clear the course. That was beyond record time.