Their First Simulation

“Marco Northern, your partner for this training session will be…” the General looked down a list of names on his checkboard. He checked one off. “Lithuania Starr. You two will be going up next. Please arm yourselves.”

They were in the Foggistani Air Force Training Grounds, in the Action Simulation Field. The entire class of fifty was there. What were the odds, Marco thought, of landing the simulation with Lithuania? They hadn’t spoken since the incident at the cafeteria, when he had goulash splashed all over his shirt while checking out Lithuania’s rack. She had seemed overly loud at the time—a little too used to getting all the attention, and ever-so-slightly uninclined towards being attracted to the male sex. She had, however, blushed when he caught her staring at him, which was confusing enough. Maybe she wasn’t a dyke after all.

Marco turned to look at her when the General called her name, just to see if she reacted in any particular way. She didn’t. She just nodded at the General, and moved over to the steel armor case to suit up, without so much as a glance at Marco. At any rate, Marco thought, she seemed more subdued than at the cafeteria. He walked over to the case to suit up with her.

“So…” he said, pulling a five-pound titanium chest guard from the case, “The course is looking pretty tough today… Looks like we’re really going to have to watch each other’s backs.”

Lithuania pulled the seldom-used female chest guard from the case, with its chromed breast cups and narrower waist. “Should I be worried?” she said.

“Errr—of course not.”

“Good,” Lithuania nodded, running her arms through the chest guard’s armholes. “Strap me up, will you?” she said, turning around. She seemed awfully sure of herself. Rather taken aback, Marco clicked the metallic straps on Lithuania’s back into place. “Thank you,” she said.

Lithuania snatched her weapon of choice: the XT-100 Quickcharge Laser Pistol. For a laser weapon, it charged quite quickly, was light, and shot quickly enough for a pistol. She examined her pistol and equipment a little more thoroughly than usual. She couldn’t reveal any sign of interest whatsoever. She had to stay in control. If Marco caught even the slightest whiff of her interest in him, he’d land on dominant ground. She had to get him interested, without seeming interested herself. She had to be in control. But not in too much control. Guys didn’t like that. She had to keep him curious. She had to—

“Northern. Starr. You two are up.”

Lithuania snapped back into reality. Her equipment was all set. She turned to look at Marco. He was already standing behind the starting line, the GT-500 RapidFire Rifle in hand. So that would be the arrangement: he’d plow through the virtual masses from afar, while she took out those who came too close or attacked from behind. The GT-500 was a smart pick—the perfect partner for the XT-100. Lithuania wondered whether Marco had picked it on purpose.

Marco gripped his rifle with both hands as Lithuania approached the starting line. He noticed she was carrying the GT-500. He hated that pistol; it charged quickly, but was not nearly as fast as a RapidFire. He liked the heft of his rifle—its rapid bursts of fire. Marco had never teamed up with someone who used an XT-100. He wondered whether Lithuania had picked it to match his GT-500. Considering how uninterested she looked, probably not. It was just a coincidence. Still, this would be interesting.

“Soldiers on the ready!” shouted the General, stepping away from Marco, Lithuania and the starting line, whistle at the ready.

“I assume you understand the strategy, based on our weapon choices?” said Lithuania.

Marco nodded. “You’ve got my back.”

“Countdown ready!” yelled the General. The lights in the massive, metallic Action Simulation Field dimmed. The place was really just an enormous enclosed metallic football field, which adopted the terrain of a predetermined training ground, with virtual enemies, weapons and monsters included.

Marco felt the thrill of excitement coming on. He loved these training sessions. And the excitement was only heightened by his training alongside Lithuania. They’d get to try out their innate chemistry. They hadn’t yet had much verbal communication, but hey. Maybe they clicked on the field.

“GO!”

The room darkened. When the lights returned, they were just a dim blue glow. Marco and Lithuania were inside some sort of abandoned factory, in a long corridor with walls of peeling paint and an almost overwhelming stench of urine. All was silent, except for the drip drip of a leaky pipe somewhere.

“This is a strange scenario,” said Lithuania. “I was expecting something more…”

“Out in the open?” said Marco, suddenly uncomfortable with his weapon choice.

“Yeah.”

They walked slowly down the tunnel, side by side, arms at the ready. “You never quite know what they’re going to try to teach us next,” Marco said.

“Monsters!” Lithuania yelled.

The light at the end of the corridor was suddenly blocked by the shadow of a dozen enormous, indistinguishable black figures.

Together, Lithuania and Marco opened fire. They dodged flying maces. They slaughtered eight-foot digital beasts. They climbed up rusty pipes, deactivated the fictional bomb, rescued the make-believe hostage, and found the flag.

That day, together, they broke the speed record that had been held in the Action Simulation Field for over thirty years.

Marco asked Lithuania out for a beer, to celebrate.

Lithuania gladly accepted.