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he
had sampled during his younger years.
    Even though he
was just twenty-nine, he still felt like he had wasted most of his
life on meaningless things. The decision to volunteer for the Titan
Project was one he had to make, his brother the inspiration, and
his own feeling of unworthiness fuelled the courage to go through
with it. Wherever his brother was now, he hoped he could make him
proud again. He hoped he could prove that he was not just a spoiled
brat from a disjointed family. All he wanted was his brother’s
approval, just to hear words of encouragement once. His first
objective of the mission to become a Titan was complete. He was
broken, in almost unbearable agony, but he had survived. And now he
was with Chief Engineer Walters, he needed to get on with the next
objective.
    All of these
thoughts raced through his head as he sipped the life-saving liquid
with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes and spoke with growing
strength as Sam removed the cup’s straw from his lips. “What’s
next?”
    Sam nodded and
lifted his dirty clipboard again. “So eager, let’s see here.” He
scanned through a list of names. “Oh, well that’s not very nice,”
he looked up and directly at Christian. “It would seem that you are
the punch line of some cosmic joke. Your Operator number is
QC0021-13. You have been assigned to suit...thirteen.” Sam paused
before speaking again. “Well, if you are killed during your first
mission you will know why at least.”
    Christian let
out a slight chuckle at the last remark. “How long?” he asked.
    “In about two
days your body will have recovered from the surgery. Wonderful
little things these Nanites you now have flowing through your
system. They can rebuild your tissue and muscles within hours, even
help you recover from fatal wounds - should you not be dead by the
time they start that is.”
    “Only two
days?”
    “Don’t get too
excited just yet cupcake...err I mean Corporal.” He gave Christian
a sly grin before continuing. “Please mind my manners, I am use to
speaking to machines and ship parts most of the time, and always in
curse words.”
    Christian’s
voice was almost back to normal now, and he could feel the pain
subsiding in his hands and feet. “What then?” he asked.
    “Then you will
go through Syncro training with your suit and then, well then,
uhm...” Sam looked uncomfortable as he went quiet. His eyes darted
back and forth from Christian’s prone body to the doorway. He hoped
someone would enter the room and save him from an explanation.
    “What is it,
Sam?”
    “Well, after
all of that you need to train in the Labyrinth,” he said.
    “Sound
ominous,” Christian tilted his head up as he spoke, his joints not
aching as much anymore. “Should I be scared?”
    Sam cleared his
throat and avoided answering the question. “Uh yes, when you are
able to walk again please report to Beta Facility for outfitting.
From there Syncro training can begin.”
    “Great. Do they
have my measurements? I have a deceptively small waist.”
    Sam just
sniggered and plodded out of the dull room, leaving him with his
diminishing pain and his last few hours of peace and quiet.

Chapter
One.One
Outfitting
    “ It made me feel immortal, impossibly
strong. But that feeling vanished as soon as you met your first
monster.”
-Operator Smith, Vigilance Squad, KIA
    Beta Facility
looked like any other building on the Titan Project’s compound.
There was nothing peculiar about it, from the outside it could have
been mistaken for just another habitation block. But that was the
masterful deception created by the engineers that designed it.
Behind the steel and concrete walls the most advanced, and most
deadly, training facility in the galaxy could be found. Deep below
the facility level after level of fire ranges and training grounds
were built. Dozens of equipment, armouries and control rooms were
hidden from prying eyes, all of them housing crews of engineers
manufacturing weapons