THE OMEGA RECRUIT

The assembly erupted into applause, and Scott stood frozen, too shocked to speak.

A hundred eyes turned to him all at once, like spotlights.

"They all knew who he was, the first assembly couldn't begin until the number one recruit arrived, and his identity had already been leaked before he even stepped through the doors."

"No wonder I got all those weird looks in the hall — they all knew who I was."

He thought.

He hesitantly stepped forward, each stare from his fellow cadets piercing him like daggers.

He climbed the steps, each one heavier than the last and took his place beside 002, Esosa Olu.

For the first time, the cadets got a good look at the so-called super cadet who had broken Protocol records and held the number one spot in the school rankings.

"What? That's the guy?"

"He looks so skinny."

"Shiiit, I think I could beat him."

"Maybe he's stronger than he looks."

"Looks don't matter — it's skill that counts."

"Bullshit. He looks sick. How did Olu lose to that guy?"

Murmurs spread like wildfire, doubt and disbelief rippling across the room. And Scott? He just stood there, deeply embarrassed.

The company commanders felt the same as the cadets, their thoughts echoed the whispers in the assembly.

Who is this guy?

I can't believe Protocol has sunk this low.

What a joke.

He looks so skinny.

Is he even trained?

These thoughts ran silently among the commanders.

"SILENCE!"

His voice cracked like thunder through the hall.

"A round of applause," he said, his voice firm, "for this man right here."

A wave of claps exploded across the room loud, reluctant, uneven. Like gunfire without rhythm.

Rick continued: "These men and women will be under my command and trained personally by me, as is it their right as Top 5."

While the assembly pulsed with noise, Maximus leaned in beside Scott, speaking beneath the applause

He muttered."You never knew, huh?"

Scott turned sharply towards him

"You never told me...," he said — angry,

nervous, and nearly shouting.

Maximus smirked and replied.

"You haven't seen anything yet."

The applause faded as Commander Rick finished his speech.

"I'll now pass the mic back to the Barracks Chief," he said, stepping down from the podium.

With smooth precision, Maximus walked to the podium and began wrapping up the assembly.

"Thank you, Commander Rick, for that wonderful speech."

I want to applaud our cadets — especially our top cadet — for a very good—"

He paused, glanced at Scott, and continued,

"—job."

His stomach twisted.

"Oh no..." he muttered, placing his hands on his head — he knew Maximus was about to do something.

"Now, salute!"

Maximus barked the command, snapping his left hand to the side of his temple and placing his right firmly over his chest.

In a millisecond, with machine-like precision, the company commanders and recruits mirrored the motion.

Hands slicing through the air in perfect sync, boots clicking together like a single heartbeat.

Scott blinked, startled.

He was a second too late. His hand shot up in a panic, trying to mimic the motion, but it was sloppy, rushed.

His elbow stuck out awkwardly, and his palm was angled all wrong.

"Damn. I was a second late, he thought, heart pounding in his chest."

The silence broke instantly. Like a dam had cracked open, the whispers and judgment poured in again.

"What tha—?"

"Is he even military trained?"

"What a loser."

"I had high hopes."

Even Commander Rick, who had maintained a stone-cold calm until now, clenched his jaw. His brows furrowed.

"Does this guy have someone high up?" Rick wondered.

"Is he related to a general? How the hell did he even get in here?"

Maximus raised his voice, cutting through the murmurs like a blade.

"Alright! Cadets" he barked, voice sharp and commanding.

The cadets snapped into attention.

"The assembly is over. Return to your barracks."

With that, the assembly shifted. Boots hit the floor, chatter returned in low waves, and the cadets began to file out, leaving Scott alone in the spotlight, heart still thumping.

"Hello, soldier," Commander Rick said to Scott, reaching out a handshake.

Scott, still a little rattled, reached out for the handshake; his fingers trembled slightly as they met Rick's.

It lasted longer than expected, long enough for Rick to get a good feel of Scott and size him up.

His hand felt bony and his skin grainy, not the type you'd expect from a soldier.

Rick's eyes narrowed slightly, though his expression remained neutral.

"It seems you stopped training for a while."

Rick said, trying to start a conversation

"Yes, sir, I had some issues, but I'm ok now."

Scott replied awkwardly.

Rick nodded slowly, silently. Watching. Measuring. Calculating.

The reason Rick asked all those questions, or why he even started the conversation, was to get a feel of Scott's character; it was a test, a silent evaluation.

"Okay, Scott. Follow me," Rick said, his voice steady as ever.

He gave a subtle hand signal to the rest of the cadets behind them to follow.

They all walked across the courtyard and stopped before a sleek, metallic-red transport vehicle, unlike anything Scott had ever seen in the civilian world.

Its surface shimmered under the lights like molten steel, smooth and reflective, with sharp, aerodynamic curves.

The doors opened with a quiet hiss, releasing a faint puff of air.

Scott stepped inside beside Rick, his boots clicking softly on the floor.

The interior was silent, humming with subtle energy — walls lined with dim white lights that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Commander Rick took the front left seat.

Scott slid in beside him, still trying not to look stiff.

The other cadets filled the back, silent, watching.

"Take us to the training room," Rick commanded.

[Yes, sir]

The voice of the onboard AI was calm, almost human, but smooth and emotionless.

There was no engine roar, no screech of tires,

The vehicle moved forward with natural smoothness.

Through the front display panel, the scenery outside blurred past in a metallic smear domed buildings, drill fields, and rows of marching recruits flashing by like images in a slideshow.

Scott sat in silence, eyes forward, heart thudding.

"I'm going to be humiliated again."

Scott stared ahead blankly, barely blinking as the vehicle glided across Protocol.

His mind replayed the scene from earlier the sloppy salute, the stares, the whispers.

Scott wondered how much more humiliation awaited him once they reached the training grounds.

Usually, Scott wasn't the guy who cracked under pressure. Whatever he set his sights on academics, gaming, logic puzzles he made sure to master it.

To dominate it. He had always found safety in control, in preparation.

But this?

This was different.

He hadn't chosen this world. He'd been thrown into it. blindfolded, untrained, and unarmed.

And worst of all, his body and mind were still recovering from the months of depression and isolation that had consumed him before.

His muscles were weak. His confidence, shaky. His instincts… gone.

All this made the shame hit harder and increased the toll on his mental health.

The shame hit harder than ever, piling on top of the weight already crushing his chest.

Behind him, the other top cadets sat quietly.

005 — John Torino.

004 — Faux Blunt.

003 — Cherry Bomber.

002 — Esosa Olu.

They all watched Scott in different ways. Curiosity. Judgment. Indifference.

Of all the Top 5 cadets, only one didn't look at Scott with scorn or suspicion — 005, John Torino.

His eyes weren't filled with scorn like the others. No, John was studying Scott. Noticing things.

The slight tremble in his fingers. The way his foot tapped the floor, trying to ground his nerves.

The stiffness in his shoulders and these things that should have made Scott look down on or sidelined, made him more interesting.

John Torino — a boy born to a family buried in disgrace.

Once, the Torino name had meant something. His ancestors were high-ranking military officers and legends.

But corruption rotted them from within, bribery, blackmail, scandals — and when the truth came out, the family crumbled.

Their fall was public. Humiliating. Ruinous.

But not total.

In the ashes of that dynasty, a single ember remained: John.

Fast. Focused. Brilliant.

They poured everything into him. Their money, time, and hope, desperate for redemption.

They believed only he could restore the Torino name.

And they were right. He was one of the best soldiers in the academy and had already risen to the Top 5 in protocol, and many believed he was destined to become a Nano Soldier.

He also believed that he was the greatest there was, but what he didn't know… is that the boy sitting stiffly in front of him, panicking in silence.

Scott would become the one person who would change his life forever.