Bombastic

“Let’s go let’s go let’s go, move your asses!” Nate yelled, clapping his hands together. He and the other ‘boys’ may have only been 14, but then again, they weren’t your regular teenagers, and this was no track meet.

The boys were running a modified obstacle course, low crawling under barbed wire while live ammunition grazed just above their heads, concussion grenades pelting them with hard rubber shrapnel and debris to spur them along faster. But then again, Nate thought as he climbed the rope ladder, this - this is what they were built for. And by that he meant literally. He and the other Hellhounds weren’t flesh and blood born, they were spawned in tanks from stock DNA. Bonafide Genetically Modified Organisms, made of some pretty stern stuff.

“Vas, what are you, napping?” He yelled over his shoulder.

“Hell yeah, that's how boring this is. Can do it in my sleep!” Vas snarked climbing up the rope ladder and giving an exaggerated yawn. “You thinking about one too?”

Nate laughed, swinging a leg over the top of the ladder climb. “Thinking about who I pissed off to get stuck with a lame duck ass partner for the day,” he scoffed before jumping to the ground below.

“You piss someone off? Gasp. Naw brah there just grouping us quackers together.” Vas teased and he swung a leg over to follow Nate and landed with significantly less grace. “9 out of 10.” He smirked hands up like a gymnast.

“Such a fucking Erinyes,” Nate scoffed, giving the teen a good punch to the shoulder, hard enough to break the skin stretched across his knuckles. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered, feeling the crawling sensation under his skin as hundreds of nanomites dormant in his body deployed to heal the open wound.

“Daw wazzamatter. Can't handle the little harpies.” Vas said pouting before snickering. “At least they won't scrape your tender knuckles.”

Nate wiggled his fingers as the mites finished the job, his hand looking good as new. “I’ll gladly reintroduce your nose to my tender knuckles,” Nate laughed back, shoving the other boy as they trotted off the course. “Hydrate up,” he ordered, nodding to Vas and a few other teens who were starting to finish their runs. “I think we could all use a little outside PT after this.”

“Sunshine and fresh air. Don't forget the leashes.” Vas smirked as he double timed it.

“To keep your sorry asses in line?” Nate scoffed. “Leashes and shock collars.”

“I meant for the Erinyes … I happen to be very well trained, thank you.” Vas said, sticking his nose up in the air.

“Housebreaking you must’ve been a bitch,” Nate teased. Just as Vas’ hand touched the bar on the door to the parade grounds, an ear shattering alarm sounded, shrill and high pitched. Nate scowled, as squad leader, he usually was given a head’s up about any emergency drills. This was definitely not on his daily roster. It best not be some new hot shot higher up ‘testing’ the leads, the teen thought bitterly.

Vas's shoulder dropped and he made a groaning sound. “Can they not make us deaf with the stupid alarm?” Vas huffed rubbing an ear.

Nate was about to say something about Vas’ tender ears, but turned more serious when he saw their handler waiting impatiently.