The message arrived at 06:12.
Daniel had been awake for four minutes.
He was still lying down when his phone screen lit up the room.
A.E.E. — OPERATIONAL SUPPORT UNIT
SELECTION PROCESS
REPORT AT: 07:30
An address appeared below.
And one final instruction.
SPORTS CLOTHING.
Daniel read it again.
“Brilliant.”
A voice came from the corridor.
“What?”
Daniel didn't answer.
He tried to sit up too quickly.
A sharp pain shot through his side.
He stopped.
Clenched his teeth.
Waited.
Then carried on as though nothing had happened.
When he looked up, Lina was leaning against the doorframe.
She was already dressed to go out.
She said nothing.
Daniel picked up a T-shirt.
As he raised his right arm, he winced again.
Lina saw.
“It still hurts.”
“Less.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
Daniel put on the T-shirt.
“Then yes.”
Lina came in.
The papers Daniel had received from the A.E.E. lay on a chair.
CANDIDATE — U.A.O.
She looked at them.
“Do you start today?”
“Today they start deciding whether I start.”
“That sounds worse.”
Daniel smiled.
“Thanks for the encouragement.”
Lina lifted the rucksack hanging from one shoulder.
The Aeris crest was visible on its side.
“I've got training too.”
Daniel looked at the symbol.
“Are they giving you merchandise already?”
“It's part of the uniform.”
“It still looks like merchandise.”
Lina gave him a flat look.
Daniel picked up his own rucksack.
This one had no House symbol.
Only provisional A.E.E. identification.
“Dani.”
Daniel stopped.
Lina stopped joking.
“You don't have to prove anything to anyone.”
He didn't answer.
“Not to them.”
A pause.
“Not to Darian.”
Daniel looked down at the rucksack.
For a moment he felt the ground again.
The metallic taste.
The impossibility of lifting his body one more time.
“I know.”
Lina didn't seem convinced.
“Are you sure?”
Daniel took a few seconds.
“No.”
She raised her eyebrows slightly.
Daniel walked past her.
“But I'm working on it.”
Lina barely smiled.
“That'll do.”
The U.A.O. area looked nothing like the one Daniel had visited during orientation.
The chairs had gone.
So had the presentations.
Now there were lines painted on the floor.
Stretchers.
Ropes.
Weights.
First aid kits.
Radios.
Breathing apparatus.
Vests.
Protective equipment.
And a group of instructors watching everything.
Daniel found Melisa beside a table.
She had opened her rucksack.
Inside were several transparent bags.
Daniel stopped.
Looked.
Bandages.
Gloves.
A bottle.
Food.
Everything separate.
Everything labelled.
Melisa looked up.
“What?”
Daniel pointed at the rucksack.
“Have you labelled the bandages?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because if someone's bleeding one day, I don't want to spend thirty seconds rummaging through a rucksack.”
Daniel stayed silent.
“Fair enough.”
Melisa closed a bag.
“Thank you.”
“It's still a little frightening.”
“Thank you for that too.”
Daniel put his rucksack beside her.
“You came back.”
“So did you.”
“I said I'd come back.”
“So did I.”
“But I said it first.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Are you nervous?”
“No.”
Daniel waited.
Melisa breathed.
“Very.”
Daniel nodded.
“Good.”
“Good?”
“That means I'm not the only one.”
Melisa looked him up and down.
“You look as though you can't wait to start.”
“A little.”
“That isn't normal either.”
A voice rang through the room.
“CANDIDATES!”
The conversations died away.
Everyone turned.
“Four lines.”
People began to form up.
Daniel stepped forward.
Melisa followed.
An assistant was handing out clothing.
When his turn came, Daniel received a dark technical T-shirt and a light vest.
On the chest:
A.E.E.
On the shoulder:
U.A.O. — CANDIDATE
Daniel ran his thumb over the letters.
Melisa received an identical one.
She looked at hers.
“Now it looks serious.”
Daniel pointed at his chest.
“Merchandise.”
Melisa gave a short laugh.
The instructor from the previous exercise stood in front of them.
“What you did during orientation didn't count.”
Daniel murmured:
“Perfect.”
Melisa spoke without looking at him.
“Your two deaths didn't count either.”
“Especially those.”
The instructor continued.
“Today the first phase of selection begins.”
He walked along the lines.
“Physical fitness.”
“First aid.”
“Communication.”
“Evacuation.”
“Teamwork.”
“Decision-making.”
He stopped.
“We're not looking for the strongest.”
Some expressions changed.
“Or the fastest.”
Daniel raised his head slightly.
“We're looking for people who remain useful when things stop going as they expected.”
He looked at the stopwatch.
“Let's begin.”
Running was easy.
At least for Daniel.
First lap.
Second.
Third.
His breathing was still steady.
On the fifth, he began overtaking people.
By the sixth, he was among the leaders.
One candidate tried to keep up with him.
He lasted less than a minute.
Daniel heard footsteps behind him.
Turned his head slightly.
Melisa was much further back.
“All right?”
She looked up.
“Run!”
Daniel slowed a little.
“I was only asking.”
“Then ask further away!”
Daniel smiled.
Sped up again.
He finished among the first.
Hands on his hips.
Breathing fast.
Controlled.
One of the instructors wrote something down.
Daniel saw.
He couldn't help feeling a little satisfaction.
Minutes later, Melisa appeared.
She reached the line.
Bent forward.
“I hate running.”
Daniel offered her a bottle.
“That wasn't so bad.”
Melisa slowly raised her head.
“You're one of those.”
“One of what?”
“The ones who finish a test before everyone else and then say, ‘That wasn't so bad.’”
Daniel drank.
“I wasn't first, either.”
“That doesn't help.”
Then came the loads.
Dragging weights.
Stairs.
Carrying equipment.
Daniel continued to stand out.
Melisa didn't.
But whenever an instructor gave an instruction, she remembered it.
When others left equipment anywhere, Melisa put it back in place.
When a protocol changed, she was one of the few who didn't ask twice.
Daniel began to notice.
The next test seemed simple.
A room.
Artificial smoke.
A casualty.
Two entrances.
A panel.
Daniel and Melisa waited together.
The instructor spoke.
“Simulated industrial accident. One casualty inside. Three minutes.”
Daniel looked at the door.
“We go in. Get them out. Leave.”
“No.”
Daniel turned.
“No?”
“First we read.”
“There's someone inside.”
“Exactly.”
The door opened.
“Time.”
Daniel took a step.
Melisa caught his sleeve.
“Wait.”
She pointed.
ELECTRICAL HAZARD
Daniel looked inside.
A cable lay beside the dummy.
Daniel turned back to Melisa.
“Good.”
She looked for the isolation switch.
Daniel saw another door.
“Side entrance.”
“Report it.”
Daniel took the radio.
“Team two. Alternative access located.”
“Received.”
They went in.
Daniel reached the casualty first.
Checked breathing.
Consciousness.
“Stable.”
He began to position his hands.
“Daniel.”
He stopped.
Melisa pointed at the dummy's neck.
Daniel understood.
“Possible cervical injury.”
“Yes.”
The stopwatch kept running.
Two minutes thirty.
They coordinated the movement.
Daniel looked at the clock.
“We won't make it.”
“Do it properly.”
“Melisa...”
“Do it properly.”
Daniel stopped looking at the stopwatch.
“One.”
They both lifted.
“Two.”
They moved forward.
Two minutes fifty.
Two fifty-five.
Two fifty-seven.
They crossed.
The alarm sounded.
03:00
Daniel exhaled.
The instructor came over.
“Over time.”
“By three seconds.”
“Over time.”
Melisa took a deep breath.
Daniel pointed at the dummy.
“And him?”
“Alive.”
Daniel waited.
The instructor looked at them both.
“You took too long.”
A pause.
“But you didn't create a second casualty.”
He made a note.
“Next.”
Daniel went out.
Melisa followed.
“I told you.”
“Don't start.”
“Just once.”
Daniel kept walking.
“Melisa.”
“I told you.”
“I know.”
A few halls away, the Houses trained differently.
They weren't wearing civilian clothing.
For the first time, the institution's identity was becoming visible.
The same uniform structure.
Technical jacket.
Operational trousers.
Light protection.
But each House had its own insignia.
Official crest on the chest.
Code on the shoulder.
Details specific to each affinity.
AE-01 — AERIS
Lina adjusted her gloves.
Nair was beside her.
Arisha a few positions further ahead.
In front of them were different A.R.E. training models, limited for compatibility and channelling practice.
They weren't all the same.
Staffs.
Blades.
Channelling devices.
None was configured for operational use.
The instructor picked up a light staff.
“An A.R.E. doesn't replace your affinity.”
She activated it.
“And your affinity doesn't replace training.”
A current of wind ran along the weapon.
It didn't originate from it.
It passed through it.
“For those who prove compatible, these tools can become an extension of what you already control.”
Lina watched closely.
“If you lose the weapon, you're still Aeris.”
The instructor lowered the staff.
“If you think carrying it makes you better Aeris members, that idea won't last long.”
Nair smiled.
Lina saw.
“Don't say anything.”
“I haven't said anything.”
“I know.”
NE-05 — NEREA
Alyra wore the Nerea version of the uniform.
The House emblem stood out on her chest.
In front of her, several containers supplied water for the exercises.
A few metres away, another student held out his hand.
The surface began to freeze.
The ice kept growing.
More.
More.
“Enough.”
Iskander continued for barely half a second.
“I said enough.”
The ice stopped.
Iskander lowered his hand.
Alyra looked at him.
“He said enough.”
“I heard him.”
“It didn't look like it.”
“I was finishing.”
Alyra looked at the thick layer of ice.
“Of course.”
Iskander looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
It didn't look like nothing.
VO-07 — VOLTRIS
A blue discharge ran along the conductor of an A.R.E. training model with limited output.
The device sparked.
Xenya pulled her hand away.
The instructor looked at the scorched end.
“Again.”
Xenya examined the weapon.
“That one didn't want to cooperate either.”
“Xenya.”
She took up her stance again.
“Again. Yes.”
Electricity ran along the edge.
This time it held.
Xenya smiled.
Daniel saw none of that.
He was sitting in a small room.
In front of him:
a plan.
A radio.
Headphones.
The instructor pointed at the map.
“Residential building.”
“Three teams.”
“Two exits.”
“One blocked.”
Daniel nodded.
“Coordinate.”
He put on the headphones.
Everything began at once.
“Team one requesting entry.”
“Team three has a casualty.”
“Smoke on the second floor.”
“We need a medic.”
Daniel answered.
“Team one, proceed.”
Another voice interrupted.
“North route blocked.”
“Medic to team three.”
“We can't advance.”
“Team two, exit...”
Daniel pointed at the plan.
Went still.
They couldn't see him.
“West. West exit.”
More voices.
Daniel began answering faster.
Too fast.
One instruction contradicted another.
Two transmissions overlapped.
A team took the wrong access route.
The instructor raised a hand.
Silence.
Daniel took off the headphones.
“What did I do?”
“You tried to answer everything.”
“That was my job.”
“No.”
The instructor pointed at the radio.
“Your job was to decide what needed an answer first.”
Daniel stayed silent.
The man leaned forward.
“Getting there first is no use if you get it wrong.”
Daniel looked down.
That sentence hurt more than he'd expected.
Because it wasn't only about the exercise.
Melisa came out of her test twenty minutes later.
Daniel was sitting in the corridor.
“How did it go?”
She dropped into the seat beside him.
“I evacuated twelve people.”
“Good.”
“I left two fictional firefighters trapped.”
Daniel paused.
“Less good.”
Melisa didn't smile.
Daniel watched her.
“They were fictional.”
“I know.”
“Melisa.”
“I know that.”
She stared at the floor.
“But I made the wrong decision.”
Daniel rested his arms on his knees.
“Then tomorrow you make a different one.”
Melisa looked at him.
“Is that your great advice?”
Daniel thought.
“It's working pretty badly for me.”
Melisa waited.
Daniel added:
“But I keep trying it.”
She gave a small laugh.
“Inspiring.”
“Thank you.”
“That was sarcasm.”
“Thank you for that too.”
Melisa was quiet for a moment.
“You?”
Daniel pointed at the radio in his hand.
“I killed the communications.”
“How?”
“It's complicated.”
“Daniel.”
He breathed.
“I try to do everything too fast.”
Melisa looked at him.
“Yes.”
Daniel slowly turned his head.
“You could pretend you didn't know.”
“No.”
“Good.”
“You see something and throw yourself at it.”
Daniel looked ahead again.
“Yes.”
“Then learn to look twice.”
Daniel nodded.
“And you?”
“What about me?”
“Learn not to punish yourself for three hours over a plastic firefighter.”
Melisa opened her mouth.
Didn't answer.
Daniel smiled.
“I told you.”
“I'm starting to dislike you.”
“We've been talking for more than ten minutes.”
“You've had enough time.”
In the afternoon came the stretcher test.
Eighty kilos.
Stairs.
Daniel did the exercise with another candidate.
“Ready.”
They lifted.
First flight.
Second.
His partner's grip slipped.
Daniel tried to compensate.
All the weight fell towards his side.
“Wait!”
Daniel pulled.
The stretcher tilted.
The instructor caught it before the dummy fell.
“Dead.”
Daniel let go.
“It slipped out of his hand.”
“I didn't ask whose fault it was.”
Daniel looked at the other candidate.
He was embarrassed.
He looked at the stretcher again.
“We didn't coordinate.”
“Exactly.”
The instructor repositioned it.
“One strong person trying to do the work of two is still one person doing the job badly.”
Daniel breathed.
“Again.”
This time he looked at his partner.
“Ready?”
The boy nodded.
“One.”
They lifted.
“Two.”
First step.
“Turn.”
They both moved together.
Slower.
Much slower.
But they made it.
The instructor looked at the clock.
Daniel put the stretcher down.
“Bad?”
“Slow.”
Daniel waited.
“But alive.”
The other candidate laughed with relief.
Later, as they put away the equipment, he came over to Daniel.
“Hey.”
Daniel turned.
“You saved my arm earlier.”
“I nearly dropped the stretcher.”
“Yes.”
A pause.
“And then you listened.”
Daniel looked at him.
He didn't know what to say.
The other boy picked up his rucksack.
“See you tomorrow.”
Daniel watched him leave.
Then you listened.
For some reason, that sentence stayed with him.
The day ended at 18:43.
Daniel's legs felt heavy.
A new bruise.
Pain in places he hadn't known could hurt that morning.
And a fairly long list of mistakes.
The candidates gathered in front of a screen.
PHASE 1 — INITIAL ASSESSMENT
Three categories.
CONTINUE
REVIEW
UNFIT
Names began to appear.
Daniel searched.
DANIEL RODRÍGUEZ — CONTINUE
He exhaled.
Nothing more.
No congratulations.
No spectacular score.
Only:
CONTINUE.
He looked for another name.
MELISA — CONTINUE
She was already looking.
Daniel smiled.
“Hey.”
“Don't make that face.”
“What face?”
“The surprised one.”
“I wasn't surprised.”
“Of course.”
Daniel looked at his name again.
He wasn't an operator.
He hadn't passed selection.
He hadn't earned a permanent uniform.
Much less authorisation to use an A.R.E.
He could simply come back tomorrow.
And for now...
that seemed enough.
A door opened at the far end.
Two people came in quickly.
One wore a U.A.O. uniform.
A full one.
Not a candidate's.
The unit emblem stood out on the shoulder.
The other belonged to security.
They spoke to the instructor.
The man's expression changed.
He took out his phone.
“Wait here.”
He left.
Melisa looked towards the door.
“That isn't part of the test.”
Daniel shook his head.
More staff began crossing the corridor.
Medics.
Operators.
A man carried a rigid case.
Daniel recognised the type.
A.R.E.
Another person carried several weapons secured in a rack.
A woman in an operational House uniform passed them.
Daniel caught sight of the crest.
VO-07 — VOLTRIS.
She wasn't a student.
A short A.R.E. weapon was fastened to her thigh.
The woman checked the grip before continuing.
A small discharge ran through the system.
Daniel kept watching her.
The instructor returned.
“This is none of your business.”
Daniel looked away.
A screen in the corridor changed.
The usual directions disappeared.
A.E.E. — OPERATIONAL ALERT
ALTERED FAUNA INCIDENT
METROPOLITAN PERIMETER
The candidates fell silent.
The information updated again.
RESPONSE UNITS REQUESTED
From another corridor came several Awakened operators with operational authorisation, now attached to their respective Houses.
They weren't students from the training halls.
Their uniforms shared the same basic A.E.E. institutional design, but each wore the crest and insignia of their House.
Different emblems.
Different equipment.
A Nerea woman carried a long A.R.E. weapon secured to her back.
An Ignis man adjusted a guard over his forearm.
An Aeris man secured a short staff.
They didn't look like students.
Daniel noticed the difference immediately.
Those people were going out.
For real.
A U.A.O. operator opened the outer door.
“Move!”
The teams went out.
Daniel remained still.
Melisa stood beside him.
“One day that'll be us.”
Daniel watched the door close.
“First we have to survive the stretchers.”
Melisa smiled.
“Speak for yourself.”
The screen changed again.
Daniel stopped smiling.
MULTIPLE INDIVIDUALS DETECTED
The number appeared.
Then changed.
Again.
Melisa frowned.
“How many?”
Daniel didn't answer.
Kilometres away, blue lights broke the darkness of a road.
Trees on both sides.
Wet tarmac.
Silence.
A unit advanced slowly.
An officer raised a torch.
Something moved in the vegetation.
“Contact.”
Another silhouette crossed behind it.
“I've got another.”
A third movement.
Closer.
The officer turned.
“Control...”
The torch swept across the trees.
Two eyes.
Then more.
Then more.
More.
Too many.
“Control, we have several Altered animals.”
The radio crackled.
One of the animals took a step back.
The officer raised his weapon.
Another did the same.
Then another.
Within seconds, they all began retreating.
Almost at the same time.
The officer frowned.
“Are they withdrawing?”
No one answered.
The animals disappeared among the trees.
But none had turned its back.
A second officer slowly lowered his weapon.
“No.”
He looked into the darkness.
Something moved much further away.
Too large to make out.
Then disappeared.
The first officer gripped the radio.
They weren't fleeing.
They were waiting.
CUT TO BLACK.
END OF EPISODE 14 — CANDIDATES