Chapter 6: Room 103, Sector 4
The dorms were built like bunkers — reinforced walls, sealed glass, soundproof insulation. On the surface, they looked like luxury apartments. Beneath the polish, you could feel the paranoia in the design.
Room 103 sat on the eastern wing, floor six. A corner unit. Two bunks. Private washroom. One small kitchenette that would almost never be used. Two desks with embedded holo-terminals and biometric locks.
Hernan stepped inside first.
The room smelled like sterilized steel and recycled air. One wall was already flickering with the Academy welcome screen: a slow rotation of quotes from alumni, news feeds, and training schedules.
He dropped his duffel on the lower bunk.
Nico stumbled in behind him, still buzzing from the evaluation matches.
"Okay, real talk," he said, tossing his tech case on the desk. "Who taught you to fight like that?"
Hernan sat on the edge of his bed. "Instinct."
Nico snorted. "Right. And I was born knowing how to write code in my sleep."
He pulled out a screwdriver the size of a syringe and popped open the terminal housing. Tiny sparks jumped between his fingers as he rewired the biometric lock to respond faster.
"Y'know," Nico continued, "I ran the academy betting boards last year. Made good coin. I'm saying this because you just screwed up every early rank prediction I had."