Cadet

“ENDER WAKE UP,” 

My heart is pounding in my chest with a terrible throbbing pain. I can feel Marks hand on my shoulder shaking me in my chair. But I don’t want to get up yet, I don’t want to face the disappointed faces of my fellow cadets. 

How did they ever think this was a good idea. We’ve been at war with those blasted aliens for longer than I can remember. And nothing has ever worked against them, every child genius they train fails. I am no different, the visions revealed that pretty quickly. Ender Michel engraved right there above the city hall. The traitor that massacred his entire army after fraternizing with the enemy. The kid who turned against Earth. 

“ENDER,” 

Mark yanks at the flop of dark hair over my tear-streaked face forcing me to face my peers. They’re all staring at me, swivelled round in their tiny oaken desks still groggy from the vision serum lying in half-empty vials in their young hands. I look up at Mark blinking away the tracks of tears scoring my dark cheeks. His gangly frame is bent over double with a pale hand placed gingerly on my back. The professor stands behind him with a wet gleam in his eyes, he had so hoped I would be the next general of my time. 

“Come on Ender it's just a vision serum, it doesn’t have to be real. The professor just wanted to see if we could gather any new information on how to defeat the Alius.” I gulp, Mark has been my best friend since I began cadets four years ago at the age of ten. Since the day we met he has always been the truthful one, the angel among the ruthless strategizing wolves that is the remainder of the cadets. But somehow I didn’t think he was right this time. 

The professor hugs his starched lab coat around his plump frame. He pushes up his round wire-rim glasses with a hefty sigh. Signalling for the other cadets to leave us. They fly from the room in a dazed flurry of grey military suits embroidered with the flag of America on the left of their chests. 

“Ender take this from a professional in the field,” He bends down to Mark's height and places a hand on my shoulder. 

“Visions are about as reliable as fortune-tellers. There may be some truth sure but this is obtained more by luck than anything. I suggest you go rest in your dorm, as I understand it you and your fellow cadets have a simulation test tomorrow. Sleep and complete the test and this will all blow over.” He cracks a toothy smile over his wrinkled face. He looks so kind as he ushers me from my chair. How I wonder as Mark leads me to the boy's dorms, can someone so kindly in appearance be riddled with lies? 

Later that night with all the other boys dreaming wistfully I stare up at the ceiling. Traitor. That's what the statue said about me, but how. I had never even considered leaving my cadet training. I had my whole life planned out, train to become a general then command my own army to victory over the Alius saving Earth once and for all. I wouldn’t just throw that away, would I? Mark smiles at me from his thin bed next to mine. In the darkness of the night, his pale skin shines like a newborn calf. I raise my own charcoal hand in response then fall back onto my pillow. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. 

Harsh white light penetrates my eyes with an unforgiving claw. The padded white room is littered with long shining panels emitting the eerie glow attacking my fellow cadets. We all stand at attention in the centre of the room. Shortest to tallest in a line as always, and again I am at the front. General Harkon marches into the room clad in military attire. His leather boots clap against the floor in an almost menacing manner. 

“ATTENTION,” I snap my hand to my forehead in a firm salute. The General scans over us without the slightest trace of emotion. Everything from his stance to his empty eyes screams blankness. He is a void of personality, worn down by years of war just as we will be. 

“AT EASE,” my hands relax behind my back in the appropriate stance as I was taught. At ease means nothing here, you must always be ready to receive orders. The General stomps his foot with a harsh clack. Two lower-ranking soldiers rush in carrying a bucket of syringes between them. Their hopeful faces still hold the spark of childhood, they will never rise above their ranks. 

The soldiers, one boy and one girl hand each of us a syringe filled with a sparkling orange gloop. It slides back and forth in the tube at a snail's pace as I raise it to the taut skin of my neck. Mark looks at me from the other end of the line, this is the moment we have been training for our whole lives. If we succeed we’ll be certified soldiers ready for battle. With a cautious hand, I slide the needle beneath my skin and plunge down the vile gloop. I shudder as the thousands of tiny robots swarm my body. My vision is beginning to darken and I quickly glance around. Everyone is staring at me, this test will expose whether I really am the traitor the future says I will be. And no matter what I must prove that future wrong. 

Darkness envelops me for what feels like an eternity. I can feel the semi-conscious thoughts of my peers floating around the shared simulation as the light begins to seep in. Suddenly an entire world explodes into existence around me. We’re launched into the midst of a brutal battle. I look around at the barren landscape, unexploded bombs jut out of the red soil every few meters. Above us the sky is thick with the Alius, they swarm together in an unbreakable cluster of blue wasp-like figures. And their buzzing is unimaginable, it squeezes my eardrums with an unforgiving hand as my fellow cadets and I rush for cover in a designated den. Inside everyone looks to me, as the top-scoring strategist of my class I am immediately in charge of tactics. Mark inclines his head towards me. 

“So what do we do?” I peer outside the tiny slit above the metal shack door. The Alius are coming straight for us, we need to take them down with the weapons and hand no matter what the cost. 

“Well?” Everyone is waiting for my command now this is the chance to prove myself. I inhale deeply to reply but never get the chance. 

Thick black-blue stingers puncture the metal above our heads. The cadets scatter scrambling for guns and lasers holstered on the walls. I bat aside a boy trying helplessly at the door and kick with all my strength. It collapses out and we rush into the stark landscape beyond. The Alius have their attention focused on us now, their lethal stingers are poised and ready to eject their deadly acid. I raise my hand and gather myself.

"FIRE,” I yell. Hell breaks loose as my fellow cadets let their weapons wreak havoc. The Alius swoop down with a bitter cackle on their wings spraying acid with casual indifference. We’re through I think as I scramble across the ground, then I spot it. A small handheld nuclear bomb with enough force to wipe out everyone in this battle. This is it, the chance to prove myself. The wind picks up under my feet as I fly forward grabbing the bomb with one hand. Now I just need to give it to the right person. 

A few meters away Jonathan, a thick idiot with more muscle than brain, is beating an Alius around its insect-like head with his rifle. He is attracting the entire swarm's attention as they rush towards the seemingly most powerful cadet. I gulp this is it. The pin of the grenade-like bomb falls to my feet and I throw the bomb all far as I can towards Jonathan. He looks at me in disbelief as he catches it. Betrayal caresses his young face before. BOOM. And nothingness. 

As the padded room comes back into focus I notice the others staring at me. They look disgusted, but I did the right thing didn't I. Defeat the enemy at any cost. Surely they can't be mad that I sacrificed just one cadet. And anyway it was just a simulation Jonathan's fine now. As the others leave the room I hear there judging whispers. Psycho. I sit in silence alone on the floor, am I a traitor?

Then in the corner of my eye, I notice something. A thin slip of blue paper lying on the floor. One of the cadets must have dropped it. I crawl over, reaching for the slip of paper. It's surprisingly thick and the blue colouring rubs off onto my fingers. The writing on the front is a slanted cursive font that looks hurried and inexperienced. 

"Huh," I say out loud. There's no one in this school I know of that even writes to their family anymore. Then I read the text. 

Dear our greatest informant. On behalf of the Alius, we thank you for your valuable information retrieved from the interior workings of America's X23 cadet training centre. The planned offensive is going forward tonight and we invite you to meet and join us in this symbolic triumph. 

I gasp out loud. There's a traitor on the inside, and the Alius are planning an attack tonight. I twist myself onto my feet and rush for the boy's dorms. Mark is sprawled out over my bed reading an old book while waiting for me.

"Hey Ender." he begins. But I cut him off, there’s no time for a chat. 

"Come with me,"

"Wait what why,"

"Just come okay," 

We walk at a vigorous pace to the nearest classroom and I shove him in. 

"Ender what is this, and what that in your hand,"

"Read it," I thrust out the letter and grip my forehead as he reads in silence. 

"Oh my God," He turns over the letter to me, shaking. 

"What do I do?" I ask him. He mulls over the question for a while running his hands through his angelic blond hair.

“Infiltration?” He shrugs but it's a valid answer. If we infiltrate the ranks of the Alius we could bring them down from the inside but then….

“Oh my..” Mark gasps in realization. 

“The statue that called you a traitor, what if you're not. What if this is what you’re meant to do. You’d be a hero, that battle eventually leads to us defeating the Alius and freeing Earth,” 

I stand stock-still, me a hero. But no one would know it, I’d be remembered as filth on the underside of our planet's victory. But Mark is looking so hopeful, I could end this war sooner. The children who die tonight who were destined to be my army could be the last tragedy. Yet something nags at my mind, do I give up everything I’ve worked for respect and a good rank or do I give it up for the greater good. When I look into Marks innocent eyes the decision is made for me. 

Hours later and I’m standing outside the school I’ve lived in for the past four years flanked by the creatures I hate most. Their leader Kah Ron Cre buzzes insufferably behind me. He is impatient. In broken English, his vibrating voice hammers into my head like a speaker set to the highest ear bursting volume.

“It is time little one, we invade now,” His fellow Alius buzz excitedly behind him, their stingers dripping with fatal acid. 

I gulp and nod to the leader. His blue-black wasp figure bobs up and down in the air as his troops fly forward with renewed vigour. He pushes me along to the sound of my screaming peers with malice gleaming in his eyes. 

With a last solemn shudder, I sped forward to keep up with him. I can feel the slight bulge of a handheld nuclear grenade in my hand. I may be remembered as a traitor but one thing was for sure. I was going to take down Kah Ron Cre with me and be the silent hero known only to the innocent soul of a dying Mark. But if this would save thousands of children from the same fate I had suffered then anything was worth it.