When Clancy woke up in the Infirmary, a medic walked in and told him the Commander wanted to speak with him. He got up and pulled on his cardigan, as the base could actually get a bit cold in the spring, before he left through the Infirmary entrance. Like the nurse had said, Commander Sky was waiting for him in the corridor.
    "There you are kid, what's your name again?" Sky asked.
    "It's Clancy."
    "Right, that's it." Sky crossed his arms. "Alright, here's the plan. I'm gonna get a recruit to show you around the base so you don't get lost, sound good?"
    Clancy shrugged. "Sure."
    Sky nodded and looked down the hall. He stopped a passing recruit. "Hey, Cadet, can you show the Yoglabs kid around?"
    The recruit stopped and looked first at Sky, then at Clancy. As their eyes met Clancy felt an odd feeling; like he didn't trust this kid. The recruit's expression remained deadpanned as he looked to Sky again. "Sir, I'd like to suggest you choose someone else." Clancy heard an accent in his voice. What was that, Spanish? Latin maybe? Do people even speak Latin anymore?
    Sky blinked in confusion, then seemed to realize something. "...No. You know what, I think you need this. No, no, you show him around." Sky looked at Clancy. "Clancy, this is Vern. He's our Ambassador from Roma. Vern, this is Clancy Barlow. He's here trying to catch an escapee from Yoglabs."
    "Fascinating." Vern said in a monotoned voice. "Come on, Clanker, let's go." He turned and walked down the hall.
    Clancy ran to catch up, falling in step beside him. "Actually, it's Clancy."
    "I really don't care."
    "Oh... Okay."
    Vern shot him a distasteful glance before looking ahead again. He didn't say anything until they'd climbed a stairwell up to the third floor. "Alright, let's get this overwith and never talk again." He said. He gestured to the rooms on the sides of the corridor. "These are the quarters for the leaders."
    "Um... Leaders of what?" Clancy asked.
    Vern looked at him and sighed. "How much do you know about the base?"
    "Well... It was formed about three hundred years ago by the Farpoint guy, and I think it has... Three divisions?"
    "It had three divisions back then. Now there are five." Vern said. "Sky Army, biggest and most well known. Basically foot soldiers, led by the Commander. Dead Division, led now by General Ty Ellis. They do parkour stuff and if he wanted to, Ellis could take Sky out any day."
    "So... Why doesn't he?" Clancy asked.
    "Well first of all, if Sky dies, he has to take control of the base because Sky doesn't have an apprentice yet. Secondly, they were practically raised together, so I don't see why Ellis would ever actually hurt him."
    "Oh... So... What about the other three divisions?"
    Vern looked ahead and continued explaining as he walked down the hall. "The third is the Star Division. That's the one that is full of scientists and diplomats. I'm a Star Cadet, diplomatic side. We're headed by General Jason Provst." He said. "Then there's the Med Division. They have a lot of Magists with them, that like healing. They basically just serve as the doctors of the army. And lastly, Dual Legion, also known as the Dual Division. So called because it has two leaders: Mitch Hughes and Jerome Aceti. The Dual Legioneers either use long range weapons or axes, and sometimes spears. They're trained to be able to show no emotion and are usually the most elite in the army."
    He opened the door to the stairwell and headed down the the second floor with Clancy at his heels. "This corridor goes in a full circle around the base." Vern explained as they walked down the corridor in the opposite direction. "These are all the recruit's quarters."
    "So what's your room number?" Clancy asked.
    "Forty three." Vern said. "Although I don't see how that matters."
    Clancy shrugged. "Just curious." He look around. "So what happens when the base gets attacked?"
    Vern raised an eyebrow. "We all hide in a panic room and piss ourselves. We're an army, what do you think we do?!"
    Clancy snorted. "Whatever, I was just asking."
    "We fight, genius." Vern said as the entered another stairwell. "And we fight well too."
    "I'll bet." Clancy agreed.
    "The first floor is basically your main hall. All the vital stuff is located here." Vern explained. "The Lab and the Infirmary are right beside each other, and recrently, there's been a doorway made so they're conjoined through the wall. Which is good because there are actually a lot of Lab accidents and also, when the Infirmary is short on medics, they use Cadets as nurses. I mean, we obviously aren't experts, but we can bandage a wound well enough so they won't bleed out before an actual doctor can help them."
    "Yeah, I actually had to take a semester of first aid in Yoglabs." Clancy said. "I can patch a bad wound and do CPR and stuff like that."
    "That's amazing." Vern said sarcastically.
    Clancy rolled his eyes. "I'm beginning to think you don't actually care about anything."
    "Obviously I don't."
    "Brilliant."
    Vern stopped in front of a big archway, gesturing inside. "This is the main training hall here." He said. Clancy walked up to meet him in the arch and blinked. "Oh sorry, I'm allergic to exercise." He said.
    Vern rolled his eyes. "Star Cadets aren't required to do any physical training." He said. "That's just the Dual, Dead, and Sky Divisions. The three that actually do the fighting."
    "Oh good." Clancy said. "So what is all this stuff?"
    "Not really sure, honestly, I've only been in this room two of three times." Vern said.
    "I'll tell you." Clancy looked up in surprise and saw a girl approaching. The first thing he noticed was that she wasn't wearing any shoes. Other than that, she was wearing a white sports bra with a black cardigan over it, and black kaki pants. Her hair was blonde and in a high ponytail, and she had bright green eyes. She was a bit more heavyset than most of the soldiers in the base, but judging by the way she walked, she didn't care at all. "Andromeda Kyrsten, friends call me Andy." She said, holding out a hand.
    Clancy blinked and shook her hand. "Clancy Barlow."
    "Clancy?" She scrunched up her nose distastefully. "Nah, I don't like it. I'm calling you Clanker."
    "Uh..." Clancy stared at her uncertainly. "Sure."
    Andy smiled and turned so she was facing the rest of the hall. "So, this room is enchanted. The weather conditions can be modified, so it can be pouring outside and sunny in here or sunny outside and pouring in here. Don't ask me how it works, it's some magic thing."
    "Magic is just science we don't understand yet." Clancy said, shaking his head. "And even then, I sorta understand it."
    Vern raised an eyebrow. "Explain it then."
    "Well... People like you and I, we're ordinary humans, we have access only to ten percent of our minds. But it's my theory that Magists can access more than ten percent of their brains, and the more powerful the Magist, the more they can access. It's just a theory, but I like making sense of things."
    "Yeah, well, anyways, the training hall has a bunch of stuff for physical training." Andy said. "There's the public archery range, and public parkour course. There's a far more difficult version of each in the east and west wings, which are the Dead and Dual Division HQs. Then there's the boxing rings which are used for sparring, and some other stuff not worth mentioning." She looked at Clancy. "So, you're a new recruit?"
    "No, I'm just here using the base as a place to stay while I'm tracking down an escaped prisoner from Yoglabs." Clancy said. "Once I find her, I'm going home."
    "So you're a scientist?" Andy asked.
    "Robotic scientist, yeah." Clancy replied.
    Andy smirked and looked at Vern. "You gotta show him the lab."
    Vern rolled his eyes. "I was planning on it."
    Andy laughed. "Oh, you're gonna love it."
    "Now you're getting me excited, I wanna see this." Clancy said.
    Vern nodded. "Come on then."
    Clancy waved to Andy as Vern led him down the corridor. "Thanks!"
    Andy just smiled a little and turned to go back to training.
    Vern didn't have to lead him far before they arrived in a room, that didn't look like a lab. It was rectangular, long-wise. It had beds all alongside one another down the way on either side of the room. There were two doors leading into the room, each on the wall that led to the corridor that were on either side of the row of beds. Then there was a door on either side of the short ends of the rectangular room. On the left, it was a simple archway without a door, that led immediately into a different room. Vern walked to the other door. That door led into a big empty room.
     That room had two doors in it. One was closed. Vern pointed at it. "That's Doctor Seto's office. If something happens and somebody's hurt, you run into this room and shout for him, and he'll likely save your life. He's never gotten a flatline from anyone during the time he's been in charge. There were a few when he was learning though. Higgins Kal was one, I think her husband's a Skylord or something, I dunno. Then there was Seto's mentor that he obviously couldn't save." Vern walked to the door that was open.
    This one led immediately to a flight of stairs. After going up, Clancy looked around and found himself in a studio-like room. It was a big room that looked like a place where a yoga class would be held. It had matted floors, with transparent wisps of magic floating around to light the area like the ones in the library. Three tables were on the other side of the room in a row, separated by a japan-ish screen. Magists were practicing their magic all around the mat, while one girl was sitting at the table in the corner of the room, working on a potion by herself.
    Clancy was immediately interested. "Who's that?" He asked.
    Vern followed his gaze. "Oh, I dunno..." He said disinterestedly. "Just some Enchantress. Not very important at all."
    "Hey, don't say that. Everybody's important." Clancy walked over to the girl's table.
    "Not really." Vern said half to himself as he watched Clancy go over to her from where he stood. "Some are more necessary than others."
    Clancy grabbed a chair and sat across from her. "Watcha doin'?" He asked cheerfully.
    She jumped and looked up. She looked around in confusion, surprised he was talking to her. "...Me?"
    "Yes, you." Clancy smiled. "Are you making a potion?"
    "Uh... Yeah, I am." She smiled shyly. "Potion of swiftness. Although... I'm not very good at making potions..."
    "Maybe you just need practice." Clancy said. "You'll get better in time."
    "I hope so..."
    Clancy smiled, cocking his head to one side. "So, what's your name?"
    "Deanna."
    "Deanna...?"
    "Blake. Deanna Blake."
    "That's a nice name." Clancy said. "I'm Clancy Barlow."
    Deanna stared at him. "...You have metal in your soul."
    Clancy blinked. "Okay, that's the creepiest thing I've ever heard."
    "Sorry... I'm kind of a mystery." Deanna sighed. "I'm an Enchantress but I can still use internal magic like a Mage. It doesn't make any sense."
    "Okay, sure, but what do you mean I have metal in my soul?"
    "I can see people's souls. And yours has metal in it."
    "How can you have metal in a soul? Metal is intransigent, a soul is a theory that doesn't really... Exist. Kinda like the equator."
    "It's like..." Deanna hesitated. "Your soul is a sum of your entire being... And so metal must be part of you."
    "Did you mean that in a literal sense?"
    "It's possible."
    "Yeah because I have this thing." Clancy held up his right hand and wiggled his metal fingers around. "Literally have an appendage made of metal. So, I have a feeling you meant that in a literal sense."
    Deanna stared at the arm in shock. "How... How do you have...?"
    "Lost my real one when I was nine." Clancy said. "I didn't like my wooden prosthetic so I build this. I mean, it didn't always look exactly like this, I've been upgrading all the time ever since."
    "You must be a robotics genius to do that!" Deanna exclaimed.
    Clancy laughed. "Oh no, I'm really not. I'm just an ordinary kid, I'm really not very smart at all."
    Vern cleared his throat before Deanna could speak again. "Barlow. If you would be finished, I'd like to be done with the tour so you and I can never see each other again."
    Clancy shot him a glare before looking back at Deanna. "Good luck with your potions, Miss."
    Deanna just smiled and got back to work as Vern led Clancy back down the stairs.
    "You should be more careful man, some of the things you say can hurt people's feelings." Clancy said.
    "Why should I care about people's feelings?" Vern asked.
    "Because people matter!"
    "No they don't. What matters is the people as a whole."
    "What?"
    "For example, humanity, Magea, Ilex. What matters is not hurting the leaders of those species' feelings."
    "Wow." Clancy said. "You are an asshole."
    "I get that a lot." Vern replied. Then he walked through the doorway on the opposite side of the Infirmary and stepped aside for Clancy to get through.
    Clancy stopped in the doorway, and couldn't help but smile.
    It was obvious he was now in the lab.
    Although, it wasn't like Yoglabs. Yoglabs was a quiet place dull of solemn people, and there was no talking allowed in the lab.
    This was very different.
    He saw scientists talking to each other in the middle of the aisle, some laughing, sitting at the back of the room at a round table with cups of coffee. There was music playing from the radio on the counter behind said table, and it wasn't even that slow or something you'd expect to help you concentrate. It was upbeat and fun.
    Clancy smiled at it all, wishing Yoglabs could be as fun as this place.
    "Alright, this is the last place." Vern said. "The Lab. Pretty self explanatory. I'll leave you here."
    Clancy didn't reply as he headed for the door. His eyes locked on a recruits looking quite frustrated with his project. Beside his table was a garbage can, looking like it was full of ice.
    Clancy walked over to him curiously. "What are you making?"
    The Cadet looked up. "Well, I'm trying to make a snow machine... But it's not working."
    Clancy blinked. "...Can I help?"
    The Cadet shrugged. "You can have it. I was just about to throw it out." He sighed and left the lab, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
    Clancy watched him go, then looked at the contraption excitedly. He picked up the basketball-sized hunk of metal and looked over it. "Where the hell is the maintenance hatch?" He muttered to himself. Upon not finding one, he groaned and made his own using a metal cutter that was on the table nearby. He started messing with the wires inside, then stopped and looked around. He ran over to the wall and put on a pair of safety goggles and a lab coat, hanging his own cardigan on the hook. Vern saw him do so and stopped rather curiously, watching him.
    He ran back to the machine and hummed. He pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote down the wires that were wrong, then the wires he needed. He pulled out the wrong wires and ran to a Cadet across the room. "Hey, do you know where I can find some wires?" He asked
    "Uh..." The Cadet was clearly confused by the fact she had no idea who Clancy was. They didn't get many new recruits. "Far right cabinet in the back..."
    Clancy nodded thanks and ran back to the cabinet, pulling out the boxes of sorted wires and grabbing the ones he needed to finish the machine.
    The recruit he'd asked nudged her partner and whispered about him. That Cadet ran to a group across the way and told them about the 'new recruit'. Then they stretched out to the rest of the Lab, and by the time Clancy got back to his lab table, everyone was watching curiously.
    Clancy was oblivious.
    He finally attached a button he found in a drawer on the lab table. "Comical buttons are wonderful." He said. Then he pushed it. There was a horrible grinding sound as the machine turned on and started spitting out large chunks of ice. Clancy yelped and whacked the side of the machine hard. It shuddered and the ice turned to light, gentle snow. Clancy beamed as a lot of it fell all over. Already a small sheet of snow was on the floor of the Lab.
    One of the Cadets laughed. "It's snowing indoors!"
    "What the-"
    "This is so cool!"
    Clancy smiled and crossed his arms, looking around happily, then he noticed Vern holding out a hand, collecting snowflakes. His smile turned to a smirk.
    Vern had pretty much forgotten about Clancy as he was transfixed by the snow. He'd never seen it before. In his hometown, it was always hot, so snow was extremely uncommon. This was a new feeling... And he rather liked it.
    Suddenly, he was hit with a ball of the clumped substance and he was jerked back to reality. He jumped and looked up. Clancy was grinning at him. He'd thrown it. Vern glared at him before turning and leaving, hugging himself gently. Clancy just laughed and suddenly, he was hit by a snowball too. A snowball fight broke out in the Lab, and everyone's inventions were momentarily forgotten as every Cadet collectively and unanimously decided to take a break.
    Meanwhile, General Jason Provst was sitting in his office, which was joined to the Lab by a closed door. He was the leader of the division and loved it, but had exited the actually room because the Commander had showed up.
    Sky was one of his best friends, and he knew him better than most.
    Sky was standing up, bounding a pink tennis ball against the wall of Jason's office while Jason had his feet propped up on his desk, messing around with a Rubix cube. "I'm right. You know I am." He said.
    "Of course I know you're right, you're always right." Sky muttered. "Besides, CV told me the same thing. 'It's far easier to have an apprentice when you're young than when you're too old to chase them around.' I get that talk every time I visit."
    "Then listen!" Jason said.
    "Maybe I'm just not meant to have an apprentice." Sky said. "I mean, the past two just... Didn't work out."
    "Brendan wasn't your fault." Jason sat up straighter. "And Wilson was just not cut out for it, you couldn't have done anything."
    "Well whatever." Sky said. "Either way, I'm just not gonna get an apprentice."
    Jason snorted. "So what are you gonna do, magically become immortal so you will always be Commander and we don't have to worry about you dying at any time? Because if that were possible, no one would complain. They call this the Golden Age for a reason, dude."
    "I don't know!" Sky sighed, pushing his sunglasses onto his head and pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I don't want an apprentice."
    "I guess it'll be fine for now... But if some kid shows promise you gotta take the chance."
    "I know, I know..." Sky jumped as a snowball suddenly hit the door. "What the...?"
    Jason stood and walked to the door, putting on his orange visor as he opened it. He stopped short. "What the hell?!"
    Sky pushed his sunglasses onto his nose as he peered out the door and gasped. The Lab was full of snow.
    "What... I was just in here two minutes ago, who the hell finished the snow machine?!" Jason asked, running in.
    The Cadets all froze, some holding snowballs ready to throw. Then they all pointed at Clancy, who smiled sheepishly. "Er... Hi."
    Jason's eyes narrowed in confusion. "This isn't one of my kids. He doesn't even go here. He doesn't even go here!" He looked at Clancy in shock. "Kid, you fixed the snow machine?"
    "Um..." Clancy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah."
    "How long did it take you?"
    "About... I think like five, ten minutes, I dunno, I kinda zone out a little when I do this." Clancy shrugged.
    "That's incredible!" Jason exclaimed. "I couldn't fix that damn machine!"
    Sky stared at Clancy uncertainly. "Er... Jason... I know where you're going with this..."
     "Shut up Adam, I'm a grown-up now, I can take care of my own kids. C'mere."
    Jason gestured for Clancy to follow him into the hall as Sky snorted. "Yeah, you don't act like a grown-up..." 
     Clancy followed Jason nervously as the Cadets watched without speaking. "As you were." Jason called from the hall. The recruits laughed and stared up their snowball fight again, this time, Sky rolling his eyes and joining in.
     Jason looked at Clancy once they were in the hall. "Kid, how old are you?"
     "...Fifteen."
     "That's not possible."
     "Um... Well... It is though. I was born in 1998. I'm a Pisces. Er... I like long walks on the beach and dogs. I don't actually. I can't swim and I'm allergic to dogs."
     Jason stared at him incredulously.
     "I'm not allergic to peanuts though! Peanuts are good. Ice cream is good too, but ironically only in the winter. Funny, that, I don't quite get-"
     "What are you talking about?!" Jason exclaimed.
     Clancy winced. "Sorry, I ramble when I'm nervous..."
     "Adam told me about you, you're the kid from Yoglabs, aren't you." Jason said. Clancy nodded. "What was your name again? Chris? Carrie?"
     "Clancy."
     "Right, I knew that." Jason shook his hand. "How long are you here for exactly?"
     "I think... Maybe two weeks?" Clancy guessed.
     "Well why don't you work as one of my Cadets while you're here?" Jason suggested. "You could learn some stuff and not be completely bored out of your mind."
    Clancy blinked. "Really?"
    "Well, temporary of course. I know you must be dying to go back home."
    "...Yeah..."
    Jason looked at him in surprise at his uncertain tone, then shook it off. "So? What do you think?"
    Clancy nodded without hesitating. "I'd love to!"
    "Good choice kid." Jason smiled lightly. "Now go have fun. Oh, and we have class every morning from ten till eleven!"
    Clancy nodded understanding and ran back into the Lab to rejoin the snowball fight.