Higher Calling: 1

 Yes, this is my new series. Higher Calling, set in Singapore. Take note, the narrator is a female, first-person narrator. I will try to sound like a girl.

Somebody comment on this, please. Any girls reading this, please tell me if the dialogue sounds authentic =.= So I don't sound cliche...

Start.
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"Oi, girl, you late already!, 7am leh!"

"Mom, it's the holidays, there's no school."

"Oh? Sorry, I forgot."

"Yeah, I know, I forget things too."

Giggle, giggle, laugh, laugh. Pretty much how the first day of holidays after the O levels were over began. I suppose there were better things to do than laze around in bed.

Breakfast, as always, was an interesting affair. Mom was a good cook. So was Dad, but he was always "not free" or "too tired" to make our morning meal. Today, the omelette sitting in front of me looked so good I finished it before even asking what it was.

"It's omelette with chicken liver and cheese. I thought you'd like it. It's something I found on the Net."

"Eww! Gross! Mooom!"

Turned out Mom was just kidding.

Mom was a short, slim woman, quickly approaching 40 years old. She was always smiling. I can't remember her getting mad to the point of shouting at the top of her lungs before. Her auburn hair complemented her hazel eyes and rosy cheeks, and she could easily pass for someone 5 years younger based on her complexion. I guess the good looks had passed through the generations. Photos of Ahma in her younger days showed a striking resemblance to Mom. And so did I

My friends were always teasing me about some guy or another because of my looks. Like, "Eh, Mei, that Jonathan always look at you like you so hot. *giggle*" My well-developed... chest and... er... bottom were often the target of  the stares of "coloured wolves". I never liked those guys in class. Can you imagine how creepy it was to have guys stare and stare and STARE at you until you can feel their eyes boring into the back of your head? I'm not the kind of girl who wears short skirts and tiny shorts to school. Seriously, I'm not like that. It's creepy to have guys stare at you.

I'm Siew Mei. My surname is --

"*boing* *boing* Woof! Woof!"

That was Boxer. The little dog broke me out of my reverie. Cute little thing. He was golden-brown and the best dog I'd ever seen. I'd had him since he was a puppy. He always wanted either Mom or me to walk him. So I obliged. I put him on a leash, and prepared to go downstairs. We lived in an HDB flat, a 5-room apartment, me, Mom, Dad and Boxer.

Then, Boxer stopped dead. He refused to take another step towards the door. Then, all of a sudden, he started to bark. His eyes opened wide, wider than I'd ever seen them. He seemed furious at something. Without warning, he strained at his leash and lunged towards the door. His eyes bulged and I could see flecks of foam forming at his mouth.

He suddenly started to whimper. From furious to terrified, within a minute. The doorbell rang.

Boxer must have had a reason for his behaviour. He had never done this before. His usual response to strangers was to bark good-naturedly at them. He made a useless guard dog, but a really good pet. There must have been something outside which spooked him. I'd read that dogs had a sixth sense, which explained all their strange behaviour before some disaster came. Like an earthquake or a tsunami.

Cautiously, I placed my eye to the peephole.

I didn't know what to expect. I expected some sort of horrifying thing. Something covered in blood, with body parts missing, straight from a horror movie. What I saw was a delivery boy.

"Hi, package for Siew Mei, surname --"

"That's me."

He had a package for me. I signed the receipt, and he left in as normal a fashion as anyone could. I brought in the package. Boxer seemed okay now. He wasn't barking, and he wasn't whimpering either. I opened the package.

There was a letter, and a book inside.

The letter was from the "Higher Calling Institute". It read,

"Dear Madam,

We are the Higher Calling Institute, a college which is due to open next year, 2012. We cordially invite you to join us.

We are impressed with your stellar performance at school, both academically and in extracurricular activities. See the attached record for details. Therefore, in view of your record, we invite you to join the Higher Calling family, regardless of your O level results. We believe that you have the capability to perform well regardless of your O level results.

Thus, we welcome you into our open arms.

Our school is run by Dr Gabriel Jon, PhD in Education Science. He is a highly qualified educator who has run private schools since the 1990s in Europe, America and Japan, under the Higher Calling Central school network. The campus in Singapore is the latest expansion. 

The Higher Calling Institute appeals to your desire to learn, to grow, from school, and not just to study for studying's sake, but to improve yourself and make a name for yourself. Furthermore, we pride ourselves on our liberal approach to schooling. There is no dress code for the Higher Calling Institute. You will not need to purchase a uniform either. Our students are encouraged to ask questions and question authority within reasonable bounds, and our friendly teachers are always on hand to guide and aid you in your work. For the duration of two years that you will be with us, you will be staying in our own boarding school. This is part of our efforts to equip you for the real world by fostering independence, and the boarding programme is compulsory.

We offer a university-style lecture and tutorial system, in order to prepare you for a prestigious Diploma equivalent to a Polytechnic Diploma, recognised as such in Singapore. Students can apply to the Higher Calling Institute Central University in Britain with this Diploma, or to any local university. Scholarships to overseas universities are also offered by Higher Calling Central, with the hope of improving our students, even when they choose to leave us.

As the Singapore campus is a new development, only selected students will enter the Higher Calling Institute for the first and second years. Your school fees will be waived for the full two years you are with us.

The Higher Calling Institute welcomes you to join the family.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Gabriel Jon"

I was amazed. Higher Calling Central had established itself over the past 20 years, and the schools it opened had a large number of students going to elite universities such as Harvard. My own Singapore Girls School had sent me to a Higher Calling Institute branch in Britain last year, and the students were amazingly friendly and polite despite the liberal education system there. Nobody stared at my bottom or my chest.

And now Higher Calling Institute was opening a campus right here. 

The book was a compilation of the history of Higher Calling Central's school network. It wasn't particularly interesting, but it would at least make a good book for show.I found a notice under the book which I hadn't noticed. There was going to be an open house for us tomorrow. We would be able to see our new campus. How exciting!

I called my best friend to tell her the news.

"Hello? This is Elizabeth Chu, who is that?"

"Hi, Liz, it's me, Mei!"

"Hey, Mei, how are you?"

"Oh my god, this is so exciting. Do you know the Higher Calling Institute? They're opening a Singapore campus, and they sent a letter inviting me!"

"OMG!"

I placed the receiver a little way from my ear to block out the squeals.

"Did you receive a letter too, Liz?"

"No. Grats, Mei, you got in!"

She sounded a little disappointed.

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End, for now. Please comment.

Destruction's Aftermath: 7

"We are approaching the drop zone."

The pilot was nervous. The cargo he and his wingmates carried was very precious. He was supposed to drop them on the outside of what was known as the "Dead Zone", or Position 1, near the entrance to a tunnel network which led under the city.

A whole team of Secret Provision for Enforcement, Assault and Reconnaisance (SPEAR) troops were on their way, with four squads of Armorian Marines for backup. The flight of 5 VTOL-4 Albatrosses were just out of triple-A range. The guns had an estimated acquiring range of 5 klicks, and fired homing projectiles at anything in the air. 2 M-4 Pigeon ground-attack aircraft had already been destroyed. M-22s wouldn't stand a chance.

"LZ IS HOT! I REPEAT, LZ IS HOT!"

"I'm on it."

The ground near the LZ was covered in entrenched Erans. They had dug in facing the LZ, but they were surprised at the VTOLs.  Most of the Erans opened up with their EN-4 assault pistols or EN-8 assault rifles, while others rushed to cover them with energy shields. The Erans seemed poorly armed for air defense. It was as if they expected something to come up out of the ground. There were no rockets or plasma launchers. Not even Deathrays, the famous solar-powered portable anti-armour guns they were famous for using. Only pistols and rifles.

"Fire at will."

Pod rockets streaked forth from the Albatrosses, slamming through Eran shields and flesh. The 12.7mm autocannon on the front took care of the rest.

"Packages free."

The drop containers holding the Marines and SPEAR team dropped down and opened.

A lone man stepped forth, SPEAR troops behind him.

"Knife One to mission control. Objective achieved."

"Mission control to Knife One. New Objective: Destroy the triple-A guns defending the city. We're going to call in a nuclear strike to eliminate the bioweapons threat. SWORD has not agreed, and their agents have been authorised to use force to stop this mission. Neutralise all SWORD agents in your way."

"Knife Onel. Isn't SWORD on our side?"

"Mission control. You've fought SWORD agents before, and they've fought us. Don't question orders."

"Knife One. Roger that. Over and out."

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Glossary/Explanation:

SWORD: The Special Warfare Operations and Research Department (SWORD) was originally an Armorian Land Forces division for the development of new types of Mage warfare. They focused on enhancing natural Mage abilities in troops instead of having to rely on Mages. They were separated from the Land Forces and soon formed their own combat divisions consisting of augmented troops with increased strength and agility. They had also created the first artificial Mages, Fireteam Alpha, who were lost in an ambush at Position 1. As the sole controller of all Mages in the Armorian Military, they often come into conflict with the Secret Provision for Enforcement, Assault and Reconnaisance (SPEAR) when their interests clash. This "war" is an open secret, and nothing has been done by the Armorian government about it.

SPEAR: The Secret Provision for Enforcement, Assault and Reconnaisance (SPEAR) was originally a covert intelligence agency dedicated to neutralising foreign threats and conducting secret missions in wartime. They later diversified into developing new, cutting-edge technologies which increased troop potential without bodily augmentation, such as enhanced armour and Restorative Serum, which uses pure energy to heal wounded troops. SPEAR forces are non-Mage. Formerly a division of the Armorian Intelligence Agency, they were separated when the purpose of the Agency was changed to domestic intelligence. Their objectives are often at odds with SWORD, and blood has been spilt several times before during the secret "war" which exists between the two divisions.

Mage: Someone with supernatural abilities. The 4 types of mages are Kinetics (psychic powers beyond reality), Physicals (physical abilities based on reality-altering), Magicals (altering of reality) and Superhumans (all powers within reality).

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