Hiroko Tanaka's Arc

Chapter 1 of 4

Hiroko Tanaka slammed her fist into the training dummy's chest plate. The impact echoed through the empty gym. She wanted to be the best at close-quarters combat, better than anyone on her team. Her pink camo helmet sat on the bench nearby, waiting for the next mission. For now, she practiced her moves alone. The Military Boarding School would change everything. Commander Hayes had approved her request that morning. She and her team would train there for six weeks straight. The facility had everything they needed to master real combat skills. Hiroko grabbed her helmet and headed for the exit. Two days later, she faced the Rotaflex Agility Dummy for the first time. Its foam arms spun without warning, forcing her to duck and weave. She jabbed at the bright cylinder, then followed with an elbow strike. The arms whipped around and caught her shoulder. She grunted and reset her stance. Again. She would get this right. The crawling space waited at the end of the course. The metal tunnel stretched across the training yard, barely wide enough for her shoulders. Hiroko dropped to her stomach and pulled herself forward. In tight spaces like this, her small size became an advantage. She practiced her knife strikes against imaginary enemies in the darkness. This was where she would learn to protect her teammates when missions went wrong. This was where she would become unstoppable.