�The tingling is gone�, he said. �I can actually feel with it. It was completely numb half an hour ago��
�That�s good�, replied David. It was a great relief to know that one of his closest teammates- and friends- would soon be able to fight along side him again. William braced his arms, and stood up on his right foot. He slowly moved the left one down.
�It�s weird� it feels like this isn�t part of me, like I�m moving someone else�s foot.�
He placed more weight on the left foot, and eventually was balanced on both feet. He tried picking up his right foot, but lost his balance.
�Take it easy�, David said with a slight chuckle. �The doctors said you shouldn�t walk for at least a day. And we can�t afford to have you out any extra days.� William cast him a slightly dirty look, as if threatening. He hoisted himself back onto his feet, and tried again. He fell, got back up, and continued trying. He didn�t say anything, but David could see the frustration in his eyes.
A nurse walked in, carrying a data pad. She glanced quickly up at David, then darted her eyes back to her data pad.
�Good morning, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Roxtren. I�m going to be your physical therapist today, my name is Strewer Kyubrekyus.�
�I�m sorry? Didn�t catch the name.� Said William.
�Just call me Kyu,� she added with a slight grin. David stretched, his back popped, and it was obvious that Kyu had heard it.
By now, William was on his seventh attempt. He walked slowly, and began his way to the door. He got to it, and slumped hard against the plastic door. David cast a look of satisfaction at him, and turned back to Kyu.
�Physical therapy? Might I ask as to what we shall be doing?�
�For William, he still needs to practice walking, so he�ll be in our Grav room, where some of the specialists will be teaching him basic movements again. I�m actually more assigned to you, sir.� She blushed slightly, but it quickly faded.
�Well then, shall we be going?� Kyu tapped a symbol on her data pad, and a wheelchair appeared out of a small panel that had opened up above them. It floated down, and rested softly next to William. He opened his mouth to protest, but Kyu insisted that he use the chair.
�It�s only a kilometer to your therapy room, but you need to hold off on the long distance walks. Sit down, please.� William did as he was told, with a slight look of disgust on his face. Kyu took the handles of the chair in her hands, and pushed him gently out the door. David kept up, but every footstep he took vibrated through his spine, making every nerve in his back scream at him. He ignored the pain, and kept moving.
After fifteen minutes, they came to a door near the end of the hallway, and it opened. Inside, strange red shapes seemed to float across the room, and two men in white suits stood there with their hands tucked behind their backs. One walked over to the door, took William�s chair, and led him in. The door closed, and David was left standing next to Kyu.
�As for you,� she said, �follow me.� She led him down another several minutes of walking, but David did not complain. He felt surprised when she led him to a room that looked much like his old barracks.
�There�s a trunk for you there. Inside you�ll find your combat suit and weapons. Equip everything in that trunk, and meet me at the south exit in three minutes. Understood?�
�Ma�am, yes ma�am.� David said. He knew she was a civilian, but she had an incredible sense of authority about her. He entered the room, and the door shut behind him. He opened the trunk, but was surprised to see a set of dark green sweats and combat boots instead of his armor. He stripped down, put on the sweats and boots, and put his clothes into the crate. He brought out the small crate of guns, not having anywhere to hold them on his person.
He walked out the door, and was greeted by the barren lands of Mars and the newly outfitted Kyu. She stood there in full combat uniform, her hair pulled into a tight ponytail. She ordered him to put down the weapons box, and he did as he was told.
�To start, we need to move over to the athletics sector. It�s a short jog.� She was right; it was only about two kilometers to the field. It was a large square of green grass, with athletic equipment, and a circular track that encompassed it. The run there was easy, with the reduced gravity and dense air. But the second he stepped onto the field, he felt like a ton of bricks. His back hurt even more.
�As you may have guessed,� said Kyu, breathing heavily, �We have Actigrav running�. On the field. You weigh the same as you do�. In a one gee environment.�
She led him up to a starting mark on the track, and gave him instructions.
�You will run at a constant speed of about twenty kilometers per hour, until I say otherwise. Mr. Jackson, do you understand?�
�Yes ma�am� replied David.
�Then run.� A stopwatch beeped, and David was off, hurting every step he took.
