Six-oh-five checked on the material’s cleaning work.
The material had arranged the bed sheets perfectly, not a single crease on the rubber bed linen. There was no dust in the corners and the chairs were neatly arranged at the table. The sanitary saddle had been disassembled, thoroughly cleaned and its chrome instruments polished and shined. Their R-Class-uniforms seemed to be spotless.
“Prepare for inspection.”
The material and six-of-five came to attention. They pulled their bodies to full height and moved their feet apart, entwined their mittened hands with interlocked thumbs behind their heads. They thrust out their chests, sucked in their bellies and clenched their buttocks.
“While you wait, repeat the mantra: The guard is my mother—I obey my masters – I love my uniform – I support my brothers…”
Lights in the room went out and the only input was the chanting of their creed. Zero-Thirty-Four slowly lost the awareness of his surroundings and just let himself slip into the easy trance the mantra provided. After some indefinite time the lights went back on and two instructors in their red-lined R-Class-uniform entered the room. One started to fondle and feel the bodies, closely inspecting them for any imperfections. The other checked the room with a white cloth to see if there was any dirt. Both noted down their observations.
“Family unit at ease.”
The material took a far more relaxed position.
“You have achieved 87 of 100 possible points, this is still good. Congratulations.”
The material smirked.
“You will form a line and move to the games, good luck”
Efficiently the material formed the well rehearsed line, closed their eyes and were let by their big brother into the training cavern.
The tenth day would normally be designated a rest day in the cycle, but not, of course, during the training of new guardsmen. So it was combat league time. Each family unit in training assembled in a large labyrinthine network. The instructors looked down on them from above, striding confidently on the catwalks. The goal was easy. Catch and handcuff your opponents. The last one to remain free wins.