Then, when she did notice their scents, she wasn’t alarmed or concerned. Just some of the guys, needing to use the toilets, same as Tracy. Going in pairs was normal for them, for the same reason. No one wanted to leave their rifle behind or bring it inside the Porta-Potty. Rules were rules. They reached the area, stopped in front of one of the Porta-Potty’s and Tracy handed her rifle to Missy and went inside. Tracy had a fresh tampon that Missy had provided and would be busy for a minute or so.
Missy’s senses suddenly all went on the alert. Somehow, although she wasn’t sure if it was their scents or their movements that had alarmed her, she was certain these guys were not military. And, they had no business being on academy grounds. Her first thought was that protecting their rifles was no longer merely a training exercise. And, she didn’t want Tracy to come out. It was better if she locked herself inside the Porta-Potty. Since the guys were still several paces away, she quietly alerted Tracy.
Missy whispered, just loud enough for Tracy to hear her. “Tracy, open the door and take our rifles. Quick! There are four guys out here from outside the academy. Intruders. Hurry!”
Tracy didn’t question her but opened the door, even though she wasn’t dressed and was mostly exposed from the waist down. Missy’s voice had convinced her to act quickly. When Missy handed her both rifles, she grabbed them with one hand and then closed and locked the door with the other hand. She trusted Missy and would wait there, in spite of how difficult that was.
Missy spun around and moved forward, away from the Porta-Potty and toward the approaching men. It was not very bright out, with only a partial moon and a slight haze that prevented the stars from shining through all that much. This was definitely an advantage for her. Various scenarios were racing through her mind as she considered the situation. She did not want to risk any adverse consequences that might affect her being at West Point. Obviously, Changing to her cat form was not an option.
Although it was dark, the guys all saw Missy approaching them. Alone. They figured they’d grab her first and then look for her friend. They fanned out just slightly as they continued moving forward. It was obvious she had spotted them, since she continued walking right up until only a few feet away. They weren’t sure which girl they were dealing with as both looked similar in height and had short dark hair. Then Missy spoke to them and identified herself.
“I’m New Cadet McCrae. Are you assholes looking for me or are you just lost out here?” Missy had decided it was too much of a coincidence for them to have merely wandered in. She suspected King and Quigby might be trying to mess with her because of the marksmanship competition. This was their last chance to get her and she’d been hearing plenty of warnings. She hoped they’d confirm this and, sure enough, they did.
“We know all about you, Missy. We’ve been reading all sorts of interesting articles about you and studying your photos. We’ve decided we want to get up close and personal. Really get to know you. What do you say?” This was spoken by the big guy, second in from the right.
Missy had been checking each of them for weapons. She noted two were carrying large flashlights, but otherwise nothing obvious. Now she said, “If you’ve been studying all about me, then where’s the rest of the group? You can’t possibly expect to subdue me with only these three bozos. Seriously?”
Her words had the desired effect and one of the bozos decided to make a grab for her. She spun and met him with a solid kick to his jaw, faster than any of the others could even react. Now there were only two bozos, since the guy she’d just kicked dropped like a stone, out cold.
The three remaining guys finally reacted and all came charging right at her. They’d played football and tried to tackle her, as though she were the opposing team’s quarterback. One went low and two went high. But, Missy went back three steps and then darted to the left, just beyond any of their grasping fingers. The guy who had dived low was now flat on the ground but the other two made quick adjustments and came after her. She dropped and placed one hand on the ground, which she used to pivot herself with as she brought both legs forward and connected solidly with one of these guys. The other went stumbling past, missing her once again.
The guy she’d kicked tried to grab her as he went down on his knees but Missy was very, very fast. She wanted to end this as quickly as possible. First she jumped up and away and then she smashed her right elbow down and connected with the side of his head. That set him up for a quick rabbit punch and she hit his carotid artery with one of her knuckles. Two guys now out cold.
The guy who’d landed on the ground after diving at her and the big guy who’d done all the talking so far were still there. They were both up and coming at her once again. They wanted to grapple. Missy didn’t. Their flailing arms again came up empty as she cartwheeled herself out of reach, off to one side. Then she rushed one of them, surprising him with a series of kidney punches that sent him to his knees. She smashed one of her knees up and broke his nose. He didn’t actually pass out but he dropped and was no longer interested in grabbing her.
Three bozos down. She looked at the last guy standing who was also the one who’d spoken to her. She assumed he was their leader. He had stopped and was now just standing there. She smiled at him and said, “Is this close enough for you? Personal enough? Do you know me well enough yet?”
He said, “Oh, fuck! He said you were a real badass. Shit.” He looked around at his three friends and back at her. “Look, enough already. We don’t want to get in trouble. You’re way more than we bargained for, lady. Sorry! Damn!”
Missy looked at the guy with the broken nose, who was now slowly standing back up. She said, “You guys even know where you are? I can’t just let you wander back out of here. Sorry, but I’m not getting criticized for not reporting this. You want to make this easy or hard?”
“What’s easy?”
“Easy is you grab your two friends still out cold there and wake them up. Then, I’m getting my friend up there to join us and we’re all going to walk down there, where you’re going to give yourselves up.” Missy looked back and forth at the two of them. “You won’t say anything about knowing me and targeting me. You won’t say Martin King sent you in here. You’ll claim you were all drinking earlier and just thought it would be fun to spy on the student soldier boys. And, the student soldier girls. Especially them. You were hoping to get lucky with some soldier girls. But, that didn’t happen.”
Tracy walked up, having heard Missy explaining things in a calm voice, so she’d figured things were now under control. She handed Missy her rifle.
Missy said, “If you’re wondering what hard might be, let me explain that too. If you try to say that I was your target or discuss King sending you after me? If you don’t treat this whole affair as simply the four of you all being incredibly stupid? I’ll find you. If you don’t treat this as merely a whim? Wandering in here like this? I’ll find you.”
“Okay, okay. I get it. We want easy. Fuck! He told me you were a freak. We shoulda listened. Fuck!”
“I didn’t finish easy yet. The rest of easy is you assholes did all this damage fighting amongst yourselves. We did not fight. And, we do not know you. Us girls found you stumbling around in here, after you’d finally sobered up. Can you handle all that? Can your bozos handle that?” Missy was now putting some real iron in her voice and she let just a little of her cat energy make her eyes begin to sparkle. The glow was apparent in the dark and both guys backed away from her. She added, “Don’t make me come find you.”
She and Tracy went off to the side to review everything while the guys worked at rousing their two friends, still out cold. Tracy asked, “Are you sure this is best, Missy?”
Missy said, “I think so. My big worry is our Honor Code. The part about not tolerating those who lie, cheat or steal. If it comes out that I knew King sent these guys in here to mess with me and didn’t turn him in? What do you think? We can still insist these guys sing a different tune if you’d rather go down that whole roa
d.” Missy didn’t want to pressure Tracy or make her feel compromised in any way.
Tracy considered things for a little while, turning various alternatives over in her mind. Finally, she said, “I guess there’s not much risk these guys will name King or admit to targeting you. If all they say is this was a prank, after a night of crazy carousing, they’ll surely end up without any criminal charges, right? But, if they admit to anything else, things get a lot more serious for them. Even without you scaring the shit out of them the way you just did.” She laughed. “You really should see how your eyes look, Missy. You know, when you get all pissed off and everything? Wow!”
It was long after two in the morning before Missy and Tracy finally crawled back inside their tent. But, they’d pulled it off, extricating themselves from what could have been a lot more complicated. Their story was simple. Tracy had to pee and after that, they noticed these guys wandering up. They’d reported them immediately, of course. And, the guys were all acting very apologetic. What had sounded like fun, back in the bar, had not been such a good idea by the time they’d wandered up to where the girls found them. No harm, no foul, right?
Since the academy was not keen about stories getting around concerning intruders, the four guys were quickly whisked out of the training area with a minimum or commotion. After being escorted to a local police station, outside of West Point, there was the taking of names and statements and so forth. But, at the end, no criminal charges were filed and the guys were all allowed to leave, with the threat of charges later being filed should any of them step out of line and come back anywhere near West Point or its students ever again.
Morning came and Missy and Tracy went on about their business. Tracy admitted she’d not been able to fall back asleep but Missy had managed. She had all those places in her mind that she’d trained herself to go to. Over the past few years she’d become very capable of controlling herself and could block out extreme pain, if needed. For her, it was all part of the melding she’d done, bringing her two natures together so she was one person, in either form. If her body needed rest and sleep? She’d focus on making that happen and within minutes, she could be off in dreamland.
A few short hours later, she was glad she’d grabbed that little bit of rest, as she now really needed to be sharp and at her best. She’d been selected to compete with the other experts in her class for the marksmanship award. Top shot. This was what she’d bragged about doing. Now she needed to step up and earn this. Time to win.
They would all be tasked with shooting from the four basic positions, and would be presented with several targets each at ranges of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 meters. These targets would pop up in various groups but, after several seconds, any targets not hit would then drop back down. Thus, of course, their time was very limited. Whoever hit the most targets once the shooting was over would be declared top shot.
Missy was convinced she had the advantage because of her speed. No one could move as fast as she could. She was able to quickly tune into her own sweet spot for each position and could then fire round after round at a rate that was not humanly possible. With precision accuracy. So, she was confident. Even so, she still had to actually do it. There were always things that could change, things that might mess things up for her.
But, she had already dealt with the guys that King had sent to mess her up. She was comfortable with how that had turned out and so was Tracy, her Honor Code expert. They’d done nothing wrong and really had no proof that King had done anything wrong either. While she may have had enough to suspect King, which of course she did, she didn’t think anyone could claim she had enough evidence to really bring charges up against him before any board. She and Tracy did not believe they were required to report things they only suspected but could not prove.
And, for the competition firing, Missy’s superhuman speed did indeed make the difference. When all the smoke had cleared, and the last round had been fired, she was the top shot. She’d won by a clear, decisive margin, hitting every target. This was a dozen more targets than anyone else. Being best in the whole regiment was indeed a big honor. And, of course, she had helped her squad.
Her squad, her platoon, her entire company. Cadet Winslow made a bit deal about it and declared a free period that night for everyone in the company. It was only a three hour period, but coming just when they all got back to the barracks, finished with the three day field exercise they’d all been through, it was a very welcome event. Spirits were definitely soaring, as there now were only a few more days remaining. The end of Beast Training was less than a week away. And, Acceptance Day would follow a few days after that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aug 2018
The encampment out at Camp Buckner for their final field training exercise was where it all had come together. The squads had all trained hard for various tasks involving patrolling, convoys, land navigation and dealing with obstacles of all shapes and sizes. They’d worked as individuals and then as squad members. They’d charged through the bayonet assault course and had rappelled down steep cliffs out at the mountaineering site. They’d gone on marches and on runs, mile after mile. They’d thrown live grenades and fired their weapons. So, this final exercise, based on actual conditions they might experience in a Middle East theater, had been met with great enthusiasm.
There’d been several days of again working their ass off, again in miserable heat and humidity, but this time there were goals in sight. Each person was all in. One hundred percent. All ten members in each squad had bonded with one another in ways they’d never have dreamed possible. No prior experience even came close compared to how they now played “The Game”, more excited and motivated than ever before.
The squads had all competed against one another for this final “Beast Challenge” and Missy’s squad had performed the best in their whole company. They’d really been determined to do well and their teamwork and creativity in problem solving, combined with all the physical skills and mental abilities from each member, had definitely earned them top honors.
And, that last day, as they marched back twelve miles, they were jubilant. They’d learned more about themselves and about life in their six and a half weeks of Beast Training than during the entire eighteen or so years leading up to it. Beast Training was over. They were going to graduate and become Cadets, no longer being referred to as New Cadets. Now they’d be full-fledged members of the United States Corps of Cadets.
They’d also be reorganizing, getting assigned to new squads. Once again, the upperclass leaders would change. Missy was looking forward to no longer having Cadet King watching every bite she ate during her meals. He’d been very distant, clearly avoiding her since she’d won top shot. So had his buddy, Cadet Quigby. She knew they’d probably be looking to mess with her sometime later, but for now, she’d clearly won the day and had put them in their place.
As Missy marched back with her squad, she thought about each one of them. How much they’d all grown and all the changes each of them had made. Tracy was much more comfortable being with guys and, although she probably didn’t realize it yet, even more attractive. Her confidence, now that her earlier hang-ups were not affecting how she interacted with everyone, was indeed making a difference.
Perhaps the most dramatic change, however, was in Gary. His whole appearance had changed. He now was physically fit, no longer soft or pudgy, and his self confidence had given him a whole new personality. He’d not only been able to keep up with the rest of his squad but had now made several contributions which the others had clearly appreciated. He’d done well in marksmanship, missing expert by only a few targets. As he’d seen his dream of becoming an officer appear more and more realistic, he’d become more and more relaxed. And happy about life.
Gary had never been one to gripe and had often been the one everyone else would go to, whenever they wanted to complain. Gary’s standard response had always been, “Tell me about it!” Then, he’d smile and he’d listen. He was e
asy to talk to and Missy had noticed more and more of her classmates all sharing their frustrations with him. Even Kelly. Gary had often been one of the guys stopping by their room at night and, lately, she’d noticed how Kelly would step outside into the hallway and somehow end up in one-on-one conversations with Gary.
Poor Kelly! Missy knew she really had struggled with her temptation to have sex but had accepted the advice she and Tracy had given her. The real low point for her had been just a few days after that conversation and after Kelly had then explained to Jeremy Hanson, the guy who’d propositioned her, that regretfully she was going to pass on his wonderful offer. Apparently, New Cadet Irene Hwang -- also Asian, which was probably not a coincidence -- had been quite happy to step up in her place. Or, as Kelly lamented, to lie down.
Kelly was hardly a woman scorned but her constant references to “that slut Hwang” had finally made even Kelly start to laugh. So, she’d gotten over all that. And, she’d managed to keep going and somehow had gotten to the end of Beast Training without getting into any trouble, resigned to no sex other than her solo sessions, which she wouldn’t discuss at all with her roommates. Missy would have noticed right away by Kelly’s scent if there had been anyone else.
-----
“Tracy, look at her eyes, will you? I’ve seen her get those yellow and gold specs before, but never like this! Missy, you’re amazing, you know that, right?” Kelly and Tracy had stopped at Missy’s new room on their way to breakfast formation. Missy had waited for them, letting her new roommates go on ahead.
Tracy giggled and said, “She’s in lust mode, Kelly. She can’t help it when that happens. How far away is Mike now, Missy?”
“About forty eight miles, in that direction, and he arrived there maybe twelve hours ago. It’s been driving me crazy all night, feeling him this close.” Kelly figured this was just Missy knowing which hotel Mike was at. Tracy, of course, knew Missy really was able to feel exactly where Mike was and how far away he was. Today was Acceptance Day and everyone was pretty excited. Missy hadn’t realized she’d let her eyes show how filled with energy she was so she tamped down some of her cat, hoping to keep things under better control.
Missy Goes to West Point Page 22
