by Chloe Gunter
Doing a quick head count, I realized that we were still waiting on four more people. I definitely needed to improve, but damn it, I was glad I wasn’t last.
“How was the wall for you?” I ask Ash, wondering how she managed to scale that monster.
“Almost impossible. Sanchez flew past me with those gorgeous biceps of hers. Thankfully, one of the guys in the pair behind us gave me a boost to reach the rope,” she said, nodding in the direction of an all-American looking man.
“Wow,” I said, shocked and pleasantly surprised. After all, Carrington did say that we just needed to finish in whichever way we could.
“Hell, he even went and scaled the wall with the rope next to me before he reached down from the top and helped me up. I would have been screwed otherwise.”
The man saw us looking at him and gave us a nod before turning to the finish line, watching as two more made it across.
Scott grasped a stopwatch in his hand, before jotting down some numbers on the paper. Carrington appeared, lightly jogging before conferring with him.
“Gather round,” she called through the bullhorn.
“Two of your class has been cut. Not only did they fail to complete the course, but they gave up completely when it got hard. This is not the type of character we expect from our members,” she informed us.
“Congrats on not getting cut,” Scott said in a rather monotone voice. “Here’s the deal, If you’re able to complete all of these stations and cross the finish line in under five minutes you’re fine, which was only a few of you. The rest of you need to work on your times. We appreciate that everyone isn’t a field agent here, but there is still a certain standard we expect. If you are unable to reach the five minute mark by the end of this term, then you need to decrease this first initial run time by 40%.”
“After I announce your run times, you’ll be dismissed for the evening. You’ll run this course a couple times a week with timed sessions being on Mondays.”
As I listened to the times being called I realized I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to make the cut off.
I dragged myself back to my apartment with dreams of a hot shower and food. Reed took one look at me when I came through the door and started chuckling.
“Let me guess, you did the obstacle course this afternoon?” He gave me a warm smile before turning back to stir whatever he was cooking on the stove.
“Was it the fact that I’m drenched in sweat or the look of hopelessness on my face that gave it away?”
“Oh come on now Char, the first time is always the worst. I’m sure you’ll be able to get the hang of it before long.”
He continued stirring whatever he was cooking and I couldn’t help but look at the subtle shift in his bicep. It reminded me of when he was down on his knees for Ramsey, a frequent scene that now ran through my head whenever I noticed how attractive they were. Focus Charlie, your roommate and his boyfriend are strictly off limits, they’re not even interested in you. Shaking my head, I refocused on what we had been talking about.
“Tell that to the two minutes I have to shave off, oh specimen of male masculinity. And I’m Char now?”
“I want to try it out, I think I’ll keep it. Someone like you definitely deserves a nickname, especially if we’re going to be roommates.” He lifted the spoon he was using to stir out of the pot and offered me a taste. He had made homemade chili and it was delicious, just the right amount of spice. I gave him a big lip smack as I hummed my delight.
“Well aren’t you full of surprises. That’s honestly some of the best chili I have ever had. And the fact that you’re not one of those weirdos who doesn’t use beans,” I teased.
“Why don’t you go get cleaned up and then we can eat together, assuming you don’t have other plans already?”
“Nope, shower, food, and sleep were the only things I wanted tonight. Is Ramsey going to join us?”
“Not tonight, he’s doing some prep work for a seminar he’s teaching tomorrow. Hey, why don’t you join me at the gym in the mornings, if you want? I can help you work on cutting your time.”
“If you’re seriously offering, then I’m accepting. I could definitely use a partner to push me harder. Are you going to be teaching any of my seminars this term?”
“You might not wanna thank me yet, you’ll probably hate me after our workout in the morning. Especially since that will mean two-a-days for you.” He gave me a quick up-down, making a pointed look my haggard appearance before I pushed him playfully.
“As for your other question, you’ll have me later on for hand-to-hand combat. Now go get your ass in the shower so we can eat. We got the new Avengers movie in and I want to watch it while we eat.” He grabbed the hand towel hanging from the stove and quickly snapped it at me as he ushered me out.
The next few days I settled into a comfortable routine. I woke up early to a way too chipper Reed, who then proceeded to mold me into his perfect protégé. Well, at least I think that’s what he was trying to do. He definitely seemed to have some method to his madness. He still tried to keep things light and positive while we worked out, which I appreciated.
When we were done, I dragged myself back to the apartment to shower and guzzle a few cups of coffee before heading to my morning seminars. Even though waking up early wasn’t ideal, I still felt like I was starting the day with a sense of accomplishment and productivity. Maybe Reed would make a convert out of me yet.
I spent my mornings in psychology followed by foreign language with Gavin where we’d trade words back and forth in various tongues. We continued having lunch together, and I felt myself grow more and more invested in Gavin, but there had still been something holding me back.
"There's something on my mind that I've been wanting to ask you," I paused, trying to figure out the right words. "You seem so calm and collected all the time. Plus, you're one of the sweetest and most genuine men I’ve ever met."
"Is there a question in there, Charlie? So far it just sounds like you're flattering me," Gavin teased before picking up another piece of sushi with his chopsticks.
"It's just...I haven't seen even a hint from you that anything troubles you-"
"-And you're worried about what that might mean for the future," Gavin finished for me. "I imagine it’s unsettling if you feel like things are happening almost too easily between us. But the other shoe isn't going to drop, Charlie."
"How can you be so sure? I mean, I feel like I know you, but every now and then, I'm not so sure."
His gaze went dark as he considered how to respond. "I just process things differently. You know my love for cultures and how I've had to go deep undercover before. Those things shape a person, because you become a different person. That’s one thing I’ve never wanted to happen, the one aspect of this job I refuse to give into. At the end of the day, all we have are ourselves, and when it comes down to it, I need to be able to live with who I am. So the things I’ve seen, the things I’ve done...that wasn’t me. That was who I needed to be to get the job done. I don’t focus on those things and I don’t let them eat away at me. I pick the best parts of those experiences, and accept within myself that I can't change what happened, all while focusing on the good I did. At the end of the day, we're each in control of ourselves. Personally, I prefer to see the beauty in things and not look back."
His blatant honesty was everything I wanted out of this conversation. I absorbed his words for a moment while I watched people around the quad. Gavin wasn't soft or naive. He wasn't trying to be anything but himself. In a world like ours, that was an accomplishment in and of itself. This wasn’t an act or a game; this was Gavin. A man who, despite all the things he’d seen, was still a beautiful person inside and out.
It wasn’t his fault I struggled to accept him at face value. In today’s world, he was such a rare person to come across I couldn’t help but naturally doubt his authenticity. But everything I’d seen so far, the regulators on his face, the light in his eyes when he smiled, all poin
ted to one conclusion: Gavin was the real deal.
But now I was curious as to what kinds of things he’d seen. That, however, felt like a story for another day. I smiled at my epiphany. "So what are the best parts of those experiences?" I asked, referring to his earlier comment.
"The culture of course," Gavin said, raising his chopsticks to me. "I mean, these make great nipple clamps, Charlie. I wouldn't know the ends and outs of how to use them or any of my other...colorful experiences if not for my time overseas. I may be kind and considerate, but that doesn't mean I always paint within the lines."
My mouth dropped open at his unexpected words, cheeks heating as I thought about all the things Gavin might have learned over the years.
"I never guessed you'd be a kinkster."
"Is that a complaint?" Gavin challenged with a knowing smile as he clicked his chopsticks in the air at me.
"No, but I think we should get a few pairs of chopsticks to go. You know, for research."
We both laughed at my suggestion, Gavin leaning over to give me a teasing kiss, before we moved onto other topics, tentatively making plans for the weekend.
It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that I saw Ramsey again. My afternoons had been filled with physical endurance conditioning and firearms, but today we had a special long distance weapons training. I’d never really had any practice with long range weapons, rifles like on the obstacle course weren’t even in the same spectrum. Usually I had my desk with countless hours of video footage to pour over, and an interrogation room. I was well versed with my handgun like every other agent, but I preferred to blow off my steam by running. So when Ramsey welcomed us on the training field I was pleasantly surprised to see him.
“Good afternoon everyone, I am Gunnery Sergeant Ramsey and today will be part of your long range weapons seminar. After today, most of you will never pick up a long-range weapon again. For a select few of you showing aptitude, your training will continue in this field. Today you’ll be handling an M40. I’m going to do a quick demonstration on proper handling and positioning before you all will take the range.”
Ramsey was measured in his explanation of the gun and it was obvious that he was well-versed in the weapon. He spoke with an air of authority and a hint of detachment. That coupled with the fact that he was the instructor for this seminar left no doubt in my mind that he was a sniper. I knew he had been in the Marines from Reed, but he never went into detail about how they met other than it was on assignment. Not that I expected him to, the type of work we were in required absolute discretion.
After his explanation he set us up in groups of three, a spotter, a sniper, and someone to help observe both and oversee. After each round we alternated positions so we could get a feel for each one. I was put with the man who had nodded at me and Ash on the field the day before, who introduced himself as Cody, along with a red haired woman named Trisha who I had seen in my foreign language seminars. Cody seemed to be relatively well versed in handling a gun and I’d wager that he was a field operative before coming here.
I started out in the spotter position calling out to Cody with the necessary information. After a minute of seeing how he handled the gun, I started making the necessary adjustments to my calculations, reading the flags that were stationed around the field for direction and approximate speed. Seeing that he tended to pull left, I called out my sights factoring that in. It wasn’t until Cody was all the way through his round that I noticed Ramsey standing behind us watching. When I looked back at him he simply gave us both a nod before continuing on to the next group.
Trisha went next calling out for Cody. While the shots weren’t as accurate as Ramsey’s, they were still pretty close, no doubt from practice he had previously put in. After Cody was done, Trisha took the stand and we both alternated calling out for her. No matter how much I tried to correct her, she couldn’t seem to hit the distance target. She was too inconsistent in her positions to get a lock on the necessary adjustments, coupled with the fact that she seemed to get more frustrated as the round progressed, it was a bad mix. It was clear that she wasn’t cut out for this type of weapon, which there was nothing wrong with. She ended her session with a huff and haphazardly disregarded the equipment, moving to stand behind me and Cody while reaching to grab the binoculars.
“I guess that means you’re up,” Cody said politely while Trisha let out a huff in the background. I knew she was disappointed, but Ramsey did say that this was not suited for the majority.
I assumed the position and Cody started spotting me, calling out directions and speeds. I ended up hitting the target but I was nowhere near as accurate as Cody. Still, I was pretty proud of myself that I managed to do as much since it was my first time picking up an M40. After my lackluster performance on the obstacle course with the rifle, I was pleased to see that keeping an open mind and concentrating seemed to be working. Once I have finished my first round Trisha swapped out with Cody. I could tell after my first two shots that something was going awry.
Using her spotting directions in conjunction with the scope, none of my shots landed on the target. In fact, they were so far off the mark that I wasn’t sure where they went.
“Trisha, I think you’re overestimating the wind speed,” Cody called out from behind us.
“I know what I’m doing, I don’t need you to correct me,” she replied back in a rather dismissive voice. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt but I had seen her spot for Cody and it was nowhere near as off the mark as she was giving me now. I heard a voice with a faint accent speak up, and I knew Ramsey had stepped in.
“Mr. Gellar is correct in his observation Ms. Huntington. It looks like this specialty isn’t the one for you.” He started to walk away but Cody called out to him before he could proceed to the next group.
“Sir, my brother is in the Corps and he told me about your records. Do you think you could give us a demonstration?” Ramsey raised one eyebrow at Cody‘s question before noticing that they had drawn the attention of the rest of the class.
“DeWitt you’re with me. I’ll do one rapid-fire round of the farthest targets, random selection.” He turned to Cody and the rest of the class. “I’m only giving this demonstration so that you’ll know what you’ll be up against in the field. I don’t shoot for fun so don’t expect a repeat performance.”
I stepped up with him to his perch while the rest of the class gathered below with their binoculars. I wasn’t sure why Ramsey had chosen me to spot, but I was grateful for the chance. I looked at the green flag station around the field getting a sense of direction and speed. The targets Ramsey was shooting for were far past the ones that we utilized for the class. They were at varying distances and directions, making them extremely difficult.
Letting out a measured breath, I settled into a zone of absolute focus. If Ramsey picked me to spot, then I sure as hell was going to try to make him proud. That, and maybe I could to stick it to that bitch Trisha. Not that I was passive aggressive or anything, I just hated when women seemed to make it a competition between other woman instead of banding together.
“I’ll fire one calibration shot to the middle target before we start,” Ramsey said softly, breaking me out of my reverie. His voice had gone slightly cold and detached, nothing like how I remembered him from my living room conversation with him and Reed. “From there you have five seconds to hit the button to start the random selection sequence. As they appear, you’ll call them out to me. We have three seconds per target. Ready?” I nodded my head at him and peered through the lens to the middle target.
His shot rang out next to me and landed thirty-seven degrees off of dead center. Hitting the button to signal the sequence, I quickly recalculated the positions calling out directions to him as the targets popped back up and appeared. He quickly fired a shot through all five targets as I called them. It was over before I had a chance to think. He had hit all five targets dead center, like it was nothing. I shuddered thinking of the implications someone like R
amsey could have in the field.
It took a few seconds before the commotion below us started, the rest of the class realizing what he had just done. Probably not wanting to make an even bigger deal out of it, Ramsey released the class with instructions that the agents chosen to continue this training would be receiving a notification on their digital docket within the next few days. I started to make my way to grab my gear before Ramsey stopped me with a firm hand on my shoulder.
“I know for a fact someone with your skills noticed Trisha was trying to sabotage you after the first shot. Why didn’t you correct yourself against her directions?” He looked at me like he was trying to decipher some kind of puzzle.
“I knew she was off, but I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and a chance to try and correct her mistakes. She’s here for a reason, and she had just had a rough go, I was hoping she would let her anger go and try and work with us for the benefit of the whole.”
“I didn’t expect you to be so altruistic, Charlotte. You could have still hit your targets, despite her instructions and you chose not to. I know that for a fact since I deliberately off shot the calibration shot to see if you could make the necessary adjustments, like I suspected you were doing with Mr. Gellar. You did, and you kept up with me. I don’t have a spotter in the field, no sniper worth anything does. It’s a solitary job. The next time something like this happens, and trust me it will, you need to put yourself first and let your skills shine. Otherwise you’ll end up getting cut and sent packing.”
“I understand,” I said softly, before running my hand through my hair and blowing out an exasperated breath. “For one second I just wished that this place would be above all the games. That the people here truly wanted to work together to achieve some good.”
“Everything is a game Charlotte. Until someone has bled for you to prove their loyalty they are nothing more than pawns. Make your choices based upon the facts you know, on the things others don’t want you to see. Get inside their minds, discover their flaws, and exploit their weaknesses. And never, for one second, think that they wouldn’t do the same to you.”
