by LC Morgans
She did as he’d ordered, and ran off to check out her room. C-block wasn’t far from the main buildings of the base, and she was pleased to find it clean and comfortable inside. They each had new combats and a full kit hanging in their closets, plus linen for the beds and toilet rolls in the bathroom. Basics covered, Kyra had almost everything else she needed, and pulled her toothbrush and personal items from her pack. She stashed the clothes she’d bought in Hawaii in a small cubby space designated for their personal items, along with some shells they'd collected from the beach and a photograph of her and Silas a man had taken in exchange for some food and water. They were both smiling so brightly, and Kyra loved how they'd captured such a beautiful moment forever.
Fort Angel’s Commander’s office was a few minutes’ walk away, so she checked her things over one more time, locked the door behind her, and then went across to meet Silas there. He was already inside, chatting to Lt. Psy casually and in such a relaxed way she hoped he might’ve been given some good news, but neither of them said anything when she appeared in the doorway. Kyra stood as tall as she could and saluted.
“Good afternoon, Commander. I was hoping to have a word if possible?” she asked, and he nodded.
“Come on in, Corporal. Sergeant McDermott was just leaving. What can I do for you?”
“Well, sir. We were hoping to talk to you together,” she answered, and his courteous half-smile quickly turned into a full-blown grin.
“Took you long enough,” he said as he indicated for them both to take a seat. She closed the door behind her and followed his instructions, and her heart was beating so hard in her chest she was sure it might explode. Lt. Psy leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. “The two of you have begun a relationship and would like permission to see one another while on my base…”
“Yes, sir,” Silas answered. “And I can assure you we weren’t together before summer leave.”
“Well you were, but not in every way,” Psy corrected him, and she guessed he’d known all along what they were up to. “I allowed it because you weren’t disrespecting this base, the army’s rules, or my orders. Now? You are no longer her Platoon Commander, Silas. You’re free to date one another just as long as you continue to respect this base and the soldiers in it. Do not flaunt your relationship or act like lovesick teenagers, and I certainly don’t want reports of late-night shenanigans keeping your block-mates awake. Is that understood?” Kyra let out the breath she’d had no idea she was holding.
“Thank you so much, Commander. We won’t let you down, I promise,” she replied, and they both stood.
“Thank you, sir. And I meant every word I said before,” Silas added.
“All you two need to do, is continue to impress me, the rest will come in time.” Lt. Psy replied, and took one last look at Kyra. “And you, I asked for a top-five placement and you gave me a number-one spot. I hope you're planning on keeping up the hard work this year?”
“No doubt about it. You have my word.” She meant it, and appreciated his acknowledgement of her hard work the year before. Lt. Psy really was the mentor Silas had told her about, and she could see why he looked up to him so much.
Outside in the corridor, the pair of them beamed and Kyra had to stifle the tiny, girly shriek threatening to burst out of her. Their conversation had gone better than she could’ve imagined, and it was clear to her now that their Commander really did see everything that went on in his base.
“We’ll tell the others in time, but for now let’s just get into our new routines and wait for the perfect moment to come clean to our friends. Some of the guys training you for secondary phase are buddies of mine, so you'll most likely have to put up with a little teasing I’m afraid,” Silas said as he walked her towards the door. “But I’ll tell them to go easy on you.”
“I can take whatever they’ve got, and I guess you're worth the hassle, or else I’ll just finish things,” she teased in response, and he shook his head. They both knew their relationship was worth fighting for, and her words were empty taunts. “What were you talking about before I got there?” Kyra had to ask, and Silas grew instantly serious.
“I told him I thought I was ready to earn my next stripe. I want to be Lieutenant.” She was more proud of him than ever before, and couldn't stop from touching his cheek with her palm for just a second before letting it drop. “It’s not about proving everyone else wrong anymore, Kyra. It’s about proving you right. I want to be the man you believe I can be, and I’m starting by leading a group of secondary soldiers this year instead of primary recruits again.”
Kyra’s eyes widened, she was so pleased for him but at the same time wondered if it would impact on the approval Lt. Psy had just given them. “I’m moving into combat and weapons specialism, so wouldn’t take your geek group anyway. That’s what I assured him of, that I’d never be your instructor again. That way, we’ll never break that rule, and he was happy with that.”
“Phew, I was worried for a second there.” She pushed her glasses up her nose and peered into his deep brown eyes. “And there’s nothing wrong with being a geek. I didn’t see you complaining when I fixed your computer…” Kyra sauntered away before he could respond.
She stepped out into the bright sunshine and felt elated. Everything was falling into place at last, and it felt incredible.
Chapter
Nine
Weeks of grueling physical endurance assessments combined with intense specialty testing meant Kyra was soon lacking in her energetic glow, and even stolen kisses with Silas were getting fewer and farther between. Many of the recruits had hoped secondary training would come a little easier, but it was as hard if not worse than primary in many ways. The units were now fully-fledged members of the army, and were now expected to not only train for their physical duty, but also mentally train for a coveted place in their chosen division.
“If you wanted it to be easy, you should’ve stayed in the Infantry. You chose to be here, you accepted your spot on this next phase. Do not cry and moan, ‘cause this is exactly where you wanted to be. You should be thanking me for making you a better soldier,” Sgt. Parker roared while pacing up and down as his training group was doing push-ups in a freezing cold area of one of the simulated training zones. Kyra was covered from head to toe in an icy, clay-like mud, and she hated every moment of it, but pushed her way through the pain and the discomfort. He was right, and as her body grumbled in response to their harsh workout, she forced her mind to switch off from what her body was doing. She began preparing for her computer science test scheduled for the following morning, planning out algorithms and rehearsing codes she’d learned during her study of their made-up mainframe and its bugs.
After hours spent behind the screens of their state-of-the-art computer suite, she was sure she could tackle anything the assessors threw at her, but wouldn’t take any chances. She’d been alone in the suite many of those times, and could tell there weren’t many looking to join the Intelligence Division this year, but competition was still fierce.
“Check the system, take out the firewall and scope for codes,” she was talking aloud without realizing it, and Sgt. Parker stopped beside her.
“What did you say, Corporal Millan?” he bellowed. “You have time for a conversation during my workouts, do you?”
“No, Commander. I just wanted…” she shouted as loud as she could through her icy lungs while still pushing up and down into the mud. “To thank you.”
“Very well then,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “Everybody stop, but don’t get up. I’d like you to stay exactly where you are. Lie down, get comfortable, and enjoy the cold. I’ll be back in thirty minutes. Anyone who has moved in that time will be on laundry duty, so can enjoy cleaning the muddy combats all afternoon.”
“Yes, Commander,” they all shouted, and each groaned as they settled down on the thick, goopy mud that was so cold it made their teeth chatter.
“Always check for fake conne
ctions in the encryption. Double-check the code against the source.” Kyra carried on reciting her practiced method to herself. In her mind she envisioned the computer sitting in front of her and as many different scenarios as she could, in which a virus had gotten into their system, or the opposite where she was planting a virus in a rebel network.
Boots crunched by her ears in no time at all, and Sgt. Parker congratulated them on their willpower. They were then released, and each of the Corporals welcomed the heat that hit them when they emerged from the arctic simulator. They each basked in it for a few minutes, and she felt like a lizard warming under a lamp.
“Please tell me I won’t have it this hard once I make it into the Medical Division?” Brona asked, pulling Kyra from her thawing haze. She laughed.
“Worse. I’ve got three words… combat medic training,” she replied with a smirk.
“Ugh!” Brona shoved her and wandered off back to her block. Kyra turned away from the heat of the sunshine and started in the direction of her room, when a small cough alerted her to the fact she’d been being watched.
“I’m not sure why, but this whole mud-bath thing you’ve got going on,” Silas said as he approached her with a cheeky grin. “Turns me on.”
“Safe to say I don’t believe a word of it,” she replied dismissively, but grinned. “Please tell me you’re staying?” she asked, and hoped the answer was yes. It felt like so long since they’d had some time together, and she hoped he might at least have enough of a break for a bite to eat or a coffee. No one had asked them outright whether they were seeing each other yet, but they'd been seen spending time together here and there, and knew the questions were coming, however they no longer cared. They weren’t flaunting their relationship, or making anyone feel uncomfortable with public displays of affection. They were simply being friendly in the open, and far more so whenever they could get away with it in what little private time they each had. Lt. Psy seemed happy with their behavior, but Silas’ hectic schedule of combat and weapons training in preparation for his move into the Tactical Division was making it hard. He seemed to love every minute of it, as did she with her computer science training, but it made it hard to maintain a new relationship while they were both so busy.
“I’m here for an entire week, little lady,” he replied, and his grin broadened. “So go take a shower and meet me by our tree. But bring your books, we’re studying.”
Kyra pouted, but was actually glad. He knew she had her exam the following morning, and had clearly planned on not selfishly taking her away from her much-needed study time. She gave him a quick salute and ran the rest of the way to her block, where she threw her muddied combats in the wash and took a blisteringly hot shower. With her wet hair tied back in a braid, and a fresh set of combats on, Kyra then grabbed her laptop and books. She stuffed them in her pack and was out the door moment later. She had a date with a certain Sergeant, and was not going to keep him waiting.
“Tell me, what exactly do you have to study again?” Kyra teased as she watched Silas sprawling out under the warm autumn sunshine like he was about ready for a nap. She, on the other hand, was sat reading through her course materials while running simulations on the laptop her tutors had loaned her for the process of the evaluations. There were no games or fun browsing to be done, it was a simple processor loaded with computer-generated hacks and viruses ready for tackling.
“It might look like I’m not doing much, but I’m actually stripping, cleaning and rebuilding various weapons in my mind. I’m very deep in thought, and hard at work,” he said, folding his hand underneath his head to act like a pillow as he snuggled down lower.
“Any deeper in thought and you’ll be dreaming,” she groaned, and then laughed when he sprung up and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his arms. She wriggled half-heartedly and then gave in. She figured allowing themselves a few minutes of snuggling wouldn’t hurt.
“I knew it!” Brona’s voice chimed from a few yards away, and they both groaned. Kyra didn’t spring up in shock, but instead she rolled over and lay with her head on Silas’ chest, peering up at her smiling friend. “Caught you, I told Jett you were seeing each other, and he wouldn’t believe me,” she added, slumping down on the blanket Silas had procured for them to lie on.
“So it’s true, you two are seeing each other as well?” Kyra asked, and Brona blushed.
“Yeah, just the past few weeks. We were friends first, but lately I think we’ve all grown up a lot. Seems the same with you guys,” she said, and Kyra knew she was fishing for details, so decided now was as good a time as any to finally spill their half-true version of the story.
“We’ve been seeing each other since summer leave. I ended up on the same bus, train and boat as McD heading to Hawaii. We’ve okayed it with Lt. Psy, and he’s fine as long as we don’t make a big deal out of it. So you need to stop yourself going all girly if you see us together,” she told her, and Brona nodded energetically.
“I will, and it’s the same for me and Jett. We’re keeping things under wraps for as long as we can, but things feel good so far,” she replied with a shy smile.
Kyra was happy for her friend, and didn’t mind that she and Silas had finally been caught together. It was in everyone’s best interest to keep things from escalating into becoming the base gossip, and she trusted Brona not to go squealing to anyone who’d listen about their confession. The three of them then chatted for a while, but thankfully she took the hint, and left them to it after a few minutes. They'd taken the first step forward by telling her friend the truth, and as Silas pulled Kyra in close and kissed her temple, she sighed happily.
“It feels good to have everything out in the open,” he told her, and then grabbed one of her books and slid it into her hands. “Now, back to work, geek.” She both giggled and groaned, but did as he’d instructed.
***
Kyra walked into the examination room the next morning, and sat down in front of her chosen computer screen. There were only a handful of other recruits in there with her, but she paid them no attention as she prepped her area and made herself comfortable. After a short while, the screen came to life, and a simulated network appeared on the vibrant display.
Envelopes were then given out, seemingly at random, to each of the trainees. Each was labeled with numbers one-through-five, and left in a neat stack beside her keyboard.
“Welcome to your assessment. You must now attempt to complete all five challenges given to achieve consideration for the Intelligence Division. You will be marked on speed, accuracy, knowledge and skill. Please open your first card and follow the instructions as given,” a computerized voice echoed through the small room, and Kyra grabbed her first card.
Inside were instructions to infiltrate the system on the screen before her, and plant a tracking code. She had to get in and out undetected, and knew exactly how to do it. With her hands flying over the keys and mouse as fast as she could move them, she created a fake digital signature, and breezed through the firewall protecting the simulated server effortlessly. She covered her tracks every step of the way, and completed the first task in no time at all.
Each envelope then contained a harder or more intricate challenge, but she kept her cool and ploughed through every one of them as fast as she could while maintain her accuracy. She hacked systems and took them down, and planted simulated viruses to slowly infiltrate, copy, and then destroy them. Every one was a success, but she didn’t take any of it for granted.
The final task was, of course, the hardest. Kyra had already been sat for hours with no food, drink, rest or a toilet break, but she didn’t care. She’d planned for this, and knew she had to keep her mind sharp and focused, and away from anything her body might be saying she needed right now.
She heard some of the others moaning or cursing at their screens, but blocked them out again. This was it. She had her chance to shine, and wouldn’t waste a single moment of it. Within seconds of reading her card, a system warning fl
ashed on her screen. A simulated rebel was trying to hack into her mainframe and steal official documents. It was her job to stop them as fast as possible, and she quickly began defending each of her networks with a method she’d devised to send potential hackers to the wrong place. She carefully wove a tangled web of decryptions and codes that only she could follow back, and only when every area was covered did she go after the rebel.
She found the hacker, traced it to the source, and then shut down their entire operating system. The intruder was toast, but she still had her interwoven path to follow back, so Kyra then spent a few minutes bringing her system back to its original state. With her hands shaking, she then peered at the screen, eagerly awaiting the verdict. The warning ceased, and the operating system returned to normal. Nothing else happened, and she found herself staring at the screen in readiness for another challenge, but it didn’t come. It was only when she felt a light tap on her shoulder that she tore her tired eyes away, and peered up at the man who’d done it. A mountainous Thrakorian soldier stood peering down at her with a smile, and with a wave of his hand beckoned for her to leave the computer suite. Her aching bones protested when she stretched and stood, but then relief washed over her, and the need to pee suddenly became very apparent.
Kyra looked around, and paled as she realized she was the last one left in the suite. In the build up to her assessment she’d been so sure of herself, but now a wave of nausea caused her mouth to flood, and she gazed up at the huge man waiting patiently by the door.
