ONE

 

From her position beneath the shadowy construct, she waited. She flexed and relaxed her muscles to avoid cramping as her prey wandered the open quadrangle in front of her. He was abnormally tall, with muscles in abundance but she’d given the assault plenty of consideration and was confident she had come up with the best and most efficient way to fell him. The key element was surprise. She was fast and his reaction time, though quick for his size, paled in comparison to hers. She knew the ambush would be a success.

 

Shifting her weight silently to her back foot, she waited until the big man turned, his roving brown eyes searching for any hint of danger. The inch thick stripe of orange hair that ran down the centre of his head, from his brow to the nape of his neck had grown and she noted it would need cutting soon. He had become lazy since his arrival, a possible side effect of his never being challenged. Today was going to make him see that complacency did not belong in their world.

 

Inhaling a measured amount of air as he finally turned his back, the young woman who stalked him emerged silently from her shadowy haven and sped quickly towards him before anyone could alert him to her appearance. Her foot lashed out suddenly, kicking him in the back of the knee, the unexpected impact causing his knee to buckle. As he struggled to maintain his balance, she leapt onto his back and wrapped a strong arm around his neck, restricting his airways as her long legs knotted around his body to hold on.

 

He struggled for a lot longer than she had thought he would. The thickness of the muscle surrounding his neck caused the process to take more time than she had expected but she did not yield. Tightening her grip, she remained perched on his back as he thrashed to get her off. He tried everything, crushing her against walls, gripping her arm and trying to pry himself free, he even tried to pull her dark hair but the slick bun she wore made that difficult. In his attempts, his fingers had only succeeded in freeing a few of the shorter strands as they searched for a hold. He tried to flick her up and over his head, to toss her aside but the strength in her legs as she held him eliminated the possibility and eventually, his legendary power began to abandon him to the cool calm of unconsciousness.

 

As he weakened, his body slowly falling to the ground, she disengaged her legs. The last thing she wanted was find herself pinned beneath the dead weight of the gigantic man. She had used up most of her own strength just to bring him down and didn’t fancy trying to move him after. When he was on his knees in front of her, she felt the last of his fight leave and as he started to fall forward she released him. Kneeling at his side, she reached out and opened one of his eyelids. His irises had rolled back and she was greeted by only the smallest crescent of brown. She heaved a sigh of relief. He was down. She didn’t know how long it would last but she wasn’t going to hang around to find out. There was a flag to capture.

 

Her training had started little more than a month ago and she’d not spent much time getting to know her unit. Not for any real reason other than she wanted to improve her own physical performance before she allowed herself the distraction. In scenarios such as this one, not having developed affection for them increased her willingness to neutralize them.

 

On quick feet, she roamed the makeshift town of shipping containers and half walls, searching for her prize. She knew they would have secured a location on high ground, to give them a better view of the incoming enemy, and she knew there would be at least three guarding the flag; basic tactical training. If they were smart, one or two of the guards would be concealed but she didn’t bank on their intelligence.

 

Glancing around, her green eyes searching the deep afternoon shadows, she saw no potential threat and briefly closed her eyes, extending her other senses. Noises came from the east; voices and a cracking sound caused by the hot breeze as it caught the flag, making the canvass slap against itself.

She nodded in satisfaction and opened her eyes as she formulated her plan. In the heat, she deduced it was highly unlikely any of the guards would look directly into the sunlight which gave her one avenue of attack; from the west with the sun directly behind her. She waited.

In the distance, she could hear others from her team try to take the prize, some by force of numbers, others by stealth. As the siren had not sounded to call an end to the game, she knew they had been unsuccessful. By her calculations, there could be no more than three members of her team left in the field. The day wore on and she waited.

 

When the sun reached the perfect height to conceal her approach, she made her move. Skirting around the obstacles, she came across two members of the opposite team whom she felled before they were fully aware of her presence. She moved in silence, her boots treading so lightly in the sandy dirt she barely left a mark. Climbing to the top of the shipping container that held the flag was easy. The harsh winds had corroded the metal giving her ample foot and hand holds to hasten her ascent. Peeking over the top, she was greeted by the backs of three young soldiers standing guard over the heart of their team, a red flag.

 

Lightly pulling herself over the side, she quickly rushed toward them and two were down, falling to the ground as she pushed them over the edge. She could hear the breath explode from their lungs as they impacted with the solid earth but she didn’t let it distract her from the third guard who was scrambling to defend against her attack. Her final opponent fell and she seized the flag.

 

The groan of defeat could barely be heard above the wail of the siren as she jumped to the ground and walked past the injured members of her platoon that had been her enemies throughout the game. Without so much as a word, she handed the flag to the Staff Sergeant and awaited muster.

 

The bedraggled group she had left in the field slowly fell in around her and when everyone had gathered, they were called to attention.

 

Colonel Montgomery Gunn, a tall, robust looking man emerged from the watch station that overlooked the field and he approached them. His left leg had a slight gimp to it as he walked slowly across the yard towards the recruits. His face, with his chiseled jaw and broad brow looked authoritarian but his blue eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint that brought a boyish quality to otherwise weathered features. His squashed nose had been broken many times and his lumpy ears showed evidence of a past spent in the boxing ring but he had a generally calm nature and he was well respected among the recruits and officers alike.

 

At either side of him strode two younger men. One lean, blonde and stealthy, like a cougar in both nature and physicality, he had bright blue eyes, closely cropped hair and an open face. The other was a little taller, a little less lean and a lot less stealthy, as dark of hair, eyes and nature as any she had seen before. Opposite sides of a coin, a cougar and a moose, the hunter and hunted, they were the captains responsible for their education, MacAulay and Baker, MacAulay being the fairer of both in appearance and nature.

 

Surveying them all in the agonizing process designed to enhance discipline, as there was no other reason for it, the young platoon patiently awaited instruction. A gust of wind sprung up, whipping dirt through their ranks, causing each of them to squint to prevent it from entering their eyes. With her vision impaired, Bryony’s other senses compensated and she heard the sound of a motorcade approaching.

 

‘Still the man knows nothing of punctuality.’ She heard the Colonel mutter and wondered who he was talking about.

 

‘Or subtlety,’ Captain MacAulay contributed and she could hear the smile in his words.

 

The ground winds died down as the cavalcade of cars pulled to a halt on the dirt road near where the platoon rallied just inside the cyclone fence that surrounded the military base. As if by some act of wizardry, the sun disappeared into a particularly thick plume of haze.

 

Frowning slightly when the engines were turned off, she realized that the land had plunged into silence. Even the insects made no noise, a sign she took to be foreboding. Several doors opened and many uniformed people exited but her eyes were drawn to one man. As soon as her gaze settled upon him, he turned, his piercing blue eyes, visible even from her position twelve feet away, bore holes through her and her heart quickened in fear as she sensed a predator.

His square jaw was cleanly shaved hardening his unyielding face. He stood erect, despite the gray in his hair that was quickly concealed beneath his hat upon his emergence from the vehicle. His forehead gave way too quickly to his hairline, making him look all the more primitive and fierce and he seemed a lot taller than he was, his self aggrandizing posture making up for what he lacked in height—but there was something about him… a cast around the eyes that made her think of coyote; the trickster. This man spent a lot of time manipulating people’s perceptions to suit his needs.

 

‘Nice of you to join us, Major Stratford,’ said the Colonel bristling slightly as he received a half hearted salute. While he was a fair man, Gunn was tough. He expected respect and most people gave it to him immediately.

 

The wars had afforded him a reputation that they all knew to be well earned. He was a tough old boot, and when cornered he could become quite dangerous, somewhat akin to the badger Bryony had likened him to the first time she had been in his presence. They had studied his deeds in class. Some of his actions were among the most defining moments in the history of the war. In his early days, he infiltrated many enemy strong holds—back when the war was against terrorism, not the entire world—and many times, when the missions went awry, it was his more animalistic qualities that got him and his comrades out alive. He had been awarded more medals than any living soldier and was one of the most decorated Army Rangers in history.

 

‘Colonel,’ was the Major’s reply as he turned his attention to the platoon that stood in front of him. ‘Are these the newest?’

 

‘One month today,’ said the Colonel, his tone filled with pride.

 

The Major stalked their lines, stopping on occasion to closer inspect one of the troops. ‘I suppose they meet muster.’

 

Flicking her eyes to the fair captain, she saw his disapproval of the Major’s behavior. The Colonel was the ranking officer and this new man carried on as if he were in charge. She couldn’t help the feeling of annoyance that was building inside her.

 

‘Who’s this one?’ he asked settling himself in front of her.

 

‘Private Bryony Anderson, Major,’ MacAulay said, stepping forward, ‘The winner of today’s exercise.’

 

‘Anderson is it? Sole winner?’ asked the Major raising an eyebrow. ‘Finally given up on promoting teamwork, Captain?’

 

MacAulay did not rise to the baiting; it was the Colonel who interjected on his behalf. ‘If you’re done with the inspection, Major, we have much to discuss.’ He didn’t wait for the Major to argue. ‘Dis-missed!’ He raised his voice so the thirty men and women gathered in front of him could hear the order and they disbursed, headed for the mess hall.

...