at last!” Clarke said, standing from the chess board. Boris threw up his hands.
“ Captain, I checkmate you in two moves, why you leave?”
Clarke ignored him.
Scott leaned close to Becan as the operatives neared. “Why in the world is everyone up?”
“ The captain said we could stay up to meet the rookies! Tha’s grand, isn’t it?”
It was grand, all right. Especially since Clarke had told him earlier to let the unit sleep. Somehow, Scott wasn’t surprised. After nine, we expect lights out and lips sealed . Understood? His own words replayed in his mind. So much for being taken seriously.
“ Hi,” David said as he extended his hand. Travis did the same. Esther and Maksim offered them dampened smiles.
Becan pulled Scott aside as introductions ensued. “Esther’s a little vixen!”
He immediately gave Becan a look. “Give the girl twenty-four hours before you try to bed her.”
“ Righ’. I’ll start timin’.” He checked his watch.
The crowd parted as Clarke stepped through. “I’m delighted the two of you are here! When we learnt we were due for a demolitionist and a scout, we were ecstatic.”
“ We’re tickled pink, sir,” Esther said.
“ Bloody good to hear a real English accent!” Clarke beamed as the other men groaned. “Please come, and I’ll introduce you to the rest of our crew.” With that, he led the alphas away.
“ He’s kind of small,” Travis said, glancing to Scott.
“ What?” Scott asked.
“ Maksim. The demolitionist.”
“ He’s bigger than anyone else here,” Scott answered. “You don’t have to be a registered giant to be a demolitionist.”
“ Yeah, but still—”
Becan cut in, looking to Travis. “Can you lug a mini-gun?”
“ Well…no—”
“ Then dry up. He’ll do bloody grand.”
“ Anyway,” Scott said, “when were you guys planning on sleeping tonight? Or should I not wake you up tomorrow morning?”
“ Please don’t,” Becan said.
“ I’m serious.”
David chuckled. “Loosen up. We’ll be fine. Clarke already said we didn’t have to get up at six. We can sleep in for once.”
“ You never sleep in.”
“ I know.”
“ Righ’,” said Becan. “Well, I’ll let yis talk abou’ trivial things, like goin’ to bed an’ wakin’ up an’ all. I’m goin’ to show Esther the community showers.” Within seconds, he was on Clarke’s tail, as the captain gave the alphas the tour.
David smiled as he watched Becan go. “So what do you think? About the rookies?”
Scott slid his hands in his pockets. “It’s too early to think anything yet. They haven’t even unpacked.”
“ You working them hard tomorrow?”
“ Actually, we’re swimming tomorrow.”
Jayden’s eyes shot wide open. “Are you serious?”
“ Yes, I’m serious. Now stop whining all the time.”
“ Sweet!”
“ You working them hard Wednesday ?” David asked.
Scott laughed and shook his head. “Actually, Wednesday I’m running some passing drills.”
“ So basically, they’re getting the easiest military transition in history.”
“ Right.” And right David was. On their first day with Charlie Squad, Tacker had pulled a mission drill. “They’ll be fine. This place will show its face soon enough.” Something was going to be their reality check. The food, the weather, the Nightmen…something. No one got off at Novosibirsk unscathed.
Scott glanced across the room and saw Becan. Unbelievable. He really was showing Esther the showers.
“ Thank you,” Galina said from Scott’s side. “For letting me come today.”
“ Thank you for coming, Galina.” He loved that about the epsilon medic. She was always doing her best. Always willing to do more. “But I think this is the part where I leave.”
She smiled. “You are going to bed?”
“ Yeah. My work here is done.”
She sighed and turned to Becan. “Then I will drag him away from Esther and gather everyone for sleep. Or they will all drown tomorrow from
“ Captain, I checkmate you in two moves, why you leave?”
Clarke ignored him.
Scott leaned close to Becan as the operatives neared. “Why in the world is everyone up?”
“ The captain said we could stay up to meet the rookies! Tha’s grand, isn’t it?”
It was grand, all right. Especially since Clarke had told him earlier to let the unit sleep. Somehow, Scott wasn’t surprised. After nine, we expect lights out and lips sealed . Understood? His own words replayed in his mind. So much for being taken seriously.
“ Hi,” David said as he extended his hand. Travis did the same. Esther and Maksim offered them dampened smiles.
Becan pulled Scott aside as introductions ensued. “Esther’s a little vixen!”
He immediately gave Becan a look. “Give the girl twenty-four hours before you try to bed her.”
“ Righ’. I’ll start timin’.” He checked his watch.
The crowd parted as Clarke stepped through. “I’m delighted the two of you are here! When we learnt we were due for a demolitionist and a scout, we were ecstatic.”
“ We’re tickled pink, sir,” Esther said.
“ Bloody good to hear a real English accent!” Clarke beamed as the other men groaned. “Please come, and I’ll introduce you to the rest of our crew.” With that, he led the alphas away.
“ He’s kind of small,” Travis said, glancing to Scott.
“ What?” Scott asked.
“ Maksim. The demolitionist.”
“ He’s bigger than anyone else here,” Scott answered. “You don’t have to be a registered giant to be a demolitionist.”
“ Yeah, but still—”
Becan cut in, looking to Travis. “Can you lug a mini-gun?”
“ Well…no—”
“ Then dry up. He’ll do bloody grand.”
“ Anyway,” Scott said, “when were you guys planning on sleeping tonight? Or should I not wake you up tomorrow morning?”
“ Please don’t,” Becan said.
“ I’m serious.”
David chuckled. “Loosen up. We’ll be fine. Clarke already said we didn’t have to get up at six. We can sleep in for once.”
“ You never sleep in.”
“ I know.”
“ Righ’,” said Becan. “Well, I’ll let yis talk abou’ trivial things, like goin’ to bed an’ wakin’ up an’ all. I’m goin’ to show Esther the community showers.” Within seconds, he was on Clarke’s tail, as the captain gave the alphas the tour.
David smiled as he watched Becan go. “So what do you think? About the rookies?”
Scott slid his hands in his pockets. “It’s too early to think anything yet. They haven’t even unpacked.”
“ You working them hard tomorrow?”
“ Actually, we’re swimming tomorrow.”
Jayden’s eyes shot wide open. “Are you serious?”
“ Yes, I’m serious. Now stop whining all the time.”
“ Sweet!”
“ You working them hard Wednesday ?” David asked.
Scott laughed and shook his head. “Actually, Wednesday I’m running some passing drills.”
“ So basically, they’re getting the easiest military transition in history.”
“ Right.” And right David was. On their first day with Charlie Squad, Tacker had pulled a mission drill. “They’ll be fine. This place will show its face soon enough.” Something was going to be their reality check. The food, the weather, the Nightmen…something. No one got off at Novosibirsk unscathed.
Scott glanced across the room and saw Becan. Unbelievable. He really was showing Esther the showers.
“ Thank you,” Galina said from Scott’s side. “For letting me come today.”
“ Thank you for coming, Galina.” He loved that about the epsilon medic. She was always doing her best. Always willing to do more. “But I think this is the part where I leave.”
She smiled. “You are going to bed?”
“ Yeah. My work here is done.”
She sighed and turned to Becan. “Then I will drag him away from Esther and gather everyone for sleep. Or they will all drown tomorrow from
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