Alpha Squad: Boot Camp

Chapter Eight

Chapter EightAfter the morning's announcement, Janine felt more conflicted than she had since the start of this assignment. Her orders were clear, and ordinarily she would have just kept her head down and followed them.

But this was different. She had joined the military to make a difference in her life, to mean something to her country.

And General Stone's orders to sabotage Alpha Squad's success did not seem to help her country, or anyone else. They were rooted in ego, not aimed to serve the greater good.

She had gotten to know her little team a bit over the past two weeks and started to become personally invested in their lives. Of course, she had felt just a bit more deeply for Eric King than the rest of them, something that had made it even more difficult to do her job properly. In fact, letting Alpha Squad fail and leaving all of this behind would actually make things easier for her in that respect, but that was hardly the point.

Even if only half of the recruits were here of their own free will, rather than simply being transferred from other agencies, Janine was certain that deep down they were hoping to make a difference too. You did not join Special Forces—in the case of Bentley—or even the Border Agency, where Cooper had been transferred in from, without a sense of idealism. There were plenty of jobs out there that did not carry the same risks with them that law enforcement or the armed forces did, so it took a special sort of person to sign up for them.

Furthermore, the training and timed exercises they had done so far had shown that each and every one on the team was able and willing to learn and improve. And it was wrong to undermine that. No matter what the general wanted.

Janine thought about this as she found herself moping behind her desk with a cup of mediocre coffee in her hands. She looked up and noticed that Private Callahan was waiting in the doorway, her head c****d to the side as she was looking at her.

"Yes, Private?" Janine asked, folding her hands and straightening her shoulders to appear more confident than she felt.

"Ma'am, I had a thought," Callahan started.

Janine nodded at her to continue.

"What if, rather than leaving the cadets to their own devices tonight, we organize a dinner to celebrate? They've completed Phase One, after all."

Janine stared bleakly at Callahan. Celebrate what exactly? That they were working against all odds with little hope of success, no matter how hard they tried? That the highest-ranking military man in the vicinity had made it his mission to sabotage the team?

"And Ma'am, I know about General Stone," Callahan added in a low voice.

Janine frowned. "What exactly do you think you know, Private?" she demanded.

Callahan averted her gaze. "This is highly irregular," she mumbled.

Janine gestured at her to hurry up and speak already.

"Well, the general and I had worked together before, and he made some remarks when I arrived on base which contradicted our official mission here." She stared down at the floor in front of her. "I had to assume that he assigned you here because you and he were on the same page, which is why I never said anything, until…"

"Well… Then you understand why I'm not keen on celebrating the team just yet." Janine folded her hands and placed them on the desk in front of her.

"I hope you won't mind me saying this, but your heart is in the right place, Ma'am. And I understand how difficult the situation must be for you, but I just wanted you to know that I'm on your side."

"Are you, Callahan? Are you willing to disobey the general's orders for this team? Are you willing to risk your entire career for what was essentially supposed to be a PR stunt to boost some politician's popularity?"

"Respectfully, if you believed that, you wouldn't have thought of ways to help the recruits through the advanced training," Callahan said. "Your idea of accompanying them on their survival exercise goes above and beyond."

Janine sat back and stared at the private. Janine had thought her meek and eager to just keep her head down and follow orders, but this was a different side to her which she'd never seen before. She had only known Private Callahan for only two weeks, but time had a different meaning while on posting.

Janine wanted to take the private's words at face value. She wanted to trust her. Callahan had been the only person Janine had spent any meaningful amount of time with while on base, which she realized colored her perception. But if she could not trust someone, who had already taken the risk of expressing opinions which clashed with General Stone's orders, then who could she trust?

Plus, the situation they found themselves in was already impossible. What was the worst that would happen?

"Why?" Janine asked. "Why risk everything?"

The private shifted her weight from one foot to the other and stared at the ground again. "This might sound naive, but despite everything, I really do think this team could make a difference. The recruits have shown marked improvements over a very short time. With the right leadership and guidance, I believe everyone could end up working very well together."

Private Callahan made a good point. Just the fact that everyone had made it through the first phase of training spoke volumes. Had someone told her on the first day that everyone would make it, she would not have believed it.

Despite their differences and varying attitudes, everyone had really tried to make the best of their situation.

"I'll think about your idea—about a celebration—but now I really must be getting on with preparations for tomorrow's excursion. Dismissed."

The private nodded and saluted Janine before turning around and heading out the door.

Janine sat back again and folded her hands together behind her head and stared at the ceiling. She hadn't lied; she did have a lot of prep work to do, but she also needed to think.

Private Callahan had voiced exactly what Janine had been mulling over ever since the general had informed her about the advanced training. Some people spent their entire military careers doing as they were told without ever questioning a thing or feeling a shred of guilt. Janine had been one of them; but then again, she had never received orders that invited this kind of scrutiny.

The reasoning behind General Stone's orders made sense, for him. He did not appreciate some politician meddling in matters that were none of his concern.

Frankly, neither did Janine. But it didn't have to be that way, did it?

Sure, Alpha Squad had been Oliver Teese's idea, but he was not personally in charge of it; she was.

And although Stone would have put her name forward as a suggestion to lead the task force, he did not have the authority to transfer her out again if she did not do what he wanted. Alpha Squad had been set up by a special mandate approved by parliament. It was the Ministry of Shifter Affairs that governed Alpha Squad, rather than the Ministry of Defence, which oversaw the military.

That made her position here rather unique.

This was a big decision, one which would affect her entire future. But perhaps it was best to look at the basics: her reasons for enlisting in the first place. Perhaps Private Callahan was right. If they pulled together, Alpha Squad could make a difference too, in an area which was completely underserved.

Fine. Janine picked up a blank sheet of paper and a pen and started to write out a To Do list to prepare for the upcoming survival exercise. Thanks to her chat with Callahan, she had all but made up her mind. If the general did not press her, she would keep her intentions under wraps for now until she was certain they really did have a shot at success. It all hinged on how the cadets would do in tomorrow's exercise.

Business as usual, then.

She picked up the receiver.

"Callahan. Please make arrangements for a little trip off base for dinner. It's only fair the recruits get a proper meal in them before what I have planned for the morning. Try ‘The Badger and Snake’ on the outskirts of Brecon."

"Yes Ma'am. I'll let everyone know."

The change would do everyone good. It wasn't just skill and persistence that made a team; morale was important, too. And it wasn't too unusual to do something like this during boot camp. General Stone—if he even came to know about it—would not question it at all.

Now when Janine got back to work, she caught a little smile on her face. She felt lighter somehow. Even the crappy coffee tasted just a bit better.

By five-thirty, Janine had organized her desk, making sure not to leave her training prep lying about the place. Not that she expected anyone to come snoop around while they headed off base, but one could never be too careful.

As she left her office, Callahan was just passing by.

"I told everyone to get ready. They should be out any moment now," Callahan said.

The two women shared a quick look of understanding. "Very good. Is the Land Rover fueled up?" Janine asked.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Sure enough, multiple pairs of footsteps could be heard marching up the hallway. The men were ready.

Janine stepped out the front door, looking down at herself as she did so. Callahan would have told them to come in casuals, but she was still in uniform. Should she have changed?

She shook off the thought. On any other assignment like this, she wouldn't have, so why consider it now? She wasn't trying to impress anyone, was she?

Janine waited with her arms folded in front of herself as the recruits joined her outside.

As everyone assembled in front of the unimpressive looking building, she noticed one glaring absence. Eric.

"Where's your brother?" she asked Adam King.

The bear shrugged. "I'm not sure, Ma'am. He said he was going to go hunt by himself, but he's not back yet."

Oh well. Janine was not sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, she was relieved to not have to deal with him in a more informal setting, but on the other…

"No matter. We're all off duty, so this dinner is not compulsory. We'll get something packed anyway so he doesn't miss out completely."

Adam nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Ready, everyone?" Janine asked.

The group stood at attention. "Yes, Major!"

Janine could barely suppress a smile. They really had come a long way in just two weeks.

She opened the passenger door of the Land Rover and got inside, while Callahan, who had just finished locking the barracks, took a seat behind the wheel. The recruits all got in the back, save for Blackwood, who paused.

"Ma'am, if you don't mind, it's rather crowded in here," he said.

Janine rolled down her window and gave him a questioning look. "I'm afraid this is the only vehicle authorized to pass through the main gates at all hours. Taking your own car is not an option."

"I wasn't planning to take my car…" Blackwood longingly gazed in the direction of the woods near the track that led out of the compound. "If you let me know where everyone's headed, I could squeeze in a little run. I might come across Eric and bring him along with me."

Janine glanced back at the remaining three recruits in the back, then looked at Cadet Blackwood again. "There's a pub just outside the main gates toward Brecon Village which you would have passed on your way here. If you prefer to travel on foot, I don't see the harm."

Blackwood nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Ma'am."

"We'll see you there. Let's go," Janine said.

Callahan turned the key, and the Land Rover's engine roared to life.

The drive passed by fairly quickly; the beautiful views of the surrounding scenery kept Janine entertained throughout. Luckily, it was still light out.

When they reached the pub, Blackwood was already there, waiting by the door, but there was no sign of Eric.

They carried on without him; a couple of rounds of lager followed by a hearty meal more than made up for the lack of decent food on base. The biggest surprise throughout the evening was Bentley. One round down, and he was in his element. The man seemed to have an endless supply of battle stories which kept the group—Callahan and Janine included—fully entertained.

All in all, the night was a big success, much more so than Janine had expected. Still, Janine could not help but feel a hint of melancholy about Eric's absence.