Wings of Death

Boot camp

Captain Elijah’s convoy returned to the base safe and sound before the break of dawn. The survivors in the camp greeted them all with loud cheers. None of them had gone to sleep. They all waited for the heroes to return. The happiness among the survivors was overwhelming when they saw the three civilians walk out of the car. Their families greeted them with hugs and kisses. The mission had gone exactly as they had planned. A doctor inspected the man they had rescued from the cave and he was soon admitted to the hospital for treatment. The Captain felt that he had finally redeemed himself. Major Morris patted him on his back and congratulated him.

Nathan and his friends were glad to see them all back in one piece. They had been worried about the soldiers since the last mission had not ended too well for one of them. Nathan felt confident that with the help of Captain Elijah and his men they could finally take the fight to the Bloodwings. He announced his willingness to enlist in the army with a fiery determination in his eyes. Alex and Joshua followed his example and stepped forward. The Captain didn’t want to endanger their lives but Lieutenant Amy assured him that they could handle themselves quite well on the field.

“I think we need young men to step forward. You know you were just 21 when you had joined the army Elijah”, said Major Morris with a broad smile on his face.

Captain Elijah stared at them long and hard and then announced, “I want you guys to train with us from tomorrow. Get some sleep. The training starts at 8 AM sharp”

Nathan and his friends shouted “Hooray” and they gave each other an energetic fist bump. They were overjoyed to be included in the team.  Nathan had been waiting for this moment ever since he had entered Fort Barton. He could finally prove his worth and do something to fight the monsters that had pushed humanity to the brink of extinction.

The next morning Captain Elijah himself woke up the boys. Nathan had never been an early riser but he could not disappoint him on the first day of training. Nathan rubbed the sleep off his dreamy eyes and splashed some cold water on his face. Alex and Joshua had already woken up and were changing into their sweatshirts and track pants. It was a cold and misty morning. Nathan remembered what he had said last night but couldn’t pluck the laziness from his body. The Captain noticed Nathan strutting around the room with sleepy eyes and felt sorry for the boy.

“Before we begin training, let’s get something to eat. Meet me at the canteen. You have 10 minutes to get ready”.

Alex and Joshua told Nathan to hurry up and went outside. Nathan just could not open his eyes properly no matter how hard he tried. He kept yawning and scratching his head. Fighting the aliens is easier than waking up early in the morning, he thought. After rolling in the bed for five more minutes he somehow forced himself to get up and change into his tracksuit.

When Nathan entered the canteen, Alex and Joshua were already seated at the table and Captain Elijah was waiting near the door. He thought the Captain was going to scold him and lowered his head in fear.

Instead of rebuking him for being late, Captain Elijah walked up to him and handed him a cup of steaming hot coffee, “Drink this. It will help you stay awake”.

Nathan was surprised by this and nervously took the cup from his hands. He apologized for being late and sat down at the breakfast table with Joshua and Alex. The Captain and his men had already had their breakfasts. Viper Squad was at the shooting range and the rest of the soldiers were exercising at the campgrounds. Alex and Joshua had a couple of cheese sandwiches for breakfast while Nathan ordered a chicken burger.

“You three need to change your eating habits if you want to be a part of my team”, laughed the Captain.

After finishing their breakfast they all headed to the training ground. Captain Elijah started them off with some warm up exercises and then asked them to complete one lap around the ground. Alex was the first to finish the lap and Joshua was a close second. Nathan barely managed to make it back to the starting point. He was sweating profusely and gasping for air.

“That will be all for today. Dismissed” cried the Captain.

Captain Elijah realized that while Nathan did not lack intent, his fitness level was not up to the mark. If Nathan truly wished to join them he needed to be disciplined and fit. He had never been fond of outdoor activities and barely exercised on the weekends. Nathan had always been more comfortable inside the house than outside. He could play a video game for 8 hours straight but could not run for more than a 100 metres at once. He needed to combine the mind of a gamer with the body of an athlete to fight the Bloodwings and save humanity. It was a trial by fire for Nathan but he was determined to improve himself.

Nathan had a peculiar way of thinking. Even now, he compared his current situation to that of a new character in a video game. I need to level up and increase my stats, he said to himself. For him life was quite similar to a video game. People start off as weak and ignorant but gradually they acquire experience and transform themselves into a better version of themselves through hard work. He felt like a protagonist in a video game who was trying very hard to improve his skills in order to take on a strong enemy. All he needed was determination and perseverance. 

Margaret had heard about Nathan’s first day of training from Lieutenant Amy and felt bad for him. She excused herself and went straight to him. She knew that he needed her to be there for him.