Juncture 3.3

It had been a tough month of training, and I was incredibly happy with the results. I had noticeable muscle definition where there was only skin and bones before, and I could run long distances. Avice would have me run through the fields until I couldn’t see the door, and then back, and I could do it. It hadn’t ceased to amaze me yet.

It was late at night, and I was lounging on my bed, above the covers, only wearing pajama pants. I was watching Black Panther (I was going through all of the Marvel Movies, having finished Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, all of the 2-D Disney movies, and a whole bunch of solo movies) when I heard a knock and my door opened. The movie paused itself.

Derry walked in. I was suddenly all too aware that I wasn’t wearing a shirt, and I could feel a blush spreading up to my cheeks. She had also apparently been woken up in the middle of the night, since she was wearing what I assumed were the equivalent of pajamas for her – a tank top and harem pants. Her eyes were bleary and she was carrying a tablet with her.

“Hey, Marc, message for you,” she said, then yawned loudly, half-heartedly covering her mouth with her free hand. With her other hand, she held out the tablet for me to read. I took it from her hand, and tapped on the screen with my forefinger. It lit up and displayed the message.

The text was too small. I couldn’t make out the separate letters. I could actually feel all of the blood in my body rushing up into my face.

“I – I can’t read it, could you do it for me?” I stammered out quietly. She looked at me, her eyes half-lidded, and we both stayed motionless for several seconds, her just looking at me with an expression of fatigue, and me holding out the offending tablet with the useless words on them. She took it from me, and scanned the message.

“Private Antony,” she read, adopting a monotone voice that I’m not certain she was aware of, “you have been selected to join Major General Siegfried on a recruitment mission. Please be aware that there may be danger involved. You will join Major General Siegfried at his office tomorrow at 0730 sharp. You will find appropriate clothing outside of your quarters. Good luck.” She swiped it and the screen turned off.

“It’s signed by Dierdre, so it’s an official document. You’ve got your first assignment,” she grinned, “You’re gonna do great!”

I grinned wanly. I didn’t know if I was ready to go out on a mission, but apparently Dierdre Eckton, the woman who – as far as I could tell – ran the entire OST, thought that I was. I hadn’t met her personally, but I’d heard a lot about her.

“Yay,” I said weakly, “I should probably try to get some sleep then.”

Derry nodded, “Yep, you probably should. Goodnight then!” She flipped the tablet under her arm, and walked out. The door shut behind her.

Black Panther had continued to play during our conversation, and I had lost my place. It took a quiet “off” from me, and the screen shut down, turning black and plunging the entire room into darkness. I laid back, and my head hit the pillow with a soft thump.

My first mission was tomorrow. I had no idea what this was going to entail. Well, I could guess based on what training I had gone through that there was a definite threat of violence, but aside from that I didn’t have a clue.

I stared up at the blank ceiling, my eyes open but not registering anything in the pitch-darkness. I fell asleep after ten minutes.

…

I woke up to an alarm, which was normal. It was emanating from the monitor, a loud klaxon. It was how I was woken for training each morning, only today I wouldn’t be going to Avice. I lifted my head up and saw that there was a small puddle of dried drool where my mouth had been. It was gross. I wiped my mouth off and bounced off of the bed.

As I walked to the door I felt a small ball of anxiety form in the pit of my stomach. I opened the door and saw that yes, there was a field uniform hanging off of the handle. I took it inside.

The uniform consisted of a t-shirt, a leather jacket, jeans, and boots. As I put them on, I noticed that all of them were slightly thicker than normal, and had a weird texture that I assumed was some sort of armor. When I had finished dressing, I went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror.

I looked like a greaser. With a thought, I turned on the faucet and wet my hair, then combed it back. It had gotten longer since I arrived at the OST, and it was heavy enough to stay in the form of a pompadour.

I pointed both of my fingers at the mirror, winked, and clicked my teeth. I looked ridiculous. It was fantastic. I brushed my teeth, and left my room.

Several minutes later, I arrived at Major General Siegfried’s office. I lifted my hand to knock and the door opened. Siegfried was there, and he grabbed the hand I had extended and shook it.

“Nice to see you again Marc,” he said, trying to keep a straight face as he looked at what I was wearing.

He was wearing a black suit and trilby, and couldn’t have looked more like a Mafioso if he tried, which I assumed was his intention. He had trimmed down his wild beard into a thick chinstrap, and was wearing sunglasses.

“Ready to go?” he asked. The ball of anxiety in my stomach grew a little bit, but I nodded in affirmation anyway.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”



“Then come in, and we’ll go.” He let go of my hand and we went into his office.