Chapter 344: Induction - III

The following morning, Mara woke up earlier than usual.

Her shoulders were still aching from yesterday’s assessment, particularly the arm she used to carry the shield. She stretched a little before getting dressed and heading toward the dining area.

When she arrived, the three boys were already sitting at one of the tables.

"Morning, girl," Tomas greeted her.

"Morning."

"How’s your arm?"

"Still hurts. How about yours?"

"Both of them."

Niko was busy eating, while Bram sat beside him, staring at his breakfast.

Mara found that a little unusual.

Bram was usually the loudest among them, especially whenever Tomas started making fun of him. Today, however, he barely spoke.

"What’s wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"You’re awfully quiet."

"Can’t I be quiet for once?"

"That’s new," Niko said between mouthfuls. "You must be up to something, aren’t you?"

"Just eat your food and leave me alone."

Mara smiled and sat down.

They were halfway through breakfast when an announcement came over the dining area’s speakers.

Applicants who had completed their final physical assessments were instructed to report according to their assigned schedules. The first batches would begin their interviews that morning.

"Oh, finally," Tomas said.

"Which batch are we in?" Mara asked.

Niko reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper.

"Third batch. Nine-thirty."

"All four of us?"

"Yeah."

Bram looked up.

"So we’re getting the results today?"

"Probably," Niko replied. "Why else would they call us?"

...

Soon after breakfast, they reached the recruitment building, where several dozen applicants were already gathered near the entrance.

Some were sitting on the benches outside, while others stood around talking. Mara recognized a few faces from their training sessions, including several former soldiers who had performed better than most of the civilian applicants.

Their batch consisted of twenty-four people.

An Army Soldier stood near the entrance with a tablet in his hand, checking the applicants as they arrived.

"Third batch! Those scheduled for nine-thirty, over here!"

The applicants began gathering around him.

The soldier checked their names against the list before directing them inside.

"All right. You’ll be called individually. Until then, find somewhere to sit. If you need to use the restroom, let me know before wandering off."

Bram leaned toward Tomas.

"Isn’t that the guy who made us run around the training grounds?"

Tomas looked at the soldier.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Shit."

The soldier raised his head.

"Something wrong over there?"

"No, sir!"

"Then find a seat."

Bram walked toward the nearest bench. Niko laughed quietly as he followed, while Mara shook her head.

Even after several weeks of training, some things still hadn’t changed.

The soldier returned to his tablet.

"Gareth Meier!"

A middle-aged man stood up and followed another soldier through the doorway.

The rest settled into their seats, waiting for their names to be called.

Mara could only wonder what the officers thought of her performance yesterday.

...

Gareth returned several minutes later, carrying a sheet of paper.

He didn’t look particularly happy or disappointed. Instead, he sat down and began reading through the document.

"How was it?" a woman sitting beside him asked.

"It went fine."

"That’s all?"

"You’ll know more about it when it’s your turn. I can’t say more than that."

The woman laughed.

Mara recognized Gareth from their training sessions. He was one of the former servicemen who had managed to hold his ground longer than most applicants during the sparring exercises.

His movements were more practiced, and he rarely made the mistakes their instructors frequently pointed out.

Even then, it hadn’t prevented him from getting beaten.

Those instructors were quite something.

If someone was bad, they made him look even worse. If someone was better, they simply moved a little faster and reminded him that there was always someone better.

There was practically no way to win against them.

A few minutes later, another applicant was called.

The interviews continued without much delay. Some applicants returned carrying additional documents, while others were directed toward another room farther down the corridor.

At one point, Bram leaned toward Niko.

"How many people are they going to interview?"

"Everyone in our batch, obviously."

"I mean today."

Niko looked at him.

"How would I know?"

"You’re the one holding the schedule."

"It’s our schedule, idiot."

Mara ignored them and watched a woman across the waiting area examining the bandage around her hand.

She looked a little older than the four of them, perhaps in her late twenties.

Mara remembered seeing her during the physical assessments. She hadn’t performed particularly well in close combat, but she was among the few applicants who completed the equipment-handling exercises without receiving many corrections.

The woman noticed Mara looking.

"Little girl, is there something wrong?"

"No. I was just wondering what happened to your hand."

"Oh, this?"

She raised it slightly.

"Pinched it during the equipment assessment. Thought I could finish before the instructor noticed."

"Did you finish it, ma’am?"

"No. The guy noticed."

Mara smiled.

"What did you do before coming here?"

"Maintenance work. Industrial equipment, mostly." The woman lowered her hand. "Never thought I’d end up applying to an army, though."

"Why did you?"

"Same reason as most people, I suppose. Work, food, somewhere safe to live."

She glanced toward the interview rooms.

"Besides, they’re recruiting people with technical experience too. Might as well see what they’re offering."

Before Mara could respond, the soldier supervising their batch called another name.

"Irene Falk! Room one!"

The woman stood.

"Well, that’s me. See you around, kids."

She adjusted her jacket and headed toward the indicated room.

Mara watched her leave.

She hadn’t really thought about the other applicants’ reasons for joining. For Bram, Niko, Tomas, and herself, it was something they had wanted ever since their rescue.

But not everyone here wanted to become a combat soldier.

Some probably didn’t even want to fight.

...

"Mara Ellery!"

She looked up.

"Room three."

"Yes, sir."

Mara stood and followed the corridor toward the indicated door.

Inside, an Army Soldier sat behind a desk with several documents arranged beside a tablet.

"Take a seat."

Mara sat down while the soldier opened her record.

"Your final assessment was completed yesterday. How do you feel?"

"A little sore, sir."

"Any injuries?"

"No, sir."

He checked something on the tablet.

"You’ve improved since your initial evaluation. Your instructor noted that your defensive movements and positioning have become more consistent."

Mara straightened slightly.

"Thank you, sir."

"Though you still have trouble responding when an opponent closes the distance."

"Yes, sir."

"That’s something you’ll need to work on."

Mara nodded.

The soldier continued reviewing her record.

"You were part of the civilian group recovered from that commercial building in Grefort?"

"Yes."

"Four teenagers and four adults?"

"That’s right."

"And the four of you applied together?"

"Yes, sir."

He turned another page.

"Why do you want to join the Golden Eagle Army?"

Mara hesitated.

It was a question she’d answered before, during their initial screening. Back then, she had told the recruitment staff that she wanted to become stronger so she wouldn’t have to depend on someone else to survive.

She still felt that way, but after several weeks of training, she had begun to understand just how much she didn’t know.

"Because I want to be able to help people," she answered.

The soldier waited.

Mara continued.

"When we were trapped in that building, we couldn’t really do anything except defend ourselves and hope someone would come."

She looked down briefly.

"And when your soldiers found us, they managed to get everyone out. I want to be able to do something like that too."

The soldier made a note on his tablet.

"Are you still willing to continue with the recruitment process?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right."

He placed a document on the desk.

"Your assessment is satisfactory. You’re cleared to proceed to the next stage."

Mara looked at the paper.

"So... I passed?"

"This stage, yes. There are still other requirements before you can be accepted."

"Understood, sir."

"Read the instructions and report according to the schedule provided. If you have questions, ask the personnel assigned to your batch."

Mara accepted the document and stood.

"Thank you, sir."

The soldier returned to his tablet.

"Send in the next candidate."

...

When Mara returned to the waiting area, Tomas was the first to notice her.

"Well? How did it go?"

She raised the paper.

"I passed."

"See? I told you."

"You didn’t tell me anything."

"I was going to."

Niko laughed.

Bram leaned forward.

"What did they ask you?"

"Just a few questions. Why I wanted to join, whether I was injured, things like that."

"That’s it? No crazy questions about our personal lives?"

"Why are you so nervous?"

Bram looked toward the interview rooms.

"It’s nothing. Just a gut feeling."

"Bram Haldane!"

All three turned toward the soldier.

"Room two. You’re next."

"It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. I got this."

Bram stood, straightened his jacket, and walked toward the corridor.