2299 UNPC universal calendar
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"they want us to do what?" Anton asked, looking at Kate quizzically.
"Basically we sit and look pretty while babysitting," She replied, shrugging.
"I mean, at least it's an excuse to get out for a while, '' Sarah said, petting Varg.
"well, okay, though I agree it's a gross misuse of the most experienced trio of augments in the UNPC." Anton said, finding his LSS and dropping his boxers to put it on.
"Hey, it's better than a search and seizure," Kate said, doing the same.
"don't remind me," Anton said, shaking his head.
"So we supervise this event and look pretty for the UNPC, and hand out cards to those who want them?" Sarah asked, pulling hair LSS over her bare torso.
"yup, babysitting highschool kids, sounds marvelous" Kate replied, smiling.
"maybe they'll have food to make it worthwhile?" Anton proposed, knowing this was going to be the longest 3 hours of his life.
They threw on their armor, Varg's too, and climbed aboard Darren's black hawk for the 2 hour ride that awaited.
"You stick out like a sore thumb," C7 said as the three boarded.
"I earned it, and I intend to wear it with pride" A9 replied.
- - -
Landing at the small armory within a major city, and hopping out, they each thanked Darren in turn.
They walked into the large gymnasium-like room, with a stage along the same wall as the main set of four doors to the left.
"You guys sure are early," a soldier in the standard multicam uniform of the US Army said, extending a hand out to A9 who he'd decided was the group's leader.
"good evening" A9 said, B2 and C7 mirroring his courtesy.
"I'm specialist sanders, pleased to meet you" he said, his forehead gleaming with sweat in the humid airflowless room.
"likewise, need help setting anything up?" A9 asked, setting his helmet on a nearby folding white plastic table.
"The local JROTC unit should be here soon, they'll be putting everything up" Sanders said, rubbing a hand over his short jet black hair that perfectly matched his skin tone.
"sounds good, how's your day been?" A9 asked.
"long, longer still that I'm stuck here babysitting highschool students" he replied.
"heard that" A9 replied, one of the main entrance doors opening behind them, and a average height man with weathered skin and a mean demeanor walked in, carrying two rectangular bakery boxes, C7 and B2 walking over to grab the boxes from the man, and setting them on a vacant table near the wall to A9's right.
"Hi, I'm gunnery sergeant Williams, I'm one of the instructors at the local highschool" the man said, extending his hand to the two for a handshake.
A9 walked over. "Good afternoon, need anything moved?" he asked, hoping the man would say "no"
"Yeah actually, it's in the back of my truck," Williams said, leading them outside to his silver pickup truck in the parking lot and dropping the tailgate.
A9 sighed inwardly, but trotted along all the same.
Inside sat a large black pelican case, A9 grabbed the handle, and slid the box to the edge of the truck's tailgate with ease, and pivoted it so C7 could grab the handle on the other side.
"Good lord you guys are strong, it took five men to load that" Williams scoffed, eyes wide.
"Get that a lot" A9 said, lifting the box off of the tailgate, C7 helping him carry the box into the building.
They sat it atop the stage, Williams flipping the clasps to open it, revealing a set of ceremonial rifles modeled after the M1903 Springfield rifle.
"Been a while since I've seen one of these" A9 said, "At least two hundred years"
"Really? How old are you?" Williams asked.
"Two hundred fifty six" A9 replied to an aghast Willaims.
"Wow" he replied simply, A9 nodded again, watching as two high school kids in black shirts bearing unit insignia walked in.
"Ah, the cadets are here" Williams said, walking over, the augments following, Varg as well.
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The two cadets, one male, one female, looked at the trio in awe as their instructor told them what to do.
"They seem to like you guys," The instructor said.
A9 smiled, "how many cadets are supposed to show up to this?"
A9 looked around the room, seeing others that were spilling in, wearing different shirts as per their school's unit.
"About eighty," The instructor replied.
"Cool" A9 nodded again, still looking around.
"You guys just hang out, all of the kids have the bases covered" Williams said, the trio nodding and walking off.
A9 motioned Varg over while taking a drink from his water reservoir.
The trio sat and talked for a while, watching the cadets mill about the room, like a colony of worker ants, moving things around.
"I was never in my school's ROTC program," B2 said. "What about you guys?" she asked.
"Ours didn't have one," A9 replied, shrugging.
"I was actually in mine all four years, it was great" C7 said, turning to look at a cadet that'd walked over.
"Hi" they all said at the same time.
"Who are you guys?" they asked, not at all disrespectfully.
"We're augments" B2 said, crouching down to be at head level with the teenage girl, who appeared to be a freshman.
"What does that mean?" The girl asked.
"It means that we're soldiers with special training and biological enhancements" B2 said, smiling at them.
"Enhancements like what?" the kid asked.
"Things to make us faster, stronger, hear better, things like that" C7 replied.
"Oh that's really cool!" the Girl replied. "How do you be one?" they asked.
"You volunteer," A9 said.
"But you have to be at least seventeen" C7 said, looking at the girl, who stood nearly a foot and a half shorter than her.
"What's your name?" B2 asked.
"Samantha," the teenager replied, nudging closer. "What are your names?"
"I'm Bravo Two, Sarah, that's Charlie Seven, Kate, and that's Alpha Nine, Anton" B2 said, pointing at each of them in turn.
"You're that one that nearly died!" Samantha said, an expression on her face like she had a breakthrough and remembered something she'd thought she'd forgotten. "I heard you got some really cool medal"
"Sure did," A9 replied simply. "But I did get to keep this pretty armor because of it" he smiled.
"Well, I gotta go, talk to you all later," Samantha said, walking away to join her other friends.
"She was nice," B2 commented, standing up and smiling.
"She looks like a freshman," A9 said.
"I'd say the same," C7 added, nodding.
Varg was seated happily as a clam poised near the middle of the trio, observing as he usually did.
The event transpired, having a hotdog and pie eating contest, flex arm hang, and pullup, as well as four man and solo pushup competitions, none of which being of any importance to the augments.
They all stood idly by and supervised the event.
"Hey, who are you guys?" a male cadet, maybe sixteen, wearing a black shirt with the insignia of the US Marine Corps on the left breast.
"We're augments, we're with the UNPC" A9 said.
"What do you guys do?" the boy asked, hands on his hips, looking up to A9 who was about ten inches taller.
"Special operations mostly, but occasionally stuff like this" A9 replied, nodding.
"That's cool, who's that?" the boy asked, pointing at Varg.
"That's Varg" C7 piped up, "he's a gray wolf, and he helps us find explosives and things like that" she said, smiling.
"May I pet them?" the boy asked.
"Sure" B2 said, motioning Varg over with a twitch of her head.
"What's your name?" C7 asked the boy.
"Jason," he replied. "Nice to meet you"
"Likewise" A9 replied.
"Well Jason, how old are you?" B2 asked.
"Sixteen" he replied, scratching Vargb behind the ears gently.
"Why is your armor purple?" the boy asked.
"Because I earned it, and got the UNPC cross for what I did" A9 said without a hint of annoyance in his tone, but instead an "I did what I did" attitude as he looked at Jason.
"oh , I heard about you, we even watched the drone footage in class as part of a case study," Jason said, smiling. "You're Anton Schultz"
"Now there's a smart cadet," B2 said.
"Good job kid" A9 said, crouching down. "I want you to have a gift" he undid a shin guard, bare shimmery blue metal with a smattering of indents and scrapes across it.
"Here, take it, '' A9 said, holding it out to the boy, whose mouth was agape.
"I don't know how to thank you," Jason said, taking the large piece of armor out of A9's hand.
"Then don't" A9 smiled. "Go ahead, show your friends" he stood up.
"Why'd you do that?" C7 asked.
"I figure a piece of armor for a lifelong impression is a fair trade" A9 said, B2 nodding.
"You know, I'm beginning to think we have a family, just in a different way," A9 said. "Can't you see?" he asked.
"I guess you're right" C7 proposed, looking over at the group of cadets crowded around Jason, looking at the armor piece A9'd given him.
"You two are the best," B2 said, giving the two a side hug as she spoke.
Varg seemed displeased by the public display of affection.
"It's a shame the augments aren't known about more" A9 said, sighing.
"I guess we're just too expensive, being as few and far between as we are," C7 replied.
"Maybe there will be more E series augments, that way we can have one at every highschool in every country that's part of the UNPC." B2 said, shrugging.
"Maybe" A9 replied simply, pulling out a small wad of 550 cord out of an otherwise empty magazine pouch he'd tied into a bone shape for Varg.
"Hey kids" he yelled, "catch" he threw the "bone" in a high arc towards the group.
It was caught by a five and a half or so foot redheaded female cadet wearing a red shirt.
Varg watched it fly, and eventually land in the hands of the female, then snapped his head to A9, who motioned for him to "run along" with a twitch of his head in the general direction of the group.
Varg padded up to the girl in a gentile prancing gait, his claws tapping against the glossy floor of the gymnasium, and sat in front of the girl, staring at the makeshift toy in her hands.
A9 made eye contact with the girl, and motioned for her to throw it.
She did, and Varg ran after it, picked it up, and bounded back over to another cadet.
The process repeated until he'd apparently had his fill of fun, and brought the toy back to A9, who stored it and motioned for him to yet again go over to the eager and awaiting group of cadets.
Varg obliged, padded over, and rolled over for attention, all 105 pounds of him.
The event soon concluded with a meal of lukewarm pizza.
On hearing about the rumored appetite of the augments, the event organizers gave each augment a medium pepperoni pizza.
True to their rumors, the three ate the entirety of their pizzas while sitting with the cadets, and talking about nothing in particular.
Varg was permitted six pieces of pie crust, a notion which he was thankful for, wagging his tail and dancing side to side happily when a piece was presented to him.
A9 didn't remember much of the end of the event, there wasn't anything notable, just that they handed out free unit tee shirts, which B2 ran up and got two of.
Their helicopter landed, notably with a different pilot than Darren, who must've been busy, and the four loaded up, with A9 sitting at the side of the helicopter, feet swinging into open air.
A9 waved goodbye to the cadets who were staring up at them as they departed.
That wasn't so bad