Changed and dressed in a set of camouflage uniform given by Ethan, John restlessly stood in line inside a large canteen. He tip-toed, looking over the obstructing bodies blocking his sight with a plate in hand. Laughter and happy chatter meshed together from the mix of service members and employees of First World Trading, but John paid the others little attention. His mouth watered and his eyes hawked down, gleaming with the reflection of the appetizing sights before him.
His stomach howled, desperately wanting but unable to jump out of John’s abdomen and warf down the shimmering buffet of food. John could not recount the last time he’s seen a full meal, let alone be able to choose from the sea of delicious cuisine.
His nose twitched, taking in the fragrant smells coming from the still steaming freshly cooked meals laid out tray after tray. Grabbing a tonsil, he began stacking on the food. But he suddenly stopped from a comment made by his new roommate, Nathan.
“I know it looks good, but trust me. You said you’re going to the first day of boot camp after lunch, right? Don’t eat too much now. Wait till dinner. You’ll regret puking out all the grub you chowed down. Believe me. I know from first-hand experience.”
John stopped packing more to his plate. The tonsils in his hands hovered over some slices of perfectly seared steak, hesitating to add on one more morsel of food. His stomach growled at Nathan for his interference, but John decided to trust his new friendly roommate. John was thankful he and Nathan hit it off so far. His roommate even helped him move most of his belongings from his car into their shared room.
“Ok,” John regretfully said as his shoulders drooped down. He patted his grumbling stomach to appease its furious protesting.
“I know it’s been a while, man. It’s not easy being hungry with all this scrumptious food in front of you. But you’ll thank me later. I’ve also lived in my car too for quite some time before this place so I know how it feels. But that bastard Jay is pure evil. He may fool the ladies with that damnable face of his. But God is fair. He also gave him a twisted personality. Jay’s goal is to make everyone puke at least once during the first week of training.”
John gulped, not daring to put any more food onto his plate, and followed after Nathan to find a seat. Trying to keep up with Nathan’s long strides, John wondered if he and his new roommate were placed together by coincidence. Not everyone on the planet was homeless and living in their cars, but he was somehow placed into a room with someone with a similar past. John did not want to pry, but he didn’t want an awkward silence either so he went with the flow of his roommate’s conversation.
“Why do they allow that guy to run the boot camp if he trains everyone until they puke?”
Nathan gulped down his mouthful before responding, “Well, I can’t lie. The guy’s a dick. But he is good at his job, whether it be training or leading while protecting us Field Workers when out on missions. It’s just that his teaching style is overly excessive, done by forcing everyone through intense training sessions. It’s extremely harsh on the mind and body. Yet, somehow damn effective too. If you can survive it and not give up, that is.”
John looked at Nathan’s twisted face that wanted to dislike Jay but could not. John thought his roommate was pretty level-headed to not simply hate the guy for his antics but also objectively seeing his good points.
John nodded but not clearly understanding the degree of intensity of training as he wharfed down his food. Nathan’s face relaxed and then lit up as he laughed at John’s bulging cheeks that reminded him of chipmunks.
“Easy, man. Chew. You’ll have an endless supply of good food here. It won’t disappear, nor will anyone steal it away. Chewing your food thoroughly will allow it to sit easier in your stomach for later. You still have over forty minutes before your doom and vomit it all back out.”
John frowned at the thought of losing everything he just ate, but he reluctantly nodded, thoroughly chewing, and following Nathan’s suggestion. John didn’t like the sound of a vomiting session, so he tried to eat a bit less despite his protesting stomach.
Time soon passed as the two finished their meals and chit-chatting. Nathan brought John to the receptionist in the lobby area and waved him a temporary goodbye.
“Do what you can. It’s the first day of training. Don’t feel embarrassed when you throw up. Mostly everyone will be in the same boat. See ya at dinnertime, if you still have the appetite that is.”
John unenthusiastically waved back, feeling not so excited for the impending boot camp to come.
“John, correct? I will take you to the training grounds now.”
John turned back to look at the brunette beauty in her clean white blouse, who earlier took his row of applicants to the small rooms for their interview. She smiled and walked out from behind the counter and to the lobby elevator with John following closely behind. The elevator chimed as the door opened, and the two entered inside.
“Since this is your first time here, I will give you a general explanation of the building. We were currently at the ground lobby, but there is the second lobby on the fifth subfloor below ground. After you finish training, that will be your main work location where you receive and take on your missions.”
She pressed the button for the first underground floor while continuing her explanation.
“The training grounds are on the first and second subfloors, with the second subfloor being more for specialized lectures and also comes with a large library of sorts. The first subfloor’s layout is more suitable for practical training and application. Beyond those two, the third subfloor is where you can receive the available free gear for your missions. The fourth floor also provides gear, tools, and miscellaneous items as well. However, the offered items there are unique and will cost you money, but they are far superior to any free basic item provided by the company. The company does also give free vouchers to high-performing employees to be exchanged for items on the fourth floor, so please do work earnestly.”
A vibrant chime rang in the air as the digital floor display read B1, and the metal elevator door pulled open to the side. John followed the receptionist out into a narrow cement corridor, lit by bright lights and only wide enough for the two to walk side by side. They continued forward to a last set of bolted metal doors before the receptionist turned around and looked at John.
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“Any last questions before I head back? This is the entrance to the training grounds. You will be given further instructions once you enter.”
John really did not have any questions he could think of regarding the boot camp, but he did have another unrelated question.
“I don’t think I caught your name. Could you tell me so I can thank you for guiding me here?” John genuinely asked.
The receptionist was momentarily speechless, being caught off guard. But then a radiant smile blossomed across the young lady’s face. She took a closer look at the polite man and his gaunt figure. John wasn’t much to look at, being all skin and bones. But his haggard face did show off his high cheekbones and large stout nose. He would turn heads if he gained some weight and some rest.
“Of course. My apologies, I must have forgotten. My name is Alexa. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I will most likely be around the ground lobby.”
“Thank you, Alexa. I appreciate you showing me here and telling me more about this place.”
“No problem. It is part of my job. I hope to see you around, John.”
“Yes. See you later, Alexa.”
She twirled around, causing her white blouse to spin and flutter in the air. With a skip in her step, she entered and left through the elevator. John smiled, searing the woman’s name and figure into his mind. He noticed a set of stairs to the side but turned around and focused on the door to the training ground.
Turning the doorknob, John tilted his head. A sudden curious thought crossed his mind.
Why are the training grounds underneath the building? Wouldn’t it make sense to have it outside? Or even in a different separate area entirely?
The door opened, and John had no time to wonder any further. John immediately winced. A bright blinding light burst through from the other side of the door while a gentle cool breeze brushed past his face and traveled through his hair. Squinting his eyes as they readjusted to the light, they suddenly widened with shock.
John blinked many times. He could not believe his eyes. He thought they were playing tricks on him, but for certain they were not. Yet, the sight before John should have not been possible.
His jaw dropped at the view of an expansive cerulean sky above a vast sea of rolling greenery. The warm sun beamed down soft light, gleaming off the verdant foliage of endless towering trees that extended into the horizon. The air was unlike the cold and recirculated air in the cement building. A crisp freshness of a pure mountain forest permeated from the surroundings. All of it, somehow underground.
What the heck is going on!? Where is the gray cement building? How is this the training grounds? It’s a whole different world!
John entered, and the door quickly closed shut behind him. He turned back and froze, stunned by seeing the single metal entryway standing by itself in the middle of nowhere. Curious, he went to examine the strange phenomenon. He walked a full circle around the out-of-place door.
He shook his head, unwilling to believe what he was seeing.
How is this possible? Why is the door not connected to anything? Is it some sort of portal?
“ATTEN-TION!”
John nearly jumped out of his skin. He jerked around, turning his body towards the culprit that nearly gave him a heart attack.
“You!”
An unwanted familiar handsome face that John thought he said good riddance to came back and was now smirking at him.
“That is Sergeant Jay to you, boy. I told ya I would be seeing you again, Johnny.”
John frowned.
“Boy? Don’t call me that when we’re practically the same age. And my name is John, not Johnny.”
John knew he did not like the serviceman from his first impressions during their encounter at the checkpoint, and he only further confirmed them now. Even if it was boot camp, First World Trading was not part of the actual military. Ethan was right. The instructor from Hell was going to give him a hard time.
“Don’t like being called ‘boy’ do ya? But that is exactly what you are, boy.”
John narrowed his eyes, and his face scrunched into a ball. “The heck? What are you trying to say, huh?!”
“Need me to spell it out, do you? Obviously, it is because you are not yet a man.”
“Is that supposed to be some kind of joke!? Are you trying to make fun of me? Well, it’s not funny! No one is laughing. I told you we are nearly the same age!”
The sergeant blankly looked at John as he dared to shout back at him.
Another foolish civilian out here to get themselves killed. Headaches, every single one of them.
The sergeant knew most civilians would be a handful and disobedient. Their endless complaints annoyed him to no end while he tried to train and prepare them for the dangers that were to come. All they did was whine. Yet, they would regret it when all was too late as life and death hung in the balance. Although harsh and brutal, the results from the sergeant’s boot camp mattered for survival in the end.
Would whining stop you from being killed? Would it prevent your insides from being gorged out? Would you live to see tomorrow if all you did was complain? Shit, if only it would. Damn civilians. Clueless bunch.
“The truth hurts, huh, Johnny? Well, guess what? You are not just a child but also a damn brat too! Just because you got some hair on your balls does not make you a man! You know nothing about what you are getting into! This isn’t some video game, kid! Boy, you can die! It is my job to ensure you learn how to stay alive. Until you can do that, you will be called ‘boy,’ Johnny boy! Got it!?”
John gritted his teeth, thinking seriously about the words he was just lectured. He wanted to open his mouth to argue and refute, but he had nothing reasonable he could say. It wasn’t that the serviceman did not have a point. In fact, he was absolutely correct, and John knew it.
“Goddammit.” John cursed with a huff.
“Oh? What is this now?” The sergeant narrowed his eyes dangerously. “You swearing at me now, new recruit? Is that how you civilians talk to your superiors? Fucking no respect, but what did I expect from clueless ungrateful fools.”
John’s eyes twitched with anger and yet also guilt. He was angry, no doubt. And maybe it came off as if he was angry at the military man, but the serviceman misinterpreted his actions. “I wasn’t swearing at you. I’m sorry.”
The sergeant glared at John. “Bullshit. Now you trying to lie in front of my face? The nerve! You apologized because you did swear at me, knowing you were wrong!”
John became more frazzled. He really was not trying to swear at the military man. It was more at the situation and himself because he knew the guy was right, even if the asshole’s approach was not the best.
“No! It’s not like that! I swore not at you, well, maybe a little at you, but I swore mainly at myself. I was angry that I was wrong and had to acknowledge your point. You were right; I don’t know what I’m getting into here. Don’t misunderstand. I was mad, yes. But not at you.”
John felt like his entire interaction with the military man was bad and further spiraling down a hole, but John did not want it to end that way. “We started off on the wrong foot. Can we start over?”
“There are no do-overs when you die, boy.”
So that’s a no. Dammit, man. I’m really trying to be civil with you!
“Fine. Then tell me what I have to do. I’ll take on anything you throw at me! I’ll make sure to do it!”
“You want to be a man that bad, huh? Then prove it. Take what I am going to teach you to heart.”
The sergeant smirked. John felt like he fell into a trap.
“You said you will take on anything, right? Then the first thing you learn is some fucking respect, kid! You will address me as sir, sergeant, your honor, or your majesty! Until you grow real balls and become a man like me, you will call me as such. Got it?”
John gritted his teeth. He knew the sergeant was trying to humiliate him, but at least he got two options that were not so cringy.
“Yes, sir.”
“That is more like it, Johnny boy. Remember it. That is your first lesson. Respect is important. You may not truly respect me now, but you are the one in need of help. Even if you are entitled to this training, it does little if we do not do a good job. Respect my training and work hard; you will get the results you need.”
The sergeant’s words did not sit well with John, but he swallowed down the sharp reply he wanted to rebuttal back to the serviceman.
Respect is important? Where is my respect, you hypocrite?! What happened to respect being a two-way street? Dammit. I’ll make you respect me, asshole.
The sergeant smirked at John. John was an easy read; he showed all his emotions on his face. The sergeant saw John’s defiant look that he soon tamed while holding back his desire to talk back. But the sergeant grinned, also pleased to see the strong burning desire in John’s eyes to prove himself.
“There is hope for you yet, Johnny. You are in my boot camp now. Let us get this party started, yeah? Now get, boy! Start running!”