At the front of the line, Jack striped in a moment. He tossed his old shirt, his threadbare trousers, boots, and tatty underwear onto the pile of clothes and walked through the door to the sounds of running water.
Jack was first sprayed head to toe with a foul-smelling soap before he reached the shower. The tepid water dribbled out of the tarnished showerheads in the ceiling of the shower block. Jack forced himself to stand under the water and attempted to wash the soap away.
He moved from the shower to the dryer. A cold blast of air chilled Jack. He rubbed away the water and dried his cold skin. Then he walked, shivering, toward another doorway.
The doorway led to a corridor. On one side was a small hatch and Jack could see the cold, washed recruits picking up small bundles. There was a bright yellow uniform and a pair of black boots. The corridor opened out into a wide area where the recruits were hurriedly pulling on their new clothes.
Crippin and Hacker were milling about the recruits and hurrying them to dress. No recruit needed extra encouragement to quickly cover their nakedness. Jack pulled on his pants. He spat his watch into his hand and thrust it into his pocket.
“It’s the runner, Sergeant Hacker,” Crippin said, stepping up alongside Jack.
“Sir, yes, sir.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Crippin repeated with a hint of approval. “You learn fast. Let’s hope you learn as fast as you run. You want a night run now, recruit?”
“Sir?” Jack asked, feeling pretty tired but not wanting to say no while the sergeant and his tazer were so close by.
“Sure you do,” Crippin said and fixed Jack with a smile. Then she shouted, “Listen up, hayseeds. Recruit Forge here wants a night run. Form up. We’re running the hill.”
The cold and dark made the run up the hill hard. The recruits struggled, tripping on loose stones scattered over the dimly lit path. Sergeant Hacker’s tazer fizzed threateningly just behind the pack. Jack ran with the group. He didn’t want to leave anyone behind and be made to run back and help them. He stayed at the back, just ahead of the tazer, and encouraged the recruits who were falling off the pace. Jack felt the hostility from the group. He knew they all blamed him for this hard run. Jack knew it wasn’t his fault. Crippin had done it because she hated him, probably hated all university students. Maybe she was worried that Jack was smarter than she was. Whatever her problem was, Jack knew it wasn’t his fault that they were running the hill. Crippin would probably have made them do it anyway. There was a definite pattern to all this, the distribution of rations, the shower, uniform distribution, and now a run. Crippin probably did the same with all new recruits. Jack couldn’t think why, he didn’t understand the way the military thought. What he did know was that the military was struggling to find recruits.
There had been a steady stream of volunteers to the military after the first Chitin attacks. Now that stream had slowed to a trickle. Jack feared one thing above all else--although they were told about all the great victories against the Chitins, Jack guessed that humanity was losing the fight.
Jack spotted the dim light up ahead and the silhouette of Crippin.
“Come on, hayseeds. Nearly there.” Crippin stood next to a small column. “Tap the top, hayseeds. Then get back to that bunkhouse.”
Jack tapped the stone column. It was smooth to the touch, polished by thousands of hands of recruits who’d run up the hill. He turned to head back down, thinking of nothing but food. His stomach was empty and it hurt.
“Not you, hayseed,” Crippin said.
Jack felt Crippin’s hand on his shoulder. He watched the other recruits tap the plinth, turn, and struggle back down the hill.
“Last one to the bunkhouse takes first watch,” Crippin shouted. She pulled Jack’s shoulder and turned him to face her. “And that last recruit will be you, hayseed,” Crippin said. “Get me?”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
Jack ran down the hill. He heard the recruits ahead in the darkness. He saw the distant lights from the bunkhouse. He heard the fizzing tazer and the heavy footfalls of Sergeant Hacker just behind him.
Jack was cold, tired, and hungry. Only twenty-four hours ago, he was in his university dorm room feeling sure that he would have the grades to continue his studies. He’d never dropped a grade before. His brother’s death had affected him more than he realized. He cursed his brother for dying. He cursed Professor Bowen for not fixing his grades. He cursed Torent for stealing his ration bar. He cursed Crippin for making everyone hate him. He cursed his bad luck.
He tripped and fell forward into the dark. The ground slammed into him hard. He heard the fizzing of the tazer come close to his ear. He felt the kick from Sergeant Hacker. Jack struggled to his feet and ran on into the dark.
Chapter 5
Jack woke. He felt tired. He felt hungry. He felt cold. Lieutenant Crippin was shouting.
The recruits were climbing out of beds that Jack was sure were just as uncomfortable as his own. Jack checked that his watch was safe in its new hiding place, tucked inside the thin mattress through a split in the stitching. Then, having satisfied himself that the watch was safe, he slipped out from under his rough blanket and stood on the cold, stone floor. Sergeant Hacker was walking along the line of bunks, throwing a silver-wrapped ration bar onto each bunk. Jack grabbed his immediately. He wasn’t missing out on what might be his only meal of the day.
“Eat, you hayseeds,” Crippin shouted. “We’ve got a long day ahead. We are going to start training for war. It is my duty to train you to kill Chitin scum and not get killed by Chitin scum. Form up on the parade ground. Ninety seconds, hayseeds. You get me?”
Jack shouted his reply through a mouthful of the sticky ration bar. It tasted sweet and meaty, with a bitter chemical aftertaste. Jack felt an immediate burst of energy both physical and mental. He dressed and was out the door before the last bite was in his stomach.
The recruits were marched off the parade ground and up The Hill. The march was easier in daylight and on a full stomach with the energy provided by whatever secret ingredient had been included in the dark, heavy ration bar. From the top of the hill, Jack could see the training ground--a series of small hills all topped with small metallic fortifications.
Between the hills lay a series of well-trodden paths and obstacles of various kinds. Some obstacles were designed to be climbed, others to be crawled under. Many were lined with coils of barbed wire.
“Today is just to warm you up,” Crippin said. “You will run the course and complete the exercises. If anybody falls too far behind, they will wish they hadn’t.”
Crippin led the recruits off the hill toward the start of the course. She lined up the recruits at the start point. “You can’t get lost,” Crippin said. “You can’t avoid any exercise. You start when I tell you. You stop when I tell you. Move these hayseeds out, Sergeant.”
Hacker started shoving the recruits forward one at a time until the whole squad got the message and started moving down the hill toward the training course.
It was exciting at first. Jack enjoyed the open running between obstacles. The various obstacles were easy at first. Whether he was climbing or crawling, Jack threw himself at the obstacles with enthusiasm. He had never had much time for crawling in the dirt. He had always enjoyed less strenuous activities, but today, he was pumped.
The run between each obstacle was the easiest part for Jack and soon, he was leading the field. The ration filled his stomach but didn’t weigh him down, and the chemicals rushing through his veins kept him focused and enthusiastic.