The Fox, Red

072 - It's Not Basic Anymore

Paperwork... Paperwork... More paperwork... Health check up... And signing paperwork...

My recruiter has been doing everything he can to get everything moving as fast as possible. They had me do their initial physical fitness test to ensure that I could handle basic training. I passed that with flying colors to the point that I am ready for their final exam near graduation. He's doing everything he can to ensure that I'm getting bonuses for everything. I know he gets paid depending on how well the specimen he presents is. He wants to make sure that I stay.

I take care of these extra things after my days on campus. I still attend classes. I had to keep up the charade that I am a dutiful student. I have to do what I need to and keep my head down. The threat is always there and the stress is turning into paranoia. At least I can recognize it. I have to plan this just right.

It's a few weeks before my recruiter gets back to me with a solid date. "You leave at the end of May. We've got your flight booked and your spot reserved!" He seemed much more enthusiastic about it than I am. Rightfully so. I'm doing this to run away. Not for some greater purpose or reason. With a solid date in mind, now I can start getting other things planned.

I get shipping labels created and stuck on boxes that will be shipped back home with a letter to my parents to keep it in storage along with a gift for $25,000 for the nursery, medical care, and whatever else they may need. My suit will be shipped back to Madam Odette. This will be her unwritten letter that I am gone. Maybe she'll get the message that she shouldn't come after me. That hurts to think about.

My days continue as usual. I attend my classes, do my due diligence as a student, and spend my nights making sure that everything I need to have ready is ready to go. The plan is that the night before I am to leave I will submit my information to be pulled from my classes and the university. The RA knows I have two packages going out on the same day. He'll ensure that it's picked up with the mail.

It's another sleepless night. I'm not sure I got any sleep. I roll out of bed grabbing the large box I packed with a smaller one on top of it. The larger box goes to my parents while the smaller one goes to Madam Odette. I drop them off at the RA's door. With one last look, I shut off my phone as I stepped out of the building.

It's a short walk to the recruitment office. There are about a dozen of us that are being sent in from this office. They have a few vans ready to shuttle us where we need to go. It's one last medical examination here, then we are dropped off at the airport. One of the other recruits is given a bag with all our paperwork in it. We all sign off that our name is spelled correctly before it's sealed once again.

We sit in a waiting room for what feels like hours as we're called in one by one for that last examination. I'm signed off and cleared. We leave at about 2 pm where we're all crammed into a shuttle bus taking us to the airport. From here, we are on our own. We have our gate that we are supposed to be at the time our plane leaves. We'll head straight to Georgia where we'll be bussed to Fort Benning.

I catch what sleep I can on the plane but feel it when we land. The recruit with the papers finds the USO Lounge where we can sit down until we're picked up. We were told, "once the yelling starts, so has basic training". I remember these words as a loud badger walks through the door and yells for anyone going to Fort Benning. The dozen of us get up along with quite a few others. I was unlucky enough that he shouted out a loud "Move!" into my ear. I could feel my eye twitch.

The buses were outside with a tote in front of them. Our guy dumps the papers into it and boards. The rest of us follow him, finding the first seat we can. They pile the rest of us in. I can see there are a wide variety of species, primarily considered predators, but there's a healthy mix. The badger jumps on the bus and starts shouting out "Put your head on your knees and keep it there until I say so!" There's a quick second of quiet before he shouts again, "I tell you an order! You say 'Yes, Sir' and you say it fast!"