Wraith Squad: Out of the Shadows

Chapter 3: the Maze

March 18th 2022
07:00
Lewis Naval Base, UK

Alma groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She sat up with a yawn, stretching her arms upwards in an effort to shake off the daze of sleep.

"Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?"

Alma looked to the side to see Olivia Williams, Wraith Squad's Australian aviation and extraction expert, standing next to the door.

"Where are Rin and Maryam?" Alma asked.

"In the kitchen, having breakfast with the boys. I was just about to leave. You coming?"

Alma nodded.

"Yeah. Just give me a minute."

Alma quickly pulled on a pair of cargo pants and a gray shirt before following Olivia downstairs towards the kitchen. By the time they got there, Rin Himawari, their technology expert, had already finished her breakfast and Jake Collins, the team's resident frogman, was in the process of finishing his.

"Sleeping Beauty is awake, everyone." Olivia announced.

Alma rolled her eyes, moving towards the counter to prepare her own breakfast.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"They should be at the training compound. Alex wanted to show Ronnie the Maze and Diego and Maryam wanted to go for the first round today." Jake answered.

Alma frowned in confusion.

"The Maze?"

"It's where we do most of our situation training. It's a room in the training compound that's set up with various walls to make up the layout of an area of operations." Rin explained.
"We usually take turns doing mock missions against each other whenever we have down time at base. Helps us keep sharp and learn each other's moves so we can work together better."

"It's fun. You'll like." Olivia assured.

Alma nodded. It definitely sounded like a good idea. And it was something that would allow her to get to know her teammates better. And when their lives depended on each other, this was essential.

*

Alma had to admit, the Maze definitely looked impressive. Rin's explanation had failed to convey how complex the layout was. Unlike the other training simulations she had seen before, this one held an additional level of verticality she wasn't used to seeing.
The stealth training sections she went through during the year of practical instruction she had to go through to join the Wraiths came to her mind. Back then she had thought the techniques unorthodox, quite different from what she would normally expect from a special forces unit. But now she could definitely see how they could be used in tandem with the terrain.

Alma could also see Diego and Maryam walking out to join Alex and Ronnie on a platform overlooking the Maze. Diego seemed to be holding a hand to his side, probably nursing a bruise. Both him and Maryam were equipped with a much lighter loadout than what she had seen before.

"Why do you always go for the ribs?" Diego grumbled.

"Because you leave them open. I'll keep going for that opening until you learn to close it." Maryam replied.

"Alright, latecomers have arrived so we've got everyone here now. Let's get down to business." Alex announced, cutting off the chatter.
"Ronnie, Alma, you two are new here so I'm curious to see what you can do. You've already went through the Lazarus Training Program together so you'll be on the same team for this round. Jake, Rin, you two will be on the other team. Don't go easy."