Heathen Series - Changed

Chapter 6

"Captain...?"

"Yes soldier?" he said not even bothering to see who the soldier was.

The Captain had seen who the General had accepted into the programme and he already had his suspicions of who the General had his eye on. Something more was adrift but what?

"We have the list of the students that have been accepted from the school and have just informed them of their acceptance.
We now only need to send them an email with details about Saturday's pick up; should we tell them anything else sir?"

"What else would we need to tell them?"

"Sir, shouldn't we tell them what they need to bring, what won't be allowed, what the programme entails or any other extra information that they would need to know..."

"No.
We will confiscate any 'illegals' - that way we can do deeper research on them too - though I have a feeling I know who will be picked; whatever the cost."

"Yes, sir..."

"So what is the problem?"

"Do we tell them all the details about the program or not?"

"No. All you need to put are when and where to meet.
Sugar-coat it if you have to but make it inevitable and very inviting. Oh, and definitely make it sound... fun."

"But, sir..."

"What is it soldier?" replied the Captain beginning to get agitated.

This soldier reminded him of the Sergeant. Constantly pushing the boundaries.

Just because he was labeled as Captain; purely for for HIS team; his status was actually only second to the General's.
The Sergeant didn't even come close.

Which reminded him that they would have to get rid of the Sergeant soon. He knew too much.

"What about their parents, won't they also need to be informed?"

"Soldier, this school is a very PRIVATE school and all parents are told from the moment that their child or children are dropped off, that they will not be informed of anything until their child arrives home for the holidays or if their child gets into any serious trouble.
In order for the school to do their job, the parents' must place their full trust in them and vice-versa. The only emails that are sent out are their end of term reports.
That's what makes this school the best in the country and best in the world.
So, to sum up your stupid question, no, the parents don't need to be informed nor will they be informed until the end of term or when they 'return' home for the holidays.
Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go check on our candidates. Such a waste. We already know who will be chosen..."

"Yes sir. And what about the headmaster, sir?"

"He has already been taken care of."

"Yes sir."

The soldier saluted the Captain before she made her way back to the computers to give orders to the rest of her team.

The Captain smiled wickedly and walked off to the Jeep that waited for him outside.

He didn't need the Jeep to get around but was forced to blend in no matter how uncomfortable it was.

"Who's the target?"

"I think you already know the answer to that. You've been watching her just as I have." answered the Captain smirking widely.

"I noticed her the second the General targeted the school. The General thinks she resembles..."

"I know."

"His blinded himself to the truth."

"Maybe."

Silence.

"Do you know what his plans are - for all of us, I mean?"

"No, I thought you did."

The Captain knew there was something bigger afoot, but he had no proof and neither did the others. He thought that maybe at least one of the others would have had some idea from something, somewhere.

"It's strange that he knew all about our previous plans."

"Their previous plans, you mean." corrected the Captain quickly.

"Those plans were made for all of us, they were trying to look out for us..."

"And yet we knew nothing about the actions they decided to take without us."

"Never-the-less, I think we have a rat in our team, and I think you know as well as I who it might be."

"Yes, we do. She's the one that made the decision for the Rebels."

"Indeed."

More silence.

"Look after her. She's special, and I think that he knows that too."

"I will do my best, brother."

"So will I, brother. I honestly miss the days where I could kick your ass and get away with it."

"You wish!
Oh! One more thing...
The Sergeant knows too much. The General has put too much trust in him. He must be dealt with."

"Agreed."

They drove for what seemed to be forever to the base where the others who had survived the testing stayed and trained. Silence spoke more than words ever could.

***

Walking to the observing field he greeted the General before taking his position on the Generals right side; unusual for him as he was usually concealed away. He often wandered what had changed and when. He had to play this part well.

"Is everything taken care of?"

"Yes sir. The team was briefed, and the emails are being sent as we speak."

"And how will the emails be written?"

"They will be... sugar-coated but detailed as you requested."

"Good. To avoid suspicion we must take all the necessary precautions, Captain.
And is everything ready for our... guests?"

"Yes... Sir."

"Good.
And how is your team doing Captain?"

"They are being well taken care of. Some have already earned a little bit of freedom, but a strict curfew was put in place; just in case."

"Excellent! By the looks of things, we might just win this... war."

"May I be frank?"

"Go ahead."

"What war are we still fighting, is there even a war to fight?"

The General stared ahead before picking his words carefully. He wasn't an idiot and he knew that they could all see through his plans for "World Peace". His main focus now was on getting her to complete him - correction, complete his team.

"Yes Captain, there is still a war going on.
Go now, prepare yourself for the pick-up. We wouldn't want you to be late."

"Yes sir..."

The Captain wasn't convinced but kept his mouth shut. Now, his curiosity was perked beyond his control, he would have to do a little extra digging.

And with that, both the General and the Captain left to get some much-needed rest. They both were going to need it for the trials ahead.