Lily glances at me with an empathetic look, hesitating to speak. As we reach my house, the green-eyed girl asks me a final question, though with much caution in her choice of words. "What happened after your parents... passed away?" My eyes dart to the floor, avoiding her questioning gaze. I open my mouth to speak, but the answer seems trapped in my throat, refusing to release itself. I frown, trying to think of an answer. Finally, I meet her gaze and answer.
"Nothing, really."
***
"Come on Jordan, get up. We've only just started." My arms feel wobbly and numb as I attempt to push myself off the ground, my face planted onto the grey foam mat floor. Sweat drips down my face as my instructor repeats his order. "Get up Jordan. Get up. Now." His tone, despite barely changing, exhibits a slightly threatening sound to it. I tuck my knees in as I push myself up finally, the lights of the training room stinging my eyes. My body aches, my legs feeling like they are on the verge of giving out as I pick myself up, wiping the sweat off my face with my sleeve. The instructor, arms folded, gives me a stern look.
"If you keep fighting like this, you'll never be combat-ready," he spits, causing a pang of anger forms in my heart. I clench my sweaty fists and raise them into the fighting stance I have been practising for the past few months of my new life, my feet pointed towards the man I resent. The instructor, perhaps impressed with my determination, gestures for me to attack him again. I lunge forward, throwing fist after fist at him. He blocks all my attacks with relative ease, his movements are both seamless and effective. I attempt to kick him in the side, to which he catches my leg and spins me over, causing me to sprawl onto the floor yet again. I quickly spring back up and proceed to throw a combination of kicks and punches at the instructor, which he easily dodges or defends to my dismay. As I attempt to land a chop at his shoulder, he catches my hand and before I can respond, kicks me in the chest, knocking the wind out of my lungs.
I lie on the mat in defeat, breathing heavily as of means to regain the oxygen that left my system via that kick. The instructor sighs and walks over to my exhausted body, stretching a hand out to me. I gracefully accept, as he pulls me back onto my feet with a single motion. Still regaining my breath, I can only look at him, my dejected gaze probably saying more than enough. To my surprise, he suddenly plants a hand on my shoulder, his grim expression transitioning to one of kindness, a small grin forming on his face. I look up at him questioningly, his brown eyes staring into mine. "Jordan, I know this is difficult, but must keep going. For your parents." he says, his tone, once stern and demanding gradually descending to one of softness. I nod as he backs away from me, resting his hands behind his back. I gather all my strength back into my fighting stance. He grins and nods. "Again."
My eyes slowly open as I feel the cold air of my HQ dorm on my face. I sit up in my bed, recalling what I had seen in my dream as I run my fingers through my hair. Why else would I be doing this? I crawl out of bed and enter the shower, the warm water sprinkling onto my head, back and body. I rinse my arms, feeling their inconsistent surfaces as my fingers slip across the narrow dips and crevasses across my skin, highlighting my past injuries from past assignments. Cuts, stabs and stitches; the marks of a soldier.
As I conclude the shower, I don my standard SAS long-sleeved shirt and black trousers, the SAS badge on my right shoulder still as clear and clean as I first got it. I sit on my bed and pick up a framed photo from my bedside table, blowing off any dust that has collected on its surface. The picture contains me and two familiar people I lost so long ago. I run a finger across their faces, recalling the more pleasant memories I had in life, a single tear rolling down my cheek. "For you, Mum and Dad."
***
"Alright everyone, thank you for coming." I look around the room from my podium, most of the seats are filled with SAS operators as well as my squad, the General leaning against a wall to my left. I tap a few buttons on my laptop, bringing up Lily's data scan of the gas. "Recently, Emerald Squad was able to locate and bring back a sample of a biochemical weapon we suspect the HIVE is planning to unleash." I zoom in on the chemical structure of the gas. "According to an analysis conducted, the gas is highly toxic, with the ability to degrade living organism's cells over time. This gives it the ability to wipe out entire cities as well as ecosystems." I feel everyone's eyeballs glued to me, strangling me for more information.
The air in the room feels tense, almost unbreathable, as the operators take in the gravity of the situation. A SAS operator puts his hand up. "Do we have any information or leads on where the gas is being produced?" I nod. "Yes, our recon teams have confirmed the existence of a factory in Lyon run under the Usmer Corporation LLC. If we can get access to a list of shipping addresses, we should be able to locate a majority of HIVE bases." The operator nods and writes something on his notepad. Maxwell extends his arm into the air as well. "Any limitations?" I retrieve a list from my notepad. "Lethal force is allowed if required. Remember, we're trying to extract data, not give the HIVE a reason to strike early. Host nation weapons only, too." Jarrod groans from the back of the briefing room. "I hate French guns," he whines, causing a few operators to chuckle or murmur in agreement. I clear my throat and attempt to change the subject. "We will strike at 2 AM local time, this operation should not take more than 3 days, taking into account deployment and extraction." Everyone in the room begins to murmur and whisper comments or concerns to each other when Sakura finally raises her hand. "What's the plan?"
"Good question." I tap a few keys on my laptop which brings up the schematics of the factory and its surrounding scenery, each floor labelled with precise measurements, usage and even the materials of the walls. I point at the 3d representation of the nearby forests. "SAS team Alpha, you will be here in the clearing of the forest, guarding our extraction zone. You will not engage with the enemy unless specifically ordered to." I can hear the Alpha team's members groan with disapproval, which I fully empathised with. Guard duty is the worst. I clear my throat, re-attaining their attention. I point to the roof of the factory. "SAS team Beta and operators Maxwell and Jarrod will deploy onto the roof of the factory via helicopter and will enter via the skylight." I direct their attention to the skylight of the factory. "The skylight will give team Beta a direct entrance to the 4th floor, which we believe to be the Administration area of the building. Team Beta will clear and secure the floor from any possible threats. You will then clear the 3rd floor which is believed to contain the factory's research labs." I gaze towards SAS team Beta, who seem pleased with their assignment. Maxwell and Jarrod merely fold their arms in response. "Me, operator Sakura and operator Spear will clear the ground floor, which is the main production area of the factory." Ashleigh nods in approval, while Sakura gives me the thumbs up. I nod and continue. "We will then clear and secure the basement, making way for SAS team Beta to guard the ground floor." I close my laptop with a single motion and address the entire room. "If we succeed in our mission, we will be one step closer to stopping the HIVE's operations once and for all." No one dares to speak. Not a single sound is audible except for my voice. I nod.
"We leave in an hour. Gear up."
The operators leave the room in an orderly fashion, most of them murmuring and chatting with excitement, ready to get some action. As I pack up my things, the General approaches me from the shadows of the side of the room. He puts his hand on my shoulder. "For Davis." He utters, his coarse voice in such a low tone causing me to shudder slightly. Despite my somewhat collected appearance during the briefing, my stomach was doing spirals with every order I gave. I look at the General, my voice quivering slightly. "We can't fail. If we do-" The General raises his hand, cutting me off. I glance at my papers and notes that are currently cluttering the desk in front of us. They show the profiles of each member of each SAS team, their names and faces seared into my brain. A lump forms in my throat as my doubts and worries grow. If we fail, the HIVE will realise our plans. If we fail, these young men and women will die. If we-
The General's grip on my shoulder tightens slightly, shaking me out of my negative thoughts. "For Davis," he repeats. I let out a loud sigh and nod.
"For Davis."
YOU ARE READING
My Classmate is a Killer (Unfinished)
Teen FictionSecrets are the root of lies and deceit. But what if the secret meant life or death? Jordan McDuff bears one of these secrets, being the youngest killer in the country. A former SAS Operative at 17, Jordan struggles to move on from his past life, be...
