The FORGOTTEN Edge

Chapter 8

Naida stood in line with men who arrogantly tossed their weapons around. They had obviously handed guns before and she imagined they had a lot more experience with them than she did. Loren watched the group as they took aim at the overly used targets ahead of them. Then men began to fire aimlessly and obsessively. Almost instantly the air smelled of smoke and empty cartridges had piled at their feet. Nadia was more hesitant to pull the trigger. She didn't like the idea of a gun. Loren moved up the line towards her, if she didn't show some sort of skill in this then she would be kicked from the group of men and whatever their job at the docks would be. She thought for a moment, weighing the gun in her hands, if she didn't show any promise with guns and got kicked from the team what would happen? Maybe Sir wouldn't want her around anymore and then she'd be sent back to Boss or Henry, back to her past of fighting and death and running on the edge of pain. She pulled the gun in front of her and took a breath. She braced herself and released her breath. Her finger curled around the trigger as she pulled it back. The gun clicked back into her palm as she emptied it into the target. The gun felt warm as she relaxed her arm. Every shot had hit the target and Loren was no longer interested in her. Sir stood in front of his office window, he could see the team below him, he thought he had picked a well suited team. Sir knew that most of them could shoot a gun but was remarkably surprised when Nadia showed her ability. He wasn't sure if he should pull her from the team before she took too much of the men's attention, they didn't seem to be happy she wasn't working in the kitchen or a maid like the others. Maybe it will give them some inspiration to be better than a girl?

It was nightful when they moved out. They drove for some time in a black car, like the one Nadia had driven to the house by River in. She hadn't the slightest clue where she was headed. She looked out the tinted window, it was too dark to really see anything, but she didn't need to see to know the ocean was nearby. The smell filled the car and helped to wash out the smell of the men. She didn't think she'd smell much better than them. They were an odd bunch of men but she could see why they had been picked. They looked strong, and stern and maybe a little frightening in the dark. However she was rather confused why she had been picked. If Sir would spend so much money buying her then why waste her on a job at the docks? 
The car stopped abruptly and sent them all flying forward in their seats. River was a dangerous driver. 

The docks weren't much to look at. It was a large jetty, a couple large cargo boxes lining the side, a shed with a rusted roof, a small office building, and a dozen rows of empty cargo boxes that stood as tall as her shoulder or head. A couple of cars were parked nearby, but they didn't look like they had been used in a long time. A little dingy was tied roughly to the dock, knocking against the wood rhythmically with the waves. A second dock sat a little further along the shore line with a larger shed, big enough to hold 3 large fishing boats. The ground was covered in bitumen and odd, randomly placed, stains. It smelled like oil, fish and something very odd, something like rotten, burnt seaweed. Nadia made her way to the office building where Loren was trying to open the door with a duffel bag over his shoulder. He was growing annoyed with it. It seemed like the ocean air left nothing untouched and rusted everything. The door popped open and Loren went in, River followed behind closely. Inside there was a splinter filled table with a radio on top and a window hovering above it. The window sill was lined with sand. A faded lounge was at the back of the room, a bar fridge and a kitchen. No one knew if the fridge worked or if there was any running water but Nadia didn't want to be here long enough to find out. A second table sat against the wall and had two chairs pushed under it. It was a dimly lit room and smelled of fish. Loren turned the radio on and quickly spoke into the hand piece, "4 4 4 5 base from docks," he said. Instantly a voice replied, "received. Shipment is due at 04,"
"Received, situated," Loren added before hanging up the hand piece. The team leant against the walls and wandered around the room anxiously. "Shipment is due in two hours. It's very important the docks are secure before it comes. Any suspicious behaviour needs to be reported. Sir is relying on you all," Loren rips open the duffle bag and pulls out a hand held radio. He begins to pass them out to every second person, "Team up, River and I'll hold the docks. Nate and Silver. The cargo bay and junk yard. West and Nadia. The sheds-"
West, a man standing near Nadia scoffed, "shouldn't she be in the kitchen or something?" He asked, rolling his green eyes. Nadia looked at him, he wasn't much to look at with his square jaw, unshaven face, a mole on his neck and a buzz cut. He smirked at her, proud of himself, a woman had no place here. He figured she'd only get in the way and probably get them all killed with her lack of skill and the fact she was, well...a woman. He looked like trouble to Nadia. Annoying trouble. Like the type of kid on the playground who you never talk to but if you were to walk past them they would surely trip you or make a joke at your dispense behind your back. Nadia realised he was the man who had asked back at the house why she was even there. Who did he think he was? She had had enough. It had been a long car trip, a long day with Sir and a long day being called weak. She balled up her fists and gave one of her best right hooks to his square jaw. He fell back into the table, knocking against it so hard it rattled against the wall. His hand instantly went to his face and held it tightly. He was in shock, looking at her. "Will you just shut up!" She shouted at him, "does anyone else have anything they'd like to say?"
The men looked at her, waiting for West or Loren to act. They watched West regain his footing. Even in the low light a large purple mark was already visible on his jaw and a line of red blood running down his lip. He touched his finger to his split lip and peered down at the blood on his finger tip. The men turned their attention back to Loren who watched on. He was somewhat amused, West always had a big mouth, it was something Sir hated about him and had on multiple occasions almost gotten him killed. Loren knew that West had taken a big hit to his pride and he would be out to get her now. But if Nadia couldn't hold her own against her own teammates then she wasn't cut out for the team at all. Sir was looking for a team of ruthless, smart, trained, fearless and strong fighters who followed orders quickly and effectively, they needed to be able to hold their own when it came time to but also be able to work as a team. They were an important team, one that had been a year in the making and this was one of their first tests, to get along and deliver a package. Loren ignored the glare West was trying to give Nadia, who wasn't even looking at him anymore. "A-hem," he cleared his throat, "keep a close guard, I'll send out a report when the shipment is visible." West wanted to ask why he wasn't changing their partners, but he didn't want to sound like he was in primary school, and simply followed her outside.