Sappho's Commando

TWO (ISELEN POV)

Present time.

"Oh God, yes, it feels so good," I whisper before biting my lower lip while the hot water hits my sore muscles, relaxing them.

I should hurry up, showers in the army only last three minutes, but today's training on the obstacle course was harder than usual. I'm pretty sure instructors do it for our sake, but sometimes it seems to me that they're trying to screw us up to check how much we can take before breaking and some other days it seems that they want us to give up out of desperation and exhaustion. They won't succeed, of course, my girls are the most stubborn ladies they've ever met.

We've worked really hard to be here. During these past months, we got a basic training in SCUBA/Maritime Warfare, Artic and Mountain Warfare, Sabotage and Demolitions, Parachute and HALO techniques, Long Range Reconnaissance, Counter-terrorism and CQB, Vehicle insertion, Sniping and SERE (Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion.) Some girls got better score at exercises that matched their previous skills but we all clenched our jaws and kept working, running, jumping from planes and shooting.

We know what we do is important and we're determined to get this right, not only because we don't want to disappoint our bosses, but because we're sick of hearing ill-disguised giggles and sexist remarks whispered behind our backs in every military facility we visit. Those cowards never dare to say it to our faces... We're going to show those idiots that we're worth it. This programme will be a success because failure is not an option.

Bonding with each other and becoming a sisterhood bound by ties that are stronger than simple friendship wasn't easy. Despite the fact that we spent lot of time together and worked pretty hard to understand and complement each other, in the beginning we were tense, nervous, serious and quiet. Our behaviour was totally unnatural and it was obvious that we felt awkward. Colonel Larsen's words echoed in our ears and none of us wanted to be responsible for ruining the programme.

We all knew what we had to do in every training test, we were technically perfect, but didn't become sisters till we were sent on our first real mission. It was something easy: getting into a building where a handful of hostiles kept information in their laptops that our bosses considered crucial for their plans. We got the blueprint, drew up a plan and broke in discreetly, clearing every room, popping corners carefully to check where our enemies were, climbing up stairs while watching each other's backs and dancing a perfectly choreographed ballet. It was a success and our bosses were ecstatic, we could hear them through the radio congratulating each other.

I guess it was because of the relief I felt after knowing that we could do it, that the unit worked very well, the reason why I relaxed during the return helicopter ride and let out a racy joke although lame at the same time. I don't even remember what I said exactly but the girls stared at me in disbelief for a second before bursting into laughing. That was the signal, from that moment on we became a real sisterhood. Suddenly, we could be ourselves again, laid-back, funny, chatting about whatever crossed our minds, joking around naughtily, throwing compliments and making racy puns, whistling at each other when we walked out of the shower naked.

We always try to behave properly in front of our superior officers, obviously, but we're more natural when we're alone and, even we're flirting all the time and there're lot of naughty jokes, we haven't jumped in the bed of our mates yet. This is just a funny game that helps us to face the challenge and hard life in the unit. I believe that deep inside we're all afraid of screwing this up and we fear the rage of the Valkyrie too, but we also enjoy participating in this special forces NATO programme. We're proud of our jobs and understand that this is very important, not only for other women that would give everything they have to get an opportunity like this in their armies, but important for the future of the allied forces too.