The Soldier

The first scout mission

The halls were filled with strong and capable men and women being assigned to who knows where doing who knows what. I was just happy that the lecture was done and over.

"We are never going to get up to the front of the line." Nathan groaned

"We'll be there soon enough Nate don't worry." I looked down to the paper in my hand with the generals signature on the very bottom.

Nathan was restless. He was swinging his hands back and forth and walking in a small circle.

"Nathan, how about you go take a walk around for a little bit. I'll save your spot and I'll text you when I get close."
He looked at me with surprise.

"You sure Josh? I can hold out for a little bit longer."

"Go get some air. I'll save your spot."
He looked at me then looked to the door.

"I'll be back soon." And he walked off.
The line barely moved, every so often you'd get close but more people would come.

I looked to the section of waiting soldiers next to the line. Some heads shaven bare, uniforms worn nice and neat. The calls of the tellers and desk managers shouting "Next!".

50 minutes pass

I pull out my phone and dial Nate's number. For a few short moments it rings.

"Are you close to the front yet?" Nate asks quickly.

"Well hello to you too."

"Oh c'mon, are you even close?"

"I think I moved maybe 4 feet from where we were. I think it'll be awhile Nathan."

I ended the call and once I did I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned to see a man and a few others behind him, they looked really stiff and rugged.

"Are you Joshua?" The man asked

"Yes sir?"

"Come with us."

He walked past me and the others followed close behind. I followed behind and was lead into a room behind the desks.

"All of you have a seat."
All the others took a seat accept for me. There wasn't enough seats so I stood near the door.

"Based on all of your backgrounds you have been picked for a mission outside of our protection in the ruins. You will act as a team and scout out the area and report back."

"Sir?" One of them asked.

"Yes?"

"What exactly are we looking for when we're out there sir?"

"That is on a need to know basis soldier." He straightened his suit and looked to me and then the others.

"You all will be issued your own suit of armor capable of withstanding any elements or dangers out there. That we'll get to shortly. For now I will have someone come down for all of you in a short while. For now just stay here and get to know eachother better."

He got back up and walked out the door.
For a brief moment there was silence. Then it was followed by one of them talking.

"Hello...um..my name is Ellis."
We all turned our heads.

"Hi Ellis. The names Brian." He held out his hand. They both shook.

Ellis looked like she doesn't wanna be here in the first place and Brian looks like he was put in here by a dare but, I guess looks can be deceiving.

"Where are you from Ellis?" The other girl asked

"I was born on Ellis island and spent most of my childhood there."

"So you were named after the island. It fits you well." Brian smiled

"And who might you be?" Ellis asked the other girl.

"My name is Zoe."

Brian looked my way.

"You're awfully quiet. Whats your name?"

"My name is Joshua."

"Oh! I really like your name." Zoe said with unexpected excitement

"Why's that?" I ask

"Well I used to have a friend named Joshua. He would always try to get my attention and draw me out of my house."

"And by the way you said that, I am assuming he coaxed you out?" Brian smiled

"I guess you could say that. Yeah he did." She looked down and smiled at her thought

"What about you Brian? Any stories you have from your past?" Ellis asked
Brian giggled and took a moment to think.

"A long time ago I lived in a settlement outside of old Chicago city and to us at the time was the best place to live. I met my best friend when I was five years old. We always used to play soldier and I told him that one day I would be a soldier like in our little games."

"Sounds like you had a fun childhood." Zoe grinned

"What about you Joshua?" Ellis looked my way

"There's not much to know about me." I leaned up against the nearby wall.

"There's gotta be something." Zoe spoke
I rubbed the back of my neck and tried to release tension.

"I was born in what I was told was a hospital in the outskirts of a small town near Boston. My dad was there to help deliver me and then after I started walking he left."

I saw looks between all of them.

"It was just my mom and I left so mom did what she thought best and took me to my uncle in the Boston settling town. Then mom left me with him and she left to go find my dad."

"That's rough." Zoe gave me a look as if she sorta knew the feeling.

"My uncle had a military background and taught me all I know and now I'm here."

Right when I finished a woman came in with a clipboard.

"You must be the four he was talking about." She then motioned us to follow.

As we walked the halls we saw others working around us on equipment and weapons of war.

"You will be tasked to a scouting mission and are assigned to seek out the outskirts of the region. Report anything you find suspicious or threatening. If bad goes to worse call in for air support or extraction."

We came into a large room with engines stirring up and people shouting orders to one another.

"Here is what you'll be wearing out there. The standard issue survival armor."

The armor looked very sturdy and strong. The chestplate housed a bowie knife and I was assuming it came with a whole lot more.

"Dawn your armor soldiers. There's no time to waste."

"Yes sir." We all said in unison

45 minutes later

The armor was surprisingly light for its look. I could walk around without any strain on my body.
The others were testing their gear.

"Alright you four lets get those new boots of yours out there."
We all stood and walked into one of the choppers.

"You know your mission so get to it."
The chopper rose up and the metal bay doors opened to a bright sun.
My first mission. Time to see whats out there!

Hey everyone! Its been a long time coming for me to get back to this story I'm sorry its taken this long but I'll try to keep up with this and give you guys some stuff to read. If you have any comments or questions I will try to reply as fast as I can and I am open for ideas or anything that you guys would like to see I will try to incorporate it into the story. See you in the next update!