The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Hey, Alena," Aiden said as he approached his mentor from her spot in the Foyer. The older woman was leaning along the wall, arguing with a nearby soldier.

"Dismissed, Private," Alena grumbled upon noticing Aiden striding towards her. The younger recruit recoiled and took off.

"Sharp tongue on that one?" Aiden inquired, watching the soldier scurry away.

"You could say that," Alena sniffed. "He's going to get himself killed, one way or another." Her eyes softened, and she looked up at Aiden with a tired gaze. "I heard about Jayda."

Aiden nodded slightly, unable to say anything more. "Yeah," he replied lamely. He couldn't find anything else to say. His words had died with Jayda, it seemed.

"It's not your fault, boy," she reminded him. Aiden nodded again, slower this time.

"I know. That's what everyone keeps saying," he sighed. "It's hard to believe."

"How's Theo?" Alena asked. Aiden's stomach tightened.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I haven't gone to see him yet. I feel like if I don't blame myself, he will, and that's not a burden I want to bear."

"Sergeant Ines is one of your closest friends," Alena pointed out. "You have nothing to be afraid of. He's finding his own methods of coping. If anything, it will hurt him more if you don't go and see him. He may push you away, or act accusatory around you, but you need to understand that he doesn't mean any of it. The man's lost the love of his life."

Aiden knew she was right. He had to see Theo. He promised himself that he would visit his friend later that day, before dinner. He looked at Alena, who was peering at him patiently. 

"I'll visit him tonight," Aiden decided. Alena opened her mouth to speak, but closed it before she could say anything. The two of them dropped the subject, turning to the small collection of soldiers who'd gathered before them. They couldn't be any older than sixteen or seventeen; kids fresh out of the youth centre. They had a long road ahead of them, it seemed.

"Welcome, recruits," Alena greeted them. "I'm Alena. I don't go by any fancy terms, so don't bother calling me anything other than that. I'm going to be your mentor for the duration of your three month training period. I'm joined by the finest soldier that I've ever had the pleasure to train; Colonel Lycroft. He won't be joining us for every session, but he was able to accompany us for today's practice."

Aiden dipped his head to the six recruits. They all looked a little scrawny, but he supposed they'd do. He wouldn't make any assumptions on his trainees before actually seeing them in action.

Once Alena had gone over all the formalities, she guided their group outside, where she instructed them to run ten laps for warm-up along the perimeter of headquarters. Aiden knew the recruits's reluctance all too well. He himself had always hated the drills the Training Officials made him perform until his bones broke and his knuckles bled. The Program had never been a merciful organization, and perfection was nothing less than an expectation of every soldier.

He assessed each trainee as they passed by him with each growing minute. They were a solid group of six; four boys and two girls. Aiden didn't know any of their names, but no one really cared. He didn't need to know their names in order to critique their sloppy techniques. The youth centre would only teach them so much. They were in much tougher waters now. It was his and Alena's job to polish and refine them into adequate soldiers with time. 

Alena broke the silence in a casual tone. "One of the boys, Idris, is showing a lot of promise," she remarked. "Although, he's mouthy. I'm glad you're here to tell him off for me."