The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Thirty-Four

Eight weeks.

Eight weeks since the shooting of the two civilians, eight weeks since Aiden and his friends had begun plotting their scheme against the General.

And so far, nothing had happened.

Aiden stared into the distance, the crisp morning air biting his lungs with every breath he took. The beginnings of the winter season was starting to creep back into the atmosphere, marking nearly a year since all of the madness of the Program had begun. He slipped his hands into his coat pockets; a meager attempt to keep them warm despite the intense cold. It was roughly oh-seven-hundred hours and thirty minutes, and Aiden was watching Dax run laps around the near-frozen track. The young private had improved much since he'd started training with Aiden, and slowly but surely, he was evolving into a strong soldier. The other trainees in his patrol were also doing well, but to Aiden, Dax was the most exceptional of all of them.

He'd gotten to know the boy more throughout the duration of their training sessions. Down to earth and driven, Dax was capable of kindness and respect if allowed himself to shed his entitled demeanor. Aiden had grown fond of the private, in some ways. He had stayed true to his promise to be there for Osric after he was released from the confines of the Pit, and had gone as far as to act like Osric's bodyguard if anyone dared to mess with him. Although Osric was fairly scrawny, he was incredibly intelligent, proving to Aiden that the boy had multitudes of untapped potential. In fact, Osric's skills, both physical and mental, had been growing more and more each day, setting him on the path to a steady recovery from the traumatic experiences he had undoubtedly experienced at the hands of Xylem's Officials.

However, using the training of new recruits to put Aiden's mind at ease had only been so effective in satisfying the urge to take action against the General. He understood that revolutions took an unbelievable amount of planning and time, but he couldn't help but feel as though he and his friends had wasted the past few months by doing absolutely nothing. Aiden had been focusing on obtaining intel on Xylem at every opportunity, but even still, his searches often yielded him with no useable information. He scowled, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration.

"You okay, Colonel?" Dax inquired, jogging up to Aiden and panting. Aiden nearly jumped in surprise. He'd been so lost in thought, he hadn't even noticed Dax approaching.

Aiden turned to face Dax, withdrawing his hands from his pockets and rubbing them together to trap any prospect of warmth. He nodded. "I'm fine," he assured him. "How was the run?"

"Cold," Dax admitted. His cheeks were bright red in the chilly morning light, as if to prove his point. "So, what now?"

"We go to the training centre. I saw your agility skills yesterday, and I could barely watch you without cringing. It was pretty bad."

"I know, I know," Dax waved. "So, what? An obstacle course?"

"Of sorts," Aiden agreed. "Let's get going."

Dax dipped his head and followed Aiden inside Second Unit headquarters. As soon as Aiden pushed their way through the doors, the two soldiers were bathed in toasty warmness. Dax exhaled gratifyingly, savoring the heat.

"Man, it feels good to be in here again. It's cold as shit out there," he sighed in relief. "And this is only the fall? It just keeps getting colder and colder every year."

"Unfortunately, that's true," Aiden agreed. "Be thankful for the indoor heating, though. Not everybody out there gets the same luxuries as we do."

Dax frowned. "I thought that city folk got the same treatment as us."

Aiden shook his head. "That's what you think until you actually get out there. You haven't been out on many Consignment Days, since Xylem temporarily ended them. Things are probably even worse in the cities now."