Links...

"Links zwo. Links zwo. Links zwo, drei, vier. Links zwo. Links zwo. Links zwo, drei, vier." I smiled as I watched the group of men I was in charge of. Their leader, my second in command, was young. And it was a surprise to have him appointed at such a high rank, at such a young age. Then again, I wasn't much older. It pleased me to see him trying so hard, working his way up in status. And quickly. I couldn't help but to admire the man counting out the beats, keeping perfect rhythm. His long golden brown curly hair, normally shoulder length, was pulled back into a tight tie. He always kept it in his hat, so we saw no reason to make him shave it. Quite lenient of us. He was tall and quite slender, but he was strong. His abs were impeccable, and he was just in overall great shape. His dog tags bounced with each step, his semi-baggy military pants tucked into his black combat boots. The quadrant came to a halt in front of me. I leaned on my left side and looked at the back of the group. A man had fallen over and began to empty his breakfast onto the ground. "You. Sunshine." He stopped, wiped his mouth, and pointed to himself. I nodded.

He came over, breathing hard. "Y-Yes sir?" He managed to wheeze out.

"Are you new?" I let out a slight chuckle. He nodded. "What's your name?"

"Kruspe, sir."

"Kruspe. Do you smoke?"

"Yes, sir."

"I suggest you stop that nasty habit. Otherwise that-" I pointed to where his stomach contents lie. "-will be your every day routine." He shivered. "Do you know Doom?"

"Who's that, sir?"

"I'm Doom." The man that was leading the quadrant stepped forward.

"Doom, Kruspe. I want you, Schneider, to take Kruspe here under your wing." I pushed the new kid towards the brunette.

"Might I ask why, sir?"

"I have a good feeling about him. He's obviously a heavy smoker, but he's willing to push himself over his limit to keep up with everyone else. He obviously has balls to do that." I pointed to a different quadrant that ran by. "Teach him what you know."

"Yes, sir." Schneider saluted me.

"At ease, soldier." With that, I walked away.

~~~~~

"Kruspe, yeah?"

"Yes, sir." The man nodded. I let out a chuckle. "What is it, sir?"

"You just seem so innocent to be in the military. 'Yes, sir. No, sir. Who's that, sir?' It's adorable." A slight pink hue had arisen to his face. I had to admit, he was pretty handsome. He was only about an inch or two shorter than myself. His muscles were larger than mine, but if he were taller, I'm sure we would the same. We were dressed the same, too, but then again, everyone was unless you were of higher standing. His black hair was supposedly spiked at one point, but the warmth of the day combined with his sweat, had made his hair flatten. "Around me, don't say sir, and we'll be fine. I'm not my father." We shared a laugh.

"Alright, Doom."

"Only my friends call me doom. You can call me Christoph."

"Alright, Christoph."

"I have a few rules to discuss with you, but right now, we must continue."

"Continue?"

"Haha." I smiled broadly at him. "You're funny! Come here." We stood in the front, creating a front rank. "Links zwo. Links zwo. Links zwo, drei, vier."

"Again!? Damn it!"

We started down the path and into the small forest nearby the camp. I glance to the new comer and saw he was struggling greatly to keep up with me. The veins in his neck were popping out and his face was beet red. "Are you alright, Kruspe?" He nodded, but I saw he wasn't. I heard him wheezing even more the further we went. "Tall me if you need to take a break. I can't have a man dying on me because he can't run ten miles." He kept pressing forward, though, determined to finish the last four. "Kruspe." I grabbed his arm and stopped abruptly. "I understand you're a determined man, but you can't push yourself too far. We may be soldiers, but we look out for our own." He nodded. The others stopped and gathered around.