The Recruit

14. Sweat

Fifteen laps of a 400-metre track is six kilometres. Ash had no time limit; he could walk it in about an hour but that was boring. He wanted to go fast. The first day he raced off and died after three laps. He staggered the rest of the way with his legs aching and it took nearly an hour and a quarter. Next morning Ash's ankles were puffed up and even walking was agony.

Korrina showed Ash warm-up and cool-down stretches and told him only to run every third lap, then gradually to move up; running a lap and a half out of every three, then two out of three, and so on until he could run the six kilometres without a rest.

The third day it rained so hard Ash could hardly see through the wet hair stuck to his face. Korrina and the sport athletics coach hid in the dry. Ash figured nobody was watching and after thirteen laps went into the changing room where the other drowned-rat kids were diving under the shower.

"Was that fifteen laps?" Korrina asked. Ash knew he was busted just from her voice.

"Come on, it's belting down, Miss."

"You cheat, Ash, you start again. Fifteen laps. Get going."

"What?"

"You heard me, Ash. One smart word and I'll make it thirty laps." By the end, Ash's lungs felt like they were going to explode. Brock and Gary thought it was superb when Ash told them what had happened. Misty said it was good to learn early that discipline at CHERUB was stricter than Ash was used to.

A fortnight later Ash was getting fitter. He could run two laps out of every three fast and jog the other one. It was Friday, lap fifteen. The pulse in his neck felt like it was about to burst. His body was begging him to quit, but Ash wanted to do his laps in under half an hour for the first time and he wasn't giving in so close to the end.

Ash overtook a set of twins with different coloured hair on the final bend and sprinted to the line. He glanced at his stopwatch: 29:47. Twenty seconds inside his previous best. As Ash looked at the watch he put a foot down awkwardly and overbalanced. The track slashed the skin off his knee, ripped his T-shirt and grazed his shoulder. The pain from the cuts wasn't as bad as the pain in his lungs, but Ash didn't care because he'd broken half an hour. Ash clamped his hand over his knee. The twins stopped to help.

"You OK?" The one with green hair asked.

"Fine," Ash lied. Ash hadn't seen them before. He noticed they were wearing pale blue shirts. "You two starting basic training week after next?"

"Yeah. We arrived last night. I'm Drew, this is Brendan. You want us to help you back to the changing room?"

"I'll manage," Ash said.

"It's my birthday today," Misty said. They were in the pool together. Ash's cuts were stinging from the chlorine.

"How old?" Ash asked.

"Sixteen."

"I would have got you a card or something," Ash said. "You never said."

"I'm having a little gathering. Just a few friends in my room this evening. Want to come?"

"Sure," Ash said.

Ash was more excited about going to Misty's party than he would admit. He liked her a lot. She was funny and beautiful. He was sure Misty liked him, but like a little brother not a mate.

"You have to do something first though."

"How far?" Ash asked.

"From the steps in the middle of the pool on that side, to the opposite corner."

"That's almost a length."

"Almost. You can do it, Ash. Your stroke is getting stronger. Basic training starts in nine days and if you don't make it, it's three months until the next course starts."