G.U.A.R.D. Book #4: Tracked

-10-

05:25, February 3. Station 3:

I was placed in Team Blue in February, along with Lucy Sims, a Chinese girl with an American accent; Petrov; and Yoshia Ando, the Japanese guy who laughed at Jensen's crude remarks. I was still grudging against him for that.

For the first few days of February, everything was normal. Breakfast, jogging, sparring, medically treating each other, and our newest element: torture. Everything up till then had been serious, but torture was a whole new thing. Before we began, all the teams stood together on the concrete pad. Despite wearing long cargo pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and the coat to go over, I was still cold. Everyone was. We couldn't wait for the weather to start warming up again.

Ai Zhang stood in front of us, just like the first day training began. "Torture is not for the weak-stomached," she said. "Every human, no matter who they are, if they are a founder of G.U.A.R.D. or a five-year-old girl, has a breaking point. Most of the time, this breaking point is closer to the surface than one would believe. If you are captured by the League of Blood or anyone else who seeks information from us... give it to them."

That created a stirring among the recruits. Ai Zhang blinked calmly.

"Simply put, if you are captured, it is unlikely you are knowledgeable in much of G.U.A.R.D.'s secrets. That's why most directors and commanders don't leave their bases. They know too much. However, if you are holding important information, there is one thing you should tell yourself before the torture begins." She looked us over, as if making eye contact with each and every one of us. "Give up all hope of regaining your former life. Torture will change you forever. Psychologically. Physically. Nothing will ever be the same, and the sooner you accept that, the easier it will be to endure the torture."

So that was our inspirational speech of the month.

Learning about torture was a bit different from the other things we had learned. For the first week, we mostly just sat and discussed the different ways people tortured one another, how to overcome torture, and anything in between. I won't lie. Half the time, I felt like throwing up, and the other half I wanted to cry.

Smith told us if we were being tortured, our captors would most likely first try to find our weakness, then exploit it. That could come in many forms, like watching nightmarish movies or going through a series of tests. We had to practice keeping a straight face as she asked us questions. Personal questions. So we sat on the lower bunks, and she walked down the line.

"Where's your family, Petrov?" Smith asked.

"I have no family," Petrov responded in her Russian accent. Her face was as blank as if she were sleeping.

"Did they die?"

"I have no family," she said again, neither voice nor expression betraying anything.

"Were they tortured?"

"I have no family."

Smith, arms behind her back, lifted her chin. "Where did you learn how to fight?"

Petrov didn't answer. She stared straight ahead.

"Were you forced to learn? Or was it by choice?"

Silence. I was impressed. Smith seemed to find it acceptable since she then moved to me.

"Do you enjoy sleeping, Ryder?"

It was a strange question, but I didn't blink. "Yes."

"Did you sleep at all in that shack with Cleve?"

I almost gave a reaction. But I continued staring ahead, saying, "Yes."

"You're blushing," she said in a disapproving voice.