Call of Duty Ghosts: The Aftermath

Chapter 25

12 Years Earlier

June 3rd, 2015

KEEGAN

I stand up straight as the Master Sergeant walks down the line of the soldiers, inspecting each of us.

He glances at me, then moves to walk to the next person, but stops. He spins around and stares at me with an eyebrow raised.

I straighten up, and he crosses his arms.

"What's your name, private?" He asks, and I take a breath.

"Russ, sir. Keegan P. Russ." I answer straightly.

He raises his eyebrow again, then looks me up and down.

"How old are you, son?" He questions, and the few men around glance over. I can tell they've been wondering the same thing.

"Seventeen, sir," I respond, and the men around me whisper among themselves.

"He's only seventeen!"

"Holy shit!"

I sigh, and the Master Sergeant smirks with a curious look.

"And how did a seventeen-year-old boy manage to make his way into the Marines?" He asks, and I lift my chin a little.

"I want to help people. I wanted to be a marine. So that's what I'm going to do." I say, and the Master Sergeant leans down.

"You didn't answer my question. How did you make it here?" He asks again, and I let out a small breath.

"I was top of my class at West Point. Graduated last year. I was advised here." I say, and the men around me widen their eyes.

"Wait, he graduated from West Point when he was sixteen?!"

"How the hell...."

The Master Sergeant lends me a smile.

"Well then. I guess you're more than you seem. My name is Sergeant Holt. You will address me as 'Sir', 'Sergeant', or 'Holt'. Understand?" He demands.

I nod straightly.

"Yes, sir."

He smirks and steps back, sweeping his gaze along the line we stand in.

"You will all report here tomorrow morning, 0600 hours. Dismissed!" He says, then walks off.

I relax my shoulders, then a flick on my arm makes me turn around to see a few of the other soldiers staring at me with wide eyes.

I raise my eyebrow.

"What do you want?" I ask with a slight harshness in my voice.

The one in the front, a man about twenty-seven with light brown hair, smirks.

"Hey, no need to be mad. I'm Merrick. Thomas Merrick. I'm just curious as to how the hell you managed to get here at seventeen!" He says, and the other guys behind him nod in agreement.

One with short light brown hair, about twenty-two, smiles at me.

"I'm Gavin. Seriously, how'd you get in?" He asks excitedly.

I sigh and roll my eyes as I start to walk back towards the barracks.

"Russ, wait!" A hand on my shoulder stops me, and I spin around to grab them, glaring at Thomas. He stares at me with wide eyes, as do the others.

I grit my teeth and drop Merrick's hand.

"Look, I went to West Point when I was fourteen. I wanted to go into the army my whole life. Since I was five and I learned what a soldier was. At first, they wouldn't accept me, telling me I was too young. But I insisted, again and again, showing them that I could be a soldier. When they saw the skill level I had, they admitted me. Two years later, I'm top of my class out of thirty twenty-year-olds, at only sixteen. I then signed up for the marines, and I'm here now. There. Now you know." I say, turning away from the men's wide, impressed eyes.