Argent Eye IV

12

Today was the day. I was nervous, but also super excited. More nervous than excited, if I was being completely honest, but I was sure it would be okay once I got there.

Stark had emailed me again to explain what would be happening for the first week or so, depending on how I progressed. I would be assigned a mentor, and would have to undergo a series of tests and exercises so that they could get an idea of my strengths and weaknesses. Once the tests were done, I'd go through their training protocols and learn the ways in which they do things. Only after that would I be assigned my first mission, but for the first couple of months, I would be on probation. That meant I wouldn't be able to go out on my own, and I would be shadowing my mentor for the majority of the time.

Basically, I'd have to do everything they told me.

Then they would think about sending me out on my own, although Stark had said that a lot of the time, the missions were somewhat team based anyway. Also, there would be times I wouldn't even leave the Capital Base- that was what they called the SED department in London. Apparently there was also a Country Base, and a North Base, although I wasn't allowed to know where they were unless I had to go there. Even then, I'd probably be transported via Dreamwalker- this ensured that very little people knew the precise locations of the bases. There were also other bases dotted all around the globe. But, if there was paperwork to be done, or the planning of missions, then it was likely that I would have days of not leaving the building.

I arrived ten minutes before Stark and I had arranged, giving me time to get through the security gates and take a small breather. I was sat on the chair in the waiting area when Stark emerged from an elevator and walked towards me.

I stood up and smiled.

"Nice to see you again, Millie." He said, and took my hand. "I'm so glad you decided to join us."

"Me too." I said, as we started walking.

"You'll get your probationary ID card today, and your handprint will be taken and put into the database." Stark said as we walked. "So from now on, you won't need to wait for me to come and collect you- you'll be able to make your own way down to the SED department."

I nodded. "That's good." I said, as we got into the elevator that would lead us down to the underground base.

"I'm sure you've read my email, but today is basically an induction." Stark began, as we made our way down the stairs to the computer area. "First, you will need to have your measurements taken for your combat uniform. Then the testing will start- it's just to give us an idea of your capabilities, so don't hold back. It's a chance for you to really show off. This will continue for the next few days, and after that, we can assign you a mentor. Your mentor is who you will go to if you have any questions or queries about the job itself, or even if you have any personal issues you want to talk about. They're there to help you- remember that."

I just nodded, as Stark took me through the gym area and into another room I hadn't been in before.

"Just wait here- Hattie will be out shortly to take your measurements." Stark said. "I'll see you later, Millie."

And with that, he left, leaving me standing in the doorway.

Two moments later, a woman walked out. She had short, brown, curly hair, cut just above her ears, and her tanned face was decorated with freckles. Her eyes were a pale brown colour, perhaps almost amber.

She smiled when she saw me.

"Hi, you must be Millie." She said kindly.

I nodded.

"I'm Hattie." She said. "If you wanna just follow me through here." She said, and started walking away. I followed her through shelves and rails of clothing, until we entered a small room in the back. Then, Hattie set about taking all the measurements of my body. I had to be measured for a combat uniform, but also if I ever had to work undercover, then I'd need to have new clothes made or bought for me. She also took a picture of my face, which would be used for my ID card, and took a scan of my handprint.

"There, all done." Hattie smiled.

I smiled too. "Thanks." I said.

"Any time." She said. "I think Stark is going to come and pick you up in a minute, so you can wait in here or outside. It's up to you."

I nodded. "Okay, thanks." I said, and walked out of the little room and made my way towards the door.

Before I got there, Stark walked in. "Ah, good timing, I see." He said. "Come, I'll take you to where you'll start your testing."

I followed Stark out of the room, and then into the gym area. When we got there, there was another woman waiting.

She smiled at both Stark and I.

"I'll leave you to it." Stark said, and left again.

"Hi, my name is Alexandria." She said. "But you can call me Alex. You'll probably be spending most of the day with me. I just need to get an idea of your physical fitness, both with your powers and without. I'll ask you some questions as we go, and if you could just answer them as best you can, then that would be great."

I smiled. "Sure." I said.

"You can go and get changed just through there." Alex said, and pointed to a small changing room.

"Thanks." I said, and went to change into my gym clothes that I'd been instructed to bring.

When I returned, Alex was standing at a treadmill. "If you could just stand on there for a moment." She said, pointing to the treadmill. "I'm going to attach these sticky things to you, but try not to think about them too much. They're just to monitor your vitals."

I nodded, as Alex stuck a number of pads onto me, before she turned the treadmill on to a walking pace. She then retrieved a clipboard that had a number of papers attached to it.

"So, I've got written here that you are an Argent Eye." She said

"That's right." I said as I walked.

"And your element is..." She frowned. "Oh, you're that one." She chuckled. "I've heard rumours about you. You can control all of the elements?"

I chuckled. "Yeah."

"What was your initial element?" She asked.

"Ice." I said.

She nodded, and then scribbled something down. "Okay, so your testing may take a little longer than usual." She said. "Please, don't hesitate to say stop. If you're feeling tired or like you need a break, just say. We can continue tomorrow."

"Okay." I said, and so we began.

The training started off with me jogging, and Alex asked me to refrain from using any of my elemental powers as much as I could. She then said to me that the moment I felt like I wanted to start using them, to do so and tell her when and what element I was using. Of course, the first element I used was the ice to cool me down. Then it was the lightning, which continued to charge me with enough energy to keep going.

We were at this for a while, and in the end, it was Alex who asked me to stop.

"I think that will do for now." She said, and turned the treadmill off. I was a little out of breath. "How do you feel?"

"A bit tired." I said. "When I use the lightning like that for long periods of time, or if I fuse with it, it leaves me tired. At the moment, I can still feel it, but later I will probably feel drained."

Alex nodded. "Right." She said, and wrote all of this down. "So you only used the ice and lightning in that exercise?"

I nodded.

"I guess that makes sense." She said, still writing. Then, she stopped. "We can take a break now, if you like. Most agents take their lunch break right about now."

At the mention of food, I could feel my belly begin to rumble. "Lunch sounds great."

She chuckled. "Okay. Just come back here when you are finished." She said, and I left.

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