FUGITIVE

CHAPTER 16

I wake up with bruises and aches all over my body. Is groans as she moves towards the coffee table.

"I absolutely hate sparring" she says, obvious annoyance in her voice.

"Well, now that we're done with it I don't think we'll have more of it for at least, a week", I say laughing.

"How can you even laugh in all that pain?", she asks me. "Oh wait, you're Walter's favorite now. Schulz is the best blah, blah."

"Are you jealous, Is?", I ask, smirking at her. She sticks out her tongue playfully at me as we head over to the gym for our daily workout. Just as we're ready to enter, they sound the alarm, indicating all recruits to assemble in the main field. I take a quick peek at the clock and its only 7:20. We don't usually start until 9. Is and I exchange a look and run over to the main field.

Sergeant Walter stands next to a man we've never seen before and all the recruits start lining up. I see him catch my eye and whisper something to the man next to him. As we all fall in line, Sergeant's voice booms over us.

"Recruits. I would like you all to meet Lieutenant Alexander. He's a dear friend from when I was in the academy and a very respected and honorable servant of the law. He is one of the most accomplished Lieutenants of my batch and it is my absolute pleasure to have him here today with us."

After a round of applause, Lieutenant Alexander is quite red in the face.

"Thank you so much for those kind words, Sergeant. Good morning, recruits. It is a huge honor for me, to be a small part of the training you will be receiving in this extremely prestigious academy that has nurtured and raised me to be the officer I am today. For the next three days, you will be joining me on an incredibly interesting journey of discovering your true place here in the academy. I'm not sure how much you all knew about the force before you joined here, but in the past six months you might have noticed that there are different paths that you can choose, within the force. So, you can think of the next three days as a career choosing program, much like what you would have had in high school."

"You will be put under immense pressure and pushed so hard, till you reach your breaking point. But, at the end of the three days you will be glad you did it. These three days will set the ball rolling for the next 2 years of your academy training. After these 3 days, you will be divided into groups as per your career result. Apart from the preference you choose, we will be doing a series of aptitude tests to know what path you are best suited for. I am genuinely excited to see what we're in for this year, and I wish you all the best of luck."

Sergeant Walter dismisses us for breakfast and asks us to assemble back by 9.

Is is unusually quiet as she walks beside me.

"What is going on inside that head of yours?", I ask her. "You are never quiet. By this time, you would have told me three stories about your mum."

"I'm just thinking about how much I'm going to miss you."

"What are you even talking about, Is?"

"Well, we all know that you are going to get training to be put in the field, because well, you're really damn good at it. But I'm not as great as you, Marie. I'm going to end up getting a desk job and get trained to do all the paperwork. So, these 3 days might be the last time we spend so much time together."

"Okay, first of all, you are not going to be working a desk job. You are way too smart and skilled for that. And second, it doesn't matter if we aren't training together, Is. You're a sister for life. We are always going to be able to spend time together and besides, we're roommates. You're kind of stuck with me." 

Is laughs as she lightly smacks my shoulder. 

I think about what she said during breakfast and it finally hits me that whatever I choose at the end of the next three days, I'll be choosing for the rest of my life.

~

Day 1

9:00 am

The schedule says we have a "inspiring" talk for the first 40 minutes and usually it would be something I blow off, but today I'm quite curious about what Lieutenant Alexander has to say.

As soon as he walks into the room, he radiates the kind of confidence I only wish I had. Everyone's attention turns towards him.

"Good morning, recruits. I hope you are all well rested and well-fed, because for the next 12 hours you are all mine. I know your usual day starts at 9 and ends by 7, but in lieu of this 'special' course, I will be taking 2 more hours of your time."

"Before I joined the academy, I had a completely different purpose in life. Initially the plan wasn't even to be a cop. I wanted to be a doctor. When I was a little boy, my mother died of smallpox and at the time, there wasn't a cure we could afford. So being a doctor was what I knew and wanted. I was an excellent high school student. Good grades, even better attendance. I was part of the school newspaper and the debate club. My entry into medical school was pretty much guaranteed."

"And then, everything changed when I was 16. By then, Germany had become a hub of crime because of the Red Army Faction. They were ruthless and did not have mercy on anybody. They were responsible for robberies, bombings and the death of hundreds of people. So, early September 1977, one month into the new school year, I get a call asking me to come down to the local police station immediately. There, I got the news, that my father was killed during one of the attacks. As the oldest of 4 children, I didn't know what to do. The welfare and protection of the only family I had left was now the only thing that mattered to me. What was the purpose of me pursuing an education in the medical field, when I couldn't protect my own? That very same month, I sent in an application to enrol in the police academy."

"The academy is hard. You will be pushed beyond your limits and you will be tested beyond boundaries you never thought possible. The key to surviving and having the best 2 and ½ years of your life, is to have purpose. Find your purpose. Why did you join the police force? Why do you want to do what we do here? Why do you choose to risk your lives, every single day to save the lives of others? Without purpose my friends, you will have no motivation. You will have no drive to struggle every single day to reach the place you want to be in 10 years. You will give up. I have seen numerous brilliant recruits drop out of the academy because they could not handle the pressure. I have seen wonderful officers, resign from the force because their desire to live in safety was greater than their desire to serve. If you want to truly be here, find your purpose."

Long after everybody has dispersed for a short break, I sit there thinking about what he said. What is my purpose? Since I was a little girl, all I've seen is anger and hurt. I've only ever known pain. As I grew older, my only desire was to make sure nobody ever got hurt, at least not on my watch.

Guess I just found mine.