Tempered Steel

Table of Contents

Author’s Note

Section 1: Becoming Upperclass

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Section 2: Lethal Maneuvers

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Section 3: Yearlings

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Section 4: Cakewalk

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

More Information

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

If you have read the first two Books of the Driven to the Hilt series, The Deepest Cut and Forging the Blade, a quick reminder: the Dynamic Formatting used extensively in the print version of the Driven to the Hilt books cannot be used in this ebook. Why? Because the many varieties of ebook formats have limited and different font selections available, consequently, they convert the fonts up and down in size, remove spacing between words, and generally make the viewing presentation unreadable. With limited options available, I have turned to the following conventions to convey at least a small part of the Dynamic Formatting experience.

Since slowtime is central to the action sequences, I have made do with the less elegant solution of underling text. Likewise, while I cannot use extra spaces, the conversion program does allow for ellipses and dashes. So I have inserted those as poor substitutes, trying my best to use them in a consistent manner. Finally, I have inserted three centered asterisks *** whenever there is a change in the character point of view and some centered infinity symbols ~~~~~~ to indicate a significant break in time within a chapter.

For more on the theory of Dynamic Formatting, consider buying the print version of the Driven to the Hilt books. You can also go to www.driventothehilt.com to read an overview. Otherwise, turn the page and get started with Joshua’s continuing adventure.

Becoming Upperclass

return to Table of Contents

March 17, 2123 ESD

◄1►

"They were crawling on us. I… I could feel their little claws digging into my skin."

Yes, and…?

When I tried to talk, …I couldn’t!

Who was it this time?

Jadana.

Did she say anything?

No. He looked at his fists, forced his fingers to relax. It wasn’t like Yashe, who kept asking me to help her. …I’m… not sure which is worse.

Was Jadana still alive?

She was in my arms at first, so I could feel her breathing. - - Then…

…

The silence forced Joshua to look up at Dr. Calyse. She was watching him in her sympathetic, but endlessly patient mode of listening. He blew out a sigh and reluctantly continued, "You know how dreams sort of shift? …All the sudden I was five feet away from her, no baby spidervipers on me anymore, but they were still on her. …She was looking at me, …still not talking, …but her eyes… …were pleading for me to save her."

And...

"Look, I know how to kill spidervipers. …But, …like before, I could barely move, even though I was straining so hard. …And this time, the mother spiderviper was standing there… staring at me. …Its fang wasn’t even out. …But I… could… not… move, …at all!"

Then?

"Then, - - - …Jadana …she… her eyes were… dead. …And the baby spidervipers were… …feeding. Joshua shuddered, And I woke up."

So, …first Sovissa, then Yashe, Jadana. And you’ve had all of these dreams since our last session? Dr. Calyse returned Joshua’s nod, then her eyes sharpened, Why this throwback to Cypress Grove after two and a half Earth Standard years on the Unseen Planet?

You’re gonna say it has something to do with my Mom. Joshua puffed out a sigh at Dr. C’s acknowledging lift of both brows, "But why all of these nightmares now?... …I haven’t thought of The Swamp… or how Mom died …in a long time."

Well, what major change have you recently experienced?

"What? You mean graduating to Upperclass? But that’s a good thing! Why would that cause nightmares?"

"And becoming Upperclass, what does that mean for you? …Personally."

Joshua recalled being submerged in a wave of anxiety after realizing what it really meant to be Team leader. "Okay, …yeah, …as Assassin, I have to lead us through the next year at JQuad well enough to get everyone into The Combine. But what’s that have to do with Mom?"

Dr. Calyse’s look of expectation continued as she provided a hint, Do you feel responsible for any other important events in your life, events that involved your Mother?

What? …I had to do the school work Mom gave me, keep things clean, make money for the Cafe- …with …stickball…, A cold emptiness filled his chest and Joshua tried not to see his mother on the kitchen floor. His voice was as dead as the image in his mind, I’ll fail them like I failed Mom.

Dr. Calyse’s brow dropped as the corners of her mouth lifted in a sad smile. "That’s a lot of pressure to put upon yourself, Joshua. Don’t you think some of that is up to your friends? What’s that saying? - - ‘There’s no I in Team’? …To graduate, the entire Team must work together and you’ll have to trust that each individual member will do their job. …And, …as you frequently point out, you have a really good Team."

Yeah, that’s true. Joshua’s feeble smile faded, But how do I get rid of these dreams?

Dr. Calyse shrugged, Maybe put a little more faith in your Teammates so you don’t put so much pressure on yourself? Everything is not up to you alone. If you can-

bing

Joshua looked down at his minisheet, stood and gave himself a small shake, then shot Dr. Calyse a guilty glance. "I know, …and next time I’ll set up an earlier appointment, I just… it really creeped me out and I was hoping the dreams would just go away. …Anyway, …I’ll think about all what you said. See you next time." Riding the train to Tyler City, he agreed with Dr. C’s point that much depended on his mates’ efforts and choices, and yet, he still knew he had an unmistakably critical role in his Team’s success. Maybe this time, I won’t screw up.

~~~~~~~

We have a problem.

Joshua completed his step into the kitchen from the back alley before looking at Keyth. Great. What now? The door closed as his mind opened and slid over the past six weeks since they had gone Upperclass, but nothing came up that he would call a problem. The opposite in fact, given that the Team had reclaimed the top spot on the Leaderboard during the past rotation. Just thinking of the come-from-behind Unit Tactical Operations win against Rord and Glin’s Team 236 fanned a glow of satisfaction. So? Then Joshua noticed the paper in Keyth’s hand.

"Well Bub, you gave up a cushy Upperclass work assignment at JQuad to eat real food, and now… ….we get this. Printed out, no less. Keyth handed the paper to Joshua, It’s a cease and desist order from City Hall for ‘defacing public property and confiscating community resources.’ Seems they don’t like replacing the basil plants."

You’re kidding?

Wish I was. Keyth sighed with a single shake of his head. And just after I got used to eating something that actually had a little flavor. His face brightened, "There are a few leaves left over from our last harvest, so may- His shoulders slumped at the ding from the front door. Great. Here comes the dinner crowd. Better get crackin’."

The evening shift proved busy as usual, with Joshua keeping the prep area clean, bussing tables, running dishes through the sanitizer, and when it was really hopping, helping Keyth with the cooking. He appreciated the hustle and bustle. It made time fly and soon they were approaching the typical lull that would allow for a real cooking session. But as he finished his closing clean-up with thirty minutes to spare, his mouth watering in anticipation, a properly tailored party of eight older Students bundled through the door laughing about how Chan’s was the perfect slum finish to their Low-Class Party Night. They contained enough alcohol to be unconcerned whether their description had been heard. By now Joshua barely registered such comments, but he still shared an exasperated look with Keyth. No gourmet meal tonight.

Five minutes after closing time, Keyth finally locked the front door on the rambunctious group. They looked at each other for a moment, then Keyth sighed and headed for the computer to reconcile accounts while Joshua went to clean up after the Students. Squeezing through the back door with two bags of trash, his eyes were again drawn to the faded red "TMMO 91" on the door in the stone wall on the opposite side of the alley. Already behind schedule, he decided to do a database query of the letters next time.

An explosive string of curses brought him to a stop just two steps from Chan’s back alley disposal chute. The profanity emanated from a sanitation worker 15 feet further up the alley, who stood looking at a chute that served Pizza & Hot Sticks next door. The average sized man was in his thirties, with a patchy two-day growth of red beard over his light complexion. The continuous flow of curses was so varied and unusually evocative that Joshua’s annoyance at missing his cooking session with Keyth was displaced by curiosity. He shoved the second bag down Chan’s chute and stepped over for a closer look.

The worker in the grime-stained coveralls stopped swearing and glanced a frown at Joshua. After a quick scan of Joshua’s uniform and rank, he gave the pole sticking out of the chute another slap and uttered a final curse.

With a blush, Joshua realized how he must appear to be spying and quickly asked, Can I give you a hand with something?

The man looked back with surprise, hesitated, then sighed. Well, ya d’na act like most Upperclass Recruits I see, but I d’na suppose I’ll get this down yon metal maw if ya d’na lend a hand. Joshua approached and peered into the chute opening as the worker continued, I d’na know what they pack into this chute, but ‘bout every two months, it gets clogged up sumptin’ fierce. Maybe if we both giv’ ‘er a jam.

Joshua took the pole in both hands as the man leaned the end against his chest.

1… 2… THREE!

They both strained with a growl, and… …it gave way without warning. Joshua slammed into the wall above the chute and the man smashed up against him, then bounced back to add another stain to the seat of his white coveralls.

His Ya ‘al alright? blended with Joshua’s Are you OK?

Then I’ll survive and Yeah, I’m good came out at the same time.

Smiles formed and Joshua extended a hand as they both laughed. The man came to his feet as Joshua pulled and then he pumped their hands up and down as he introduced himself.

Name’s Clemint.

He retrieved his cap from the ground and pointed at the deep blue patch with a crossed broom and rake on the front, Works for the Dee-partment a’ Pub-lic San’tation at the Dee-vision a’ Rec-la-mation. He snugged the cap down over close-cropped red hair.

I’m Joshua. I work over at Chan’s. His face brightened as he found a connection, I have a friend that works in Reclamation.

Well, I’d know ’im iffn he was in clean-up, so whaz ’e do? Water Works? Air ’Xchange?

"Well, he was in Septology… as a mucker, Joshua laughed when Clemint made a face and pinched his nose, but now he helps monitor particulates at the water purifica- uh, the Water Works."

Yep. I knows some of them folks. Well, ‘preciate ya puttin’ a hand to the pole with me. Next time yer Down Below, I’ll buy ya a beer.

Down Below?

"Ho HO! Ya d’na know ‘bout Down Below yet? Sapose it’s ‘bout time ya learned, then. Ya go in at the ID8 cor’dor an’ take the second right to the ‘levator banks that’s marked ID8 B. Them are designated for industr’al use only, so ain’t hardly ever no public go back there and they most def’n’it’ly got no cameras a watchin’ ya. He laughed with derision. The Big Man don’t care much for what us lowly clean-up folks be doin’ late at night, s’long as the streets stay all spark-a-lee and the trash it dis’sapears, that is. So we does our work while the gentrified folks, they sleep, an’ after we’s done, we tip a few Down Below. Clemint winked as he planted a gentle poke into Joshua’s chest, That’s the SL5 button on the control panel of da elevator. Joshua’s frown prompted another chuckle, Sub- Level Five. Iffn ya gets to The Saloon b’tween one ‘n three most nights, you’ll find me and I’ll buy ya that beer. Now’s I’s got ta hoof it on down my route iffn I wants to blow some suds when this shift is through."

Joshua smiled at Clemint’s retreating back, glad to have ended an otherwise disappointing shift on a positive note. He jumped at the bing from the minisheet on his hip. He typed a quick -b there n 5- answer to Sovissa’s -where r u at- and hurried into Chan’s to clock out with Keyth.

It was only on the train back to JQuad that he remembered his repeated intentions while in the alley behind Chan’s. He pulled out his minisheet and searched the string of letters. OK, TMMO stands for Tyler’s Moon Mining Operation. His search brought up some recent news blogs that identified current active mining operations to be in claims 157 through 162. If they are sequentially assigned, then TMMO 91 has been closed down for quite a while.

~~~~~~~

Joshua picked at his scrambled eggs the next morning at breakfast.

What’s wrong? Can’t choke them down without some caviar on top? His massive friend, Drayev, gave him a sly grin.

"Caviar? Yeah, as if I’ve ever even seen caviar. …And as if I would even want to eat fish eggs anyway."

"Uh oh, …somebody’s… grumpy."

"Yeah, well, you would be too if you’d lost the chance to eat some real food."

Sawyor sided with Drayev, "Look, I know the food’s become a lot better at Chan’s since you started working there, but it still isn’t exactly… gor-met eating. I mean, it’s not any better than what we get here in Chow Hall. It’s all lab food, right? Made from the same basic test tube ingredients. Nice and consistent, just the way we like it."

Drayev’s intense stare alerted Joshua to his slip up about real food. He hesitated, these guys are my best friends and made a decision as the rest of the Team began gathering their trays to make an exit. He looked for Jadana, only to discover she was already gone. As the Security Lead, she was second in command and Joshua had become used to handing off leadership tasks to her, confident she would get them done in her friendly but efficient way. He clamped down on his flash of annoyance at her for having left and at himself for being too wrapped up in his self-pity to have noticed her departure. He caught Meegale’s eye instead and pointed to his half-full plate, Sorry. I’m running behind. We’ll catch up in a few.

As soon as the rest of the Team had headed to the rinse station, Joshua leaned forward, "Guys, …listen, …I’m sorry I never told you. It’s only been going on for a little while. Besides, it’s sorta secret, ‘cause Keyth’s been getting… real meat."

Sawyor blanched, but Drayev leaned forward, "Real. What exactly do you mean, …real?"

Joshua’s cheeks flushed with guilt. Chicken breasts.

Drayev closed his eyes and leaned his head back with a groan, "It has been - so long - since I ate a real chicken breast."

"Are you two kidding me? …You mean… ‘real meat’ …like… dead animal …real meat?"

Have you ever tried it? Drayev asked. Sawyor shook his head. "Then you have …no… idea."

"OK, listen, …I’ll see if Keyth will let you in on the ‘real cooking’ if you help me figure out how to get our hands on another source of fresh basil. It makes - all - the difference. Trust me."

"I’m sorry, but you guys are just gross. Even thinking about …real meat… makes me want to toss my breakfast! …But there’s no problem getting basil. And broad leaf oregano, too. - - - What’s with the incredulous stares?! …I walk by the Air Quality Exchange Farms - every - day. They even have some old grow bins and sun lamps off to the side. Doubt they would miss them. He tapped his chin. Might not be so easy to get them from the Water Works up past Security though… …and I don’t know where we could set things up."

Didn’t you say you were working on circumventing old security measures in your Specialty Training class?

Yeah. We’re up to systems installed about ten years ago.

And where are the Water Works again?

SL2. Why?

This may involve some risk, so if you are-

Drayev’s hand slapped the table, turning heads of nearby diners. He threw them a sweet smile before he leaned forward, his voice soft but intense. "If it involves me eating real chicken breast again, I’m in!"

OK. This’ll take one or two rotations to set up, but, Joshua explained his idea in hushed tones. Before they gathered their trays and rushed out to get to class, Operation Real Food was born.

◄2►

OK, this is really serious, so pay attention. The Team sat in silence, having noted Desty’s sober mood upon entering for the Pod meeting.

"Now that you’ve got in a couple of rotations as Upperclass Recruits, it’s time you learned the Team Credo. It parallels the Unseen Credo but reflects the extreme emphasis placed on Teamwork during your Upperclass year here at JQuad. …Now, …you all know you can be washed out at any time, but like I told ya… that’s less likely now that yer Upperclass. - With… ah… some exceptions, but we’ll get to that after the Team Credo. …So! …Being Upperclass is for sure about sharpenin’ your role-specific skills but …it’s even more about using those abilities to work like a well-oiled machine. Bottom line? - It’s all… about… the Team!"

He assumed parade rest, Alrighty, Cowpokes, I’ve gotta permanent addition to your classy decor. Seeing the intent stares from his charges, Desty touched the screenwall and a line of words appeared. After intoning each line, his tap lifted it higher on the wall.

"Fruitful is the shadowed Band;

Invincible is the purposeful Band;

Victorious is the united Band; and

Empty is the false Band."

When the entire Team Credo was high up on the screenwall, Desty turned to the Team, Got it? He smiled at the return chorus, GOT IT!

Excellent! - Notice that the acronym FIVE can be a mnemonic device. He ticked off his fingers, Fruitful, Invincible, Victorious, Empty.

Desty’s smile faded and he leaned forward, "There is something else I need to pop on ya’ll, now that you’re big n bad Upperclass Recruits. …The LCM! …The Local Covert Mission goes with the Team Credo in that it will require your Team to work together flawlessly to successfully take down your target. His lifted palm stopped Jadana’s question, Now don’t go gettin’ yer chaps in a wad here, …not yet anyways. You won’t be running your op ‘til towards the end of your Upperclass year and you’ll have a rotation - that’s a full two weeks - ta git ‘er done! …So, there’s plenty of time to get the necessary training before this even comes up on yer radar. Heckfire, you won’t even learn what yer target is until mid-year. Now that being said, your target is very important because not all LCMs are created equal …and… the Team will have to pass the LCM Review to remain intact as a Team going into The Combine. Desty gave a small apologetic shrug, That’s one of the exceptions I mentioned earlier. If 237 fails the Review, the Team will be broken up and those of you who do go on to graduate based upon your individual scores will be assimilated into other Combine Teams. His palm pivoted and beckoned to Jadana, Bring it to me, Sister."

What do you mean by target?

"Superb question! I believe we have already covered the nature of MC 1784? How the mining operation on the surface of Tyler’s Moon acts as a cover for our little community of spies, er, - ah, security specialists …under the ground here? Right. - So almost all those folks above us are - in - on the secret. Some are retired field operatives, some are support personnel who wanted a more active role, and some were born there and then brought into the fold when they were old enough. In any case, your LCM will involve circumventing the security of one of the businesses or government facilities on the surface and obtaining an objective, such as a particular piece of intel, an actual file, a specific parcel, or in one infamous case, even a trophy. Now both hands came up palms forward, Whoa there, little doggies! Yer getting’ way ahead of the game. All of your LCM questions will be answered when you get yer assignment at Rotation 13. Desty lifted his minisheet to check the time, Now I believe ya’ll need to head out for The Stadium. His mischievous grin prompted worried glances among the Team. Yes indeed. You have a very instructional evening ahead of you."

~~~~~~~

The three-foot high image of Joshua’s face took on an exaggerated nonchalance, "Shats right, ociffer, you juss need to …ahhh… sign this - sacuritee com-fir-ma-shun …here? He glanced down with a frown while holding up an index finger, Juss a sec ond, ssir. …I… …umm… …got it here… …sumwhere. Finally, his self pat-down produced a small booklet, which he extended out with a bright smile, Sign this."

A low disembodied voice asked, Why?

The frown returned as Joshua’s face studied the unseen person beyond the screenwall view. Six slow blinks later, his lips pursed and his eyebrows shot up, Cause… ya have to confirm it! - - aaannnd - - hmmm… …your boss says so, …thass why! He swayed slightly after an emphatic nod.

Oh, really? Who’s my boss?

His face contorted again and seconds ticked by before he lit up, "Welp, maybes hees not your boss, ya know, …but hees your… bosses… boss! …Capt- - ahh - Co man der Reynolds… outta …hmm… Reeege - onal …OPer A shun al …Sacuritee! …Yep!... He’s-"

Freeze. CI Marcos looked at Joshua with a slight smile. And what was your overall post-operational confidence rating, Mr. Joshua?

Joshua felt eyes on the back of his burning neck. An 8. I thought I had been soooo smooth.

CI Marcos’s smile broadened in response to the patter of laughter scattered throughout the darkened gallery. "Yes, that inflated sense of confidence is amusing. However, I always like to begin this review with the best attempt at achieving the mission objective. At least Mr. Joshua came up with a reason for the requested behavior, which as you will see, is better than most of you did."

Joshua did feel a bit better as the montage of clips proceeded through various vain attempts to convince the security officer to sign their booklet. At the end, he laughed with the rest of the Recruits in Gen Spycraft as Caylee from Team 241 bent over to vomit on the officer’s shoes. There was no shortage of sympathetic moans before the wall blanked out and the lights came up.

"I know this is embarrassing to all of you, but remember, you were all administered a sufficient dose of alcohol to cause severe functional impairment. Most of you will have follow-up explorations with your individual therapists about the behaviors that came out when your inhibitions were reduced by the alcohol. You must become aware of your personal proclivities and their origins if you are to effectively manage them. …Remember. What you have seen on these videos is the alcohol talking. It is critically important to understand that you are not as capable as you feel after you have been drinking. The DI paused to drive home the point. Many operations will require you to drink socially, so you must become knowledgeable about the many variations of alcohol out there in the Sector. That’s why you are going to begin sampling various forms of alcoholic beverages every day at the eating establishment of your choice. Because most Recruits develop at least some nausea during this exercise, he waited as a low moan swept through the gallery, last night you were all given the alcohol intravenously to avoid developing an aversion to any particular type of alcoholic beverage. Also, people’s reaction to different types of alcohol can vary and you must learn how each affects you. Finally, the amounts you receive will increase over time to develop a general tolerance for alcohol. Yes, Ms. Jadana?"

What if you’re somewhere you’re expected to drink… a lot?

Joshua wondered at the flash of sympathy that crossed CI Marcos’s face before he replied, "Yes, …good question. We have active countermeasures for such scenarios, a substance that chemically alters the alcohol to neutralize it. But there are side effects, limiting the frequency of its use. …So, …the two samples you’ll be tasting represent opposite ends of the quality spectrum, because operations don’t always involve black tie James Bond type soirees with the finest of food and spirits. Don’t forget to submit your review every day under the Sampling tab. See you tomorrow."

~~~~~~~

The night stars were out, sparkling through a light, patchy cloud cover. The rest of the Team had already departed for JQuad from Hang Ten, their favorite hangout. Joshua still marveled at the twinkles he had never seen on his perpetually cloud covered home planet. He was leaning against the wall next to the door labeled TMMO 91 waiting for Sawyor to complete his applied security circumvention skills. Drayev, ever the curious one, watched over the TechOp’s shoulder. Joshua’s mind drifted as Sawyor enthusiastically responded to one of Drayev’s questions about a digital infiltration procedure. Guilt spiked at how easy it had been for the three of them to split off from the rest of the Team. He again thought of bringing everyone into ORF but was stopped by the same rationale I can’t put everyone at risk. At least they’ll be safe if we get caught. His self-recrimination mixed with nostalgia for the beginning of their Upperclass year, when the Team had done everything together. Now they seemed to be doing a lot more on their own, especially Jadana. I need to find time to ask her if everything is OK. The thought was not new and that realization brought another surge of self-reproach at his lack of follow-up. His sigh was cut short by a bleep beep buzzzzz snap and Sawyor yanked open the door with a whoop.

The inky interior prompted all three to pull their minisheets and enable the flashlight function before entering. The air had a dusty - old - smell and their circles of light roved over the small front office space, revealing a couple of bare metal desks and a single swivel chair tilted into one corner. Clang!! They all jumped at the door slamming behind them. Sawyor held up his palm to ward off the sharp stares from his partners in crime.

Don’t worry, it opens from the inside!

He hurried back to the door, pressed down the lever, and pushed. After an initial heart-stopping stick, the metal door swung out with a creak. Sawyor’s words of confidence were betrayed by the clear tone of relief in his voice, "See? I told you. Don’t know what you guys were worried about."

Joshua exchanged a glance with Drayev, then led them toward an interior door in the back wall. It opened to reveal AAAaaa!!! He propelled backward from the light shining in his face, ramming into Drayev, who barked out a rare curse.

"What! - What is it?" Sawyor’s loud whisper bounced off the empty walls.

Stopped cold by the massive body of his friend, Joshua noticed that the bright light was gone, replaced by a strange moving dimmer light, a reflection? Joshua’s brain synced and he lifted his flashlight and saw a corresponding movement on the opposite wall. He laughed out his relief, "Sorry, guys. - The ax murderer is… me."

They stepped through the door into another, larger office space, this one with four barren desks. The boogieman was actually a row of windows in the opposite wall producing eerie reflections of their light beams. Seeing nothing but inky darkness through the glass, Joshua moved to the door at the far left of the windows. He cautiously pulled it open and his exploratory light reflected on - - - nothing. Joshua felt an emptiness waiting before him. Directing his beam downward, he found a short section of metal grate. Some sweeps of his arm revealed a railed metal walkway that led away from the door to the left, proceeding about six feet before making a 90 degree turn to the right along a smooth stone wall and disappearing into the black.

A wary step proved the grating to be solid, so Joshua had Drayev hand him a metal and plastic chair to prop open the door. Not far past the right angle turn, the grate transformed into stairs that descended along the wall in a single long flight to the floor 50 feet below. A moment of clanking down the steps put them on a polished concrete surface. Exploring in different directions, their quiet calls were swallowed by the cavernous space. Underneath the upstairs office was an open receiving dock with a driveway sloping down to a massive rolling metal door. A matching rolldoor stood in the opposite direction about 150 feet across the open floor. A smaller human-sized door was to its left and a box protruded from the wall between the two, with a single red LED blinking out a slow, regular beat. The entire space was devoid of any other objects.

They climbed back to the upper office and discovered a small bathroom and storage closet that had been overlooked on their first pass through. The closet contained several metal footlockers, one filled with a fine but heavy feeling dust, while the other held a coarser grained but much lighter material. The real find was that the toilet flushed and after some rusty sputtering, water flowed from the cold water tap. The ORF Team exchanged satisfied looks. Joshua walked over and looked through the doorframe to the exterior door that led to the alleyway. He turned back to Sawyor, How hard will it be to crack that code again?

Not hard at all. Already reset. Just press 9191.

Way to go, Ultra Scorpion!! If we set up in this interior office, there should be no light leakage to the outside. His smile stretched as wide as his arms. Welcome to the home of Operation Real Food!

◄3►

Joshua took her hand in both of his, leaned forward, his words breathless, "I… love you, …M’ahlee." He peered into her eyes, imploring her to feel what he felt, which was… nothing. Aahhhh! Joshua stepped back, looked up, and cried, I can't do this!

Freeze vid. …Critiques? The instructor for the new class was a beautiful woman in her early 30s with long blonde hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. The unrestrained hair and formfitting jumpsuit notably contrasted with the presentation of most JQuad instructors. She lounged against the screenwall showing Joshua’s fists frozen in the air, her comfortable smile inviting responses from the group of combined Teams scattered across the floor. An embarrassed silence stretched.

Come, come, TamRa insisted, "you all must be prepared to give and receive honest feedback if you are going to pass this course. And this was just our first attempt, so I, at least, was not expecting much."

This drew a few chuckles and Joshua started to blush. Fortunately, Sovissa diverted attention by lifting her hands high, then dropping them with a helpless shrug, Gee, where do I even start?

The snickering swelled, but Sovissa’s betrayal gave Joshua an out. He held an imaginary knife in front of his stomach and sadly shook his head, From my own squad mate. He inserted the invisible blade and drew it across his abdomen with a long moan, flopping back with arms splayed and tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

TamRa smiled as the class laughed outright, "Well, I might give a C- for your death scene, but it’s the love scene that really needs work."

Joshua sat back up and became serious, "Look, I’m only 14, what would I know about… love?"

Excellent question! exclaimed TamRa. Don't you ever watch dramas on the vids?

It's not as if we have a lot of time to watch vids, Joshua replied, to some appreciative grunts and nods from the rest of the class, "but, from what I’ve seen, …they just don't… ring true for me. …It shouldn't be sappy like that. …It should be… something …deeper somehow."

TamRa nodded before addressing the entire class, "Your acting will always be more convincing if you draw from your own personal experience. Failing that, you need to have thought, she looked at Joshua, in a deeper way, about what these things mean to you. Create a scene in your mind that uses similar elements to at least approximate a genuine expression of your feelings. This technique meshes well with the persona-building you are already working on. The better you fill out the history and personality of your persona, the more convincing you will act. However, effectively using such an acting technique on the fly takes considerable practice. So. - Let's continue. … …Who would like to go next?"

The acting instructor scanned a sea of faces looking anywhere but in her direction. She sighed in exasperation, "Let me guess, …not only is it a little scary to perform in front of your peers and people from other teams, but this all seems somewhat… frivolous. After all, ‘acting’ is about make-believe, little girls who dress up and ‘act’ like princesses, her voice dropped to a low rasp, or boys dispatching villains on stage, her tone lifting in exaltation, to the thunderous applause of a standing audience! Perhaps ‘acting’ brings to mind self-absorbed kids with stars in their eyes, knowing deep down in their little thumping hearts, that they are the - next - big - vid star! She became sober and earnest, eyes reaching to each of the Recruits, But you all must understand, …someday, - your …very …life …may depend …literally… on your ability to convince another person that you feel something that you don’t really feel. You may need an emotionally unstable thug to… truly believe …in your total allegiance to the gang, or a police officer to be convinced that you are devastated that your boyfriend just broke up with you and that’s why you are more than a little drunk, or just maybe, she locked eyes with Joshua, you’ll need to convince the daughter of a crime boss that you… love …her."

So! - …I still need a volunteer. TamRa looked at Sovissa and smiled, Perhaps the squad member who prompted her mate to commit seppuku?

Sovissa jumped to her feet, looking down her nose at Joshua, "I would be delighted to restore the honor of our Team by performing a credible, and deeply felt, love scene. She tapped her lips as she surveyed the boys from the other squads, Now let's see…"

Actually, I had a different scene in mind for you, TamRa interjected. You are a sergeant in the Space Marines. This is your platoon, she gestured towards the combined class. "You have just learned that one of their squad mates has died of wounds received planetside just hours ago after their initial combat drop. The corporal who died was very popular in the platoon, having assumed