Retaking the initiative.

Way too early I was woken up with some urgent shoving. Sophia was waking up everyone.

Goodbye my pleasant dream...

Though waking up, it was perhaps for the best it was just a dream. Dream-Superman had way too many characteristics that reminded me of the commander. Uh... I can’t even dream normally anymore. Dream-Superman had shot me into the highest sky on a huge bullet. It was my job to steer the bullet and jumping off it before it would kill some monster. I was falling, but I wasn’t worried, because Dream-Superman would catch me in a few moments. He was already flying towards me, with his arms outstretched as if he was about to hug me and hold me tight, and save me from crashing into the earth. Just as I was about to be caught... She woke me up.

It was her right of course. She was the squad commander, but damn her if my good mood from the dream was evaporated so brutally for some idiotic mission she had in mind. If so, I would kill her right on the spot.

And she had a mission for us all. To retake the initiative after having been crushed so hard by the commander last night. Or take the initiative after having been crushed so hard on the commander before last night. Sophia was not a woman to be deterred if she was on heat. And it seemed to me she was on heat most of the time. Perhaps her hormones were at work too, but then the entire month.

Our squad needed to be recognized as a squad by the commander. Or Sophia needed to be seen by the commander. Or Sophia and Clara needed to be seen together by the commander. As a united front because it became quickly clear their competitiveness was gone as well. No more arguing, no more snapping was seen between the two. Perhaps it was what the commander had in mind with his brutal manners, to unite them together against him. Or it was still that filter he used to ensure people that were worth his attention would do to the effort. Or both. Who knows at this time, so early in the morning?

Sophia and Clara had put their minds together. Yesterday night all four of them were sent on a late night stroll through the woods, into three directions to get something for the commander as proof they had reached their destination. A flower, a nice rock and a bottle of wet mud. They had been thinking it wasn’t a coincidence they were sent in only three directions instead of four, as all four were disciplined. He could have sent them into four directions. So the fourth direction should be the direction where the camp of the commander was.

I had to admit the logic was sound. The motivation sounded less convincing, but to be recognized as a squad, could be reason for the commander to stop treating us like idiots. Perhaps then he would treat us as useful idiots. If the plan to ambush them worked. So we had be up sooner than they would. And we had to find it in time.

To find it, we would need to look for the same geography as we had. So in the woods, at a rising of the ground level and with a nearby water supply. And hope for the best. Oh... and preferably with no guard in sight, if he didn’t shoot us on his or her first sight.

So off we went, in full battle gear. To be fair, I thought it was cheating. If we had to find a real enemy camp they certainly wouldn’t have taught us how to make a similar enemy camp. We wouldn’t have the trade secrets of making their camp and operating like them.

We quickly found the camp, three rivers away. Far enough from us to not be annoyed by us, close enough to come to our aid if needed. Or to be checked upon, like last night. I felt slightly annoyed he had so easily evaded me, sitting guard. The guard of the commander was however nowhere to be seen. We checked, crouching and crawling around the entire place. Lina was getting a bit frustrated we couldn’t find the guard. After that compliment of the commander she was really looking forward to be trained as a sniper. I was already happy we weren’t shot by the guard at the first sight of us.

“Look.” I whispered to the group: “If there was a guard here, he could have shot us, but since we are all alive and well... If there was a guard here, but had seen it was us, the guard could have intercepted us. He or she could have humbled us before we even found the camp. We have to admit, we are not good enough yet in our skills to outsmart them by our skills. So, either the watch will shoot us or humble us the moment we set foot in the camp or there is no guard.”

Praising myself here for my smart thinking, but I wanted it to be done. I could have been sleeping in my bed in the cave without being humbled for a second time in a ‘see, but not be seen’- game.

So we neared the camp, carefully. If there was a guard he would be laughing his ass off probably. We neared the fire pit, but still no reaction. We sat around the fire. Nothing. May as well be warm and welcome to the commander, I thought, and reset the fire. No guard here, we congratulated each other for our successful mission, eagerly awaiting the commander.

We didn’t have to wait that long. First I saw Kara opening the covers. She looked at us stunned, only for a few moments. She was pushed away, fast and hard, behind someone else. Like that one wanted to save her by catching the incoming fire... She was saved by... the commander? Yes, it was him, we all saw, Clara started to giggle even. The commander was clearly stunned for a moment, then a look of pure relief came upon his face. As if he was expecting to die... but only saw some little puppies at the fire circle, wagging their tails, greeting him with joy. And we were enjoying ourselves, incredibly pleased with ourselves. He came out of the cave, nearing us, leading the way for our training officers. All out of the same cave, after sleeping together. The four of them. There was no doubt left in our minds. Sophia wanted to welcome the commander too:

“Good morning.” She greeted them.

“Eh... good morning to you all.” He said, relieved, then a bit embarrassed.

Yes, clearly, the roles were reversed now.

“Looks like they found us after all.” Kylie muttered, as she was expecting us a lot earlier.

“We did.” Clara was loudly giggling about it, smiling brightly and very smug.

“Very impressive. Very impressive isn’t it, Alex?” Kara asked the commander, looking at him as if she wanted him to say something.

“Yes.” He sighed out loudly. “Most impressive of them. As a team, to retake the initiative and... to reverse the roles after yesterday night.” He certainly recognized his defeat fair and square.

“I am also very proud to see you here. Now.” He complimented us.

Wow... a compliment of him was like an aphrodisiac... eh... not that, well perhaps to Clara and Sophia it was, but to me it was a form of recognition to us. Like to be finally worthy of his benevolent charms. Or to be treated now as useful idiots.

“But I have to wonder... How did you outwit our guard?” He asked.

What guard?

“Guard?” Lina asked. “We didn’t see a guard.”

We saw everything except a guard.

“Didier?” He said loudly into the air, as if he didn’t know where to...

What the fuck?

Not twenty meters of the circle a shape of moss, twigs and branches rose from the ground. It seemed to be a man, or a forest monster... No, it was a young man, I saw clearly now, after he shed his cover and walked closer to the commander, grinning like we just did.

Now our smugness was wiped of our faces, we were staring in amazement to the guard.

“I let them pass. Didn’t see the harm in it.” He said, still grinning to the commander.

A guard with a sense of humor. Probably laughed his ass off when we sat ourselves at the circle not even twenty meters away from him. Possible were stepping right next to him, or on him in our haste to get to the circle.

“Ah... a practical joke then.” The commander concluded.

He knew we were here, he knew the commander would be horrified in his first instance, at the exit of his cave, but also knew he would not hurt us, but feel relieved and embarrassed by seeing us. The practical joke was meant for the commander. And humbled us in one fell sweep with it.

“Not like you are famous for your good jokes,” he kept grinning at the commander.

The commander joking, even badly...?

“No... Very true.” But he smiled at Didier, appreciating the practical joke, like he was just his peer, instead of a frightening commander able to incinerate you at the spot with his famous glare. Because that was what the four women had experienced, last night. To their great distress. It had left a searing imprint on their souls, warning them, not ever to take his advice lightly again.

Didier was not really a good looking man and had quite a bit of acne on his face, but he smiled easily and wasn’t frowning at all. A welcome improvement of the situation. But then my eyes fell on Lina, looking at him dreamingly, like the gods of destiny had interfered on her behalf. Oh... right, her imperfect man, she so desired.

“Didier, meet our newest squad.” The commander introduced us to him.

Didier was looking at us, not for the first time that day. His gaze lingered just a moment too long on Lina. And Lina looked most pleased with that. The commander had a small smirk on his face when he noticed too, but didn’t say anything about it, except accepting the fact we were here, and not where we were left.

“Right then, since you all are here, we don’t need to travel to you.”

Taking the best out of everything...

“Didier, report of the lessons to the villagers?”

“Almost finished. Learning them to run and hide, letting them to set premade shelters in the woods now.”

Only a blind man could have missed the furtive glances Lina was throwing at Didier. The commander wasn’t blind, to say the least.

“How long until you will be pleased with their results?” The commander continued the debriefing, seemingly pleased with himself.

“They are learning fast, very determined. A couple of hours would do it.” Didier replied.

“Well, return to the villagers for this morning and take Lina with you. Teach her to handle a sniper rifle. She is a very good shot.”

What the fuck? The commander acting like Cupido himself? Pleasing Lina and Didier immensely at the same time with the order, and teaching them a lesson in the art of avenging a practical joke to both of them with one arrow... When he saw an opportunity, he certainly acted very, very fast.

“The rest of the squad will take further lessons in setting up cloaked fire positions, and refine the art of ambushing without being noticed by guards.”

Ouch... Another avenging shot at us. If there was any smugness left in us, it was now, without a doubt to any of us, gone.

“After that, you will resume finishing up the construction of your campsite.”

Fuck... I want to sleep in it, not dig it deeper now.

“Don’t worry, I will help you with that, and then you can tell me all about how you found us.” He softened the blow to our hearts, smiling at us, genuinely, for the first time after being recognized as useful idiots. On in the case of Sophia and Clara, as potential lovers...