Chapter 26 : Welcome to the Military :- 1
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Location: Camp Lehigh
Omni POV.
A group of roughly twenty children stood in the middle of a large training field, with some standing straight others fidgeting nervously; a few even looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there.
Standing before them was a man who seemed capable of snapping most of them in half with his bare hands.
He stood well over six feet tall, possessing broad shoulders and a powerful frame packed with dense muscle earned through years of relentless training with long dark-brown hair hung loosely around his face, falling just past his shoulders, while a permanent layer of stubble covered his strong jawline.
Several scars could be seen running across his neck and forearms, silent reminders of battles long since fought.
There was nothing flashy about him.
No noble elegance.
No charismatic smile.
No attempt to appear approachable.
He looked exactly like what he was:
A soldier.
His uniform immaculate and his expression; Completely blank.
The blazing afternoon sun beat down mercilessly upon the recruits standing shoulder to shoulder in uneven rows.
Many had only arrived a few hours earlier, and after enduring the lengthy enlistment process, most had barely found time to rest before being dragged out here so while their expressions might have differed, they were all exhausted with the sun not helping their cases.
The sound of heavy boots echoed across the field.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Each step seemed to carry weight and when the man finally stopped walking, the entire training ground seemed to fall silent.
Then he inhaled. "ATTTEEEEEENTION!!" The roar exploded across the field like a cannon blast.
Several recruits visibly jumped such that one poor boy nearly fell over.
The man stared at them with obvious disappointment. "My name is Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes."
While his gaze swept across the formation like a predator examining prey he added,
"Not Mister Barnes."
"Not Sir Barnes."
"But Sergeant Barnes"
"You recruits will call me Sergeant." He paused, then asked a simple question. "Do I make myself clear?!"
Silence.
The recruits stared back at him, some looked confused, others looked frightened but nobody answered back.nA vein immediately appeared on Barnes' forehead. "I SAID!" His voice somehow became even louder. "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEEEEEAAARRRR?!"
"YES SERGEANT!!" The response thundered across the field.
Barnes nodded slowly. "Better." A smile appeared on his face and yet it just made him look even more dangerous. "But you can do better." He clasped his hands behind his back and roared once more. "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"
The recruits practically screamed. "YES SERGEANT!!!!!" This time the shout managed to scare several birds from the nearby trees and was when Barnes finally looked satisfied."Now that's more like it."
He slowly began pacing in front of the formation. "Listen carefully, recruits."
"For the next three years my job will be very simple." He pointed directly at them. "It is my responsibility to take this collection of weak-willed, soft-skinned, pampered cockroaches..."
"...and somehow turn you into warriors."
Several recruits frowned while a few looked offended, they were most likely the sons of noble families.
Barnes noticed immediately but instead of anger his grin widened. "Good I like the looks on your faces,"
"Because before this is over, every single one of you is going to hate me." He stopped walking. "And I will enjoy every second of it."
A few nervous chuckles spread through the crowd but seeing Barnes didn't laugh, those chuckles died instantly. "I am firmly convinced that most of you will not make it." The atmosphere became noticeably heavier.
"And I intend to prove it."
"I will work you until your muscles fail."
"I will push you until your lungs burn."
"I will tear down your arrogance."
"I will break your bad habits."
"I will destroy your incompetence."
He paused only to smile, "And for those of you stupid enough to keep standing back up...I'll build you into something stronger."
Silence.
Not a single recruit spoke, several swallowed nervously a few suddenly became fascinated by the dirt beneath their boots.
Barnes nodded approvingly. "At least you're beginning to understand."
He pointed toward the barracks. "Until graduation you are not nobles."
"You are not commoners."
"You are not heroes."
"And You sure as hell aren't warriors."
His finger jabbed toward the formation. "You are cadets."
"And cadets are lesser maggots."
"IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!"
"YES SERGEANT!!!"
"Good." Barnes folded his arms. "It appears you are capable of learning." He resumed pacing. "From this moment onward, your miserable excuses for lives belong to me."
"Wake-up is at 0500 hours."
"Training begins at 0530."
"If you're late, you suffer."
"If you get left behind, you suffer'."
"If you're lazy, you'll suffer."
"If I simply don't like the look on your face..." He paused for dramatic effect.. "You'll suffer."
Several of the recruits looked horrified, Barnes noticing just said, "Good…..I love your fear."
At that moment his gaze shifted beyond the formation.
Someone else had arrived, and with his arrival the atmosphere changed immediately, because standing there was a man who seemed carved from stone, short blond hair framed a face defined by sharp angles and an unyielding jaw. His broad shoulders and powerful build spoke of countless years spent on battlefields rather than behind a desk and unlike most soldiers training throughout the camp, he stood perfectly still.
Arms folded across his chest.
There was no need for him to shout, no need for intimidation authority seemed to cling to him naturally as his eyes swept across the recruits with calm precision, the look of a man capable of identifying weakness with a single glance.
Barnes snorted, "You're late"
"Breaking in the new kids already, eh Bucky?" The blond man smiled slightly.
Sergeant Barnes just grumbled, "Well someone has to, otherwise it will be hell later."
Barnes laughed then he turned back toward the recruits. "Maggots!" The recruits immediately straightened. "This here is Captain Steve Rogers. The commanding officer of our small unit here and If you value any of your worthless lives, you'll give him the respect he deserves, otherwise I'll kill you myself."
The recruits immediately stiffened as fear, respect and a bit of admiration a mixture of all three spread through the formation.
Captain Rogers stepped forward.
Barnes then unfolded a small document. "Now then."
He glanced down at the list :-
"Daniel fou Durland."
"Eris."
"Martha."
"Leon fou Bartfort."
"Raymond fou Arkin."
When Barnes finished, he folded the paper. "Those whose names were called will remain." His gaze shifted toward everyone else. "The rest of you will be escorted to your barracks."
"Dismissed."
Captain Rogers stepped forward, his expression softening noticeably. "Before you leave, there's something I'd like all of you to understand."
The recruits listened carefully. "I know every one of you came here for different reasons."
Some sought glory.
Others sought purpose.
A few simply had nowhere else to go.
"But once you put on our uniform..." He looked across the group.
"None of that matters."
"We are one family here."
"Brothers and Sisters."
The tension in the group eased slightly. Then Rogers placed his left hand behind his back with his right hand formed a fist and rested over his heart. "This is our salute."
The recruits watched carefully. "Heart and Body to the Cause." His voice carried across the field. "Whatever that cause may be."
Beside him, Sergeant Barnes immediately performed the same saluteThe recruits exchanged uncertain looks.
Then one by one they copied the motion. Finally, together, they shouted: "HEART AND BODY TO THE CAUSE!"
A genuine smile then appeared on Captain Rogers's face. "Good."
He lowered his hand.
"Welcome to the Howling Commandos."
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