Lance managed to finish in a clumsy one minute and forty-three seconds, grinning as though he had just aced a final exam. Madison barely made the cutoff at one minute and fifty-nine seconds, her hands shaking as she snapped the final piece into place. Then, it was Olivia’s turn to step up to the table.
She displayed no signs of haste or hesitation. Her hands moved with an effortless grace, as if they were following a sequence ingrained in her muscle memory. Pin out, bolt carrier group free, components laid out in a perfectly organized grid with surgical precision.
«Fifty-two seconds,» announced Sergeant Polk, the grizzled instructor overseeing the drill. There wasn’t a single misstep, not a moment of indecision. He stared at the stopwatch, then at her, then back at the stopwatch as if it might be deceiving him.
«Mitchell,» he said, his voice low and contemplative. «Where did you learn to do that?»
Olivia wiped her hands on her pants and stepped back from the table. «Practice,» she replied, her gaze fixed on the ground.
On the training screen behind them, a slow-motion replay of her performance was being shown. Every movement was clean, efficient, and devoid of any wasted motion. A nearby lieutenant leaned over to Sergeant Polk, his voice carrying just far enough for others to hear.
«Her hands didn’t even tremble. That’s special forces-level steadiness.»
Lance overheard the comment and scoffed loudly. «So, she can clean a rifle,» he said, ensuring Olivia could hear every word. «That doesn’t mean she can fight.»
However, during the subsequent break, a quiet cadet named Elena Rodriguez, who had been observing Olivia with keen interest, discreetly passed her a spare map from her own kit. «You’ll need this,» Elena whispered, her eyes darting around to ensure no one was watching their exchange.
Olivia accepted it, gave a single nod of acknowledgment, and tucked it into her bag without a word. It was the first act of kindness she had received since her arrival, and although her expression remained unchanged, a flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes.
Whispers began to circulate after that rifle drill. A few cadets started casting furtive glances in her direction during breaks, attempting to solve the puzzle of a woman who dressed like a drifter but handled weaponry like a seasoned professional. Olivia seemed either oblivious or indifferent to the newfound attention.
She sat on the grass during rest periods, methodically retying her frayed shoelaces, her face as inscrutable as ever. Madison leaned over to Lance, her voice low but sharp with malice. «I bet she has some sob story.»
«Yeah, some poor kid from the middle of nowhere, trying to prove she’s somebody,» Lance laughed, the sound harsh and grating in the afternoon air. «Well, so far, she’s only proven that she’s nobody special.»
Olivia’s fingers paused on her laces for a fraction of a second. Then she resumed tying them, her movements slow and deliberate, as if she were sealing away something deep within herself.
The equipment shed provided another opportunity for humiliation. Cadets lined up to receive their gear for the next drill, and the quartermaster, a gruff, older man named Gibbs, distributed vests and helmets with a barely veiled disdain for the young recruits.
When Olivia stepped forward, he looked her up and down as if she were something unpleasant he had discovered on the sole of his boot. «What’s this, a hobo convention?» he declared, his voice loud enough for the entire line to hear. «We don’t issue gear to civilians, sweetheart.»
He tossed her a tactical vest that was at least two sizes too large. The straps dangled uselessly, and the cadets behind her snickered. «Maybe she can use it as a tent,» one of them called out.
Olivia caught the vest, her fingers tightening on the canvas for a brief moment. She didn’t argue or request a replacement. She simply slung it over her shoulder and walked out, her boots echoing on the concrete floor.
Behind her, Gibbs chuckled and shook his head. «That one will wash out by tomorrow,» he announced to the room.
But once outside, away from prying eyes, Olivia adjusted the oversized vest with a series of quick, practiced knots, transforming it into a perfect, custom fit. Her hands moved with the same fluid precision she had demonstrated with the rifle, as if equipment modification were second nature to her.
The terrain run the next morning was designed to be mercilessly brutal. Ten miles over rugged ground, in full gear, with no quarter given. Olivia maintained a position in the middle of the pack, her breathing even and controlled, her steps steady despite the punishing pace.
Madison was running directly behind her, muttering complaints under her breath for the entire duration. «Pick up the pace, charity case,» she hissed through clenched teeth. «You’re slowing us all down.»
At the halfway point, when exhaustion was beginning to etch itself onto the faces of the cadets and their form was deteriorating, Madison made her move. She subtly nudged Olivia’s elbow, just enough to throw her off balance. Olivia’s foot caught on a loose rock, and she veered off the designated path, her ankle twisting awkwardly as she landed on the uneven ground.
Captain Harrow witnessed the incident. «Mitchell!» he roared, his voice carrying across the entire formation. «You broke formation! The squad loses points because of you!»
The group groaned in collective frustration, some of them shooting venomous glares in Olivia’s direction. Lance turned around, his face flushed with a mixture of exertion and anger. «Nice going, Mitchell. Real team player.»
