Red Dragon

Chapter one: Introduction

By: L'il Will

"Arnold."

"Clarence."

"Brittany."

"Jason."

"Rebecca."

"Charles."

"Ashley."

"Steve."

"Amanda."

"Alex."

"Kevin."

"Alright, kiddies! Now that I know your names, I'd just like to tell you that I DON'T CARE! I don't care about your names! I don't care about your opinions! Hell, I don't even care about any illnesses or weaknesses that could potentially KILL YOU while you're under my supervision! If you have an objection, hold it! If you have a problem, save it! You are in this mans army to learn. Learn why the things you have done have got you here and why you'll never do them again! That's a rather simple question. Because when I'm through with you, you'd rather do to hell than too ever see my face again."

The drill sergeant walked up and down the row of children, yelling in their faces. Not that they didn't deserve it. They were all here for some reason or another. Each and every one of them had committed some small crime that was enough to get them sent to an army reserve for adolescent offenders.

Arnold Soucie. A fourteen year old 'ladies man' with a smile that could melt ice and a personality that was every woman's dream (even if it was a snotty, brown-nosed, too-good-for-this-world one). He thought that his blonde hair and broad shoulders could get him out of any sticky situation, but they were no help in preventing him from getting sent here. While at the mall one day, his friends dared him to steal a bottle of cologne from a drug store. He did and was caught in the process. Although the shopkeeper did not feel the need to punish Arnold as long as he promised never to do it again, his parents felt differently. They sent him here to change his ways.

Alex Lloyd. The thirteen year old loser of our story. The boy that was rejected by almost every girl he asked on a date. Dealing with rejection all his life, he could only feel depressed. He figured his parents sent him here because they didn't want him around, but he was really sent here because he brought a knife to school to be a rebel and impress the girls. When he was caught, the police gave him a twenty-day suspension, causing him to fail all his first semester subjects. His parents felt that they needed to punish him for the knife and for flunking all his classes so they sent him here.

Amanda Frewer. The thirteen year old bright-eyed and cheerful one. You know, the kind of girl that would grow into a cheerleader that could get the whole varsity team if she really wanted to. She had been trying out trying out for the cheerleading squad when she committed her crime, actually. She was leaping down from a human pyramid when she tripped and fell. As a result, some of the crowd laughed at her and she didn't make the team. Because of this, she felt the need to moon the entire audience. Some of the boys watching found it amusing in, ahem, more ways then one, the teachers and judges did not. They sent her home with a week suspension and a note. Though not illegal, her parents found it necessary to send her here. Such a large punishment for such a small crime.

Brittany Hartman. The responsible one. A thirteen year old smart and athletic girl for whom the boys seemed too crazy for. She's the kind of girl that could either be an accountant or a model when she grew up. Being popular, she already had a boyfriend. The kind of nice, sensitive guy who would go out and spend all his money on her just to make her happy. However, he did just that, so he burglarized a jewellery store and stole a beautiful little golden necklace with a heart locket. 'A heart for my Hartman.' he would say. Of course, he didn't tell her he had stolen it and he was arrested and when he told the police that she had the necklace, they arrested her too, for excepting stolen goods. So sad when the police get their man (or in this case, woman) even if they're innocent.

Charles Curry. The jock. The thirteen year old whose life revolves around sports. If he wasn't playing some sort of brutish game, he'd be watching it on TV or hanging out with the guys who play those brutish games with him. Luckily, he's under aged and can't drink, even if his buddies do it. A law abider, you say? I think not. Apparently, someone spiked the punch at the junior prom at his high-school. He went home in denial that he was drunk, but he was really so much so, that he forgot that he couldn't drive. He got into one of the teachers' car while they left it running so they could hurry in to drop off some paperwork. He drove the car into a tree and when the police showed up, they sent him here for driving without a license, drunk driving, and under aged drinking. I'd say he actually got off quite easily.

Clarence Jay. The sensitive one. A smart little twelve year old kid who felt for everyone around him. If someone were to stab him right in the stomach, and then trip and skin their knee while lunging at him again, he'd be beside the attacker, kissing the wound. He sounds like and innocent kid, right? Well, why is he here then? I'll tell you. While walking home from school one day, he witnessed a gay-bashing. He felt extreme anguish watching those three boys savagely beat a forth simply for being different. He brutally attacked what seemed to be the lead boy. As he started hitting the large boy, his friends sped off and called the police. When the police did arrive ten minutes later, Clarence was still delivering blows to the now unconscious attacker. He had to be pulled away and then sent here while the original attackers got off scot free. Is that what you call justice? The police punishing someone for something they themselves would do.

Jason Jones. A kind of thirteen year old nerdy child who wore glasses and needed a puffer. He recently got rid of his allergies and no longer carried a puffer. However, he still has problems. He claims he can still has asthma and kind of complains. It almost sounds as if he's incapable of committing a crime, doesn't it? Well, he is. But that doesn't stop others from thinking differently. As I have said before, he recently got rid of his puffer since his asthma seemed to have disappeared. While walking through the grocery store one day to pick up a few things for his mother, he was confronted by three goons, as you would say. They teased him and pushed him onto the ground. He got angry and was sent into and asthma attack. Since he had gotten rid of his puffer, he didn't have on, of course. So, he started stumbling around, searching for help. He fell unconscious on a fruit display, sending all the oranges there tumbling onto the floor. When the ambulance and police arrived, the paramedics revived him, and the police sent him here for destruction of public property. They generally charged him for being ill.

Kevin Irons. The nerdy one. A fourteen year old computer geek who would rather spend his time upgrading a web page than actually playing with carbon-based life forms. He's your general stereotypical version of a 'Dungeons and Dragons', computer loving, 'Star Wars, geek, only without the glasses, buckteeth and turn-you-to-stone zits. Sounds like he would be home to often to actually be able to do anything wrong, huh? Well, that's exactly how he broke the law. His story is simple enough. He tried to cheat on a health test (probably the only test he'd need to cheat for) by hacking into his schools computer database. His parents caught him in the act just as he was printing out the results. Although they didn't tell the school, they took Kevin's computer privileges away and sent him here to straighten his act. I'd say that he's too smart for his own good.

Laura MacNielle. The insecure one. She's a thirteen year old girl who's desperately seeking a boyfriend. She'll fall head-over-heels for the first cute guy she sees. Actually, she's quite smart and really only goes boy hunting in her spare time. Her problem with the opposite sex is what got her into this hell-hole in the first place. Although she goes after almost every guy she sees, she kind of cleaned up her act a little, and is really only trying to get one to notice her for a while. This boy that she's been gawking at lately, apparently wouldn't go out with her because she's too much of a girly girl and rebellious enough. So, to say the least, she pulled the fire alarm at school to prove him wrong. Although this is not a major offence, her parents found it to be quite a change from their innocent little girl, so they sent her here.

Steve Bennet. The popular one. The fourteen year old guy who seemed to drive the girls wild. If his good looks couldn't get you, his charm certainly would. I'd say that his crime wasn't so much of an offence as it was an accident. Typical Steve, he was flirting with one of the cute girls in his science class while walking down the hall between periods. As they walked together, they gradually progressed towards the stairs. He was so busy conversing with the girl, that he didn't look where he was going. He bumped into another boy, sending him down a full flight of stairs. The boy broke an arm and when the police found out, they considered it an assault, so, they sent him here. The price seems to be so high for things not meant to be done.

Rebecca Price. The cute, or just cute as all the boys thought. This thirteen year old girl seemed to be very popular at her school. She was sweet, kind, and caring, and nobody knew this better than her boyfriend. A nice jock who spent every waking moment adoring her. While the two of them went to a football game at the stadium (Rebecca's boyfriends choice, of course), she had gone to get some snacks to share. On her way back up to sit, she slipped on some spilt cola. She fell forward and landed on her boyfriend who was standing up, cheering since his team had just scored a touchdown. He fell off balance and tumbled down three rows of stands. She was charged for assault as a minor. Too much fuss over a little spilt coke.

Ashley Drummond. The thirteen year old unsure one. She's the kind of child that regrets every little thing she's ever done wrong. From something small like bragging, to something big like accidentally taking a can of her father's beer from the fridge thinking it was a can of cola. In fact, that's why she's here. You see, she didn't look at the can that morning before opening it and drinking it. She got immensely drunk from that one little sip since her body was not used to it. As a result, she took even more beer out of the fridge to school with her. She started selling it to the kids who come to the school for no reason and smoke outside. She was caught by the staff and her parents were called but a deal was made that no one would call the police but she would have to come here for under aged drinking and selling alcohol without a license. But, on the upside, she made twenty dollars.

"All right, you little pansies! I'm about to give you the classical 'I don't like you, and you don't like me' speech, and you're going to sit there quietly through it! First off, you don't question my authority! I tell you to run, you say 'How fast?'! I tell you to punch someone, you say 'Stomach or face?'! Hell, if I tell you to kill yourself, you should say "Hanging or Hari Kari?'!"

The idiot screaming orders at the pack of young children is one General Frank Barlow. The same kind of guy who would bully others at school and steal their lunch money. The same kind of guy who skip classes at school so he could throw apples through windows. The same kind of guy who is hated the world over by people kind of like you or me. He came into the world of the military because he thinks it's fun to push others around and this was the only job he could get with his low intelligence that would allow him to do that legally.

"Now that we're through out nice little introduction, I want you little pansies to climb 'The Wall'!" The general backed away to better reveal a giant brick wall behind himself. He swayed hi arm to better introduce his little activity.

"Fifty feet upwards of vertical climbing with the assistance of a rope and then thirty vertical feet back down onto a wooden platform. Then you must swing across three ropes above a twenty foot drop into a pit of mud. After that, you must run across one foot wide log for five metres. Then to finish it off, you must climb up on a forty-five degree angle until you are at fifty feet from the ground. Then, you will reach a pole that you must slide down to finish the course. This little contraption is my own creation. We had to fight the supreme court for months to make this thing legal. Now, before you begin, let me assure you that failure is not in my vocabulary. Your first failed attempt will result in a midnight hike to the middle of the forest were you will receive an hour of digging. Every failed attempt will result in another half-an-hour. Am I understood?!"

"Sir, Yes, Sir!" the entire group yelled in unison, quite confidently really, yet, in reality, every single one of them terrified of the drill sergeant.

"Bennet!"

"Sir!" Steve responded to the generals reference of his last name.

"You're first."

"Yes, sir!"

Steve walked over and grabbed hold of the rope hanging down beside the wall. He ever so slowly made his way up the wall and got to the top in about a minute, but fell when trying to reach the second rope. He screamed like a banshee as he plummeted down twenty feet into the deep pool of mud. It took him two more tries at it to get it right which resulted in two hours of digging in the middle of the forest.

They all got some time except for Amanda who claimed her motivation not to get dirty from the mud kept her from falling. Charles got one hour, Ashley got and hour-and-a-half, Brittany got one hour, Kevin got two-and-a-half hours, Clarence got one-and-a-half, Jason got two hours, Alex got two hours, Laura got an hour, Rebecca got an hour-and-a-half and, finally, Arnold got two hours.

Everyone of them was sore and aching by the time the day was through at five o'clock. Stiff joints and sweaty faces were everywhere from the rough day that they had had.

"Alright, pansies! We had a pretty good time today, didn't we?!"

"Yes, Sir." they all groaned tiredly.

"Well, good, because you better get used to it. For the next two weeks, this will be your way of life. I will see everyone of you except for Frewer at twenty-four hundred hours."

Amanda smiled as she didn't have to go.

"You shall meet me at the clock tower by the time according to it. For every minute you are late, five minutes will be added to your digging time. Alright, grunts! Fall out!"

Everyone fell out of place as the general finally turned his back to them. They all rubbed their sore spots and cracked their stiff bones.

"God, that asshole is tough." Jason piped in, breaking the silence. "Is he allowed to make us do things like that?! I mean, common, we're just kids!"

"I know." Laura responded. "I might be able to take it for a little while but it's just like Chinese water torture. Can't take it for long."

"He probably came from the real army. Where the people there actually have to be trained like this." Alex added to the conversation.

Before long, everyone was laughing and cracking jokes about General Barlow. 'He's the boy scout gone wrong.' 'He finds pleasure in watching kids fall and roll around in the mud.' 'He's here because he couldn't make to the navy since, despite his name, the men there said his bar didn't hang low enough.' Just general wise cracks like that, that would hurt his feelings.

Not surprisingly, they all soon became friends and actually started fearing the day the summer disciplinary school would end and they would never see each other again.

At seven o'clock, dinner began. The twelve newly discovered friends sat at the same table, but had trouble communicating from one end of it to the other, especially with all the others around them.

The whole school ate in that same mess hall. The twelve of them had been introduced to just one small part of the institute. It was actually quite large. Each small branch had its own drill sergeant, sleeping quarters, and equipment. But' its no coincidence that the twelve that you have been introduced to got in the same group. Oh, no. A much greater force is at work here, one that cannot be explained now.

"I don't even think there's much point in this at all." Brittany spoke to the others.

"At least I'll know what to do if I meet a guy who's to persistent. Yaa-ya!" Amanda said while doing karate chops through the air to show off. Everyone giggled a bit and continued eating the mush given to them.

"I wish that this might come in handy some day. You know, like soon." Brittany day-dreamed. "I'd like nothing more than to get out there and have an adventure soon, but it's unlikely. Chances are nine tenths of the stuff we actually remember won't go to use at all"

How wrong she was.

Hey, they. I know, it has nothing at all to do with digimon, YET, but it will in due time, so don't flame me.

Until chapter two the Will, will be signin' off.