Back to School
Chapter 1
Segram Braeden
"Booth" I answered.
It was my boss. They had needed someone willing to go undercover as a substitute instructor for a college ROTC unit. I became the involuntary candidate.
Let's see here…Army veteran with war experience, a guy, still in the doghouse for a string of crappy events. I wondered if Aubrey had anything to do with this.
I walked through a set of double doors into a bustling hallway. Preoccupied college students bumped into me without so much as an excuse me. I found the dean's office with the help of a young girl at the registration desk.
"Special Agent Booth, right?" The bald man behind the desk caught my attention.
"Dean Galmire?" I returned the greeting.
I took a seat just in front of his desk.
"I assume that you have been briefed by your superiors about why you're here?" Galmire asked.
"I have the gist." I answered.
Some of the information could have changed in twenty-four hours' time.
"Our current instructor is in a medically induced coma at the moment. Campus security found him lying on the ground beside his car unconscious. All of his injuries seemed to imply an assault by one or more individuals. We have our suspicions about who might be responsible but we have no way to prove it." Galmire filled me in on the situation with a far more complete picture.
Wonderful, I thought to myself without spared sarcasm.
He handed me the agenda for the next week for a quick read over. Today's instruction centered on martial arts and self-defense methods. Other activities were on the schedule but I could only take this assignment a day at a time. Mistakes would be made if I got too far ahead of myself.
"Train them the way that is necessary. Report anything that seems out of place directly to me. I don't want the guilty party or parties aware of why you were brought here." Galmire's instruction sounded suspect and flexible at the same time.
He must have read my facial expression to figure out my next question.
"Someone within my staff knows more than they are letting on. That staff member is either scared of the perpetrator or protecting them. Either way, we can't tip off the person responsible." Galmire's expression proved my hunch.
He pulled a sealed envelope from his desk drawer. I accepted the envelope and then broke the taped seal. Inside were the credentials of the mission. A photo ID hung from the specially branded lanyard as well as a key card.
"As far as the faculty and student know, you are Staff Sergeant Segram Breaden. You are an Army veteran called in to serve as the interim advisor and professor for our ROTC unit. You served in many theaters before accepting this job with our campus." Galmire explained with a condescending tone.
Did this guy forget that this wasn't my first undercover assignment? My cover story had been explained back at the Hoover Building before I left. I knew the rules of undercover and that rule is that you must maintain your cover. The only way for that to change is if somebody could recognize me.
"Understood sir." I responded holding back my indignation for his previous words.
One of the campus police officers drove me to the building where I would be working. I could hear the idle chatter of teenage voices peppered with small bursts of laughter. The police officer shook my hand and drove back to the campus police station.
I channeled my inner drill sergeant to get their attention.
"Platoon, ten-hut." I called sending the shocked cadets into a clumsy attention.
Just about all of them seemed surprised by my sudden presence. I detected a small bunch that seemed happy to see me.
"My name is Staff Sergeant Segram Braeden. It is pronounced as Brayden with a long A. Your instructor could not be here so I have been asked to take his place until his return." I announced with the right amount of projection to keep their attention.
Two of new charges seemed to accept me with obvious indifference. The rest appeared to fear me.
"You will address me as sir. You will not disrespect me here. I will make sure that it'll be a one-time event. By the time I leave, it is my hope that I will have prepared you for anything you might face on the street or in combat, should you join the ranks of the Army." I added extra force to my words for effect.
"You will break ranks and join me by the mats for training. Today you will learn how defend yourself without the benefit of a weapon. Everyone WILL participate. If you don't volunteer, you will be sorry for it. I'll find a way to make you participate." I lowered the volume of my voice but didn't remove the authoritative tone.
"Do you understand your instructions?" I yelled.
"YES SIR." The whole group sounded off with equal volume.
With that, it was back to school for me….
