I forgot to post the rest of the challenges. Darn it.
This week's challenge: "Wait a minute. Are you jealous?"
There was always things to do at the DETIA military base; Vandenbloom learned this when he first joined.
Ever since it's creation, the agency had been working hard in preparation for an alien invasion that the kind Antareans had warned about. Their main focus had been on raising and training the Champion of Earth, the one individual who would single-handedly save the Earth from the vicious Worg.
After the Worg's invasion, everything changed, but not really. The new Champions were going to be sent to beat the Antareans, but first they needed to be properly trained. Unlike Adam, who had spent his entire life dedicated to beating the Worg, the four men that made up Lazer Team had little to no training. They needed to be given at least some basic training.
Vandenbloom had never been busier. As Lazer Team's official handler, it was his job to make sure their training went well (and that they'd all show up to their sessions). It was busy and often times challenging, but Vandenbloom enjoyed it.
He liked his job.
"Officer Vandenbloom? Officer Vandenbloom!"
Vandenbloom stopped at the call of his name and turned. Running to meet up with him is a young soldier, dressed in casual military wear. Vandenbloom waited for the young woman to catch up, and she did so rather quickly.
"Did you need something?" Vandenbloom asked, wondering why she had stopped him.
"I was wondering, sir, where you were going?" the soldier asked.
"Training grounds," Vandenbloom answered. "Lazer Team has been outside for an hour, and I need to move them to the hangar for their next session."
"May I accompany you?" she asked, asking perhaps a bit too quickly, but Vandenbloom didn't care.
"Alright," he agreed. He didn't mind the company. Outside of Emory and Lazer Team, people rarely talked to him, unless absolutely necessary.
They continued the trek, walking in synch like military personnel were trained to do. It was silent for a moment, before the woman opted to start a conversation.
"Sir, may I ask how Lazer Team's training is going?" she asked him, keeping her line of sight away from him.
"Emory would argue their training is moving slowly," Vandenbloom responded, "but I believe they are doing well for a team of civilians."
"Johnson seems to be coming along much faster than the others," the woman mused.
Vandenbloom nodded in agreement.
"Mendoza isn't puking as much after he runs," the woman continued. "Spencer is getting better with the cannon. And Hagan's finding new shields to form. I'd say the team is nearly ready to face the Antareans."
"True," Vandenbloom stated. "But they still need more training before they're sent off to space. Woody needs some basic self-defense in case he's separated from the team. Herman needs to learn some new tricks. Zach needs better control over the arm cannon. Anthony needs to learn how to use the shield as an offensive weapon."
When the woman remained silent at his list, Vandenbloom glanced over at her and found that she was staring up at him, speechless and looking stunned.
"You...Did you just call them by their given names?" she asked.
Vandenbloom glanced at her in confusion.
"Yes?"
"But, Emory told us to address them by their surnames," she said before shaking her head. "Right. I forgot. You're their handler. You don't have to."
Vandenbloom was even more confused, because he swore he heard an edge to her tone. Despite Zach's multiple claims that he was an anti-social weirdo, Vandenbloom wasn't totally out of touch with human interaction.
"Yes. I was put in charge of them shortly after their victory over the Worg," Vandenbloom stated. "Since I work closely with them, it's much easier to call them by their given names."
"Must be nice," she whispered, thinking she spoke low enough he couldn't hear. She was wrong.
Staring at her for a moment and thinking over their conversation, Vandenbloom's eyebrows shot up to his hair line.
"Hold on. Are you jealous?" Vandenbloom questioned earnestly.
Vandenbloom didn't think it was possible. Yes, the team did save the Earth, but the military had been incredibly antagonistic toward the four men when they first appeared. Vandenbloom had been the only one who remotely liked them, and he had offered to be their handler when the subject was brought up. Had there been a change in the atmosphere? Did the DETIA personnel suddenly like Lazer Team? The way the soldier blushed a bright pink color was a compelling agreement.
"N-no," she spoke quickly, stuttering just slightly on the word. "No, of course not, sir."
Vandenbloom stared at her in amazement, not just because of the lie, but because of the possibility that Lazer Team had gained some fans in DETIA without him noticing. And maybe something else.
"I-I'm sorry sir. I need to attend to something," the soldier said, saluting quickly before rushing off with Vandenbloom watching her retreating form.
Huh, so people were jealous of him.
This was new.