A/N: Erm... hi? I'm so sorry I haven't posted the story yet! I am swamped with work, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everything is due by the beginning of May, so I will stick to a posting schedule from then on. In the meantime, enjoy the first chapter of Alex, or A New Kid on the Block!
Many thanks to the wonderful Demetra83 of course for her amazing storyline!
Chapter 1 - Recruitment
Hi. My name is Alex Roslin, and I am a senior at Cornell University; I am a dual Near Eastern studies and Linguistics major, with a minor in History. A few months ago, I was asked to sit for a somewhat unusual test (the Dean of the College of Arts invited all students with a major and/or a minor in either Languages or Archeology to sit for it) which was supposed to be a nationwide test to gauge the level of universities on US soil. Even though I found it strange, I did sit for the test.
The test consisted in deciphering a series of extremely rare hieroglyphics; I think I did well (I've always been interested in the mythology and secrets surrounding Ancient Egypt), and I was the first one to leave the exam room, despite my feeling a bit out of sorts: finishing a test so swiftly doesn't happen very often. On the way out, I glimpsed a group of uniformed military personnel waiting with some of our professors: they pointed at me, and now that I think about it, their behavior makes me think they highlighted my name out of a checklist of sorts; they didn't ask me to stay back however, so I left. This weird test and all circumstances around it were swiftly forgotten though: after a few days, some much more exciting news pushed it under the surface, as only gossip on a university campus can.
The fall semester is coming to an end in a few days, and I received a rather official-looking note demanding my presence in the Dean's office a couple of days ago. I'm a straight A student, my attendance record is exemplary, and I never step a sliver of a toe out of line: you can understand my being extremely nervous while waiting to be seen in the outer office. My name is called, and I step into the Dean's office.
"Welcome, Miss Roslin, please take a seat," Dean Williams says.
I take the seat offered. Glancing around the room, I realize we aren't alone: one of the uniformed military personnel from the day of the test is there too, and he speaks next.
"Good morning Miss Roslin, I am Major Paul Davis from the Pentagon. We looked over your test results, and we would like to take this opportunity to get to know you better."
He is quite a good-looking man, and he has a kind smile; but his being here is a bit intimidating, and I'm afraid they think I cheated: I am so nervous I can't help but fidget and squirm in my seat.
Seeing my unease, Major Davis comes closer and reassures me.
"The government would like to use your talents in one of its projects, if you're interested."
"I… erm… yes… but…" I stammer, desperately unable to string even two words together.
Major Davis turns to Dean Williams and asks her if he can take me down to the cafeteria to have coffee. Dean Williams acquiesces, and Major Davis put down his cover and outer coat before inviting me to follow him. I'm scrambling to find something to say, anything, but the military man takes charge of initiating the conversation.
"Please don't worry, Miss Roslin, we don't want to hurt you, it's all the opposite actually. Among other things, the project I am supervising is looking to recruit talented people here and abroad; we need talented, resourceful and smart people on our side to make sure its affairs run smoothly."
"Does that mean I passed the test?" I ask.
"With flying colors! Nobody in the country even came close to your scores, my superiors were very impressed," he smiles.
We settle in a quieter corner of the crowded cafeteria outdoor patio, and he tells me about an internship I need to do a few days later. I do ask what the internship is about, but he simply hands me an official-looking file, asks me to read it thoroughly and to call him back as soon as I have an answer.
"Of course, this internship can actually end up in your being offered a permanent position. Your last semester at university would be funded by the Pentagon, but you would probably not come back on these grounds," he states.
He finishes the last of his coffee ("black, one sugar"), takes his leave and disappears from sight; I look around, and, of course, the gaze of every patron inside and outside of the cafeteria building is fixed on me. I gather my things and decide to go home and study the file before making a decision.
*SG*SG*SG*
And here I am, waiting in the lobby of the Cheyenne Mountain facility in Colorado Springs, CO, after an early morning start. I know that NORAD is based here, but there are way too many people here for just the needs of a single organization. I have seen a lot of USAF personnel coming and going since I arrived, entering and exiting the two elevators; I was a bit early, and I am now waiting for Major Davis who's supposed to meet me here very soon. I hear the elevator doors opening again, and here he is.
"Good morning Miss Roslin, how are you today?" he smiles.
I stammer an unintelligible answer, and his eyes crinkle with mirth. He gives my name to the airman in charge of the roster, hands me a visitor's badge and advises it won't be long before we can get to wherever it is we need to go. I look around me, and see many more students like me in the company of military personnel; I wonder if they are here for an internship too, and if it will be the same as mine, whatever this internship actually turns out to be.
The elevator I took to come from the surface just this morning dings, and two men in the middle of a heated conversation step out; they seem to be taken aback by the crowd in this part of the facility.
"What the heck is this?" growls the first one. He's the tallest of the two, looks like he might be in his fifties and sports buzz-cut gray hair.
"Ah, that's internship season for you," sighs the second one. He's a bit shorter, though not short by any means, and his long, tapered fingers slide his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose toward startling blue eyes; he seems to be about a decade younger than the gray-haired man.
"Swell, you'll be able to pick a sexy little assistant this time Daniel!" guffaws the first man.
"Jack, it isn't like I actually tried to seduced my intern last time!" an annoyed Daniel answers.
Major Davis greets them, Jack returning his salute, and signals me to follow him without stopping for introductions. We step into the elevator he exited a while ago, and the two men join us.
"Have you heard from Sam?" Daniel asks.
"Nope. She's probably spent the whole night in her lab as usual. She'll be surprised it's morning already when we go get her, you'll see!" Jack says.
I discretely eye the three men. Davis is silent, a small smile ghosting on his lips, and the other two, Daniel and Jack, talk away as if we weren't there. They exit the elevator a few levels before us with a quick "goodbye", and Major Davis leads me through a maze of corridors until a large office where he introduces me to my tutor, a Doctor Connors.
"Call me Ben, we'll be working together often enough," Doctor Connors says before shaking my hand. Davis takes his leave, and Doctor Connors – Ben hands me some documents to work on. His 'office' looks more like the British Museum to me, with mounds of papers and precarious piles of various artefacts I couldn't even begin to guess the nature of scattered all around the room.
Both scientific and military personnel stop by his office throughout the morning, but I am too absorbed by my task to really pay attention to whatever it is they're discussing. Neither Major Davis nor Dr. Connors actually explained why I am here, nor did they explicitly state what their work is, but I know a permanent position is on the horizon: that is what tilted the scales in favor of this internship for my mother and I, so I apply myself to work quickly and efficiently.
That's all for today folks, thanks for reading and see you soon!