Chapter 16

It wasn't quite what Flint expected. Jaye had explained to him that unfortunately, she couldn't give him the position she promised, but that he could start "training" in another area, which would help him understand the mission and goals of the company. Honestly, he thought it was a load of bull, but he wasn't going to tell her that. What confused him was how distant she was when she talked to him. He had thought this might bring them closer together, being on the same "side," so to speak, but he might have been wrong. Hopefully, she thought he was truly there for himself and not for the CIA. His partner, Becky, had already begun working in the secretarial pool by the time he started.

Today he was at the training facility, and he had to admit, he was pretty impressed with the way things were run. He had met up with a few of his old friends from the "Joe" days and it was good to train with them again. He was very impressed with the schedule. After a mission, Phoenix employees had a week off, personal leave, and then two weeks of training before they were sent out again. Those that worked full time at the training facility told him that even they weren't sure how many agents were employed by Phoenix, since it seemed to be a new crew each week. In fact, he was told, that only those on the board knew exactly how many Phoenix employed. No one seemed too bothered by it, but it hit a nerve with Flint. How big was this company, exactly? How many missions could they run simultaneously? He wondered if he asked, if he would even get a straight answer.

He had been employed by Phoenix for about a month now and wondered what exactly his position was. For now, it seemed he was a "jack of all trades," going from one place to another. He had been at the training center as an agent for about a week and that was the longest he'd been anywhere. He had not seen Lady Jaye since his first day and had gotten some strange looks when he inquired about her, so he had not said anything again, even to his fellow former "Joes."

"So, how's he doing?" Lady Jaye inquired of Major Blood, who was in charge of the training center.

"Not too bad," he reported. "He is not in top physical form yet for a mission, but I had also assumed you would be choosing one for him."

Jaye shrugged her shoulders. "That's up to Zartan. He's the one who helps you assign the agents to missions. Have you noted anything else?" she asked, well aware that Major Blood knew what she was really asking – was he a double agent?

"Nothing unusual," replied Blood. "He tends to group towards his former teammates, but nothing too unusual about that. That's his comfort level. I thought I might have him work with me on one of the lesser missions and see what he knows about strategy."

"That's good. Just keep Zartan and myself informed, in case something comes up. He's still under suspicion until he proves otherwise." She nodded at the other area of the training grounds. "How goes the special force we created?"

Blood grinned. "Perfect. Bringing Storm Shadow in to work with that group that you chose has gone better than expected. In fact, weren't you planning on joining them today?"

Jaye smiled. "I'm looking forward to it," she replied.

After his PT session, Flint decided to cool down with a walk and take in some of the areas he hadn't had a chance to explore in his time at the training facility yet. As far as he knew, areas weren't considered off limits, but most groups seem to cluster together since they made up the teams for the missions. Since he was still not assigned a team, he really didn't have anyone to "cluster" with. Because of this, no one made any comment to him as he flitted from one group to another. Sure, everyone was friendly and helpful, but as a new "recruit," he was still raw until he was assigned a team. Some of the other newbies had banded together, and while Flint made sure to socialize with them, they didn't have the information he needed, other than a fresh persepective.

He wandered over to a far field where he saw a group training. He stiffened when he saw who was leading the group – Storm Shadow. Of course, he shouldn't have been surprised. He had been teased by some of his former teammates that after fighting Cobra for so long, it took awhile to get comfortable around the former Snakes.

It seemed that Storm Shadow was leading the group through a series of obstacles that looked particularly tough. What surprised him were some of the weapons the recruits were wielding. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised that someone working for Jaye had javelins as weapons, but these seemed to be specially made ones.

A hand clasped his shoulder. "So, what do you think of our ninja force?" asked Major Blood with a chuckle at the man's startled face.

"Lad, you need more training if you let someone sneak up on you like that unawares. Come, I want to see what you think about a mission we are about to embark on," Blood said, leading Flint away from the field. Flint turned back one last time and thought he glimpsed a familiar figure leading the next group through the obstacles. However, knowing she was back In her office, lording over the company….it couldn't be her, he thought, and shook his head.