Chapter 2

Wyatt decided to take the bed on the left-hand side of the room - a window separated the two beds. On each side of the room, there was a storage shelf, with a space to hang clothes, a desk and a lamp. At the foot of the bed, there was a brown trunk for additional storage. The walls were the same light-green color as all the other rooms Wyatt has seen. 'What is it with Central City and the color green?' he wondered to himself.

He placed his books on the shelf, along with his physical training clothes; the bag that he came in with was already in the room, along with James. "Looks like they had the dorm assignments set up already."

"Yeah, knowing that we had all this other stuff to carry, they gave us a hand," Jimmy commented, placing his things down.

"And probably the last time they'll give us a hand," Wyatt retorted.

James snorted. Wyatt began to unpack his personal items and placed them on one of the shelves and he hung his duster and hat on the hooks inside the large vertical space next to the shelves. They talked while unpacking.

The night Ryan had to pay for a cup of grog for Wyatt, he found out that Jimmy was from another city from the Southwestern Gillikin Country of the O.Z. Like Wyatt, he was blonde, had blue eyes and was from a city called Shiz.

"What made you leave Shiz? I hear there are great universities there. You could have had your pick," Wyatt commented.

"Why did you leave?"

Wyatt raised his brows. "Point made."

"It's all about change; seizing opportunities…" Jimmy paused, trying to read Wyatt's expression. "See, Wyatt, you never know who you're going to meet out there."

"Soooo… you want to become a policeman to meet certain people who might give you an opportunity to do something better?"

Jimmy tapped his finger near his temple. "Now you're getting it."

"So, it has nothing to do with helping people?"

"Oh yeah, of course, there's that." He huffed then moved closer to Wyatt, placing his hands on Wyatt's shoulders. "But at the same time, there's nothing wrong with helping yourself."

"And you'll take the oath to put others before you?" Wyatt's brows furrowed.

"Yeah, sure." Jimmy patted Wyatt's shoulders. "C'mon, Wyatt, loosen up. You've been in the country far too long. Every job has the opportunity to lead to something else; you just gotta know it when you see it."

"Maybe," he added, watching Jimmy pull away and finish sorting through his things. Wyatt felt somewhat uneasy about his friend. 'People from the city sure do have a different way of thinking,' he thought and then finished with his own unpacking.

~*~

After he was settled in, Wyatt decided to go through the books and the workbooks.

The first one was 'Understanding Ozian Law.' He got through the first five pages and put it down; his mind had had its fill and here he was, trying to stuff it with more information. Jimmy laughed: "Too much for one day, eh, countrysider?"

Wyatt shot him a glare and folded his arms in front of him. "Pfft, I have a feeling this is going to be the longest eight months of my life - countrysider or not. This isn't going to be easy."

"Well then, we'll just have to stick together, won't we?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah," Wyatt responded. "I think I'm going to take a shower and get relaxed." Gathering up his things, Wyatt headed out the door.

"Remember, lights out in an hour," Jimmy called out after him.

Wyatt poked his head around the door frame. "It doesn't take me an hour to take a shower. (I'm a… was a cattle rancher, not a pig farmer.")

James laughed. "Thank Ozma for that."

~*~

Being raised on a ranch or a farm meant that sleeping in was not an option. So it was no surprise that Wyatt was up before the first sun rose. He was dressed and had his bed made before James even opened an eye. He sat in his chair mentally trying to get himself ready for the day.

Wyatt heard a growl from the other bed. "Dear Ozma, I'll have to get used to this." He peered over at his room mate and found him already dressed. "Tell me I'm dreaming."

"Nope."

"I would get stuck with someone who's up at the crack of dawn." He covered his head with his pillow.

Wyatt chuckled. "C'mon, it's not that bad, you'll get to use to it." He watched as Jimmy reluctantly pulled himself out of bed with a few unenthusiastic grunts.

"Well, maybe for you countrysider, but I'm a City boy, we party late and sleep in."

"Maybe you need to rethink that for the next eight months."

"Eight months? It didn't seem that long yesterday." Jimmy was able to lift himself off his bed and headed for the dorm bathroom. Wyatt turned the light on knowing that now it was safe.

You ready for this, Wyatt? His inner voice asked him. "I have no choice now, I won't back out." He answered. Good, just remember that, you're not a quitter. The Cain men don't back down from a challenge. Just give it all you got and you can make it. He let out a long sigh and pursed his lips together. "I can do this." He said out loud. The alarm sounded in the dorm signaling it was time for the cadets to line up outside. He got up and started for the door when he was pushed over backwards by Jimmy rushing into the room; both landed with heavy grunts.

Wyatt looked into Jimmy's wide, shocked eyes. "You best get off me - now." The last word was emphasized harshly.

Jimmy rolled off of him. "I'm sorry. By the stars, you're a cranky one in the morning."

Wyatt reached his full height and straightened his clothes out. "Look, how 'bout tomorrow I wake you up so you don't go rushin' round all crazy like." Wyatt put his hand out to help Jimmy up.

Jimmy looked at it for a moment and then decided to take the offering of help. "Okay, sounds good to me."

"Go on; get ready - before they make us run a few extra spans."

"I'll be there before you can say 'She shall wear silver slippers'."

~*~

The sergeants announced to Lt. Holloway that the cadets were ready and accounted for. He gave a nod. "Very well, take them inside, Sergeant Davis."

Sergeant Davis gave the command and the cadets marched into Chopper Hall. Before entering, Wyatt glanced at the three story building; rows of windows marked each floor and two sets of double glass doors lead into the building. Above the doors in big bold silver letters; 'Nick Chopper Hall' and on either side were two large circular tin badges that bore the words; 'Central City Police Academy'.

A large blue banner hung above the entrances on both sides of the building to remind the cadets why they're there. The words; 'Prudence', 'Justice', 'Service', 'Integrity', 'Loyalty' and 'Courage' were written in brazen silver lettering on the banner. They had learned during the orientation that the circle of the badge represented 'Prudence'. This virtue was the core value and connected all the other virtues together. The star represented the policeman himself and the five points represented; justice, service, integrity, loyalty and courage. Without prudence, an officer of Ozian law could not make the sound and fair decisions he would be faced with on a daily basis.

On the walls of the first floor were plaques of alumni showcasing their accomplishments while at the Academy and on the job. The Academy always made it a point to take pride in the accomplishments of its graduates. On the opposite wall of the cafeteria, there was a memorial - honoring those that had given their lives in the line of duty. It was a sobering sight and one that reminded the cadets just how dangerous a policeman's job was.

~*~

After breakfast, the twenty six cadets were lined up and ready to go for their first run. They were informed to remain in formation throughout the run. A cadet was chosen to hold a long wooden pole with a small Academy flag at the top while they ran. It was simple; a tin badge on a blue background with the words 'Central City Police Academy' surrounding the image of the badge. A few cadence songs were taught to keep their spirits up and help their breathing as they ran.

Wyatt was lined up on the outside and towards the front. Next to him was Ryan. They swapped glares and stern looks. Ryan was definitely on the prowl for revenge. Wyatt didn't care really; he was more concerned about his own performance and not over doing it physically because of one man's bruised ego. At the command of Sergeant Davis, they headed off on their first run. Wyatt's first official day at the Academy had begun.

~*~

The run was a lot harder then the cadets imagined, but they were assured that it would get better in time. Once they made it back to the starting point, they were all gasping for air - even Wyatt. The Sergeant glared at the men who could barely stand up straight. "By the time you leave this academy, that run will seem like a nice little jog down the street. Remember, as policemen, you will be called to chase down criminals. I do not want a graduate of this Academy to let someone get a way because you were not in shape. Go get some water and be back here in twenty minutes. We have work to do gentlemen and lots of it. I've got eight months to whip you into shape and in the name of Ozma I will."

The cadets at fist started to walk, but the sergeant immediately had them running to get water. After the twenty minutes were up, they were lined up and ready for the next part of their physical training. For the rest of the morning they did sit-ups, push-ups and weight lifting inside the gym.

Once the physical training was completed they headed off to the showers. Wyatt took the towel handed to him and started for the rear of the showers. There was no privacy for the men. The shower room was wide open with pipes going from the floor to the ceiling. There were two shower heads on the pipes with soap dishes and a shelf for personal items.

"Hey, countrysider, this is called a 'showerhead'. You turn it on and hot water comes out," Ryan said in a mocking tone. The cadets around him started to laugh. He continued his verbal assault on Wyatt. "Bet this is a novelty for you, like electricity and toilets. Oh and this…" he held up a bar of soap, "…is soap. You use it to wash the cow smell off your body."

Sergeant Kersen stopped himself from yelling at Cadet Zerona; he wanted to see what Cadet Cain would do before he put an end to this situation. This was one of the things he had to watch out for; how cadets handled situations like this in the Academy would give him an idea of how they may act as an officer of the law.

Wyatt's first thought was to shoot him, but he had no gun and he really didn't want to be kicked out on his first day – not to mention a trip to jail. His second thought was to punch Ryan in the mouth and knock his teeth out, but again that would mean a boot out of the Academy and jail time for assault; plus dental bills. The only choice was a verbal assault because ignoring it was not what a Cain would do.

"I see that what comes out of your ass comes out of your mouth." Wyatt answered back, washing himself with soap. He inwardly congratulated himself for not running across the room to knock the guy out. The shower room erupted in laughter and jeers.

"That's enough, both of you!" Sergeant Kersen yelled out, stopping Ryan from retaliating. "Fifteen more minutes!" he said before leaving the room, but stayed within ear shot of the cadets. Ryan was going to be trouble, but Cain seemed to handle himself better than he thought; which was a good sign.

The rest of the shower time was relatively quiet; which was pleasing to Kersen. He watched as the cadets left and headed for their dorms to get dressed. He hoped that the rest day was quiet. He had decided that he won't talk to the Chief about Cadet Zerona - at least not yet. He wanted to see how the situation between Cain and Zerona would play out. If things looked like they were going to get out of hand; he would step in before either of them were kicked out. They were both intelligent and would make the department proud; it would be a shame to lose them both for something so trivial.

~*~

After lunch, the cadets attended their first class; 'Introduction to the Criminal Justice System'. On the board, was a flow chart showing the sequence of events involving the criminal justice system. Lieutenant Richard Denton called the class to order then asked the cadets to sit down.

"Gentlemen, open your books to page four and please take notes. We're going to study how the system operates. First, a bit of history on how the system came about; the Queen deemed it necessary to have a system where citizens were protected and laws were established to do just that. Within Her Majesty's Army, a group of men were sent to Central City to patrol and carry out the observance of the Queen's law. This special group wore a special badge - similar to the one we have now – made of tin. It wasn't long before the citizens here started to call them 'Tin Men'. Out of that came this Academy; its purpose is to train men like you, to be policemen. The founder, Captain Nick Chopper, was the one chosen by the Queen to form this group and is credited with being the first 'Tin Man'. After being the commander of the first group of 'Tin Men'; he came up with the idea of a police force. He presented it to the Queen and here we are. On a side note, no one really knows where he got the term 'policeman' from. We'll cover more about the history later in the course."

After hearing the brief history, Wyatt had a sense of pride of the career he had chosen. The police force was an offshoot of the Queen's army and he was about to follow the footsteps of some amazing men; like Nick Chopper. He hoped that he would make those who preceded him proud and be a part of the Tin Man legacy.

Lieutenant Denton went on to discuss the first aspects of the justice system; starting with the fact that the cadets before him would be the first contact the criminal would have. The next step would be the courts and then sentencing. Since Central City didn't actually have a prison, they used a rehabilitation technique to re-educate criminals – the state removed their brains. That was their prison. They were commonly referred to as a 'Headcase' or 'Zipperhead'.

~*~

At the end of the class, they were given their assignments to complete that night and then turn in the next day. The class was dismissed and they proceeded to the cafeteria for dinner.

That evening - after completing his assignment - Wyatt polished his boots and dress shoes. Ryan had fallen asleep and snored deeply. Wyatt's lip curled up on one side in reaction to the noise that filled the room. Jimmy had not snored that loudly the previous night. A low, deep throated growl rumbled through Wyatt at the prospect of having a hard time sleeping. He was tired – the day had been long and grueling – and it was his luck to end up with a snorer.

Completed with his tasks, he slipped under the covers. He shot Jimmy a harsh look and settled onto his right side. He should be used to this; Garrett snored, but not like this. He let out a sigh at the thought of his brother. He'd never been away from home for so long. His family was close - they depended on each other – now he was away from them and about to go into a career that would keep him in Central City. The thoughts of his family dragged him into a deep sleep that not even Jimmy's snores could pull him out of.