I walked into the Sergeant's cabin; my long brown hair pulled tightly into a bun, and waited for him to put his hand on his forehead in a salute before doing the same.
"Cougar", he said, "Your salute is at the wrong angle."
"Sergeant, with all due respect I'm an American citizen"
He sighed, but said, "Very well. I will take you to K-Unit's barracks"
I waited for him to cross in front of me before following him out the door and off the main dirt road that the cabins were places periodically. He stopped at a door to a tan cabin with a red roof far off of the main road and walked in.
A group of men were sitting in the middle of the room where a table was and looked as if they were joking about something.
"Five says she's butt ugly" one said.
"Deal" the others said.
I looked at the Sergeant, who noticed my expression was murderous, and nodded.
"I should probably slap you all senseless right now" I began.
The men jumped up and faced me with wide eyes.
"But since I know what that feels like, I won't"
If possible, their eyes widened.
"K-Unit" Sergeant said, "This is Cougar"
They nodded.
After a couple seconds of them staring at me, which made me uncomfortable, I said, "Are you going to introduce yourselves or are you just going to stare at me with wide eyes all day?"
A Hispanic man cleared his throat and said, "I'm Wolf. This is Snake, Eagle, Fox and Cub" He pointed to everyone in the line of wide eyes when he introduced them. I suspected said Wolf was the leader of the group.
I also suspected said Cub was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place him.
The Sergeant walked out without saying anything a few seconds later and we all stood there uncomfortably until out of nowhere Snake said, "Alright Eagle pay up.".
-K+C-
While I was unpacking Cub came up to me. "I'm gonna give you some advice" he announced. "Stay away from Raccoon and Bear, they will hit on you like there is no tomorrow"
"Thanks" I replied.
"Anytime" he told me, smiling. "Your part of the team"
Before walking out of the room he turned and said, "and just let us know if you want us to beat em' up"
I sighed. I was back to being the poor defenseless female.
-K+C-
While I was brushing my hair in the hall mirror a figure in a black ski mask appeared behind me. He grabbed my wrists as I tried to turn to face him, so I kicked my heel into the figure's knee and he let go of my wrists. I pulled off his mask and gasped at the familiar face before me.
"Kyle?" I gasped.
"great defensive maneuvers, Cal" he told me, giving me a thumbs up.
"It's really you?" I asked.
"Who else would test you like that?" he asked.
I thought about this and answered honestly, "The whole team I'd imagine".
"What's going on here?" Fox asked, coming into the hall, then he stopped, stiffened, and put a hand to his forehead in a salute and said, "Sir".
Only then did I notice Kyle's attire, "what's up with the fancy suit, Kyle?" I asked.
"I'm a figure of authority" he said, then saluted Fox so he could stop with the hand on forehead thing, but he still stood at attention.
Only when Kyle told him, "at ease", did he, well, go to the at ease posture.
"We're going to the-" Eagle said passing through the hallway, but he stopped when he noticed the other figure in the hall.
They all did the same actions as Fox did.
"Your seriously authority now?" I asked Kyle.
After at easing the soldiers he nodded.
"The school jokster is now the boss of a military reserve?" I said. "what has the world come to?"
He sighed, then looked at me in the eyes intensely and said, "That's what I need to find out".