On the twenty third of August, at 10:30 am, Amelia Vaughn was in a car on the way to her new job. Maybe it was a bit weird that she had been told the location they were heading to was top secret. Maybe it was strange that the car had windows so tinted that she could not see out. Maybe this was not how most internships were supposed to go.
She was starting to drift off when the car pulled to a stop. Her door was opened, and she stepped out into what looked like a military base. A strange place for an archeology internship, but she was getting the feeling this was no ordinary job.
She was hustled into a building, and into an office. She sat at one side of a table, opposite from a scary looking man. He pushed a uniform across the table. "Change, and meet me in the courtyard in 20."
She was ushered into a washroom, and changed into her uniform. It got perfectly, which was kind of weird as no one had ever asked her size. This whole thing was kind of weird.
There were three people in the courtyard when she walked into it. The scary man from before was there, with two other men who looked just as new and unsure as she felt. They all turned to face her at the sound of her feet against the stone.
"Vaughn." She saluted at the commanding voice of the scary man. "You have a background in fighting, do you not?" She nodded. "Very well then." So quickly that she almost missed it, a wooden stick was flying towards her. Catching it reflexively, she turned towards the man, startled. This was definitely not the sort of thing she had expected.
"Humph. I see you aren't just talk. Bring the stick and follow me." He led them across the courtyard to some dummies and targets. He gestured to a crate with an assortment of weapons, both practice and real. The scary man was glaring at her, so she pulled out a bow and a set of throwing knives, the only things in the box that she had ever used before. She gazed, questioning, at the man, until he snapped at her.
"Go." He waved towards the target. "Impress me." She shakily grabbed the bow and an arrow, raising it towards the target. Twang, thwack. Not a bulls-eye, but pretty good for how much she was shaking. "I told you to impress me. Continue until you do." He glared at her, and she took a deep breath. Twang, thwack. Closer this time, followed quickly be three more, closing in on the target until the next two clustered together in the centre.
"Next." The man nodded to the knives, and Amelia set the bow aside. She knew how to use a bow. She'd done it or years. The throwing knives she's only used a half dozen times or so. This would be interesting. She picked out one of the knives and tried to remember the stance. She could feel the gazes of all three men on her. One judging, two curious. She took a deep breath and threw the knife. It hit the very edge of the target. Not even close. She tried four more times, and only succeeded in making it to the very outside ring. She picked up the last knife, and heard the scary man shift behind her. She wanted to not die. She wanted him to go away. She focused on the target, imagining throwing the knife at the scary man. He would go away then. She threw.
Thwack. She had closed her eyes as soon as the metal had left her hand. She cracked one eye open, cautious from the heavy silence. Bulls-eye. She squealed. Full on. High pitched. And then, forgetting why she was even throwing knives in the first place, she did a victory lap of the courtyard.
Her celebration stopped short when she locked eyes with the scary man. She promptly tipped backwards onto her rear. He slowly walked towards her, and she ended up almost lying on the courtyard ground to look up at him. "Passable, Vaughn."
He immediately turned his attention to the other two men, and Amelia watched from her position on the ground, dazed. Bishop was not too bad, but Rook had the incredible ability to hit everything except what he was aiming for.
She remained on the ground until a woman in heels kicked her lightly in the side. "Time to come inside Ms. Vaughn. Your day is not yet done." Amelia slowly stood up and trailed behind the woman as she led them through the building. They stopped suddenly and she almost collided with the woman as she opened a door. They stepped into a room filled to bursting with clothes. "Show me what you can do." Amelia looked at her, confused. "The clothes. Disguise yourself." This just served to confuse her further. Not much she could do though. She grabbed a wig, a hat, a long coat, and heels. As soon as she looked in the mirror, she could tell that she had failed. Her disguise was almost as bad as the cartoon detective and his moustache. The lady sniffed, and shoved her out of the room.
The sound of the door slamming echoed after her, and she stood in The middle of the hall like a lost puppy. This was not a normal internship.
Merely a minute after her hallway introspection, another person ushered her into another room. Amelia was asked to find the fakes out of an assortment of Azran artifacts. This at least, at last, was what she had come here for.
