Hell Week

Push-ups - August 9th, 1999 (evening)

Push-ups

Speak out of line, push-ups. Get the answer wrong: push-ups. Look at the DI wrong, push-ups. Fail to look at the DI: push-ups. And then, for something completely different there was P.T. which of course… involved push-ups .

Blair was beginning to understand why Jim had so much upper body strength, not that he would ever speak out of line, get the answer wrong or tick off the DI.

He wasn't sure but he was beginning to suspect that his breathing ticked off the DIs.

While he wasn't the top of his class in size, build, speed, endurance or even memorization, Blair wasn't the bottom of his class in any of those either. He wasn't sure, but he got the distinct impression someone had singled him out.

Then again, there were several in his class who felt the same way. All he knew as he collapsed into his bunk that first night was that it was going to be a very interesting five months.

Pitt and the Pendulum - August 10th, 1999

Blair rushed to assembly; with each step he was plotting his revenge on his roommate David Pitt. His roommate who not only didn't think he'd make the cut now seemed to be trying to help him not make the cut.

True, he could have accidentally tripped over the cord to Blair's alarm, but pulling the backup battery out of the alarm… that wasn't something you could do 'accidentally.' Fortunately he'd worked with Ellison long enough that he was used to getting up a lot earlier than he did as a grad student.

He'd also learned a trick or two about shortcuts.

As they fell in for P.T. Blair took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. Revenge would wait, and if he was lucky Karma would do his work for him and if not Karma, at the very least physics.

'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction' became his mantra.

The obstacle course - August 11th, 1999

"Get over it…. Come on Sandburg… your partner needs you on this side…" the DI yelled. He wasn't sure, but he was beginning to think the obstacle course was going to be the death of him.

He knew it was only his third day, but he also knew he had to, as the DI so quaintly put it, 'get over it.'

Pitt of course had gotten over the wall with ease as had at least half the trainees. Of the remaining half only three had finally been ordered to walk around the wall: Blair, Ackerman and Davis.

Ackerman was a decent enough fellow, but Blair was fairly certain he wasn't cut out for police work. Then again, knowing everyone seemed to feel the same about him he decided he'd do what he could to help. Davis on the other hand lacked the upper body strength needed to get over. She had the drive, she just had to learn how to get over the wall.

After evening mess Blair knew they had an hour before lights out. That gave them at least forty-five minutes to study the course. When he suggested it, Ackerman declined but Davis nodded and cheerfully declared "I'm game."

It turned out they weren't the only ones who were game. Another trainee, Robertson was on the course. Blair shook his head. As near as he could remember Robertson had all but sailed over the course and as he watched he could see why. The man didn't try to climb over the wall as much as run over it.

When he noticed he had an audience, Robertson stopped and gave them a sheepish smile. "Ever hear of Parkour?"

Survival - August 14th, 1999

He had survived Hell Week, but something told him it was only the beginning.

He understood the reasoning behind the treatment, the need to break people down to their component parts and rebuild them into what they needed to survive being a police officer, but knowing that and being on the receiving end were two different things.

He was short, he was too weak, he was too stupid… At least he knew he had them on the stupid part.

His roommate had grown more distant and had fallen in with a clique of 'blue bloods', men and women who's family had been in law enforcement since the beginning of time. All of who had picked out those they 'knew' wouldn't make it.

On their list: Ackerman, Davis, Robertson and Sandburg. Blair had known he had his work cut out for him before he'd even arrived—now at least he knew the troops he had to rally.

If anthropology had taught him anything it was that there was strength in numbers.