After that rather dour introduction, Kate met her primary trainer, Carol. She had blonde hair and was a few inches taller than Kate. The big difference was how toned and muscular her whole body was. She guessed this girl would be a showoff in any gym. After a powerful handshake, she escorted Kate to the sleep area which was a large rectangular tent covering a concrete slab with all the side flaps rolled up and four cots with associated lockers scattered in the middle.
On opposing sides of the back, there was a cinder block edifice marked with a sign for 'shower'. Kate was given a key card to operate the shower. For the next twelve weeks she would enjoy just a short cold spray, cheap shampoo, and bargain soap. The cots had a wooden frame with just a thin layer of canvas to lie on. Prior occupant's sweat had turned most of the canvas an ugly black, and Kate would soon learn that exhaustion not any sense of comfort would drive what little restful sleep she did get.
After dropping off her duffel on one of the cots, they went to the exercise tent which was set up like the sleep tent. It had two rows of identical exercise stations. Each side had a rower, a dumbbell rack, a kettlebell stand, a burpee/plank mat, and an elliptical waiting for use. Carol told her she would establish base line data during her first week, and she would then program rigorous workouts that built both strength and endurance. Outside she pointed to the start/finish line of an open terrain running track they would also be using as part of her training.
The next stop was the combat tent where four thick large blue mats delineated available combat arenas. Kate looked at her host and wondered how often she would be kissing those mats over the next number of weeks. As they left, Carol ominously said, "You will come to hate your time in these tents until you learn to embrace discomfort in all its forms."
After that, they walked over to the range tent that contained both an inside and outside firing range. She would be training with a number of handguns. The idea was to make agents familiar with an array of handguns in case necessity forced them to use an opportunity piece. Unfortunately most of their targets earned their positions of leadership brandishing and indiscriminately using weapons. That meant agents had to be equally well prepared. The problem was they were in the information business - not the shooting business. That meant proper scouting of the confrontation zone was key, and those tasked with this responsibility were called geeks.
The last building was dubbed the craft/mess joint by Carol. Most of it was taken up by a large classroom setting with screens and laptops facing a front lectern and large white board. To the side there was a square stage that looked like a skeletal practice area. The craft training would be broken down into communication, research, surveillance, introduction, confrontation, and escape. At the back there was a set of picnic tables and a rack where food trays were stored. Carol meandered towards that table and instructed Kate to grab tray three which was hers for the duration. Kate pulled out the tray containing a meal, water, and happily a small mug of black coffee. When Carol saw her almost giddy reaction, she said, "We know you have a thing for that and figured you could use some on your first day."
"Carol, is coffee part of the regular diet?"
Carol replied, "That depends on your daily effort. Do well, and there are rewards. Do poorly, and things can be difficult."
After relishing every morsel on the tray like it was her last, Kate followed Carol back to the sleep tent where all the other trainees were already stowing their gear and removing their trainers for the night. Showers followed, and they lived up to their billing as both cold and short. After dressing in just a new tee and shorts, she emerged and tried to sleep as dusk turned to dark. That proved to be easier said than done. Even with a slight breeze, the oppressive humidity caused beads of sweat to form on any part of your body not fully exposed to the air. It was like lying in a sweat bath where the elements conspired to make even slumber much more difficult.
After breakfast, Carol told her to meet at the track for a morning run. Kate was pleased with the choice because she was an experienced runner in her prior life. The problem was the terrain of this particular course was not like anything she was used to. It contained lots of steep grades, and Carol was right behind keeping an unforgiving pace. By the end of the course, Kate was covered with a sheen of sweat that would accompany her all day everyday. Carol noticed her uncomfortable state and told her to get used to it. In less than a week, Kate would hardly notice the slippery sheen all over her body.
After that first run, they moved on to the exercise tent, and this was going to be a place Kate would rather not be. For the first hour Carol explained how exercises were to be performed to insure proper form. Kate listened attentively to all the explanations because Carol valued both form and stamina equally. When the orientation was over, Carol told her to keep repeating the routine on the whiteboard until told to stop. The first was easy. The fourth was tiresome, and by the end of the sixth, she was again a sweaty exhausted mess exhibiting less than perfect form. Carol noticed her distress and told her it was time to ignore her discomfort and do the work. By now her entire body was radiating heat, sweat, and exhaustion well beyond anything she had ever experienced. It was awful, and something she never got used to.
With Kate's form seriously lacking, Carol ordered her to stand at attention for a long critique. Kate tried to stay focused on the lecture, but the aches from her spent muscles and the sweat gushing from everywhere left her flagrantly out of position. Carol was miffed by her disregard and suddenly her left hand reared back, formed a fist, and landed with a thud just below Kate's rib cage. Kate immediately bent over struggling for breath as an indignant Carol shouted, "Here you will follow my instructions. Your temporary discomfort is no excuse. Now, stand at attention, Beckett." Kate slowly righted herself and locked her arms, torso, and legs in the proper position.
While Kate was still gasping for air, Carol shouted out new instructions for a different routine. The new task quickly renewed every unpleasant feeling her body could muster. It was now a battle between her will and her body's all-out revolt. The only good news was the revolt seemed to have hit a plateau. Sure her arms, core, and legs were all sending loud distress signals, but the cumulative misery signals was not getting worse.
When Carol told her no more, Kate forced herself to the attention position awaiting a critique like before. Surprisingly, that was not to be. Instead, Carol spent her recovery time explaining the agency's take on personal discomfort. "Today you began a process to build physical strength through discomfort. It is a personal journey pitting your determination to follow my commands against your body's tolerance for discomfort. Overtime I will add time and difficulty to these routines forcing you to endure ever higher thresholds of discomfort. That fleeting unpleasantness signals your body is getting stronger. In our business, physical strength is essential. If your strikes are not devastating, you have far less chance of success in the field. Here, we build that strength."
Kate opted to have lunch alone while she pondered the unpleasant implications of what Carol had said. Luckily the entire afternoon was spent with a long craft session by two trainers who did not have trainee assignments. The classroom setting was a welcome sedentary respite that allowed her body to recover from the feverish pace of the morning. The only distractions were the smells. By this time, all the trainees had been through extended periods of arduous exertion, and the accumulated sweat from the four of them brought an unmistakable pungent odor that only got worse as the afternoon wore on.