WINCHESTER AND YOUNG
CHAPTER 8 – SURPRISE POP QUIZ
CHARACTERS: ALDEN SOLDAT, DEAN AND SAM WINCHESTER, CHRIS MUHER, LOKEY FENFYR, AND FEATURING JADE YOUNG FROM DENN
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SAILWEAVER AND SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERS, THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS. DON'T SUE ME PLEASE
A week after the concert in the garden, Jade walked into a local bar, the King's Raven. She was done with this whole week. The refit to the drone, she'd requested was still in progress. The reports confirmed, that the target had not moved.
The impromptu concert, the evening before had relaxed her a little bit. However, with Alden testing her shields without a break, it was still quite stressful. She had definitely been surprised at Dean's singing skills. Such skills being written about in the history books was one thing, actually finding out he was actually that good, was another. She gave a slight nod to the Winchesters as they entered the bar, taking a seat at her table.
"I am done with this whole week," Dean said, asking for a bottle of whatever they had available. The server brought over a bottle of whiskey, and a shot glass. Sam asked for a beer while the server was still at their table.
"A club soda for me please," Jade said. She never drank alcohol or smoked. It impaired her judgement during interviews. "I'm not a drinking person, but it's been one of those weeks for me as well.
"Hell week," Sam said. "Muher's moved both of us up into drills with the advanced cadets. He said it's because our past experience allows him to bypass the normal training regimen."
"He's been training me in swordsmanship personally," Dean grumbled. "I'm surprised he hasn't turned me into a pincushion by this point."
"That does explain why you have twice as many bruises than you had after I threw you on concert night," Jade said. "Master Alden's been training me as well. If it's not yoga, it's training in misdirection or shielding," Jade massaged her temples. "For at least four hours after each training session I have a headache, and he claims that it will get better over time."
"This really sucks," they said at the same time, taking a sip of their drinks.
"Sounds like you lot want to go for round two," Muher said, from the doorway. The Winchesters groaned, as Muher grinned at them. "You two are with me."
"I think that is an excellent idea. Jade, let's go," Alden said, also smiling when he saw Jade roll her eyes in dismay.
They sighed and got up from their table, paying their tabs. They then left with their respective instructors. Alden and Muher led them to a wooded enclosure, near the bar they'd been in. It was conspicuously clear of any civilians. Inside the enclosure were two of the advanced corps officers that Dean and Sam had been sparring with. "The rules are simple, you three, have to get past my two officers. Then you have to exit out the other side of this enclosure," Muher instructed.
"Why I am in this exercise with them?" Jade asked.
"You are going to be with them, supporting them as they attempt to break past my officers. Alden is going to be testing your abilities in misdirection and tactics. He hasn't exactly told me how he's going to do that. I would just advise you to stay aware of your surroundings, and focus on escaping with the Winchesters." Muher advised.
The Winchesters and Jade groaned in unison. Alden had left them while Muher had been explaining the exercise. She had no idea where he'd gone, or what he was plotting.
"You have until sunset, which is eight bells in second dog. It is currently one bell into the first dog, and your time starts now," Muher said, firing his gun over his head, starting the exercise.
"Stay close to us Jade," Dean said, as the officers started closing the distance between themselves and the brothers.
"I'm not totally defenseless, or have you forgotten, Dean?" Jade said, with a determined look. Someone was trying to chip away at her shields, so it wasn't just misdirection Alden was testing her on. Alden may have recruited a psychic to assist with this exercise. She ignored the hammering on her shields, "Let's go you two, I'm going to want a hot shower, and my bed as soon as possible after this."
"No arguments from me," Sam said, as the battle was joined with the two officers.
Time moved on. Jade was getting tired, as were the brothers. They still had one bell more to try to break through. It was also getting harder to ignore the psychic's attacks on her shields. They were two thirds of the way towards the exit. She'd tried stay out of the fighting, which was not always possible. She found herself fighting hand to hand as much as the brothers were.
Dean, went down, knocked back by the officer he was fighting. Sam, was just barely holding his own. Jade rushed over to go help Dean get back to his feet. "Come on, we're almost there, get up before," Jade didn't get a chance to finish, because she had just received a kick to the abdomen. She staggered back to her feet, "Nice kick, I'm going to need to remember that one." Jade spat the dirt she'd eaten out. She then struck back, sending a kick to the groin area of the officer that had gotten her.
The officer doubled over, clutching the affected area. Jade dodged around the officer, and Dean had gotten to his feet by this time. "Let's go, come on you two," she said, as they started moving towards the exit. The psychic had made progress when she'd gone down, and she hurried to rectify the issue. She managed, with a little difficulty, to get her shields back up.
Jade looked back briefly to see if Sam was with them. Sam was catching up to herself, and Dean. Sam did manage to catch up, and, just as the sun went down, escaped the enclosure. All three of them were exhausted, and were on the verge of collapsing. Unfortunately, the three of them walked smack into the body of a black, white, and silvery gray dragon, who had been resting just outside the exit. Jade's eyes widened in surprise, as she realized who it was. "Oh Hades, Lokey Fenfyr," Jade said, tiredly, before all three of them passed out from exhaustion.
"Your evaluation on the exercise please, gentlemen," Fen said, as Muher and Alden joined him.
"The Winchesters lasted longer than I thought they would, they'd only had a week of training. What I didn't expect, was Jade letting out with that precisely aimed kick to Metz's groin. But I'd trained her myself, at Darius's request," Muher said, proud of Jade's kick.
"She was worn out, and exhausted." Alden said. "The psychic I'd recruited said Jade still had enough awareness to know her shields were weakened, after Metz kicked her in the abdomen."
Alden nodded, "I had done the initial research into her background, before offering to train her. She was adopted, and the Youngs were the only family she had. She has a very strong, although sporadic, empathic gift. Muher said she'd had a dream of the future, because of her gift. That was how she knew of the vermin device on Titan. Her gift leads her where she needs to be. With her journalism background, she has freedom of movement, an asset for undercover missions."
"She picked up on the oddity regarding this current case, when I sent her the file to review. She, and the Winchesters, have progressed further on the case than I would have myself," Muher said.
"Then we are agreed that our original observations, and plans for the three of them stand?" Lokey Fenfyr said with a huff of grapefruit scented breath.
"Yes, I say we go forward with it," Muher said.
"I also concur, they have proven they can handle it," Alden agreed.
"When the Winchesters wake up, start to train them for Intelligence. I authorize their use of Latin in corps related duties." Fenfyr stretched, as he got up. "Jade, when she wakes up, send her to me. I have some things of my own, that I would like her to look into. They may be related to her current case."
"Understood," Alden and Muher replied, as Fenfyr nodded and carefully took off.
"Bring the medical van around. I think we can get all of them in there. Let's go back to the compound," Muher said, as the medical team arrived. Such a strange trio of people, but these were strange times. He watched them, being loaded into the van for transport, and instructed his officers to make sure the area was clean. The sun was setting, and tomorrow would be a new day for all three of them.