A/N: Just a note, you don't have to read "Love Ain't Enough" to understand
the later chapters, but at the end you will be confused if you don't :)
And another: This Time Force School may seem horribly unrealistic to have such young people training to be soldiers, but remember, who knows what life will be like in 1,000 years?
***
Alex slowly stepped out of the car and looked up at the tall building, squinting his eyes against the bright light of the midday sun; Kendall walked around the car and stood next to him, smiling in a satisfied way.
"You'll like it here, Alex," he assured him, "the people here are nice, but strict. What you're used to."
"None of this," Alex pointed out, "is what I'm used to."
He lifted his bag and began walking down the pathway to the front doors, tall and wide, a dark brown color with brass handles; his hand trembled as he reached up and pressed the comm-button. A mechanical voice came through: "Name?"
"Alexander Collins."
"Reason for visit?"
"I'm . . . uh, entering the school." Alex looked back at Kendall as the man drove off, leaving him alone in front of the school. "Admiral Kendall sent me here," he spoke again.
"Enter."
The doors slid open and Alex stepped onto the hard floor before him, greeted face-to-face with a stern-looking ensign who took his bag and said gruffly: "Follow me." Alex did so without a word, his nervousness increasing as he walked on behind the man; finally, they reached a door and the ensign turned to him again.
"Go inside, this is your room," he said, "dinner is served at seventeen hundred. Sharp. Don't be late."
"Yes, sir."
Alex heard the door close behind him when he stepped inside the small room and surveyed the area with keen eyes; there was a cot, a desk with a chair and lamp, and a shelf. He shuddered as he sat down on the cot and placed his bag beneath it, a feeling of despair settling over him as he fully realized that he was completely alone.
"Hey, what're you doing here?"
He looked up to see Lucas Kendall in the doorway, apparently having just entered. "Your father sent me here," he answered, "my dad died, too."
Lucas' young face reflected his sympathy for the older boy, who was now his roommate; Alex looked at the clock, it was almost five o'clock, but he wasn't hungry. "I'm gonna go eat," Lucas said, "I could sneak something back for you, if you want."
"Thanks, but no." Alex shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Lucas walked out, and Alex watched him till his back disappeared down the hallway, tears filling his eyes as he remembered the last time he saw his father: "Never watch someone out of sight, if you do you'll never see them again." It was right. He had watched his father out of sight, and had never seen him alive again; he lied down slowly, burying his face in the hard pillow.
The tears came freely and overwhelmingly, showering his face till his eyes were red and swollen and he couldn't control his breaths. They came in short gasps as he curled up on the bed, squeezing his eyes shut, not even trying to hide his tears. He reached into his bag and pulled out the picture he carried of his parents shortly before his their deaths, pressing it firmly to his chest and holding it tightly till he cried himself to sleep . . .
*****
"Fall in!"
Alex and Lucas were standing in the doorway of their room when the call echoed down the halls, they raced off as fast as they could, entering the Drill & Ceremonies Room and falling in-line with the others. They stood at ease, their faces carefully emotionless as the officers walked up, their eyes hard as steel.
"Company . . . attention!"
"Welcome back," one officer, Davis, said, "I hope you enjoyed your weekend?"
"Hooah!"
The traditional shout of young soldiers had survived time, and the officer nodded in satisfaction at their loud shout in response to his words. He scanned the small company of boys and girls ranging from eight to fifteen years, all lined up neatly and facing him in a military fashion. Sgt. Gregory Davis himself had attended the school, then gone on to the Academy, many years ago he had been in there same position as an 11-year-old boy.
"As you all know," he said, "we have a weapons qualifications this afternoon with the A-92 rifle. Only seniors will be allowed to shoot them, but the younger ones may disassemble, clean, and assemble them while they shoot."
Lucas smiled, glancing to the side out of the corner of his eye at Alex, who remained impassive; but the young Collins was every bit as excited as Lucas. For a month he had attended the school, concentrating hard on his studies and learning quickly, making better grades than anyone else. Everyone told him how proud his father would be of him, and his mother as well, but he did his best to block out their words---along with any thoughts or memories of his parents.
"Everyone," Davis said loudly, "will qualify, I will make sure of that, as will the other instructors. Most of you are excellent shots, and no one has done that poorly, so it shouldn't be a problem." He looked down at his notepad. "All right, we'll start with PT, as usual. Fall into positions, PT Excercise One."
Alex and Lucas dropped to the floor, their ankles crossed in the back so all their weight was on one leg and their arms; their heads remained raised as Davis assumed position, then barked out: "Down, up, down, up. Three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . "
Up and down. Up and down. The monotanous of it all was becoming unbearable to Alex, who had been through the same experiences day-in day-out almost his entire life; his arms didn't give out till long after the others his age, and for about a second he felt an ounce of pride. But that pride was quickly diminished when he realized why he was forced to live at the school, and remembered the sudden, unexpected deaths of his parents.
'Ransik.'
The name echoed in his mind over and over again as he pushed his body to its limits, his arms began to shake and he bit his lip to keep from gasping painfully. Lucas had already fallen to the floor and was resting, as were many of the other younger ones; although the teens were going along with ease. Alex looked forward to see Davis, up on his feet, staring at them with his thick arms folded across his broad chest; their eyes met, and a smile flickered across the hardened sergeant's face briefly at the young boy's determination.
"On your feet!"
Alex jumped up and stood at ease, his face straight ahead, concealing the pain in his arms; Davis nodded and said: "Good job, soldiers. We'll take a ten minute break, then get to our sit-ups. Go get some water, we don't need any dehydration. Fall out!"
Alex grabbed a cup from the table a few yards away and poured himself a drink, he drank it slowly---as instructed to do---and relaxed against the wall, waiting for the next round of the training. Davis walked over, a small smile on his face as he said: "Excellent job out there, Collins."
"Thank you, Sergeant." Alex stood at ease, a respectful position for a young recruit to address a sergeant at.
"How many did you snap out? Seemed like quite a few."
"Forty-nine, Sergeant."
"Very impressive."
Alex nodded sharply, then Davis turned on his heel and strode away, his walk confident and full of pride; Alex finished his water and stretched out his aching arms for a few minutes before the next order to fall in was barked out.
***
Alex walked outside as the sun slowly set on a Saturday evening, classes were out and the students were allowed to stay up later, so Alex decided to take a walk around the school. He looked around at the people passing by, awed by the historic building bearing the Time Force insignia; he smirked, amused by their admiration of what had been his life since birth.
"Look!" he heard a young girl's voice. "Mommy, it's Time Force!"
He looked across the grass at the girl standing next to a woman, a man and two older boys behind them, smiling fondly at her; her brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail, she had bangs and wide, brown eyes. Those eyes fell on him and she smiled widely, noticing his Junior TF uniform; she was probably about seven, although tall, very skinny and energetic.
Alex looked at her carefully, curiously, unaccustomed to seeing such a bright, happy face on a child; but she seemed perfectly content, of course, that looked like her parents standing with her. Alex winced slightly, recalling having his own parents with him and feeling more than a little jealous of the girl . . .
Who was now standing right next to him.
"Hi!" she said, cheerfully.
"Hi . . . " Alex stared at her, "what are you doing here?"
"I came to talk," she answered, "my big brother's going into Time Force."
"Oh."
She smiled at him, and he noticed the many freckles covering her nose and cheeks, making her seem not only more cheerful, but cuter as well---despite her age. Alex shook his head, saying absently: "I should go back inside, I'm not supposed to stay out too late."
"You're in Time Force?"
"Well . . . " Alex looked at his uniform " . . . yeah."
"I---"
"Jen!" her mother called, "it's time to go!"
Jen turned and looked back at her family waiting, then she smiled again and said: "I have to go. Maybe I'll see you in the Time Force Academy someday--- " Alex stared at her in surprise "---bye!" He watched her run off, then walk away with her parents and brothers, a bounce in her step.
'Jen . . . ' the name stuck in his mind, and somehow he had the feeling they would meet again.
TBC
And another: This Time Force School may seem horribly unrealistic to have such young people training to be soldiers, but remember, who knows what life will be like in 1,000 years?
***
Alex slowly stepped out of the car and looked up at the tall building, squinting his eyes against the bright light of the midday sun; Kendall walked around the car and stood next to him, smiling in a satisfied way.
"You'll like it here, Alex," he assured him, "the people here are nice, but strict. What you're used to."
"None of this," Alex pointed out, "is what I'm used to."
He lifted his bag and began walking down the pathway to the front doors, tall and wide, a dark brown color with brass handles; his hand trembled as he reached up and pressed the comm-button. A mechanical voice came through: "Name?"
"Alexander Collins."
"Reason for visit?"
"I'm . . . uh, entering the school." Alex looked back at Kendall as the man drove off, leaving him alone in front of the school. "Admiral Kendall sent me here," he spoke again.
"Enter."
The doors slid open and Alex stepped onto the hard floor before him, greeted face-to-face with a stern-looking ensign who took his bag and said gruffly: "Follow me." Alex did so without a word, his nervousness increasing as he walked on behind the man; finally, they reached a door and the ensign turned to him again.
"Go inside, this is your room," he said, "dinner is served at seventeen hundred. Sharp. Don't be late."
"Yes, sir."
Alex heard the door close behind him when he stepped inside the small room and surveyed the area with keen eyes; there was a cot, a desk with a chair and lamp, and a shelf. He shuddered as he sat down on the cot and placed his bag beneath it, a feeling of despair settling over him as he fully realized that he was completely alone.
"Hey, what're you doing here?"
He looked up to see Lucas Kendall in the doorway, apparently having just entered. "Your father sent me here," he answered, "my dad died, too."
Lucas' young face reflected his sympathy for the older boy, who was now his roommate; Alex looked at the clock, it was almost five o'clock, but he wasn't hungry. "I'm gonna go eat," Lucas said, "I could sneak something back for you, if you want."
"Thanks, but no." Alex shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Lucas walked out, and Alex watched him till his back disappeared down the hallway, tears filling his eyes as he remembered the last time he saw his father: "Never watch someone out of sight, if you do you'll never see them again." It was right. He had watched his father out of sight, and had never seen him alive again; he lied down slowly, burying his face in the hard pillow.
The tears came freely and overwhelmingly, showering his face till his eyes were red and swollen and he couldn't control his breaths. They came in short gasps as he curled up on the bed, squeezing his eyes shut, not even trying to hide his tears. He reached into his bag and pulled out the picture he carried of his parents shortly before his their deaths, pressing it firmly to his chest and holding it tightly till he cried himself to sleep . . .
*****
"Fall in!"
Alex and Lucas were standing in the doorway of their room when the call echoed down the halls, they raced off as fast as they could, entering the Drill & Ceremonies Room and falling in-line with the others. They stood at ease, their faces carefully emotionless as the officers walked up, their eyes hard as steel.
"Company . . . attention!"
"Welcome back," one officer, Davis, said, "I hope you enjoyed your weekend?"
"Hooah!"
The traditional shout of young soldiers had survived time, and the officer nodded in satisfaction at their loud shout in response to his words. He scanned the small company of boys and girls ranging from eight to fifteen years, all lined up neatly and facing him in a military fashion. Sgt. Gregory Davis himself had attended the school, then gone on to the Academy, many years ago he had been in there same position as an 11-year-old boy.
"As you all know," he said, "we have a weapons qualifications this afternoon with the A-92 rifle. Only seniors will be allowed to shoot them, but the younger ones may disassemble, clean, and assemble them while they shoot."
Lucas smiled, glancing to the side out of the corner of his eye at Alex, who remained impassive; but the young Collins was every bit as excited as Lucas. For a month he had attended the school, concentrating hard on his studies and learning quickly, making better grades than anyone else. Everyone told him how proud his father would be of him, and his mother as well, but he did his best to block out their words---along with any thoughts or memories of his parents.
"Everyone," Davis said loudly, "will qualify, I will make sure of that, as will the other instructors. Most of you are excellent shots, and no one has done that poorly, so it shouldn't be a problem." He looked down at his notepad. "All right, we'll start with PT, as usual. Fall into positions, PT Excercise One."
Alex and Lucas dropped to the floor, their ankles crossed in the back so all their weight was on one leg and their arms; their heads remained raised as Davis assumed position, then barked out: "Down, up, down, up. Three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . "
Up and down. Up and down. The monotanous of it all was becoming unbearable to Alex, who had been through the same experiences day-in day-out almost his entire life; his arms didn't give out till long after the others his age, and for about a second he felt an ounce of pride. But that pride was quickly diminished when he realized why he was forced to live at the school, and remembered the sudden, unexpected deaths of his parents.
'Ransik.'
The name echoed in his mind over and over again as he pushed his body to its limits, his arms began to shake and he bit his lip to keep from gasping painfully. Lucas had already fallen to the floor and was resting, as were many of the other younger ones; although the teens were going along with ease. Alex looked forward to see Davis, up on his feet, staring at them with his thick arms folded across his broad chest; their eyes met, and a smile flickered across the hardened sergeant's face briefly at the young boy's determination.
"On your feet!"
Alex jumped up and stood at ease, his face straight ahead, concealing the pain in his arms; Davis nodded and said: "Good job, soldiers. We'll take a ten minute break, then get to our sit-ups. Go get some water, we don't need any dehydration. Fall out!"
Alex grabbed a cup from the table a few yards away and poured himself a drink, he drank it slowly---as instructed to do---and relaxed against the wall, waiting for the next round of the training. Davis walked over, a small smile on his face as he said: "Excellent job out there, Collins."
"Thank you, Sergeant." Alex stood at ease, a respectful position for a young recruit to address a sergeant at.
"How many did you snap out? Seemed like quite a few."
"Forty-nine, Sergeant."
"Very impressive."
Alex nodded sharply, then Davis turned on his heel and strode away, his walk confident and full of pride; Alex finished his water and stretched out his aching arms for a few minutes before the next order to fall in was barked out.
***
Alex walked outside as the sun slowly set on a Saturday evening, classes were out and the students were allowed to stay up later, so Alex decided to take a walk around the school. He looked around at the people passing by, awed by the historic building bearing the Time Force insignia; he smirked, amused by their admiration of what had been his life since birth.
"Look!" he heard a young girl's voice. "Mommy, it's Time Force!"
He looked across the grass at the girl standing next to a woman, a man and two older boys behind them, smiling fondly at her; her brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail, she had bangs and wide, brown eyes. Those eyes fell on him and she smiled widely, noticing his Junior TF uniform; she was probably about seven, although tall, very skinny and energetic.
Alex looked at her carefully, curiously, unaccustomed to seeing such a bright, happy face on a child; but she seemed perfectly content, of course, that looked like her parents standing with her. Alex winced slightly, recalling having his own parents with him and feeling more than a little jealous of the girl . . .
Who was now standing right next to him.
"Hi!" she said, cheerfully.
"Hi . . . " Alex stared at her, "what are you doing here?"
"I came to talk," she answered, "my big brother's going into Time Force."
"Oh."
She smiled at him, and he noticed the many freckles covering her nose and cheeks, making her seem not only more cheerful, but cuter as well---despite her age. Alex shook his head, saying absently: "I should go back inside, I'm not supposed to stay out too late."
"You're in Time Force?"
"Well . . . " Alex looked at his uniform " . . . yeah."
"I---"
"Jen!" her mother called, "it's time to go!"
Jen turned and looked back at her family waiting, then she smiled again and said: "I have to go. Maybe I'll see you in the Time Force Academy someday--- " Alex stared at her in surprise "---bye!" He watched her run off, then walk away with her parents and brothers, a bounce in her step.
'Jen . . . ' the name stuck in his mind, and somehow he had the feeling they would meet again.
TBC