JAI-006

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

I sat up, and rolled off the bed. I still wore the clothes from yesterday. My stomach growled, reminding me of my cruel punishment. If only my teammates hadn't been slow, and that one hadn't sprained his ankle. Of course, we hadn't reported it. But we lost, fair and square.

But I was use to not eating. The streets had taught me somethings. If I hadn't been in that orphanage for the last few months, I would have been perfectly fine.

"MOVE IT RECUITS!"

Secretly, I wanted to go and shout in Mendez's face. But I feared the punishments. Usually I didn't feared anything, but Mendez scared me. I noticed one of the infamous winning team was moving groggily. A guard zeroed in on him, and zapped him with an electrocuting stick. Curiously, instead of just screaming or something, the guy convulsed. After about 30 second, he went limp. He reminded me of corpses I've seen on the streets, hidden in alleys, or out in the open. All I could see of his eyes were the whites.

Mendez ran across the room, and bent down. "GET A MEDIC! HE HAS NO PULSE!" he yelled.

I froze. The guy was dead? No one moved, not even the guards. Damn it! Why weren't the guards moving? The guy needed help! They had no helmets or earpieces, so they couldn't communicate that way. I made up my mind. If they weren't going to move, I would! Even if I didn't know where the infirmary was...

I jumped into a sprint. I guessed my way aroung the corridors, somehow finding the infirmary.

"MEDIC!" I screamed, bursting through the double doors.

About 10 sets of eyes turned to look at me.

"A guy... has no pulse... in barracks," I panted.

The medics jumped into action, grabbing equipment and rushing out the door.

I followed them back to the barracks. They filed through the door, and I stood back, staying out of the way. None of the guards had moved. Mendez was pushed aside, and the medics took over.

The Senior Chief Petty Officer seemed to notice that none of the other guards had moved. His brow furrowed in confusion, then reverted back to the stone-cut look.

"He's gone," one of the medics said, shaking his head. The other medics moved in to help carry the officially dead boy's body. They started to walk towards the door where I was standing, and suddenly the boy coughed.

What the? I asked myself. The guy was announced to be dead just a few seconds ago! The medics must have had a similar reaction, as they dropped him.

"Well I'd be…" the chief medic said, shaking his head in disbelief, "Looks like ya got one helluva fighter here, Senior Chief Petty Officer. Just came back from the dead, huh? Neva happened before in my career. Of course, we need to keep 'em for observation, just to make sure 'e's OK," the medic added.

The medics helped him onto his feet, and then led him away.

"ALRIGHT!" Mendez said, obviously slightly shaken, "GET MOVING!"

The barracks erupted into a flurry of movement. Mendez turned around and noticed me, standing by the door.

"What the?" he said, looking at me, confusion written across his features, "What are you doing there?"

I shifted, unsure what to tell him. "I ran and got the medics, sir," I told him, straightening.

He gave me a sharp nod, accepting my answer. He then cocked his head. "Did you even know where the infirmary was?"

"No sir."

He grunted. I wondered what he was thinking.

"You'll make a good scout," he told me, then walked out the door.

Scout? What did he mean by that? This place was shroud with mysteries. And I suspected that we'd never learn most of them.