A/N: Chapter four! Jess is being trained. What could possibly go wrong?
Disclaimer: Lessee here...Human? Check – I think. Male? Nope. So I don't own Alex Rider.
Chapter Four: Brecon Beacons
Jess was given combat fatigues, then taken to meet the sergeant who would be supervising her training. For several minutes, the sergeant merely stood in front of her – sizing her up, she was certain. Finally, he scowled and began pacing a short line in front of Jess.
"Listen up, girlie," the sergeant growled. "It's not my place to tell the higher-ups what to do. But if it was, I would tell them to get their heads on straight. First they send in a boy. Okay, I tell myself. Not an ideal situation, but the kid can take care of himself. But now-" he stopped pacing and faced her directly- "they send me a girl. Now, you can call me sexist or ageist all you want, girlie, but I don't believe that you belong here. This is a place for adults and special exceptions, and I do not believe you warrant a special exception. Do I make myself clear?"
Throughout the sergeant's brief tirade, Jess had clenched her teeth tighter and tighter. Now, she loosened her jaw and replied, "Yes, sir. May I speak freely?"
The sergeant almost looked vaguely surprised, but quickly replied nodded the affirmative.
She took a quick, bracing breath, then said, "I do not...appreciate...being called 'girlie.' Sir," she added after a brief pause.
She thought she saw a smile flit across the sergeant's face, but it was gone so fast she easily could have imagined it. As she thought this, the sergeant responded to her announcement by saying, "Prove you don't deserve it."
"Yes, sir."
The sergeant assigned her to Q-Unit, took her to the hut where she would be spending the next three weeks, and left her there to become acquainted with the rest of her unit – four women who came across as being as different from each other as any four women could be.
The most outgoing woman – a petite redhead with hazel eyes – introduced herself as Jackal. "Not what I would have picked," she said, making a face, "but it'll do."
Jackal pointed around the small room, naming each other woman. "That's Hawk-" a muscular woman with brown hair and black eyes, disassembling and reassembling a pistol- "Leopard-" a wiry woman, black-haired and blue-eyed, lounging on her cot and reading a book- "and Falcon." The last woman was blond, with blue eyes, like Jess. However, Falcon's hair was more golden, and her eyes a deeper blue. At her name, she glanced up from whatever she was doing – she was sitting hunched over – and smiled at Jess before returning her attention to whatever was in front of her. "So what's your name, dear?" asked Jackal.
Jess flushed. "Mouse," she mumbled.
Jackal raised an eyebrow, but only said, "That man has a strange sense of humor. Don't let it get to you."
Realizing she spoke of the sergeant, Jess smiled. "I'll remember that."
oOo
Over the next twenty-one days, Jess was put through more torture than she had ever imagined. Her fifth night there, after a particularly rough afternoon on the obstacle course, she laid on her cot and winced as Jackal applied antibiotic cream and bandages to the back of Jess' calves.
"There goes my dream of being a soldier," Jess mumbled.
She could hear the smile in Jackal's voice as she replied, "Look at it this way: If you ever get enlisted, you won't have to go through this." She patted Jess' leg gently, telling her she could sit up.
Jess complied, saying, "Oh, yes, I will. They're all sadists. They enjoy watching people suffer."
Jackal grinned. "Watch your mouth, Jerry. They're watching...and listening..."
Jess laughed, both at the nickname and Jackal's joking statement. "Why do you call me that?" she asked as Jackal moved to her own cot.
"What, Jerry?" Jess nodded. "I guess because you kind of remind me of that old cartoon character. And it's better than just calling you 'Mouse' all the time." She leaned back on her bunk with a contented sigh.
Jess remained perched on the edge of her mattress. "How do I remind you of Jerry?"
"Well..." Jackal ticked off each argument on her fingers. "You're smart, agile, fast, and stronger than you look. I'd say that those reasons alone qualify you for 'Jerry-ness.'"
Jess snorted. "Not fast enough. I don't know how many times I've had to pick my butt up off the mat."
Jackal was quiet for a moment. "Were you ever in gymnastics, Jerry?"
"Shut up, Jackal," Hawk growled.
Jackal ignored her teammate. "Well?" she asked.
Jess smirked at the byplay between the two women – not an uncommon occurrence. She cocked an eyebrow at the question. "What makes you say that?"
Jackal smiled. "The backbends you do every morning to stretch kind of clued me in." Over on her bed, Hawk snorted, but was otherwise silent.
Jess thought for a moment, and realized she had to give Jackal that one. "Yeah, I was. Why?"
"Well, then, couldn't you use your skills on the mat?"
Jess said nothing, struck by the simple brilliance of the idea, as well as her own stupidity in not seeing it herself. "Jackal, my friend," she whispered, "you are a genius."
Jackal bowed from her half-sitting position and smiled wider. "I do try."
oOo
Jackal's advice didn't cure all of Jess' problems, but it did help. She didn't fall quite as much on the mat, and the obstacle course seemed slightly less challenging. She still tended to die in the Killing House, but she reasoned that she couldn't have everything in life, now could she? Finally, the three weeks were over and she was sent to meet with Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones once more.
She left Brecon Beacons quite willingly, despite her destination. As she gazed out the window of the car at the Welsh countryside, she couldn't help but wonder about her partner, and what surprises were in store for them.
A/N: I'm really, really sorry it's so short. Really.
Many thanks again to Khushbu Salazar for the beta job!
What's going to happen next? Will Jess and her partner – three guesses who that will be, by the way – be sent on a deadly mission by the dastardly Alan Blunt, or a less lethal one? Will Jess even make it to London? Read on to find out!