Training day, Part I.

Kim thought that they would go to the training center, but Samuel keyed in the space center.

"Why?"

"That's where the flight transports are—this is a bells and whistles drill—expect to be in the air for one hour, simulating your flight in." He said, "Don't know what Tara has planned, but she had a little gleam in her eye so I hope you don't get airsick."

"I didn't." Kim said, "So what am I doing?"

"You are going to be a traitor to the people/patriot helping America (depending on what papers you read) and your job is to deal with the guards going into a simulated hostage situation. The Australian embassy has been overrun by terrorist forces of the People's republic of Trianglethreatland. Officially they are criminals, unofficially Trianglethreatland hopes they'll kill the embassy staff, and so is doing everything they can to hinder us, which includes not letting us come in. Thus, the SOG is deployed."

"Okay…" Kim said.

"I will be coming along as the over the hill, but too high ranked to tell him to get the hell out, pain in Taggert's ass."

"You…what will you do?"

"I really haven't decided. If the sim is going too well, I may decide to pretend to panic like some deskbound clerk who just realized he can die here." Samuel shrugged, "We did the poodle problem yesterday—got one of Taggert's LT's a black mark."

"Poodle problem?"

"Our simulated ambassadors wife wouldn't leave without fluffy—that was an evacuation sim. He spent five minutes looking for fluffy and found her."

"So why?"

"He should have knocked the simulated bimbo out and gotten out of there. The computers decided that five minutes wasn't enough time for the bad guys to get their acts together…but it was close." For some reason Kim thought that Samuel was telling her something, but he continued, "SOG operations are always very thin margins. You cannot risk failure, via loose or sentimental thinking."

"Okay—so what exactly is happening today?"

"Ah, well you are a member of the terrorist group who has realized the error of her ways. Filled with righteous fury at those who betrayed you, you are now working with us." He smiled, "And it saves us the problem of having to spend a month getting you up to speed enough to even think about having you work as a part of the team, even in simulation."

"What do I do?"

"Get in, shut off the coms, and let our guys in the front gate."

"That's…easy." Kim said.

"Oh, you might not find it as easy as you think." Samuel said.

The rest of the trip passed quickly and then they were at the space center where two sleek stealth VTOL's, supersonic successors to the boxy V-22's that sat at the other end of the tarmac. The black craft looked ominous and predatory on the runway, as flight crews prepped them, loading ordenance and fueling them.

"Bombs" Kim asked in shock, "But we're…"

"Dummy only, but Major King seems to feel that you can never have enough flight crew drill—and they're pretty new, so they really can use the training." He shrugged, "You'll go in on the first one, and then walk ahead to the target."

"OK… but what about, err, briefing."

"This is it. For the purposes of the exercise, you know the basic location—here's your map, but not a lot more." Samuel laughed, "this is a 1CO operation." Looking at her, he explained, "#1 cockup."

"Okay, I can handle it." Kim said, looking at the map and reading it. It was odd how fast she fell back into old habits.

Then they were meeting with Taggert and his crew. Now, Tara's BF looked different, more meanacing in his suit of flexible power assisted armor (FPAA), a large rifle/guided grenade launcher weapon held in one hand, and other equipment dangling off of his frame. Everyone else was equally armored, including a pair of soldiers with 25mm support rifles. Samuel grinned at those.

"They don't have the most up to date equipment like some of our Marine units, but those babies will punch through just about any IFV short of a tank, and they don't err… break down as often as ours." Taggert looked up at that.

"Maybe if you Yanks weren't so equipment crazy… ooh, ooh, new technology, shiny, me want!" He said, and Kim had to keep herself from laughing. Then Taggert was talking to her. "Okay, we drop you off, and you infiltrate through the buildings. I see the Colonel gave you the map."

"Yeah, and nothing else." Taggert shrugged,

"It makes my people work harder, and to be honest, if we were going to run you with a full briefing you'd be training for months and months—this is just a baseline." He continued, "Orders are to enter the building, neutralizing anyone you find on the way, shut down coms and call us."

"Neutralize?"

"Kill. Everyone here is a terrorist, not wearing distinctive uniforms and they have taken civilians hostage. That means they're not covered by the GC or any other convention." Kim gulped at that. Then she was getting on board the first transport. She frowned, as she realized she was the only one not armored in a field suit of armor, just the training suit that she had thrown on in a bathroom, somewhat less advanced then the one she wore in Ron's dojo. Samuel caught her gaze and grinned.

"Kit Carson's don't generally get toys like that. Oh, by the way, We have the same rule here that Ron has in his Dojo, we don't kill you, but we do hurt you… Try to avoid getting shot."

"Are the guns?"

"Nah," Samuel said, "perfect replicas, down to the recoil when you 'fire' them. They're actually more expensive then the real thing." He shrugged and looked at her, "You get no gun because you A. are supposed to be someone infiltrating, and B. the Range Safety officer would have my ass if I let you run around with them before taking the Range Safety Course—they may be simulations, but they can still kill you if you screw around with them."

"It's okay, I don't…. li-" Kim paused, "need guns."

"Ah." Samuel was noncommittal. Kim, looking down at her map, didn't notice the quick glance between Samuel and Taggert. Samuel raised an eyebrow, and Taggert gave a tiny shake of his head. Samuel then held out a knife to her. "Well you do get a knife—take it or you don't go." Kim nodded and held it. She did know how to use a Knife, or did before prison. Like everything else, it was a training knife—the "blade" was of flexible plastic, hard as steel when used against inanimate materials or synthodrones, but contact with a training suit softened it, allowing the suit to log the hit without the danger of injury... but with the danger of bruises.

Meanwhile, Samuel and the other members were activating the armor and pulling up the flexible helmet/hood combo that made them immune to chemical weapons or light armor. Kim, occupied with her own work, didn't realize that she wasn't receiving all the com channels.

Samuel, are you certain about this? Taggert sub vocalized.

We'll see how it plays out. Samuel replied.

Dirty trick.

She'll have to learn now—why do you think I'm rushing this? I don't want her to be thinking that this is anything other than the real deal when she's in there, and spending a week studying the systems will focus her on the fact it's a drill.

You are a bad, bad man.

Unaware of that, Kim finished checking out her own suit, and watching as the Australians finished securing themselves. The VTOL's were designed so they could launch every individual man into the air, where jetpacks or other personal flight systems would take them the rest of the way. Not having one, Kim carefully checked the tags that showed the system was safed and deactivated.

"This is the Vomit Comet Express," Tara's voice came over the coms, cheerfully ruthless. "For your flying pleasure, we have determined that the air force of Trianglethreatland has refused us access. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to shoot them down, so we will be proceeding NAP of earth to the site I will try not to cause too many of you to puke….unless the computer decides I wasn't flying good enough and we get locked up by our simulated enemies, right now being played by some of my friends in our squadrons F-35's. If they bounce me, I have to buy them dinner so they'll be doing their very best."

"NAP?" Kim asked, "over Middleton?"

"Actually a flight range about 240KM from here," Samuel said, "The locals complain when we send fighters just over their head at Mach. After that part of the exercise, Tara will zip over her as fast as she can, this time at altitude, so she can still shake us around in a simulated landing run."

"OH. What if we get "shot" down?"

"Computers log it, and Tara gets to buy her mates dinner, but we proceed on to our own exercise." Taggert said. "With some loud cussing from the cockpit." Kim shook her head. She still couldn't imagine… well Tara in this light sometimes.

Then she heard the turbines start to spool up, and with a lurch, the aircraft started moving down the runway. Over the intercom, Kim heard Tara's voice, now completely professional.

"Tower, Nighthawk one. We are commencing exercise. Please confirm our airspace is clear. Over."

"Airspace is clear, Nighthawk one. You are cleared to begin the exercise. Over."

"Affirmative, Tower." Tara said, and moments later, they were in the air.

TBC.