Hell.

Andy thought the man had been using the term figuratively; a way of scaring them into thinking it was nothing but hellfire and damnation. Of course, it wasn't actually a pit of fire and screaming souls, but she could now see why he had chosen that exact word as she limped towards the mess hall, breath ragged and too exhausted to speak.

Lieutenant Commander Bane, as soon as they had gotten out of the shuttle and pulled their Starfleet-issued packs onto their backs, he had instructed in his very scary military man voice that they were to run from there to base, and meet in the mess hall. Everyone but Andy seemed perfectly fine with this, not minding the fact that they were having to run over seven miles to where they were expected.

Running had never been Andy's strong suit, and anything having to do with physical movement wasn't as well. Within the first five minutes of running, she was light headed, out of breath, and weak. The freezing rain battering down upon her shoulders didn't help, nor did the weight of her pack on her back either.

Yet somehow, she had lived. Andy supposed the lesson to be learned here was that no matter how you feel, if you keep going with the finish in mind, you'll get there eventually. Then again, it could also be that running in freezing rain and mud is terrible. Either one.

With a shaking hand, she pushed open the door and stumbled inside, hearing another terrifying clap of thunder behind her as she slammed it shut once more. Not even caring if she was stared at, Andy dropped her bag at the closest table, collapsing into the chair and sitting her head upon the table. How her brother had survived this, or even regular training, she wouldn't know.

While on the shuttle, Lieutenant Commander Bane had told them that to gain entrance to advanced training, you either scored an above-average score on your aptitude test, or you passed your physical exam with flying colors. There was only one of them who had passed both in the extreme, and Andy was pretty sure it wasn't her based on the experience she just had.

Too tired to even get up and scavenge what was left of the food they had to offer, Andy kept her head down and shivered as water pooled at her feet. She had never imagined Starfleet to be like this! But, as her brother always told her, you had to go through failure before you got to greatness. And she was certainly failing.

Who knows, by the end of the four months, she could be so physically fit that if anyone knew her before, they wouldn't be able to recognize her then. She could be top of her graduating class afterwards, pass with flying colors and do what some considered impossible—graduate in three years. There was one guy two years ahead of her who was almost there, but rumor had it that he was completely and utterly insane. Even if you weren't in Starfleet, you knew of the Kobyiashi Maru simulation. It was designed to make you fear, to make you see about no-win situations. Andy didn't believe in no-win situations. He told her that this belief would one day get her ass handed to her. She believed him.

When her brother was alive, Andy had the reputation of being quite the smartass. She would challenge anyone who tested her, speak her mind and snap at everyone. Her parents could barely win in an argument with her, and that was saying something. But ever since Samuel's death, it was hard to even get her to speak.

Her parents always argued and pushed down her ideas, belittled her and treated her almost like it was her fault that he had died. She was, after all, the one who told him to live his dreams and make them all proud. Though he did, he never returned. So when the chance came, she left. And she was determined she was going to stay gone. Besides, they always liked Samuel more.

Picking her head up from the table, she let out an exhausted sigh and rubbed her hands over her face, shaking water off of them afterwards. Andy could only imagine the mess hall was open for a few more minutes, so she probably needed to go ahead and grab something then. Arms shaking, she pushed herself up from the table and started walking towards the line of trays and food, eyes excited. A slam came from the other side of the room as a door opened, a man stepping through. She was just glad it wasn't the Lieutenant Commander.

"I am Lieutenant Zachariah Echen, and I will be assisting Lieutenant Commander Bane in your training." The man said, voice loud and powerful. By now, everyone in the room was standing, full salute as they stared at the man before them. "You have all finally made it, so I shall assign rooming arrangements."

Pulling out a sheet of paper, he started to call out names and room assignments like he did this everyday. Come to think of it, this was probably nothing new to him. He started to pace through the isles, calling out last names still. "Boone, M., with Daniels, A. 319."

Andy watched his every movement. Not simply because she found him moderately attractive, but simply because his weight carried on his left hip. It was strange, as if he was missing a joint. But the odd clunking noise he gave off added to that theory.

"Gradix, B., with Hablie, C. 407." He continued, now close enough for her to see the metal sight of his leg. Prosthetic, obviously. The man must have had it done in Jinaë, they were known for replacing limbs with extraordinary care and prestige.

"Haddox, A. with Laurel, K. 415." Andy watched another person across the room freeze, their icy blue gaze being turned to her, and deadly. The blonde was obviously not happy about being paired with the "weakling" of the bunch, and Andy could tell by her stature that this girl would let her know it.

God help her now.