Love Struck Eternal

by mT Shadow

Change is not always for the better. Eighteen years have passed since the events of the second most major war for the middle east had come to a close. Leaders have come and gone, society itself has changed, and those who seek a different outcome have gone dark. The focus is now on one person. Yet her story will change the world forever. Following down her father's dark past.

21. Chapter 21

Love Struck Eternal

Chapter 21 - Standing before the rest.

Codwell's POV, the next day.

"Let's put some pep in our steps ladies! We do not have all day!" I shouted as I watched my fresh batch of recruits scramble out of their beds.

Seeing and knowing that everyone was on edge of this experience I added on by stating to them all as they struggled to get dressed.

"Last night was just our introduction! Today is the first real day of the rest of your lives! You have sixty seconds to finish! Anyone who exceeds that time owes me twenty push ups! Am I clear?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

This always puts a smile on my face to see. Eager and determined females trying to make something of themselves. All with different goals and dreams. But it was my duty to snuff out the realist from the fakes. And it became clear to me who had potential just judging on how they were reacting now to being woken up like this. Sounds of bangs and screaming orders always got people moving.

Keeping my attention on those getting dressed, I caught someone in the corner of my eye standing perfectly still at attention and at first I thought I might have been seeing things, but when I turned to look I was surprised to see it was Diskov. Fully dressed and with a made bed. Her bunk mate looked absolutely stunned in comparison. Looking at the clock that we had hung over the entrance to the barracks, I quickly realized it had only been just over thirty seconds since I gave the surprise wake up call.

Dropping my stance for just a moment, I shouted at the wolf in confusion for how she managed it.

"There is no way you are done there Diskov!"

She kept quiet as I approached in speed to check her work. And to my surprise she was. The bed was perfect and her uniform was on the right way. Looking at her bunk mate, which happened to be a smaller gray fox, I asked with some interest towards the situation.

"Did you help her with this?"

"No ma'am!" She replied as I looked back at Diskov.

Checking her work one more time, I soon smiled and muttered to her.

"Good job. Let's see how the rest of the day treats you."

With my focus going back towards everyone else, I shouted out as loud as I could.

"Diskov is making all of you look bad! Hurry it up! We are burning time!"

"Yes ma'am!" They all shouted back.

I haven't ever seen a recruit get ready that fast. It makes me regret not seeing it happen in the first place with my own two eyes. But I had a lot planned for today and none of it was as easy as that. I can't wait to see how our little infantry hound reacts.

Sam's POV.

Roslin wasn't lying about what he did to me. I had so much energy and my body moved at speeds I couldn't dream possible. Alongside that and learning from my mother on how to properly make a bed, I had successfully stunned Codwell.

My intentions were clear and I planned to make her regret not believing in me.

Now the speed Roslin gave me was clearly there, but I had yet to see how strong I've become. If it was anything like this then I knew without a doubt I'd be making my point soon enough towards everyone in this barrack.

Once another minute had passed, Codwell stopped to yell at everyone who couldn't finish in time and those who didn't make their beds perfect or put on their uniform correctly. It ate up more time then I bet she wanted to waste on it, but once she was done the equine ordered us in a loud and heavy voice.

"Everyone outside! We're starting our first day with a nice run! Once we're out there I need the tallest of you to take the lead! You understand?! Tallest in front and shortest in the back! Make four rows and even it out! There are forty of you! That means ten in each row! Now let's go!"

Everyone was moving like their lives were on the line and given enough time I'm sure it would soon feel like it as well. But I had to focus on this. It would set me straight and soon I'd show Codwell what I was made of.

Now I was standing around six foot one so I found myself near the very front of the formation, but just behind another wolf and a few of the taller species; like other equines like the Sergeant. With Codwell looking us over, she directed the way we would do this.

"Now every day you're here we are gonna start ourselves off with something like this! A nice way to get everyone's blood flowing! Now this is how I want the formation to be each and every time we need to move as a unit! No exceptions and no excuses!"

"Yes ma'am!" We all shouted back as she went on further by stating.

"You four up front are gonna be setting the pace for everyone behind! You wanna burn out the unit then be my guest, but if anyone falls behind you will be held responsible! So be smart and take it slow for now! Also! Keep yourselves paced out so we don't trip over ourselves!"

Codwell soon came to the unit's side to point on the ground where we were all standing.

"This is the route you will follow! The track starts outside the barracks and goes all the way around the station! It's roughly five miles! Keep inside the track at all times and let's get this started right! Understood!?"

"Yes ma'am!"

With her instructions over and done with; we waited for the four people in front to get moving. Once we started and took our first few steps, I realized for some reason I wasn't feeling the momentum in my bones building up. The pace was set and to be honest it was slow. The girls in front must have been listening to Codwell about it.

Now the air outside was slightly cold, but that made this run easier on me. I hated the heat to be honest. Maybe it was because I grew up in it, but it just felt nice to get a shiver once in a while during all this.

Codwell was running right alongside us and to no surprise was she looking good. It would look bad if an equine like herself couldn't keep up. However there were a few bad apples. Mostly from the people behind me. We had a few bigger girls in our unit and some of which weren't really the running type due to their species. I was worried about losing a few of them, but each time they began to slow down, Codwell raised her voice to yell at them.

"No falling behind! You girls up front should slow your pace! Give them a chance to catch up!"

That was exactly what we planned to do in fact. Soon enough everyone was back together and I think we had reached the first quarter marker of this run. Hopefully with my fingers crossed; we could keep the other girls alive till the end.

Codwell's POV, an hour later.

"We're gonna be running a few tests to see where we stand physically. Don't feel pressured to do your best. This is just a way for me to get an idea. In the future we'll work to break the standards set here. Now I want everyone to find a training partner and find a spot in the dirt to get started. We're starting with push ups. You'll have two minutes to work with and another minute to find your partner. Starting now!" I shouted as everyone got to work on finding that person.

My eyes kept to my watch to make sure I wasn't going over the limit, but it took them about thirty to finish either way so it didn't matter. Once everyone was down in the dirt, I pulled out my stopwatch and announced.

"On the count of three! Whoever isn't doing the exercise should be in charge of counting the other person's progress! You have two minutes! Ready!?"

"Yes ma'am!" I got back as I smiled and got to work on counting.

"One! Two! Three!"

They took off like bats out of hell. Clearly it would be a while before anyone took me for the truth. I told them not to go hard and look at what we got going on now.

Regardless I kept my eyes on each and every pair and again I had been drawn to Diskov and her partner who just so happened to be her bunk mate. The poor girl. She was struggling to get more than a few reps in and I could see Diskov was waiting for her turn.

With two minutes passing by, I shouted out.

"Switch up!"

The teams swapped shortly after by order and I was starting my second lap of observations. Majority of these girls seemed average in talent. Apart from a few of the bigger breeds and those who were clearly out of shape.

Now after the first minute passed I found myself looking around to see just how slow a lot of the girls had gotten. A few were still going steady and one of those was Diskov. However her pace was something that threw me off. She looked like she wasn't even tired and I counted her speed. She would blow herself out at this rate, but who was I to complain?

Stopping my feet to now just focus on her, I nodded to myself as she never once slowed. Her partner looked astonished to say the least. She was putting on a clinic and by the time the second and final minute came I counted fifty push ups. Nearly double when compared to the other large breeds, but easily quadrupled everyone else. Once I ran the bell to stop, I looked back at Diskov to shout.

"How many Diskov?!"

She looked to her partner who was still huffing and puffing from her own turn. Once she had gotten a breath she replied to my question.

"Eighty four ma'am!"

I believed her since I just got done watching most of it, so in silence I wrote down the result and quickly switched us over to the next exercise.

"On your backs! We're doing sit ups! Same thing! One of you goes first while the other counts!"

Everyone got in the appropriate positions and once I saw everyone ready I gave the countdown and watched. Diskov had my attention but she allowed her partner to go first like before. By the time she was done I counted her doing about twenty eight.

Diskov soon got herself down on the mat and once she started I saw the clear difference in attitude that was set in her eyes. She looked fiercely focused, but at the same time she looked unharmed by the exercise. No heavy breathing, no huffing, or puffing. She was in fact pretty cold to it all and somehow she was keeping a constant pace like she did with the push ups. Her partner again looked amazed by the time she was done and gave me the count, which turned out to be about seventy two. I gave no reaction to her effort. I just wrote it down and set them up for pull ups.

Now I had the expectations in front of me. Women of her breed, which were wolves, were expected to be able to do about twenty. By the end of this camp they were expected to do thirty five. Front line applicants were set at forty. Nearly double the regular amount. I always have my eyes on and Diskov had a weird aura to her. I'd keep quiet till I saw the results.

Sam's POV.

Jumping off the bar, I took a look around to see Codwell glaring at me sideways. Within the two minutes I pulled off around fifty four reps. Wiping some sweat off my head, I calmly walked back over to my bunk buddy.

Her name was Uno and she was a smaller black cat with two bright green eyes. She stood around five foot seven and had to be easily a hundred pounds under me. She had been watching me work for a few rotations now and I could tell she was stumped as to how I was doing so well and I had no straight answer to give her. Roslin's power wasn't a falsehood. It was real and even after all that I wasn't somehow tired. In fact I was confident.

Once everyone else was finished, Codwell came around to collect the numbers. Once she stood in front of me and I had given her the answer, she smiled and urged me with a sinister voice.

"Don't blow yourself out, Diskov. I said this was just a test. We got three months of this ahead of us and I'd hate to have you break down before even that first passes. Ya?"

I couldn't bring myself to say anything out of place. I knew I'd just have to say it so I did.

"Yes ma'am!"

The equine nodded and left me shortly after to finish up her counts. I just glared at her as Uno came to my side to ask in a somewhat happy yet tired tone.

"How do you do it? I can barely do three pull ups."

Giving her a small smile, I replied while fixing my hair.

"Just practice, I'd like to think."

"Jesus, well you blew everyone out of the water when it comes to the scores. You don't even look tired after that." She informed me as I nodded and replied.

"That's because I'm not, if I'm being honest."

Uno looked awed by my response but was quickly snapped back to reality when all the sudden Codwell announced.

"Form up! We're moving back outside! Let's get a move on ladies!"

Patting me on my side, Uno sighed while taking a step by me.

"Let's just keep going strong right?"

Giving her a faint chuckle, I replied while beginning to follow.

"Yeah."

Roslin's POV.

I kept myself out of sight. It's not like anyone could see me even if they wanted to. Mortals can't see gods unless they themselves are gods or demigods. Or if I want them to I guess.

Sam's first real day of training was going on strong and to be honest I was quite impressed with her performance so far. She wasn't going all out because she probably wanted to progress herself slowly throughout the months. Smart in fact if that was her plan. Put herself out there for right now to prove she was the top dog and over the course of three months she'd have looked to have improved. But I don't know without asking. It's just a guess and one I bet she's considered. If she went all out it would probably draw too much attention.

Watching from the sidelines as her unit was going on another run, I widened my eyes when I suddenly felt something different enter my head. It was like a small tingle in the back of my head and I got such a tingle when Marcus was requesting my presence somewhere and for something. I let out a small sigh at the feeling, but considered it for the best to go see what he wanted. It's been a long time since we last spoke and I'd assume he wouldn't send out this signal if he didn't have an important reason. That reason had to be Sam. It made sense when compared to everything else I tried to think of as a reason. Regardless, I couldn't ignore it. So with my focus shifting, I made the trip to where he was, which was no shock in the middle east.

My eyes also picked up on another demi and it was no surprise when I found Raptor with him. The pair were very lax as they sat on a couch maybe a few feet apart from one another. Raptor's head was down and Marcus was just sitting there waiting for me. The second I appeared and we locked eyes I had to say.

"Long time no see."

Raptor widened his eyes and looked up the second he heard my voice. Marcus on the other hand got up to reply.

"I know. I'm sorry to bother you, but this is important."

"I have no doubts. You wouldn't come to me if it was just to say hello."

Marcus nodded sadly, but proceeded to wonder while getting within two feet of me.

"You remember Raptor?"

The hedgehog rose from the couch slowly enough as I turned my attention towards him. Without looking back to Marcus, I replied calmly so as not to seem annoyed.

"I recall."

Raptor came over to offer me his hand as his form of good faith. I hesitated, but in time took it and asked the hedgehog in question.

"If I remember correctly our last face to face meeting didn't go well. Did it?"

Raptor didn't dare speak out of line as he replied.

"You nearly broke me in half back then. I'm sorry for what happened, but please know that my actions came from emotion. Not my head."

He clearly understood his place it seemed. So once I had let his hand go free I urged him.

"Don't worry about it. Things turned out pretty well for you regardless of my haste actions"

With both the men going quiet, I asked.

"So what's this about?"

"My daughter Samantha. She's gone missing." Raptor informed me as I looked over to Marcus to question.

"And why should this concern me? Can't you find her? She's mortal right?"

Marcus nodded but quickly replied.

"She is, but for some reason I can't locate her. Her energy in general just seems to have disappeared. I can't explain it."

Giving him a weird look, I lowered my stance to ask Raptor as gently as I could.

"Is it by any chance possible that she might have died and slipped your grasp? Sometimes it happens."

"Impossible." Marcus stated with confidence.

"I would have known immediately if anything like that had happened to her. She's Raptor's daughter and Raptor is my demi. Anything related to him I pay attention to. Someone like Sam; most definitely."

With my focus redirecting back onto the fox, I questioned.

"If that's the case, then what you're saying has to be off. She's mortal and by no chance a demi or god herself. Only other way she can slip the mind is if she really did pass Marcus. Have you checked thoroughly?"

"Roslin?" Marcus seemed annoyed that I was questioning his sanity. I just gave him a direct glare back as he leaned forward to whisper out loud.

"I'm fucking sure. I swear. She's not dead."

Giving him a sigh and then a shrug of my shoulders, I then said to him.

"I don't know what to tell you then. I can't help you."

"I just wanted you to know. I can't figure it out. It's unnatural." Marcus admitted as I quickly chuckled and replied.

"We're unnatural."

Marcus smiled slightly as Raptor managed to bring his voice out to ask me.

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

For a moment I held back my response just because I was slightly surprised he would ask me anything. Raptor took this as his chance to go on and say.

"I know this probably doesn't mean anything to you. My life and my daughter are probably the least of your concerns, but try to understand where I'm at right now. I know you don't like me Roslin, but I'm a father before anything else in this world. That girl means everything to me and I've already fucked up on that. I did things I regret and I can't even apologize to her. I can't even sleep right now. I can't eat. I can't even spend a minute of my day without thinking about what's happened. Not knowing if my baby is okay is killing me and it's bringing my world down around me. I love Samantha. I…..I just want her to know that. I need to know she's okay. Her mother…..? Zeta? She's broken without her."

Raptor's words were about as pure as they could come. I felt his emotion and kept myself silent as tears broke out from his eyes. Marcus didn't really know what to say either as it was clear to me where we stood. Trying to keep him from going on, I asked calmly.

"Okay. Just take a second to breathe and tell me what it is you know about the situation. What's happened to get us here now?"

The hedgehog took a second to collect himself. Marcus nodded at him as a sign of encouragement to speak honestly back to me. Once he was ready he explained it all in detail. It took about a minute or so and once he had finished I decided to ask in confusion.

"Do you know of any reason why someone might have been after Sam? Who killed the dog?"

"We don't know." Marcus replied as Raptor added on with a truthful statement.

"It's not uncommon for someone to go after the family of someone the world deems important. Sam's an easy target if I had someone who wanted me to suffer and if that's the case it's safe to assume they found Mocha unimportant to the cause, but when I go over the chances of this happening; I can't think of anyone capable of doing this."

"So you believe she wasn't attacked then?" I asked him to be sure of what he was saying.

Raptor nodded and with it came my next question.

"You two fought. Things got out of hand and she ran. I'm no father, but I'd wager this is just her way of getting back at you. Maybe it's also a way for her to start over."

"What do you mean?" Raptor wondered as I calmly sighed and replied.

"It's no secret to Marcus or myself that you fought to have that kid in your life. But it came with intentions. She's had time to think about her life and I know for a fact that because of everything you've gone through you probably did your best to keep her away from the things that would have progressed her into adulthood. For example? Let's just go with independence."

Marcus was looking at me with such gaw I knew he had to feel a certain type of way towards what I was saying to him. Raptor on the other hand somehow managed to keep his emotions to himself as I finished.

"If you're in her shoes and you've been sheltered your whole life and you just grew to hate your parents and had the chance to be yourself, I think anyone would want to cut themselves away from the things that caused their problems. In this case I think that is you and this life you set up for her. She's intelligent right?" I asked him as he whispered back sadly.

"Dangerously, yes."

Nodding my own head I suggested.

"Then I think there is a high possibility she's not in danger at all. She just ran and cut her ties. She's trying to start over and she's starting that journey by doing what she feels will hide her pain. That pain being you and this life. I'm sorry Raptor, but that's just how I read this."

The hedgehog didn't move. He just stared down as Marcus carefully questioned.

"But none of that would explain how Mocha died or why we can't locate her. You can't sense her either right?"

Pretending to give it effort, I took a few quiet moments to shut my eyes and think. Marcus and Raptor both stared at me as I soon in time reopened my eyes to reply.

"Yeah. I can't, but it's been a long time since I had a need to locate anyone, in all honesty."

"Can you just keep this in mind?' Raptor asked me as I again looked back at him to ask.

"Why?"

The hedgehog knew I had no reason to obey that wish. It shocked me when he replied back.

"Because I'm begging you. I need help and….Roslin...please help me."

Marcus was just as caught off guard by his response and gave me the time to think of an answer back that fit the bill. I had no intention of helping this man. No intention of easing his pain. This is Marcus's problem, but I knew it would seem off if I didn't at least try to hide my motives. It would be easier on me if I played both sides for now. So with my eyes landing back on the hedgehog, I replied.

"I'm not going out of my way to find her, but….if I learn of anything I'll let you or Marcus know. Okay?"

"Thank you." Raptor exhaled happily as Marcus quickly said the same back to me.

"Thanks Roslin. Again I'm sorry to bother you. This isn't how I planned on seeing you again."

"Forget about it. It's not a big deal, but I do need to go. Like I said, if I hear anything I'll let you guys know."

"Stay safe." Raptor urged me as I nodded and listened as Marcus begged me.

"And Roslin? Please keep this to yourself. We can't afford outside interference from the Attrition."

Giving the fox a faint chuckle, I replied before vanishing.

"You mean you can't. I have no part to play when it comes to your problems and no reason to say a word to anyone other than you two. If word got out about your dealings Marcus, you know what would become of it. Now let's do what your demi said. Stay safe."

Marcus had no more to say. So with that I left him with that stooge and contemplated what to do now that I had them off my trail. Marcus would never find out the truth about Sam. Not unless I told him or somehow managed to let it slip my lips; which would never happen. I had a lot more to do and so did she. In time I'd have everything ready for the future I was building thanks to Marcus's mistakes.

Sam's POV, A week later.

"Time to get dirty ladies! We're stepping up to CQC training! Pick a partner and take a mat! One of the instructors will take over from there! You are to obey their commands and follow their instructions! And remember ladies, this is training! So go easy! Let's go! Get moving!"

Uno and I were content with holding hands throughout our training. I had no problem with it either, it made things easy. Once we had our own mat we waited for our instructor. I fully expected it to be Codwell since she's been on my back ever since I started to prove myself to her, but I was surprised when we were approached by a very good looking and built jackal. Giving Uno and myself a straight smile; he greeted us with confidence behind his voice.

"My name is Royce. Captain Dominick Royce."

"Sam." I replied as Uno also announced herself.

"And I'm Uno sir."

"Nice to meet you guys."

Royce was a sturdy light brown shade. Common among his kind and dressed much like us. Sweats and a dark blue shirt. Giving me a quick look he wondered.

"You look like you have something to ask me Sam? Speak your mind. I don't care. I'm here to teach."

Uno widened her eyes because I think she didn't expect me to want to say anything out of place, but regardless of that I had to ask the man who stood close to my own height.

"I'm just curious why a man of your rank is training recruits like us sir."

Nodding his head and giving me a faint chuckle he replied.

"Fair enough question I suppose. Well there isn't a whole lot going on around this base other than training. I'm one of the few officers who are here to provide a helping hand to any units who need it."

"I figured a woman would be teaching us sir?" Uno added on curiosity enough as the jackal looked over to her to reply.

"Not all the ladies are keen on close combat Uno. Far less are instructors apart from Codwell and a few others. Don't think anything of it. I'm not here to judge anyone. Simply help you guys get a foot dipped into this self defense class. So how about we start by having me ask if either of you two know how to fight. Any experience?"

"No sir." Uno replied as I nodded and stated.

"I know some. Not a lot."

"That's fine. We're gonna go easy. Starting with your stances. I want both of you to mirror my movements. So for now just watch."

Uno and I kept our eyes on him as he readied himself on the mat before us. He was more so facing me, but got into his position cleanly enough before saying.

"Now I'm gonna pretend like I plan on fighting you Sam. What hand are you?"

"I'm a righty." I replied as he nodded and instructed.

"Okay, good. So what I want you to do is mirror me. Except put your dominant hand outward like this."

I got myself in position. Royce watched closely and once I was there he urged me while getting out of his stance to take my right arm.

"Loosen up. This hand is gonna be used to react to any incoming strikes. You don't want it tight until your opponent moves. Flexibility is key to any close quarters fight. Uno? What hand are you dominant with?"

"Left sir." She replied as he quickly got her in position to face me. Once we were mirrored he went on to say.

"Perfect matchup apart from the size difference. Now Sam clearly has the height and weight advantage over you Uno, but you have speed, and that's what you're gonna focus on during this training."

Uno nodded as Royce then looked back at me to say.

"Now Sam; you as I said have the size difference. You have options here. You can try to overwhelm her or you can simply react to what she does to try and take you down, but the key to this kind of matchup is making sure you don't overstep your advantage. Same goes to you Uno. You try to do too much too fast and you could easily mess up. Now I'm gonna teach you how to strike. There are hundreds of ways to land a hit, but only a few ways to set up for a combination or flurry. Let's start with some light strikes and work our way up from there. We have all day so let's take our time yeah?"

"Yes sir." Uno and I both replied as he smiled and reminded us before going on.

"Remember this is only training and you two are friends. No knocking teeth out. Light strikes only and we're gonna avoid the head for now till I'm positive you can block. Now let's start. Sam? Show me what you got and throw a straight right towards Uno. You are not trying to hit her. Simply pretend."

"Yes sir." I replied as I threw my first strike. Uno watched very close as I came within inches of her face. Royce examined my form as I waited for my next order which came a moment after my arm had reset.

"Now throw a left but keep your dominant hand out in front of you. This way you have yourself prepared in case Uno decided to counter with a strike of her own. Keep your body moving. Allow it to flow with your attack. It's never good to stay stiff."

"Okay." I muttered as I kept myself moving. Uno just waited as I performed the action.

Once I was done striking, Royce urged Uno.

"Now Sam is gonna throw another right Uno. This time using your dominant hand you're gonna cover up and use it to step back or around her arm. No counter strikes. I just want to see you evade."

"Yes sir." She replied as I waited for her to be ready.

From there we practiced blocking and dodging. I refrained from using Roslin's power because I knew I had no experience in this kind of art. I had to learn the basics before trying to impress anyone. After about thirty minutes of countless strikes and misses, Royce broke us apart and said with a happy voice.

"Good work. You two learn quickly. Now we're gonna talk about follow ups. One more time Sam, I need you to work with me. Throw a strike with either hand at me when you're ready."

I nodded and once I swung with my left at him, Royce pushed it down with his defensive hand and quickly swung up with his other towards my chin. I didn't finch as he explained a moment after performing the move.

"That's a follow up. You wait for your opponent to strike and counter with your defensive arm. Then you flow through using your dominant hand as fast as you can. Once you commit to landing a hit you follow up with another which will lead you into any set number of combinations. There is freedom in fighting. You look at who it is in front of you, then you make the best judgement for how to act. It's not all brute force. There is a level of intelligence behind it. Hence why not everyone in the world can fight for themselves." Royce explained as Uno and I listened for our next orders. Looking back at me, Royce said with confidence.

"We're gonna keep practicing on our follow ups. Sam? You're gonna set up for Uno. Uno? You're gonna evade and follow through with a strike or two yeah? Sam? Keep your eyes on her movement and evade and throw some of your own. No contact. We aren't aiming to hit each other yet."

"Yes sir." We both replied as we obeyed our instructions with the jackal keeping a close eye.

Codwell's POV. One hour later.

I had everyone with their own instructor and what I noticed was the clear difference in teaching strategies. Most of the instructors were on grappling and takedowns, but a few were slow and still on striking and counters. It wasn't for me to judge, but I had to take notice of Diskov and Uno. The size difference made it entertaining to watch, but both of the girls were showing talent. Uno had speed and Diskov had flare. She made it look easy for a beginner. Now her instructor was Captain Royce. A man I knew had a knack for this kind of talent. With the girls both showing promise, I approached Royce from behind to ask him.

"So how's it going over here Captain?"

Keeping his eyes on his students, he replied.

"Very well in fact. I think we have two pretty good sparring partners for anyone who excels in the other groups."

"You show them how to grapple or perform takedowns?" I wondered as he shook his head to reply.

"I will once I'm sure they got a feel for one another. Give me another hour and I'll see where we stand."

"Another hour of shadow boxing? You're gonna wear them out before lunch Captain."

Chuckling, he replied.

"I'm going easy on them Codwell and I'm keeping my eye out for any signs of wear and tear. The girls will show it if they get drained I'm sure."

"Maybe Uno, but Diskov? She's out to prove herself. I doubt you'll have to worry."

The jackal chuckled in time as I decided to obey and leave him to do what he does best.

Royce's POV, Two hours later.

"Yes Sam!" I shouted as I watched her take down Uno with a solid and stiff back leg trip.

Uno was indeed getting tired, but she got back up every time to go again at the wolf.

Keeping my distance from the fight, I noticed how Sam was allowing Uno to attack first every time. She would counter her then go for another takedown. After the third time it happened I saw Uno was starting to get a little antsy and making mistakes in her footwork.

"You attack first now Sam. Go for another takedown. Uno? Defend yourself and follow up."

"Yes sir!" She replied as I went back to watching.

Now what I expected was for Sam to play defensive at first. She knew Uno was gonna try to counter, but instead of playing safe after throwing her first swing, she instead went for a series of longer combinations. Uno was soon retreating on her heels forcing me to shout.

"Move around her Uno! You can't keep walking back! That's how you get put into a corner!"

Uno did her best to get out of the way, but Sam was unrelenting. So much so I was caught off guard when she allowed Uno to step by her just so she could go for her waist. The smaller cat was stunned when all the sudden she found herself falling backwards with Sam holding her steady in place so she could set up her right foot in between her legs.

Now I kept myself together and once Uno had fallen with Sam on top, I shouted.

"Pause! Let her get up!"

Sam nodded and offered Uno her hand. The cat took it with a smile while shouting at her taller friend.

"You surprised me!"

Sam chuckled as I got within inches of their conversation.

"I'm sorry!"

"Good work Sam. You too Uno. You two are really getting this. We're gonna take a short break. Get some water and meet me back here. Next we're gonna have ourselves a legit match. First to three takedowns wins. Okay? Think you guys are ready for this?"

"Yes sir." They both replied as I smiled and waved them off towards the water.

Once they were gone I was approached by Codwell and a few other instructors who said with confidence.

"Your pair is something else Royce. They look like pros."

I chuckled as Codwell wondered.

"They sparring next?"

"Yes. I think they can handle it. How's everyone else?"

"Good. Not nearly as coordinated as those two you have, but learning nonetheless."

"Give me a few days with them and I'm sure they could get qualified. Sam definitely. Uno just needs to watch her footing." I stated as Codwell added.

"Uno is small when compared to some of the others. I want to see her fight someone her size after they spar. I bet a bigger lady wouldn't get as overwhelmed by a wolf throwing her weight around."

Nodding, I replied.

"Surely she can. Anyone can get overwhelmed when the right combination is set. Just give me some time and I'll see if she's a warrior."

Codwell's POV, A week later.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

I had my plugs in but it didn't help much when you were standing behind a firing line watching forty rifles go off.

This was our third day on the rifle course and I picked up on who was showing promise in marksmanship. At least ten of the girls we're nailing solid scores at thirty yards, but one of them was nearly acing every target and I was starting to get a bit annoyed seeing it was Diskov once again showing her worth to me. Her instructor who was still Captain Royce seemed invested after a few days in her training. I don't know what he wanted, but Sam was his focus and I had no right to interfere in that. The man outranked me. Simple as that. I thought to myself as I watched them together on the course.

Sam's POV.

"Bang!"

"Hit!" Uno shouted as both her and Captain Royce watched through binoculars as I took the prone test for the third time.

"Bang!"

"Hit!" Uno shouted again as I had never felt this way before in my life. I was so focused on this training I had almost no filter for self control. I was putting all my effort into my aim and handling it made everyone else on the line look bad. And something about holding a rifle felt really good. It felt natural almost and maybe I had my parents to thank for that. I wonder if they were both good shots and who between my mom and dad was better.

"Bang!"

"Hit!" Royce shouted over the gunfire with a laugh behind his tone.

Taking my last shot, I heard him again yell.

"Hit! Cease fire!"

Lowering my gun onto the mat, I let out a deep breath of air and waited as he went out to collect the target and come back. Once next to me, he chuckled.

"Hahah! Another perfect round Sam!"

"Really?" Uno asked in awe as I smiled and asked.

"Can I see?"

Royce handed me my target while stating.

"I ain't never seen someone with aim like yours. I think you're ready for the advanced class. Think you can handle it?"

"Yes sir." I replied as he nodded and looked over to Codwell to announce.

"We got ourselves a natural Codwell! I'm moving Diskov over to the agility course!"

"Take her!" She urged him as Royce offered me a hand up from the mat to order.

"Take your rifle and follow me. Uno? Keep practicing with the others."

"Yes sir." She replied as I got up with his help. Holding my rifle down with the barrel pointed at the ground, I followed the jackal about twenty feet off the course.

Lined up next to the basic firing range was now a completely different firing line with moving targets that we're spaced out with markers. Ten yards, Thirty, fifty and one hundred. Once Royce had me where he wanted on the firing line; he ordered me calmly enough.

"Let me see your weapon."

Handing him the gun he took it and explained to me the basics once more.

"CAR-4. Basic service weapon for all standard G.U.N troops. Easiest rifle to handle, load, and customize. Low recoil and holds thirty rounds in a magazine; thirty one if you count the one in the chamber. This one is yours. Treat it right and it will have your back through any firefight. Now here's a fun feature."

Holding the rifle up as if he was gonna shoot, Royce reached down towards a table that was close to our left side to grab onto a clip that looked like it belonged to an AK-47. Unloading the original clip I had loaded, Royce loaded the AK clip stating to me happily.

"The rifle is fitted to take any standard clip. It can come from any rifle that fires five five six or seven six two. The gun is designed to keep you in a fight, so if you ever find yourself low and surrounded by enemy weapons, you can rest assured that ammo won't be a problem. Now…..?"

Handing me back the rifle, Royce pointed out onto the range.

"These targets move at various distances. From each of the three firing positions, I want you to try hitting them. Start with standing. You get one clip to work with, but I want you to take at least five shots at each target out there. Stop once you empty the magazine and I'll run out there to tally your score."

"Yes sir." I replied as he reached over to hand me back a normal clip. I unloaded the AK one and gave him a small smile as soon as I was ready to go. Royce hoovered near a small set of switches and from there counted down.

"One! Two! Three! Go!"

Royce's POV.

She took off like a wildfire at the first target that was barely ten yards out. I swear she was gonna start slow but instead she fired off the first five rounds within three seconds hitting it directly in the chest with three rounds and two to the head. I was about to urge her to slow down, but was quickly cut off when she switched to the thirty yard target to rattle off another five rounds just as fast and with the same results. Codwell, who was still on the first line, took notice from where she stood and was stunned quiet much like myself as Sam went to the fifty yard target.

Now at fifty yards I noticed Sam took more time in placing her shots but it wasn't by much. Maybe three seconds more, but it didn't matter because she was nailing every shot. I had wide eyes as she then calmly aimed for the last target that was a hundred yards away.

"Bang!"

You could hear the ping of the metal go off after each round she took, but with it being the furthest out, she took her time. After maybe ten seconds she took her fifth shot and began to rotate the last ten rounds between the various ranges and I swear to god she hit every one of them. Once her mag ran dry she lowered the rifle and let out a deep breath. Looking back at me she wondered.

"How'd I do? I felt like I took too much time on the last target, but I'm still not used to these sights."

"You thought you were…..?" Cutting myself off; I ran out onto the range to check the work. I couldn't believe my fucking eyes. This girl was a god damn machine. How the hell does someone with no experience handle a rifle like that? I asked myself as I got to the last target to be amazed by the results. She hit four headshots and two extra body shots at mid mass. Writing the scores to myself on a small notepad I had, I soon returned to the line where Codwell now waited. All I could do was laugh as I announced towards Sam.

"I don't know what to say. You're a monster Diskov. That's one of the cleanest shooting records I've ever counted up for a recruit. And that's not even mentioning the time it took for you to finish."

"Was I slow?" She asked with concern as I shook my head and handed Codwell my notepad so she could see for herself.

"Slow? Diskov, it takes experienced marksmen at least a minute to get done a clip. You cleared that in less than thirty; with a perfect record to boot."

Waiting for Codwell to say something, I saw she was still stunned by the results. Enough so that she ordered Diskov as a result.

"I wanna see you do that again. Load another clip."

"Yes ma'am." She replied as I made my way towards the switches again to start this.

Once Sam had another clip loaded and was ready, I counted down.

"One! Two! Three! Go!"

The automated timer kept track of her work. Codwell stood there motionless as she recreated nearly the same results. I had so many questions to ask but not enough time to do so. This girl was designed to be on the front lines. I had no doubts about it as she finished. With Codwelll at awe and myself out counting the scores again, I came back to state.

"Nearly a perfect score again. Look."

Codwell again checked for herself. With the young wolf sweating bullets, I urged her.

"Go get some water."

"Yes sir." She replied as she walked off the line. Left with Codwell who handed me back my notepad, I asked her in disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

Codwell was always hard to impress so I wasn't surprised by her response.

"Luck."

"I don't think so." I chuckled as she quickly urged me.

"If you think she's a gifted shooter, then by all means skip this and run her through the pit. I won't have the rest of the unit there till tomorrow at the latest."

"I'm just warning you now if she dismantles that like she did this, I'm writing her up. I'm not gonna have a shooter like her fall behind."

"That's if she wants it, Captain. I'd ask before anything further progress is made, but you have my faith you'll make the right choice." Codwell stated as I asked her back.

"She wants to be infantry right?"

Nodding, she replied.

"Yes sir."

With a smile on my face, I then replied.

"I saw her first physical scores. With that, her fighting, and her shooting; I might ask to take her from you and the unit to pursue S.T.T."

"No offense Captain, but it's only been a few weeks since she started basic training. How many recruits can just be shifted to S.T.T and be expected to pass those standards?" Codwell questioned as I gave the question itself little thought before replying to her as I saw Sam coming back.

"Not a lot, but I have a good feeling. Do I have your permission?"

Not giving me a physical response back, Codwell saw her coming and simply muttered.

"Yeah."

I was relieved to hear it, but I still had to see her in real action. With the wolf stopping between us; she waited silently for orders. Codwell looked at me as I informed Sam.

"Codwell and I want to ask you something."

Sam calmly nodded as I asked her bluntly.

"Why is it you enlisted? To fight?"

"Yes sir." She replied as I nodded and went on to explain.

"I only ask because I have a feeling you're more than ready to take this training a step further. How hard are you willing to work with me Diskov?"

"As hard as I need to, sir. I'm here to learn how to fight and protect what I believe in, but I know I can't do that alone and without the proper support and training. I'll do whatever I have to."

"Good answer. That's why as of this moment Diskov, Captain Royce is gonna be your full time instructor." Codwell stated as Sam widened her eyes to question.

"What? Really? Why?"

"Because I see talent and I'm not gonna waste time with you if your plan is to protect this country and what you believe in like you just said. I'm gonna do everything I can to make you that soldier you wish to be and that's why I'm thinking of putting you in S.T.T. Special tasks training. It's the hardest training infantry in G.U.N recieve and designed to train the very best this country has to offer. That's if you want to." I replied as she looked at Codwell to wonder.

"Can he do that?"

Nodding, she replied.

"He can. It's a rushed thing in my opinion, but it's your choice like he said. What do you want to do?"

She looked in awe as she contemplated the response. After a few moments she replied.

"I'd love to. What do I have to do?"

Smiling wide I replied.

"Right now I wanna take you down to the pit. It's the final course in shooting and will test your aim, reflexes, and target acquisition. I wanna see how you perform on a more real level. Think you can do it?"

"Yes sir." She replied as I nodded and went on to order her.

"Then take another clip from off the table and follow me. The course is about a mile on the other end of the base."

Sam quickly swooped up a fresh clip and with it we began to leave the range. Codwell calmly returned to the rest of her unit as I leveled myself with Sam as we walked together towards the range.

"Codwell is correct. This is a rushed thing, but I have no doubt you're ready for it. If you want to be a soldier I'll give you all the tools to make it happen and no doubt a future among the armed forces. How old are you by the way?"

"Eighteen now sir. My birthday was last week." She replied.

Widening my eyes again, I questioned and shouted in the same sentence.

"Really? Well happy belated birthday!"

"Thank you." She chuckled back as I went on to say.

"You have a future lined up for yourself Sam. Let's make the most of it."

"Yes sir." She replied happily as we continued our walk towards the pit.

Raptor's POV.

"So how are you personally, Raptor?" Dr. Clamer asked as we sat in the middle of his living room.

Clamer was and has always been my mental health therapist and no doubt one of my best, if not closest friend. He knows so much about me I'm sure if he went public he could get his own TV show. If not just cripple me politically. Yet I trusted no one else with the information more than him. A very old fox. Brown in color and in his late sixties now. Regardless of his age he always remembered everything I ever told him.

With my head laid back on his couch and the rest of my body calmly flat as well, I stared up at his ceiling to think for his answer. The only thing I could consider was telling him nothing but the truth.

"Personally? I want to die again. I….I fucked up. I mean it. I fucked everything up again and this time I don't know what to do to make it alright."

"Any attempts at that claim Raptor?" He had to wonder as I quickly replied.

"No. Just thoughts coming back."

"What's causing all that you think?" He asked me as I took a breath then replied.

"A lot of things. My daughter disappeared from the face of the earth without any trace; for starters. Molly was killed and I have no clue how and that leads me to question if Sam herself is even alive at this point."

Clamer was just staring at me as I went on to say.

"My relationship with Zeta has never been put through this. We barely talk to each other now. The only time we really see each other is when we go to bed and even then she looks away from me."

"How is she taking this?" Clamer then wondered as I bluntly replied.

"She's a mother. Her heart is shattered. We've used all our power and favors to try and learn anything and even then we have nothing to show for it. She cries to herself every night and I wouldn't be shocked if this has pushed her back into snorting blow. It's no fucking secret this city is drowning in it."

Clamer took his notes as I added.

"Pepper is getting married next month. They can't delay it. We all wanted Sam to be there for it. No doubt she won't be on their minds throughout the process and that's supposed to be the happiest moment of their lives together. How can that be true with no Sam?"

"What about you then Raptor? We've talked about it before but maybe that's just the thing you and Zeta need right now."

Looking over at him, I questioned in confusion.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Marriage." Clamer replied.

Another touchy subject that he knew I was always thinking about. One subject that when I thought about it, it seemed to make more sense. Keeping myself together as best as I could I replied.

"I don't think getting married during a time like this will save what we once had."

"Maybe, but it could also be your one and only way to make things a lot better between yourselves. Sam is obviously still a problem, but things will only escalate if matters between the both of you get worse." Clamer stated as I looked back at the ceiling to continue listening.

"I know how you feel about tying the knot. Julie? Alicia?"

I nodded as time seemed to slow down. After a few more seconds of silence, I got lost in my own mind once more. Clamer spoke but I couldn't hear the words. All I could think about was Zeta. That and if he was right.

mT Shadow.