AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before I start the chapter, which will begin with a segment covering Sarah's selection process, I would like to provide some factual information concerning women in the military. Before October 2018, women could not become members of the SAS. But now, they can become members. I was contemplating beginning this story in 2019. But when I looked at the conflicts available to me, with the Syrian Civil War ending, I saw little overseas mission potential. So I decided instead to push the story back 12 years and have 2007 as the start date (it's also the beginning of Chuck, so that's why 07 appealed also). But because this is fiction, I've had the ban on women lifted in 2006 instead. So I'm not making up a fantasy. Women can now join the SAS. I've just allowed it to happen 12 years earlier.
Mike, I'm sorry to hear about your health problems :( My first grandfather was a tank commander during WW2. My second was in the Royal Navy. My first grandfather lost four brothers in WW2. He was the last surviving.
Who Dares Wins
Chapter Two: A Rookie's Mistake
Tuesday, 2 October, 2007
Stirling Lines
Credenhill
United Kingdom
11:00 hours
Trooper Sarah Walker's heart was pounding as she arrived outside of the briefing room, knowing the upcoming briefing to formally introduce her and Trooper Bryce Larkin would determine her first impression on the Regiment.
During Sarah's selection, she'd had the misfortune of being partnered with Bryce throughout their SERE exercises.
His flashy, flamboyant personality was almost their downfall during their escape and evasion mission, as he couldn't stop boasting about his military achievements and flirting with her.
Sarah's dedication and tireless hard work had brought her to where she was today, and she was determined not to blur the lines between her personal and professional lives. Well, at least not towards someone with the mindset of Bryce Larkin, who exuded an overwhelming sense of self-importance. She knew deep down that Bryce Larkin had no genuine interest in her; he saw her as nothing more than a conquest, someone to add to his list of conquests and someone to brag about to his friends on the base. Sarah knew Bryce's type all too well because of previous bad experiences around the many thousands of men she'd encountered during her time in the British Army, which had made her extremely guarded and alert towards the typical male soldier.
Bryce wasn't all bad, though. He had unbelievable endurance levels, arguably better than her own. Bryce also gave some useful input during their SERE once Sarah bluntly informed him she had no interest in sharing a bed with him.
After settling that misunderstanding, they grew to work well together as a pair as they avoided their hunter-force SFSG with nothing more than a WW2 greatcoat. During their exercise, a special hunter force guarded a bridge. To avoid that obstacle, Sarah and Bryce swam downstream to avoid the soldiers.
But for Sarah, before she even reached that last gruelling phase, selection to join the SAS had first begun almost fourteen months before that. She'd attended a Special Forces Briefing Course that lasted for one week. Because they conducted all the United Kingdom Special Forces training together until the soldier or sailor received the beige beret, two briefing courses took place. The first, and the one that Sarah had attended, was the SFBC, run by 22 SAS, British Army. The purpose of the briefing course was to give ratings and other rank aspirants an insight into the preparation and selection process for UKSF selection and subsequent career progression inside the SAS. It was the first step in the selection process. The SBS (Special Boat Service), a sister regiment to the SAS, part of the Royal Navy, was the unit that hosted the second briefing course.
During the course, the potential candidates were all briefed on Special Forces employment and the activities that would take place during the actual selection.
Sarah and the other candidates undertook a map and compass test, a swimming test, a first aid test, and a combat fitness test, which included many walks and runs in hilly terrain.
After the course, the course instructors advised the candidates on the likelihood of failure in selection. They also provided Sarah and the rest of the candidates with a robust training program to prepare for the process if they volunteered for selection.
After Sarah's SFBC followed a trip to the Brecon Beacons several months later, where Sarah and the rest of the candidates had to undertake four weeks of extensive fitness tests. The Brecon Beacons were a mountain range in Wales, the United Kingdom.
The Beacons were renowned for being a challenging environment, which is why British Special Forces used it as its primary fitness training and endurance location.
On the very first day of Sarah's selection, two hundred and fifty potential special forces recruits had applied for selection. But during the first phase of selection, where Sarah had seen one candidate die, and another sent to intensive care in hospital from heat exhaustion, that number sharply dropped.
By the end of the first phase, twenty-five candidates remained standing.
Over ninety percent of volunteers had all dropped out. It was typical for fifteen to twenty percent of recruits to make it past the first month, so that figure during Sarah's selection was lower than average. Sarah had put it down to the death of the first soldier and the second soldier going into intensive care, which served as a stark reminder that only the grittiest and most determined of candidates would survive the entire nine months of the most challenging training they could ever possibly undertake.
The initial selection process devoted the first three weeks of the first phase to progressive physical training exercises designed to develop physical and navigational ability. Exercise HIGH WALK took place on day six, in which Sarah and the other volunteers marched 23 kilometres over the Brecon Beacons. The purpose of Exercise HIGH WALK was to identify individuals who were not adequately fit enough to continue with the course, of which there were many.
The remaining time after HIGH WALK was to prepare Sarah and the rest of the volunteers for Test Week, which was the fourth and final week of the first phase.
Test Week comprised five timed marches of between 23 and 28km conducted on consecutive days, followed by a final endurance march of 64km known as The Long Drag. If the candidates did not complete The Long Drag within 20 hours, they would fail the course, and their selection progress would be over.
Sarah and the rest of the volunteers were also required to carry bergens (rucksacks) on their backs during Test Week. The weight would increase from 40lb (18kg) to 59 lb (27kg), and as well as their bergens, water, food, and a rifle were mandatory to be carried on all marches. Volunteers were also required to pass numerous equally intensive swimming exercises before the first phase of selection came to a close.
After the first phase of selection, Sarah shipped out for twelve weeks of intensive jungle training, tactics, techniques, and protocols training, and finally, weapons and standard operating procedures training.
During this, a further ten recruits would also throw in the towel.
Following the jungle for Sarah came fourteen weeks of employment training, which provided Sarah and the other candidates with the tools to serve as special forces soldiers. This period included surveillance and reconnaissance training, army combat survival, special forces parachute training, counter-terrorism course, signals training, and finally, patrol training and squadron induction training.
Once Sarah and the few remaining candidates passed employment training, the final selection phase came. The Survive, Evade, Resist, Extract training phase. This exercise required Sarah, her fellow candidates, and so many candidates before her to undergo an evasion exercise whilst dressed in greatcoats to restrict movement. During the exercise, Sarah and the rest of the candidates had split into small groups, and they had to escape and evade a hunter force from the Special Forces Support Group. Even if the candidates avoided the hunter force, all candidates had to undergo a Resistance to Interrogation stage for thirty-six hours.
And for Sarah, this had been the most challenging part of her entire selection.
Before Sarah received her beige beret, she used to be Lance Corporal Sarah Walker, Royal Green Jackets. But on joining the SAS, the unit stripped and removed your previous rank, forcing you to start anew as the rank of trooper, losing any former rank you held in the British Army.
Sarah had served as a combat medic in the British Army for four years. She had two deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and she had been on the frontline on both occasions.
Sarah had always been active throughout her life, even before the army, as she was a very successful amateur runner. She'd run multiple marathons, so her endurance levels were astronomical.
When Sarah learned in 2006 that the ban on women serving in Ground Close Combat roles was no more, she was ecstatic because it was one of her reservations about joining the military.
Before she signed up, she'd debated back and forth about whether she even should, because why should Sarah be treated lesser than her male counterparts?
In the modern-day, and with the advocacy of women's rights worldwide, Sarah had failed to understand why men could fight for their country, but women couldn't. In times of war, it should be the responsibility of every able body to defend their homeland and nation. Why should military conscription only apply to men? If you were treated equally in an everyday nine-to-five with equal pay, you should be in the military too.
So, on learning that all positions were now open to women, Sarah evaluated her status and career in the army. She'd almost instantly decided that being a combat medic in the British Army was no longer enough for her. Almost immediately, she applied to attend the Special Forces Briefing Course. Following that course, she had spent several months preparing herself before applying for selection to join the best unit in the army, the Special Air Service.
Sarah knew it would have been the most challenging test and challenge of her life. However, after years in the military of being looked down upon because of being a female, even as just a medic, Sarah had built up an abundance of grit and determination necessary to pass selection, and she did pass.
Did she pass by the skin of her teeth?
Possibly.
She had considered throwing in the towel many times during the long and challenging nine months.
Boy, there were times...
But she had got through it.
And now, here she was, all the doubters that she had ever had throughout her life proved wrong.
With her new beret in hand, Sarah moved to take a seat on a chair in the briefing room next to Sergeant Cole Barker. The masculine sergeant noted her presence and nodded at her.
From there, they shared a warm smile as she moved to sit down next to her new teammate.
Sarah paused for the next few minutes as she awaited her new OC's arrival. She'd met him during her SERE. He'd explained her roles and responsibilities and detailed the present deployment of her new troop, which was counter-terror duties.
A few additional minutes passed until Sarah noticed activity, where she watched as her new OC, Captain Wallace, entered the briefing room and made his way to the front of the room. With the Captain now in place to begin the introduction, he waited to address his recruits until the soldiers running late gathered.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
With everybody in their seats, the Captain began. "Now that we're all here," he paused, Sarah, observing as her new OC shot a glare at the culprits late to the briefing. "I know Chuck has warmly welcomed you both here-"
"Better him than me!" Trooper Jamie Hughes interjected, which earned laughter from the entire troop, including the OC.
"I'll remember that and have you do the next one, Trooper," Captain Wallace said, earning another chuckle from his men.
"Aw, shite!" Trooper Hughes said, earning further laughter from his comrades.
Trooper Murray turned to look at his friend. "You dropped yourself in it there, fella."
Trooper Hughes nodded.
Captain Wallace continued the briefing. "Now, back on topic. It's customary to have a formal introduction here to the rest of the troop on your first day. So here it is. I'm assuming Corporal Bartowski has had you both collect your gear?"
"Boss," Sarah said with a nod.
Bryce did the same.
"Splendid. So welcome to the Regiment. We have been dreadfully short on personnel since the fateful helicopter crash whilst on exercises a few months ago. Sarah, it's good to have a female finally here, and it's long overdue. You've earned your way here, and you deserve to be here as much as anyone in this room."
Sarah beamed with pride at her accomplishment, buoyed by the officer's words of praise.
She also heard one or two "hear, hear," from some of her new teammates.
"Thank you, boss," Sarah said warmly, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.
Captain Wallace turned his attention to Bryce. "Trooper Larkin, I've heard you took a fond interest in explosives during selection?"
Bryce nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah. I like to see things go bang."
His comment earned an approving laugh from many of the gathered soldiers.
"Jolly good! You'll take over as the team's primary breacher."
Bryce nodded. "Gladly, boss."
"Good man! It's good to have a proper one. We're growing quite sick of Trooper Murray applying too much pressure to explosives in the Killing House, which keeps busting our ears," Captain Wallace joked.
"Too bloody right!" a few teammates said.
"Trooper Walker, you'll be taking over as the team's medic," Captain Wallace said.
Sarah nodded.
"Well... Barring any immediate scramble, I think that's about all. Hopefully, Al-Qaeda will give us a few days for you to learn some techniques from the best. Well, that's all. I'll leave Red Team in the company of the Staff Sergeant. I'm sure he has some tasking for you slackers to do today," the OC joked, causing more than half of the room to laugh.
"What about you, boss?" Trooper Daniel Thomas asked.
"I'm heading off to do some slacking of my own," Captain Wallace joked, furthering the laughter of his men.
"It's alright for some," Chuck said humorously, causing the laughter in the briefing room to continue.
"You should have gone to Sandhurst (officer academy) yourself, Corporal. You certainly have the nous to become an officer," Captain Wallace said with sincerity.
"Amen to that!" Sarah heard some immediate shouts from her new teammates. It was clear to Sarah that her new teammate Chuck commanded a lot of respect and that her new teammates and officer alike held him in very high esteem.
"I might just do that and come back to steal your job," Chuck joked, causing more laughter in the briefing room.
"And on that note, I'll now be sleeping with one eye open," Captain Wallace said before he finished the introduction, "dismissed."
As soon as Captain Wallace left the briefing room, the sound of chatter rose among the soldiers as Blue Team departed, the introduction at an end.
After a moment, Sarah's attention drew to Staff Sergeant MacDonald's arrival at the front, catching his glance. Even after a few hours, he still looked just as intimidating as when she first met him during Chuck's introduction. With a stout figure and a gleaming bald head, he seemed to be middle-aged. His rugged appearance and no-nonsense demeanour made it clear he wasn't one to be messed with.
"For the new ones, I'm Staff Sergeant Chris MacDonald and Red Team Leader," the rich timbre of the Staff Sergeant's Scottish voice commanded attention. "You're replacing two damn fine operators, and you have some big boots to fill. If you think you'll get it easy for your first few days, you have another thing coming because you're going to be thrown right in at the deep end. Your selection was just the beginning. You've not made it yet, and everyone in this room is training on a never-ending basis, just like you will be. We have returned hundreds to their unit once getting their beret, so don't get complacent just because you think you've made it, or you'll be out of the door just like them…."
Sarah was still listening to the Staff Sergeant's remarks when Cole leaned into her, causing her to adjust and slant herself to make eye contact with him.
"He accepts nothing less than the best. There's no room for failure under his command," Cole said, before glancing behind him at Bryce seated just behind them.
"Don't worry. Chris is a real cuddly bear once you get to know him and prove your worth to him," Chuck joked, seated next to Bryce.
Sarah held Chuck's glance before looking at John Murray when she saw him nod.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
After the introduction, Sarah headed with her new team to the shooting range, where she zeroed in on her new weapons along with Bryce while the rest of the team engaged in a shooting competition, with Chuck emerging as the victor.
Following their time at the shooting range, the team fuelled up with dinner before beginning their evening exercises at the Killing House.
As the sun set, Red Team took over the facility from Blue Team who had used it earlier in the day.
Red Team comprised Trooper Walker, Corporal Bartowski, Trooper Larkin, Sergeant Barker, Trooper Murray, Trooper Thomas, Trooper Hughes, and Team Leader Staff Sergeant MacDonald.
Bryce and Sarah—as the new team members—found themselves in the Killing House for training. As per tradition, they always chose the rookies to play the role of the hostage for the first time.
In Room 1C on the ground floor of the Killing House, the team's newest members were bound and secured, unable to move.
For four minutes, Sarah remained still, the sound of her heartbeat filling her ears as she tried to prepare herself for what lay ahead.
A moment later, she looked over at Bryce, also restrained nearby, who gave her a sly wink.
An annoyed sigh escaped her lips in immediate reply as she furrowed her eyebrows into a scowl.
But before Sarah could react to Bryce's flirtation, a powerful explosion shattered the tranquillity, its reverberations echoing through the surroundings.
The explosion was so intense that Sarah's ears popped, causing a momentary disorientation. Her confusion heightened when a stun grenade was hurled towards her, detonating with a deafening blast.
As Sarah struggled to overcome her disorientation, she was startled again by the sudden appearance of four teammates, decked out in full assault gear, surrounding her.
Gunshots filled the room, their sharp, staccato bursts assaulting her senses and creating an atmosphere of tension as the shots rang out in her muffled ears.
Sarah's eyes darted around as her teammates engaged several targets nearby. She observed as two teammates charged toward her and Bryce. With a quick slice, they cut through their bindings before tightly securing them both with plasticuffs.
The moment Sarah was bound, an attacker pounced on her, overpowering her and forcefully dragging her away.
When she looked behind her, she saw another assaulter hauling Bryce out of the room, while two others moved towards a nearby sofa.
As she watched on, the acrid smell of gunpowder filled her nostrils as the two assaulters fired off a rapid burst onto the two neutralised targets on the couch to ensure they were deceased and no further threat.
She soon lost sight of the exercise as her teammate dragged her out of Room 1C, where she could feel the rough texture of the hallway as they moved down the corridor at a pace to exit into the night sky.
At that point, he threw her onto the grass with such force that she lost her balance and tumbled to the floor.
Even though she was outside of the Killing House, Sarah still felt disoriented from the blast and stun grenades as she landed on the lawn.
She watched on as a second assaulter threw Bryce onto the grass next to her.
From their position on the floor, she stole a glance at him, where he greeted her with a smile.
It was clear he was revelling in every moment and savouring the experience.
Truth be told, she was the same.
Because this was why she signed up.
When Sarah signed up to join the army over five years ago, she didn't imagine she would ever join the SAS. If you had told her she would now be a member of the Regiment five years later, she wouldn't have imagined it in her wildest dreams, and she would have called you insane.
Sarah's desires and aspirations were to one day be at least allowed into the infantry, but here she was now the best of the best, the first female in the Regiment.
Sarah's attention diverted as two of her teammates, dressed in black assault gear and wearing gas masks, approached her and Bryce.
As they approached the recruits, the sound of metal blades being unsheathed filled the air as each member took out their combat knives to cut away the plasticuffs and upper binds placed on them in the Killing House.
After they took off the bindings, they helped Sarah and Bryce stand up.
Standing there, Sarah could see the sweat on the faces of the assaulters and teammates as they removed their masks and helmets.
"Are you ok?!" John Murray, the trooper who had helped Sarah to her feet, shouted because he could see the disorientation still present on her face.
"My ears are ringing! I can't hear shit!" Sarah complained, her words increasing in volume because of her disorientation.
Trooper Murray and several other team members erupted in laughter, their approval clear.
"Sorry, love! My fault! Must have overdone the explosives! That's what they brought Bryce for!" he joked, flashing a mischievous grin in Bryce's direction.
Bryce nodded in reply, his laughter blending with the chorus of the team's amusement.
"And not a moment too soon, either! The bastard has done it to me too, many times over!" Chuck, the one who helped Bryce up to his feet, chimed into the discussion.
Trooper Murray's chuckles of approval continued to resonate through the immediate area.
Sarah, Bryce, Chuck, and John then made their way over to join their four teammates, who were already standing at the entrance of the Killing House.
Captain Wallace's voice suddenly came over the communications channel. "The exercise took twenty seconds to complete."
"Oh, bollocks! We can do a hell of a lot better than that!" Cole's voice growled with anger off the air as he muttered through clenched teeth, shooting a glare at his teammates.
A wave of nods rippled through the operators, and many brows furrowed in frustration, signifying their firm agreement.
Red Team, just like every other SAS unit, set immense standards for themselves to adhere to.
Big Dan looked around at his teammates with narrowed eyes. "It's because it's the first exercise after dinner. We're getting fucking sloppy!"
"What's an acceptable time?" Sarah asked in a quieter voice as she was overcoming her disorientation from the blast and the stun grenade.
Chuck locked eyes with Sarah. "Fifteen seconds. Eighteen max. We've achieved thirteen once, but everything went perfectly then. We've not achieved it again, and we've tried dozens of times, believe me."
The seasoned operators all nodded in agreement, their experienced faces displaying a shared understanding, while Bryce, a newcomer just like her, simply laughed.
"At least our commands and communications were good, though," Jamie Hughes said.
The team unanimously accepted Jamie's declaration and conceded without further discussion.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
A short while later
Sarah and Bryce, fully recovered from their disorientation, were now clad in complete assault gear as they prepared to storm the Killing House. Until the support personnel of 22 Reg could remake it for further use, Room 1C remained inaccessible, so they opted for Room 2B on the facility's upper floor instead.
The plan of attack was for the crack SAS team to storm in through the ground floor, rush upstairs, and eliminate targets along the way. Numerous explosions would occur as decoys in both the upper and lower hallways and a feint assault would occur through one of the two windows in room 2B. The actual attack, however, would come from Bryce breaching room 2B with a Remington 870 shotgun using Hatton breaching rounds. This type of breaching would always occur whenever possible to minimize the risk of harming any Yankees (hostages) inside the location.
The small elite team was now in position outside the Killing House, and the Team Leader, Staff Sergeant MacDonald, was going through the last instructions with the team's newest recruits.
"You've both had our standard operating procedures instilled in you during selection, and you have extensively learned our tactics. You know what the team expects of you. This exercise isn't a game; it's the real thing—live ammunition; life and death. If one of ours goes down, man down corridor one, and that's it, you move on. If you linger to help them, you've removed yourself from the engagement. And instead of engaging the X-ray (the terrorist) when you could have had them in your sights, your two other mates get it, and one dead becomes three."
Sarah and Bryce nodded in unison, their eyes focused on their team leader as they absorbed his instructions and commands.
With a resolute tone, Staff Sergeant MacDonald uttered, "Let's do this," before disappearing into the dimly lit corridors of the Killing House, leaving the rest of the unit waiting outside.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
A few seconds later
The elite SAS assault team stood motionless outside the Killing House, waiting to launch the assault.
Chuck would be the first assaulter inside. Sarah would follow up behind, followed by Cole, Big Dan, and finally Bryce with the breaching shotgun.
Sarah paused in wait for a moment until she heard activity on the team's communication channel.
Staff Sergeant MacDonald came on the air soon after. "Standby, standby, execute!"
With the command to begin the assault, Chuck was inside the Killing House in an instant whilst also lobbing in a flashbang. Sarah followed her teammate inside, catching up to him as she walked parallel to him, where they engaged the same target, each firing off numerous live rounds.
Continuing deeper into the facility, they reached the end of the entrance corridor.
Chuck and Sarah diverged in their paths, with Chuck heading left and Sarah veering right into the main hallway on the ground floor.
As Sarah navigated her new surroundings, her flashlight attached to her MP5 cast a beam of light, revealing Staff Sergeant MacDonald in a precarious, exposed position. He was standing in the middle of the corridor, waving at her and grinning. Sarah dismissed him as a threat to her, doubling back to her team.
The team advanced and began engaging targets on the large stairwell, heading up to the first floor. Chuck had the lead of the assault, followed by Bryce, then Big Dan, then Sarah, and finally Cole. The team continued to engage two targets up on the first floor from the stairway when, suddenly, Chuck collapsed and fell down the stairway, screaming in agony.
As if by magic, time ceased to exist, creating a pause in the universe. Sarah observed as Bryce moved ahead of Chuck. She watched as he turned around to look at Chuck. Still, he cancelled it out after a second and continued whilst Big Dan ignored his fallen friend completely as he ascended the stairwell to assault the target location. Once Sarah arrived in Chuck's vicinity, she quickly panicked as her fallen teammate seemed to be in immense agony. After serving as a medic for four years, her first thought was to treat her fallen comrade, so she rushed to his aid and she started looking for any sign of wound or injury to her new comrade.
Chuck's screams echoed through the Killing House as gunfire continued to erupt.
He started removing his mask before he grabbed hold of Sarah.
"Gotcha!" he suddenly shouted, his voice echoing like a ghostly whisper in the dark, startling Sarah.
Sarah's head spun as she tried to make sense of the bewildering sight before her.
Her teammate, who moments ago was injured in agony, was now restored to normal.
Chuck was no longer screaming in immense agony when, suddenly, she was being grappled and manhandled from behind by Cole Barker, the fifth assaulter.
"You don't stop! For fuck's sake, you never stop!" he shouted at her, pushing her up the stairs.
Sarah now knew she'd been tricked and that her teammate wasn't injured, but rather, she had fucked up the exercise.
She wasted no further time, swiftly continuing to join forces with Bryce and Trooper Thomas as they stormed into room 2B to secure the hostages.
With Trooper Murray and Trooper Hughes soon secured, the team of four rushed them back outside the Killing House.
Once outside, Sarah stormed away from the vicinity, yanked her helmet and gas mask from her head, then threw it to the floor in immense frustration from her cock-up she would almost certainly now face stern criticism for.
FUCK! FUCKING GODDAMNIT!
Sarah's dread intensified as a few seconds ticked by, making it difficult for her to gather the courage to face her teammates. But before she could turn around, the Staff Sergeant burst out of the Killing House, storming up to Sarah with an intense glare.
"YOU DON'T STOP FOR A MAN DOWN!" the SSgt screamed aggressively into Sarah's face.
She averted her eyes, unable to face her team leader, as a wave of shame washed over her.
The rest of the team had now joined Sarah and the SSgt., their presence adding to the intensity of the embarrassment she felt.
"Where the fuck do they find these fucking amateurs?!" the SSgt fumed, his eyes searching desperately over his team, his breathing heavy and erratic, his head shaking frantically, a sense of anger consuming him.
Chuck, observing the deep shame etched across Sarah's face and a sense of vulnerability—which reminded him of his first weeks in the regiment—felt compelled to intervene. "Back off, Chris. She already knows she fucked up. Ostracising her won't achieve anything."
Sarah's eyes observed in terror and shame as she watched the SSgt's face contort with rage, directing his anger towards Chuck instead.
"And don't you get fucking soft on us 'cause she's a female, and you want to get your leg over!" the SSgt's face reddened with rage as he erupted into Chuck's face, his voice booming with fury and contempt.
Chuck didn't even flinch, he got right back into the face of Staff Sergeant MacDonald, pushing him back forcefully, causing the rugged Staff Sergeant to tumble back several yards before he quickly returned to Chuck's immediate proximity as tensions flared.
Overwhelmed with shame, Sarah's gaze remained fixed, her eyes welling up with tears as she witnessed the escalating conflict, feeling a heavy weight settle on her shoulders, a knot of unease forming in her stomach.
By now, the rest of Sarah's teammates prepared to separate Chuck and Chris if fists started getting thrown, all because of her mistake.
"You can fuck right off with that fucking bullshit, Chris!" Chuck shouted aggressively, pissed off by being accused of something so ludicrous, taking a forward stance as he squared up into the SSgt's face once he came back at him. "It's an honest day one rookie mistake, which the training will iron out of her in the coming days..."
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
A short while later
It had been a turbulent time since Sarah's rookie mistake, but now, after a brief cooling-off period, things were finally peaceful.
Sarah stood frozen in the company of Chuck and Cole, her eyes darting nervously between their gazes.
The rest of their team gathered around in discussion while the three remaining teammates engaged in their own discussion.
"I fucked up," Sarah muttered in shame, her eyes mostly avoiding her two teammates.
Cole gave her a reassuring glance. "Don't sweat over it. We all, myself included, made some mistakes on our first days."
Chuck nodded. "At least you own your mistakes. You'll get better. Your initial executions were good. I went down because we always practice as if it's real. It's just dynamic training. No hard feelings," he said, offering out his hand to her while sporting a friendly smile.
Sarah paused, allowing his words to sink in before she nodded in agreement. Moving to take his hand, she returned the smile. "Yeah, no hard feelings."
"Gear up, you three. We're going to do it again and again and again and be here all night if we have to until Walker has learned our operating procedure…." Staff Sergeant MacDonald said.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
The next day
Sarah's eyes were heavy with fatigue, her shoulders slumped as she embarked on her second day as a Mobility Troop, G Squadron member, the weight of a sleepless night bearing down on her.
The incident inside the Killing House had left her reeling, especially with her Team Leader's relentless pressure. Yet, when her teammate Chuck extended a kind gesture, she couldn't help but feel undeserving. Nevertheless, she vowed to herself that she would never mess up their tactics again.
From her perspective, it was just so hard for her to walk away from and leave a teammate of hers injured on the floor after being a combat medic in the Royal Green Jackets for four years.
Sarah wasn't questioning or second-guessing the operating procedure. It was a sound policy. MacDonald was indeed correct in that if she lingered on Chuck, it was possible an assailant could easily have lit up Bryce and Cole, as well as herself, on the stairwell.
But she was just so pissed off with herself for making a mistake on her first day with her new team. She was already getting sly glances and looks on base because she was a female, as well as the usual leering glances from the typical male soldier to accompany it. And now, yesterday's incident would only cement it further, as she was sure that she was the talk of the base right now.
Bryce, on the other hand, had effortlessly assimilated into his new environment. He looked as if he had been one of the team for years.
With a heavy sigh, she cautiously pushed open the cafeteria doors, instantly feeling the weight of the squadron's piercing gazes burning into her skin.
Most of them had ceased talking and were glancing in her direction.
She was certain that most of their current conversations revolved around her in some capacity.
Sarah dragged her feet as she gathered some lunch, her shoulders slumped as she moved to sit on one of the benches.
She stabbed at her food with a fork, her jaw clenched tightly, the forceful chews reflecting her frustration.
After a short while, she paused, her eyes narrowing curiously, locking eyes with Chuck as he made his way towards her.
On his arrival, he stood facing her, shortly thereafter moving to take a seat in front of her.
"You don't need to sit with me just because I'm the new girl," she said, her voice trembling with a hint of sarcasm as she held a guarded glance at the only person who had gone out of his way to help her since her arrival yesterday.
He nodded. "No, I don't. But I'm here to sit with you because you're my new teammate, not the new girl. I don't give a fuck about your gender. Don't let it get under your skin."
"I feel like they don't want me here. Bryce has already found his place," Sarah muttered through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowing as she observed Bryce's effortless bonding with six members of G Squadron, laughing and joking away with each other.
Chuck held her glance. "Sarah, it's a fresh experience for all of us. You're the first female in the regiment, it's true. And you're also gorgeous, by the way. So I'm sure some guys aren't too comfortable around you for that reason alone. But you deserve to be here. You went through the same selection as all of us. Don't let anyone take that away from you. You did the same training as all of us."
Sarah's smile revealed a blend of genuine appreciation for his kindness and unwavering conviction. "I won't let anybody take that away from me."
In reply, he shrugged his shoulders, his eyes locked with hers, sensing the conviction resonating in her words. "Then what's the problem?"
Sarah broke eye contact with her teammate, her gaze falling to the ground as she let out a deep, exasperated sigh. Raising her gaze to meet his once more, she said, "I've worked my ass off for this, Chuck. I've been on trial every day for my entire five years in the army. You don't know how hard it is as a female in the military for people to take you seriously."
With a nod, Chuck took the time to give her a warm smile, silently assuring her of his support. "You're right. I don't know what it's like to receive the unfair bullshit I know you've faced, and most other women in the military, for that matter. But you'll prove your worth to the regiment, Sarah. Trust me. On my first day, I was second-guessing if I belonged here myself. Seeing all the guys I saw, I didn't feel like I was their equal. I felt like an outsider. Exactly how you are feeling right now. But look at me now. I'm still an ugly bastard, but I'll run through hell for every one of these lads. They know it, and they know I mean it. I'm sure you will do the same for them."
Sarah suppressed a smile at the absurdity of her new teammate's derogatory comments about his appearance, knowing they couldn't be further from the truth. In reality, she found her new teammate very pleasing to the eye. "I'm not sure I agree with you on you being an ugly bastard, Chuck. As for everything else, I will go through hell for my teammates. That's why I helped you in the Killing House… I thought you were injured and wanted to help you."
Chuck's smile formed as his lips curled, exuding a feeling of friendliness. "I'll let you in on a secret that I'd not told anyone before…"
Sarah paused, completely still, her ears tuned in to every word Chuck spoke, holding her breath in anticipation.
"I made the same mistake when I joined," he confessed, his face lighting up with a caring smile, his eyes sparkling with sympathy.
Sarah's face lit up like a summer sunrise, her eyes sparkling with delight and a wide smile stretching across her face in response to his reassuring words. "You're a really nice guy, Chuck. I mean that."
Chuck held his grin. "Well, Sarah, you're a really nice girl. I wouldn't be sitting here with you if you weren't."
Joy continued to seep through Sarah, her body language perking up as she locked eyes with the friendly man in front of her.
They shared a lingering gaze that lasted much longer than either of them expected, the intensity of their connection stretching out far beyond their initial expectations.
Breaking the moment, Chuck said, "So suck everything up and take it on your chin. Prove your worth to the team, and in a short while, you'll feel your value to the rest of the guys. Trust me…"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The next chapter involves Sarah proving that bespoken worth to the team on their first mission. Read on to find out how :)
FOOTNOTES: Please leave your feedback. It's crucial to my confidence to tell the story when I see people engage with my work :)