24

"Alright, am I the only one here to see a pattern?" Hope asked as they all stood staring at the board full of stickers.

"Leon, Petta and Forrest are the only ones to have no kill hits on them!" came a reply from somewhere the huddle.

"Yes. They managed to complete the maze at least three times. Well done. I want you all to go away and ponder what happened. Tomorrow the maze will be reset in a new configuration and we have three team leaders already picked, don't we" Hope dismissed them, and everyone started to talk animatedly about the 'mission' that had made more than one of them truly fearful.

"I can't believe I screamed like a little kid" Patty laughed as she accepted a drink from Forrest "I mean… I was only killed the once and that sucks but… damn. They are so fast, and quiet. I thought Zs would always have noise, but I guess some don't. that was silly to assume we would always see them coming straight at us."

"In RL, out there… sometimes they were hidden. Open a door and one is behind it, walk through an old, abandoned store and one could be hidden in a rack of clothing where it stopped to wait. Not deliberately hiding but just becoming that way as it waited in a comfortable space" Kev explained as he sat on a table with some of those who had gone to him for advice. "I have seen some standing stock still in the middle of an open field. Just waiting for movement or a noise somewhere. Then racing off like it was a starter's pistol."

"Look… no two excursions are the same. You can be ready for anything, pumped to the max with all the weapons you can carry and still get bit. It happens fast. I have lost people right in front of me, so close I could have reached out and pulled them back, but it is also so startling. Those stay with you, and you go over and over different things in your head. If I had done this… if I had done that… scenarios. Those can haunt you." Kev stopped and then sighed "Hesitation is the killer. That momentary pause while your brain tries to comprehend what the hell you are looking at… that is the killer. You need to learn to switch that off. Not think, just react. Have a little part always thinking ahead, have those scenarios there by all means but at the same time, treat any and all moments as unexpected."

"I just about craped meself… I thought I would have to change me pants but it was only a squeak" someone else said and they all laughed softly.

"And this is normal and necessary too" Kev smiled "Destressing afterwards. If you lost people, cry, grieve and get fucking mad. Learn to make moments count and to know the right times for what you need to do. Then suck it up buttercup and move on. Blossom… that was a good idea to move over the barriers like that. A Z does not always look up. Running along the top almost got your entire team through… but .. of course…"

"There were Zs up top wanting at the end like a bloody bottleneck. I got too cocky" she grumbled, clearly annoyed with herself "Pip was so silly. You know, he has such a sense of humour."

"Where Taddy Ianto gets his dryness from I think" Kev nodded "Right… come on. Some knife play to help relieve that stress and burn off the adrenaline. I have some dummies set up with a need for some kill shots to be made."

As Kev led them off Hope looked over to her partentals who had stood back listening and watching. "You were right".

"I knew there were some with hidden talent. After all, Blossom always wins at bullrush." Jack agreed "And Patsy has a good eye for movement."

"Jessica and Stan taught her well" Hope frowned "I think I need to reassess the teachers as well. If she is this good under their watchful eye… they might have ideas and tips to offer the group. They have lived out there, saw things."

"And now you are thinking like a leader" Jack said with pride, clapping his hand on her shoulder "Yes. Utilize those with hidden strengths. Recognize and strengthen."

"Tomorrow I want the Not Twins to have more area. I think they are better with the scare factor than the Twins who are just having too much fun" she muttered as she wandered off resembling Ianto in one of this thoughtful moments, and Jack turned to Ianto with pride.

"She is a woman. Look at her Tiger… she is a goddamned warrior Queen!"

Ianto just nodded, glad she was getting serious now. Clearly last night had given her perspective as he had hoped it would.

Winter will not last forever.