I need to talk to Neil face to face.
That fucker owes me the answers to all my questions before I smack his head and kick his eyeballs out.
Fuck him for all the commotion inside my skull right now!

************************************

"Officer halt!"
Oh thank god!

I stopped and bent forward with my sandbag still in my hands over my head.
I knew I'll be paying for bringing my hands down without being permitted to, but fuck that!
My arms are dying and so will I.

All this just to look him in the eyes.
I knew I'll pay for it, but not this bad!!

I dragged my feet to him with my arms straight up again.

"Did I tell you to bend down?"
"No, Neil."

"Did I tell you to walk upto me?"
Shit! This always happens with him!
"No, Neil."

"Then please tell me what do I owe this pleasure to?"
Sarcastic bitch!

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't know what you were planning. I should have -"

"I'm teaching you exactly what you should have done. I'm not making you pay for your anger. I'm making you pay for your behaviour."
He cut me in between my apology.

Darn he never lets my guilt go down.

"Four more rounds before I think of anything else."
He said disinterested.

I gulped my apology down my charred throat, lifted the sandbag up again and took off.

I've ran thirty rounds already. Everytime I finish one, I cross him hoping that he will forgive me for my 'I'll kill you' looks back in med care.

Completing thirty four, I went and stood in front of him again.
I was breathing through my mouth and my tongue was dry. It's been a while since I've felt this pathetic by workout alone but damn the pain in my back!

"Put it down."
Ah!
Mercy!
Finally!

I gladly put the sandbag near his feet and my back blessed him the very next moment.
My fingers were tingling with the blood rushing back to the tips and suddenly my hands started feeling heavier.

All the while Neil had a killing glare fixed on me. I was breathing very slowly despite my lungs' cry. I didn't want to even take extra oxygen and offend him.

"Knuckle Jumps for every word of your answer."
He said in a straight tone.

Now this is going to hurt.
My knuckles were already red and there were innumerable scabs all over. One jump and all of them will pull out.
It's really going to sting.

I got on all fours ready to start jumping.

"What did I expect from you when we first met?"
He asked with no change of tone.

I started hitting my Knuckles and as expected, it started stinging and bleeding with first go. I'll have to keep my answers short if I want to take my hands back tonight.

"That. You. Wanted. Me. To. Pass. The. Tests."
I had to bite my tongue to keep the pain from changing my tone.

"Still you doubted me?"
"I'm sorry -"

"That's not the right answer."
Neil surely is not in a mood for any apology.

"Yes. I. Doubted. You."
I said what he wanted to hear.

"What did I order you about the salutation?"
"To. Call. You. By. Your. Name. When. There's. No. Senior. Around."
My hands were paining and my grunts were uncontrollably loud.

"How many times did you falter that order?"
"Eight. Times. Neil."

God this is horrible!
My brain was having a hard time to process answer all the while shutting down the pain reflexes.

"Did I punish you for not following a single order eight times?"
"No. Neil."
Fuck if you count it that way, I've offended him enough for a lifetime.

"Still you thought I was trying to fake a comradeship and was plotting against you. You thought I was that cheap?"

I didn't want to tell him that's exactly what I thought about him. So I stayed shut.

"I asked you a question. Enough defiance for one day."
He raised his voice and I felt a hole being made in my stomach. Man is scary.

"Ye- yes. I. Did. That."
Shame on me.

"Now, do you know my intentions? Or I'm still a cheater in your eyes?"
"I. Know. Neil."

"Up."
No let me be there. I can't look into your eyes now.

"What do you know now?"
"That you only want good for me - did that since the day you came to know about me, even before I stepped here. You kept your eyes on me while I was in academy and evaluated me there itself. You found me worthy enough to face this challenge and decided to support me. For this you had to show that you're not on my side and had to say things in front of commander that you knew would hurt me if I believed them. But you did that just so that you can be made my CTO I/C in place of Major Norman with the intention of failing me at the end of my trial."

His jaw was clenched by the time I was done because I opened the knots correctly.

"And what do you think I plan to do now?"
"Take me through worst possible scenarios, teach me things difficult to learn and show my worthiness to Commander so that he gives me atleast one chance to appear for the test."
I said with my head held high because I was proud of this mindfucker to trick the commander into making him my in-charge!

"Will I ever have to repeat any of this by myself?"
His tone was unforgiving and I felt like I was standing in front of the most merciless instructor who caught me sneaking out of academy.

"Never, Neil."
I tell this more to myself, warn me rather.

"Then I want your loyalty, every bit of it. If you want me to help you earn what you came here for, I want every fibre of your existence trusting me blindly. One question on my loyalty and you can find another I/C. I'll walk away even if I have to face Commander for it."
He said looking into my eyes.

It was a difficult thing to promise.
Give my trust.
I am ready to give all my physical strength and then more, if anyone asks. Like I did for Beta. Because that's under my control.

But this thing - it's difficult to keep under my control. I can't guarantee that the thought 'What if he's still fudging?' will never come to my mind.

"I'm asking you to promise me that you'll push all those doubtful thoughts away. You'll have to put in more power to do that than your workout."
Apparently my thoughts are loud enough for him to hear that he told me what I needed to hear.

"I promise you, Neil. I promise my loyalty to you."
He looked at me gravely, catching any freckle that says otherwise.

"Fine. Now. I remember giving you a task two weeks ago with a deadline of twenty days. What's the progress?"
I looked down at the unexpected question knowing that the answer won't please him. And this time my guilt was hundred times more.

"Look up and answer."
Damnit!

"I'm working on it but I've completed only half of the book."
I say with my tongue tied.

"Half is enough if you've studied the language once before."

"Wissen Sie, wie man Schreibmaschinen-Liegestütze macht?"
Oh good lord he's going to test me right away!
And the first ever sentence he spoke to me was asking if I knew typewriter Pushups.
Darn I feel like I'm back to academy!

"ich weiß, Neil."
Yeah I know them. I can't lie to him. I don't know his capabilities when he's angry.

"Achtzig" he ordered curtly.
What!
Eighty?!!

"Jawohl"
Atleast in this language I can regard him sir!

Eighty typewriter Pushups destroyed my already broken back and shoulders. Don't even get me started with my hands.
I grunted everytime I had to push myself up.

Completing the damn count loudly in the language he wanted to hear, I stopped pushing when I was done.

"Up."
Thank god.

"Basic vocabulary seems okay. You have five more days to perfect your grammar. Every mistake earns you a lesson that'll make you remember the correction for your lifetime. Don't tell me I didn't warn you."
He said bending a little towards me.

"Yes, Neil."
Fuck he's scary.

"Permission to make a request, sir.. Uh Neil.."
Shit. SHIT!

"That earns you ninety corkscrew."
Oh boy.

I drop down and shred my upper body to grains as a payment for not obeying his order NINTH FUCKING TIME, right after he pointed it out.
Good going, James.

You're seeing his true colors of mercy today.

"Up. What request?"
He is talking business, no shit.

"Can I please be given sometime during the day to complete this task. The whole day -"

"Denied. You won't be given two weeks to brush up after you come to know that your enemy is talking in a language you've already learnt once. A maximum of few hours. Sixth day from now, you'll decode everything I say in German. If you're right, you'll save yourself from some misery. If you're wrong, then pray for yourself in German."
He said in a threatening tone.

"Yes sss Neil."
Almost!

"Anything else before I dismiss you?"
"What about..Inn.. Interrogation..?"
I couldn't tell him that my ass was on fire. And couldn't stay shut either.

"Not going to happen till you start your Class-I training. But two good sessions await you. I've talked it out with the Commander."
Oh I wanted to kiss his feet!

"Thank you, Neil. It's not that I-"
"You're not scared of pain, I know. But it's not right to make you go through things you haven't been properly trained for. Don't think I tried to save you from some misery. I'd never do that unless we're on a mission. You don't have to get interrogated before you atleast clear the test and I'll make sure of it."

"Right, Neil."
He may be an ass but this will definitely let me sleep remorselessly tonight.

"Go sleep. You have three hours before you report to Instructor Charles. Dismiss."
The biggest bitch Charles?!

He left me with my adrenaline at peak and ordered me to sleep. At fucking two in the afternoon? How am I going to sleep now? Get a sleeping pill? Or get someone to sing a lullaby for me?
Wait. If I'm supposed to sleep now, then what has Charles planned for the night?
Not another massacre please.

************************************

Boo Neil is a hardass!
Did you see that coming?

He tricked commander. Real smooth, Neil!
I wonder what will happen when he finds that out! 😅

And my baby, James!
Never saw this happening even in his dreams.

************************************

Please VOTE, comment and message me if you find any confusion/fault in the English-German translation.

************************************

Aaaaaaand I have a surprise for you guys!
Darn I hate to force my mouth shut!
Next seven days are going to make me bite my nails too!

Whoever. WHOEVER. Makes the shittiest/funniest/stupidest but correct guess - I'll DM a hugeass paragraph of that chapter as a reward. 😛

And oh, I know you all love me even if you say otherwise.