"Captain Daniel Winger, reporting for trial, sir."
Dan came and stood in front of us as we finished our team session.

We've been on three major Missions with nearly all the team members. Neil let me lead and as per him and Charles, I did a decent job. Others were my fans now because I wasn't as cocky as Neil on the earphones. It was funny none of them had the guts to say this in front of him.

We were all tired thanks to Charles and I was in no mood to see Dan getting screwed in front of me.

I stood silently waiting for Neil to give him a task that'll make him hush away. But I wasn't ready for what happened next.

Everyone except Neil started walking away. I was about to leave too when he called my name.
I paused and looked at him confused.

"He's your boy for next two hours. Smoke him."
Neil ordered me.

"But I-"
I was stuck with thunder.
Why the fuck was he putting me in that situation?

"I don't think there's an option. I'll be taking him for laps in the pool. If he lasts twenty, I'll call you next."
Neil you brain fucker!

He turned to Dan who went straight.
"And if you don't last thirty, I'm going to kill you."
He whispered the last part dangerously and left.

I just looked at his retreating back hoping he'll turn around and say that he was joking.

"He's not taking it back."
Dan brought me to my senses.

"Dan, I.. I don't want to do this. We're -"
"Am I worth risking your bonding with him? I don't think so."
He said bang on.

I had all the rights to screw him then and there for interrupting me. But I was already high on guilt. And he made sense.

Damn it's even more difficult to roger him when he's acting so sensible!
"Alright. Crunches."
I just blurted whatever came to my mind.

He scoffed as he got on the floor and started.
"What's so funny?"
I was irked. Here I was holding myself back and there he was getting on my nerves.

"That's not how you smoke someone. You, of all men, know this from each of your fibre."
He was smiling knowing my mind was already fucked up. He was grunting the same time. I guess he was in a pretty bad shape already.

"Look Captain Daniel Winger. I never hated you. I respect you and I'm sorry for all that you had to face because of me. I agree you've been on the unfair end but I never wanted that to happen. I always did and still want it to be fair for both of us. It's just... I don't know how to put it in words.. Neil is just using me to break you using your ego and I don't want that to happen. I... Ah.. Screw this!"
I just rubbed my hand over my head.
This was too much to say as it is.

"Permission to-"
He started speaking but I couldn't let him finish.
"Speak!"
Fucker was rubbing salt on my wounds.

"Whatever happened, happened. You are where you wanted to be, and I am where I wanted to be. You just reached a little earlier. I'm glad we were together to kick each other up. It's no lie that I'll hate you throughout my life and none of your apologies can change that. After Beta's trick, I can not even think of being friends with you. And I warn you today that I'll be unfair with you if ever I get a chance. So shove that apology and pity up your ass and do what you've been told. I don't want to hear a lecture from Major Neil about me alluring you into not hurting your batchmate. As such he's a big pain in my ass."
He said in one go and I'm sure he has been ready with this answer for a long time.

This confrontation was needed.
I laughed relieved .
"Thanks for making it easy for me, Dan. I'll give you enough reason to hate me. Turn around. Get on all four. Let me teach you something I learnt here."
He groaned loudly getting into the pushup position.

He expected that I'm going to break his shoulder but he never saw that coming. I broke his whole upper body with all the types of Pushups I've been taught in past so many months.

"Mo**erfucker. Who taught you all this?"
He muttered as I took him through forty different combinations and dented his spirit to last.

"Mind your language will you? Neil doesn't like it one bit."
"Thanks for telling me this so early. I've gotten blue abs for cursing already."
I see so that's why the grunts.

"What about the Red Sparrows? What happened with commander?"
I asked him carefully.

"As if you don't know. Don't rub it in my face, James. Your friend is uncompromising. He didn't let General Warren speak! I was there just to witness their argument. Finally commander gave up and told him that either I join him or he tries me. Major Neil was adamant with me not being in his team so he accepted the other deal. It's sad to know I have no chance but I'm hoping that after all this, he atleast takes my trial seriously. I don't want to feel like a trash waiting to be dumped."

"You'll get what you deserve, Dan. He's not that selfish.
I defended Neil strongly as his hands started to shake.

"Captain Daniel, tired already? Want to go sleep?"
I asked him the question that used to pinch me the most during my trial.

"Negative, sir."
He replied formally earning more respect from me.
Damn if Fucker could just give me a chance to make everything right. But he won't. And I'll have to live with it.

"Let's do something about your legs then. Up, high knees."
He sighed in relief and got up.
Soon he realised he was in a worse state.

The abs were continuously hurting and my 'Faster' didn't give him any rest.
Once I got him close enough to his breaking point, I gave him a break.
He just fell down and breathed.
Poor guy, I knew what he was going through.
But he's going to pass with flying colours. His feedback has been good overall. Though he probably thinks that he's getting kicked out soon, thanks to Neil's brilliant acting skills.

"You remember the Mercy Lawn?"
"I'll be stupid if I forgot anything about it. Too many people are ready to kill anyone of us who doesn't remember every single moment we spent there."
He said chuckling remembering the same nights I did.

"It always felt like an impossible thing to do. After whole day's schedule, when seniors would come looking for us and utter the word grass, it would suck the souls out of our bodies."
I laughed.

"Bitch says as if you haven't done that to our juniors. You were merciless."
He replied.

"I had no option. It was either them or us. And one year of Mercy was enough."
"You're right. It was impossible but we somehow did it everytime."
He said catching up with what I wanted to say.

"It's the same here. Just all on our own."
I lowered my tone.

He nodded.
"Got it. But you don't have to do this. You being helpful or motivating is not going to change anything."

Damnit thick head!
I stayed shut because I had no reply to that.

"But tell me, Major Neil was equally asshole with you?"
He asked raising his head and looking around scared to be overheard.

I laughed.
"I had someone worse. In that case, you are in a better position than me. You get 6 hours sleep everyday, meals on time and other basic privileges that I wasn't given for lot many days. It nearly got a toll on my health. Though after more than half of my trial, Neil took matter in his hands. It wasn't easy with him either. But he was better."

"Can't imagine praising him with the way he's going on with me right now. He looks like all the training officers combined.... And then there's Charles."
His head fell back on the ground.

That made me laugh even louder.
I knew what those four words meant.
"Yeah. And then there's Charles."

"I don't call that smoking."
Neil entered and even my pants got on fire. I have no clue how Dan managed to get up within a second and saluted him. Boy must have stopped breathing.

"I just gave him-"
"I didn't tell you to give him any breaks, did I?" Neil said cruelly.

Alright I could see the collateral damage coming. And personally, I was glad.

"Negative, sir."
"Then you kindly drop for not following my orders yet again."
Now that Rascal was playing with my mind.
I got on all fours in guilt this time.

"Plank. You fall and I begin with him."
He said.
I don't think I ever lasted that long in any plank just to let my rival have a few breaths of peace. God life does come to full circle.

As soon as I crashed, Neil shouted at Dan to jump into the pool.

Fucker lasted twenty eight rounds. Twenty eight.
Neil raised his eyebrow as soon as he touched the twentieth and snapped his fingers pointing at the pool.
I changed into trunks and got ready for him to follow through his warning.

I jumped alongside Dan and for few laps, we were in sync.
Dan was called out when he couldn't swim anymore and was made to do Knuckle Pushups while I kept swimming.

No matter how fiery his Trial was going on, Neil ensured that he got enough sleep, food, fluids and rest. I was happy with that.

Giving him final oral dose, he was permitted to break off and have a beauty sleep of six hours.

Then he called me out and I knew I was fucked. He was in a screwing mode and I gave him a bigass reason to pull me in.

"I said twenty. He lasted eight more. Clearly he wanted you to sleep less tonight, don't you think?"
Neil said and I cursed Dan mentally.

"Two hours - repeat. I want to see how inefficiently you executed the job I gave you."
I had expected this the moment I jumped into water.

This time I cursed myself.
My spine was in shreds and all my muscles were weeping by the time two hours were up. I shouldn't have given him the break, would have saved me from all this misery.

Without giving me a break, he pointed at the pool.
No way I'm getting in his shoes.

I looked at him and he challenged me to say anything.
It wasn't my day - I told myself.
He wanted to see if I'll last as much as he did.

I finished thirty two before giving my dying fins a break.

"You don't forget that I'm your boss here. Got it?"
He said convinced that I wasn't favouring Dan anymore.

"Yes sir."
I said looking down.
He left and I tried to pull myself out.

"Didn't know you were having another trial." Marks teased while pulling me up.

"I didn't know that either. Bitch Dan."
I replied and he laughed loudly.

"And you think you will give him reasons to hate you?"
He laughed while I followed him with my mind blown.
Nice move, Dan. Nice way getting back on my ass.

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

"You shower very late, instructor Charles."
I commented as he ran on treadmill in the gym at 3 in the night, sweating from head to toe.

He just chuckled and continued running.
The speed was fast enough for him to shake the whole damn thing.

"Have some mercy on the poor machine. It will fall apart."
I went a step ahead carefully.

"Ofcourse.... You'd feel... for the... poor thing... Not me."
He replied panting, laughing again.

Someone was in good mood.
I just came back to pick my bag but found Charles working out. So I grabbed the lightest dumbbells instead.

He finished his run as I sat on one of the benches watching him carefully.
It was a different feeling to see him going hard on himself. Usually it's us on the other end.

"Your dumbbells would kill me in shame, sir."
He caught on my thought making me laugh.

"You're just being you. And that's rare. I want to know what else there is with the real Charles."
I asked amused.

"You thought I was Hercules? Like I never worked out, yet stayed in perfect shape and even forced you all to be active always?"
He said as he laid down on a bench and prepared for lifting some weights.

I got up reflexively and stood over him to help. He nodded.

"I never thought that you worked out this late. In fact I never thought when or whether you actually put efforts on yourself or not."
I said honestly.

"The trainers are always hated by everyone to be heartless. That's how the pressure to be heartless on self becomes more. When you'll reach that position, remember to stay in the best shape. Be better than everyone under you, regardless of your age. Your words hold value if you are fit. People look upto their mentors. No matter how much they hate them, they want to become like them one day. Don't let them reach your position easily. Make it damn hard for them by setting the bar high."
He said pumping weights like it didn't weigh anything.

When he finished, I lifted the bar from his hands and placed it back still going over what he said.
Meanwhile, he muttered some curses and massaged his shoulders in pain. He probably ran on the adrenaline he passed on to me.

We both chuckled at his stupid move and he took more time to recover than I expected.
"This is going to hurt tomorrow."
He sighed and went on to next machine as I went to kept the shameful dumbells back.

"You're free to leave."
He said as he sensed that I had no plan to stay and give him company.

I laughed awkwardly.
"I'll remember what you said today."

"I know you will. You don't forget lessons."
He replied without looking at me and I didn't know how to react to that praise.
I just left.

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

I missed you guys too. 😁

Going back to 50PM and reading the conversation between James and Dan as Colonels, I can't believe they even had this talk in the past.
But both of them kept their promises.
One gave the other enough reasons to hate, and the other played unfair when he got the chance.

And Charles laughing?
No I didn't see that coming either.
Guess we're now seeing the many sources of James's personality lessons.

To make up for the lost time, big surprise coming up in the next update.
Get ready. 😉