IRAQ - April, 2003

How fucking hot.

That was the first thing came to your mind as soon as the van started the ride. Despite the light clothing you wore, you were sure you weren't going to take it so easily.

Well, when your major made you such a proposal two weeks ago, you didn't hesitate to accept, it could be an amazing turning point for your career, after all!

You were quite excited at first, but as soon as you set foot in that country, you realized how wrong you were...

The driver was late and, thanks to him, you looked like a tourist lost in the middle of the market; to waste your time, you started reading a local map just bought to figure out where you were exactly, but it was difficult without an English translation...

And this should be called Beginner's Luck? Fuck it.

Anyway, the van arrived after an hour. You were drenched in sweat, but decided to maintain a bit of decency by avoiding shouting to the man behind the wheel, waving the map in front of your face just like a folding fan for the rest of the journey.

You wondered why nobody hadn't come to get you. Maybe, they hadn't been warned of your arrival or had thought you had lost somewhere in the desert...

You sighed deeply at the thought of that, as pulled a few tufts of hair back over your forehead.
Before you left, you cut your hair, but it didn't seem like it worked very well against the heat, but definitely that cheeky look mirrored your character to perfection.

But when you reached the final destination, you were struck by the vision of that big palace...they must have worked hard to take control of that area, you thought before getting ready to get off with your bags.

As you walked up the road to the main entrance, you saw a couple of armed soldiers appear right there.
Their looks didn't scare you, of course, but your civilian outfit didn't help a lot.

《Hey there, I need to talk with your big boss.》  You said by showing identification when you approached them.

In response, one soldier motioned for you to follow him inside, while the other covered your back, gazing at the van was gone suspiciously.

Now, you were literally in the wolf's lair.

You hated to admit it, but were thrilled to be able to join an expedition out of the country, ignoring the fact it was the first time for you.
You walked up the stairs of a narrow corridor until stopped in front of a large door; there, the soldier knocked a couple of times before letting you in.

That room was far too much to be a commander office, also because there was just a desk in the center of it.

Anyway, another person was standing there and turned in your direction.

With one arm stretched across the surface of the table, the woman stood staring at you. She was definitely older than you and was wearing a short-sleeve top, a dark combat pants and a pair of boots; plus, she had her hair tied in a low bun.

《...you must be Y/n Hale, right?》  She started by letting her eyes fall on a sheet of paper  《I didn't think the warrant officer they were going to send me was a girl.》

Apparently, that caramel woman seemed surprised to read that you were just twenty-six, so you didn't know whether to take her reaction well.

In any case, you placed the bags on the ground and raised your arm to make the typical military salute.

《It's an honor for me to be here, ma'am.》  Despite your age, you were more disciplined than you looked.

After that, she introduced herself as the CIA field officer, Rachel King.

《Well I hope the journey hasn't tired you too much, Miss Hale.》  She added walking away from the desk and taking a step towards you.

《Not really, but I've never sweated so much in my life as in this fifteen minute drive.》  Hearing that, she cracked a smile and you relaxed.

At that moment, you glanced at the papers, you were wondering if the reason for your transfer was written in the letter she received...but your attention turned back to the woman again.

《As you already know, the war has come to an end, so the situation is pretty much calm now.》  Rachel explained things had calmed down in the Iraqi country and, until the new order, her team's job was to do reconnaissance and searches with the aim of stopping anyone who could carry out an attack.

You didn't know why, but just hearing that gave you an unexpected energy, maybe because you had spent too much time in the academy that you had enough of the usual daily routine...

《No problem, I will be at your complete disposal.》

You answered in a composed manner, but happy to let your new boss know that she could count on you anytime. Then, you shook hands with each other before ending the conversation.

《I'll waiting for you at the briefing room on the ground floor. The dorms are on the other side of this building.》

Rachel added before turning and sitting back behind the desk as you left the office with your stuff.
Once outside, you deeply inspired that new air, much better than the one you breathed in the scorching sun...

My first mission, finally...and when I get home, I'll become a chief!

The emotion was strong and you sighed long and loud. If they were still alive, you were sure your parents would have been proud of you...

But your loneliness didn't last long. Suddenly, you heard the sound of the boots getting louder behind you.

Someone had been hearing you the whole time, apparently.

He was a soldier too, but different from the previous ones; he was wearing a blue T-shirt with a camouflage body armor on it and a desert camouflage fatigue pants with two kneepads. You also noticed his baseball cap with words you weren't able to read at the moment...

Was he part of Rachel's team? Either way, you were on the verge of introducing yourself when he was the first to speak sternly.

《Man, don't tell me you're one of those girls from last night...》

Eh?

Of course, you absolutely didn't look like a soldier or officer at first glance, as you wore a sleeveless white blouse, light-colored cargo pants and a pair of flat shoes, all accompanied by a stylish pair of brown aviator sunglasses and an old pink lipstick on your lips...besides, you spent your last night on a plane.

However, you didn't understand what he was talking about.

Receiving no immediate response, the man kept talking.

《You shouldn't be here. But if you're a friend of Merwin, I'll close an eye and let you out of here without any problem.》

You widened your eyes in total bewilderment.

What the hell is this guy saying??

You didn't wait any longer to reply.

《I-I think there's a misunderstanding, I don't know anyone with that name and I don't think we've ever seen each other before this moment.》  You added pretending not to be offended  《I've just arrived from the USA. I'm the new warrant officer of this camp.》

The soldier raised an eyebrow, as if he could hardly believe what you were saying, until you showed him your ID.

《...if that's the case, I'm sorry–》

《Oh, I'm more than sure of that...》  You interrupted him with a haughty attitude  《And I suggest you to stay in your place next time, marine.》

Then, you walked with your bags in the direction he came from as you passed him; he followed you with his eyes, your head barely able to get past his shoulders.

When you disappeared into the building, the young man with the cap stood there, partially disbelieving what had just happened, until another one came up behind him.

《Hey man, what's wrong?》  The voice of a man asked. The only thing he saw was his friend with a confused look.

Definitely, that was going to be his bad day...

• • •

You wasted time looking for the dorm; once you turned the corner, you were surprised by the fact there were no cots along the corridor but private barracks, each with its own bed, locker and a key to close the door. Of course, you should have requested it from Rachel as soon as you saw her again; there was little time left, so you just tidied up the stuff in your new bedroom.

It was small, but no doubt comfortable, especially if you could have all your privacy from other men.

For a moment, you thought about what had happened just before with that soldier. You felt you had exaggerated, but you couldn't stand those words after he meant you to be a one night stand girl!

Moreover, you surely doubted that such a guy like him was of a higher rank than yours, because of his lack of formality and easy ways of wasting his free time, probably with women he didn't even know, just like he had hinted earlier...

Pff. I doubt I'll see him again very soon.

Later, you went out to reach the briefing room and luckily you recognized Rachel's voice.

Once inside, you saw her holding papers and was surrounded by a small group of men and when she met your gaze, she motioned for you to join her.

《—and now I want to introduce you the new member of our team...》

Your heart was beating fast, you had never imagined that being presented in front of a group of strangers could be so embarrassing...

《This is Y/n Hale, our new warrant officer from the army, her presence will be of big importance in terms of her technical and organizational knowledge. Perhaps she will be able to convey the right discipline we need here...》

After that, the woman patted you on the shoulder. At that point, you showed your charm by taking your sunglasses off your face with a dazzling smile.

《It's a pleasure to meet you all.》

Suddenly, one of them began to whistle as he looked at you from head to toe.

《The pleasure is mine, nice tidbit...》

Rachel looked at him to shut him before continuing.

《This is technician and Corporal Nathan Merwin. If he keeps to be an idiot with you, I give you permission to stick a bullet in his ass.》

Her comment sparked short laughs in the room, including yours.

And so he's the "Merwin" I heard about...well, he's not definitely my type.

《Following, the Lance Corporal José Gomez and Sergeant Nicolas Kay...》

The first one greeted you with a smile, while the other remained seated, nodding under his desert boonie hat.

You looked at them one by one and didn't look so bad, but they were definitely different from everyone you knew at the academy. Apparently, you had become the youngest of the team.

But the list wasn't finished yet, and Rachel pointed to the last one.

《And this is First Lieutenant Jason Kolchek, the leader of the Reconnaissance Group.》

When you saw the cap boy from earlier, with his tattooed arms crossed and leaned against the edge of a table, staring at you with a half smile, your heartbeat stopped for a second.

Are you fuckin' kidding me!?

Rachel turned to you and noticed your confused, strangely shocked expression. Thank goodness, you came to your senses and masked your agitation with another smile.

《I see. So, I have a senior in front of me.》  You said tilting your head to the side innocently, aware now of the bad impression you had made before.

《Nice to meet you, sir.》  Although you had known him earlier, you boldly stretched out your hand to him.

In the meantime, he had noticed your rapid change and how the situation had turned upside down irremediably...
However, he decided to take a tolerant attitude towards that misunderstanding and towards you, so he squeezed your hand in his.

《Me too. Welcome to the Camp Slayer, Miss Marshal.》

As you thought, it wasn't going to be easy and you understood that the instant your hands touched each other.

But you squeezed it just before you retracted your hand and because of that the lieutenant's weak smile dropped.

Tsk, don't think I'll be intimidated by you just because you are a superior...

After that, you went back to talking privately with Rachel away from the others. Then, Sergeant Kay got up to stand next to the lieutenant, he seemed to have noticed an unusual contact between his friend and the young newcomer.

《So, what do you think of her?》  He said without being heard by the others; there was no problem for the corporal anyway, because he had the head, and eyes, elsewhere since you came in that room.

He knew he could talk to Nick about anything, but right now there were no words for that...but he was sure that, that little girl was up to something and felt it just before breaking the handshake.

He lowered the gaze to the floor, before thinking of a proper answer to give to his friend, in summary of everything.

Of course, Jason couldn't help but think that situation was really funny.

《Well, I think a hurricane just hit us, bro.》