Bad Company
The words were the last thing Johnny remembered hearing for a long time.
***
“Get up!” He was sure that was the Sergeant's voice, though it sounded distinctly less friendly than when he'd first heard it. An attempt at responding to the order brought agony from most of his body, and his eyes screamed at his brain about the painful light being let in. Getting up wasn't an option.
“GET UP!” The voice had become a roar pounding into his ear and Johnny leapt to his feet, head spinning and muscles crying out in unison about his abuse. What in the hell had happened?
“Not quick enough, son,” the Sergeant's hand came back and then whipped forward but Johnny caught the blow and turned it before it reached his face. Though the bigger man stumbled he didn't fall, and when he'd found his footing threw a bleak smile Johnny's way. “Glad to see you're with us, solider. Now – what do you remember about the Highstrider?”
Johnny frowned. He could recall meeting the Sergeant, taking his seat and then – at first his memory drew only blanks, but as he concentrated images began to fill in, flashing bits of screaming men and thrown punches. He'd been beaten, that much was certain, and badly enough that he couldn't remember the details.
“I -” he began, but the Sergeant cut him off.
“You remember nothing out of the ordinary,” the big man said firmly. “You arrived safely, and therefore earned your entrance into Chaos Company. To speak of such a regular, run-of-the-mill trip would serve no purpose – you understand, Corporal?”
He nodded. Stories were told on all the Central Worlds about Chaos and how they treated new members, though Johnny hadn't been able to get any specifics. He'd jumped at the chance to be one of their new recruits, and they were nothing but friendly and welcoming – until he'd boarded the Strider.
“What we do in the city is for the big boys to watch,” the Sergeant went on as if he'd read Johnny's mind, “but out here is where all the real work gets done. Shut up, keep your head down and you'll be one of us soon enough.” He smiled, a slash of glee across a glowering face. “You might even get lucky and get a seat on the welcoming Strider someday.”
Johnny didn't respond. He wouldn't want the job but saying as much – or anything – to the Sergeant would just make a bad day worse.
“Now,” the muscled man went on, “I'm Sergeant Flynn. You can call me Sarge and I won't give two hoots but if you sass me – even once – we're going to have a problem. Do you get me?”
“Yes, Sergeant!” Johnny bellowed at the top of his lungs. He'd been a recruit before; he knew the drill.
“Not bad, Corporal, but we're not quite so formal here. If you do something I don't like you'll hear about it – for the moment stand easy.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Johnny said, relaxing his posture. He'd taken the classic parade stance as soon as the man had woken him and was glad for the chance to work out kinked muscles.
“Don't mention it, son.” Flynn pulled a small pad from his pocket and glanced at Johnny's bunk. “Looks like you've got everything here you need, so let's get you up to Command. The Lieutenant is waiting to speak with you, and your Ops team leaves tomorrow.”
“Ops team?” The words were barely out of his mouth before Flynn was moving, striding out of the barracks and onto the grounds. Only quick feet kept Johnny within speaking distance.
“Yep,” the Sergeant said, heading for a large gray building opposite the barracks. All around them, men were training with weapons and with fists, and Johnny saw more than a few with fresh blood on their uniforms. Legends held that Chaos Company worked harder than any other unit it the sector, and it appeared that was no exaggeration.
“We like to give our new members the chance to head up a non-critical mission their first week in,” Flynn went on. “ It gives us a chance to see what they can do. You pull it off and you get something better next time.” The man's quick pace had already taken them across the square and up to what could only be Command's front door.
“And if I don't?” Johnny was confident in his own skills and while he was sure the men of Chaos were well-trained, he had no experience working with them in the field and had idea how they'd respond to taking orders from such a junior member.
“Well,” Flynn said, leading him up two flights of stairs to a nondescript door, “that's part of the reason we're always recruiting – failure isn't an option in Chaos Company.”
“Wait!” Johnny cried, taking the man's shoulder before he could open the door. “What exactly are you saying?”
“Just that I hope you read your service contract before signing on, Corporal. We're very particular about who we taken in and have every confidence they can perform. A termination clause, however, is standard in case those we bring into our little circle don't end up having the skills to be a contributing Company member.”
“So you'll kill me if I fail.” Johnny said it flatly, and Flynn narrowed his eyes.
“Nope,” the big man threw out another vicious smile. “not me. Every team has a member designated for that job. You won't know who it is until it's too late, so let's not waste any more time gabbing – you need a mission briefing if you've got any hope of living to see sleep in that bunk.”
-D
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