"Who are you, that you think you get to smack me around?" Deren bared his teeth, his eyes filling up with venom. "Don't forget, my dad occupies a chair at the board of Mercator Group and-"
"All you do is beat up on weak kids to bolster your stats," Angela interrupted him. "I don't give a damn who your dad is."
"What!?" Deren seethed. "You wanna run that by me again?"
"I wouldn't push her if I were you," Grey broke in, Deren glaring at him. "Er... I mean. I'd rather you didn't. I didn't plan that far ahead."
Before anyone could act next, they were interrupted by the clicking of boots; a troop of white-clad soldiers in berets marched into the hallway, their rifles slung over their backs. The school’s security team. The students snapped to attention at once.
"At ease," a voice said austerely, and a hardened warrior stepped out a pace toward the students, clicking his heel softly when he stopped. He was somewhat short of stature, but muscles ripples underneath his neatly-pressed grey uniform. He couldn't have been a day over thirty. "I hate to interrupt, but I need to speak to Cadet Siegfried for a moment."
"All of you, go back to your dorms!" one of the guards warned, stun baton at the ready.
"There's no need to escalate things, Corporal." The officer said to the guard, raising a calm hand. "After all, these young cadets were just having a little chat, right?" The officer didn’t take his eyes off the group.
Overfield unclenched his fists, wisely deciding to avert further consequences. "C'mon, guys, let's bounce. This chat was boring me anyway."
The group went their separate ways, and the officer smirked slightly. With a nod, the officer dismissed the complement of troops and turned to face Angela.
Still standing nearby, Grey glanced at Angela, then at the officer, who gave him a nod as well.
“It’s alright,” the officer said. “She’s not in trouble.”
Grey cleared his throat, and sheepishly left the way he came. "I'll, uh... Catch you later, Angela. Good talk."
Watching Grey leave, the corners of the officer's mouth turned up into a small smile. "Do you know who I am?" The officer asked. He was as dark as earth, and had deep brown eyes. His thick hair had been shaved just down below an inch, showing a deep, pink scar that ran from his eyebrow up into his scalp.
"You're Captain Delis Iblis with the MSA, the military police right?" Angela returned. "You fought in the Battle of the Divide. A lot of people think you're a hero."
"That was a long time ago already. I’m just a glorified desk jockey, nowadays." Iblis smiled and clasped his hands behind him. "But occasionally, I'll go and get a feel for up and coming talent. I see that you take combat exercises very seriously at this school."
"Seems so," Angela said quietly, and cleared her throat. "Uh, Sir."
"You know, a lot of kids I see from schools like this take that class for fun, like sports, just for the elective credit..." Iblis cocked his head slightly. "You fight like a vicious animal. It borders on illegal, and were it not for the waivers your respective parents had signed upon enrolling you here, it would land you a lot of trouble in the outside world."
Angela looked down, abashed.
"But I know who you are," Iblis stepped in closer. "And I know where you come from. Cradle, right?"
"Yes, Sir."
Iblis paused before speaking again and turned to the side slightly. "Your combat aptitude scores rival some of even my own troops, who have been on the force for years. Beyond that, your other tests show a positive pattern as well. Ever consider a career in State Affairs?"
"If you've come to seek my recruitment," Angela said, "Then the answer is yes."
The Captain raised his eyebrows. "Really. Well, that was simpler than I'd anticipated."
"All my life..." Angela murmured, and then her voice found strength. "All my life, all I've ever wanted was a chance to give back to those who sacrificed their lives for us. To protect who survived, and those who'll come after."
"Then State Affairs would welcome you with open arms," Iblis replied with a small smile. "You know what it is that we do, right? In the Internal Division?"
Angela had heard many things about State Affairs, but all of it seemed to conflict. "You fight terrorist groups?"
"Sometimes. Not as much these days, fortunately. Our work mostly entails peacekeeping, civil disputes, theft, distribution of illegal substances..." Iblis adjusted his cuffs. "Pretty boring stuff, actually, but it’s still important. If you're into that, I can put in a good word to my superiors and have you working under me within the month."
"So... is that it?" Angela raised her hands, puzzled. "Am I in now?"
"No," Iblis chuckled. "But if I can have you fill out this paperwork, we can get the ball rolling for you."
"Oh, sure."
Captain Iblis took the clipboard out from under his arm and handed it to Angela; Angela took the pen that was chained to the clipboard and started reviewing the paperwork.
"Take your time," Iblis said. "Your instructors know that I'm here."
"Why me?" Angela asked. She scribbled in her name, identification number, and started checking boxes.
"Well, as I'd mentioned, your combat aptitude scores..."
"No," Angela interrupted him. "There are a lot of other schools in Belas, ones that focus a lot harder on Ministry scholarships, and I'm sure their scores there dwarf mine by a large margin... Why me, specifically?"
Iblis sighed, and for a moment, appeared to reflect back on chaotic times. To the stories behind his scars. "I owe a favor to your old man."
"You know my father?"
"You could say that." Iblis closed his eyes for a time... it looked as if he might be ill for a split second. "I served under him during the Divide campaign. He's a good man. Hell of a fighter... Lil' bit hard-headed though."
"You probably know him better than I do, then." Angela signed her name and checked the last two boxes. She handed the clipboard back to Iblis.
"Really? That's a shame," Iblis said, taking the clipboard back. "If you do see him again, tell him I said hey."
"Is that all for today, Sir?" Angela asked. She crossed her arms and met Iblis' gaze. Iblis could probably sense her discomfort.
"Yes. Thank you for meeting with me today. I'll make sure to process these in an expedient manner." Iblis checked his watch. "Come down to the MSA HQ in Ascension and meet with me on the 28th of Edress, which is about three weeks from now. That will give you some time to celebrate your graduation."
"Thank you."
Iblis extended a hand to shake, and Angela took it. Iblis winced, feeling the tight, powerful grip of Angela's right hand.
Waiting for Delis around the corner was his Second Lieutenant, Adoré Falwin. Even in the heels of her dress uniform, she was small, with dark hair cut into a bob and lime green eyes. She stood up from leaning against the wall and snapped a crisp salute to Iblis.
"How did it go, Sir?" Falwin asked, after Delis returned the salute, and started walking to keep up with him.
"Went about as well as expected," Iblis answered, and handed the clipboard to Falwin. "She's standoffish... but I can sense that she's reliable and trustworthy."
"Trustworthy to you... or to the state?" Falwin said with a wry smile.
"It's easy to gain my trust... hard to get it back. But the kind of loyalty the state wants to instill in these kids..." Iblis shook his head, ignoring stares from the students passing by. "I just hope I'm making the right decision."
"Does it sit right with you, recruiting these children out of vocational school?" Falwin blew hair from her face. "Because it doesn't with me."
"I don't take any pleasure from it, but it's better that I get to her before the MFA does." Delis turned right on his heel, heading toward the exit. "If I remember correctly, you got recruited right out of school as well."
"Best day of my life," Falwin answered, keeping pace with him.
Delis thought back to the handshake, of Angela's black glove on her right hand.
"Her scores..."
"Sorry, Sir?"
"I've only seen scores like hers once, and it was a long time ago." Delis answered.
"Whose were they?" Falwin stopped for a moment.
"Mine." Delis pushed open the door and stepped out into the summer air. "Are you coming, Lieutenant?"
After the Captain had left, Angela held her keycard up to the scanner. Once in her dorm, Angela kicked off her shoes and fell backward onto her bed, staring up at the blank concrete ceiling. There was no window in here, only a holo-screen that showed a generic blue and cloudy sky, with an indicator in the bottom-right corner showing the date and the local weather temperature.
She considered Captain Iblis’ words about being able to work as a State Affairs officer in a week after graduating. It seemed too good to be true, but in all actuality, it wasn’t unheard of. She was young, but that hardly mattered when it came to pure competency, at least as far as State Affairs was concerned. They needed every able-bodied person they could find, and with a multitude of orphans now entering the workforce, there was no shortage.
It seemed that everything she had worked so hard for was finally paying off, and her path was set for her. There was no more worrying about what to do after school had ended, where she would go, where she would live; all she would have to do is show up, pass the preliminary exams, and she would have a badge and a gun. It was a beautiful thing, knowing exactly what one wanted to do and then following through to the end. It was something many people struggled with.
Angela sighed, and held a hand over her eyes, hoping to find reprieve in the darkness, if only for a moment. It was exhausting feeling nothing.
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