HARDCORE - A story by Tiger

***(2018 Copyright by Rysun Chu aka Tiger)***

***Mission: Hardcore***

***Prologue:***

July 4th, 2019

The snow was everywhere. It blanketed almost everything he could see, as if dust in an old, unused basement. Soon, the ground will be stained, no not stained, painted with red. And when a sad, lonely rain comes crashing down into the everlasting *whiteness,* light, turquoise blue reflecting the color of the sky, the colors of the American flag will be painted. But it wouldn’t be celebrated, it would be despised, separated from, like the Declaration of Independence, but more sudden, impulsive, strategic.

From this day, July 4th will mean more than independence from Britain, it will be;

“The day of the mutiny of the Antarctic 10th Defense Battalion,” said Captain Johny Rark.

Captain Johny Rark, of the 10th Defense Battalion, whose battalion was categorized for mastery of arms and fighting, looked out into the *whiteness*.

“Sir, Commander Herek would like to see you,” said a lower class soldier.

“Tell him I am training my private soldiers,” Johny turned. “But sir, you aren’t doing that, you will be accused of lying,” nervously said the short soldier.

“I demand silence!” Shouted Johny, “Today, the US Antarctic Base will perish, and all of the bases in the Frozen Continent will be united under my control!” The other man scampered away, terrified and sneaking glances at Johny.

“Start the broadcast,” whispered the Captain into his com link. There was a barely audible mumble, understood as yes sir.

Everywhere, on all of the radios and TVs in the US Antarctic base, only Captain Rark could be heard.

“Hello, my dear battallion. Today, you have a simple choice, either join me in my conquest to be ruler of the frozen continent, or oppose me and be eliminated. Simple enough.” The Captain rubbed his hands in anticipation.

He listened to cries of “Traitor!” and other forms of slander.

“My soldiers, oppose them it is, get to the armory!” he said through the com link.

Captain Rark, who barely participated in the fighting worked on finding Commander Braker. He heard soldiers running and throwing grenades, shooting and cries of pain. He smirked, “Today I will show them who is the boss, am I right?”

He was almost to Commander Braker’s private quarters when the last defenders blocked him. He fired a couple of quick shots and the soldiers fell to the floor. One of the soldiers, the strongest rose up from the floor. “I finally have more supporters,” thought Rark.

The man crossed his arms over his chest and said solemnly, “For justice.”

The burly man charged at Rark, only to die from a fatal bullet. “That wasn’t a fitting death for a soldier like you,” said Rark quietly. The Captain charged and rammed the Commander’s door. The solid, metal door wouldn’t budge. He rammed it again, and it still wouldn’t budge, even an inch. He finally threw a melter, a type of grenade that can melt almost any type of metal.

He watched the door glow orange-red and it suddenly started melting away, he watched molten metal drip from the edges of the door frame and onto the cold, emotionless metal floor.

Captain Rark walked into the Commander’s quarters. It was empty, except for a few unfinished maps on his desk. Johny suddenly turned around to a sound of loud footsteps.

Commander Braker stood there, his private soldiers holding Rark’s at bay.

“Broadcast this to the whole US,” said Rark over the com link, “Let the whole US see one of their greatest commanders defeated.”

“You,” said Commander Braker, pointing his finger, “Are accused of treason.” “You can be sentenced to prison, or die fighting for the wrong purpose, Johny Rark.

“Excuse me sir,” said Rark with a smirk, “But I think you, Jack Tom Braker, is the one not willing to accept the revolution! Attack!”

A skirmish broke out in the hallway, and while Rark’s forces were being pushed to the freezing *whiteness* outside, he gave a mischievous smile as it was all under his plan. When the door was opened and they stepped outside into the *whiteness*, the rebellion opened fire on their captain’s command.

Commander Braker, not expecting this stood there, trying to save everything he had worked for and the justice he had preserved, leaped forward into the gunfire, grappling with Rark, in the marsh-like, melting *whiteness*, accidently dropping his trusty pistol. Suddenly, there was an extemely loud shot, and Braker, rolled away, painting the snow with blood, and the sad rain painted it blue, turquoise blue like the color the droplets reflected.

***While this all happened:***

A couple, Fred Braker, Commander Braker’s son and Samantha Braker, his wife, watched TV, never expecting what would happen next.

Everyone’s TV set in the US, whose channel’s were hacked and turned, almost as if turning and viewing something new, viewed the same thing. Commander Braker’s defeat and death, fighting against the mutiny.

Fred, who previously had his hand over his pregnant wife’s belly, sat there in shock, his eyeballs begging to turn away but his mind, not wanting to believe, made them stay.

He watched his father roll over, painting the snow with blood, and Rark’s manic-like laughter, and…and the *whiteness*, melting away slowly after the cold rain, like how his father’s life was drained away by the mutiny Rark led, and the single, fatal bullet that delivered his murder.

Samantha, who was defined by her actions as a weird, but beautiful woman, wanting to take Fred’s eyes away from the horror, slowly said;

“What are we going to name our son?”

“Tom,” the father’s head turned, “Tom Braker.”

***Chapter 1: Potential***

***16 years after the events of the prologue:***

Tom Braker clutched his hopper, or paintball gun and shot a glance, leaning his body slightly out of the tree, his temporary cover. He saw an enemy player, who didn’t see him yet.

“The perfect targets are always those who don’t notice you,” thought Tom.

He clutched the hopper, started firing paintballs and rushed the player. He was splatted with paint and looked around, still not knowing how he got hit.

“Ugh, it fires to slow for my skills,” said Tom over the walkie-talkie system his team uses to communicate, their own com link.

“Be quiet Braker,” said the team captain, Gerald Metting, then he yelled, “Braker, I can see two players flanking you!”

Tom made short work of the two, he considered himself to be a ninja, no, a samurai because of his skills.

One of the most aggressive players on Tom’s team, Joe Anderson yelled something over the com link that Tom understood as:

“I’m rushing one of their snipers, they don’t seem me yet, get me cover Gerald!”

“Braker, you are up,”

“What? For what?” Tom asked.

“Nevermind that, just cover Joe!” Tom turned and ran to provide Joe cover, while a firing squad of 2 started ganging up on him. He heard firing in his direction as a teammate covered him.

“Focus,” Tom told himself, “Your job is to provide cover to Joe.”

He heard the man covering him yelp and a bit of paint splashed on Tom’s leg. At least his cover provider managed to splat the firing squad with paint, but there was last enemy player, a sniper, the one that Joe rushed and went into hiding.

Now there was firing at him. Tom ran away, looking back every few moments and diving behind covers. He heard Joe get shot, yelp and raise his hands up, stepping out of the arena. It was only him and Gerald left fighting.

“Wow, this sniper is incredibly annoying,” sighed Gerald over the com link.

“Totally not,” Tom said sarcastically. “Let’s just get this game done with and leave with another win,” Gerald said. “Duh!” yelled Tom.

The sniper, taking advantage of the distraction started firing. They came whizzing by like arrows shot by a crossbow, but faster and more superior.

Gerald was shot thrice by the sudden rapid-fire, twice in the chest and once on his right leg, and fell to the floor from the combined impact of all 3 paintballs.

“Braker, you are alone,” said Gerald over the com link once he was out of the arena, “Remember to be smart and not impulsive.” “I think I know you all are out, and I am alone.” said Tom.

The same style of rapid-fire came again, and Tom dived behind a large oak tree, it’s dense, old, gnarled trunk blocked the paintballs from him, while it received a blue paint job.

“I have to be careful,” thought Tom, “And I have to find out where the sniper is hiding.”

The rapid-fire came as soon as Tom leaned slightly out of his cover and shot a glance in the sniper’s general direction. Tom got the sniper to fire his usual barrage, but instead of waiting behind the tree, he ran forward and dived behind another cover. He used the same pattern to advance forward again.

He looked out and saw the enemy player scamper to another cover, and Tom finally pulled the trigger on his hopper after not using it for a while, closed his eyes, and listened to the paintball fire out of the hopper and splatter the paint it held on something.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the enemy player with his arms raised and red paint splatter on his chest.

Team Samurai-Ninjas cheered for Tom, as he walked out of the arena, victorious. He felt great as his team celebrated him and he shook hands with the opposite team’s captain, Mark Toman of the Vikings.

His own team patted him on his back and he listened to them saying things like, “Great job Braker!”, “You totally *Broke* through their lines!” While smiling.

When Braker got home, instead of being showered with praise, he just heard his dad, Fred Braker hollering across the house,

“Go shower and change, then do your chores!”

“Dad, I think I know this stuff, I am already 15 and 3 quarters years old!” Tom hollered back.

When no reply was heard, Tom just sighed, grabbed a pair of clothes and walked to the shower. While showering, he just thought, “Why? Why does it have to be like this?” He sighed again, “If only my parents knew I was doing this for them, if only they could hear me out…”

Two hours later, at the dining table with his parents, he tried to persuade them again. “Mom, dad, can you please listen to me this one time?”

“If it is about the Falcon Fighter T-50, then it is a no,” said his mom, Samantha Braker.

“But if I get a better gun and win the 2035 Wisconsin National Championship with my team, then I will give all of the money I won to you guys, I know our finance is bad right now, but I am trying to help us all, the family!” he suddenly started yelling.

“Who even said you were going to the National Championship?” asked his dad.

“And if you go, who said you will win?” asked his mom with a raised eyebrow.

“How do you think you will make time for earning the money that you need to enter the Championship if you make such a big deal about getting ready for your weekly games?” his dad said.

“I am done!” shouted Tom, “Who needs Grandpa Jack’s old, rusty hopper that he used since he was a child, when I could work hard for a couple months, earn some money and buy the Falcon Fighter T-50, I could sell Grandpa Jack’s hopper on Ebay, and enter the National Championship *next year*!”

Tom got up and walked to his room, slamming the door behind him and locking it.

His mom knocked on the door, “It’s not like what you think,” she pleaded to her son.

“Then what is it? You don’t want me to use anything else but Grandpa Jack’s hopper, just because he died in a car accident!” yelled Tom from inside the room.

“Tom Jack Braker,” yelled his dad, “It really isn’t what it seems like, Grandpa Jack didn’t die in a car accident!”

“Fred, why are you telling him now? When we have kept it from him for almost 16 years? I was going to tell him when he was 18, right before he left the house?”

“It’s going to be more traumatizing the later you tell him, the longer you wait!”

“Wait, mom, dad, what are you hiding from me?” he asked.

“The fact that your Grandpa Jack died-“ his dad was interrupted by a female voice, “The fact that we bought the Falcon Fighter T-50 and we were waiting to give it to you on your 16th birthday, in-time for the National Championship.”

“Wait, I want to listen to what dad was saying,” said Tom, opening up to the idea a little more.

“Son, your Grandpa Jack died during the Antarctic Mutiny of the 10th Defense Battallion when Captain Johny Rark led his private group of soldiers against your grandpa and his fellow defenders,” said Fred, while holding his hand over Samantha’s mouth.

“So, you guys, my parents were hiding this from the whole time!” Tom yelled, “If you told me earlier, I would have understood everything, I wouldn’t have argued, I would have accepted it and gratefully used the hopper Grandpa Jack left behind!” Tears started welling up in his eyes,

“But you kept it from me, and I suffered even more that way!”

“Tom,” his mom’s sweet voice said, “Tom, I was the one who didn’t let Fred, your father tell you because I thought you wouldn’t suffer as much if you never knew, and now I realize I am wrong, so please don’t blame your dad.”

Tom, who was overwhelmed with all of this, locked himself in his room until the next morning…

He heard a beeping sound. Tom groaned and rolled over, shutting off his alarm clock. He forced himself to get up, despite it was only 4:30, the new time he set for himself to avoid his parents completely. He did 50 sit-ups, then 40 push-ups, before making himself an omelette for breakfast.

He grabbed his backpack and his review papers, and biked to school.

When he arrived, he saw George Quainsworth, his best friend talking to a girl wearing a Wonder Woman costume to school, the only dialogue he heard was:

“Hi, I am George Quainsworth,” his best friend said that was considered mentally-weird by many others.

“Hi, I am Wonder Woman,” smirked Clara Osweld, in a Wonder Woman costume.

“Oh, we are using our fake names I guess, then I am Howard Quainsworth,” said George.

“Why are you using the name of your brother?” asked Clara.

“Oh, because my parents are on the slightly older side-“ “George, your mom is 86 and your dad is 92,” interrupted Tom as he pedaled in-between the pair.

“To continue, my parents are very old, have amnesia and call me Howard because they only remember my brother who died in a car accident.” said George.

“They told me that I have amnesia and that’s why I can’t always exactly remember their ages, and plus Howard is my middle name,” added George.

“Oh, that’s nice,” said Clara, not knowing what to say.

“Oh and by the way, I feel Principal Yan will catch you in that outfit and have you put in detention…” said Tom as a finishing line.

***Chapter 2: Thieves and Tragedies***

Later in the day, at lunch, Tom sat down with George. A group of bullies came by, saying to Tom:

“Oh look, it’s the boy who’s grandfather *totally* died in a car accident,” their leader said.

Tom gritted his teeth, rethinking the events of the previous night.

Maybe if he took the hint from the bullies, or asked his parents when he started doubting them, maybe he could know earlier and wouldn’t be as shocked.

Just then, Tom’s iPhone rang. The caller id read: Team Captain Metting. Tom picked up the phone, “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me Tom, Gerald, I just wanted to tell you-“ “Tell me what?” asked Tom, *disrespectfully* interrupting his captain. “That I am leaving the team.” Gerald finished off the hard sentence the easy way, just spit it out.

“What?” asked Tom in disbelief, “First he learns the death of his Grandfather, his team captain is dropping out and now doing who knows what, and what other tragedies does life have in store for him?” he thought.

“Lots more…” a mysterious voice in his head said.

“Listen, Tom, I got recruited for-“ “Shut up! You just found a better team!” he ended the call angrily.

Tom thought angrily, “When I am older, I need to bring Captain Rark down, bring justice to my family and the world!”

George watched him with a blank face, he didn’t know what was going on with Tom today. “Tom, are you okay, you look angry?” his best friend asked.

“Yeah, I’m good, and I just don’t want to talk about it.” he replied.

“Oh, that’s good,” said the George.

Tom looked around, and saw Catherine Brook, a girl he dated in Middle School, wearing a hood and on her phone, looking around nervously.

“Let me go talk to Katie,” said Tom.

Tom walked to the girl. He tapped her shoulder. She turned around, and like when they first met, he was stunned by her beautiful face, but she broke up with him before in the beginning of 8th Grade. Tom was the boy who had dated her the longest, yet she used the excuse that he was incredibly clumsy and annoying and she couldn’t bear it anymore, running away in tears, to break up, the latter part of the excuse *incredibly* easy to identify as fake.

Catherine turned around. “Oh, hi Katie, it’s me, Tom, your boyfriend in 7th Grade.

“Oh, it’s you Tom, handsome as ever,” she flirted, “But you were only *one* of my many boyfriends in 7th Grade. And what do you want now?”

“I am just wondering what you are doing, how you are doing right now.” Tom said.

He looked down at her iPhone 48. He saw something about tips & tricks and later on the same page the word stealing appearing a couple times, “It can’t be, that you’re going to go steal something?” asked Tom accusingly.

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?” asked the bratty girl, “Do you want to join me?”

“No, just noticed it,” he said. “Well I trust you won’t get me any trouble, will you?” she flashed her smile at him again, but this time it didn’t have as much as an effect. “I won’t, Katie,” he smirked.

The girl walked away. But Tom started thinking, “Maybe I could steal the Falcon Fighter T-50…”

“What did you guys talk about?” asked George. “Nothing much,” Tom lied, “She just told me about her current boyfriend.”

“That girl can’t go for a second without a boyfriend,” gossiped George.

“Be quiet George, you know that you have to stay on that girl’s good side or you will be sorry,” said Tom.

“Yeah, you’re right, did I tell you about the time I spread rumors about her…” the two sophomores walked off to their next class, while their voices grew fainter and fainter.

***At school the next day…***

Tom ran up to Katie in the morning. “Hey Katie, what store are you going to steal at?” he whispered into her ear. “Diamonds and Pawn, the one across from the Pro Paintball Providers (PPP), you know where it is?” she asked.

“I was going to ask, if I could go with you and I could steal a hopper from PPP, and you can go steal whatever you want at Diamonds and Pawn, and we will meet up at the end.”

“Sure, just don’t get us caught, when we were dating you were still *incredibly* clumsy *and* annoying,” smirked Katie.

“That’s good with me,” said Tom.

“Then it’s good with me, 7:00 PM tomorrow,” said Katie, starting to saunter away.

“But, I have band practic-“ “You can find a way out of it,” Katie interrupted a faltering Tom.

“I *can* make something up I guess,” thought Tom.

For the rest of the day, Tom worried about what to say to get out of band practice tomorrow, but then he got just the right idea.

He walked up to Katie before he biked home. “Hey Katie,” he tapped her nervously on the shoulder, “Do you have a distraction so we don’t get caught?”

“When have I never had accomplice in the dozen times I have done things like this, I am *not* dumb if you’re mistaken,” she said feriously.

“I didn’t mean it like that Katie,” said Tom, “Well see you at the *shops,”* Katie yelled out as she walked away. “You too!” Tom shouted back.

The next day at 6:30, because the *shops* were about 20 minutes away from school, Tom was in band practice.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand up, “Mr. Maik, I don’t feel so good, may I leave practice early today?” he asked.

“Tom, oh I don’t see you get sick too often, I hope you feel better, you are dismissed,” the teacher waved his hand and pointed it to the exit.

“That was quick,” thought Tom, “But I can’t afford to be careless tonight.”

Once he biked to the stores, he saw Katie. He biked to her before laying his bike outside PPP and talked to her a bit.

The two highschoolers then went to their respective stores. Tom heard a loud “Crash!”, and rushed outside. He saw Katie outside too. He saw a car, completely wrecked, stick out of the brick wall that surrounded the Diamonds and Pawn store.

He saw someone hobble out, hurt and wearing a bloodied face, and then the man lost consciousness and fell on the cold, hard pavement. He saw Katie going back into the store, and he texted her, “What are you doing? You aren’t going to help?” “This is our only chance, it’s the distraction I planned.” “You planned to kill someone?” he texted back. “Get what you want, or leave!” she texted.

Tom, who saw the highschooler that got injured, whom he recognized, Ford Jareson from his school, Katie’s current boyfriend.

Tom, who felt bad for the boy but was desperate for the Falcon Fighter T-50, snuck one last look at the wreck and the boy, and people calling the police and ran inside PPP, where the cashier and employees ran out to see what happened.

He was in aisle 25, when he saw it. A perfect Falcon Fighter Hopper, Type 50 (T-50), sitting on a display shelf. A white sign next to it said: ***WORKING*** model for display purposes only

He snatched his dream hopper and a small can of *Elite Paintballs for Pros* and ran outside, meeting Katie in front of Diamonds and Pawn.

“You got everything you wanted?” she asked, “There’s no going back now without getting caught.”

Intense light and sound from the signature police blue and red sirens came rushing into the plaza, with ambulances trailing behind.

“We have to go!” yelled Katie, “Or we will get caught.”

Tom rushed to his bike, but unfortunately, the clerk and some employees from their respective stores noticed them, and told a police officer they stole something.

“Where’s my driver?” Katie asked hurriedly. “Maybe he is in there, hurt,” said Tom, pointing to the back of the ambulance. “Dang it!” yelled Katie. Her voice when she was mad could be heard from miles away.

“GET ON!,” yelled Tom, as he urged Katie to sit behind him on his bike.

“What?” I’m not sitting behind you, you clumsy, annoying…thing!” Katie had a difficult time finding an ending work or insult.

“Or you will get arrested,” Tom said, as he grabbed Katie by the waist, and hauled her up onto the bike behind him. She was awed his behavior as he did this, and just looked into his eyes, while Tom muttered, “Is she a pyscho, weirdo, *or* a total creep,” under his breath.

“It’s the cops, hurry!” yelled Katie. Tom just did the smart thing and listened to her. He immidiately started pedaling as fast as he could, but it was difficult, despite the fact he was muscular and strong, because the combined weight of the two teens was *pretty* heavy.

In seconds, 2 police dogs were circling them, ready to snap at their ankles at any given moment, and they were forced to stop.

Katie saw the police officers coming, and she snatched the can of *Elite Paintballs for Pros* and the Falcon Fighter T-50 with a “Give me that!”, loaded the paintballs into the hopper, and started firing at the cops within a seemingly slowed down 5 seconds…

The cops took out pistols, batons and other weaponry and Katie, who was scared now, raised her arms up and dropped the hopper, along with Tom.

The cops who were now around them, started taking out handcuffs while one radioed their police station. Katie made another bold move and punched the nearest cop in the face, but before she could elbow another, the victim of her punch already got handcuffs on her.

Tom didn’t do anything risky and just complied with the officers. The officer who was radioing told them:

“There is one that has tried to harm us, she is the girl, and the other has been very obedient, but still be careful with him.”

As Katie and Tom were forced to walk to and go into one of the police cars, you could hear Katie, squealing and squirming, and yelling things like, “I came from a rich family!” or “My family could give you guys double your monthly pay if let me go!”

Once they were in the car and driving to the police station, the younger cop, that wasn’t driving in the car, for fun, called her parents, and asked, “Is this Mr. or Mrs. Brook?”

A nervous “Yes, I am Mr. Brook (Mike Brook), who are you?” could be heard.

“I am a police officer who has found your daughter stealing diamonds and attempting to resist arrest by harming police officers, and she claims that you would double our monthly pay if we let her go, not that we would accept that offer, but would you?”

The officer on the phone looked back and smirked at a defiant looking Katie.

“No, no!” Mr. Brook said in a hurry, “We would *never* let our spoiled, bratty youngest daughter get away with something like that.” The young police officer turned back and looked at Katie again.

“Do we need to come to the police station anytime soon?” Mrs. Brook (Elizabeth Brook) said, stealing the phone from her husband.

“Yes Mr-Mrs. Brook, perhaps tomorrow around 11:30 AM if that’s okay with you? After all, it is *awfully* too late for you guys to come tonight.” the young cop was forced to juggle between the husband and wife’s titles.

“That would be a perfect time, as we will be having lunch with a friend around 12:00 at a restaurant nearby. Bye bye I guess, and thank you for the notice.” Mr. Brook said as he struggled to get the phone and call back under his control.

“We are here,” the older cop said as he pulled into the modern police station, who captured Tom and Katie’s eyes with it’s beautiful, alluring design and architecture. Katie, however didn’t try to fight arrestment this time as she walked into the police station under custody.

***Chapter 3: Arrested and Recruited***

Katie and Tom were taken to the interrogation room. Katie was trembling with nervousness, fear, and…who knows what else she thinks of and feels?

Tom though, was firm, strong and created this leaderlike charisma that made the police officers around him look at him like he mixed up the left and right of his shoes, or wore his shorts backwards.

Chief Horen, the Police Chief at the Braker Police Station, noticed the two disobedient teens walk into the interrogation room. “Let me see what these kiddos did to get taken here,” the man thought.

The police chief, who was on the older side, knocked on the closed door of the interrogation room the thieves were taken into and the door was opened up for him.

“Hey kiddos, what brought you to Braker Police Station…” Chief Horen said along with the rest of talk he does about this station’s reputation, great works, and all of the other boring stuff he does, or at least what Officer Lee, who was going to be the original interrogator in the room thinks is boring.

As soon as Chief Horen said Braker Police Station, Katie had to whisper, teasingly to Tom, “Wow, they named a whole city and Police Station after you…”

“Ugh, leave me alone Katie,” said Tom, “You got me into all this trouble.

As he retatliated to her comment, he couldn’t help but think, “Wow Katie, I thought you were *sooo* rich, but yet you don’t even know the name of the city you have lived in all your life.”

The younger and more action-loving officer tapped his older chief on the shoulder.

“Chief, I think we should go ahead an interrogate them before they get any more ideas, subtly pointing his finger at a Katie, who was deep in her thoughts.

“Ahem,” the chief coughed all of a sudden, startling Katie, and bringing her *back into the real world.* She jumped, not out of her chair, but ever-so-slightly actually doing so. Tom looked at the chief, while Katie looked at Officer Lee, thinking he was the one that coughed and not Chief Horen.

“AHem!” the chief coughed again, hoping to get Katie’s attention. But still, the arrogant girl thought it was an embarrassed Officer Lee.

“AHEM! Are you deaf Miss Catherine Brook!” the fustrated chief yelled.

Katie suddenly turned and faced the chief. “The interrogation starts NOW!”  he demanded.

Everyone sat up straight or stood up straight, all eyes on the irritated man.

“Kiddos, what did you do to get yourselves here,” Chief Horen said mockingly.

“I tried to steal diamonds, and had my current boyfriend get into a car accident as a distraction.” Katie said.

“She influenced me,” said Tom in a jokingly manner, pointing at Katie, “To steal a Falcon Fighter T-50 Hopper and Elite Paintballs.”

“That’s not true!” yelled back Katie, sound like a wife getting into a childish argument wtih her husband.

“Enough, enough,” Chief Horen got fustrated, “You guys sound like a couple, arguing in this manner.

Katie pointed at Tom, “Me, dating him?” she scoffed, “That clumsy, annoying, son of a witch!” “Excuse me,” said Tom, who was obviously annoyed by his ex’s obnoxious behavior.

“Break it up ladies,” said Officer Lee, taking advantage of the hilarious moment.

The female delinquent and her ex-boyfriend, embarrassed by Officer Lee’s comment, stopped arguing and cut off eye contact.

“Miss Catherine-“ “It’s Katie, Katie Brook,” she interrupted.

“Miss Katie Brook, why did you go to steal the diamond?”

“I had to get it, but my parents wouldn’t buy it for me, so I could use it to ask a *really* handsome boy I like out.” she hurriedly explained.

“George Quainsworth?” Tom asked mockingly.

“No, how could you consider him handsome, unless…you’re not straight Tom!” Katie smirked as she turned the roast’s direction against her *annoying* ex-boyfriend.

“Mr. Tom Braker, why did you do the *terrible* act of stealing?”

“Well sir, as I said previously,” Tom made sure to use more advanced vocabulary words, “I was influenced by Miss Katie Brook over here’s, deceiving ways and ended up stealing a Falcon Fighter T-50.”

“And some *Elite Paintballs for Pros*,” Katie added, giving Tom an accusing look.

“I can’t deal with them anymore,” Chief Horen whispered to Officer Lee, “I will pretend to take a bathroom break, and you can take over.”

“Yes sir,” said Officer Lee.

“Excuse me, my dear disobedient delinquents, I will leave to take a bathroom break, Officer Lee,” he motioned with his hand to the younger officer, “Will take over the interrogation.”

Chief Horen immediately fast-walked out of the interrogation room, driven crazy by the two sophomores.

“Okay, kiddos,” hilariously imitating Chief Horen’s voice, slamming his hand on the interrogator’s desk. “You are going to be moved to the holding cells in the police station.”

“Great,” said Katie sarcastically, “Prison food.” Tom just slammed his hand on his forehead and looked at Katie while she made her sarcastic comment, sighing heavily.

The pair was moved to the holding cells, while Katie seemed to have to be dragged there, as she was *totally* very complient during her arrest process.

“There you go, kiddos,” said Officer Lee as he shut the door to the cells, once they both were in, still imitating Chief Horen’s voice.

“Look, we are in one room, or cell, alone together,” said Tom, mixing the two aspects of saying something *jokingly* *and* *saracastically* together.

“Shut up, dum-dum!” snapped Katie. The girl was apparently in a bad mood.

“Was there a breeze that just went by my ear?” he tapped Katie, “Was there a breeze?”

The annoyed, bratty girl slapped her ex-boyfriend across the face. “There you go, did you hear something this time?”

Tom immediately knew that she reached her limit.

“Good news,” said Officer Lee as he walked by again, stopping to look at the two in their cell. “The US Government is recruiting Tom for something, so if he agrees, you, Mr. Tom Braker, will be freed of all responsibilites and punishments from your crime.” “However, you,” the young officer pointed his finger at Katie, “Will face all responsibilites and punishments for *your* crime.”

“Wait, wait!” said Tom, getting Officer Lee to stop walking. “Who recruited me?” “Donald J. Trump.” “Hey, that’s not fair! What’s so special about this, clumsy, annoying son of a-“ her yelling was interrupted by Tom, covering her mouth.

“Clean language please Katie, you are already arrested, what else do you want?” “I was going to say *witch*, what did you think I was going to say? Say it Tom.”

“Wait,” Tom said before Officer Lee could walk away again. “I will only go, if you free Katie from the responsibilities and punishments also.”

“That’s fine, but you need to pay…hmmm…500 Dollars.” “Then take my iPhone 45.” Tom said bluntly, handing out the iPhone he had hid from the police all this time.

“Very well then, you both are free. An officer will escort you guys out of the Braker Police Station, and you will enter the car, waiting for you kids in the parking lot.”

After boring paperwork *lots* of more boring signatures involved with the confusing forms, the two were free to go.

When they go to the parking lot, and were about to enter the Red 2035 2 Seated Ferrari F50 SpeJster, Katie’s parents pulled into the Braker Police Station’s parking lot. However, they didn’t see Katie and Tom walking into the luxerious car.

They were greeted by this cool looking Italian guy as soon as they entered the expensive car, who wanted them to call him Mr. Raci or Raci Sir, which Katie made sure to pronounciate: Mr. Ranchini.

Mr. Raci, or how Katie said it, Mr. Ranchini in the most American accent she could manage, who was the one wearing expensive sunglasses and driving the 2 seated expensive car, tried to look through the police station’s transparent turquiose blue windows, as you could *easily* hear Katie’s Mom, Mrs. Brook, yelling at Officer Lee and Chief Horen, while they tried to explain she is now free of all responsibilities and punishments because of Tom’s *kind and generous* act.

***Chapter 4: Tom can Drive, even on a highway!***

“Wait,” Katie said, “There are only *2 seats*, yet there are 3 OF US!”

“One of us will have to leave,” she added, “Mr. Ranchini, you could get some exercise,” she said jokingly, pretending like he had a *large stomach*, “While Tom drives me…”

“Fine with me then,” Mr. Raci handed Tom the keys,”You should know how to drive boy, you will be doing a *lot* of that once you’re done with training…”

Mr. Raci began his long jog. “Hurry up Tom!” “It’s my first time driving, you little brat!” “Ho-How, could you say that to a lady like me, Tom?” she said accusingly.

“Shut up Katie, the first person to say you’re a lady will be m-“ he stopped himself, “Your mom,” he said slowly as he tried to save himself, in fear of revealing his secret.

“Wow,” Katie said in pretend awe, “Hurry up and drive, just don’t get us killed!”

Tom started the Ferrai’s engine. “Boy, were those engines loud revving up,” he thought. He backed out of the parking lot like a pro, then sped up to the speed limit of 55 in a matter of seconds.

“Wow,” Katie said, “I guess you do have some talent, but think about it, isn’t the *car* doing most of the work?”

Tom sighed heavily, “Unlike you, even if I don’t have talent and the car does, do you have any?”

Katie thought for a couple moments, “Yes, of course, I can get *so* many boyfriends if I wanted to,” she showed her *beautiful, stunning* face to Tom.

“But you aren’t good at keeping them,” Tom said with an eyebrow raised, “Or are you?”

“I was going to keep y-“ Katie had to force herself to stop, “No, now’s not the time,” thought Katie.

“You like me?” Tom asked accusingly, “I thought you considered me a son of a witch!”

“No, I would never say that! I didn’t even consider posting on the *Witch gone crazy* Instagram photo challenge!” she suddenly clasped her hand over her mouth.

“Says the bratty lady-“ Tom stopped himself, “bratty, annoying girl that has maintained a winning streak on that photo challenge for 5 whole years!”

“No, my parents only have 2nd and 3rd place though,” Katie tried to take the blame off herself, and push it to her parents.

“While you had 1st place!” Tom yelled back, looking back at the girl trying to look as innocent as she could. Katie flashed her beautiful, stunning face again at Tom, but she looked away sadly, as she could tell it couldn’t work as well anymore.

“AAAHHHH!” Katie screamed as she looked ahead. “What is it?” Tom looked back again. There was a loud *skkkkkrrrr-aaaat* as Tom suddenly turned the Ferrari away from the cliff, and Katie watched nervously as the car pushed rocks down as it struggled to save itself.

“You could have killed me! What would you say if I died?!” she asked angrily, still in extreme shock.

“Oops, at least I got the trouble out of my life,” he sneered jokingly at her from the rear view mirror.

“We’re here,” said Tom, startling an absent minded Katie. “Where are we going?” How do you know this is the right place?”

“We are at Fort Braker. My dad used to take me here to honor my Great-Grandfather Greg’s death protecting it when it used to have the name Fort Fusion. The two major forts in the USA right now are Fort Braker and Fort Furious, where my Great-Grandfather Greg and his son, my grandfather trained and were stationed respectively.”

“Tom, will you join the US military later on?” Katie asked, accidently shedding light on some of her feelings, “Will I still see you?” For some odd reason, she started to cry.

“Why else would I be recruited and sent to a fort by Donald J. Trump?” said Tom with a long sigh.

“To get away from your broke parents,” Katie suggested with a shrug, as if the comment was *no big* deal.

“I know my parents are almost bankrupt,” Tom said solemnly, “BUT IT’S NOT A MATTER FOR YOU TO JOKE ABOUT IT, KATIE!” He started yelling out of anger.

“Hey Tom, calm down, remember, a gentleman *nevers* yells at a lady.”

“Who said you were a lady?” asked Tom mockingly.

“Who said you were a gentleman?”

Suddenly, someone in a miltary uniform came into view. Tom quickly swerved away, heading to the E*lite Member’s* parking area.

“You were about to hit someone!” Katie exclaimed, like most of her other words and comments, it was somewhat obnoxious, to someone who knew what they were doing.

“You know Katie,” Tom said with a smirk, “If you’re on the streets, *alone*, and you aren’t paying attention, just annoying people with *your* obnoxious comments, you *could* get hit by a car, while crossing the street…”

“Did I hear the wind say something?” Katie commented as she leaned sideways, since they were moving more slowly now that they were in the fort.

Tom suddenly sped up, on purpose, so that Katie’s head suddenly slammed onto her headrest. “Owww,” she complained.

As Tom parked swiftly in a lot in the *Elite Member’s* parking area, Katie opened the passenger’s door and leaped out while the car moved slowly.

She walked to Tom’s side, waiting for him.

“So Katie, are you going to be quiet now?” Tom asked.

“Maaaybbbe,” she said annoyingly.

Suddenly, she heard loud gunshots coming from the gun-training part of Fort Braker, and she started getting strong, vivid memories, then got *completely lost* in them.

***Chapter 5: Flashbacks - Katie & Tom***

The gunshots, reminded Katie about a memory that was a treasure to her.

It was like watching a show on TV, she had no control over what she saw, and it went like this…

Katie ran as fast she could out of the amusement park. She heard loud, destructive gunshots and yelps and cries of fear.

As an eight year old, she was ought to be scared. She didn’t know where her parents were, and her older brother died to give *her* a chance to live.

She finally got to the exit, and gave no hesitance in running straight out. Behind her, she heard loud, running footsteps. Then, the boy bolted right in front of her, holding something that looked like a…a…gun, before ducking right inside the ticket booth.

The boy, was as handsome as ever, and she thought;

“Oh, how I would love to be his girlfriend.”

He urged her to get inside the booth with a hand motion, and with no resistance, she felt as if she was pulled to him, but she *wasn’t*.

Suddenly, the gunner was in their sight. Gunshots were fired as soon as he saw the running Katie. She felt and saw them whiz around her, pushing the air around her, as if everything was in slow motion.

Then, he jumped. The boy, who was obviously older than her, leaped in front of her, holding his pistol and firing at the gunner. The gunner, who was injured, gave up and bolted away, dropping his weapon.

However, she heard groans and watched grimaces form on the boy’s face as he shielded her. She saw bullet marks on his right arm, and a couple on his left leg.

She tried to help him up, but he refused. Instead, he got up first, then hauled the terrified Katie up.

“Where’s your parents, little girl?” he asked softly.

“He spoke to me,” thought Katie, loving the moment.

“Where are your parents?” the boy sounded even softer..

“This is heaven, such a handsome boy has never spoke to me before,” thought Katie, half-ignoring, half-not hearing the handsome boy.

“Where are your parents? My lady,” he said even more *softly*.

“Oh, I don’t know where they are,” Katie suddenly said, realizing that he was talking to her.

Then, she looked up at him, she was about to ask, “will you be my boyfriend?” But she shook her head, knowing that this *wasn’t* the time.

Then, the memroy stopped playing in her mind. She just finished telling it to Tom through the driver’s window from the outside.

“That was you, wasn’t it? That boy I liked then?”

“That was me, *buuuuut* you messed up the story. Firstly, I didn’t say the last two “Where are your parents?” softly, I got fustrated and *yelled* at you.”

Katie looked at him with guilt.

“Yes, I also took the bullet shots for you, but I would *never* walk a bratty, annoying girl like *you* to her parents, especially *now*.”

However, while Tom said this, he *felt* and *knew* that what he said wasn’t true.

***Chapter 6: Court Martial in Fort Braker***

Tom walked out of the car, extending his hand, only realizing it sub-consciously. Within moments, Katie grasped it, and Tom just then fully realized it.

Part of him didn’t want to let go, but he knew it wasn’t the time to tell her. Again, something spontaneous happened.

“Let’s go,” he said, for once sounding like a gentleman when he talked like Katie.

Katie, who was awe-struck, and in love with his new behavior, thought,

“At least *I* didn’t have to act first…”

Tom walked towards the entrance of the fort.

He and Katie waited there, somehow, he still latched onto Katie’s hand, watching the beautiful sunset…and…the figure of Mr. Raci, or Katie’s way of saying the name, Mr. Ranchini, incredibly far away?

“I swear I can hear his obnoxious panting from this far,” Katie thought, “He’s ruining this romantic moment,” thinking she could hear him out of breath from this far.

After standing a couple more hours there, the newly-formed couple(?)  watching their first sunset together, Tom suddenly let go of Katie’s hand.

She looked at him resentfully, then started walking toward the edge, pretending to jump off out of sadness and resentfulness.

Then, suddenly, she tripped on a rock when she was almost to the edge.

“AAAAAHHHH!” Katie screamed as she tumbled down.

“KATIE!” Tom yelled as he jumped off after her.

As they were in free-fall, Tom lunged forward, and grabbed Katie by her waist, putting her above him, once he noticed the ground was getting closer.

Katie steered them towards a tree, and luckily, the tree slowed their fall dramatically. As Tom was assaulted by thorns and branches when they crashed through the trees, Katie held onto him for dear life.

Then, there was a loud thud, and Tom was on the ground, groaning from the dozens of cuts and bruises he had, while Katie looked at him from above, worriedly.

Suddenly, Tom fell unconscious. “No, no!” Katie exaggerated, “Tom! Tom, my love,” she started crying, “You can’t die!”

Then, she got a mischievous idea, she leaned forward, and was about to kiss him, until the sound of…Mr. Raci yelling,

“What are you doing to poor Mr. Braker?!”

Katie jumped off of her ex-boyfriend, and started crying, “Tom-my love is dead!” She then ran to an exhausted Mr. Raci, and grabbed him and shook him by the shoulders, “Save him! Save him Mr. Ranchini!” She sobbed, her tears soaking her clothes.

“Wait,” Mr. Raci said, getting close to Tom, and feeling if he had any breath left.

“Is he alive?” Katie asked hurriedly, jumping around to get a better view of Tom.

“Be quiet, Miss Catheri-“ “It’s Katie, Katie Brook,” Katie interrupted Mr. Raci.

“Miss Katie Brook, yes, Tom Braker, the man you assaulted,” Mr. Raci, who still misunderstood the incident, continued, “is still alive. But now you, Miss Bro-“ “Call me Katie, no Brook at the end, if you have to, call me Miss Katie,” Katie said with a heavy sigh, walking back up the road to Fort Braker.

“Hey! You little brat! You can’t just run away from Court-Martial (Military Court) just like that!”

“Catch me outside how bout that!” Yelled Katie as she started running.

“YOU-“ Mr. Raci was cut short by another “Catch me outside how bout that!” by Katie.

Mr. Raci tried to lift up Tom, but all of his muscle mass was incredibly heavy, and even the fit, strong, and cool Mr. Raci couldn’t lift up the teen.

He dialed a number on his phone, and then a voice could be heard.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Tim Brook?”

“Yes Mr. Raci?”

“Mr. Brook, we have a new Court-Martial Defendant, and this case is going to be interesting, as her last name is also Brook.”

“Bring her here ASAP (As soon as possible), her trial will begin tomorrow, promptly at 9:00 AM.”

“I will make sure she is there by then, and by the way, the defendant was caught right outside Fort Braker. And I also need someone to help me carry Tom Braker into the Fort.”

“Got it,” Mr. Brook (Tim Brook) said sharply, before promptly ending the call.

Within minutes, the sound of running could be heard, and it was Hark Latten, another highschooler recruited.

The two men could barely lift up the muscular Tom and get him into the Fort Braker Hospital.

***After Tom was examined in the hospital…***

Katie realized she had been running for hours. She then saw Tom being carried by a highschooler and Mr. Raci, towards the building that held the *Elite Members’* bedrooms.

Katie stealthily followed them. Ducking behind walls and hiding behind trash cans and the like.

She watched as a door was opened inside the *Elite Member’s* dorimitories’s hallway, and rushed there once Mr Raci, the highschooler, and Tom were inside.

She waited for about ten minutes to the right of the door, when it was opened again. She walked into full view in front of the door, only to her and Mr. Raci’s surprise.

“You!” Mr. Raci pointed his finger at Katie. “Hark, take her away!”

The highschooler, who Katie now recognized as Hark Latten upon hearing his name, who was a senior at her and Tom’s highschool, rushed and grabbed her, fully obeying Mr. Raci.

“What? Let me go!” Katie’s screamed could be heard throughout the entire fort.

“Finally, Miss Catheri-“ “Miss Katie, it’s Miss Katie.” She managed to stop screaming to correct Mr. Raci.

“Miss Katie,” Mr. Raci corrected himself, “You will be put to justice, for your crime of assaulting Mr. Braker.”

An “Excuse me?” was heard as Katie was carried away.

***The next day, at Court-Martial***

Katie sat in a extremely uncomfortable chair.

“I could trade Tom for leaving this seat,” Katie thought, “No, no, I could *easily* trade *Mr. Ranchini*, I hate that annoying man!”

“The defendant, Cather-“ “Katie, it’s Katie. Katie Brook,” Katie corrected the judge.

“Miss Katie Brook,” the judge, Tim Brook said, exasperated by the teenager’s behavior, “The defendant, is it correct you were assaulting Mr. Tom Braker?”

“Is she really my niece?” Tim thought, “She acts and talks in the same way…”

“How could I assault the love of my life?” Katie said in pretend disbelief, “We even share a love name together, Tomie.”

Tom, who just regained consciousness and brought into the court room, heard what Katie had said, then said,

“We do not share the shipname Tomie, but may I choose to release her from all charges? If you don’t allow that, I am leaving Fort Braker this very day!”

The crowd gasped.

Mr. Raci leaned forward and whispered something in Mr. Brook’s (Tim Brook) ear.

Tim nodded in agreement, before making an announcement.

“Miss Katie Brook is released from the crime, as it was a misunderstanding and we sincerely apologize to you Miss Bro-“ “Katie, just call me Katie, even *Miss* Katie is fine, please just drop the Brook you all!” Katie interrupted a now *speechless* Tim Brook.

“Uh, okay, Miss Cath-“ The judge corrected himself, before clearing his throat, “Ahem, Miss *Katie* is now free from the crime. Court dismissed!”

Everyone left, talking, the chatter ringing in everyone’s ears.

Katie walked up next to Tom, “You know, since I don’t have a room in the *Elite Member’s* area since I wasn’t recruited, could I perhaps…” She nudged Tom, “Sleep in your room?”

Tom looked at her with a look of disbelief and a “What?!”

“You could sleep on the ground, and I will get the bed,” Katie *kindly* suggested…

***Later that night,***

Katie was really uncomfortable.

All Tom gave her was a *dog bed*, and a blanket, and she was to sleep in the *hallway*?

“This is outrageous,” Katie thought, twisting and turning on the dog bed, but it wasn’t till long until she fell asleep…

***Chapter 7: Mission Briefing***

Katie woke up after another turn.

She checked her phone, and saw it was 1:00 AM.

“Tom ought to be asleep by now,” Katie said to herself quietly.

She removed the hair clip from her hair, before disassembling it and preparing to use it to open the lock on Tom’s door.

The lock was simple. It was like those commonly used for doors inside the house, with the small circle and indentation in the form of a line inside the circle.

She used the long part of the hair clip and unlocked the door, before quietly opening the *squeaky* door.

She dragged her dog bed and blanket inside, next to Tom’s position on the bed, but on the ground, before climbing onto the bed.

She lay down next to Tom, and looked at him, whispering, “Tom,” to herself.

Tom seemed to wake up, roll over, and he opened his eyes a bit.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” A scream pierced through the hallway while a loud thud was heard, which was the sound of Tom seeing Katie then rolling over and falling onto the dog bed.

“Well, I guess I get the bed to myself now,” Katie snickered.

***The next morning…***

“Katie, we *need* to have a talk about this,” Tom said sternly, looking at the *innocent-looking* Katie.

“What did I do?” Katie asked, “It’s *your* fault that the lock to the bathroom door broke while you were showering.”

“But why,” Tom was exasperated, “Why would you still go in just because the lock didn’t work?” Tom took a breath, “Couldn’t you hear me showering?”

“I was listening to my favorite song,” Katie said, pointing to the earbuds sitting on the coffee table, “It’s goes like this,” Katie started singing.

“A whisper

A sign

All we knew was we were friends

And then

Out of no where our love blossomed

Too sweet too sudden

Now at a pause for all eternity,” Katie finished her favorite part of the song,

“Do you know this song?” She asked.

“I look fondly upon your face

And know that you will be my only love

Even if you leave to the high hills

I'll love you just the same.

We may have not been ready

But I leave you with this,” Tom finished the male part of the song.

“Yes, I do know this song,” Tom almost forgot about their previous discussion, “It is also one of my favorites…”

“A fond farewell,” Katie started singing, waiting for Tom to join in on the duet part.

“A single kiss,” Tom joined in, smirking.

“And now our love just end like this

A hawk's cry may shatter glass

But none like that could shatter this,” Tom and Katie looked at each other, smiling.

“Back to the discussion,” Tom said sharply, his bloodshot eyes making the setting no more intense, while looking at Katie.

“I have to go take my morning shower,” Katie said, trying to escape from any arguments, “Don’t open the door by mistake.”

“Alright!” Tom hollered from the living room area as katie walked.

Then, loud barking could be heard, and the door that Katie had forgotten to close in the night swung wide open, and a large, loud, barking dog came rushing inside, and charged at the bathroom door, while men wearing military uniforms charged inside, obviously chasing the dog.

“Sorry,” one of the men yelled while passing by.

The dog pushed the door open, and Katie screamed.

“I just washed my face,” moaned Katie, staring frightenedly at the large barking dog.

“Don’t worry,” a lieutanant said after noticing the look Katie wore on her face, “He’s gentle, his name is Fluffy, he is my pet mastiff.”

The man pet *Fluffy* on his head, and then Fluffy leapt up and pushed the man, pinning him on the floor while licking him.

“Fluffy, fluffy,” the lieutanant held his arms up, “Please, this is enough now,” the man seemed to *plead* with the dog.

Suddenly, a high ranking officer walked into the room.

“Jordan,” he remarked sharply, looking at the embarrassed lieutanant, “Get out of here.”

Jordan scampered away with a look on his face that meant none other than the loss of dignity in the face of an official.

“Tom,” the official’s stolid head seemed to barely move an inch, “I am General Rent. I am here to bring you to the mission-planning room for a brief discussion. May you?” General Rent made a polite hand gesture pointing to the hallway outside of the open door.

“Naturally,” Tom smirked, making his way out with a formal gait.

“Let me follow them,” Katie thought to herself, “Maybe I can find out more information this way.” She followed the two men out the door.

Tom got into the Ferrari’s passenger seat, while Rent walked into the driver’s seat.

Katie noticed someone in a military uniform slow down on an ATV, and ran to the man, and pushed him off *gently* with a, “Thanks for the ride man!” And drove off in pursuit of the Ferrari.

Tom looked around. “The architecture is great,” he remarked. “Thank you very much,” General Rent smiled, “It was designed by one of our lead engineers, Robert L. Brook-it is a pity that he retired after 15 years.”

As Katie ducked behind a large hedge, she heard Rent’s statement.

“That’s my grandfather,” she murmured.

The two muscular men walked inside an-glass building, with a sign that read, “Mission-Planning”.

Katie followed them inside. When two security guards clad in black suits tried to stop her, she just turned and gave them her prettiest smile, before stating, “My boyfriend is in there. He wouldn’t be very happy with you all if you tried to stop him.”

The guards looked at each other and nodded. Katie walked through.

Meanwhile, Tom and General Rent strutted into a very official looking room, with a oval shaped glass table stretching from the ends of the room.

There were 8 black, rolling chairs spread across the sides of the table. 4 men and 2 women sat in front of 6 of them. Tom looked around akwardly, until an African American woman in a velvet dress said, “You may sit.”

Once Tom sat down, the other members of the Mission Planning sat down.

The officials introduced themselves by name in clockwise order, and Tom listened to the names of, “Mark Laten-Special Transport, Romilda Hartney-Mission Planning Specialist, Bruce Loking-Top-Tier U.S. Spy, Frank Yathford-Intelligence Expert, Sophia Daw-Intelligence Collector, Draco Vaxen-Mission Planning Specialist, and finally Ethan Rent-Army General.

“Mr. Braker, I suppose you know that you have an extremely important mission?” Romilda Hartney raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Tom slowly shook his head. The other members looked at him in shock.

“Ok, we will need to explain the whole mission,” Rent murmured.

“Recently, Bruce and his team of spies have been collecting intelligence from Antarctica,” Frank began explaining in a calm voice, “And we have found the code word ‘HARDCORE’ in many data bases.”

“We know that Rark has been planning something,” Romilda intervened, “But we just don’t know what yet.”

“A man by the name of Bill Steven whom has been long suspected as a inside worker of Rark’s inside the U.S., will be picking up a package from Arnold Windsor-a nuclear scientist, and I want you to be there, hidden, to watch the delivery, and intervene if needed. It will be on the 6th-in two days, and at the nuclear research center’s back garage in Charlotte, North Carolina.”

“Meeting dismissed,” Romilda stated bluntly, leaving the room and building, followed by five others.

Tom walked out behind Rent before walking up to the General, “Are meetings always like this?” he asked.

“No, usually Draco or Frank provide a more meaningful and comprehensive briefing, but yeah, briefings are always despised when Hartney starts speaking,” Rent laughed a bit, walking out the door with Tom, while Katie, who managed to hear the entire briefing, peaked out from behind a counter.

***Chapter 8: Intervention***

Tom grasped his pistol tightly. He stood in one of the booths at the pistol training range to practice for the mission he had later that day-to intervene if needed on a delivery from a nuclear scientist to a suspect. He pulled the trigger, and yet again, the recoil caught the prestigious paintball player off guard.

The end of the pistol hit Tom’s chin, and left a big purple bruise. “Ouch,” he murmured, rubbing the spot.

Suddenly, Mr. Raci walked into the range.

“Tom, I am here to ready you up for your first mission,” he said, rubbing his own chin in a way that seemed like he was mocking Tom.

Tom turned, “Then lead the way.”

The two men walked to a bullet-proof looking building. There were multiple turrets perched on it’s various battlements. Tom assumed that the building contained an irreplacable object.

Raci walked up to the retinal scan lens. The screen next to it then turned bright green and in a very monotonic voice, said, “Access granted”.

Two almost undetectable sliding doors in the metallic structure then opened up, and they walked inside.

Tom looked around in awe. He saw aisles and aisles of shelves full of all type of weaponry, from pistols to bayonetts, and even currently banned foreign weapons.

Mr. Raci turned to Tom, “As your mission is to only intervene if necessary, I don’t suggest carrying a rifle, but instead two reliable pistols and a combat knife.”

Tom nodded, Mr. Raci’s suggestions made sense.

He walked toward the pistol section while Mr. Raci went to look for a combat knife. When he returned, Tom held two sand colored handguns in his hands.

“I would take these, please.”

—————————————————————————————————-

Tom drove one of the Nuclear Research Center’s Gear van into the back garage of the Nuclear Research Center.

He walked out of the blocky car, before grabbing his grappler, putting his pistols into their holsters and his knife into his back pocket.

He shot a grapple hook onto the top of one of the research center’s buildings, before walking up the side of the structure.

He then perched there until he noticed a black van pull into the same back garage.

He looked closer. Also, someone wearing what looked like a white lab coat carried a brown package out of the garage.

A man wearing a black hat and sports jacket walked out of the van, and began conversing with the lab coat-man.

Tom silently tossed down a minute, gray disk, which was a sound recorder, and all the sound it heard went to the one ear radio headset that Tom wore.

He listened closely.

“Let me see the package,” a man demanded in a brisk voice.

“Wait-not so fast,” the other man said, “You don’t want Rark to be dissapointed in your delivery.”

Tom was shocked, the suspect really was working for Rark, and the scientist seemd to also!

“Open it up,” the first man said.

He heard tape being cut.

“Is this good enough for you?”

“10 nuclear warheads, of course this is good enough!” The first man exclaimed.

Tom had both hands at both pistols. He was about to intervene, but then, there was the tugging thought at his mind that he should call for the reinforcements to corner the two men at the back garage.

He went with the second option.

“This is Braker. I request reinforcements to block escape for Rark’s employee at the nuclear research center’s back garage.” He stopped listening to the conversation.

“Yes, 15 troops in two vans will be at the specified location shortly,” he was sure that it was Mr. Raci’s voice.

“Well, what do you know, Mr. Raci is actually a high-ranking official,” he said, “Know I have something to tell Katie.”

His instinct told him to look down.

He was shocked when he saw the two men struggle to hastily carry the package to the trunk of the van, and then he remembered.

“The audio-spying devices work both ways,” he thought in shock, “So they heard me when I was talking about Mr. Raci government position!”

Tom couldn’t decide what to do. Whether to jump down and intervene now or wait for the reinforcements.

His indesiciveness lasted no longer, and he chose to intervene now, even though he felt as if he would regret it later on.

He shot a grapple hook onto a point about midway on the building opposite of him.

From there, he jumped down and landed on all fours. The two men looked at him in trepidation.

They dropped the package in panic while the lab-coat guy ran to get assumed reinforcements and the black jacket and hat-man tried to put in the van’s trunk in vain, thinking that Tom was unarmed.

Tom whipped out his pistols, and started firing in a way so that the man would get scared and run into the van.

It worked in the beginning, until the man ran through the front passanger seat out through the driver door, suddenly bearing a rifle.

He started firing, and Tom ducked behind the van, before reloading his pistols to prepare for more fighting.

The man then suddenly charged at Tom, dropping his rifle, and disarmed Tom with a swift movement.

While the man charged, Tom couldn’t help but notice the man wearing incredibly thick black winter gloves in the late summer.

He grasped him by the throat, and Tom struggled to breath.

Tom then suddenly remembered about the combat knife he carried. He pulled it out, and gave the man’s left arm a shallow wound.

The man hobbled away slowly in pain, when four men followed the original lab coat man out of the building and they easily lifted the package into the car together.

Tom looked at his hands in horror.

He had never hurt someone intentionally, and his actions shocked him.

“It’s ok,” he told himself, “You are now an elite soldier in the army, you need to get accustomed to this.”

Meanwhile, the lab-coat men ran off back into the building and the man sped off in the van.

Tom finally got ahold of his emotions, and sprinted off in pursuit of the car…