Alice Irongate's Story

Kyra's old, faded boots scuffed along the pure white floors uniform among the under levels of The Sanctuary. She gripped her phone in her hand, the message from the official DO announcements still lit up across the screen.
"You are needed in Commander Irongate's office."
Her heart raced. She knew she wouldn't be able to get away with what happened unscathed, but she hoped... No. She shook her head. She wasn't going to get discharged. Even if she was, she wasn't going to leave a sniveling, angry mess. Still, she couldn't deny that Commander Irongate was an intimidating woman. She didn't become the commander for being nice. She slowed as she rounded the corner, the normal enough door at the end of the hall looking back at her intimidatingly. She took a deep breath. It was just a door, just a woman, just a normal day. What she did was justified; she had nothing to worry about. Too soon, she reached the door. Too soon, her hand was on the handle.

With a deep breath, she opened the office door. Immediately across from her, the intimidating Alice Irongate looked up from her large, mahogany desk at the girl. A lone light lit her face. The rest of the office was dark, a stark contrast from the bright hallway. All around the room, various maps, notices, and white boards were hung, though in the darkness Kyra couldn't make out what they said. In front of the desk, two, simple chairs sat, waiting.

"Welcome," Alice said, her stern face unchanging, "please have a seat while we wait for the others." Others? Alice slowly stepped forward and lowered herself into a chair, and waited.

Kyra's brows furrowed deeper and deeper as more people entered the room. She smiled, though her eyes still reflected her confusion. The commander wasn't known to be one for the dramatics.

The tall, muscular woman stood up as one by one, the new members of Squadron 818 filed in. She slowly walked around to the front of her desk, eyeing each of the soldiers.
"Hello everyone," she began. Her voice was firm and strong. It demanded to be heard but not unpleasant to listen to. At the sound of it, Kyra straightened her spine and pulled her shoulders back. Her eyes focused on the powerful woman intently.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here. You all have proved yourselves in your individual fields. Though some of you do not have the cleanest record," she paused and made a pointed glance at Kyra, whose cheeks reddened, "I feel that all of you will be able to learn from one another. I would like you all to meet your fellow members of squadron 818."

A wide smile lit up Kyra's face as she looked to Addie. They were going to work together! She could barely keep herself from bouncing with excitement. This was way better than getting fired!

"I'm glad you asked," the commander smiled at the new recruit. She swiftly stood and moved around to the other side of her desk. She opened a drawer, papers rustling as she looked through various files.

"I decided to start you off with what should be a simple transport mission," she began, handing each member of the new squadron a manilla folder. Inside, paper full of information about each member in the transport, the route they would be taking, drivers, and any papers they might need should they run into an ACU patrol. Kyra began leafing through the folder, though kept an attentive ear on the commander.

"You will be transporting 10 refugees to the secured harbor in Daxbury. The journey should take no more than an hour. Now, keep in mind, all of you are human-passing, but the refugees are not." Alice paused and looked at the clock on her wall. "You leave in six hours. Meet at the south boarding docks. The refugee ship will leave at 01:00, so you should have plenty of time to get there." She walked around to the front of her desk once more and crossed her arms. "Any questions?"

"I assure you the drivers know where they're going, Anderson," the commander told him. She turned her attention to Aiden. "You're a good soldier, and a good influence. I need you to keep an eye on the greenies." She surveyed the ragtag team of soldiers. She had no doubt that if they applied themselves, they'd soon rise to join the ranks of the other great squadrons in the D.O. "Now, ready yourselves. Go to the next floor arsenal to pick up your weapons, and don't be late. You are dismissed."

Kyra hugged the folder to her chest and turned to Addie. "Hey, teammate," she grinned, bumping the girl gently with her shoulder. "You seem excited."

"Yes! I'm parched," Kyra told her roommate, a large smile on her face. "We can go to the commons and go over the information together." She couldn't deny she was excited to be in a squad with one of her closest friends. She wasn't sure about the rest of the guys, but she knew she and Addie could handle themselves just fine.

The commander moved back around her desk and watched as the soldiers left her office. She rubbed her temples. As long as they all cooperated, they'd be able to make the mission. However, given their records, that was exactly what she was worried about.