A giant steel door constructed long before the North’s ascent stood between two men. The monotonous colours of black and grey filled the mind of the young man standing before it as he marvelled at its structural complexities. How long has it been since he had seen a piece of work that inspired him? To instil hope in this hopeless reality where he lived begrudgingly until recently. Once the door swung wide open, both men would meet one another for the first time in a chance encounter decades in the making

  Was it the thin red string of fate that connected both men?

  Or was it more than that?

  Manuel knocked on the giant steel door with a swan-like insignia, awaiting a response from the person occupying the room.

  “Sir–”

  The unmistakable sound of the mighty steel door opened with a loud creak. Unexpectedly, a female soldier emerged.

  “Ma’am.”

  “Oh, Manuel, it’s you! What brings you here this early? Aren’t you supposed to be elsewhere attending to the recruits?”

  “Ma’am, I have brought the recruit OC instructed us to find. I have requested someone to take over my duties.” Manuel flashed his tablet to the female soldier before respectfully straightening up and saluting her.

  The female soldier returned the salute before resting her hands on her waist.

  “Captain Graves has gone out for a run. He will probably return–” The female soldier looked at her smartwatch before gesturing elsewhere. “–Hmm, I think he will return soon. Why don't you both take a seat over there? I’ll call you when he’s back.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I’ll see you later, Manuel.”

  The female soldier slammed the door shut as Manuel turned to redeliver the orders to another lesser-ranked personnel.

  “May I know what the term OC is?” Neptune broke the silence as Manuel scrolled endlessly on his tablet, looking for something worth his attention.

  He wasn’t sure if the camp staff had heard him. “I’m talking to you, Manuel.”

  “I know.”

  “Yeah, I’m talking to you.”

  “Can you wait?”

  “Isn’t that what I’m doing?”

  Manuel clicked his tongue.

  “Fine, I’ll wait.”

  “You broke my damn momentum. Anyways, you have some surprisingly good attention to detail. Very impressive indeed.” With his brain unlinked from the tablet, Manuel looked at the recruit he was forced to entertain by orders given by his superiors. “The term OC is Officer Commanding! Are you happy now? Don’t bother me again. I thought nobody cared about stuff like this anymore.”

  “Can you elaborate further?”

  Manuel groaned loudly and ignored the recruit he was forced to entertain.

  “I would appreciate it if we–”

  “Later, I’m busy.” Manuel raised his tablet to resume his scrolling.

  “No, you’re not.”

  “God, please. Stop asking me questions, won’t you–”

  Manuel stood up to salute someone at a distance. “Perfect timing. I’m going to hand you over to Lieutenant Reynolds now.”

  Manuel stepped back as the female soldier approached him, greeting her with a respectful nod. “Lieutenant Reynolds.”

  Neptune finally had a clear view of the female soldier, and one thing stood out: the uniform’s design. From the several National Day parades he attended, he only recognised one style of uniform adorned by the Swan Contingent. However, the uniform worn by the female officer had a desert camouflage design, similar to the ones adorned by soldiers from the old world. It was a complete design overhaul from the signature white uniform of the voluntary corps. The olive green beret hid her perfectly bundled hair. The nametag on her desert camouflage uniform read “2LT. BRENDA REYNOLDS”.

  The female officer looked only a couple of years older than Neptune, but her presence alone was awe-inspiring. She had sharp eyes and olive-tanned skin; her face had little to no excess trimmings. The uniform hugged her slim figure, giving her the perfect fit.

  “Hello, Manuel,” Brenda greeted Manuel, “I’ll take it from here.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “I don’t understand what’s so important with this witty brat,” Manuel spoke under his breath, which Neptune caught wind of.

  “Hey, I can hear that!”

  “You weren’t supposed to.” Manuel’s distant voice echoed as he disappeared into the hallway.

  “Look over here,” Brenda cleared her throat to get the recruit’s attention.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Follow me.”

  Brenda led the way toward the door and opened it to speak to the person in the room.

  “Sir, Recruit Smith is here.”

  A faint voice from within responded. “Roger that, Lieutenant Reynolds. Let him in.”

  Lieutenant Reynolds remerged from the door to gesture for him to enter. With careful steps to pay homage to the beautiful quarters, he noticed how big the room appeared as he feasted upon this reality. The walls had banners with the disbanded World Army’s former logo. The display cabinets had accolades and commemorative figurines neatly displayed. In the middle of the room lay a massive mahogany table, with two individual armchairs at both ends and a beautifully crafted sofa chair in the middle. Simply put, this room was way too luxurious for military personnel.

  “I recognise that…”

  …The smell of freshly brewed tea filled the room, which reminded him of something–

  “...Would you like a cup of tea, young man?” The deep voice came from the back of the room, where the tea’s aroma wafted from.

  Neptune turned to face a weathered man, whose green uniform did not match his vibe. The man carried a haughty expression as he gestured for his guest to come over.

  “Yes, please. I am rather a huge fan of tea.”

  “No, the pleasure is mine.” The man looked him straight in the face as he poured a cup of tea. “I am the Officer Commanding, the OC of Batch 123, Captain Troy Graves.” Troy introduced himself with a strange tinge of hostility, taking a slow sip of tea.

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  “Let’s take this to the sofa.”

  After settling comfortably on the sofa, Neptune placed his cup on the beautiful mahogany table, shifting his eyes toward the officer, who looked at him to break the awkward silence.

  “I feel like I know you.”

  “Interesting, how so?”

  Neptune knew he had to say it.

  “Aren’t you from the Swan Contingent? I have seen you many times during televised marches.”

  …And that broke Troy’s momentum.

  “Yes, I am. Let me correct myself, I was. Why did you bring that up?”

  Neptune copied Troy’s actions and took the exact methodical sip of tea, executing it with surgical precision.

  “My younger brothers enjoy watching the marching parades you led. That’s why we can remember you so well. Also, what happened to the white uniform? And you said, ‘Was’?”

  Troy raised his eyebrows, knowing he had no reason to explain the President’s decree–especially to a recruit.

  “You have a vigilant eye, but let’s discuss that later. Let me ask you a question. I had the chance to read through your paper in my free time. You know–just a curious soldier who had not read documents beyond planning missions and the occasional routine orders. That’s when I happened to chance upon something that caught my eye. A rare chance to unravel a striking intellectual’s answers, or should I say, intriguing thought process…” Troy leaned back on the sofa to cast a dubious look at Neptune. “I must say, your thinking is rather…peculiar?”

  Walking over to his study table, Troy whipped out a dossier and threw it on the mahogany table. The dossier skidded from its smooth surface as it landed close to Neptune’s cup of tea.

  “Here, take a look.”

  Neptune reached out to grab the dossier, with his name seemingly plastered all over it. “What’s this…?”

  “It is rather self-explanatory.”

  Neptune carefully opened the dossier containing confidential information about himself. All his personal information since birth existed on a piece of printed paper. The sheer accuracy of the stored records made him shudder. His mother’s name. His two younger brothers. Even his blood type. How could someone have access to something this private? Flipping the dossier page by page, he stumbled upon a stack of exam papers from his time taking those GEP exams. None of the exam papers in his hands contained anything incriminating, but he felt he had walked into a trap.

  This sly bastard. How does he have it?

  His facial expressions had failed him.

  “...So, which one, in particular, are you talking about?”

  With a displeased look, Troy signalled to his subordinate to come over as he shook his head. “Lieutenant Reynolds, kindly hand me that document.”

  “Yes, sir.” Like clockwork, Brenda walked over to the shelf where several binders were stacked to retrieve one particular binder.

  Troy acknowledged his subordinate’s assistance before raising the binder with the recruit’s name printed.

  “This one. Does it juggle your memories?”

  A small hidden blade forged with spiteful scorn pierced his skin from down under.

  You got me.

  The paper raised by Troy jolted a memory from Neptune’s early days in the GEP.

  “What makes you believe, through your words, that it was the truth?”

  “I knew.”

  An unsettling, long silence ensued between both men until Troy hissed softly. “How did you know? Where’s your evidence? To what extent can you support your thesis?”

  “I choose not to answer.” Neptune's response came quickly without hesitation. He felt the officer was hiding something from him.

  “You know I can make you answer that if I want to. But, that’s not necessary…” To use force this early wasn’t necessary. After all, Troy knew he had all the time in the world to extract information from this recruit during this new training program signed into law hours ago. “I apologise if I invoked any bad memories. After all, we are all entitled to our respective opinions. Such is the law of a democratic society.”

  “Enough about me. How about you? Did I invoke any bad memories?” Neptune saw Troy shift nervously for a split second after he asked that question. “Why does it concern you that I believe–”

  “Because as a former member of the Swan Contingent, it was my duty to prevent civil unrest from ever happening in the name of peace.”

  It was another dead end, just like talking to his mother.

  “That’s a way of answering without answering.”

  “There are some things that are better left unspoken.”Troy returned the exam paper to the binder and looked at his recruit. “Also, the next time we meet, you have to call me ‘Sir’, do you understand?”

  “Is there anything else you have for me?”

  Troy blinked once and raised his eyebrows curiously. “What sort of question is that?”

  “I’m hungry.”

  Troy looked in his subordinate’s direction. “What time is it?”

  “It’s almost noon, sir,” Brenda replied as a matter of fact.

  “Lieutenant Reynolds, see the recruit out.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As the giant steel door slammed shut, Troy slumped onto his reclining chair. Everything about the young Smith reminded him of that man. The mannerisms and the look on his face when asked a question. Even their preferences. He thought he could forget about the past until he noticed the young Smith filed under his command.

  Troy looked at a picture on his giant study table, where the picture’s frame sparkled as the sun began to set in the distance. The picture seemed to give off a joyous vibe. But joy was an emotion he could not feel. He tried, but because he had committed an unspeakable act. Despite the pledge he made as a soldier, he had committed a mortal sin punishable in the depths of hell.

  “Why do you still haunt me?”

  “Am I supposed to call you ‘Ma’am’?”

  Neptune watched the female soldier turn around as she led him down the hallways. “You’re that eager to call me that?”

  “I’m just curious.”

  “The time will come for that.”

  Neptune kept silent and followed her lead.

  “You’re in for a treat today. Lunch today is amazing.”

  Eventually, they reached a door that led to the dining hall, and Lieutenant Reynolds tapped the entrance lightly. “This is where all of you recruits will have your meals from now on.”

  “Aren’t we going back to the dormitories?”

  “There’s no need to.”

  “Is this part of the program?”

  Lieutenant Reynolds gave a wry smile before opening the door. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “I thought they said–”

  “From now on, you’ll have to call me ‘Ma’am’. Also, I’m the platoon commander of your batch.”

  His commander began walking back to where they came from. Her womanly hips, fit for child-rearing, swayed with each step that did not fit her.

  “...And that man earlier is your Officer Commanding. Welcome to Ravens Camp and Batch 123.”

  *

  The sound of sharp-pitched whistles filled the air during the wee hours of daybreak, knocking them out of their food coma from the previous night.

  “That’s one way of surprising all of us.” Neptune groaned as he recognised the intent of the sudden noise.

  “Hey! Come on now, we’re sleeping! Can’t these guys give us a break?!?!”

  “Sheesh, Bron. Shut up!” Bray exclaimed.

  Loud static, followed by an intrusive voice bellowed.

  “Good morning, please get into your exercise attire and assemble at the parade square in front of your bunks at 0630 hours.”

  “What in the world is that?” Neptune turned his attention to his batchmates, carrying a pair of identical singlets and shorts he had in his drawers.

  “Yeah, can’t believe they’re making us wear the same goddamn thing.” Dom shrugged his shoulders. “We’re gonna look like superheroes or something.”

  “You know what?” Bronston walked over to Dom, snatching the exercise attire from them. “I ain’t wearing this freaking prison uniform.”

  Bronston left the bunk and stormed into the hallway in his sleeping clothes, his intention to exercise in an attire of his choice clear as day.

  Neptune reached into the closet next to his bed. A standard-issue exercise uniform of singlet and shorts lay neatly folded as he picked it up.

  “Hey Neptune, you going to put that on?” Bray asked.

  “I don’t see why not,” Neptune started to remove his clothes to put on the kiddy-looking exercise attire. “If you don’t want to get into trouble, follow me. However…”

  Even if everyone in the bunk changed into it, he knew they were in for a treat. Suppressing the urge to chuckle, obfuscating his tonality sounded like a better option.

  “...I can’t guarantee we’ll be safe even if we change into it.”

  Bray widened his eyes in disbelief. “What do you mean by that?”

  His batchmates may not have realised it yet, but now they are part of a team. One person’s action carried massive repercussions for the entire team, especially in the military.

  Fortunately, Neptune had already accepted this new reality.

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”