Chisato was excited. An excitement strong enough to offset the tiredness she was experiencing from a four-hour sleep and two hours of sitting in a cramped bus with 55 other people. She was also quite nervous, although knowing that the others were also nervous did help calm her nerves.

  The cabin of the bus was filled with chatter from people all around her and the grumbling of the engine. Chisato would love to open a conversation to further calm her mood, but unfortunately for her, the guy sitting right next to her was fast asleep in his seat.

  She sighed and leaned her head against the window. It was dark outside, with only a few street lamps whizzing past and a few occasional motorbikes and cars passing on the right. It was a different country, but just familiar enough to remind her of her hometown in Japan.

  The bus soon took a turn to drive into a smaller dirt road, followed by a convoy of other buses, all taking the same turn off the road and heading into the jungle.

  It took about ten minutes of off-roading before Chisato saw their destination. Ahead of the bus was an opening, cleared of trees and replaced with a multi-layered wall, along with guard towers and security personnel patrolling the area.

  The bus stopped in front of the gate, presumably for a security check, if Chisato had to guess, and then continued past the checkpoint shortly after.

  The doors of the bus opened, and everyone hurried to get off the bus. They were all dressed in regular clothing, luggage in their hands, and standing in a group right by the bus. Chisato noticed that most recruits in her group were predominantly Asians, with a few people from Europe and the Americas.

  There were also other groups of recruits streaming out of their buses and forming a group, similar to what Chisato’s group did.

  She noticed a group of uniformed officers walking toward them. One of them stepped forward and shouted into his speaker.

  “Alright! All recruits, form a line! Come on, quickly! I haven’t all day to dilly-dally!”

  All the recruits hurried to form lines, just as the buses drove back out of the compound. Chisato stood neatly in the middle of her group while still holding onto her luggage.

  “Alright! I want everyone to have their ID, the company contract, and entrance exam results with them! All of this must be in paper! You will wait in line and report to a registration officer who will get you situated! If any of you have a backpack or personal belongings, which it seems quite a few of you do, then you will turn them into the quartermaster after you have registered! After which, you will be taken in for a medical examination! If any of you suddenly have a change of heart, then now is your last chance to leave!”

  Chisato shrugged and took out the required documents. She already had everything prepared beforehand, and currently, she was one of the few who had their papers ready. She observed some of the officers present: a decently sized Asian man with pale skin, another standing in the corner with a beret on his head, and two others: a white officer talking to a taller young Asian girl with tan skin.

  Chisato was confused. The girl looked too young and green to be an officer, and she was dressed in what seemed to be the PMC training uniform. Meanwhile, the officer was dressed in a regular camouflage uniform.

  ‘Is that girl a recruit? Why is she speaking with an officer? hmmm…’ she thought to herself.

  She observed the strange pair for a short moment before she moved along with the group toward the registration table. People in her line began taking turns to do their registration. She was, however, still questioning why an officer would be fraternizing with a recruit.

  Soon, it was her turn to do the registration, so she quickly shook off the thought and approached the registration desk. The officer sitting behind the desk looked up at her.

  “ID, contract, and exam results, on the table.”

  “Here you go,” she placed her paperwork on the desk.

  The officer quickly perused the documents while glancing over to his computer. He then took her passport and held it up while looking at her.

  “Are you Chisato Sakamoto?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What is your birthday, current age, and residence?”

  “March 5th, 2027; I’m 21 years old, and I live in Kyoto.”

  He looked at the passport to find that the information was correct. He then checked the exam results: 50 marks out of 60 – a solid B. He typed some notes on his laptop and continued.

  “Do you speak any other languages besides English?”

  “Japanese and Chinese, sir.”

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  “How well do you speak those?”

  “Japanese is my first language, and conversational Chinese.”

  “Have you ever been to University?”

  “Yes, the University of Kyoto.”

  “What’s your major?”

  “Mechanical Engineering.”

  “I see…”

  He added more notes on his laptop before handing back her documents, along with a lanyard and a plastic card that had just been printed.

  “Alright, here you are. This is your temporary ID. You’ll wear this on you at all times until you receive your official ID. Now, take your luggage to the locker room, change to your training uniform, and then report to the doctor. He’ll get you situated for a medical exam. After that, you’ll be measured, given a uniform, and sent to the training grounds.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  She took the ID and her paperwork and headed to the locker room. She entered the female locker room and found the room filled with other female recruits. There were only a few conversations here and there of recruits getting to know each other, so Chisato wasn’t bothered and found her assigned locker.

  She stored her things in the locker and then left, heading to the door on the other end. Just as she exited the locker room, she found the familiar pair of officer and recruit talking to each other in the hallway. She had to walk past them to get to the doctor’s office, so she caught a glimpse of the conversation.

  “You think she’ll do well on the run?” said the girl.

  “Well, probably,” said the officer, “She looks like she’s got spirit. A bit brighter than most.”

  “Maybe. She looks a bit tired,” she said, her emerald eyes glancing at Chisato just before she passed them.

  “Well, they all are.”

  Clearly, they were talking about her, judging by how the girl was looking at Chisato as she walked past, though she still wondered about the two. Sure, the officer had a reason to be there, but someone who seemed like another green recruit just standing next to him? That made no sense to Chisato.

  She went into the white and brightly lit room with a strong scent of antiseptic, disinfectant, and latex. A doctor in a white coat soon stepped up to her, directing her to come into an area separated by a curtain.

  “Alright, Miss, hop up on the table,” she patted the medical chair. Chisato hopped up onto the chair as the doctor approached her with a clipboard in hand.

  “Okay, you are… Chisato Sakamoto, yes?”

  “Yes, Doctor.”

  “Good, good. Do you have any underlying conditions? Chronic illnesses?”

  “No, Doctor. I’m all clean.”

  “Good, good,” he scribbled on his paper, “Have you ever received a COVID vaccine?”

  “Yes.”

  “I see. Do you drink? Smoke? Any drugs, prescription or recreational?”

  “I only drink occasionally, but no drugs or smoke.”

  “Alright, are you sexually active?”

  “Not very much…” Chisato hesitated.

  “No need to be awkward, it’s all normal around here,” the doctor reassured her.“Have you tested for any STIs before?”

  “Yes, I did, all negative.”

  “Alright,” this line of questioning continued, and eventually the doctor led her to have her measurements taken in another room. She was measured in height, weight, size, resting heart rate, and a few other factors.

  “Alright…” said the doctor, “You’re 172 centimeters, 68 kilograms, and your resting heart rate is 52 bpm. Do you happen to do any sports?”

  “Yes, I play tennis. I’ve been doing it since I was thirteen years old. I also worked out in university.”

  “Ah, that explains it. Athletes tend to have a lower heart rate due to stronger heart muscles, and you’re one of them.”

  “Well, that’s good to know.”

  “Yes, strong hearts are needed in this job. Literally and figuratively.”

  Chisato chuckled softly at the remark.

  “Well, just a blood sample and we’re done.”

  Chisato was then led by the doctor to another area where recruits were taking their blood samples. After a quick blood extraction, the doctor gave her the way to the training grounds.

  Exiting the building, Chisato found that the sky was getting a bit brighter, with the sunlight slowly shining over the horizon. Coupled with the cool but humid air of the tropical jungle, Chisato quite liked the weather in Vietnam, though she still much preferred the cooler weather in Kyoto.

  There was a large crowd already gathered in an open area, separated neatly into preassigned groups that were standing next to signs with their group numbers. Chisato located her group, only to find a single Asian man, just a few centimeters taller than her and sporting a tan skin, standing there. Chisato approached the man just as he noticed her.

  “Hey,” said the man.

  “Hi,” Chisato replied.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Chisato Sakamoto. Yours?”

  “Peter de Santos.”

  “Huh. Where’re you from?”

  “The Philippines. You?”

  “Japan.”

  “Ah. I figured.”

  Their conversation was cut short as more people poured out from the building, filling up their group and all the other groups. Chisato had a few short exchanges with her new squadmates, but it wasn’t long enough to even learn the basics of their names as a group of drill instructors gathered in front of them.

  All of the recruits saluted the drill instructors, although Chisato noticed a few of them fumbled their salutes while some others moved with accuracy and precision. ‘Seems like the PMC recruits both veterans and greenhorns alike,’ Chisato thought.

  The instructor brought a speaker up to his mouth.

  “At ease!” his voice was probably loud enough that it would still be audible even inside the building.

  All the recruits eased up and stopped saluting.

  “Okay!” he began to pace slowly up and down, “You all have signed up to be mercenaries of the Black Angels Division! I am Sergeant Morant, your drill instructor! You mongrels are in for a long and hard training! For the next few weeks, all of you will learn disciplines and work your bones off to become a proper soldier! I will not tolerate anything less than your fucking best! There will be no monkey business around here. Any incident related to you, no matter how severe, will affect your result and determine whether or not you are suitable to join the PMC. Currently, you are all worthless in my eyes, and by the end of the time here, I'd better be seeing some real soldiers instead of a bunch of sissies like you!”

  A heavy silence filled the air. Everyone here knew what they signed up for, even those who had no military experience before.

  “Now! You all will be taken to receive your new uniforms. After that, you will meet me here for basic training! You all have 15 minutes. Move it.”

  Another NCO stepped forward while the drill instructor stepped back.

  “Everyone will take a set of uniforms. Your assigned officers will escort you toward your designated barrack.”

  The area was filled with noise again as the recruits’ footsteps drowned out the crickets in the jungle.

  Chisato followed her squad to receive their own uniforms. Chisato noticed that the uniform she received had her name printed on a Velcro badge, likely for easier identification between recruits and officers.

  The NCO guided Chisato’s group to their barracks. The barracks they would be staying in were large enough to fill multiple squads in each barracks; however, each barracks was divided into multiple rooms, just enough to fill a squad of ten people.

  Chisato and her squadmates filed into their designated room. Each member of her squad had chosen a bed for their own, and so did Chisato. However, she noticed that there was an unoccupied bed next to her. Just then, she noticed that her squad only had nine members.

  Just before she could question the oddities further, someone slammed the door open. Everyone in the room turned their head toward the commotion. Chisato also reflexively turned to the door.

  She was surprised to see a pair of familiar figures.

  Standing at the door was a cheerful, tan-skinned girl and a rugged, shorter white officer, who was sporting a disappointed face, likely due to the action of the young girl.

  “Hi y’all, my name is My, and I’ll be your new squadmate!”

  Chisato was perplexed.