Wolves
Theater

The five men stood in the morning sun, dew steaming from the hardcement at their feet. They were in a long, rectangular courtyardsurrounded by thirty-foot walls of stone rising above. Filling thecourtyard were obstacles of varying size and complexity, many of themresembling common structures. There was the occasional ziplinerunning across the court, or a cargo net stretching up a wall. Trawlooked it over, wondering what their purpose could be. He had seen acompany of GAM troopers in strange, green armor pass by, and hesupposed they might have a part in it.

A large screen was plastered to the wall the five men faced. Theglass was scratched and stained. It flashed to life, revealing ashrewd man with a thin frame and thinner glasses set on his face.Traw glanced over at Clayton, then back at the screen. The man on thescreen adjusted the camera, better centering him in the shot. “Goodmorning, gentlemen,” the man greeted in a pleasant, slightly pluckyvoice. “I am Ivan Klept. I am one of the GAM's chief strategists,with a doctorate in psychology, making my skill set ideal fortraining a five-man squad such as yourselves. I will personallyevaluate each of you while still reinforcing the strength of yourteam. Are there any questions?”

“Yeah, I got one,” Sanchez answered, barely giving the doctorany time to finish the question. “How long are we doin' this craptoday? I got a hot date with one of them chicks downtown. I'llprobably crash at her place.”

The doctor chuckled for a moment, as if he knew the question wouldbe asked. It was a delicate laugh, half to himself. “I assure youSpecial Operative Sanchez, you will have no issue with that...as youhave no permission to leave this compound. And sneaking out willbe...far more difficult than you could imagine. Any furtherquestions?”

“Yeah...” Traw said, after some hesitation. “You called usDeath Squad. Why?”

“Oh, you are not aware I see. Well, in most instances, your soletask will be to...eliminate targets. At certain times these targetsmay be breathing, and have the intention of killing you. There willbe very few, if any, missions that do not include killing. In fact, Ihave the details of your debut mission. But I'm sure you'reinterested in the objective at hand. Your goal for this trainingexercise is simple: capture the flag at the other end of the court,and dislodge it from its planted point. After seeing your efficiency,teamwork, and individual performance, I will give you a score judgingthe overall effectiveness of your team. Only when you reach 100 willI grant you your full armor and weapons. Otherwise you will beentering battle like any other Marine. Time begins in ten seconds.”

“Where are the weapons?” Aveer blurted, knowing there would besome danger ahead.

“There will be opposition. They will have guns. If they are dead,their guns become yours. It is simple. Three...two...one. Beginmatch.”

The five men were unsure of what to do. Then Traw caught sight of anenemy squad advancing through the narrow street. Sanchez bolted intothe simulation city. Moore followed close behind, invigorated forbattle.

Aveer looked around, then back toward Clayton and Traw. He ran in adifferent direction, taking a separate street into the city. “I'llfollow you,” Clayton told Traw in a timid voice. “I'm not one forfighting.” Traw grinned warmly. There was at least one other personwho wasn't overly fond of violence.

“Let's see if we can replace another way around the court to get tothat flag,” Traw said, pointing to the end of the court. They couldhear laser fire coming from within the combat zone.

Traw and Clayton crept along the border wall, under the shadow ofthe hollow stone buildings. There was a straight, two-foot-widealleyway leading to the end of the court, and they had been followingit with caution for the past couple minutes. Suddenly, a soldier cladin green training armor sprinted into the hallway from one of manyentryways, looking behind him. Clayton and Traw both froze in theirtracks. Aveer barreled headlong into the soldier's chest, slamminghim against the hard stone. The dark-skinned trainee launched hisfist into the soldier's cheek in a swift blow and knocked him out.Aveer picked up the gun, motioning for his two team members to followhim.

Aveer crouched as he advanced toward the end of the court where theflag stood, with Clayton and Traw following his lead. Traw brought upthe rear, ready to tackle anyone who opposed them. The three of themapproached the main yard, an open space before the step pyramid thatheld the flag. Aveer made a halting gesture with his hand. He sneakedacross a small pass and pressed himself hard against a wall, whichwas not easy to do, given his hefty frame. Aveer took a momentaryglance at the pyramid, poking his head out from behind cover. He heldup four fingers to Traw and Clayton, who were watching eagerly forthe next order.

Across the yard, one of the soldiers stumbled backward from a darkalleyway, falling to the dirt. From the darkness came two laser shotsto the soldier's armored chest. The other four soldiers from thepyramid rushed to the scene, holding their rifles at a readyposition. Other laser shots came from the shadows, one of themnailing a soldier in the head.

Then, like a beast, Moore leaped from behind a corner, taking one ofthe three remaining soldiers head on. After a brief wrestle, Mooreput the soldier into a headlock and snapped his neck. Aveer shot downone of the two surviving soldiers just before Moore was going to beshot. Then there was one left. Traw sprinted to the pyramid, narrowlyavoiding two shots. Sanchez ran out of the alley and gunned down thelast soldier in a hailfire of laser blasts, preventing him fromshooting Traw.

Passing the last step, Traw gripped the flag and raised it from itsposition triumphantly. “It's over!” he shouted with a grin to thediscreet mounted cameras. “Mission accomplished.”

“Wasn't so bad,” Moore remarked, looking about casually.

Clayton added in a timid, reserved voice, “This is too simple.”He scanned the perimeter, making his suspicion clear as day.

Traw's triumphant smirk faded as he watched eight cannons rise fromhidden compartments on the edge of the far wall. “Lethal?”Sanchez wondered aloud, staring in awe and terror at the massivemechanical foes.

“Not something I want to replace out,” Aveer commented, readyinghis gun.

Then with a chilling uniformity, the cannons aimed and opened fireon the squad members. Each of the men took cover from the artillery,which only had the capability of knocking them unconscious andleaving them with a bruise. Huddled next to Moore, Clayton told him,“I need you to puncture the wall fifteen meters down the court. Inoticed a wire outlet there, and I could disable the power for thecannons with less than ten seconds of meddling.”

“I don't take orders from you,” Moore sneered, not biddingClayton even a glance. “All you gotta do is not get shot. Now shutthe hell up.”

Traw, who was five meters behind them, overheard the discussion, andthe rejection from Moore. Rushing past them with a rifle he pickedup, Traw remarked, “Follow me, Clayton. I'll get you that hole.”

Clayton joined Traw as they sprinted along the wall to the outlet,narrowly avoiding several cannon shots. Aveer noticed his teammatesunder assault and opened fire on the cannons with his rifle, knowingthey were impervious to his attacks. Three of the eight began firingon him, and he dodged with expert speed. Sanchez and Moore remainedin their shelters.

Meanwhile, Clayton had his hands dug into the wires, with Trawguarding him. “How much longer?” Traw urged, watching the cannonsrelentlessly opening fire in the courtyard. With a satisfying sprayof sparks, Clayton backed away from the hole and turned to see thecannons deactivate.

There was a long silence. Each of the five men scanned about,searching for more dangers. Finally, a deep voice ordered over thespeakers, “Return to court entrance immediately.” Clayton andTraw exchanged glances, the suspicion not needing to be expressedthrough words. From the urban arena came the five team members, stillholding onto their rifles and watching the door for another attack.

Dr. Klept walked out of the entrance, holding a notepad. The fiveteam members assembled in front of him. He looked less prestigiouswhen on their level. “You accomplished the mission,” Kleptgranted, peering over his notes. “Yet I am not satisfied. In oneweek you will assemble here at the same time and we will go over themission again.”

“What'd we do wrong, little man? I ain't about to come out hereagain and go through this crap,” Sanchez asked, his lips tight.

“Your teamwork was pitiful,” Klept informed, unafraid ofretaliation. “You and Moore broke off and were nearly outflanked onthree occasions, had it not been for a few lucky turns. And Aveer,you completely segregated from the squad and actually took two hitsfrom our rifles when surrounded. If those had been Nektro soldiers,you would be dead. Albeit Traw and Clayton won your squad the match,the cannonfire nearly destroyed the rest of the team because of theirindecisiveness. Leave the weapons at the armory on the way back tothe barracks. Report to Dr. Geinz' office for a study on Nektroanatomy at 0800. Dismissed.”

The day was long and dreary after that, for each man in his own way.They learned statistics regarding Nektro anatomies, baton katadrills, GAM naval strategies, and a slew of other courses that wereintended to bolster the effectiveness of the squad. There was alsotwo hours of basic physical training and two hours of marksmanshippractice. The time for rest at 2100 hours was well received by allfive men, though they knew the rest of the week would follow the samepattern.

Traw returned from the showers to the barracks, scratching hisrough, thin hair. “There's the champ,” Moore greeted, puffing acigarette and holding seven cards in his hand. Sanchez glanced up atTraw, then stuck his cigarette butt into the ashtray and picked upanother card from the deck. “So how 'bout that crazy junk Claytonpulled at the end of the match? Man, that's jacked up like nuthin'else. Didn't know you actually got somethin' to offer, little man.”

“Hey, why don't you leave 'im alone, huh? Saved all our asses withthat brain of his. Least you could do is give him a little respectand shut the hell up,” Traw jeered, setting his razor down on themetal nightstand.

“Fine, your holiness,” Moore retorted, taking another puff.Clayton bade Traw a modest nod of thanks, then returned to his book.Aveer merely watched. Slowly he rose from his bunk, his dark, broadframe shifting from a hunched position. He approached Traw, who wassitting on his bunk flipping through a textbook each of the men wereissued.

“A word?” Aveer asked Traw, standing over him with a dauntingsilhouette.

“Sure,” Traw granted, rising.

“Outside.”

Standing in the cold, sterile hallway, Aveer mentioned, “Youdefend the small one. Why?”

Traw paused, confused as to why the robust dark-skinned man wasasking him a question in private. “I dunno,” Traw answered,scratching the back of his head. “I guess what Moore'sdoin'...well, it just ain't right. If I didn't have to work with him,I'd give him a firm blow to the jaw, y'know what I mean? Not that Ilike violence, I just...I dunno, I can't watch as Clayton gets beatlike that. Like I said, it ain't right.”

Aveer grinned. It was not smug, like he had an upper hand and Trawwas his doomed opponent. It was the grin of realizing something goodthat was already suspected to be true. “You have honor,” Aveertold Traw, nudging him on the shoulder with his meaty hand. “Notcommon. Not with these men.”

Traw smiled, chuckling as he looked down at the floor for a moment.“Thanks, big man. Alright, we got a big day ahead of us. Let's getsome shuteye.” Aveer slapped his hand across Traw's back as theyentered their squad's room.

All the other men were asleep. Only the dull, warm glow of the striplights illuminated the room from the walls. Traw lay down in hisbunk, insomnia ruling him. “What am I doin' here?” he whisperedto himself, one hand beneath his head. “I should be bringin' homethe cattle right about now. Louise'd be givin' me a kiss on thecheek. Luella'd be grabbin' my waist. I'd be with the only people Icare about, and instead I'm in this god-forsaken military base withthis bunch of rat bastards. Five kaoris says I'm gonna regret this.”