Welcome to the Nighthawk group soldier. My name is Sgt. Crow, the leader of this group. We are the special forces of the military and you even being here, means you’ve got something special.
Well, I'll give you the rundown on what makes us so special. We are trained in guerrilla tactics and black ops missions. We move quietly and efficiently, striking fast when we need to. Our goal is always to complete our objectives while causing minimal collateral damage. Are you ready for this kind of work, Marcus?
Do you have any questions before we begin training?
Marcus stood at attention. "Yes sir, I have a question," he said firmly. "Are you single?" he asked with the same tone and a serious expression.
I could tell that I caught him off guard by my reaction. Instead of rolling with it, he stood there in stunned silence for what felt like an eternity before finally regaining composure and managing a nervous laugh. "Well... uh... sorry, private," he muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess we're getting ahead of ourselves here." He paused briefly, then cleared his throat and straightened up. "Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business. As for your question about being single..." He glanced around conspiratorially before leaning in closer and whispering, "Let's just say I've been known to enjoy the company of a fine lady from time to time."
Marcus's expression softened slightly as he noticed their sudden closeness. "And was she ever with another man?" he whispered, his tone less serious, looking at the other man. They suddenly seemed quite close.
I could feel my face growing warm as I heard his whispered question. It was obvious that he wasn't joking around anymore, and despite myself, a small blush crept up on me. "Well," I stammered, looking away for a moment before meeting his gaze again, "let's just say there have been a few..." My cheeks flushed deeper at the thought of all those nights spent on secret missions and lonely watches. There was something about him that made me feel comfortable enough to share these kinds of things though. Maybe it was the fact that we were both soldiers, bound by duty and sacrifice. Or perhaps there was something more...
Marcua marveled at the blush on the other man's cheeks. "Sergeant... would you like to grab a beer after training... just you and me?" he whispered, with a small smile.
I swallowed hard, feeling my heart race as I took in his words. There was something about the way he said them...something that made it almost impossible to refuse. In that moment, everything else seemed to fade away and all I could focus on were those two little words: just us. Without even realizing what I was doing, I found myself nodding slowly before catching myself and clearing my throat awkwardly. "Uh...yeah..." I stammered, trying to sound casual. "...sure, why not?"
Marcus smiled brightly before straightening up and returning to his serious expression. "Sir!" he said firmly, assuming his training stance. "Shall we begin?" his voice steady and serious. He glanced sideways at the Sergeant and winked; the message was clear: 'I can't wait to have that beer with you, sir.'
"Yes, Private," I replied sternly, regaining my composure as well. "Let's get started." There was no hiding the small grin that tugged at the corner of my mouth now; despite everything going on around us and even between us, there was an undeniable sense of camaraderie forming between us. It was unconventional to say the least but I trusted my gut feeling about this one. Now it was time to see what Marcus was made of in combat training.
"All right then, Private," I began as we settled into our starting positions. "Today's training exercise is going to be an obstacle course designed to test your speed, agility and combat effectiveness under pressure." I gestured towards the course in front of us; large trees, dense foliage and various terrain features awaited them. "My job isn't just to train you but also to lead you," I added with a nod, "so keep an eye on my movements and follow my instructions precisely."
I paused for a moment, then gave him a playful wink before continuing. "After all, we are a team now, aren't we?"
"Yes sir," Marcus replied with determination in his voice. "I will follow your lead and work as part of the team." His gaze shifted momentarily to meet the Sergeant's before refocusing on the obstacle course ahead, taking in all the challenges it had to offer.
I nodded with satisfaction at his reply before positioning myself near the starting line. The adrenaline began to course through my veins as I anticipated the challenge ahead; it had been far too long since we'd engaged in combat training like this, but I knew that my team would be up for it. As soon as Marcus was ready, I gave him a quick salute and shouted "Go!" before taking off at top speed towards the first obstacle myself.
We sprinted through the forest side by side, leaping over fallen trees and ducking under low-hanging branches with graceful precision despite our heavy gear. Our boots thundered against the ground as we cleared one obstacle after another, each of us pushing ourselves harder than ever before. The bond between us seemed to grow stronger with every step, fueled by the shared knowledge that failure was not an option here.
Finally, we reached the final stretch of the course; a series of hay bales stacked high enough to require some climbing and jumping. I glanced over at Marcus, his face etched with determination as he scaled one of the smaller stacks, before taking aim at my target: the largest bale in the center of our path. Drawing my knife from its sheath, I sliced through rope binding it to a nearby tree before hurling myself into the air and clearing it with ease, landing on the ground behind it and waiting for Marcus to catch up.
As he leapt across the last bale and landed beside me, panting heavily but still with an air of triumph about him, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride welling up inside me. He may have been new to our group, but he'd proven himself today. "Not bad, Private," I said, clapping him on the shoulder as we