Tap Sapiens, page 2
part #1 of Reign of Sapiens' Evil Series
“Mikey?”
“Actually, I’m Captain Johns. Michael Johns.”
But Brandi barely heard the clarification of the man that was standing still so close to her. The first voice was the one that really captured her. She turned her head in that direction and came across a sight that easily took her breath away. Leaning against a door frame, halfway out of a room she couldn’t get a look at, was another man. He was tall with broad shoulders despite being slender. His muscles were visibly tightening in the simple cotton t-shirt he was wearing. They were both wearing almost the exact same thing, although that was sure going to be a common occurrence in the army. Their uniforms were intact except for the jacket, where their ranks were to be detailed, so Brandi had no idea who this man was. This man with shiny blond hair, sharp features and serious blue eyes that were distinguishable from a distance, adding a strange sense of familiarity.
“What’s going on?” he asked Captain Johns as he carefully closed the door behind him and moved towards Brandi.
“Fresh meat.” he answered, staring at Brandi as if she really were nothing but that.
“Excuse me?” she couldn’t help but reply instinctively. Sometimes her thoughts just escaped her mouth without any consideration of what her rational brain might have thought otherwise.
“Are you one of the new Rookies?” the blond man queried, maintaining his seriousness but unable to hide his amusement at Brandi’s genuine reaction to the previous accusation.
“Yes.”
“You can call me Michael. This is my friend, Danny.” the first man intervened again, then gave a pleading look to the other one when he looked surprised and with intentions to clarify something.
“And you are?”
Brandi thought about it for a second, her thoughts racing a mile a minute. It seemed that she wasn’t in much trouble and they didn’t know her name yet. She looked at the pair of handsome men standing before her and the words slowly left her mouth.
“I … am … leaving!” letting the last word to come out somewhat gleefully, she immediately turned around and started walking away.
“Seriously?” Michael asked her.
But Brandi only turned back to gift them a big smile and a wave of her right hand. She didn’t pay much attention to the childish pout on Michael’s face; instead she felt something in her chest, fluttering at the sight of the pleased smile of Danny.
Brandi walked hurriedly, staring at the floor, barely looking up to determine whether or not the coast was clear enough to keep moving. Only when she reached the door of her dorm, she realized she had been chuckling to herself the whole time. Instantly, she dropped her action. But she found it so silly that she allowed herself to smile again. That sense of thrill and freedom, risk and adventure, so close to losing everything, so close to winning everything, that was what made her smile the most, besides the radiant beams from the handsome boys, but she kept that thought away. The adrenaline coursing through her veins was so intense that she had to stop in front of the door for a full minute, trying to regain her composure before the other girls could hear her walking in, she told herself. Brandi was, in fact, so elated with this official start of the first chapter in her new military life that she felt capable of dropping right there on the cold hallway floor and sleeping profoundly.
Anyway, she didn’t need to actually get in trouble. She just had to muster the courage to clear her mind, calm her body and slip back cautiously into the room. Once in, she listened for a second, but everything remained still, nothing reacted to her entrance or absence, not even the friendly voice that had caught her at the beginning of the adventure. So, Brandi made it to her bed in one piece and after taking a deep breath, her thoughts finally fell in order. She allowed a smug grin to take place on her lips; she was a different person, finally. It was like taking the core of the girl she was before arriving that day and giving her the breath of adrenaline that was meant to transform her into someone entirely new. Reviewing her first day, she deemed it perfect. She was ready to play the part of an inexperienced, ignorant new girl around. She was prepared to get lost here and there, find the right acquaintances or the right private archives. A few months from that night, Brandi was planning on gathering enough disgruntled quarters as well as retrieving incriminating documents, top secret intelligence in order to begin an indomitable fire on all fronts that would light up the lies fed radically by the Supremo and his fellow followers. Someone had to put an end to the oppressive tyranny of the Confederacy and Brandi might very well be that someone.
CHAPTER
2
“I’m Brandi, and you’re allowed to be worried in my presence. Goodnight.”
A S SOON AS DANIEL “DANNY” O’REILLY opened his eyes first thing in the morning, he was aware of one thing and one thing only; it was a little before 5am. He was supposed to wake up with the First Call along with everybody else in the base. But since being General and assigned to one of the houses in the reduced residential area of the facility, he was a little far from the noise, so he had an alarm set on his phone for the same time each day. However, for the last few days, he hadn’t been able to sleep past 5am. His body seemed physically unable to. On most days, he was awake even before the First Call or his own alarm went off. Therefore, he got to enjoy a few minutes of undisturbed rest. He just lay on his bed with close to no thoughts going on in his head. It was a talent, he was sure of, to be able to wake up with a clear head – he was so grateful for it.
The second the First Call and his alarm simultaneously sounded, Danny was up and moving around his small house. He went through his morning routine peacefully and without complications, shaving and dressing up as if he was moving on autopilot. Enjoying the luxuries he could afford, the hot shower that was granted to him and taking his time with it. At 5:30am sharp, he was at the private gym of the highest ranked officers. While usually everybody was there for the daily run within an hour, before six everybody began to leave. It was a special day, new recruits were being welcomed. During his workout, Danny mentally reviewed what was probably happening on the other side of the facility. The kids would wake up groggy and scared at five, they would be terrorized by the Sergeants and rushed through their morning routines and a quick session of the most basic military customs, enough to properly receive their General for the official welcoming ceremony.
Immediately after a quick shower and expertly putting on his uniform, Danny moved to the platoon that was waiting for him.
“To the front, salute!” the familiar voice of Colonel Evans welcomed Danny.
He was Danny’s best friend and right-hand man, for life and the military. The young man with Asian features had come to that corner of the Confederacy with a rich history in his veins that had immediately been erased from his practical life the second his parents were deported and he was thrown into foster care as Louis Evans. An introverted kid, he was until he signed up for the army. He started climbing the ladder fiercely since he had been barely a sixteen-year-old kid. Not much had changed since then with his pale complexion and really short dark hair, he was still quiet, meticulous and an exceptionally tough soldier. Then of course, he forged a close friendship with the boy that would become General of the SC1902 military facility.
Danny arrived at his side and watched with uncertainty as the new arrivals messily saluted with wrong hands, weak postures, untidy uniforms and nervous eyes. Danny took a deep breath and got ready to take on his role.
“At ease, soldiers!” he shouted the order, watching unimpressed as everybody in front of him was in disarray for a second or two.
Some followed the order, some stayed still and the rest were turning around helplessly looking for aid. When they were back under his control, Danny began pacing back and forth in front of the group. He knew the kind of authoritative figure he needed to be for them. He relished in that respect for a second, then started delivering the usual speech that every other General around the Confederacy was assigned to their soon-to-be troops that morning.
“Welcome to Fort SC1902. You have entered here as civilians. The only option is to leave as heroes. Cowardice and treason, weakness and subversion will be eliminated in any and all amounts. From this very moment, you are all Privates of the ASC, Army of the Supremo of the Confederacy, welcome. This is an honor, a responsibility and the beginning to the rest of your lives. For the next three months of summer, you all will be shaped into the finest soldiers our world needs, taught everything you have to know. During the month of September, your acquired abilities as well as your innate qualities will be put to the test in order to define your future, grade your performances and put you in the paths we need you to be …”
Next, Danny continued to explain the rigorousness of the military drills; the nuts and bolts of the first three months of training. These all included group classes on history and values of the Confederacy – which led Danny to the next part of his speech.
“… For the last decades, the exemplary members of the Confederacy, including every single honored Supremo, have been the life source of humanity as we know it …”
As Danny launched into a preconceived speech assigned to him about the greatness of the Confederacy, its generosity and compassion on restoring the fractured structure of the decaying human race, he began pacing again. Out of the corner of his eye, he was able to catch sight of scrawny teenagers, despondent young adults and numerous expressions of malaise and hopelessness barely concealed by a few sparks of inspiration here and there. It certainly didn’t look like a very compelling group. Still, one person managed to stand out. No matter how hard Danny tried to ignore the fact that he had met her the previous night in situations that had defied their positions, right in front of the group was the beautiful girl that had snuck her way into the quarters of the officers last night. She was just as dazzling as ever in the morning light. But the thing that genuinely made her stand out was her reaction as soon as Danny mentioned the Confederacy. She rolled her eyes repeatedly, she wore a smug grin and when she let out a barely audible scoff was when Danny had enough.
“Private.” Danny raised his voice, startling the young woman.
“Anything particular you find amusing?”
She limited to shaking her head, visibly containing her laughter at being caught. Danny took a minute to fully observe her. The black hair that hung from her ponytail, the bright eyes with golden tints, the pinky lips – it was all like a hazy memory from a dream. A beautiful woman with an eerie essence, something unusual that you heard being described exclusively in fantastical fairy-tales. Because someone like her couldn’t be merely common or quotidian. She was just plain extraordinary.
“Private! Answer your General!” that was the voice of Colonel Evans coming from behind Danny.
“No, sir. Nothing amusing at all, sir.”
Although the answer was satisfactory and her lips dropped the conceited smirk, still that playfulness had transferred to her tone along with the spark in her eyes. Danny could have easily let it pass. Instead, he walked up to her and got really close, successfully fulfilling the myth of the complete disregard of personal space in the army. Just as expected, she pulled back as much as possible without completely moving away and evidently gulped.
“Your name.” Danny requested, not entirely asking, no longer raising his voice.
“Brandi.” she said, with a smile but compelled by Danny’s inquiring raised eyebrow, she further elaborated.
“Brandi Perry, sir.”
“Very well, Private. From now on, you will show the utmost respect to any and everything concerning the Confederacy. Or are you underestimating the significance of becoming part of our army?”
“General, you smell of roses, sir.”
Brandi’s playful words were expertly delivered in the most hushed whisper and serious tone. It left Danny completely dumbfounded for a second. Should he respect that flash of something untamed, perhaps untamable? Should he step ahead of future problems and throw the witty girl away? He wondered, and finally got a hold of himself, pulled away from her and addressed the group as a whole one last time that day.
“One of the values we will teach you here as part of the ASC is teamwork. Before individuals, right now you are part of a team. Learn the weight of responsibility and respect everyone around you or suffer the consequences together.”
Danny made a show of checking his watch. On that first day, Privates were supposed to skip physical training and go straight for their breakfast.
“Look at that. It appears you all have just enough time for a 2-mile run before breakfast. Get to it. You lead.” he spoke quietly, seriously and aimed straight at Brandi.
♠ ♥ ♣ ♦
It was safe to say that the first day wasn’t easy for Brandi. She got pushed around once or twice after the group was ordered to run because of her. She received a couple of nasty looks, especially from one particular girl that ran very close to her in front of the group. She was very tall and slender but her body was strong and when she ran, she gave the illusion of being a marble statue caught in movement. Her blonde hair was short with an undercut and the rest sticking wildly in every other direction, somehow making her look ethereal in a menacing way. With high cheekbones and chilling blue eyes, her soft pale face could easily resemble that of an ancient Greek Goddess, her delicacy inextricable to the substance of her existence. However, her imposing and fierce way of carrying herself and deliberate way of fearlessly taking up space, the strength she put into every step as if making the earth submit to her while she seemed to take it for granted – that made her appear like a deity of something threatening, something burning, addictive and entirely out of reach to any men.
This daunting figure would lead a group of oblivious girls away from Brandi, who at the moment didn’t mind eating all her meals alone. She hadn’t thought about the fact that arriving here at the eleventh hour and getting into hot water on the first day would mean she just became an outcast so soon. Though it was rapidly becoming obvious, she wasn’t meant to just stand on the sidelines. Brandi wasn’t someone who sat back and watched. That was not only a personality trait but something she had been consciously working on.
At night, Brandi fulfilled her intentions of finding the girl that had had her back the previous night before her escapade. When the clock hit 9pm, most of the girls started filling up their dormitory, using the last half hour of personal time before the lights went out to rest or get extra sleep. Some of them were even sleeping as early as 8:30pm. Brandi had been waiting by her bed, until finally a girl walked to the bed beside hers.
She walked in with an easy smile on her face and her arms waving a little more than necessary at her sides. She was just as Brandi had imagined her, the type of person that made you smile unconsciously, like a breath of fresh air carrying a sweet scent to warm you up. This girl’s clothes were noticeably one or two sizes too big for her, probably a mistake during her registration. She was about as tall as Brandi, maybe an inch taller. Her shoulder-length brown hair had blonde streaks and messy after a long day, it looked way too soft for someone wearing military clothes. In fact, all of her looked too soft to be in that place, Brandi thought.
“Hey there!” Brandi greeted her.
The girl jumped, frightened like a kitten. Her eyes nervously looked around, serious for an instant until they focused on Brandi and immediately melted in their sweet chocolate color.
“Hi! God, you scared me for a second! How are you? My name’s Abby! Nice to meet you.”
Although Brandi was sitting on her bed and they had just met, Abby extended her arms inviting a hug, which Brandi couldn’t deny. Yes, she was sure that she liked this girl already.
“I just wanted to say thank you, you know, last night ... oh and I’m Brandi.” Brandi said.
“No worries.” Abby replied and then jokingly saluted Brandi, immediately letting out a small giggle.
Brandi, who had expected not to hear anyone giggling for a long time being where she was, delightedly laughed for a second as well. Just then, she confusedly watched as Abby’s expression sobered up and turned into slight dread.
“Don’t need to pity her, Abby.” a velvety voice came from behind Brandi and simultaneously a hand fell on her left shoulder, applying pressure with the precision of a perfectly concealed allusion.
When she turned her head around, Brandi was surprised to find the woman that had been throwing mean glances at her the entire day. She was still breathtaking but was looking at Brandi with such airs of superiority that it almost made Brandi feel physically sick. The hand on her shoulder suddenly weighted like a cruel insult, so Brandi shook her shoulder and opened her mouth, ready to defend herself but letting the other one to speak first.
“I am Cate. And you look a lot like a nuisance; also, you’re getting up from my girl Abby’s bed immediately.” Cate said with her tone being able to take indifference and attentively carve it into a sharp knife of irony.
Despite not wanting to do as the other one had said, still Brandi got off the bed. She knew, easily, that she would never surrender to this girl. But she was displeased to recognize, with just one look into those clear blue eyes, that Cate wasn’t someone who would yield, either. Those eyes held a great energy in them, something beyond cleverness and anger, something more complex and intelligent, a power yet to be witnessed.
