The changing room fell silent again. Bryan gave a final warning to the group, then stepped back to his position, surveying the five soldiers now standing in a clean line before him.
"Count off!"
The command rang out sharp and clear. Five bodies snapped even straighter by instinct, and the count rippled from left to right.
"One!"
"Two!"
When the young man at the far end barked "Five!", Bryan raised his clipboard and turned his attention to the first in line.
The man standing in position one was a towering figure—broad-shouldered, square-jawed, with a wide nose and a frame that had to be at least six-foot-six. Solid muscle, every inch of him. Hard to believe he was barely eighteen or nineteen.
Bryan confirmed the face matched the file, then glanced down at the roster:
Name: Wade. Sex: Male. Age: 18. Rank: Private First Class. Missions completed: 4. Departed QZ school May 6, 2017. Completed two years of training at the military training academy. Assigned to QZ Retrieval Division for external supply operations.
The second man was a sharp contrast—a lean white male of average features, barely five-foot-three, whose slight frame made the size difference with his neighbor almost comical.
Name: Elton. Sex: Male. Age: 18. Rank: Private First Class. Missions completed: 4. Departed QZ school May 6, 2017. Completed two years of training at the military training academy. Assigned to QZ Retrieval Division for external supply operations.
Third in line was visibly older—a white man in his early thirties. Premature gray streaked his hair, and a vicious scar ran from his left cheekbone down to his jaw.
Name: Norman. Sex: Male. Age: 32. Rank: Sergeant First Class. Missions completed: 4. Original garrison soldier, Atlanta Quarantine Zone.
The last two were both of Asian descent. Their features were similar enough that a casual observer might mistake them for brothers, though one was Japanese and the other—the one with the mischievous glint in his eye—was Korean.
Name: Mike (Itō Takuma). Sex: Male. Age: 20. Rank: Private Second Class. Missions completed: 6. Departed QZ school March 12, 2015...
Name: Kim Seong-min. Sex: Male. Age: 21. Rank: Private Second Class. Missions completed: 8. Departed QZ school June 21, 2016...
Two months ago, after earning his sergeant stripes and being appointed squad leader, Bryan had begun assembling his team. The process was entirely self-directed—each squad leader recruited their own people, up to six members including themselves. Once the roster was finalized and every member agreed, you submitted the list to the Administration Center, and that was that.
But when Bryan had gone looking, he quickly discovered that most competent soldiers wanted nothing to do with what was essentially a suicide detail. Anyone worth having was already spoken for, and the rest weren't worth taking.
Eventually, he'd tracked down some leads and personally sought out Norman.
Norman had been a garrison soldier in the Atlanta QZ since before the outbreak—a warrant officer, once. Then his wife was killed by Infected, leaving him alone with a four-year-old son. Staying home to raise the boy meant no one was earning supply cards, and even military status didn't guarantee free meals.
So when the boy turned six, Norman enrolled him in the QZ's early education program and paid someone to watch over him with supply cards.
Life had been manageable in those early, relatively stable years. But once the corruption set in, everything changed—and Norman was the kind of man who couldn't look the other way. The moment he caught wind of misconduct, he reported it up the chain.
That made him a problem. The people he'd reported bribed his commanding officer to have him charged. Fortunately, the CO still had a shred of conscience; instead of a conviction, Norman was stripped of his rank, demoted to Sergeant First Class, and reassigned to a patrol unit.
Even there, his rigid sense of justice made him a perpetual target for harassment. When Bryan found him and offered to handle both his food situation and childcare arrangements, Norman agreed on the spot.
Bryan had recruited him for one specific reason: the man's file showed he'd been a trained sniper.
The remaining four slots had been harder to fill. Unable to find experienced candidates, Bryan had settled on recent academy graduates.
Wade and Elton had been recruited straight out of the training academy. Having spent their entire lives inside the QZ, they were hungry to see the outside world. With no parents or family to worry about, they'd barely hesitated before accepting.
Mike and Kim Seong-min had joined for different reasons: their previous squads had been wiped out or disbanded, leaving them without a unit. Bryan's squad gave them a home.
Of course, all four brought specific skills to the table—that was why Bryan had chosen them.
With the roster confirmed, Bryan set down the clipboard and nodded. "Good. Time's almost up. You've got ten minutes to change. I'll see you at the assembly point."
"Yes, sir!"
The five broke formation and scattered to their lockers, pulling out tactical gear and dressing quickly.
Bryan turned and did the same, peeling off his casual clothes and switching to combat fatigues.
Within minutes, everyone was suited up. In the sweltering summer heat, the thick tactical uniforms immediately began drawing sweat.
"Ugh, I can't stand this—these things are only comfortable in winter. Wearing this in summer is absolute torture!"
Mike tugged at his collar as they filed out, his discomfort etched across his face.
They'd all been conditioned to endure it during training—twelve-hour stretches in full gear under blazing sun was nothing new. But being able to tolerate it didn't mean you couldn't complain about it.
"God, do you ever stop talking?"
Kim Seong-min rolled his eyes. He'd been holding it together, but after they left the building and Mike was still going, his patience finally cracked.
He kicked Mike squarely in the backside.
"Ow!"
Mike stumbled forward several steps, clutching his rear with a pained grimace. Then he turned around with a grin. "See, there it is. I was wondering why you were being so nice today. That kick really hit the spot."
"Pfft—"
Wade and Elton burst out laughing. Even Norman, bringing up the rear, couldn't quite suppress a smile. This was their ritual before every mission—Mike and Kim's bickering somehow always managed to take the edge off everyone's nerves.
After presenting credentials at yet another checkpoint, they entered the vehicle depot—rows upon rows of sealed garage bays stretching deep into the facility. Some of the open bays held military trucks; others housed fuel tankers and various utility vehicles.
Bryan located the row marked B and counted down from B1 until he found B12.
He pulled out the key he'd been given at the entrance and heaved up the rolling door. Inside sat a vehicle draped in a tarp. Maintenance equipment and fire extinguishers lined both walls, and a small office occupied the back.
Bryan stepped in, confirmed nothing was amiss, and turned to issue orders:
"Mike—vehicle inspection. Make sure everything's running clean."
"Norman—weapons depot. Requisition our firearms."
"Kim, Wade—ammunition depot. Grab our allotment."
"Elton—supply station. Pick up the radios."
He checked his watch. "You have ten minutes. Move."
"Yes, sir!"
They scattered. Mike darted toward the truck while the others headed in four different directions.
Once they'd gone, Bryan turned back to see Mike already pulling the tarp free. A small flashlight in hand, the mechanic had dropped onto a wheeled creeper and slid under the military truck's chassis.
Bryan left him to it and walked to the back office.
...
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