Depth of Silence (LSoE Series)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

2 April, Year 660

Ithene, 12:05 - Dakota Carton

"Wow... they have been extremely well trained, huh?" I muttered.

Eleven times around, it was. All sixty of the new recruits--although after two weeks, we could hardly afford to call them "new" any longer. I knew that Graham would be a tough coach, but I never expected him to brainwash them into thinking that that many laps around all of Ithene was normal. Yet there they were, following each other like a sped-up video of ducklings waddling after their mother. It was almost unsettling to find a group so determined. Now that Division 001 had grown used to each other, more or less, we would often joke around and loaf about when there were no pressing matters at hand. But with these soldiers present, it reminded us of the severity of our predicament. We were not just a group of friends escaping from the real world, we were soldiers with a cause and a specific goal. We existed to catch a Shadow. Our one function was to exterminate the killers. And now, after nearly sixteen and a half months, the proper time had come.

"One or two more days of practice and they could be better than us," Thomas chuckled.

We smiled half-heartedly at each other, knowing that his words could very well be true. Only the best soldiers of Division 001, in addition to Captain Wrenne, trained these recruits. Even the soldiers who felt intimidated and worried when the first arrived at camp toughened up, now willing to withstand any grueling and harsh treatment we threw at them.

"Well, I believe they will take good of Ithene while we are absent," I agreed, now looking away. "Must we attend the ceremony?"

Thomas wrapped his arm around my shoulder and chuckled, "It would be appropriate, don't you think?"

"Of course, but I was hoping that you would say something along the lines of you still needing help packing."

"So you're looking for an excuse?"

"Precisely."

The soldier smiled. "Well, I would say that we should go to support the other divisions, but you are looking pretty pale right now."

I raised an eyebrow and skeptically reminded him, "Thomas, you know I am naturally pale."

"I mean you should probably lay down for a while. In case you feel light-headed. We wouldn't want you to faint in the middle of the ceremony, would we?"

"Oh," I exhaled. "Right. Of course. You are the medic, after all."

"Yes I am," he lightly laughed while grabbing my arm, "now come with me."

Thomas led me back to Division 001's bunk room, where a half-filled backpack rested atop his cot. He sat me down on the cot and told me to lay down just in case someone came in, wondering where the two of us had gone and why we were here of all places. As Thomas took this time to finish packing (since he did not finish after all) I noticed he looked up at me from time to time--not really a worrisome gaze, more like curiosity grazing at his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth.

"So Dakota..."

I shifted my eyes from the iron bedding of the cot above me to Thomas, who was shoving a white box into his backpack. "Yeah? What is it?"

"You don't really speak like that to everyone, do you? All the time, I mean?"

"Like what? What do you mean?" I asked, nervousness wedging its way into my system.

"Come on, Carton," Thomas scoffed, "you talk like a mixture of my great-grandma and a king! You know all of us are half-baked, but you're on the edge of being burned, my friend."