64

Regan didn't sleep the whole night, despite how tired she was, both physically and mentally. These people weren't wrong, they were right to fight against tyranny. And she also wanted the same thing, Sirius was her enemy after all. He was no good man. But she couldn't help the twinge of guilt in her chest. He had saved her and this was how she was paying. Ugh, why did he have to make it so hard?

The first beam of sunlight crept through the tent and she welcomed it with a yawn. The knot of anxiety had grown, and when she got up from the rolling bed, her whole muscles were sore. She remembered the intense training, the general's merciless orders and the lieutenants disdainful taunts. They deserved a good fight.

Regan tied her hair up with a tie she found inside the uniforms pocket and slowly peeked outside to see. The soldiers were already around and she made sure that no one looked at her. She didn't want to attract any further attention here. The sun had raised to a 180° angle with the horizon, and she could see the sand dunes stretching far.

Suddenly, Jack was out of his tent, his face a mask of discomfort and sweat, as if he had ran a marathon, "Holy shit, that damn uniform is suffocating," he muttered to himself before noticing Regan, "Hey, good morning," he greeted.

"Morning," Regan replied, her mind racing with the thoughts of what was going to happen tonight at the warehouse. Iris walked out of the tent too, glaring at Jack, "What are you cursing for?" she snapped.

"Your uniforms aren't my fit," he shot back, "And I'm dying of hunger."

"Well, you're always dying of hunger," Iris said with a scoff, turning to Regan and saying morning. "We're so late!" she gasped, noticing how the soldiers had already left.

"As if I care," Jack grunted, "I'm not going anywhere with an empty stomach. I'm going to eat first."

"Maybe they give food out here," Regan shrugged, looking at some opened tents in the distance.

"Fine then, let's go," Iris said, already many steps ahead them.

Jack smirked, "Oh, you can't wait to see the 'hot' general, can you?" he teased, nudging Iris playfully.

"Shut up, Jack," Iris retorted, trying to push him away.

They went to the training field, the soldiers cleanly set in the line, some already doing drills, some just waiting for their turn. Regan was hungry too, looking around, while Jack kept complaining.

The open tents had indeed been food stalls, but the queue stretched endlessly. Jack went there as fast as possible. He shoved the soldiers forcefully away and got stuck into the crowd.

"He's crazy," Iris mocked, shaking her head.

Later on, Jack returned with some plastic bowls, his chest heaving with the effort of enduring such brutal hungry soldiers. He gave the girls two bowls and rest to himself, "This is the most liked food here. It was expensive but never mind. I paid with your money."

Iris rolled her eyes and began to eat. They sat on a wooden trunk, the tents making a shade, blocking the sunlight from reaching them.

The food was indeed fine. If she was on Earth, Regan would've said it tasted and looked like rice.

But the lieutenant, the stern-looking woman noticed them, her eyes piercing, "You three!" she yelled at them, her voice cutting through the air, "Come at the training field!"

"Go to hell, woman," Jack muttered under his breath, "I'll eat first."

"They aren't even letting eat," Regan replied, her voice filled with defiance.

Iris sighed as she saw the general approaching, "You wouldn't want us to be thrown into a punishment squad, would you?" she said, knowing that they wouldn't have a choice. "Come on, let's go."

Jack stood up after he had finished every bite, while Regan, she left the bowl there, hoping they wouldn't throw it to trash but give it to someone who'd need it. As they walking towards the field, they heard Jack mutter something about the general being a 'son of a bitch'. Regan looked at him, holding her laugh.

"You're just jealous Jack," Iris mocked, patting him on the back. 

"He will see it for himself, tonight. We'll ambush him on the way back to his tent," Jack retorted.

They arrived to the field, the lieutenant and the general—whose name was Igor they have learnt, standing there with a predatory expression, scrutinizing every soldier and dust of air. Regan had to admit, Sirius didn't have soft or stupid people in his ranks.

The sun had just risen in the horizon, and Regan wondered how they were even late.

"You're late, soldiers!" the general reprimanded sternly, "What the hell were you doing there?"

"We were eating, sir," Regan retorted, her voice carrying a sense of challenge. "And we're here now. Aren't we?"

The general's expression darkened further, but he didn't reply immediately.

The lieutenant walked towards the field, her hands behind her back, "Soldiers, today we'll be working on endurance training. You'll be thankful for these exercises when you're out in the field." She turned on her heel and began to jog along the track, the rest of the soldiers falling in behind her.

Iris nudged Regan with her elbow, "You shouldn't have done that," she whispered, "he might get pissed off." 

Regan just rolled her eyes.

The training began with a series of laps around, each one dangerously hard, harder than the yesterday ones. Regan knew that Iris would score better while Jack just glared at the general.

The general stepped in and paused them after several laps, forcing them all to kneel on the dirt, hands on their knees, gasping for breath. "This is what it's like, soldiers, to be outnumbered and outgunned. This is what it's like to have every step you take counted. You must learn to push your bodies beyond what you think is possible. Now, let's see how many more laps you've got in you." The general's words were like a whip, driving them forward.

Iris looked at him in admiration and Regan couldn't help but feel a twinge at annoyance. Jack's teasing yesterday hadn't been pointless. When Iris's turn came, she passed the obstacles with efficiency, not stumbling once.

As for Regan, the taunts, disdain and mockery followed her all the while.

She didn't score much better than yesterday (according to them), but for herself she did. The most frustrating part was falling on the mud, the dirty uniform getting even dirtier. She cursed under her breath and turned back to the line after she was done.

Jack for his own part was even worse and Regan could feel the general's and lieutenant's disapproving gaze like a weight.

"These people should try doing these laps themselves," Jack muttered, "And then we'll see how much they're going to bluff."

"Yeah," Regan nodded, her hands rubbing the dirt off her shirt furiously.

After what seemed like an eternity, the lieutenant finally called it quits. Some of the soldiers collapsed onto the ground, and some turned back to the line, wiping their sweaty foreheads with their sleeves.

Regan was standing there with crossed arms, her muscles burning, the sun high at the sky making it even worse. She could feel the sweat dripping down her forehead, the urge to find at least a shade. But it wasn't possible with these monsters.

A soldier approached Iris when she was sitting down a makeshift bench, and gave her a bottle of water. She looked at him confused, but accepted it gratefully. "Thank you," she said, opening the cap and taking a long drink.

"Seems like everyone's fond of you," Jack said with a sneer, his frustration palpable, "even at the academy, you were popular."

"Popular my ass," Iris shot back, taking another sip of water, "It's not my fault that you can't make friends."

Regan looked around, noticing the general was coming towards them again. If he'd have told Sirius about her, it wouldn't take so long for him to come, right? She had to stop thinking this way.

The general's gaze wasn't on her now, but on the other two and a wave of relief washed over Regan.

"Thea was it?" the general spoke up, looking down at her. The lieutenant was standing just a few steps behind him and Regan could see she had an expression that could kill.

Iris was caught off guard, the general's voice interrupting their banter and she stood up hastily, "Yes, sir," she replied, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"You do well," he said calmly, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

Regan hadn't expected him to do anything else from yelling and scolding. But he was Sirius's general after all.

"You've proven yourself to be one of the best in this camp. I expect great things from you," he continued, surprising her. 

Then he turned to Jack. "And you, large bag, need to work on your stamina. You can't expect to win any fight with that body." Jack gritted his teeth, but didn't reply.

Lastly, he turned to Regan, "And you, watch your tongue, girl," he warned, still giving her that suspicious look, "you're not here to sass around."

"Whatever you say, sir," Regan retorted, anger evident in her voice. "I'll make sure to watch it out." 

Iris shot her a warning glance, but Regan ignored it. Jack, on the other hand, seemed to be holding back a chuckle.

They turned to gather with the other soldiers, seeing some doing push ups, while the others had gathered to eat on the ground. A big tend was over them, shielding them from the hot sun. The sand dunes and red canyons lay far, covering the horizon. The palm trees were here and there, sprawled apart, so they didn't serve much for shading.

Jack tried to stir up talk with passing by soldiers but they were rude and uninterested.

He approached Iris, giving her a light punch on the arm, "What happened? Did the general's words melt your heart?"

Iris smiled, rolling her eyes, "Don't be ridiculous."

Jack left them two and joined the soldiers who were eating and buzzing loudly with their talks. Iris nudged Regan's arm, "Hey, Cor-....I mean Skye, I was just saying....the general doesn't look that bad. He's not bad looking either."

"And?" Regan raised an eyebrow, knowing where it was going.

"I mean, he's just in his duty. I don't think he has much of a choice. Maybe on the inside, he's not that harsh," Iris said, as if defending him.

Regan couldn't help but feel a flicker of annoyance, "Well, of course he's harsh. He's in charge, Iris. If he showed any sign of weakness, someone else would take his place." She shrugged, "I don't know why you're even trying to make excuses for him." She wanted to say something about the rebellion but the area was surrounded with soldiers and she didn't want others to suspect anything.

"Well, I just think we should give everyone a chance, you know. I don't want to judge him so quickly," Iris insisted. "He might not be as bad as we think."

"You can think whatever you want about him," Regan replied, not wanting to argue any further. "But we're here for other purposes."

She approached the tent, an older woman was inside giving food to the soldiers. All Regan wanted was a bottle of water. She walked over to Iris, "I'm very thirsty, can we get some water?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"The soldier took the bottle he gave me," Iris replied, "let's go and get some.

They walked over to the tent, seeing Jack was already sitting on the ground amongst the other soldiers, being too busy in his food. Regan couldn't help the smile from her lips. He was also telling them stories that they barely seemed intetested to listen.

Iris approached the woman and requested two bottles of water. The woman, who looked exhausted herself, handed them over without any complaints. She took the bottles and gave one to Regan. "Here, take it," Iris said, handing her the water, "it's not cold but it's better than nothing."

They found a spot under a palm tree, away from the commotion, and sat down. Regan opened the bottle and took a long gulp of water, feeling it soothe her throat. "Thanks," she said between swallows, "I needed that."

"No problem," Iris replied. She unscrewed the cap of her own bottle and took a sip. After a moment, she leaned in closer to Regan. "You know, maybe the general is not that bad."

Regan rolled her eyes, her annoyance raising, "It's not like we're gonna kill him. He can make it out alive. But just don't forget what we're going to do tonight. We're not here to make relationships." She took another sip of water, her throat already feeling better. "And besides, even if he's not harsh or whatever, he's still the enemy."

The brunette pursed her lips, "I know. But we don't have to kill, right?"

"I don't want to kill," Regan retorted. The thought itself made her shiver, "You know this is for justice. Not for harm," Regan said, although she couldn't shove the possibility that the rebellion wouldn't be a doll play. But she didn't want anyone to die, that was certain.

The day passed with harsh training and biting commands, each minute feeling like eternity. Iris was the best of their group, while Regan and Jack were the uninvited guests.

"We're going to see your faces at the rebellion," Regan muttered through gritted teeth. 

"They don't know what we're capable of," Jack replied with a nod.

Regan looked up at the sky, the sun had lowered into horizon. The dusk was approaching. The knot of anxiety was a living discomfort.

Iris approached them, her eyes lingering at the general. Regan couldn't help but think it'd might be trouble if she had a real thing for him.

"Thea, stop looking at him like that," Regan said with a huff, her voice exhausted.

"Yes, she's right. You're getting all over him," Jack added, a teasing smirk on his face.

"I'm not. I wasn't even looking at him," Iris turned away, blushing.

"The training for today is over!" the lieutenant ordered, her voice sharp. The soldiers sighed in relief and they slowly departed, each on their tents. Some stayed on the field, doing extra practice.

"Come on, let's go," Regan said, her expression firm and somewhat irritated.

"Fine," Iris sighed.

The general noticed them leaving and approached, the lieutenant following suit. Why that woman is everywhere, Regan thought to herself. He walked up to them, his face stern but not unkind. "And what if I told you that you should stay?" he asked, his voice commanding as he looked at Iris.

Iris's cheeks flushed, her heart racing. She looked up at the general, her eyes meeting his. "We'd say that it's not our place, sir."

Regan's eyebrows furrowed. They didn't have time for this, "Do you have any duty for us, sir?" she interrupted, her voice slightly irritated. The general gave her narrowed-eyed look and turned to Iris.

"What if I said it was?" Iris's cheeks flushed even more. She looked up at the general, her heart racing, her mouth going dry. "I would say that we are loyal soldiers, and we would follow your orders, sir," she managed to reply.

"Seems like our general's got a thing," Regan muttered under her breath.

The lieutenant shot her a lethal look, "Shut your mouth, red," she snapped, her voice as cold as ice, "If you want more laps, we can arrange that."

"With all due respect, ma'am," Regan said barely able to control her temper, "I think we've had enough for today."

The general studied them for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Very well. Dismissed," he said, turning away from them. Jack burst out into laughter when the general and the lieutenant were out of earshot.

"You're both unbelievable," he said, eyeing them both.

Iris glared at him, "Shut it."

They turned to leave and Regan couldn't hold it anymore, "Well, we aren't here to admire authority figures," she said, her voice sounding too stern for the liking, "You probably haven't ever seen Sirius."

"No, but you have," Iris retorted, playing along, "And that's why you don't get any other crushes, isn't it?"

"Well, at least I don't admire Sirius's men," Regan shot back.

"Yeah, you admire him instead," Iris teased, her voice laced with sarcasm. Regan knew her friend was just making fun of her, but she couldn't shake how the words hit close to something that wasn't even real.

"Okay okay, guys," Jack shot up his hands in mock surrender, "Seriously, we're here not for that. I mean, we should better hope that goth woman will hold true on her word and bring as many people as she can. The general is just someone under Sirius," he said, keeping his voice low, "But yeah, Iris has never seen these people in the frontlines, so she has some right to be curious."

Regan rolled her eyes, "I'm pretty sure you soon will," she muttered to herself.