The Seawall Part 2

**7th of June 2055, Dover Seawall, Southern Shore of UCN Stronghold 11**

Johan took a deep breath. Outside the air, marred with industry, still held a faint smell of sea through the heavy blanket of oil and metal. The loading room was very poorly ventilated; designed to muffle the sound of the gun firing, and equipped with completely automated loading. With a full cadet squad gasping at the limited air, Johan quickly craved the sour diesel of the outside.

He took another breath, and followed a flock of seagulls with his gaze. But the sky, although completely clouded, was far too bright to stare at directly. He took off his beret and let down his hair, brushing through it with his fingers to correct the wind's prior interference. Once he felt his hand glide smoothly, he quickly pulled his hair taut back into a neat bun and set his beret on his head.

"You should get some gel," said a high-pitched voice. He turned to see one of his squad mates standing behind him.

"For your hair," she continued, "I use it all the time. Stops the wind from messing it up."

The girl took off her own beret and tilted her head forward to show her blonde hair combed back perfectly to her skull, still wet looking. She replaced her beret slightly ajar with the golden badge facing directly forward.

"You're cyclopsing a bit there, Ems." Johan point out.

"Oh. Thanks," she said, adjusting her hat to face at the proper forty-five-degree angle.

"By the way," she lowered her voice," Ruaridh told me there was some kind of physical exam later this week"

Johan rolled his eyes at Rozza's gushing. 

"Yeah, he told me too," he replied.

"Oh well, I know it won't be any trouble for you. I was actually thinking about Casper. Rumour has it he's getting kicked out."

"Who said that?" asked Johan, his face hardening.

"Everyone," said Emily, "But it's just a rumour I don't know if it's for real. Either way, I thought you might want to let him know about the test. Maybe if he shows up for once, it could persuade Smithers and the others that he's worth keeping on to selection."

Johan sighs. "He probably won't come, anyway. He's off showing some project to Harrison."

"He never does anything. Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't been kicked out already," Emily started getting worked up.

"Harrison's been looking out for him for years," said Johan nonchalantly.

"That's such bullshit, though!" said Emily. 

Johan frowned. Emily stuttered a little.

"Um... I mean, it feels so unfair. The rest of us have to work really hard to get this education. I don't want to run drills every day either, but I put up with it so I can go to classes. And then he just gets to run around with Harrison doing god knows what while the rest of us are killing ourselves in the NTC." the more Emily spoke, the harder her resolve.

"Emily," said Johan with severity enough to break her out of her rant.

Expecting Johan to leap to the defence of his brother, Emily winced.

"I get it," said Johan, his expression softening. "He's my brother, and people have treated him differently to me my whole life, so I absolutely understand what you're saying. My parents doted over what food he could and couldn't eat when we were little, and then when my father died, everyone expected me to look after him."

"I thought you guys were the same age, though?"

"He's a couple minutes older, if you can believe it. Anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is that it used to make me so angry. I couldn't understand why people treated him that way. I hated it. But I got older, and I realised it wasn't about me. Casper is different and a lot of the things I 'just ran around and did' seemed unfair or just downright impossible to him. Eventually I got over it when I just focused on my own stuff and started to see that he had his own issues too."

"Well, I didn't know that..."

"How could you? I'm just about the only person here he talks to."

"I mean, I don't really hold it against him. It's just so frustrating when someone makes it look so easy, like you're not good enough. A-and I know it's not his fault... I just wish things would be easy for me too sometimes."

"What's up, Ems?" asked Johan.

"The physical is stressing me out," she admitted. "I didn't do well on the last one and my credits are running low. I think I might get dropped."

"Well, I can help you out if you like"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, there's not much we can do about the strength and fitness portion now. But I'll happily give you a hand with the combat stuff"

"That would be amazing!" Her face lit up.

"No worries."

The pair continued chatting as the other cadets, also seeking purchase from the oppressive, stale air, filtered out from the loading room one by one. A few minutes later, Seargent Smith also found his way outside and called the order to form up. The cadets readied themselves into a marching block, with Johan taking his place at the front left of the group, with Rozza to his right.

"By the leeeeeft... quick march!" hollered Smith.

Johan kept time by shouting every fourth step as Smith lead the group towards a tiny box hut with a comically large antenna. The hut was barely bigger than a garden shed and seemed to be made of plywood and plastic.

"Halt!... At ease!" ordered Smith. "We are about to descend into the control centre of the cannon. I need you to form a double file line behind and remain silent until I give you the order to speak freely once more. This is the site of an active military operation and as such, any misconduct will be punished severely. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Smith nodded, and the cadets rearranged themselves as he went to open the door of the little building. He entered, and the cadets followed.

Johan found the inside of the building somewhat bemusing. all that was inside was a small landing and a staircase heading down, both covered in cheap blue linoleum and black rubber on the edges. The lights looked cheap as well. White LED bulbs in ridged plastic casings lined the walls; one a piece per short flight of stairs descending beneath one another.

It reminded Johan of going to the hospital. They had the same cheap flooring there. This feeling intensified with the echoing footsteps of the other cadets in the otherwise silence.

After walking down what felt like twenty flights of stairs, Smith arrived at a steel door and a touchscreen console imbedded the wall next to it. Smith placed his left hand on the console and then his right, after which a computerised voice said "Access Granted".

With a hissing sound, the steel door slid into the wall, revealing a carpeted corridor that extended to the left and right. A glass wall on the opposite side looked out over a large bullpen of around 100 junior officers sitting at computer desks with folders and files. The officers' desks faced away from the windowed corridor and towards a large screen showing some sort of heat map of western Europe. White borders outlining landmasses and red gradients adorned the blue map. Johan saw several blinking black dots on the map as well.

Smith turned left, and the group went after. From inside the corridor itself, Johan could see it warped around three sides of the command centre floor, terminating in two large glass panelled rooms. On the left side of the map was a conference room, and on the right was a spacious office with one large desk.

Smith led everyone into the conference room and began to speak.

"Wait here. You may speak to one another quietly. I will be back shortly," he said.

Whispers broke out among the cadets as they stared through the glass wall and onto the buzzing work floor beneath them.

Smith's eyes found Johan and Rozza.

"Greenwood. Rae. With me." gesturing at the pair to follow him back into the hall.

"Sir?" Asked Rozza

"Yes, son" replied Smith

"Where are you taking us?"

"To meet the base commander,"

The two boys looked at each other, eyes wide with shock.

The trio walked back along the corridor, past the sealed steel door and toward the office opposite the conference room.

Smith knocked on the door; a woman's voice answered. "Come in."

Smith turned the handle and held open the door for the two boys. Johan and Rozza marched inside and stood side by side at attention.

The office was spectacular. Royal blue carpet covered the floors and warm wood panels covered three of the walls. Where the panels met, the cream ceiling wrap around lights bathed the room in an elegant light such that one could easily forget they were underground. A regal wooden desk imposed itself in the middle of the room. The corners featured beautiful gold accents, and the top shone with a glossy finish upon which lay a notepad and pen. Two brown leather chairs faced in front of it.

Smith followed them inside, took his position to the right of them, and held a salute. The boys saluted shortly thereafter.

The woman stood up behind her desk and returned the gesture, though her height barely changed. Johan analysed the woman's face for any hint as to why he was here. She gave him nothing. He couldn't place her age beyond knowing she was older than his mother. Her face was wrinkled but not haggard, and her hair had half greyed from what Johan deduced to be strawberry blonde. She had eyes of the same grey as the cannons that mounted her seawall and a stare just as menacing as facing down their barrels. Johan fought the impulse to look at his feet as he held his salute.

"At ease, gentlemen," she said, returning to her seat.

She nodded at Smith 

"Ma'am, it is my pleasure to introduce Cadet Seargent Johan Greenwood and Cadet Corporal 1st Class Ruaridh Rae."

"Very good," she replied through her rumpled lips. "Thank you, Smith." she continued.

Smith Saluted once more, turned about and left the room to show the rest of the cadets around the communications centre.

"Now then, Corporal, Seargent. Please take a seat."

The boys did as instructed.

"Do either of you know who I am?" asked the woman.

"Training Seargent Smith told us you're the commanding officer at the Seawall, ma'am," said Rozza.

"Yes. My name Is Colonel Jansen. I asked to meet you before officer selection this year, as I intend to sponsor a junior officer, and Smith speaks highly of you both."

She pauses.

"I have a series of questions I am going to ask you, and I expect you to answer as quickly as possible. This absolutely is a test and you can fail. Consider it an early start to your selection"

Johan's mouth was dry and he could feel his heartbeat speeding up.

"Now..."

Johan's blood ran cold as the barrels set themselves on him once again. Colonel Jansen pressed a button on her desk at the glass wall to her right, blackened.

"Let's begin."