C87 Iron Will

One of the recruits, a nervous-looking Morgana with a fresh scar on her wrist who seemed to be barely holding it together, had just tried to perform a safety check on her smart rifle without removing the magazine first.

The magazine was still attached, meaning that if there were live rounds In a magazine then the old one would have been ejected while a fresh one loaded.

Darius' head snapped toward the sound, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. His face darkened, and in a split second, he was across the room, towering over Morgana.

"You f*cking moron,"

Darius growled, his voice low and deadly.

"What did I just say about safety checks?"

Morgana stammered, unable to get a word out.

Darius grabbed the rifle from her hands, yanked the magazine out, and pulled back the bolt, and then after checking the firing chamber performed a control shot.

"Do you know what would happen if this thing went off during a safety check?"

Darius snapped, holding the rifle up so everyone could see.

"You'd blow a hole in yourself, or worse, in your battle brother or sister."

He threw the rifle back onto the table and turned to face the rest of the recruits, his voice rising to a terrifying roar.

"Everyone! Get on your feet! You're going to perform squats with your weapons raised above your heads! And you're going to shout, 'I will never do a safety check with an attached magazine!' every time you go down!"

The recruits scrambled to obey, lifting their rifles above their heads. Yin and Yang, already exhausted, struggled to raise the weapons, but they knew better than to hesitate. They dropped into a squat, their muscles burning, as they shouted in unison.

"I will never do a safety check with an attached magazine!"

Darius did the same with his own smart rifle, his gaze cold and hard.

"Again!"

The recruits went down into another squat, their legs trembling as they lifted their weapons higher.

"I will never do a safety check with an attached magazine!"

Yin's arms felt like they were going to give out, the weight of the rifle pressing down on her as she fought to keep her form. Sweat dripped down her face, her heart pounding in her chest, but she kept going.

"I will never do a safety check with an attached magazine!"

"Faster!"

Darius barked.

"You think you're tired now? You screw up in the field, and you'll wish you had trained harder!"

The squats went on for what felt like an eternity. Every recruit was gasping for breath, their bodies shaking from exhaustion, but Darius didn't let up. He pushed them harder, shouting at anyone who dared slow down.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Darius called an end to the punishment.

"Stand up!"

He barked.

The recruits staggered to their feet, their bodies trembling from the strain. Yin and Yang exchanged a glance, both of them barely holding on.

Darius looked at them, his expression as cold as one could be.

"Remember this lesson,"

He said, his voice cold.

"Because the next time you screw up, it might be the last mistake you ever make."

With that, the lesson was over, but the weight of Darius' words lingered in the air.

...

As the barracks door slid open, Yin and Yang trudged inside, both of them drenched in sweat and exhaustion weighing heavily on their sore muscles.

The day's lessons had been brutal, a grueling series of drills, punishments, and mental stress that pushed every recruit to their breaking point.

But nothing compared to what happened earlier when Catherine got shot in the thigh by Dracula.

There, lying on her bunk, was Catherine. She hadn't been able to participate in the drills since she was still recovering from her leg surgery, but the pain in her eyes wasn't just from her physical wound. It was the burden of feeling like she had failed, like she didn't belong.

Yin and Yang exchanged a look, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten as they noticed how still Catherine was.

Despite everything they had been through that day, seeing her lying there, staring blankly at the ceiling, stirred something inside them.

Yang walked over to Catherine's bed and crouched down next to her.

"Hey,"

She said softly, trying not to startle her.

"How are you holding up?"

Catherine turned her head slowly, her eyes glassy, still processing everything that had happened over the last few days.

"I'm... alive,"

She muttered, but her voice was strained, filled with exhaustion and doubt.

"Just feels like everything's falling apart."

Yin sat on the edge of the bed beside her, concern etched on her face.

"You've been through a lot, Catherine. None of this is easy, especially after getting shot by that asshole. But you're still here. That's what matters."

Catherine tried to smile, but it faltered.

"I just... I don't know if I can keep doing this. Everything hurts, and I keep thinking, what if I screw up again? What if next time it's worse?"

Yang shook her head.

"You won't screw up. And if you do, we've got your back. That's what this is all about, Catherine, none of us are perfect, but we're in this together. We all learn, and we all get stronger."

Catherine's lip trembled slightly, but she held herself together.

"Thanks,"

She whispered.

"But I still feel like a burden."

"You're not a burden,"

Yin said firmly.

"We're all carrying something. You've had a rough time, but that doesn't mean you don't belong here. It means you need us now more than ever."

Catherine hesitated before nodding slowly.

"Maybe… maybe you're right. It's just hard. I feel so... useless right now."

"Let us help,"

Yang said, her tone soft but resolute.

"Look, you will need to get to the chow hall one way or another. How about we wheel you to the mess hall? You need your strength."

Catherine glanced at her wheelchair in the corner of the room and sighed.

"I hate that thing."

Yin smiled gently.

"I get it, but it's only temporary. You'll be back on your feet soon, but for now, let us help."

After a moment of silence, Catherine gave in.

"Alright, fine."

It didn't take long before the command to line up for supper reverberated through the ship's loudspeaker as It did Yang grabbed the wheelchair and rolled it over, while Yin helped Catherine out of bed.

She winced as her injured thigh shifted, but the two women carefully guided her into the chair.

The mess hall was quieter than usual, the rest of the recruits already digging Into their meals.

Yin, Yang, and Catherine made their way to a table in the far corner. Yin grabbed three prepackaged MREs and laid them out, one in front of each of them.

"Here you go,"

Yin said, tearing open the packaging.

"Not gourmet, but it'll do."

Catherine stared down at the MRE, the exhaustion still written all over her face. She slowly picked at the contents, and the three of them ate in comfortable silence for a while only for Dracula's voice to sound.

"You got 5 minutes left eat faster!"

After finishing their meals, Yin and Yang wheeled Catherine back to the barracks and helped her shower.

The awkwardness of the situation didn't matter, they were all battle sisters now, and helping each other through the tough moments was part of the deal.

Once Catherine was clean and back in bed, she let out a tired sigh.

"Thanks, you two,"

She murmured, her eyes heavy with fatigue.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't mention it,"

Yin said, tucking her in.

"That's what we're here for."

As the crew sleep command sounded and the lights dimmed, signaling lights out across the barracks, Yin and Yang crawled into their own bunks, finally feeling the weight of the day crash down on them.