Blood and Silver (SAMPLE)

Chapter Four

Walking into the RAM headquarters felt like a dream. Any second now, Marrok expected to wake up to the disappointment of failing the exam. The moment never came. He looked around at the different rooms and searched for the nametag for Team Thirteen. Around him, other trainees searched for their assigned room, although it was nearly fifteen minutes before the teams were supposed to meet their mentors. Scanning the large hallway, Marrok finally found the room with his team name on it. When he opened the door and stepped across the threshold, he saw a familiar woman in the middle of the room.

She's the one that killed the Cursed One in the exam.

The woman turned toward him and smiled. "Hey, you're here a bit early."

She limped to him, placed a gentle hand between his shoulder blades, and guided him to the middle of the room where chairs formed a circle. He sat down in one of the chairs, and she took her place across from him.

"You look more like your mother, but you have your father's eyes," she said. "Samuel told me about you. He said you'd give me a run for my money as a sniper someday. I'm looking forward to it."

"Thank you, ma'am."

She waved her hand. "Don't be so formal. Call me Cadence. We'll do an actual introduction once everybody gets here, though."

A few minutes later, the door opened and two people stepped into the room. Marrok turned to see his new teammates.

"Even with the RAM, we can't get rid of you," Bradley said. He held open the door so Julia could hobble across the threshold on crutches.

Marrok laughed. "You'd miss me."

Julia huffed as she moved with the crutches. "We're a bit later than we wanted to be. Sorry, that's my fault. I'm still getting used to these death traps."

"They're not death traps just because you're afraid to lift your feet off the floor," Bradley said.

Julia stopped and glared. "You'll see death trap when one of these accidentally hits your groin again."

"Ah, crap, you've gotta be kidding me," a voice said from outside the doorway. "You three are in the wrong room. This is for Team Thirteen."

Julia whirled around, nearly falling when one of the crutches didn't move with her. "Seriously, we get the most arrogant guy in the city on our team? This has to be a mistake."

Cadence rose from her chair and walked to the group. "You're all members of Team Thirteen now. Whatever happened in the past doesn't matter from this day forward."

Chris Addamsen huffed. "Whatever. I don't care as long as you guys don't slow me down."

Says the guy who blindly charges in headfirst. He's going to get someone killed.

Cadence clapped her hands together, and the noise echoed in the room. "Alright, change of plans. Follow me to my truck."

Julia's shoulders slumped forward before she turned around using the crutches, muttering curses under her breath as she walked back through the door. Marrok rose from the chair and followed his friends as Cadence turned the light off.

*~*~*~*~*

Marrok knew what it was when Cadence pulled into the driveway. As the others looked in confusion at the one-story house in front of them, Cadence climbed out of the truck and waited for them to follow. Once everyone was out and the doors shut, Cadence made a sweeping motion with her hands.

"This is Team Thirteen's house," she said. "Teams meet here before every mission, and most stay in the house long-term." She limped up the steps and Marrok caught a glimpse of something that looked like metal underneath her pant leg.