I thanked Flynn and slid out of mess before Killer would laser burn me.
Where would I go?
"Hey Rennieee!".
Med care, obviously.
"Oh thank god you're here! I should have made a better wish if I knew it was coming true."
Ren lit up just looking at me.
"You needed me badly, Didn't you?"
"Ofcourse I did! Now read this and tell me what did I miss."
She handed me a folder of six pages with clean handwritten points.
I read the caption 'Sparring session - Cdr and miss Jane'
I'd be damned!
She wrote six pages of that session that lasted for barely five minutes.
And she still thinks she missed something?
I read it and I was scared to say the least. I could not have ever imagined anyone jolting down each and every moment of a casual sparring session by looking at it just once.
"How did you do this?"
I asked her hiding no surprise.
"Practice, woman. For first few months of my second posting here, he used to make me stand and watch him and Willy practice fighting for hours. I had to write each and every move sequence-wise without missing any details, if I want to have a sparring session with him myself."
I've never seen Uncle and Killer fight. And by 'never seen' I mean I could never see everything that happens. It's a sequence of wooshes of air. Noticing those details, remembering it till you write, and writing each and everything - I can never do it. One would miss a lot of moves by just blinking their eyes. Even if my life is on a knife's edge, I can not use my brain to such an extent.
"What if you miss out something?"
I ask her already knowing the answer.
"I remember them for life, thanks to the sessions I'd have after the discussion is over."
She said exhaling loudly.
"So much just to train under him."
"This is nothing. I've done worse."
She laughed loudly.
"I'm listening."
When have I ever said no to stories?
"I was in my course when I met him, you remember I told you? So, I found out that he was going to be posted at KMA right after that course gets over. I decided that I have to get there anyhow. Upon doing some more research, I found out that the Medic at KMA was due for his posting in two months. If I had completed that course, I would have been posted to some other location for sure. So in the last few days, I took a few medicines and got myself severe gastritis. They had to admit me and I couldn't complete my course. I got better by the time next course started. Till then I had used all my contacts to ensure that I am the officer that replaces the Medic at KMA after completion of this second course. Things fell into place and my plan worked just as I had thought."
She said all this with a grin on her face.
"Tell me you are lying. Tell me you are not as crazy as the boys. Tell me!"
"I'm sorry sweetpea. I am as crazy as them. Luckily during my first posting here, they were not here at KMA. Thank god for that - Colonel agreed to train me. If Willy was here, he'd never train me."
"So this is the second time you got posted here?"
"Yep. Colonel understood that I'm using contacts again, so he made me pay for it before I get what I actually came here for."
"The torture of just looking and writing. And sweating for missing out points. Right?"
"Bingo. You have started understanding things, girl!"
"I'm becoming one of you, I can feel it. Hey! Did Uncle not catch your unnatural illness back at the course?"
"You bet my ass he didn't! He gave me heavy verbal doses since I was off the training. I would feel like a loser everytime he scolded me. But that made my decision to get posted to his academy stronger. I knew if there's anyone in the forces that can teach me how to channelize my energy correctly, it's him."
"I can never be as crazy as you."
"Trust me Jane, a day will come when you'll tell yourself - I am crazy now. It happened to all of us."
She laughed loudly and left.
Will I ever become this crazy ever?
Who knows?
"Where is she?"
I heard Killer's voice.
"She went to meet Uncle."
"Darn. I told her to wait and she easily forgot. She'll get a nice one from both of us."
He handed over a paper to me and said "Give this to her and tell her to give me a call when she's done."
"Yes sir."
He turned around and left and I looked at the paper in my hand.
I wonder whether these people attend handwriting classes also, because this paper had neatly written points too.
Once I was done with admiring the handwriting, I noticed the content.
It was a list of hell calling workouts - sets, number of sets, timing, number of breaks, amount of water and electrolytes required and other things. But if someone is supposed to go through all this in one go, man he better go to hell before he even starts.
What is this schedule? I doubt anyone other than Killer can even finish it!
I go through it again and again and keep asking myself - what is this for?
"You're still here?"
Ren barged in.
"Yea. I was actually waiting for you. Hey how did that summary go? You covered everything, right?"
"I missed one of your rolls."
"Damnit. So now?"
"I got to roll for 3 hours tonight on the football field." she said as a matter of fact.
"Shit, Ren. That's bad."
"Bad? No that's good. Atleast the cadets won't see me getting punished. I'm grateful that he chose this time. By the way, where is that onion Wills! He got me a huge ass lecture for not doing my homework before entering his office. I swear he -"
The dangling of the papers in my hand stopped her in the middle of her sentence.
"He said he asked you to wait for him before you go meet Uncle."
"Darnit Jane! I forgot! He told me an hour ago! Damn he's gonna screw me. And Colonel too!"
"That's what he said."
Ren face went serious but I had hard time controlling my laughter.
It's not her day.
"Let me have a look at it."
She took the paper and read the schedule. She didn't seem as surprised as me.
She went around, picked up her phone and called Killer. And funny enough, I've learnt the art of eavesdropping on these phone calls.
"Good Evening. Major Wills-"
"Are you crazy? What is this schedule?"
So it wasn't just me.
"Colonel James wants to know whether someone other than a class-I agent can go through all this with no serious complications, other than just Dehydration?" Killer's tone was absolutely formal, unusual to his normal tone with Ren.
"If this is for you, great! Go die! But if you're planning to make any of the boys go through it, count me out, because I'm not going to treat him. How can you be so -"
"Is that so, Captain Renee? Well then you can pack your bags and book your flight back home."
Shit.
That was Uncle.
Renee stood up with eyes wide.
"Sir - I - We - I was just.. kidding.. I- am sorr -"
She moved the speaker away from her face and turned to the opposite side and cursed herself. Then bringing the speaker back, she tried to handle the situation again.
"Sir - I didn't mean it... I will never-"
"You will never say No to any patient. You heard me?"
"Yes sir."
"Also, you do not decide how he trains the cadets. And is that how you talk to your senior? Do I need to teach you basic manners too, now?"
"Negative, sir."
"What time you go for your rolls?"
"2300 hours sir."
"Make it 2200. And now you do it on the gravel road. The field is out."
"Yes sir." The gulp meant she knows what's coming for her.
"Now coming to the report you were supposed to give me without this delay - what is your opinion?"
"Sir, The whole schedule requires good physical status of the body. For Major Wills, it will be a doable job, though he might develop cramps if he is on a break. But anyone who is not into the same level of activity as him, it will be difficult. Cramps and dehydration will be there, but a person with activity level equal to cadets would not develop Rhabdomyolysis or muscle failure, if that's what is specifically asked from me. Rest depends on the person altogether."
"Thanks for the opinion. And keep your ears open to the signal your pals give you."
Renee face palmed and covered her smile.
"Yes sir."
"Here. Call me when Kelly gets back."
Looked like Uncle was leaving Killer's office because after a few seconds Killer was abusing Ren like college buddies.
"You dumb shit! You have carrots in place of ears or got a pumpkin sitting in your head? Got a 'C' graded attention. How could you miss it? Even he noticed it!"
"Yeah yeah fine! I didn't notice that you said his name. I'm sorry."
"Don't say sorry to me. Tell them to your elbows when they weep on gravel tonight."
"I'll see to it. First you tell me who the hell is going through this schedule? And why?"
"It is for Major Philip. He apologised to father again and said that he's ready for whatever punishment he dishes out for him."
My breath hitched in my throat and I looked at Ren without a blink.
"And how are you going to go about it?"
Ren asked him still looking into my eyes.
"Me and him are going to do that schedule. Kelly will monitor us. If he finishes in the time mentioned, he's done. If he doesn't, then he's just done."
"Couldn't you have made an easier chart, you duffer?"
"First of all, I came to know about Major Philip fifteen seconds before your phone call. And second, I didn't make the schedule. Kelly did. He knew I'll be pulled in no matter who the second person is. He wants to beat my ass at every single chance he gets. And now that you've given him the medical permission, Philip sir is going to face the most exciting schedule of his life. Tell congratulations to Jane."
I closed my dry mouth and went through all the little hints - Martins waking up early and going to gym, 'we'll meet soon' - he really asked for it, and has been preparing for it for so many days.
My heart swells up by just thinking about his commitment. All this for me. He knew I'll try to talk to Uncle if I knew, so he didn't tell me.
"When is it going to happen?"
Ren asked the last question and the answer nearly made me slip.
"In three days."
Damn you Martins.
You are crazy!
************************************
And you thought Major Philip Martins was forgiven?
Duh.
************************************
You guys still at home? Free? Not much job?
Well then why don't you dm me the loose ends of this book that you want me to write about?
I'll take some requests and next few chapters shall cover them.
That's a good deal, no?
Well, it's once an year opportunity. 😉
Place your demands. 😅