Chapter Three - Part 1

The next three days when I thought I would have been deployed, I was training boots instead.

The reason for my re-tasking was explained on my comlink as, "Monitored stress levels indicated a need to have this gamer stand down for a few days." nothing more. I knew however that Kilo would fill in the blanks.

I was right, the morning of my re-tasking, just after having left my cube Kilo caught up to me on my way to the cafeteria and said, "lets go eat at the Flusher's jug... foods better there anyway."

I knew better than to say much in response, I joked, "You buying?" he just laughed.

Same room, cameras off he started, eating as he spoke, "I figured that you taking a little older boots on training skirmishes would let you bring down your stress levels... your stress readouts, downed onto your com are correct."

"How much non-camera time have we got today?"

"Our whole breakfast and your first skirmish starts in two hours."

"Okay Kilo... if we are all dead anyway why are we bothering with the possibility of escape?" he started to answer but I kept going. "It seems to me this escape business will just get us dead quicker!"

He gave me that look again with his eyes welling, replied "Faith!"