Chapter 24. So, did I pass?

[Simulation Clear

Forced exit in: 

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Standing atop the viewing platform, two figures clad in black, stared in disbelief at the large screen as the figure of a tall woman with long black hair, wearing a black filtration mask covering the lower half of her face from their sight, began to fade from view in a rain of blue light. 

"Kit…did you…you saw what I just did right?" A man of average height and bronze hair asked in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape. 

Captain Hunter nodded slowly, a crooked smile creeping onto his face and excitement sparking in his heterochromatic eyes. "General Del said she seemed different and had received special training, but this…" He trailed off staring at the pod that was now beginning to open. 

The Captain placed his hand on the other man's shoulder, pulling him from his reverie. "Come Till, I'll introduce you -" He paused, turning to the man called Till. "Just please remember to address me properly in front of the new recruit, I'm your Commanding Officer first and also…just behave." 

Till chuckled lightly and began descending the platform ahead of his Captain, turning back with a mischievous grin "aye, aye, Captain." He retorted, putting unnecessary emphasis on Kit's title. 

Captain Hunter sighed, following behind his Lieutenant with a sense of trepidation. 

*

As Love exited the pod she rolled her shoulder slightly and glanced down at her leg. The pain inside of the simulation had felt so realistic that she still expected to be littered in bruises and injuries. Yet although she didn't even feel physically tired, there appeared to be some mental fatigue, as if her brain was a little sluggish.

Realising that Captain Hunter was no longer standing near the VR pod, Love glanced around the room, spotting two figures descending from the viewing platform. 

She recognised the tall, broad shouldered Captain immediately as his golden blonde hair glinted under the harsh white lights of the hall, but there was another smaller figure standing just in front of him with one hand resting on his hip. 

As they alighted the platform the stranger sauntered towards her with a confident smile. He appeared to be just a little shorter than Love's 5'11" and although not as broad and domineering as the Captain, he wore a cropped black training vest and low-rise combat trousers that showcased his highly toned body, wiry muscles rolling under his lightly tanned skin. 

His hair was of a dark brown with bronze accents, parted down the middle and falling gracefully into his deep blue eyes that sparked with mischief. His features were soft and delicate but with a sharp jawline and a single gold piercing dangling from his left ear. 

Where Captain Hunter was tall and handsome, appearing like a golden lion, this man with his soft features and graceful movements was like that of a lithe jaguar or panther, with narrow hips and a small slender waist.

Before reaching Love, Captain Hunter placed his hand on the stranger's shoulder and stepped ahead of him. The attractive stranger grinned up at him with a strange expression in his eyes and fell back. 

"Private Aikawa, well done." The Captain greeted her professionally, but his lips quirked up into a crooked smile, "that was…something else."

"I'll say!" The stranger interjected with a wide grin. 

"This is Lieutenant Dietrich Atallah." Captain Hunter gestured towards the excitable man with the pretty face. 

"Ergh, no, just Till, you know I hate Dietrich." He whined, pouting slightly. But the next instant his face lit up excitedly once again. "But that was really something, err...Aikawa right? Only this guy has ever actually killed one of those alone on the first try and even that was a major fluke, plus that simulations had a lot of updates since then." Till laughed, slapping the Captain on the back playfully. Captain Hunter grimaced and gave Love an apologetic look, but she was a little confused by Till's words. 

"I don't understand, wasn't killing it the requirement to pass?" She asked. 

"Well, actually, if you remember I said you would be fighting it, not that you had to kill it." The Captain explained, grinning a little wider. "But then you went ahead and put half my unit to shame." He shook his head lightly. 

Love was unsure if she should feel happy to hear this. On the one hand, it was likely that she would now pass the requirements to join the unit, but on the other, did she go too far? Although Ezra had explained that the Hunter family came from a Dhampir line and that this would be the best place for her to be, without the need to hide too much of herself and the changes she might experience, should she have held back a little? 

"But if I wasn't expected to kill it, then what were you looking for to pass someone?"

"Two things mainly." Kit held up two fingers. "First, to make sure you can stay calm under pressure from a fearsome opponent, we can't have people in this unit who will break easily, so we only admit those with higher than the norm mental fortitude."

"Yeah, most people we reject just stand there shaking in their combat boots. Last year some big burly guy with a nasty face pissed himself 3 seconds in." Till laughed loudly leaning against the Captain with familiarity. 

'Hmm, they must be close.' Love pondered.

"Lieutenant." Captain Hunter looked down at his second in command with a warning glare. 

In response Till straightened up and cleared his throat, placing his hands behind his back sharply, in an over exaggerated display of military discipline. 

The Captain shook his head again and turned away, ignoring the childish antics of his Lieutenant. 

"Secondly" He continued, raising his fingers again "is to assess your overall combat abilities and determine if you would synergise well with the rest of the team." 

"So…did I pass then?" Love asked, staring back at the Captain calmly. 

He blinked a little and glanced down at Till who met his gaze with the same dumbfounded expression. 

In the next moment, a pleasant sound of deep rumbling laughter came from Captain Hunter.

"What do you think, Captain? Is she in?" Till was chuckling lightly, with a wide grin.

The Captain smiled at Love warmly, flashing his perfect white teeth. "Yes, Private, you passed. Welcome to Unit 2-18."

**