UCAC Ch. 05

They called the time period for this segment of training, 'Three Weeks of Purgatory.' If hell hadn't started yet, I was very, very, very concerned over what hell was. Once the three weeks were finished, we could not sigh a sigh of relief. No, our torment had only just begun. We stood at attention out on the field, freezing but not shivering.

"Now I'm surprised," Drill sergeant said, prowling around, "...That you boys made it through Three Weeks of Purgatory without me having to send one of you home. Now I will send you to hell for the next three weeks..." A malevolent smile could have came across his face, but no he kept the same mug he always held.

"What you will be doing is surviving knife and hand out in the wilds for the next three weeks... No radios, no guns, no tents, no anything except a knife and a piece of flint. Not only will you face rainy, wet and sheer cold, you will face off against some of the most formidable creatures in the world. There are mammoths, wooly rhinoceroses, megaceroses, direwolves, cave lions, smilodons, and the oh so grand arctodus... all brought back from extinction to kill you! You are to travel from the south end of Labrador to the north... There'll be markers if you get lost...because you will. I have only one recommendation out there... Don't die! Oh, and I almost forgot," He said as he just began to walk away, "You will have partners... the first fifteen of you, go to the spinning barrel, pull the lever and let it dispense a name. That name will be your partner. Don't try anything funny because I will know. Do not make bands to try and survive because that makes you a bigger target for shit that wants kill you."

I was not the first fifteen. I stood there, very worried as the row in front of me went to the dispenser. I hoped that chance would allow my name to fall when he he pulls the lever. The thing was though, he was number fifteen in the first two row and I was number one in the last two rows. It was because we tried to walk together, not taking into consideration we were in the middle of the group. When we lined up, seven by eight, it had not dawned on us then...not until the drill instructor gave us the news.

The first dude, went to the dispenser pulling the lever. A strip of paper came out like an automated receipt. He pulled it, looking at the name.

"Daniel?" He asked, not sure who it was. The third guy over from me held up his hand. He hesitantly walked over to his mate, the two walking over towards the drill sergeant. He handed one a survival knife and the other a flint. The two young men looked at each other, obviously being the first time they met.

"GO!! The fuck ya'll just standing there for??" The drill instructor demanded. The two boys looked on lost, unsure what he meant. Nonetheless, the two headed towards the nearest woods within the restricted area.

"Those two are going to end up bear lunch..." The drill instructor said, shaking his head.

It had me lost. Where are we supposed to going? We're in the middle of base camp and not given any clues to what the fuck he meant. I looked around as another person dispensed a name.

"Rafael?" He called out. The guy behind me ventured forth, he and his mate heading over to the drill instructor. He handed a machete to the one who pulled the lever and gave Rafael a flint.

"Let's see if you two get it right," He said, watching the two boys wander around, unsure what to do, "Nope..." He sighed, waiting for the next two.

"What the fuck are we supposed to be doing?" I heard someone whisper.

"I don't know." Someone said back.

Still searching around, I looked to the fencing several hundred yards away. The gate was opened but it wasn't clear why. I guess we were supposed to head out that way... I wasn't too sure. Another name was called and another guy came forward. They two disappointed the drill instructor yet again.

Then something dreadful happened. My name was called and it wasn't Malcolm calling it. It was some gross, hardened looking dude from...I'm guessing the Southern Remnants based on his accent. Seriously, this dude looked like he could chew me up and spit me out. We walked over to the Drill instructor. The ruffian was handed a stout blade and I was handed...not a flint but a scorcher... It may seemed that a scorcher was more useful due to how easily it could start a fire, but it was a trick... In a damp environment, a scorcher was useless and this place was fucking WET!!

The drill instructor looked a us, no faith whatsoever. My partner was as lost as everyone else. He ventured forth, heading where the other guys went.

"Dude..." I said, grabbing his arm. He looked down at my hand, appalled that I touched him. With my free hand I discreetly pointed to the east gate. He looked for a long while, his vision not being so perfect.

"Trust me, dude..." I said.

He was full of reluctance. Still, I walked to the east gate, he having no choice but to follow.

"Thank you! Thank you for being the first dumbasses to get it right... Don't die, now!" The instructor said, as reassuringly as he could muster. I looked back at Malcolm, wishing it would have been him I was partnered with instead of this mess... Malcolm gave me a discreet nod and it was all I needed. It just wanted to know he was fine with this. It felt strange, like I was cheating on him but...Malcolm and I weren't even a thing... yet.

This gross looking dude and I headed towards the gate. Two armed guards gave us a nod. I was polite enough to nod back but not this dude. He was about my height, maybe a little taller. He was very, very bulky with broad muscular shoulders and an overly aggressive gait. His face was what I found gross. He wasn't by any means ugly, in fact he was quite handsome! He just had so many scars, cuts and scrapes, and a permanent scowl that showed he was one not to be reckoned with.

As we passed the gate, he wadded up all the saliva in his mouth and spat on the ground. He put the stout blade in his pack and walked along, his fists clenched like he had something to prove. I didn't know what I was dealing with but something had to give. We were simply walking aimlessly east, when we should be heading northwest.

"We're heading the wrong way..." I said. He looked at me, surprised I spoke... I didn't get it...

I turned heading northward. He gave an eyeroll and followed. We walked for hours, the giant pine trees seeming to follow our movements as we continued along. It was foggy out here with very low visibility. It was then I noticed all had become quiet, not even a bird chirped.

"Hey..." I said. The dude turned to look at me, not pleased that I stopped. Again, he said nothing.

"Something's in these parts..." I said. He shrugged, unsure what the hell I was talking about.

"Something big and predatory is near us... I'm warning you that we need to be careful!" I said. He looked at me, unsure why I felt the need to tell him this, as if he already knew. He slowly turned back around, continuing forth.

I sighed, hoping this fool wouldn't get us killed. I tuned in with my eyes and ears, for any sounds any possible threats. The dude simply meandered through the forest, making so much noise it wasn't even funny. Still though, it was too silent. Despite the excessive noise he made, I could hear the faint growls of bear cubs...close!

As we neared a giant pine with a massive root blocking the view of a sloping riverbank, I grabbed this idiot pushing him flush against the tree. As soon as we did, an eleven foot tall short-faced bear reared up. She sniffed, smelling the scent of humans. I looked at the dude, utterly terrified as he could see the bear but it couldn't see us. I grabbed his face, making him focus on me. I pointed up the tree, showing him that we needed to climb. I scurried up the tree, the boy following. We watched as the mother bear and her children fled the area, leaving an elk kill behind.

I looked at the boy, stupefied by the fact that he was just walking blindly.

"You're stupid..." I said plainly. He looked enraged, surprised by my nerve.

"Excuse you?" He said, challengingly.

"You walked right up on a mother short-faced bear while she and her cubs were feeding! Do you know how dead you would have been?" I asked. He was at a loss for words.

"Look," I sighed, "I'm going to need you to drop this bullshit attitude you're carrying and think about surviving! We have to walk two hundred fifty miles through taiga and tundra and I can guarantee you that this will not be the last time we run into some creatures..."

I looked around for any signs of the bear and her cubs. It seemed they had disappeared. I climbed down the tree, looking at the elk carcass. The meat looked fresh enough...

"Come on." I said. The boy followed me down to the river bed. I constantly looked around, not being a fan of being at the lowest point when there was so much high ground around. The dude stood at the top of the embankment, nervous.

"Bring me your knife." I said.

"No, I'm not going down there!" He said.

"Do you want to eat tonight?" I asked. He said nothing, but I knew his obvious answer, "Well I suggest you bring me the knife so we can get the fuck out of here!"

He reluctantly did so, quick to clamber back to the top of the embankment. I cut us some meat off the flank of the dead elk, placing them in resealable bags I snuck out of the camp. They would conceal the smell of the meat and keep the meat from spoiling in the air. I then washed the my hands and knife off in the stream, leaving no blood trail. I also put his knife in my pack, not trusting the boy with anything...even his own life.

"Come on..." I said, quick to make my way across to the other side of the embankment. He followed, constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure no creature was in pursuit.

We traveled quite far, eventually setting up camp on a wooded slope next to a large tree. Nothing could sneak up behind us and we could climb the tree if something menacing came our way. I started us a fire and made the dumbass collect bedding material so we could be warm. It was probably going to drop well below freezing here tonight. I hoped the other trainees were safe...especially Malcolm.

"So," I began, "Where are you from?"

"Southern Remnants..." The boy sighed.

"I figured..."

"What do you mean you figured?" The boy asked, offended.

"The way you carry yourself, like you're the shit... people from the Southern Remnants only do that." I sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really want me to go there?"

"You might as well! You've been talking shit to me all day!" He said, very upset.

"Awe poor baby. I didn't mean to make life and death seem so...ya know... seem so much of a priority! I'm just saying, this little attitude you carry is so pathetic... You realize not everyone you meet will be white, you superiors will not all be white, your inferiors will not all be white, and this world you live in is not white! I know people like you! You're from the Brunswick Confederacy. My mother was one of you and was shunned because she married a man of another race..."

"I don't care about your mother..." He interrupted.

"It's not about her... It was about you kid... I'm trying to be nice to you because we're going to spend the next three weeks traveling together and tell you what shit I will and won't tolerate. Your little meandering and shit almost got us killed today... I don't care if you are a racist... At least for the duration of this expedition, let's put our differences aside." I sighed.

"I'm not a racist..." He argued back.

"Keep lying to yourself..." I said, resting my head against the tree. He looked at me for a long time, obviously very angry. I thought it was because he was just as arrogant as I was why he spoke so little but no, he was a man of few words. I don't think he was all of that intelligent, and definitely not used to this climate.

"...Are you from here?" He asked.

"No..." I said, it catching me by surprise.

"You have a funny accent. I just wondered where you're from?" He responded.

"It's hard to say. I was born in the Brunswick Confederacy... but quickly relocated to the Great Wind Fields, then to the Texas Swamplands, then back to the Wind Fields, then back to the Southern Remnants then to the Virgin Islands before I moved to the British Isles. The Caribbean and British accent stuck, I guess." I sighed.

"Damn, I've only lived in the Brunswick Confederacy. I've never seen a person of another race. What are you?" He asked.

"Well... If you want specifics, Aryan, Semitic, North Mongoloid and Congoid. I know that's how you Americans like your race talk..." I joked.

"I didn't understand a word you said..."

"Oh, God... White and Black..." I sighed.

"Why didn't you just say that in the beginning?"

"Why couldn't you have picked up a book and read this information for yourself? As a human, it's your duty to know about your species..." I said, sounding very disappointed. I wasn't really. He seemed fun to fuck with.

"I...I," He stammered, "I only recently learned to read...like early this year. My parents didn't allow books..."

"Eh, sounds like a cult..." I sighed.

"A cult?" He asked.

"I'm only joking dude." I said, thinking he was getting defensive again.

"No, I mean what is a cult?" He asked.

"It's an extreme religious group that brainwashes others and tries to make everyone function the same, beleive the same and fall in line the same... Scary stuff really." I explained.

"That sounds exactly like what it is. My folks tried to kill me when I told them I wanted to leave. I told them I wouldn't go...but left anyway. Haven't spoken to them since..." He said.

"What's the family name?" I asked.

"Cocovich..." He said. I smiled at him, surprised by the coincidence.

"We might be cousins..." I laughed, jokingly.

"What?" He said, leaning up startled.

"That was my mother's last name. It's not a very common last name down South... Her first name was Cynthia."

"Cynthia?" He asked, seeming to come to a realization.

"Ringing any bells?" I asked, laughing.

"Yeah... We definitely are related. My mother's blood sister's name was Cynthia and they said she was stolen by a nigg...um black person." He said.

"I wouldn't say stolen, maybe banished." I smiled.

"I can believe that..." He sighed, ashamed of his grandparents, "What's your name though?"

"Denver."
"Wow, my name's Dallas." He chuckled.

"That's just weird... So I really do have family?" I asked, this being truly shocking.

"Why do you...wait? What happened? Did something happen to your parents?" He asked.

"Yeah, they died when I was about nine." I laughed, not really sweating it.

"Awe, dude!" He said, full of sympathy.

"NOPE, don't do that! If it's one thing I hate it's being pitied!" I said, shaking my head.

"What were they like?" He asked.

"Who?"

"Your parents?"

"Oh, they were tough. I thought they were super heroes growing up. They taught me survival stuff from the time I could walk and talk. My dad taught my sign language from the time I could sit up so we could communicate and I could learn. I don't know, I had to grow up fast because we never stayed in a place long. But I'm thankful for what they taught me..."

"Man, I don't know shit! The only thing related to survival that I know is how to start a fire..."

"We got three weeks. I can teach you all I know, starting with the fauna... The giant bear we faced, that's Arctotherium. It's the biggest land predator in the world and one of the fastest. Just because it's chubby doesn't mean it can't hunt you down! It can maintain a speed of forty miles an hour for an extremely long period of time. Your best defense, scoot up a damn tree and pray that son of a bitch is too big to climb. You have your cave lions, smilodons and dire wolves... fortunately we can outrun them, particularly the cats. The issue with the cats though, you never see them coming. The dire wolves can sprint for quite a distance and will not give up easily. Unlike most other creatures, they are not scared of fire and are attracted to the smell of something cooking. Fortunately though, we can scurry up a tree from all these creatures... It's best we stay in the forest and do not venture to the open grasslands unless it is of utmost necessity. In the event of this having to to happen, I want you to stay put. I'll come back for you. In the mean time, we're gonna have to make spears, maces and bows or whatever because that damn knife..." I sighed.

"Eh, OK..." He said, sounding daunted.

I didn't think much of it. I did so rightfully because guess what, this boy was so eager to learn. The next few weeks blazed by despite the...being chased down and almost killed by a short-faced bear a handful of time and having to shoot and kill some wolves to send a message to their pack. Even a smilodon gave us a fright when we disappeared up a tree due to the creature's twenty foot vertical. Probably the worst scare of all was when we got chased up a tree by a seven hundred pound lion. Fortunately our smaller frames fueled by cybernetic strength allowed us to climb out of reach of the massive ambush hunter.

When we reached the objective point, we were so relieved. To our surprise, we were one of the first teams to make it. Within the twenty four hours, nine teams had made it, some not unscathed. Each team had bows, clubs and other weapons built, the leading team having made pelts from wolf hides and blow darts from their bones. The six other teams were missing but thankfully, Malcolm and his partner made it. They were third, Malcolm having built a hatchet out of river stone and... mammoth bone? Eh, I don't know... His partner had a... yeah it was mammoth bone, club. They must have had to come across a carcass. Malcolm and I exchanged brief glances and smiles, not wanting to draw attention to our budding romance.

The Drill Sergeant came with other grunts in the back of his Jeep. He parked it in front of us, picking up his megaphone.

"You are our elite few worthy to be Captains of the Cybernetic Militia. You have proven yourself in this chilly hell and now are ready for the next step of hell... Now get back to base...you have one week." He said. He sat back in the jeep, leaving us there in the wilderness, hundreds of miles away.

"So he's just gonna leave us here?" Someone said, utterly flabbergasted.

"I almost died!" Another trainee cried.

"We got to travel all that way in one week!" A grunt groveled.

"I don't even remember the way back..." Someone said, clenching their head.

The whole time, Malcolm and I looked at each other, smiling. I was so happy to see him with no restraints and regiments keeping is at bay. We may have been in a very dangerous location but it was nonetheless still nice. I walked over to him, unable to contain it. He wrapped me in a big hug, lifting me completely off the ground. He kissed me, obviously having longed for me this entire time.

"Easy lover boys... We got a long walk back..." A trainee smiled.