Chapter 59: The Open Door

The sun was rising as the recruits finished. The floor was so clean it looked like glass. They were exhausted, shaking, and humbled.

I stood at the door, my hands clasped behind my back. "Vance."

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"My office. 08:00. Bring your squad."

When they arrived at my office, they expected the worst. They expected a court-martial or a transfer. Instead, they found the door open. Charles was sitting on the corner of my desk, and the "Old Guard" was lounging on the chairs, drinking coffee.

"Sit," I said.

I didn't lecture them. Instead, I pulled out a dusty, leather-bound journal. It was the log from the Pech. I began to read. I read about the hunger, the cold, the way the men had once called me a witch, and the way we had eventually stood against a Major to keep the unit together.

As I spoke, the recruits' faces changed. The "prankster" light in their eyes died out, replaced by a sudden, heavy realization of the legacy they were standing in.

"We don't have secrets in this unit," I said, closing the book. "Everyone knows about the Section Chief and me. Everyone knows about my skin. We don't hide because hiding is for people who are afraid of the truth. If you want to be part of this unit, you stop playing games and you start carrying the weight."