Basic Training

by Beej

Chapter 1                                    
                                                        

 

 
Aaron Jacob Ira Caleb Mitchell looked up from the papers on his desk and sighed. He hated forms that demanded his full name. The boxes were never big enough to fit them all in.

 
Only his grandmother, Dr Williamson, and his father called him Aaron, to his friends he was Jake, to the love of his life he was AJ, to his ex commanding officer he was Mitch, and to his uncle more often than not, he was just ‘sport’.

 
His mind wandered while he gazed out of his office window. He was on the 12th floor, but he didn’t take in the glorious view of the harbour, nor did he note that from there he could see his home on the wharf. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate the view, his mind was just on other things.

 
Jake was 32 years old and co-owner of A&M Risk Management. An interesting company, with Jake the Managing Director, running the Sydney office and overseeing the development of the new London office, and his best mate Michael, Financial Director, who ran the New York office, soon to be relocating to Chicago. A&M Risk was a security firm specialising in high risk insurance for company personnel (kidnap and ransom to those in the know), and also consulting on internal security for their clients.

 
Jake was also used from time to time by the Sydney police as a specialist negotiator. Both he and Michael had been in the military, special forces, and Jake was on ‘active reserve’ status holding the rank of Major.

 
Right now Jake was suffering from terminal boredom. He was restricted to his office due to his love of powerful motorcycles. He had recently parted company from his Harley and the plaster had only just been removed from his leg. He longed to be out in the field once again, even though he and Michael were always saying that they were strictly meeters and greeters these days.

 
There was a quiet knock on the door and a head poked round the opening.

 
“Are you busy?”

 
“No, Jinny, come in please.”

 
Jake’s PA, Jennifer Clark, always had to stifle a grin when he called her by name. She had emigrated to Sydney from England 20 years ago, and was well used to the Aussie accent, but was still fascinated by her boss, who was born and bred in New Zealand. His mother was a quarter Maori and his father had a Maori mother and an Australian father. It seemed that no matter how long he lived in Australia, his Kiwi accent was always just beneath the surface, and she loved him for it.

 
“What can I do for you Jin?” he asked.

 
“You’re going to hate me Jake, more paperwork for you I’m afraid.”

 
“How does this get done when I’m not around?” Jake asked.

 
“I do it, silly.” Jennifer replied.

 
“Well then,” Jake said, a twinkle in his eye. “Why change the habits of a lifetime eh? You can do it for me now.”

 
Jennifer started to reply but Jake held up his hand to stop her.

 
“Okay, luv, just sort through ‘em and leave the completed ones for me to sign when I get back.”

 
Not waiting for her reply, Jake rose from his desk, grabbed his elbow crutch, and limped as quickly as he could out of his office and down towards the lift.

 
Once he hit the street he stopped and breathed in the fresh air…where to go from here? It felt good to be out of the office for even a short time, and he felt like a naughty schoolboy playing hookey.

 
He decided to go back to his apartment, but it was too hot for a taxi (he still wasn’t driving yet), he decided to take a slow walk home past the Opera House and along the Harbour Walk on the edge of the Botanical Gardens, certain of the breeze coming off the harbour to keep him cool.

 
By the time he got past Circular Quay and was headed towards the OH he thought that he’d made a bad choice in trying to walk. His leg was aching already and he hadn’t even reached the gate of the gardens. There was still quite a walk along the flat, then a slight rise and lastly quite a few steps before he got home. Ah well, let’s just call it his physical therapy for the week. He could relax and take a swim when he reached home.

 
30 minutes later found him halfway round the harbour walk sitting on a bench watching the ferries go by.

 
“I’m rooted,” he thought. “It’ll be tomorrow before I get home at this rate.”

 
He looked up to see the scenic train heading his way. He raised up his crutch to stop it, thinking he wasn’t too proud to hitch a ride to the other side of the gardens.

 
“G’day, wanna lift?” asked the driver.

 
“Cheers mate. I’m not a tourist mind, so spare me the chat.”

 
“Where ya want me to drop ya off then?”

 
“As close to the wharf as you can would be good mate.”

 
“No worries, hop on.”

 
Jake managed to clamber into one of the little trucks, and as he was the only one on board, the driver decided to take him as far as he could whilst staying within the gardens. He got to the top of the rise and stopped.

 
“This good for ya?”

 
“Bewdy! As much as I’d like to think I could, I’m pretty certain I’d not have made that slope in this heat. How much do I owe ya?”

 
“Have this one on me mate.”

 
“Okie dokie, thanks. Hey, meet me down at The Bells later, my shout?”

 
“You’re on, I’ll be there about 8.00. C ya.”

 
Jake walked slowly across the grass to the track by the Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pool and made his way past, then across the roof gardens above the holiday apartments, and down the steps. By the time he got across the beginning of the boardwalk to the café on the wharf, he was worn out. He sat down to get his breath back and was greeted by one of the waiters.

 
“G’day Jake, what ya drinking?”

 
“Cuppa tea please, and a glass of water.”

 
“Comin’ right up.”

 
When his water arrived, Jake took out the small bottle containing his meds. He was still in some pain from the accident, even though he would rather have his fingernails ripped out than admit it. Much as he despised taking any form of medication, he shook a couple out and was taking them as the waiter arrived with his tea.

 
“Taking a bit longer to heal than you want eh?”

 
“You’re not wrong Pete, I thought I’d be up and around, no sticks, no limp by now.”

 
“Typical of you Jake, always were ‘Action Man’ weren’t you.”

 
Pete and Jake had known each other ever since their families had arrived from New Zealand. They had grown up together up in northern NSW, and their families still lived up in the small township.

 
“You just watch me Pete, a couple of weeks from now I’ll be good as new again. Was just waiting for that bloody cast to come off. I’m going to the pool later, wanna come?”

 
“The outdoor one?”

 
“Nah, inside. Give me a buzz when you finish your shift and I’ll let you in.”

 
Jake drank his tea, paid his bill and limped of down the boardwalk and inside the wharf building. He sank down onto the couch in his air conditioned longe room, and the next thing he knew, he was woken by the shrill ringing of his security phone. Getting up slowly, he answered, and pressed the button to let Pete in the building. Ten minutes later they were both in the pool belonging to the wharf apartments.

 
Pete never failed to be in awe of Jake when watching him in the water. It was as if he was born to swim. He sat on the edge of the pool and watched Jake swim three lengths under water. His broken leg certainly didn’t hinder him in the pool. He looked happier than he had since the bike crash and Pete was pleased for his friend.

 
Later, Pete went with Jake to The Bells for the promised drink with the pleasure train driver, and they both helped a very happy Jake back to his apartment at chuck out time, and put him to bed. Jake didn't drink, but somehow they had convinced him to have a beer, or two, or three.

 
The following morning Jake wished he was dead. His head was killing him, and the room swirled round every time he tried to sit up.

 
“Shit! Not one of your better ideas mate, now you know why you don't drink!”

 
He dragged himself out of bed and slowly managed to make his way to the bathroom, where he crawled into the shower and stayed , hands braced against the cool tiles, until the room stopped spinning.

 
He made his way to the kitchen, a towel wrapped round his waist. As he was making some tea his phone rang. It was Jennifer. He told her to come up, and by the time she was ringing his bell he had managed to get a pair of sweats on. He opened the door and invited her in.

 
“You had your brekkie yet?” he asked.

 
“Good morning Jake, no I haven’t.”

 
“Care to join me?”

 
“I’d love to, thanks. Can I help?”

 
“No luv, you go sit down and I’ll show you how independent I am.” Jake replied with a smile.

 
Jennifer sat at the kitchen table watching Jake limp around on just the one elbow crutch. Although she was only about 10 years older than him, she had distinctly maternal feelings towards him, and worried that he was trying to do too much too soon. It was all she could do to stop herself from jumping up and helping him.

 
Soon, they were both sitting down to a breakfast of cereal, toast, marmalade (for Jennifer), Vegemite (for Jake) and a nice pot of English Breakfast tea. Jennifer appreciated this very much. Jake knew that even after all these years there were still some things she missed about England, and real English marmalade was one of them. Jake always seemed to have jars of the stuff stocking his larder, and every couple of weeks she would find a jar on her desk, wrapped in a big pink ribbon.

 
She insisted on clearing up after their meal, and Jake went to sit on the balcony while she stacked the dishes in the washer and wiped down the work top and the table. When she finished she joined him, placing her briefcase by the side of the steamer chair before she sat opposite Jake. He hadn’t noticed the case before then, and he groaned softly knowing what was inside.

 
“I thought it might be too hot for you to be in the office today,” said Jennifer.

 
“It’s air conditioned.” Jake replied.

 
“Yes I know, but be honest, you’re going stir crazy in there. This is the longest time you’re spent in your office since you opened the business. After you skipped out yesterday, I spent all afternoon clearing the pile on your desk.”

 
Jake looked up at her guiltily through his long lashes. Jennifer thought he looked like a naughty little boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and had to stop herself getting up to give him a big hug and ruffle his hair.

 
“Don’t worry, I’ve just brought the ones that really need your signature today. All the rest can wait until you feel like turning up again. It should only take you about half an hour to look through and sign these, then I guess you can take the rest of the day doing whatever you want.”

 
“Jinny, your blood needs bottling luv.” Jake said, beaming across at her.

 
True to her word, half an hour later everything was checked, signed and placed back in the briefcase. Jennifer got up ready to leave for the walk to the office, but Jake grabbed hold of her wrist and stopped her.

 
“Why don’t you give the office a call luv and get one of the messengers to come round and pick them up, after all that‘s what we pay them for. Claire can deal with them, and you can play hookey along with the boss for a change.”

 
Jennifer started to protest, but then she looked out from the balcony across the bay and thought...why not!

 
“Okay boss, never let it be said that I don’t do what I’m told.”

 
Ten minutes later the messenger arrived and the papers were sent off to the office without Jennifer or Jake.

 
“What shall we do now then?” asked Jennifer.

 
“Right, I suggest a quick trip to your place for you to pack an overnight bag, then it’s off to the airport.”

 
“Where are we off to?”

 
“I think it’s time you came up to the old homestead.” Jake replied, winking at her as he made his way to his bedroom to pick up his holdall.

 
Two hours later the company helicopter touched down at Jake’s country retreat and he was introducing Jennifer to his grandmother, Emily. Even though she had never been there before, she instantly felt at home. Emily seemed pleased to see her, and not at all surprised that Jake had taken her there.

 
After freshening up in the guest room, Jake decided to take her for a quick tour around the house and the area just around the building. He didn’t think he was up to taking her too far around the property yet.

 
She loved everything she was shown, especially the horses. They rounded a corner of the house and she saw a large enclosure with high wire fences. She was wondering what was kept in there when she saw a flash of grey shoot towards the front of the enclosure where she was standing. Her blood ran cold…it looked like a wolf.

 
The wolf was snarling and growling, its hackles risen up the length of its back. Jennifer was frozen rigid where she stood. Suddenly the wolf stopped growling, sat down wagging its tail, looking past her with its tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth.

 
Jennifer turned round to see Jake lower his hand. This creature was obviously his and obeyed his unspoken commands.

 
Jake took hold of Jennifer by the hand and led her to the gate of the enclosure. She pulled back, afraid to go anywhere near the creature. Jake looked at her and told her not to worry, she would be okay with him there. They entered the enclosure and Jake closed the gate behind them.

 
He slowly managed to bend down on his undamaged leg and the wolf approached him, lay down and rolled onto its back. Jake spoke to the animal.

 
“Lupo, meet Jinny.”

 
The wolf looked at Jennifer and held up a paw. Jennifer let out a soft gasp, but stooped down to take hold of the offered paw.

 
“Jinny, meet Lupo.”

 
They spent about twenty minutes with Lupo and then headed back to the house.

 
“He’s beautiful but a bit scary Jake. Where did you get him?”

 
“He was a gift from a grateful client in Europe. I’ve had him since he was a little bundle of fluff. He acts scary, but he’s safe really.”

 
They went back into the kitchen where Emily was putting the kettle on for a cup of tea. Jake limped into the lounge room while Jennifer stayed in the kitchen.

 
“Thanks for bringing him up for a visit Jenny,” said Emily.

 
“Well, I think it was the other way round, he decided that we should both skip the office for a couple of days,” she replied.

 
“He’s going mental with the inactivity isn’t he?” Jake’s Grandmother asked.

 
“Yes, he surely is. I’m just glad the cast is off and he’s getting more mobile. I’d have hated to see him more badly hurt, he wouldn’t have been able to cope with it.”

 
“Do you ever miss the bustle of the city Emily?”

 
“No. I like it fine up here in the sticks. I still do a shift in the local hospital once a week, not bad for a doctor of my age. For a country hospital we are very state of the art, mainly because we are the main base in this area for the RFDS. Hopefully you’ll get to see it before he whisks you back.”

 
“I’d like that very much, thanks for the invite.”

 
Just then they both heard a car pull up and their heads turned to the kitchen door together. The door flew open and a short dark haired young lady in a nurse uniform entered.

 
“Hiya Emily…Oh sorry, I didn’t know you had a visitor.”

 
“Angie, this is Jennifer from Sydney.”

 
“Jennifer? JENNIFER!!!! Is AJ here?”

 
“Yes, he’s in the…..”

 
Angie flew past the two women at the kitchen table headed for the lounge room. By the time they rose from their seats to follow she was standing by the sofa looking down at the sleeping Jake, love radiating from every pore in her body.

 
On hearing the two older women enter the room, she turned and walked towards them, whispering quietly.

 
“I’m sorry, that was very rude. I’m Angeline, AJ’s girlfriend. I’m pleased to finally meet you Jennifer.”

 
“Likewise, and please, call me Jenny.”

 
“Okay, Jenny, thanks, I’m Angie to my friends. How was the trip up, was Jake okay?”

 
“It was good. He had a little nap. I think being in the office has drained him. When I suggested that he didn’t go in this morning he dragged me to the airport and the next thing I knew, we were here. He really needed to get out of the city for a bit.”

 
“Thanks for letting him bring you up here, it’s the best thing you could have done. He hasn’t been ‘home’ for such a long time now.”

 
They all turned to look at the still sleeping form of Jake when the silence was broken by Sam and the dogs coming through the kitchen door. The dogs homed in on Jake right away and in no time his sleep was interrupted as he vanished under three excited cattle dogs happy to see him.

 
“G’day Sport,” cried Sam slapping his nephew on the shoulder. In truth they were more like brothers as Sam was a late child for his parents and was only 5 years older than Jake. He managed to get the dogs off his lap and struggled up to give his Uncle a hug. Then he saw Angie.

 
“Hi Angel,” he whispered

 
“Hi AJ,” she replied.

 
Although she and Jake had grown up together since they were ankle biters and had always loved each other, it was only in the last couple of years that she had realised she was actually ‘in love’ with him. She was certain that Jake had been ‘in love’ with her a lot longer. She was still overwhelmed with emotion every time she set eyes on her man, and she went weak at the knees when he smiled at her.

 
Jake introduced Jennifer to his uncle, then they all sat down to catch up with the news. Before long the women went to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal. Sam and Jake stayed chatting away, Jake asking Sam how his love life was going, and Sam jokingly asking if Jake wanted his other leg breaking.

 
After supper, Jake finally admitted that he was pretty bushed, and he got up and said goodnight to everyone. He headed for his room, but after half an hour of tossing and turned, he was still unable to sleep. Angie came quietly into the room and asked him what was wrong.

 
“Can’t get comfortable, my leg is aching too much.”

 
“Okay, you stay there for a minute and I’ll see what I can do to fix that for you.”

 
With that, Angie headed towards the master bathroom and soon Jake heard water running. Angie stuck her head round the door.

 
“Can you make it over here okay, or would you like some help?” she asked.

 
“Oh, I think I can get over there, luv,” said Jake, grabbing his crutch and hobbling towards the bathroom.

 
When he got inside he smiled to see the spabath full of steaming water.

 
“Come on, let’s see if warm bubbles will relax those muscles.”

 
Jake dropped his sweats and slowly entered the hot tub. Soon he was so relaxed in the bubbling water that he began to drift off. Angie was loathe to get him out as he looked so peaceful, but the water was cooling and she needed to get him out before he resembled a prune.

 
She managed to help him out and wrapped him in a large warm fluffy bath towel, She rubbed him dry and took him back to the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and allowed Angie to help him in. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. Angie slipped quietly in beside him and smiled as he turned and spooned in behind her. He had been away too long she thought as she too drifted off to sleep.

 
The weekend went by too quickly and before they knew it they had to head back to Sydney. Jake promised to bring Jennifer back as soon as he could, and they headed back towards the city. Before long Jake was back in a suit, moaning every time another piece of paper was put in front of him to read, approve and sign.

 
Chapter Two

 
He had been back in the office two weeks when there was a knock on the door and Jennifer popped her head around.

 
“There’s someone to see you Jake, are you free?”

 
Jake looked around his empty office and grinned.

 
“Yep, I think you could say that,” he said winking at her.

 
“It’s a soldier Jake, he looks like a high ranking one at that.”

 
“Really? Show him in.”

 
Jennifer went back outside and closed the door for a moment. Jake heard her speaking to his visitor, then heard the deep rumble of a reply and smiled.

 
The door opened again and Jennifer entered, closely followed by his visitor.

 
“Jake, this is….”

 
“G’day Tom.” Jake said smiling as he got up from behind his desk to give the older man a huge bear hug.

 
“Jinny, this is Colonel Tom Fisher. My old CO, and incidentally, my godfather too. Tom, this is my PA Jinnifer Clark.”

 
“nice to meet you, Miss Clark.”

 
“Hello Colonel Fisher. It's Jenny, can I get you something to drink?”

 
“Thank you yes, a coffee would be great, and please, call me Tom.”

 
“Okay…Tom, coffee coming right up.”

 
Jennifer left the office and closed the door behind her. Jake noticed that Tom’s eyes never left her until the door was completely closed.

 
“Nice isn’t she.” Jake said, smiling at his visitor.

 
“What? Oh yeah, I guess.”

 
“Okay, you didn’t come over here to perve at my staff now did you….did you?”

 
“Um, no of course not, although she’s well worth a second look, is she spoken for?”

 
“No she isn’t. I’ll put in a good word for ya if ya want. Now…what’s up?”

 
“Ah right, well since you’re back on both feet again, I have a little job for you unless you’re too settled behind that desk.”

 
“Shit Tom, I’ve been itching to break out of here for weeks now. Whatcha got for me?”

 
“We have some new recruits back at the unit. You know the kind. They think they were born to be in special forces, they don’t need the specialist training, they don’t need to take orders from anyone. Sound familiar?”

 
Jake flipped him the bird just as Jennifer re-entered with the coffee. He blushed and sat on his hands.

 
“Thanks Jin,” he said quietly.

 
As Jennifer closed the door grinning to herself, she heard the deep booming laugh of Tom coming from the office. She giggled at the thought of Jake being embarrassed at her catching him out for a change.

 
Back in the office Jake looked thoughtfully at Tom.

 
“What do you want me to do?”

 
“I want to you come up and take a look at them. I trust your instant judgement, so if you think some of them aren't worth the effort, we can ship them back to their units. Let them think that you are a new recruit as well, one that doesn’t give a shite for authority.”

 
Okie dokie,” replied Jake, “Anything else?”

 
“Yes, when you make the final selection, I’d like you to head up their jungle training. Let’s just say that your active reserve status will be jumped up to just plain active, oh, and by the way, ship your dress uniform up. Don’t bring it with, ship it to me before you arrive. Don’t want them to get a look at it. As far as they are concerned, you have no rank, no uniform……no medals!!”

 
Jake gave him an old fashioned look at the mention of his medals, but agreed to be at the base in five days time. He asked Tom when he was returning, and offered him the use of his guest room, telling him that way he could take Jake’s uniform back with him.

 
Tom smiled thinking that it would also give him a better chance of meeting up with Jennifer again before he left. Tom finished his coffee and said goodbye, arranging to meet up after Jake finished at the office. He made sure to stop at Jennifer’s desk on his way out of the suite of offices, and headed for the lift with a slight skip in his step.

 
Jake stuck his head round his office door and watched Jennifer gazing down the corridor. He laughed softly, the sound breaking her reverie. As she looked at him, he stuck his tongue out at her and dodged back into the safety of his office just as she picked up her mouse mat to use as a missile to fling at his head.

 
The girls on the reception desk marvelled at the way their boss could act like a naughty school boy at times, and at others look like action man, ready to face any danger thrown at him.

 

 
Chapter Three

 
Five days later, Jake arrived at the special forces base, ready to join the other recruits. He wondered what he would find, if they would be good enough to pass his scrutiny.

 
Jake made his way to the bunkhouse, knowing that he would be the first one there. That not only gave him the advantage over the others, but it gave him pick of the beds. He chose one behind the door.

 
It wasn’t long before he heard the others. It sounded like they had already formed a bond between them. That would make him odd man out, all the better for what he had to do.

 
They entered the room laughing and joking, throwing their kits on their chosen beds, then they realised there was someone else in the room. They turned as one to look at the stranger in the corner bed.

 
“G’day,” the stranger said.

 
They all stared at him. He was stretched out in a lazy fashion, in civvies. He didn’t look like a soldier to them despite the haircut. In fact, he looked more like a skinhead. They noticed his tattoo’s and leather thongs around his left wrist.

 
“What the fuck are you meant to be?”

 
“A soldier, mate, how about you?”

 
“You look like a yobbo fresh off the street…mate!!”

 
“Yeah, whatever,” replied Jake, looking at the group of men, feigning boredom.

 
“Maybe you need to know what being a soldier in this unit means,” said the leader of the small group as they advanced in a body towards Jake.

 
“Yeah right, and who's gonna show me...mate?” Jake asked.

 
The next thing he knew, he was dragged from his bed and forced up against the wall.

 
“Listen. We’re all here on trial, and we’re all being judged as a unit. Now I don’t know about you, but we all want this gig and no-one is going to mess it up for us...okay?”

 
“I don’t run with the pack, mate, I’m my own man and I don’t give a stuff about you or your bunch of merry men,” Jake sneered.

 
He gave them their due, they were bloody quick. He never saw the fists coming, but he sure as hell felt them. They were good too, not one blow landed on his face. The bastards even managed a couple of kicks before they heard footsteps in the corridor outside. They quickly threw Jake back on his bed and went to sort out their kit.

 
Jake lay on his bed watching the men as the door opened. A sergeant came in, closely followed by an officer. The men sprang to attention, Jake remained on the bed.

 
The sergeant ordered that the men stand by their beds, and while their attention was away from Jake, the officer quickly winked at him. Jake nodded his head slowly and the office began ranting at him for not getting to his feet when an officer entered the room.

 
Suddenly more footsteps were heard outside and Colonel Fisher entered the room. Everyone once again snapped to attention, apart from Jake, who was still laying on his bunk.

 
“At ease, gentlemen,” said the Colonel, eying up the new recruits.

 
He turned towards Jake’s bed.

 
“Comfy soldier?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Jake.

 
“I sure am,” he replied.

 
“You’re out of uniform, son,” said the Colonel.

 
“Certainly looks that way...Colonel,” Jake replied, smirking at Tom.

 
“My office...five minutes,” barked Tom, turning on his heel and marching out, quickly followed by the officer and the sergeant.

 
“Ah well, at least we won’t have to put up with him for much longer boys, not a good start getting called to the Colonel’s office first day, especially just before his welcome dinner. Best get into our number 1’s guys, want to make a good impression don’t we.”

 
Jake watched silently as the men changed into their best uniforms. He noted the service ribbons on their jackets before slowly rising from his bed, wincing slightly, and walking out, heading towards Tom’s office.

 
The men all took their places in the officers dining room. They had been told that the only others joining them would be Colonel Fisher and their main training officer. They had yet to be told who he was.

 
They all stood as the Colonel entered the room.

 
“At ease men, and take a seat. We won’t be kept waiting too long. Unfortunately your trainer was unavoidably delayed. He will be here directly….ah, I think that’s him coming now.

 
The far door opened and the men stood up ready to greet the latecomer.

 
“Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to your chief trainer for the next three months, Major Aaron Mitchell.

 
Jake would have given anything to have been able to take a picture of the expressions on the faces of the men in front of him. The realisation that the lazy skinhead in their room was, in fact, their trainer left them cold to say the least. They looked him over from boots upwards, and they all gasped quietly when they reached the ribbons on his chest. Could they all be the real McCoy? Looking at him now, they had no doubt at all that he had earned every one. He was definitely not the same man who had allowed them to ‘welcome’ him the way they had. They looked worried.

 
Jake took his place at the opposite end of the table from Tom, and the meal began. Tom was amused at the way the men tried to make small talk around Jake. He knew about their little welcome without being told, he had seen the bruises that were already beginning to form when Jake changed into his uniform in Tom’s office.

 
“You men will have to forgive Major Mitchell and I for earlier. We like to see what the new recruits are like before they meet their trainer. No hard feelings I hope?”

 
“None with us sir, we hope the Major feels the same way?”

 
“No worries, I’ve not had such a warm welcome for quite a while,” Jake replied. “I can’t wait to get to know you all a little better.”

 
The men squirmed under his unblinking, emotionless gaze, and ended up staring into their dishes for the rest of the meal. Jake and Tom looked at each other and grinned.

 
The meal couldn’t end quickly enough for them and soon they were saying goodnight to the two officers, begging an early night in preparation for their first day of training.

 
After they left the dining room Jake and Tom collapsed in a heap laughing like drains, Jake wincing a little as the bruises on his ribs made themselves known.

 
“Are you going to do anything about your little welcome Mitch?”

 
“Not officially, no. I think I’ll just play it by ear for a while. Don’t want to discourage them before we start now do I.”

 
“Well, it’s your call. Just make sure you go see the doc before you turn in. In fact, I’ll take you over there now. We have a new bloke in charge. I think you’ll like him.”

 
“Is that an order Tom?”

 
“Bloody oath,” said Tom, laughing at the look on Jake’s face.

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
Jake stepped into the sickbay followed by Tom. He was convinced Tom was making certain he didn’t make a run for it, and smiled at the thought.

 
“Doctor, I have a late patient for you,” said Tom

 
“Good evening Colonel Fisher, it’s nice to have anyone in here on the graveyard shift. What’s the problem?”

 
“This is Major Mitchell, he…”

 
“I had a bit of a tumble on the bike on the way up here,” Jake interrupted.

 
“Okay, hop up on the couch and let’s have a look at you,” replied the doctor.

 
Jake removed his jacket and shirt and sat on the examination couch.

 
The doctor gave him the once over, determined that nothing was broken, and gave him something to bring out the bruising.

 
Jake thanked him and promised to catch up with him in the officers mess soon, then said goodnight and headed off with Tom to be shown his new quarters. He didn’t get much sleep that night, due to both being uncomfortable, and to planning his next move with the recruits.

 
4.00am the next morning found him running round the parade ground. 5.30am and the lads made their way out for their morning run. They were a little surprised to find the Major already there. They were even more surprised when the sergeant told them just how long he had been out there.

 
“Nice of you to join me,” he called as he ran by them. “Thought you were taking the morning off.”

 
He ran off in the distance with them in hot pursuit. At 6.00am they all hit the showers. The men noticed the marks they had inflicted on him the previous night, but they said nothing, waiting to see if he would bring it up. He didn‘t.

 
“Okay, go get your brekkie. Be in room six 7.30 on the dot.”

 
Jake marched off leaving them to get dressed and fed. At 7.29am they were all outside room six as ordered.

 
“Come in gentlemen, I won’t bite you.” Jake shouted through the door.

 
The men walked in.

 
“Okay, gentlemen, it’s time we got aquainted don’t ya think? I have names, now it’s time to match your ugly faces to them. I’ll call them out and you can take a seat after I sort you out.”

 
“Bedford.” “Sir.”
“Davies.” “Sir.”
“Edwards.” “Sir.”
“Gordon.” “Sir.”
“Hill.” “Sir.”

 
“Okie dokie, now you know me, and I know you, so we’re gonna get along just fine aren’t we?”

 
“Yes sir,” came the reply.

 
“I am actually your specialist jungle terrain trainer, but I will also be overseeing your other training, and if you’re really lucky I’ll even be joining in. Should be a load of fun. Now I know that you think you’re all the bees knees and that you’re the pick of the bunch, there’s nothing new we can teach you…but you are wrong! There’s a lot more to special forces than putting camo on your faces and creeping up on people. We are here to teach you those things … and … you … will…learn! Understood?”

 
“Understood…sir.”

 
“Thank you lads. Now I’ll introduce you to your first training officer, Captain Green, intelligence. Carry on, Captain.”

 
“Sir.”

 
Jake walked off to the back of the classroom and sat on a desk. He wondered how they would take to the theory part of training, he could see they were itching for a bit of action.

 
Over the next few days Jake was able to build up a profile of each man. He did this quietly by observation. For the first week he didn’t take part in any of the training with the men, which surprised them. They were certain he meant it when he said he would be joining them.

 
He watched and learnt. Each man was good in his chosen field, Bedford, communications, Davies, surveillance, Edwards, intel, Gordon, pilot, Hill, sniper, and slowly he learnt more about their personalities.

 
Jamie Bedford was quiet and shy, he took a long time to come out of his shell.

 
Robbie Davies was an out and out loner, which could be a problem.

 
Peter Edwards was gregarious.

 
Marcus Gordon was a typical fly boy, the life and soul.

 
Darren Hill was a cocky bastard!

 
Jake decided that the next couple of months could be very interesting.

 
As the weeks went by, Jake joined in the training a lot more. The lads thought he would just do the physical stuff and were surprised to see him in the classroom situations as well, and they were impressed by his intelligence. He was slowly rising in their estimation.

 
He had more mental and physical stamina than they thought, and most of the time managed to leave them all standing. For his part, he too was impressed with what he saw. He was still a little concerned with Davies, but decided that an exercise would show him whether or not he could be relied on in a team situation.

 
A week in the Blue Mountains put his mind at rest. When the need arose, Davies went into ‘team mode’ and worked well, back at the base however, he returned to his loner ways.

 
In the fifth week of training they met their unarmed combat trainer. This was the part of the course Jake was looking forward to the least. Captain Wilson and he just didn’t get along. Wilson always thought he was overlooked for promotion in favour of Jake, and he’d resented him ever since, especially as he was still in the service full time and Jake was only on the active reserve list.

 
They met up in the gym before the lads arrived. Wilson was belligerent as usual and the chip on his shoulder had grown into a forest since they had last met. By the time the boys piled into the gym, they found ‘their Major’ being stalked by their new trainer, both looking like their were about to attack the other.

 
Hill cleared his throat, hoping to distract the two men. Without taking his eyes off Wilson, Jake said, “Good morning gentlemen, we know you’re there.”

 
Captain Wilson stopped and turned towards the recruits.

 
“Right then lads, welcome to MY class! I’m certain I can make it interesting for you all, and with the help of the Major here, I will be teaching you ways to disable your enemy you would not believe.”

 
Wilson turned to Jake. “Ready Major?”

 
“Whenever you are, sport,” replied Jake.

 
Wilson took him through his paces. Jake was ready for each of his moves, thankful that he knew the way Wilson thought and worked. He had some good routines and nearly caught Jake out a couple of times. By the end of the workout Jake was really feeling it, and he was annoyed to find that his leg was beginning to ache, something that hadn’t happened for a while. He limped slightly as he went over to sit on the benches. No-one noticed, except Wilson.

 
He invited each of the team to see if they could take him on, alone, or in a group, and twenty minutes later, they all lay in a heap on the mats. Jake called time out, and they headed off for the showers.

 
“Good first lesson Wilson. Appreciate it,” he said, heading for the door.

 
“We’ll give them another good show in the morning Major, give them something to think about.”

 
“Right, see you at 8.00am, let them have an extra hour in bed eh?”

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
The following morning at 8.00am sharp, everyone was in the gym. Jake was in his sweats and tank, expecting Wilson to try to pull him thought the hoops in front of his men.

 
The fight, for that’s what it turned into, lasted about 30 minutes, each man getting the upper hand then loosing it time and again. Finally Jake got the better of Wilson and decided to end it. He left Wilson laying on the floor, and turned towards his men, giving them the thumbs up and winking.

 
Suddenly Davies shouted, “Watch out, sir!”

 
Jake turned to see Wilson racing towards him, he easily side stepped the charge, but Wilson spun round and kicked out at Jake’s recently healed leg. Pain arrowed through him and he staggered, then he saw the flash of metal and raised his hand to ward off the blow.

 
The next thing he felt was a searing pain in his left forearm, then his wounded leg finally gave out on him and he crumpled to the floor. The last thing he saw before the pain overtook him was his men jumping on Wilson to keep him away. Blackness swallowed him up at that point.

 
He woke up in the sickbay with Doctor Morris watching over him. He tried to sit up, but the doctor placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

 
“Don’t move yet, I just want to check out your eye responses okay?”

 
“Whatever you say, doc.” Jake replied.

 
Once he was checked out the doctor helped him sit up. He slowly swung his feet around and went to stand up. He groaned a little when he put weight onto his leg, but the pain soon passed. He reached over for his sweat top and looked down at the strapping on his arm.

 
“How bad?” he asked

 
“Pretty spectacular, Bedford fainted when he saw the wound. Long, but it could have been worse. Still needed 20 stitches though. Try to keep the dressing dry for the next couple of days. It will be sore and sting like shit probably.” the doctor said with a wink.

 
“Love your bedside manner doc,” Jake replied, trying hard not to laugh. He got on well with Doctor Morris and they were fast becoming good mates.

 
The door opened and Colonel Fisher came in.

 
“Leave us for a minute would you, Doctor?”

 
“Of course, Colonel.”

 
Tom turned to Jake when the door closed.

 
“What the fuck happened, Mitch?”

 
“It was an accident, sir. We were showing the men how to disarm a direct attack. My leg gave way and Captain Wilson was moving too fast to stop. He swerved at the last minute and caught my arm. It could have been a lot worse.”

 
“Is that your final explanation?”

 
“Yes sir.”

 
“Mitch, you’re a bloody fool. Wilson wouldn’t lie to protect you, but if that’s what you’re going to put in your report, there’s not a lot I can do about it. At least it’s the last part of the base training and you’ll be away from him from now on. Two weeks leave before you take them for their jungle training. I suggest you head for home okay?”

 
“Okay, Tom. Can I tell Emily that you may make it up for a couple of days?”

 
“I’ll try to make it next weekend, but I can’t promise anything. You look after that arm, AND that leg. Don’t go letting anyone kick it again any time soon.”

 
Jake grinned. knowing full well that Tom knew exactly what had happened in the gym.
“Okay, Tom. I’m heading for Sydney for a couple of nights, any messages for anyone there?”

 
“Watch it mate, I’m still your commanding officer you know…oh alright, come and see me before you leave in the morning and I’ll give you something to take to Jenny if you will.”

 
Jake winked at him as he left the sickbay, and Tom left soon after shaking his head, wondering what he was going to do with him.

 
The next morning after breakfast the small group were waiting together for their transport from the base and they saw Jake heading towards the Colonel's private garage. He was wearing leathers and they wondered what kind of bike he had. A few minutes later they heard the deep throated purr and knew at once what they were going to see. Jake emerged on a Harley Heritage Softail Classic. He pulled up by the side of them

 
“I’m heading for Sydney, can I give one of ya a lift?”

 
Hill was the only one from Sydney and he jumped at the chance.

 
“Okie dokie, Dazza, hop on. We’ll see you ratbags in two weeks. Have a good break...you’re gonna need it.”

 
At that, they roared out of the base for the long trip to Sydney.

 
Jake dropped Hill off in Paddington after arranging to meet him later for a drink at The Bells, then headed off for his apartment. He was looking forward to his nice soft bed. He shook his head at the thought, “You’re getting old mate,” he told himself, before gunning the engine and heading for home.

 
Later that evening he met up with Hill in the pub.

 
“Is this your local then Major?”

 
“Aw fair go mate, could you not call me that here? It’s Jake or Mitch okay, and yes it’s my local.”

 
“Do you live very far then Mitch?”

 
“No, just across the road actually, and if you drink too much more I think you’ll be bunking down in my spare room. I’m not letting you drive home.”

 
“Thanks Mitch, appreciate it. I’ll shout you a pie at Harry’s.”

 
“You’re on. Come on then, before the queue gets too long.”

 
They headed off across the road for a beef tiger, and sat on the edge of the wharf eating. When they’d finished they headed back to Jakes place. Hill seemed suitably impressed that Jake had an apartment on the wharf, and was determined to find out how he could afford it.

 
They sat down over a coffee and chatted long into the night. By the time they hit the bedrooms they had each learnt a great deal more about each other, and Hill’s grudging respect for Jake had grown immensely. He was a little surprised to learn that Jake was no longer a full time soldier, but was more than interested in the K&R game, and locked that information away in the internal filing system of his brain for a later date. You never knew when you might need civilian contacts.

 
The following morning Jake was up before dawn as usual in the pool, and Hill was just emerging from the spare room when he got back. He offered the grand tour of his office, and after lunch they parted company for the rest of their break, arranging to meet back at Jake’s place for the trip back to base.

 
Jake headed off for home as he knew this would be the last chance of seeing all the folks for the next few weeks. He missed them all, especially Angie. The end of the break came around too quickly for words, and he was soon heading back to Sydney to pick up Hill for the trip back to the base. They would all soon be on their way to a few weeks of hell and humidity in the jungles of Indonesia.


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