Here we are again.
Together with @topper93, I present to you another collab.

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WILLS' POV-

Super Boss stood there with shoulders broad and mask face.
Kyra was next to him, clearly scared, Trying her best to keep herself composed.
Reminded me my of my own cadet days.

But wait!
Why and how did they end up here?
And how come I never knew about it?

Wait! Kyra was supposed to be evaluated by father. Oh damn! That's why he asked Ren if she could do it. Because if she can, then Kyra can obviously do it too.

"Don't shoot.'
Dammit! They had an Unauthorised entry? I'd be damned!
Father why would you keep my ass in red hot fire?

So many things were popping in my mind. I didn't know which question to answer first.

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KYRA'S POV:

"Kadner, go make me my tea first" I barely suppressed a chuckle at that. It seems like the scary Colonel is addicted to my Dad's tea. Something so easy to make and yet never quite the same if done by somebody else.

"Yes, sir" Shit! That means we will be left alone. Fuck!

Once Dad leaves his office, Colonel stares at me while I keep my eyes ahead willing myself to not shudder at the pressure creeping on me. This man is going to decide if I just wasted a few year's of my life or am I actually going to help Dad in something. No pressure!

Satisfied with whatever he saw, he completely ignores me and continues with the Major.

"I want the next week schedule by Monday afternoon. Add 2 rounds of Valley until I'm satisfied with their performance."

"Roger that, sir" No idea who dared to dissatisfy him but I am so happy I'm not a cadet here. I don't think he is the kind to be easily satisfied with people's performances.

"Who is coaching the football team this term?"

"Me, sir"I don't want to listen in to their conversation but there is nothing much I can do.

"Is that so?"

"Y-yes, sir" Oh god! He intimidates Major Wills too! And here I thought only Dad could do that.

"No. Major Nick will be coaching them. Till then you conduct the evening sessions. You will inform him when he gets back."

"Yes, sir"

Before more questions follow, Dad enters and places the cup of tea from the tray before Colonel. I sure hope it is the same as always or Dad is going to get me killed.

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Kadner's POV -

Turning his chair to look out the window, he enjoys the cup of tea while three people stand tight before him scared of what happens next.

"Let me come straight to the point-"
Colonel starts speaking and I shudder at what's coming.

"- You think you are ready, cadet? Because the deal was simple - if you pass my tests, you're in for your dad's mission. If you fail, you're out. Top it with - me rogering him to bring you unprepared, and him rogering you to be unprepared. So what do you think?"

Nice move, Colonel. Scaring her within minutes of our arrival. Your tactics are brilliant.

"I'm prepared to give my best, sir."
"Oh your best? That sounds good. How did you prepare? Let's begin with what all were the weak points that I had pointed out last time?"

Viva. Brain twister.
More dangerous and exhausting than his workouts.
I remember each and every word he said. I hope Kyra does too. Else, the start won't be so nice.

I wish I had an option to answer on her behalf.

Before Kyra could say anything, Colonel spoke to me.
"Kadner you don't need to break a sweat here. She is responsible for herself. She got enough time to improve. If she is anywhere close to reaching my standards, the credit will definitely go to you. But if she hasn't, it's all her fault. You need not get worked up or be protective about her. That's why you are here after all. She's not your daughter here onwards and I want you to treat her just like you would treat any other Cadet of yours."

His words put some sense into my brain and suddenly I feel lighter.
The guilt of bringing trouble to her and concern to protect her seemed to fly away in a moment.

"Yes sir."
"Good. You're ready with an answer, or shall we start working on first few words?"

Start talking Kyra, else you'll hate word Pushups for entire conversation.

"Yes sir. During the last visit, I was told that my upper body strength is very low. I've dedicated extra hours and extra reps to strengthen it."
Kyra said confidently. The girl knows she's all on her own now.

"Not exactly the answer that I was expecting, but yes you said what I wanted to hear."

Ah she released a breath too.
I know the pressure, Kyra. I know.

"Wills has arranged two rooms for you. You guys will be dining in the mess. I thought you'd want to have your meals there."
"Thank you so much sir."

I can kiss his feet for this gesture. It's been a decade and I'd trade anything to relive my KMA days. That mess is a major part of those memories.

"Alright, Kyra, what would you like to have before we go ahead to test your capabilities?"
That's a tricky one, I bet it is.

Kyra understood that too, so she stood mute.

"I think I asked you something, Cadet?" his tone edged towards anger.

"Anything would do fine, sir."
That's a smart answer.

"No. Not anything. I believe in stuffing my goats nicely before butchering them."
I didn't care to hide my smile, despite my only daughter shaking and gulping in fear.

"Kadner?" he redirected the question to me.
"She likes Chinese, sir."
I answered and immediately Wills shut his eyes tight.

"Ah! What a coincidence!"
Colonel sounds so happy when he is about to screw someone with a good mood. And based on Wills' reaction, I think it's him.

"We have a Chinese meal expert right here among us. He's still learning, though. What level are you at, Officer?"
"Half, sir."

Half? What is that level?

"I hope you get your best today if you want to go back to your complete meals. I'm sure one fourth food is next to nothing for you."
What?!
He is having half of his diet? And if he doesn't cook properly today, it will be halved further! Poor soul.

"So, Kadner."
"Yes sir?"

"When are you planning to go for your first mission? I'm just curious, you can say no if it's confidential."
Colonel says casually.

Oh boy. The casual tone is soon going to turn into Hitler when he hears my answer.

There won't be anything that I can't tell him. Confidential or not. He is one person I trust more than my own sane form. And his son - my dog, would not even think of spilling the beans anywhere because that would make a huge kink in the trust his father has in him.
So it's not about confidentiality. But..

"We are preparing for our second mission sir. In the first one -"
"I don't believe you!"
And the air inside the room suddenly feels hot. I can hear loud drums ringing in my ears.

Oh boy he thinks we've already done one mission with Kyra in it. God I need to tell him before he bursts.
Let me say just four more words - Kyra was not involved.

"Sir Kyra was-"
"Shut up, Kadner. You're here to make fun of me?"

"Negative, Sir. Please listen-"
"I don't want to listen. You've completed one mission already. Why the hell did you come here then?"

"I didn't go, sir"
Kyra said out of nowhere.
Remarkable guts, you foolish girl.

"Drop. Push till you learn to ask for permission before answering a question that was never asked to you."
Colonel tells her in the same tone he uses on all of us.

Smart enough, she drops quickly and starts pushing.

I wait for him to give me a chance to explain.
"Kadner. Has she or has she not?"

"She has not gone on any mission yet, sir."
I say in one breath. I've got one chance, I'll grab it.

He took a few breaths to calm down, looks angrily at Kyra once, and shifts his gaze back to me.

"Fine. I'll let you slip this one. How did it go? Did you get any info?"
"Quite a lot sir. We hacked into his system and got location of almost all of his bases. Even now we are receiving all the inputs that is being fed in his network."

"But did you block the outsourcing? Save your bottom before he comes to know who got into his system."
Dammit I should have told him, could have saved me and Chief a few buckets of sweat and Arjun, a heart attack.

"We did that mistake, sir. But within few hours, we realised that and immediately corrected it."
Colonel looked at me surprised.

"Never thought you had stupid team members, Kadner. Atleast you should have thought about it. And what was Chief doing? It didn't click him?"

Yeah. I represent everyone. So I have to face all the embarrassment. Thank god you're not here Chief.

"It was a mistake, sir."
I pleaded guilty. I'm not about to expose the Chief for something that was clearly my fault.

"You guys safe now?" God, the concern!
"Yes sir"

He nodded and looked at Kyra again.

"You learnt something, Cadet?"
"Yes sir."

"What?"
"That I should speak only when I'm asked something, sir"

"Better."
"I'm sorry, sir."

Me and Wills jerk our heads towards her. And then, we exchange that look - oh boy.

"Come again?"
"I - I mean, I won't repeat it sir."

She forgot that one thing I told her twice. Do not utter that word.

"You know what's name Pushups?"
There you go. You don't speak this to him, ever again.

"Yes sir."
"Then start naming."

"S-19; O-15; R-18; R-18; Y-25 = 95 push ups, sir"

While Kyra did her counts, I was gaining enough courage to tell Colonel that there are three people here. One of which, I do not wish to bring into the premises. He could be happily kept on guard duty.

Oh God, I should have told him beforehand. I hope he is not pissed at Wills for arranging two rooms only. Two are more than enough!

Before I could, Colonel's phone rang. Frankly, I'm relived to have some more time. He picked up and the other guy spoke something that caught his attention. He just nodded.

"Alright where is he now?"

"I'll see to it. You need not worry. Carry on with your work."
He kept the receiver down and turned towards me with pointed eyes.

"Kadner, who is the third person?"
He asked straightforward, demanding an answer without fail.

Oh shit! He found out before I could tell him. Shit! shit!

"Roshesh, sir. I didn't plan for him to join but Chief forced me to take him."

"And you left him outside my balcony. What were you thinking?"

I stayed shut.

Colonel gives me the look that says he is not about to let this go. Damn! I end up spilling all beans whenever I meet him.

"What did the boy do to stand outside like that?"

"Personal issues, sir" I nearly bite my tongue at this. I know how much he hates that word. Last time I said personal issues I almost got myself kicked out of this Academy. But Kyra is right here to save me.

He glares at me but says nothing more for the moment. "Are you done, cadet?"

"N-No, sir"

"A dying whale would do better. Count them out loud. Let me see how an old tortoise performs"
I don't know whether to smile or worry at this. Overfed panda, dying whale, old tortoise, dog- KMA always reminded me of the zoo.

"R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y " .. Done, sir" Oh thank God, she was so close.

"Up, cadet. Wills, get her to medbay. I want a full workup for both before we start. Inform Major Philip and get Roshesh here from my balcony." This man can figure it all out with just one look. Damn it!

"Yes, sir"

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Now it was just him and me. And our conversation is going towards nowhere but Roshesh.

He lifts one eyebrow "Personal issues, huh Kadner?"

I stay shut knowing I pissed him again.

"If I were to let all your personal issues to yourself, you'd never graduate from this academy, go for over 50 missions, given a chance to attend SEALS. Do I need to list everything or you know better?"

I bend my neck in shame.
I was hell bent on not telling him the whole story, but I should have known that his threats and emotional blackmail come hand in hand.

"Sir, he broke my trust."
I said still looking down.

"That didn't explain anything, Kadner. Tell me exactly what the boy did."

"He got drunk and told a stranger that everyone has a weakness, including his father. He let out my hardly kept secret to a stranger. He was one step away from disclosing my identity and letting Aarham know everything about my family. While I'm not really worried about Kyra, I lost my mind thinking about what could have happened to Darcy."

I took a break to check if he's still interested. He was looking at me intently. I understood that he wants me to continue.

"Sir, with all due respect, if you were at my place, wouldn't you be broken? Would you like to see that man around you? Would you want to include such a person in your confidential mission discussions which involves trust?"

"You know what I'd do? I would go and hug him tight and apologise to him for being an asshole all these years."

Did he just swear?

"He is your son, Kadner. Adopted or your blood, doesn't matter. In fact your own blood would never face your wrath on a daily basis better than what he did."

"I never let that thought come to my mind, sir."
He can punish me for interrupting him, but I have to clear this out to him. I never treated him less than my own son.

"Drop."
Alright, time to pay for becoming a hero.

"I never said you are hating him because you think of him as not your own. I was just making you use your hard nut of a brain to think from his side. He's gem of a boy, Kadner. Just like Wills. It took three days of cruel ordeal's to make him say that his life matters before Nick's and mine. After going through everything, he still didn't accept it. He said that if need be, he'll lay down his life to save mine or his brother's. Don't you think if Roshesh was at this position, he'd do the same?"

"He will, sir, at all cost."
"Why? Why should he do anything to himself just for you or your daughter or wife? Who are you all to him?"

"Family, sir."
Each answer was making me feel heavy from inside.

"Up."

"Kadner, you made each day of his life hell, didn't you?"
"Yes sir."

"Is there any reason for him to not hate you?"
I stood quiet again. I didn't know the answer to that question.

"No. He has every reason to hate you, curse you, hit you. But instead he chose to stick with you despite all your bullshit. Did he ever say it on your face how much he hates you, or how many times he wanted to stab you?"
"Never, sir."

"So he has a lifetime to hate you and never say it. You get one chance, and you disown him?"
What am I supposed to say now?!

"What happened when you guys were made hell drunk at SEALS? What did you say?"
"Said bad things about the trainers." I said with my neck bent again.

"In front of?"
"In front of the trainer themselves."

"And just why?"
"Because we were out of our minds."

"So you are allowed to let go of your mental control, and your son is not? And how much did they force you to drink that night?"
"I lost count after 15 shots and 3 mugs, sir."

"Now imagine how badly you must have pissed him that day, that he went out and drank so much voluntarily, in hope of calming himself down."

Each word that was spoken was going to my heart directly. I could feel my regret hormones rising.

"What exactly did you do to piss the boy off?"
"I-I don't know, sir"

"Kadner?" You will really kill me if I speak! And if I don't too! Why am I always stuck between a rock and a Scissor?

Better not to keep him waiting.

"I pushed him hard by insulting and belittling him. Used extra curse words. Told him I'll send him to Academy permanently and never allow him to meet Kyra and Darcy. He must have got hurt by the last part, I think sir"
I said with all the guilt rising in me, knowing each word of what I just said can backfire on me with triple the gunpowder.

"Still, he didn't utter a word to you before or after drinking so much. Did he?"
"Negative, sir."

"That's the respect you've earned from him."

I could see the picture he was trying to make me see.

"He must be feeling bad from inside. I'm not sure if he told that on your face too. But I can feel the poor boy's plight. He has got no one but you. But now, he's all alone. Does he deserve that?"
"Negative, sir."

"Then why this torture? Why are you distancing him away? Why are you not giving him another chance?"
"Because everytime I look at him, I feel that I've failed. In earning his trust back, in annoying him so much that he had to open up to a stranger, in teaching him the value of my family in my life."

"You did fail in the first two, but I'll punch your face if you think the last. The boy cares for the ladies more than you do. And for one moment, stop being selfish. You feel that you've failed. Then you better go keep a distance. Why him?"

He's right. I was doing it all wrong.

"And you didn't tell me about his arrival, even after Chief forced you to take him with you. Were you planning to make him sleep in the car? Are you this dumb?"
He was angry. I could feel the concern for Rosh in his voice.

"I'm surprised I trained you so hard just to drop your Emotional Quotient below zero. That child stayed mute all these years and you just threw him out at the first instance you got to be angry at him? He's more sensible than you that way. Kadner, you are a stupid father. It wasn't completely his fault -"

"With all due respect sir, it was completely my fault. He has always been nothing but a great father." said Roshesh, entering without permission with a scared Wills still standing at the threshold with eyes wide, waiting to hear 'Enter'.

Anger, with fear for him, simmered throughout my body.
"How dare you, Roshesh. How dare you interrupt him and talk to him in that tone! I will-"

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Bam!
By the time you'll finish reading this chapter, Roshesh will be a dead meat. 😅

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Tell us that you liked the chapter. You guys clearly don't have much choice.

(PS- we are still writing, and imagine if I can be so blunt with you guys, how are things going to be in next chapters that we're writing in this killer mode? 😉)

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Vote and comment with open hearts. :)