The morning of her second day on the army base, Rowan woke from a nightmare with a start. The display on her tablet announced that it was 0515, and that the weather in Juneau was cold with a chance of snow.

She rolled out of bed with a groan, landing on her bad knee. As guests, each of the Rangers had been given their own room, so at least she didn't wake anyone up when she turned the air blue. She popped two of the painkillers Carter had told her to take, then hobbled over to her luggage and got dressed in her uniform. Usually, she might not have bothered, but on a military base, she wanted the status it gave her. She chose to wear the tall boots, rather than the combat boots, pulled on the suede jacket, rather than the winter coat, since she didn't plan on going outside at any point.

When she was dressed, she packed a messenger bag with her tablet, a book, and a few other odds and ends, then, finally, put on her comms bracelet. The stone in the center was clear and dark, and the silver band was cool and quiet. Rowan tugged her sleeve over it so no one else would see it and ask awkward questions, then, making sure nothing sensitive was out in the open, she left her room.

She knew from experience that Ripple would be up by now, so she went to the mess hall, served herself up some breakfast, and joined Ripple at the table they'd been assigned. "Morning," Ripple said, sipping her coffee, her black eyes as distant as ever.

"Yeah," Rowan said, stirring a packet of sugar into her tea. "Whatever."

Ripple gave her flicker of a smile that meant she was amused. "Someone's in a bad mood." She took a bite of porridge and made a face. "God, I miss our food. So, what did you make of Fletcher last night?"

Rowan glanced around the mess hall and caught sight of the girl in question, sitting with her training group. "Pretty much what her file says. She's level-headed, not unlike you, and nothing seemed to faze her. I paired her with Jase to see what she'd do, and she just took it in stride. He didn't even worry her, and you know how intimidating he is. That tells me she'd logical; she knows how to outthink people.

"But she's also got passion. She's not so logical she's cold. No offense." Ripple rolled her eyes. "She's smart, too. Did you see her trying to outmaneuver Indigo? She knew she couldn't take her in a straight fight. She might not be as well-trained as us, but she has the discipline to get there."

Ripple nibbled at a piece of fruit. Her gaze landed on Fletcher, and she turned pensive. "You're right. She's got potential. And Jase liked her. He's usually pretty guarded, you know? But he took to her."

Rowan nodded. "I need to talk to her trainer."

They finished breakfast and went back to the training center just as Fletcher's training group began their workout. Rowan and Ripple slipped into the stands, watching the whole group, not just Fletcher.

Rowan found her attention drifting to the other cadet who'd caught her attention, Wren Solberg. Levi was right; he was willful, stubborn and entitled, but not entirely without reason. He had an aptitude for combat, and the skills to excel at almost anything, though his communication skills left plenty to desire. While he didn't have the same discipline as Fletcher, he still could make a valuable asset, with a bit of an attitude adjustment. Rowan was pretty sure she and Ripple were more than up to the task.

Still, the big question was if he and Fletcher could work closely together. She'd seen them in the kill house. They didn't work seamlessly together. Their styles and mindsets were too different, but, even without working perfectly in unison, they'd still done formidably well, despite never really working together.

If that wasn't potential, Rowan didn't know what was.

But there was another pairing that showed potential: Fletcher and her friend, Moreau. The two girls seemed to read each other's minds, and they moved as one. As much as Rowan wanted Solberg, Moreau was her second choice. Either way, Fletcher was all-but guaranteed, unless she turned down the offer.

"I need to talk to Major Kramer," Rowan muttered. She stood and left the training center, headed for the shuttle they'd come in on.

The IRC Hamilton wasn't like the usual shuttles. It was the size of a small house, with not just a bunk room, lounge, and squad room, but also a small lab that was usually the home of Science Officers and Medical Officers.

Rowan headed there. When she was bored, she liked to tinker with weapons prototypes or ongoing experiments. Since the only Science Officer with them was Indigo, who hated to wake up early, Rowan didn't feel any qualms about exchanging her jacket for a lab coat, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves, and getting started.

In the lab, she pulled out a prototype plasma pistol. Usually, plasma weapons had too much recoil for smaller weapons, so no one made anything larger than a rifle, but Rowan had been working with Gerrit on making a smaller weapon that anyone could use, before everything had happened.

She pulled on a pair of protective glasses and got to work. She had to figure out how to lessen the force of a shot of plasma while packing as much stopping power as possible into a pistol. Just using a smaller concentration of plasma wouldn't cut it.

An hour passed as she worked, oblivious to the world outside, so, when someone knocked on the sealed lab door, she jumped about a foot, dropping the test tube she was about to fill. At least it had been empty. She swore loudly and turned to glare at the interloper.

Major Kramer, Fletcher and Solberg's trainer, stood outside, his arms folded. When Rowan activated the speakers that would carry sound between the lab and outside, he said, "One of your people said you wanted to talk to me?"

Rowan set her tools aside, pulled off her gloves and threw them away, then pushed her glasses up onto her head. "Yup," she said, and unsealed the door. "You can come in. I'm not using anything too sensitive. Just don't touch anything."

Major Kramer smiled and pushed open the door. "Nice setup you got," he said, looking around. "The army doesn't have the budget for anything like this."

Rowan smiled. "Can I get you something to drink, Major? Coffee, tea?"

Major Kramer smiled. "Coffee, black. And somehow I don't think it'll be the crap the army serves."

Rowan smiled ruefully and busied herself with the coffee machine in the corner of the lab. She made him his coffee, then brewed herself a cup of tea. When they were done, she carried them back across the room and offered Major Kramer his.

"Thanks," he said, and took a sip. "Yup, not the army crap. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Rowan grinned and set her tea aside. "A couple of your trainees," she admitted. "Fletcher, Solberg and Moreau. In that order. I read your reports about them. I have a few questions."

Major Kramer sank onto one of the stools at an empty counter. "I should have guessed," he admitted. "Six Rangers, all watching my group. You want to recruit them, don't you?"

Rowan shrugged. "That depends on your answers."

To her surprise, Major Kramer smiled. "This doesn't go any further than this room, but I'm glad. Those three, as well as a couple of others, would be limited in the army. They need the scope and the resources of the Rangers. So, if I can help you, I will, for their sakes."

Rowan set her tea down and moved a stool so she could sit facing him, conveniently moving a binder to cover the designs she'd been working on. What Ranger scientists did in their labs was classified. As much as her gut said Kramer was a good guy, she couldn't afford to take that risk.

As she sat down, she said, "We haven't been formally introduced. Sergeant Rowan, acting commander of the IRC Horizon's Fox Squad." She offered him her hand.

He shook it politely, his grip firm, but not uncomfortable. "Major Elias Kramer, Training Master of the Juneau programme, Aquamarine group."

Rowan smiled at him, toying with the handle of her teacup. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Major," she said, erring on the side of formality. "I think congratulations are in order for Aquamarine's position in the rankings. Top, for the fourth year running. Ever since you took over as Training Master, in fact."

Major Kramer just shrugged. "It's only a matter of finding each cadet's potential. Once I've found it, it's pretty easy."

Rowan nodded. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "Like taking a cadet from the Fringe and turning her into a brilliant fighter and thinker."

Major Kramer glanced sideways at her. "Or finding a medic serving in the middle of nowhere and hiring her without any kind of aptitude testing."

Rowan grimaced. "You've been reading my file," she said, not accusing, but more annoyed. She wanted to see what his reaction was, even though she'd expected nothing less.

"Not just yours," Major Kramer said cryptically. He shrugged. "I know you received top scores in weaponry, science and command, and that you've been fast-tracked to lead since you joined the Rangers, and that you've always served beside the same C.O. Evander Stark, right?"

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "That's... thorough," she remarked, trying not to show that she was surprised. "So, what do you think?"

Major Kramer froze. "Of you?"

Rowan shrugged. "Of whatever you want. I just want to know what you're thinking."

Major Kramer stared at her for a moment, then looked away. "You're not at all what I expected. No, I'm wondering what one of the Rangers' brightest assets is working on, closeted away in her lab."

Rowan bit her lip, weighing the benefits of telling him, and earning his trust, or keeping quiet, and maybe alienating him. "Weapons designs," she decided on saying. "Just a couple of improvements. You know." She shrugged, virtuously thinking that it wasn't even a lie, just the omission of a couple of details.

Major Kramer didn't seem convinced, but, then again, she could hardly blame him. But he said, "If you say so," and shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. "Your file says enough about you that I'm pretty sure there's more to it than that, but that's not why I'm here. I don't care if you're just modifying the shape of a gun barrel or creating a cure for the common cold."

Rowan rolled her eyes. "We've already established that you're here to formulate your own opinion of me, something beyond what's written on paper. It's why I came all the way out here when I could be sleeping with my gorgeous physical therapist right now." She set her teacup down a little more forcefully than necessary.

Major Kramer smirked. "What's her name?"

Rowan let out an undignified snort. "Not that my love life is any of your business–or anyone else's, for that matter–her name's Keely."

Major Kramer nodded, taking another sip of coffee. "Well, since you're here for a reason..." He ran a hand through his short, blonde hair. "Let's go over the profiles. But this goes both ways. I tell you about my cadets, you tell me about your team. I've already had a similar conversation with your friend Reid. Now, it's your turn."

Rowan rolled her eyes. "I'm honored," she muttered, but she smiled to soften the words. She toyed with the end of her french braid, then took a sip of tea. "Why don't I start with my team, and then we can move on to yours.

"Let's see, well, first, obviously, is Lieutenant Stark, our commander. He's... the only family I have, and we're not related by blood, just by, well, I suppose you could say circumstance. He's what people call a natural leader. He has this way of inspiring people to follow him, instead of frightening or forcing them into line. And he's also just an all-around good guy, you know? Likeable, funny, and he genuinely cares about people.

"Then, there's Ripple. She came with me, so you'll have met her, I think. She's pretty uncomplicated. She's a top fighter, she's got a good head, but she'd icy. She doesn't feel things the same way most people do, or maybe she does, and she just doesn't let people see that she does. She's been my friend and my harshest critic ever since we met, pretty much, and I don't think there's anyone else as loyal and stubborn as her in the Rangers.

"Gerrit, our Science Officer, has been around longer than I have, and has been in his position the whole time. If you take your stereotypical idea of a scientist, he's the exact opposite, I guarantee. Even if he doesn't look much like a scientist, he's got the brain for it. And he's a truly terrible bartender.

"Our resident muscle are pretty much the worst pair you want to fight, Slate and Jase, the latter of whom came with me. Slate's an enigma wrapped in a paradox. He's the biggest guy in the squad, but he's got the temperment of a giant teddy bear. He's got a vicious sense of humor, and he'd sooner laugh you to death than kill you, at least until he starts fighting. And you've met Jase. He's pretty straightforward, and he's also king of the assholes until he decides he can trust you, but there's no one better to have your back.

"Then, the second part of the Geek Squad is Holden, and he joined up before Stark. He's qualified to become Science Officer if, god forbid, something happens to Gerrit, but he'd turned down offers of promotion into other squads several times. He's quiet, and spends more time alone, in the lab, than with other people, but, when he comes out and actually interacts with other human beings, you couldn't find a sweeter guy.

"Prescott's our other old hat. He's been talking about retiring for awhile, now, but he agreed not to actually do it until we're up and running with our crop of newbies. He used to teach at our training center, but he chose to rotate into the field, so, if he does retire, I'm not sure if he'll go back to teaching, or just bow out completely. Who knows?

"Our newest member is our new Medical Officer, Carter. She's a sweetheart, and too damn nice. I'm not as close with her as with the others, but I've only known her a few weeks." Rowan paused and took a sip of tea, then shrugged. "She started at our training center today, and she's already got top qualifications in Science. I just need her to get qualified for either Command or Advanced Weaponry with a score of at least 50%.

"So, yeah," Rowan said, downing the rest her of her tea in one go. "That's us. Now, quid pro quo, yeah? Any chance I could get ahold of your assessments?"

Major Kramer grinned and handed over a memory card. "Just don't tell anyone where you got it, yeah?" he asked. "These are my personal notes, as well as the assessments I submit." He stood and set his coffee cup down. "Oh, and do me a favor? Make sure Fletcher gets a better chance to use her skills than she'll get in the army."

When Rowan stared at him, he said, "What? I care about my cadets, and I want them to do as well as they possibly can. There's no place for her in the army, but, from what you've just told me, there's plenty of good opportunities for her in the Rangers."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Rowan staring after him.