Prologue...
The young man stands quietly next to a dull green door, his hands clasped behind his back...feet shoulder length apart. The grey painted cinderblock wall feeling cold against his back. His nervousness threatening to overwhelm him.
The muscles in his neck twitch...it's getting hard to stand still...how much longer?
The voices from behind the door grow slightly louder. His heart begins to beat faster.
A deep breath in...and out...
Relax. Everything will be fine.
The doorknob clicks and the door swings open from the inside. He quickly straightens up and attempts to look calm. A man walks out, pauses, and continues to walk away.
"You can come in now." says the voice from inside the room.
As he walks into the room, he notices the sign on the door has a black spraypainted stencil with the letters "SNCOIC". With a loud click, it shuts behind him. He slowly glances at his new surroundings.
It's a small office, the harsh flourscent lighting illuminating every detail from every surface. Badly frayed grey carpeting...a battered and stained yellow cloth chair that looks like it was stolen from a conference room sits in front of an old metal desk. Miscellaneous papers are scattered about. There are awards and certificates from untold locations tacked to the cinderblocks. Pictures of unknown people in unknown locations stare back at him with empty smiles. The office looks well used...
There is a diminuative, bald man sitting behind that desk staring up at the young man coldly. Every inch of him screams professionalism. He begins a slow look from the feet up to the top of the head...almost calculating the young man's worth...
As if coming to a conclusion, the old gentleman stands up from behind the desk and extends his hand to the young man.
He grips it tightly, hoping the old man doesn't notice the warm sweat on his palms. He meets the gentleman's eyes with his own...willing his body not to do anything stupid.
The old man never breaks eye contact and says simply...
"It's a pleasure to meet you...Corporal. Tell me...what brings you back to my Marine Corps?"
posted by Silentwarrior @ 7:55 PM
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