After a couple months went by, Felix is now in the middle of basic training. He lost his can do attitude in the beginning, but only just a little bit. He is still determined.

Reveille sounds through a trumpets blast, and Felix jumps awake. As he rushes to get into uniform, he hears the boots of three people walking through the mud towards his tent.

"Why the hell do we have to wake up before the sun rises..." One of his comrades complains.

Felix still listening rushes to tuck his black tank top into under his pants, as he then rushes to put on his jacket. "You might want to shut up, the Master Sergeant is coming."

"To hell with him," his comrade grumbles.

Felix looks to him, the guy is named Jerimiah Johnson, his bright orange hair is cut to the same length as Felix, short bangs, neck length. His hazel eyes looks tired, exhausted even. The guy is pretty laid back. Doesn't usually take things seriously. But his combat skills are on par with Felix's, and since they had been assigned to the same tent. They became fast friends practically over night.

"Seriously Jerimiah," Felix calls as he gets his pants tucked into his boots, "you might want to shut up. You'll get the unit in trouble again."

Jerimiah looks to Felix and laughs, "Okay, okay. I'll chill out."

They see the tent flaps start to open, stepping inside is Master Sergeant Calhoun, Constantine, and another. The third was Drill Sergeant Kim, "Chimaera", Statton. The one helping Calhoun shaping them into soldiers.

As they enter the tent, with Calhoun in the front, Constantine to his right, and Statton to his left, Felix and Jerimiah both jump to attention and salute them facing forward toward each other at the end of their cots.

Calhoun inspects the tent the two stay in. No clutter, their foot lockers at the end of their cots, the cots made neat and tidy, with bed sheets and blankets straight. Neither have a crease to be seen, and the pillows on top of the blankets at the head of the cots.

His attention then turns to the two's uniforms, both looked very well put on. No creases anywhere, showing that they had been recently pressed and ironed. They put them on correctly, following the strict protocol for such. And both were squared with the salutes, snappy, no hesitation, with eyes directly ahead.

"Good job," Calhoun starts, "It's time for my announcement before your morning drill."

"Yes Master Sergeant!" Both yelled out simultaneously.

Calhoun then walks in front of Felix, "I have good new Carmichael."

"Yes Master Sergeant!" Felix shouts.

"You're going to be the new squad commander." Calhoun looks down on Felix, "It is your duty to make sure this unit is in top shape by the time your training is over, how does that sound."

"Master Sergeant, it sounds like a grand idea!" Felix yells, even though his nerves nearly force his heart in his throat.

"Good, good. I knew you'd like the idea." Calhoun smiles. He then turns to Jerimiah, "and you will be made second in command!"

Jerimiah hides it, but Felix knows he's stunned. Jerimiah made it perfectly clear that he did not want to be a commander of anything. That meant being responsible if anything should happen to the men under your command, and he didn't want that to happen to him.

"What's the matter, Johnson? I thought you would like your new promotion?" Calhoun calls as Jerimiah stands there silent for awhile.

"Sounds great to me, Master Sergeant!" Jerimiah says loudly, snapping back to reality.

"Good!" Calhoun smiles. He then moves to Constantine and Statton, both still at attention at the tents entrance, then looks back to them.

"By the way, as the new commanders of this unit. It is your job to make sure the squad gets up and drills on time." He salutes them back, as he starts to leave. "At ease."

"Master Sergeant!" Felix calls.

Calhoun stops and looks to Felix, "Yes Carmichael?"

"Permission to speak freely, Master Sergeant."

"What is the meaning of this Carmichael?!" Statton starts to shout.

Calhoun holds out his hand in front of her, indicating that it was alright for Felix to continue.

"Yes Carmichael?" Calhoun asks.

"What will we do if the squad questions us when we try to wake them?" Felix inquires.

"Ah," Calhoun nods, "Drill Sergeant Statton, and Sergeant Constantine will assist you today, to help inform your squad of your status of authority."

"Yes, Master Sergeant. Thank your for your time." Felix shouts.

"I will leave you in Drill Sergeant Statton's capable hands." Calhoun smiles.

"Yes, Master Sergeant!" They both exclaim again.

Constantine looks to Felix and gives him a quick thumbs up, fully believing that he has what it takes to be a good leader. Then follows Calhoun out the tent and away. Statton stays behind and looks to them.

"Alright boys, since the Master Sergeant is away, we can speak more freely. Take a seat and listen." Statton calls to them.

Jerimiah and Felix sit on the stools next to the cot, while Statton sits on a supply chest near the two.

She turns to them and sighs, "This is no joke. You guys are about to show how much you are really capable of, understand?"

"Yes, Drill Sergeant." Both answer.

"Just like with me and Sergeant Constantine," She continues, "If you have someone in your squad mess up. The Master Sergeant, Sergeant Constantine, and I will all look to you. It will be your fault for not keeping them in line. You will be hated for it, resented for it, and other's will think you're throwing the power you are given around just because you can."

Both Felix and Jerimiah look to each other worried. Seeing this Statton continues.

"You must not actually let this power go to your head, this is your unit. After basic, if you are not assigned to another unit, those soldiers your training with will be your squad to command. You will lead them into combat. And you will have to give them orders to help keep them alive."

Felix nods, already accepting the fact that not all of them will not even if he makes the right decision at the right time. It's war, and war means sacrifice. Jerimiah is worried he'll fail. Statton looks to him and shakes her head.

"I know that look," She calls to him. "You can not blame yourself if someone from this unit. Or anyone under your command gets killed. This is a soldiers duty. And we all chose to follow it. Just make sure that you don't ever forget the ones who didn't make it to see home again."

Not feeling better, Jerimiah nods to her. Both of them turned to one another and then back to Statton who looks to her watch.

"Well," she sighs starting to stand, "come on time to start drill."

Both of them stand up and start to walk out with her as they take their caps and put them on.

"Make sure you two don't forget your cover," Statton calls to them and looks to see the hats on their head, they were the same color as their uniform with a thick square brim to the front. The caps look neat, save for the slight bulge at the top where the top of their heads are, both look to her with serious faces as the rain drips from the brim and starts to soak into their uniform.

"Oh," she says surprised. "Good job."

As they follow Statton, Constantine watches from a distance, amazed at how much Felix had taken to a soldiers life, he no longer looks like the star eyed child she knew... he looks older, more mature. It's like she was looking at an entirely different person.

"Constantine," She hears someone from behind.

She turns to see Calhoun behind her and snaps to attention and salutes him.

"Master Sergeant! My apologies I didn't see you there." She sounds off loudly.

He doesn't look to her and continues to watch Felix, "It's okay. You don't have to be so formal right now. I give you permission to speak and act freely."

"Thank you Calhoun," She sighs looking back to Felix.

"You noticed it too?" He asks.

"Noticed what?" She replies.

"That Felix has taken to this life more and more, almost at a frightening pace."

"Yes," She nods, "he's definitely his mother's son."

"How is the condition she's under?" Calhoun inquires.

"They have her and her sister in holding cells... I guess the mercs found out who stole the food and might execute them for his crime." Constantine sighs then she looks to Calhoun. "Should we tell him?"

"I think not." He shakes his head, "let him focus on his new task... he will need all of his focus on learning to be the commander his mother was."

"Do you think he could make it into the spec ops core?" She asks.

"I think he could make it to be the new general of this military." Calhoun smiles. "He has the drive of his mother. And the instincts of his father. He can do what ever he puts his mind to. We just need to help push him to it."

"What about Jerimiah?" Constantine points out. "Felix and him have gotten very attached. And giving them this task isn't going to separate them."

"Do you know my favorite line I heard from my father?" He smiles. "It reminds me of those two."

"What is it?" She asks.

"From this day to the ending of the world, but we shall remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother." Calhoun recites, "a line from an old speech, titled St. Crispin's day."

"You should teach that to him." Constantine smiles, "he would love to hear it."

"Yes but for right now, let him focus on his training." He nods.

Felix and Jerimiah follow Statton to a row of tents belonging to their unit. As reveille sounds again, they walked into the first tents yelling at the top of their lungs to the soldiers inside.

Felix walks into one and sees a female soldier and a male both still asleep in their bunks.

"Up and at 'em!" He yells to them, "Come on let's move time for drill lets go!"

Both jump up and start to glare at him, their eyes still full of sleep, take time to make him out.

"Felix! What the hell is the meaning of this," the female calls to him.

"Yeah man this isn't funny you made us think that Statton was here." The male says loudly.

The female is Sofia Sahara, her dark brown hair, long in length, matches her eyes. Just about as tall as Felix both of them also being the same age, she has always been determined to make it farther in the ranks than most of the boys. But her chosen rival was Felix.

The male was Jacob, Geer. His blond hair is very short, slightly smaller than Felix, he seems to be the one who usually is sarcastic.

"It's time to get up!" He yells.

"Yeah who's orders, yours?" Jacob calls to him.

"Yes," Statton comes in.

Felix, Sophia, and Jacob all snap to attention and salute.

She turns to Felix, "at ease Carmichael."

Felix stands at ease with his feet spread shoulder width apart and his hands behind his back.

Statton looks to Jacob and Sophia, "Carmichael, and Johnson, are your new squad commanders. You will listen to them just as you would me. If they give you an order, you had better follow it, for they are also instructed to punish those who do not. And if you should insubordinate their punishment. Then they have been instructed to kick you out of our military."

The two look unfazed, but the eyes of Sophia are blazing with rage and jealousy.

"And get used to them, they will be your commanders as long as basic is under way. And maybe even more so when you deploy." Statton finishes.

After that she walks out and leaves the two standing there. Felix looks to them and sighs, "get dressed for drill, we've got a three mile run and then it's combat and rifle training."

"Squad Leader," Sophia calls to him, "permission to speak freely?"

"Granted," Felix nods.

She looks to Felix still enraged, "What does this mean, you won't get to train with us? You sit on the side lines as we run, and exercise?"

Felix shakes his head, "A squad leader works with his unit, so I will be out there running with you, marching with you, and fighting with you. Don't worry about that. Now get dressed, you have three minutes."

Felix walks out of the tent and continues to look around. This new task will be difficult, but he believes he can handle it.