The infamous entrance exam

“Good morning”, Havoc greets him the next day.

Mika vehemently disagrees, because it has in fact been the opposite of a good morning. Since dinner yesterday, his stay in the cadets’ barracks had progressively become worse.

It had started with Adams announcing that the cadets could let their guard down since “Doe isn’t actually from the streets”, which had made the cadets visibly relax. The whole thing had rattled Mika’s cage.

Then came the unwelcome questions.

“Where exactly do you live downtown?”

“Why don’t I recognise you from school?”

“Doe huh? Did your parents disown you or something?”

“Who gave you those swords?”

“Where did you learn to fight?” That one had come from Adams, with curious, wide eyes that unnerved Mika.

Mika had tried to dodge the inquisitiveness while wolfing down dinner. He had planned to pocket some bread and potatoes but the cadets wouldn’t stop paying attention to him even though most of his answers were subtle or plain insults.

“Come on lads, we’ll have plenty of time to interrogate him during the course of the program”, Collins had tried, seeming to correctly interpret Mika’s biting remarks.

“Least you can do is give us some answers”, Carrot face had grumbled.

“I don’t owe you anything”, Mika had retorted, wiping his mouth.

“Well Collins is right in one regard, we are going to be spending a lot of time together”, Elton had sighed. “So give us a bone here greenie, we’re just scoping out the competition.”

At that, Mika had raised his eyebrow.

“Competition to what?”

“It won’t even be competition since he’s freeriding his way into the Black Market Division”, one bloke had quipped, words laced with poison. Mika remembered him from the sparring. After being defeated quite swiftly, he had gone from humiliation to fury so quickly that Mika hadn’t been able to contain his smirk, which in hindsight probably wasn’t a clever move considering they were gonna share a room.

“What are you lot on about?” Mika had finally snapped.

“You don’t even know?” Carrot face had said with an incredulous laugh. “That’s Captain Havoc’s division.”

When Mika didn’t react, even Collins had looked confused.

“He accepted you into his squadron”, a girl had said slowly.

“Which means?”

“You clodpoll.” Carrot face had looked more astonished than angry, but then again, it was hard to tell since a permanent scowl seemed to be etched onto his face. “It means you’re his protégé, his investment. Everything you do, he’ll be responsible for, and at the end of the program, you’ll automatically be offered a position at his division. It happens to maybe three cadets per year and everyone would literally kill to be in your shoes.”

Mika had opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Because well, he hadn’t actually known that the whole squadron thing was a big deal. He had assumed that it was purely symbolic. The realisation was troublesome in more ways than one. Firstly, it complicated his stance with the captain.

Secondly, it was yet another reason for the cadets to despise him.

Safe to say, the rest of the dinner had been a tense affair. At night, Mika had barely slept, attentive to any sound of tentative shuffling or careful footsteps. So no, it is not a good morning for Mika, and he is slightly irate at the captain for not warning him what his “gesture of goodwill” really meant.

However, he settles by answering with a simple “Mornin’” and looking around the corridor of the education building. “So where is my exam?”

“Aren’t you bright and chipper?” Havoc comments while turning around to walk down the hallway. “This way, cadet.”

Outside one of the doors to the classrooms, a solemn woman is waiting for them. She salutes Havoc.

“At ease”, Havoc says and slaps Mika on the back right at its sorest spot, making Mika glare at the captain. “Here’s the runt I told you about. Thank you for getting prepared on such short notice.”

“No problem, Captain”, the woman answers and walks into the classroom. “This way, cadet. Your test is on the desk and will take about two hours to complete.”

“You can read and write, can’t you?” Havoc suddenly asks.

“No, I thought you were going to read and write for me, Captain”, Mika drawls and heads into the classroom.

“Make that three hours, Sergeant Mills. He excels at running his mouth and didn’t leave much room for anything else”, Havoc quips.

“Except making your cadets eat dust. Besides, don’t you have important captain duties to attend to?” Mika groans without looking back. After a few seconds of silence, he begrudgingly adds “Captain”.

“Quite right. I’ll be in my office should any problems arise, Sergeant.”

“Don’t worry Captain, I’m used to snotty cadets by now”, Mills chuckles and takes a seat behind the counter.

“I wouldn’t dare to bother a pretty lady like you”, Mika smoothly interjects, trying to ignore the pile of paper that awaits him a few desks down.

“Nice try, cadet. Now, if I catch you cheating or referring to me in any other way than Sergeant Mills, your ass will be out of here faster than a butcher flails a pig.”

“Yes Sergeant, sorry Sergeant”, Mika says with wide eyes. He hears Havoc snicker before the door is closed.

Lord, two hours? Hope Poppy’s supply orders and tax returns have prepared me for this, Mika thinks privately before sitting down and picking up the pen under Mills’ watchful eye.

“That took forever”, Mika groans when exiting the classroom.

“Two and a half hours is hardly forever”, Havoc says, startling Mika.

“Bloody hell, how did you know I was done?”

“Let's go for a walk while we wait for Sergeant Mills to correct your papers”, Havoc continues in lieu of answering Mika's question.

“Isn’t it technically my day off?”

“You haven’t even started, cadet. Now, let’s see what you remember from Collins’ tour yesterday.”

The next hour is spent by them walking around the university, Havoc making sure Mika knows the layout of the grounds, the weekly schedule and routines, and sternly telling him where he should refrain from exploring. “I expect you won’t have time for foolish curiosity between drills and classes, but with you one can never be sure.” Which is fair, but Mika rolls his eyes regardless.

They also stop by the University Health Center, where another nurse changes Mika’s bandages and offers him some painkillers. Mika declines, which makes the captain roll his eyes at him.

“What?” Mika asks.

“What was it you said yesterday? ‘Pride and sensibility means nothing in the face of death’?” Havoc does a crude imitation of Mika’s voice, making it sound serious and theatrical.

I do not sound like that, he thinks grumpily.

“I’m hardly dying, Captain”, he scoffs out loud while pulling his new shirt over his head. The fabric is black, soft and breathable, unlike anything he’s ever worn before. The other cadets had changed into sleepwear for the night, while Mika had kept the shirt on. Mainly because he didn’t have anything to change into, but also because he couldn’t imagine being more comfortable in anything else. “It barely hurts actually.”

“Well you’re welcome back if you change your mind”, the nurse says kindly before shooing them out. “Off you go now, there’s other patients waiting.”

“It’s usually not this busy this time of year”, Havoc murmurs while leading them back out. “It’s like your foolhardiness is contagious.” He says it in such a serious tone that it startles a laugh out of Mika, which he tries to disguise in a cough. He hopes it’s believable.

Lastly, Havoc shows him the stables, which are located behind the barracks. It contains a fenced expanse, apparently called a paddock according to the captain, where some stablehands are exercising the horses.

“Special Corps usually doesn’t ride horses since we use the magnetic boots to get around quickly, but a common disciplinary punishment is aiding the stablehands”, Havoc explains.

“Is that just a fancy way of saying naughty cadets get to clean shit?”

“The appropriate term is actually mucking out the stable. And yes.” Havoc glances at him meaningly. “This is a warning by the way.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll try to behave.”

They stand there for a bit and Mika takes the chance to follow the horses’ smooth movements as they go from a leisurely stroll to a faster trot. He has only seen horses from afar, always with a constable on top. Hearing their hooves clopping on the streets usually had filled him with apprehension and caused him to slither away to the shadows. Now, they just seemed a peculiar combination of graceful and skittish.

Curious who you can grow to fear, just because of the person controlling them, he thinks.

“Do you usually take your protégés out for sightseeing?” he asks aloud. It had been at the back of his mind since Cooper’s comment in the dining hall, poking at him like a splinter in a boot. Mika doesn’t know how captains usually treat their… investments or whatever, but something about this friendly mentor-schtick makes Mika instinctually distrustful.

“You’re my first one”, Havoc answers absentmindedly while keeping his gaze trained at the paddock, then frowns slightly. “Protégé is misleading though. Think of it more as a cautionary firewall.”

“Against what?” Mika wonders as they walk back to the education building, quietly trying to decipher what it means that Mika is the first cadet the captain has accepted into his squadron.

“Everyone who will itch to kick you out.”

This makes Mika pause, probably because the captain once again sounds so sincere in his endeavour to prevent Mika from being expelled. It almost disarms him. Not knowing how to answer such sincerity, he instead pivots.

“Shit sorry, Captain a hundred times for all the times I’ve missed.”

“I’ll be lenient for today, cadet. You seem tired and I’m sure there’s been a lot of changes in a short time. Take care to uphold a semblance of respect around others however”, Havoc answers simply, once again catching Mika off guard.

Before he can figure out a follow-up question or snotty remark however, they are greeted by Sergeant Mills standing outside the building, seemingly basking in the sunlight. She's holding what Mika can only imagine is his test in one hand, with the other hand resting on her hip. When she sees them, she gives a salute to Havoc and opens the door for them.

“Fast as ever, Sergeant”, Havoc compliments after returning the salute, then taking the test while walking through the doorway.

“Naturally, given my 15 years of experience”, Mills answers, holding the door open for Mika before letting it close behind them. She glances Mika’s way with an indecipherable look and he reflexively tenses up. Then her answer catches up to him and he incredulously examines her healthy skin and graceful form. Her gaze turns sharp. “Can I help you, cadet?”

“I’m sorry Sergeant, but does that mean you’ve worked here since you were 10?” Mika asks.

Mills’ chuckle is so loud that Mika almost misses Havoc raising his eyebrows at him. The sergeant claps his shoulder heartily and Mika almost yelps in surprise by her strength. What is it with police and casually pounding people? And they say street rats are animals...

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, cadet”, Mills laughs cheerily in a way that doesn’t carry the same sentiment. “Man, Harriet is gonna have a field day with that one.”

Mika gives a confused smile and looks at the captain for help. He finds him completely engrossed in the test, a furrow in his brow deeper than he has seen before. When Mika looks back at Mills, her jolliness is replaced by a solemn air, so fast it gives him whiplash.

“What, did I fail that spectacularly?” he asks in a carefree way, even though caution returns to his muscles and strains them like before a fistfight. He’s used to adapting to new environments quickly, but nothing will make him forget that he’s in the lion’s den.

“Not exactly”, Havoc answers. Without looking up, he says to the sergeant, “Thank you for coming in on your day off, Mills. You’ll be compensated of course.”

It’s clear even to Mika that it’s a dismissal. Mills catches on immediately and gives a salute.

“No problem, Captain”, she says before leaving, walking past Mika on her way out but not sparing him a glance. Mika doesn’t take his eyes off the captain, who is still inspecting the papers. The sun momentarily falls on his face when the sergeant opens the door to exit, reflecting a shimmer in his grey eyes and jet black hair and beard. When the door closes, letting in the sounds of the day before it does, the tense silence grows more significant.

“Do you know how many points you need to pass this exam?” Havoc asks after a few moments that feel longer in the dim corridor.

“I think Sergeant Mills said that it’s 90%”, Mika answers slowly. He’s still closely watching the captain’s face for any clues on why the mood had suddenly shifted. “I don’t know what that translates to necessarily.”

“162 out of 180.”

Yikes, Collins wasn’t kidding.

“No need to be so serious, I knew I probably wouldn’t pass”, Mika sighs. “What’s the damage here then? 10 hours of extra studying per day?”

“You got 163.”

Oh.

Well…

Captain Havoc looks up from the test. He doesn’t look suspicious or indignant, like Mika would expect. He looks… perplexed.

“Who are you?”

…shit.