The caravan's shock's were clearly not up to stock, as every time the vehicle would run over some sort of bump or divot in the road, Matthew's entire body would be thrown in the air; tearing up his skin on his wrists, which were handcuffed together. His ankles were likewise shackled together, and attached to the floor of the caravan. Three men sat in front of his, and two more sat on either side. The caravan's canvas covering was shut, as it had been for several hours. Overall, it was an odd setup in Matthew's eyes. He was being drafted. Why the need to act like he was a prisoner? He could technically escape whenever he wanted.
Matthew tried to scratch an itch on his neck, underneath the military-issue camo uniform he had on.
“You boys come here often?” He joked to the man on the right. The private silently slammed the butt of his rifle into Matthew’s knee.
He yelped in pain. “Aw, come on, I’m just wondering!” He shouted.
The caravan drove on for another 3 hours until it finally parked. Matthew was escorted out into a dark room.
“Thanks for the lift...” He muttered; hearing his own echo move across the vast room. One by one, the lights cut back on, and--after blinking a few times--Matthew could see where he was.
It was a massive, massive barracks. The sheer size of it alone seemed to encompass an entire square mile. In the room was a large quantity of workout equipment, swimming pools, massive pathways to different hallways, rifle ranges, and more. Some equipment Matthew had never seen before; he could only assume it was custom-made for some of the other’s mutant power arriving.
”Private Webb!” Came a loud scream from Matthew’s left. Once he turned, he saw an older gentleman approaching fast. With his very basic knowledge of military training, he attempted to stand at attention.
“At ease, on the count that your version of attention is physically repulsive!” He screamed, nearly right into his face. On the count that the two were about the same height, Matthew was even more taken aback.
“You are the first of your team to arrive.”
“Wonderful,” He joked. The Colonel didn’t look too pleased with his attitude.
“You have only just arrived, and yet still you have managed to royally piss me off! On the count of your own personal safety, I recommend you shut the hell up and listen to me!”
Matthew made no more jokes.
“Private Webb, you are entering into the United States Military; this is the best military on the damn planet. You will act like you are in the best military on the damn planet. You will carry yourself with the weight of the millions that have died before you, protecting this great nation of ours. You will hold the constitution up to such a high standard, I want Washington himself to look down from heaven and say ‘Damn, he’s good!’ Do you hear me?”
“Yes, sir.” Matthew said, slightly sheepish.
“That will be SIR, YES, SIR, from now on! Understood?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” He shouted.
“Good. Now I have a meeting to attend to,” He said, much more calmly. “The rest of your team will arrive shortly. You will need to remind them for me why the hell they are here.”
The Colonel turned to the side, and spoke to an Officer. Only then, did Matthew notice the nametag on the colonel’s shirt: Matthews.
”Now this may get confusing. Matthew thought.
“Alright then,” Colonel Matthews said to Matthew. “The Officer here will escort you to your living quarters. Your team will be escorted, by the same Officer, to the same quarters. You take care of your quarters like you take care of your life; if I see a single speck of dust, I will personally move your ass over to the bunks. Everyone is to meet me back in here at the top of the hour. Got it?”
“Sir yes sir!”
After a minute of being led down a hallway, Matthew was quickly pointed into a room, labeled P. Webb on the door, and the officer that led him quickly disappeared.
Inside the room, Matthew found a stack of military-issue clothes, a pen and paper, a twin-sized bed, a sink, and a mirror. Nothing else seemed to be in the room besides basic soap and shaving equipment, and a closet. Matthew rubbed his hair, knowing most of it would probably be shaved off.
On the back of the door, Matthew found a map of the facilities; it seemed to be laid out quite simply; with the Barracks at the center, each of the other hubs were circled around it--the living quarters, mess hall, library, break room, armoury, store, leadership quarters, war room, and the garage; where he assumed he entered into. Other smaller rooms were littered throughout, but nothing else seemed to be needed for him.
Looking out his door, he saw that, even though the hallway extended on, only 3 doors had other names placed on them. He could only assume this was how small his unit would be.
Next to his room, on the right, were two unique doors, each labeled Bathroom - Men and Bathroom - Women.
Shrugging, Matthew laid down in his bed, leaving the door open. Glancing over to a clock on the wall, he saw he had about 40 minutes. Sitting up in his bed, Matthew wondered if he should make for the store and request more things for him room. Until then, he slid out of his pocket what was probably contraband--a bouncy ball--and began throwing at the wall, and catching it again. Sure, he had smuggled in other things, but this would work for now.
