[Headquarters, location undisclosed…]
Jesse leaned on the wall outside of his boss’s office. Inside, Emilia’s roars could be heard.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T QUIT?! I’m done with this special-ed ass team. I want out!”
“No-can-do. You may have been able to call it quits after the mission, except for the fact that you brought her along”. The boss pointed at Allison.
“Wait, she’s stuck because I’M here? How the fuck does that work?” Allison questioned.
“Well, you guys…” he was interrupted…
“Ahem, ladies, women, girls… In any case, not male” Allison corrected.
“Whatever! So, you ladies signed contracts. Just so you know, your contract is not the same as agent Emilia’s.”
Allison raised an eyebrow. “Look Mr. uhm… Dummass, no disrespect intended, but she just wants out. I understand I can’t exactly leave, cuz I’m just short of being a captive, but why can’t she?”
“I appreciate the attempt to change my name, but it is in fact pronounced ‘dumb-ass’. My parents were poorly named AND stupid. So, the name fits them, and was passed to me.”
“And you didn’t change it why?” Allison scratched her head.
“I… uhm… well…” Mr. Dummass stammered with his words. “Shut the hell up! Makin’ me look stupid in my own office….” he finally roared.
“You didn’t need our help for that” Emilia giggled.
Allison turned to Emilia “So, why can’t you leave again?”
“Well, in the event that I should somehow pull an agent from elsewhere, it is my job to stick around until they are ‘fully trained or evaluated’ or ‘are no longer a risk to security’. In the event that you are considered to be a security risk… well, remember what Jesse said as we left the compound?”
“Yeah, the thing about being executed without a funeral or burial at the first sign of treason, right?”
“Exactly. It’s my job to stick with you, either until you are trained, have been evaluated as competent to do the job, or until you are suspected of being a double agent. At which point, I am the one who is supposed to execute you.”
Allison’s jaw dropped. “You know, you’d think it’d be a bit harder to get into such an organization when it’s put that way.”
Mr. Dummass replied, “Oh, it is… for every other team. Team Lambda is a bit of an exception. And most of their operations and quarters are separate from everything else.”
“Uhm, why? Seriously, what’s with this team?” Allison questioned.
“Well, we’ll have that explained at the next team meeting, which coincidentally will be immediately after we’re done talking to boss here.”
“Well, you’re both stuck, and that’s the end of that. You’ve already submitted the field report. I won’t ask why it’s torn. Just… stop letting Mark handle the paperwork, ok?”
“I didn’t think he’d start destroying things so quickly. I’ll keep that in mind” Emilia nodded. “So, shall I show Allison around and head to that meeting?”
“Do whatever you want, just get outta my office already” Mr. Dummass complained.
“Let’s go, Ali”.
“Ali huh? I guess I’ll take that, but I’m calling you Emi”.
“Ugh, Jesse calls me that.”
“’Ems’ then.”
“Only if you don’t have to write it, it’ll confuse me. Now, we have a meeting to get to. I can show you around afterward. Let’s get out of the office before… shit!” Emilia grabbed Allison’s hand and raced towards the door. The pair made it outside and Allison looked back. There was a gaping hole where the floor once was. The office had a trap door, a big one. Jesse kicked one of the doors closed, and Emilia closed the other. “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to laugh a bit. We’re late. Let’s get going’ Jesse replied.
Allison turned to Emilia. “What’s at the bottom of that hole that the trap door leads to”?
“Uhm, I think it’s different each time. Once it was an octopus, another time it was garbage”, Emilia replied.
“There was one time it was rotten eggs and spam. I nearly passed out from the smell”, Jesse commented.
“So, it’s a mystery dump? I’ll just get out of the office as fast as possible. So, there’s a meeting? Am I gonna meet the rest of this team?” Allison continued to ask question after question as they walked down the hall.
Emilia smiled. “Wow, you’re just full of questions huh? Well, we can answer at least 1. Look in front of you.”
Allison turned her attention to a room with a large round table. There sat 6 people, and a total of 9 chairs. They took their seats and so began the introductions.
A large muscled man stood up and greeted them all. “Hi. I’m David, and on behalf of the rest of Team Lambda, I’d like to welcome you.”
“Fuck that! I can welcome her myself! I’m Mark, welcome to hell!”
A young woman stood up from between the 2 who just spoke, “Don’t mind him, he’s got a couple of screws loose. The name’s Jessica. It’s a pleasure to meet you miss…?”
“Allison” Allison replied, wide-eyed. “They sure are an animated pair aren’t they?”
Jessica responded, “Yes, yes they are. You’ll find out that we all have our uhm… personality quirks.”
“What the hell do you mean by ‘quirks’!?”
“Aaron, is that any way to act in front of the newbie?”
Aaron glared at the tall dark-skinned man who reprimanded him. “Don’t make me turn off the light, Javon.”
Javon raised an eyebrow “Eat a dick! You wouldn’t be able to see me anyway.”
“Yeah, but you’re useless in the dark” Aaron scowled and laughed.
“Alright bitches, that’s enough”. From the far end of the table, a small woman stood up. She didn’t speak loudly, yet everyone’s outbursts were instantly contained. “Well, since the introductions are more-or-less done, I’ll do mine. Michelle’s the name. It’s a pleasure. Don’t worry, you get used to the rowdiness after a while. It’s the unpredictability in the field that’s the bigger concern. Speaking of which, you got a bit of quality 3-B time I heard.”
Allison scratched her head, “3-B?”
Emilia answered her “Behind-bars-bonding.”
Allison turned to her in shock, “The fact that you have an acronym for that is disturbing. Is it that common of an occurrence?”
“For some of us, sadly it is. I’ll let Michelle give the explanation and official greeting.” Emelia took a few steps towards the table. She, Allison, and Jesse had yet to actually sit down.
Michelle, who was still standing, spoke yet again in a not particularly loud voice. “On your feet bitches.” Everyone stood quickly. “Salute maggots.” The seemingly confrontational bunch obediently saluted. Allison looked at everyone else in the room. Jesse and Emelia were also saluting while facing her.
Michelle spoke once more. “Roll and rank, jackasses.”
As if watching a well-rehearsed play, they did as instructed.
“Jesse Madison, demolitions expert.”
“Emelia Jenovall, weapons, and support specialist.”
“Mark Stonewall, technology specialist.”
“Javon Harris, ranged support and reconnaissance.”
“David Henderson, close-quarters combat specialist, infiltration specialist.”
“Aaron Dixon, communications and linguistics specialist.”
“Jessica Long, advanced reconnaissance and infiltration specialist.”
And finally, it was Michelle’s turn. She spoke in the same tone as everyone else, the power and pressure released in her voice sent a chill down Allison’s spine.
“Michelle Mason, psychological analyst, and tactical expert.”
Allison stood in awe “Allison Thorne, no idea what it is I’ll be doing here.”
“That’s fine Allison, All in due time. For now, I have 1 question”. Michelle replied. “Can you fly a plane or helicopter?”
“Well legally, yeah, I actually have a pilot’s license.”
“Problem solved. Allison Thorne, I welcome to Team Lambda as the transportation and logistics expert.”
“But…” Allison could finish her sentence amidst the applause that followed. She never got the chance to tell them that she’d only gotten her pilot’s license 2 days ago, the day before she met Jesse and Emelia.
Michelle spoke up again. “Since you are a part of this team now, there’s something you should know. This is a special and volatile team… at best. At worst, we are a hazard to ourselves and anyone or anything within about a 5-mile radius of us. We are a ticking time bomb on a spinning roulette table, and results may vary. This team is comprised of rejects and outcasts of other teams. Those deemed too dangerous or rouge for their former teams, but too good and well trained to be released from the agency overall. That is team Lambda. You, the agent of elsewhere, are now one of us!”
