Chapter One - It all began with one...

James sat there, facing his Sergeant, for reasons still unknown to him; he gazed through the thin glass of the office, seeing the darkness outside: it was still eleven in the morning, but clouds had already compromised the weather of the day, and the tapping of the rain drops on the window didn’t make the tension any better.

His surprise grew as his superior officer offered him a glass of whisky, which he politely declined. His Sergeant smiled back, and closed the bottle, but only after serving himself to the beverage. He drank, cleared his throat and intertwined his fingers on top of the desk, after dropping his glass gently on the oaken wooded furniture.

“Alright James, you must be wondering why I called you here.”

James nodded, still feeling tense, his throat closing up slightly.

“Rest assured that the reason isn’t bad; your coming is due to your performance, which was great. It also made me want to get to know you better. I do this with every exceptional case that comes under my tutelage. To be very honest, most rookies who come around take a year, sometimes two to reach the level of soldier. You have been here barely one year, and you are corporal material as it is.”

James’ eyes widened in surprise, and he pulled his chair closer. “If I may, sir, this is no joke, correct?”