The Watchmen Files // Half-Chapter Ten // Turning Point

Hey everybody!

It's D.

   And I have come to a difficult conclusion.

   As you know, next Wednesday is Christmas Day. And we will (as everyone will be) be extremely busy with the holiday season and all. And I'm suppose to be writing the Watchmen Files: A Holiday Special: The Christmas Edition that week.

   And, as Willow would testify, I can get really stressed (and a bit cranky) when I get behind on my chapters. It totally freaks me out because I'm always nervous that I won't be able to finish a chapter in time, and I told you that I would.

   And now, I have realized that I can't be in the Christmas spirit and be madly writing five more chapters at the same time.

   So, I'm so sorry to say this, but I'm not going to be able to post the special this month, or until I finish the first file.

   Now I really, really wanted to write this. But I really, really don't want to ruin Christmas (or at least make it unpleasant) for the rest of my family.

   I am so, so sorry I got everyone's hopes up. Please forgive me!

And now, as an I'm-so-sorry-thing, here is the beginning of The Watchmen Files: File One: Chapter Ten. Now this is the first half, not the whole thing.

   Days, weeks, then three whole months passed Mason and the rest of the squad by in a blur of training, training, and more training. And whenever they weren't training, they were either eating or sleeping. There was no time to laze about, not when your training Sargent is Mike Graham. He had them train hard, and his work payed off.
   Mason could pass nearly every test that was thrown at him. He excelled in anything physical, his ability did all of the work. Also, he didn't have any huge 'freak outs' for a time. He did get very angry at Duke on a daily basis, but Conner kept him pretty calm if he had too much trouble with that.
   Conner himself was also doing better, he could keep up with the others more easily, though it was still quite a challenge for him.
   But then, disaster struck.
   It all started the day Sargent Graham burst in to their barracks earlier than normal telling them that there would be a cadet training squad shadowing them around for the day.
   Mason thought that was stupid, and said so. "I'm not here to show the Watchman-wannabees around town."
   Duke rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh come on, Kruger! It won't hurt to have some kiddies follow us around for a day."
   Mason scowled back. Duke just wants to show off, as usual.
   "Cut the chatter," Graham rebuked them. "I want all of you to be on your best behavior. Show them how it's done."
   "We should tell them to head for the hills," Conner muttered from the bottom bunk where he was groaning about his achy back. He was obviously still having a hard time with the exercises. Apparently, he didn't do much of that in Ireland. Which explained why he weighed more than everyone else. Mason was kind of skinny, but it wasn't that big of a deal to him. But for Duke, it was the perfect target for rude jokes.

   And those kind were what Duke S. York mastered in, or at least, he thought so. And since no one wanted to tell him otherwise, he continued to harass Conner about his weight, height, and faith.

   "Okay boys," Graham snapped Mason out of his character run-over. "Let's show 'em how it's done."

   After Graham left the room, Mason opened up his trunk and rummaged around for his uniform. While shifting everything around to get to it, he found one of the items he had asked for from his apartment: Ava's teddy bear. Gently pulling it out, he examined the stuffed toy fondly. Ava had gotten that from her daddy, a long time ago. She would sleep with it every night.

   But not that night. She was probably in some super secret Hydra base out in who-knows-where with his freakish Nazi cousins. 

   Sighing, he began to stuff it back into the trunk when he noticed a hole ripped in its side. "Huh, that wasn't there before..."

   Sticking his finger into the small gap and feeling about, Mason found a wadded up piece of paper.

   He unfolded it and read what was written in spidery letters written so lightly that they could barely be made out.

We have the Mädchen. If you want her to live, give yourself up. She will not be harmed. It is you they want. You are a Hydra. It runs in our blood. Embrace who you are, save the child. Live to tell.

Cut off one head, two more will take its place. Hail, Hydra.

    Mason read quickly, his blood pulsing and that blinding anger welling up in him again. How could this happen? Why did they want him in the first place? And what would they do to to Ava if he didn't do what they wanted? What should I do? Sighing, Mason followed after the others and tucked the note into his pocket. He would tell Graham about it later. At the moment, he had kiddies to show off to.

   "Hey everyone," Jason Gray called the giddy eighteen year olds and younger scuttling about in the hall to attention. "As you know, name is Jason Grey. I'm the Junior Director of Special Forces, but you can just call me Mr. Jason if you'd like. I recruit a lot of Watchmen, and since you're all going into the system in a few years, we're going to shadow a squad around the training grounds to see how it's done," Jason smiled in a friendly fashion at the skinny, some of them barely out of puberty boys. They were the next generation Watchmen, and he planned to set a good standard.

   "Um, sir?" A teen with styled brown hair raised his hand gingerly.
   Jason glanced around the group until he spotted the tall, wiry eighteen year old and nodded. "Yep? Wait... are you Jeremy Stone?"

   "Yes sir," Jeremy beamed proudly at being noticed.

   "Ah yes," Jason smiled back. "You were saying?"

    "Um, who will we be shadowing?"

   "An experienced Sargent for today with his squad," he answered patiently. "Anymore questions?" With no more raised hands, Jason asked, "Are we ready?"

   A ruckus of yes sir's followed with exuberant nodding from the teens.

   "Okay, follow me!"

   There was a pack of jubilant urchins ready to see the world awaiting them right behind Jason, following after him like puppies to their master. Jason showed them down the hall with a sign that read Main Training Room C in bold, dark lettering. Once inside the massive room, he lead the wide eyed boys to where a team was standing in formation with their Sargent.

   "Hey Graham!" Jason hollered at the tall Sargent, who turned from his cadets to the small troop.

   "I see you've got your Watchmen-to-be's," Sargent Graham noted with absolutely no expression on his face at all. Taking his height, piercing green eyes, and the serious way he held himself into consideration, he was quite an imposing figure.

   The other boys shrunk around him, but Jeremy stood tall above the others with a ready expression. He'd been waiting years for this opportunity.

   Graham immediately noticed him and made note of how he kept his cool. It was, after all, a very important quality in a Watchman. "My name is Sargent M.B.G., but you will call me Sargent Graham, or sir."

   All of the cadets nodded enthusiastically in return as he continued.

   "I've been a Watchman since I was 19 years old," Sargent Graham informed them sternly as he done on his squad's first day, "I've been on more missions than I care to count, and I've trained 17 squads and will train many more. And all of my trainees have passed, except two, in which occasion an unfortunate event occurred."

   The teens all gaped in awe at every word as if their lives depended on it. Mason smirked at their excited faces.
   But looking next to him, Conner was still catching his breath and had a look of pity. "We should tell them to get out while they still can," he suggested jokingly (hopefully).

   Mason just shrugged and kept listening. After he finished his welcome speech, Graham let the boys watch as the team went through various courses and hand-to-hand combat, which, of course, Mason was the winner of. Though he did kind of have an unfair advantage over the others, with his ability and all.

And there we have it! Since next Wednesday is Christmas Day, I shall not be posting the rest of the chapter until the Wednesday after Christmas, which would be the first of January, 2014! Awesome, no?

And again, my deepest apologies for not keeping up on my promise to write the special. I'm so sorry I couldn't keep up with it.

So the next half-chapter will include lots of Mason and Duke and the name of the chapter will be made clearer. But let me give you a little hint... it has something to do with the chapter cover.

Well, have a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!

Always Watching,

Darrion