Sara laid in bed for the rest of the night, but sleep never came.  She looked at the clock, it read 0248.  “Might as well get up and shower.”  she thought as she sat up in the bed.  “I am going to be so tired today.  I hope I am able to perform for the tests today.  Sleep deprived and a bum shoulder aren’t exactly going to make for a stellar performance.” Sara said as she got undressed and looked at her shoulder in the mirror.  The bruise was spreading.  It had spread along her collar and down the upper part of her arm, as well as around the backside of her shoulder.  As she stood in the shower, the sound and feel of the water reminded her of that nightmare a few days back.  “It makes my head hurt just thinking about that again.”  Sara said as she washed her hair.  She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower thinking, “I probably just haven’t slept enough lately.  Afterall, I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in over four days, maybe five.”  After drying off, Sara put on her BDUs and looked at the clock, which read 0303.  “I should try to eat something.  Afterall, I have no idea when we will break for food, if at all.”  She thought as she got ready to leave her room.  Instead of going straight to the testing grounds, she went down to the commissary first.  “I wonder what would be good for breakfast?”  She thought looking over at the hot breakfast line and thought, “Something about waffles, pancakes, and the like makes me feel nauseous all of the sudden.  Maybe something light will be the better option.” She thought, walking toward the cold case.  She picked out a small cup of yogurt, some granola, and a banana.  “Now for something to drink.”  she thought while looking around.  She then spotted a bottled frappuccino and thought, “Looks like coffee it is.”  She took the items up and paid for them, then made her way over to the tables.  

Once over in the seating area, she spotted Haroldson sitting alone.  “Hey, is this seat taken?”  She asked in her most manly voice impersonation.  Haroldson, looking up in surprise,  began moving the papers he was looking over out of the way and said, “Not at all! Have a seat.”  Sara sat down and opened her food.  “I figured since we were both here, it would be a chance for me to make up for last night, since you wanted to see me about something.”  Sara said in a very serious demeanor.  “Drop the seriousness.  I was just offering you a meal and some company.  You act like everything I say has to do with work.”  Haroldson said nonchalantly.  Sara replied, “Oh sorry!  I guess I am always in work mode.  Ha ha!”  she tried to laugh it off.  “You are still thinking about the flame dancer? aren’t you?”  Haroldson asked.  “Yeah… I am…  I just feel like we failed our mission.”  Sara said as she began to stir her granola into the yogurt.  Haroldson sat silent for a few seconds then replied to her, “I don’t think you feel any different than the rest of us.  Truth is we have all been scratching our heads at this one.  Wondering if we could have done something different; or, if we could have done anything at all.” 

      Haroldson then smiled and said, “ I do have some news for you.” putting a mini disk down on the table, “This is the footage from the other units.  Ole Norman got us all copies.  I think you should take a look at it.  I think it will settle your mind somewhat.  I also think that when you see this, you will be glad we didn’t actually run into this one.” Sara nodded in both thanks and agreement.  Haroldson grimly stated, “Even if we had found it, we would have most likely died.”  Sara’s eyes grew larger as if to say she had an epiphany.  Haroldson looked confused at her expression and asked her, “everything okay in there lassy?  You seem like you just felt the cold hand of death on your neck.”  Sara finished the mouthful of yogurt and replied in a much more chipper tone, “Just a little creepy that my first mission could have been my last.  Thanks for the info, I will definitely go check this out this evening after training.  I want to make sure that I am as ready as I can be when we get called out to action again.  An “0” and “one” start isn’t my cup of tea you know.”  Haroldson laughed, “I feel you on that one.  I am none-to-happy with this blemish on my record either.”  Sara finished her breakfast and said, “Well, I am going to head out to the training grounds.  Catch ya later.”  Haroldson replied, “See you in a bit.  I have some paperwork to finish before I can head out there.”  Sara waved and smiled as she left the commissary.  “Man, what is it about that girl?” Haroldson sighed as he watched her leave.  He then turned back to his papers after she left.  

 After leaving the commissary Sara made her way down to the testing area.  She was not the first person to arrive.  “There have to be at least thirty people here already.” Sara thought, looking around to see if she recognized anyone there.  “I don’t see anyone from the 38th or anyone I recognize at all for that matter.  I guess I just assumed after running into the sergeant that the others were coming as well.  I guess it is possible that the sergeant was sent here for other reasons.”  Sara pondered these and many other questions while finding herself a seat in the grass.  As she looked around, she could see various pieces of equipment being set up, as well as a stage.  “I assume the stage will be where the meet and greet happens, but what is with all this equipment?  This stuff doesn’t look like something you would test a trooper with.  It would be way too much even if you improved our suits.  They would have to be improved a whole hell of a lot to need some of this stuff.”  Sara thought as she looked around trying to make heads or tails of what the equipment was for.  Looking around farther in the distance, Sara could see what looked like stations that had been set up.  “Just how many tests are they planning on running on us?  Something really is off with this.”  Sara began to worry.  Her shoulder was still throbbing and spasming in pain.  

This will be my time to shine.  I can’t wait to see the look on Simms’s face when my new suits rule the battlefield and destroy the flame dancer.  Of course I am only going to use the troopers that synchronize the most with their suits, but Simms won’t know that.  This will be one of my greatest achievements yet…

~Excerpt from Dr. Archive’s Personal Journal Entry 3675

The technicians were busily setting up the last few pieces of equipment, but despite Sara’s best effort; she couldn’t find anything that looked like new battlesuits.  “Huh? That’s weird.  It looks like one of the techs brought their kid.” She thought while looking over at a boy working on a computer panel.  He couldn’t have been more than his mid teens in age.  “Maybe he isn’t someone’s kid, but rather an intern maybe?  An awfully young looking intern?”  Sara thought with her suspicious nature fully aroused.  Just a few minutes after Sara sat down she heard, “Well well well, if it isn’t little miss sunshine.”  Kono said from off in the distance.  Kono walked over to Sara with Frost, Slater, and Haroldson.  “What do you want Kono?” Sara jibed, as she leaned her head backward far enough to see the men walking up behind her.  “Whoa whoa whoa, cool your jets.  Not after your phone number or anything today.  Just looking for the rest of the 38th.”  Kono replied in a manner close to that of what most people would call normal.  “Are all of the 38th going to be here?” Sara asked, falling backwards on the grass looking up at the four men.  Trying not to show that he found Sara quite attractive at the moment, Haroldson replied, “we should all be here somewhere except for Commander Norman.  Also, the remains of unit 37 and some other units that were not on assignment should be here as well.  There are some random troopers that were chosen for this assignment.  According to the report I was given there should be 143 of us in total.”

“Well, let’s go look for the rest of the boys.”  Sara said as she stood up.  She began brushing herself off and continued, “Since Kono is feeling lonely without them.”  “I am not!” Kono replied, clearly taking the bait.  “Ha ha ha, You know she is just trying to get you heated, man.”  Frost laughed, as the group started to walk around.  Slowly they found more and more of their teammates.  First Ibara.  Then Alvarez and Rodrigues.  And finally Merrin, Glasscoe, Reynolds, Cross, and Smith.  “Looks like the only ones we are missing are either dead or leading a suicide mission!”  Kono blurted out as everyone gathered together near the front of the stage.  “Is that true then?  Serg… I mean Commander Norman is going back out to face that thing again?!”  Alvarez asked, in a somewhat surprised manner.  “It definitely sounds that way.  It seems the day after tomorrow, he as well as a couple other commanders are receiving new units to go back out on active duty.”  Haroldson stated in his usual calm manner.  The troopers all had questions for Ibara and Haroldson, but as per usual, Haroldson tried to answer what he could and Ibara said nothing.  “I know they all want to know, but we were given orders not to tell them why they are here.” Ibara thought to himself as he followed the conversation intently.  Though he was listening, Ibara made it a point to look as though he had no interest in what was being said, a skill he was a master at.  “I know that it will be either me or Haroldson taking the reins as the sergeant for the new 38th, but there are still so many things they didn’t bother telling us.”  Ibara thought as he watched the technicians do the final checks on the gear up on the stage.  

The troopers continued talking for the next ten minutes before an elderly man walked up on stage.  The man looked to be of advanced age, but didn’t walk with any aches, pains or ailments one would expect from an elder.  He had grey eyes that looked eerily unnatural.  His grey hair was long and fizzy; sticking out to either side but thinning on top.  He had typical age spots but no wrinkles, almost as if he had had a face lift but not as surgically precise.  Most notably were his bushy grey eyebrows, like caterpillars sitting on his face above his eyes. “Good morning troopers.  I am Dr. Kardinovsky.”  The man stated.  “As you have been briefed, ever so briefly, you are reporting here to the training lands for a top secret mission.” he chuckled.  “He doesn’t sound at all like the person in the message…  Surely I am not the only one that noticed this.” Sara thought to herself trying to hide her look of concern from everyone else.  “This man.  He doesn’t seem normal at all.” Ibara thought as he thoroughly inspected the doctor.  “That is because he isn’t like everyone else..”  the lady’s voice whispered to Sara.  “I don’t have time for this”  Sara thought, trying to ignore the voice.  “Today you will be testing our newest battlesuits.  In the very near future these suits will replace your current models for most troopers.  However, for the current test we will be forming an elite unit that will use these suits.  Good news for all of you.  You have been selected to undergo testing with these new battle suits.  You will get to see firsthand what great new technologies await you in the near future.  Those of you selected from today’s tests will form a new elite ghost taskforce with your first mission being to dispose of the flame dancer.  Now, this assumes that you score high enough to qualify for the team; which brings me to why you are here.  Those of you who pass, become the elite.  Those who fail; will be reassigned to standard units, specifically units that need reinforcing from the West Pan-Am base.” he continued on with the cruel implication that every person here was going to face the flame dancer again one way or another.

“What?! We have to perform at a certain level with unfamiliar equipment?  Only to be sent right back out to face that monster again?! Or fail the test only to be sent right back out to face that thing again with our old equipment!” Sara thought, trying to hide the fact that she didn’t want to go back out and face the flame dancer again regardless of what equipment she had.  “Yeah, it seems rushed to me too.  Not to mention that either way we are going to end up facing that monster again.”  Haroldson stated, looking directly at Sara.  Sara looked at him in frustration thinking, “how does he always know what I am thinking?”  “You are wondering how I know what you are thinking again aren’t you?  You wear it on your face.” Haroldson replied in a mildly annoyed tone.  Sara looked away from the sergeant at this point.  “Are there any questions before we start?” Dr. Kardinovsky asked, not really expecting anyone to actually ask anything.  “Yeah!” one of the troopers said while raising his hand.  “Go on.” Dr.Kardinovsky said in a mildly annoyed tone.  “Well it is two questions, actually.  The first isn’t this way too short of a testing time to send us back in the field for such a high value target?” the trooper asked.  “You will understand once you try these new suits out.  We have designed today’s tests to help you learn to use them as well as to show you how much they will improve your chances of defeating the flame dancer.” Dr. Kardinovsky replied in a rather serious tone.  “Fair enough, and the second part of this question is what happens to those of us that intentionally fail the test?” the trooper questioned somewhat sarcastically.  “Oh, there will be no intentionally failing the tests.  You will give it your all.  Otherwise, as per the contract you signed when you enlisted; you will be severely punished.  I have been given full authority to issue you as many demerits as necessary by Mr. Bairon himself.”  Dr. Kardinovsky replied with an almost scary seriousness in his voice.  The troopers began chattering amongst themselves in obvious unease.