As I turned around to see who was behind me, I froze.
It was a young, stunning woman, maybe twenty-five years old, with bright pink hair tied in a ponytail.
She was wearing a jogging suit, her skin glistening with sweat, and her clothes were completely soaked — she had clearly just finished her morning run.
She looked at the two soldiers and asked sharply,
> "What's so funny? Why were you two laughing and yelling like maniacs?"
One of the soldiers, suddenly nervous, replied,
> "M-Miss Jenny, this kid says he's here to meet Captain John… said the Captain asked him to come."
Jenny raised an eyebrow.
> "And did Captain John tell you two that someone was coming to see him?"
One of the soldiers stammered,
> "No, Miss Jenny. If we'd been told, we would've let him in. Besides, he's just a teenage boy — could be lying, maybe trying to sneak in and steal something."
Jenny sighed and crossed her arms.
> "Steal something? Really? What could a kid like him possibly steal from a place crawling with armed soldiers?"
Then she turned to me, her tone shifting from annoyed to curious.
> "Alright, kid. If you're really here to meet John, and you're telling the truth that he asked you to come, then tell me his call sign. If you can't, you'll be thrown into a cell and beaten until you confess who you really are."
She smiled when she said it, but her eyes were dead serious.
I swallowed hard. "What's a… call sign?"
Jenny stared at me like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
> "Are you kidding me?" she said, clearly annoyed.
I raised my hands nervously. "I don't know what his call sign is, but… I do know his nickname."
Jenny's expression softened a bit.
> "Alright then, let's hear it."
"It's… Death Eye," I said quietly.
She blinked — then smirked.
> "You told me you didn't know his call sign, and then you say Death Eye? That is his call sign. Guess you're telling the truth after all. Come on, I'll take you to him."
Before following her, I asked, "Were you serious about that whole 'cell' thing?"
Jenny chuckled.
> "Relax, kid. I was just messing with you. But for the record — if you did try to steal something, you wouldn't make it out of here alive."
---
She led me through the gate and told me to hop into a Humvee parked nearby.
A Humvee — a heavy, armored military vehicle — used for operations and to keep soldiers safe in combat zones.
I climbed in beside her, and the driver took us deep into the base.
All around me were buildings, soldiers training, and the constant hum of aircraft overhead.
The Humvee stopped in front of a large building — a massive gym-like structure where dozens of soldiers were training hard.
Jenny turned to me and said,
> "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute."
As she walked away, a bald, muscular guy came up to me, smirking.
> "Whose weak kid are you? What the hell are you doing here?"
He looked like he wanted to push me around — but then Jenny came back.
She stepped between us and glared at him.
> "Back off. He's with me. If you've got a problem, take it up with me."
The guy instantly shut up and walked away.
---
Jenny told me to wait near her since John was still in a meeting with his team.
About thirty minutes later, a blonde woman in her forties entered the hall and noticed me.
> "What the hell is this kid doing here?" she said loudly.
The bald man quickly replied,
> "He's with Jenny, ma'am."
The blonde woman looked at me with a mix of confusion and disappointment — but before she could say anything else, a familiar voice came from behind.
> "Oh, I'm glad you came."
I turned — it was John.
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
The blonde woman frowned.
> "Captain, you know this boy?"
John nodded.
> "Yes. I asked him to come meet me."
That was all it took. No one questioned him after that.
---
"Hey, Alex," John said with a small smile. "Come with me to my office."
Inside, he told me to sit down.
> "Did you have any trouble getting in?"
"Not really," I said. "Thanks to Jenny."
Then I looked at him seriously.
> "But… what did you mean in your note? You said if I wanted to change my life, I should come see you."
John leaned back in his chair, a faint smile on his face.
> "I see you got right to the point. What I meant, Alex, is that what you did that night — saving me — took guts. At your age, it's rare to find someone with that kind of courage. So here's my offer: I want you to join my team and train under me and my squad."
He continued,
> "You can keep studying while you train with us. Once you graduate, you'll already have a solid career ahead of you — a soldier with purpose and skill. You can even live here on base with us. It's a lot better than… well, that place you call home."
He paused, realizing how that might've sounded.
> "No offense, kid."
I smiled faintly. "None taken. But… I still have two years left before I graduate."
John nodded.
> "That's fine. Take your time to think about it. And don't worry about your age or school — I'll handle all that. Just remember, Alex… once you step into this life, there's no going back."
He looked me straight in the eyes as he said it.
I didn't know it then, but that moment — that single choice — was the one that would change my life forever.