When John found out what had happened, he handed his weapons to his team and immediately went to check on me in the cell block.
When he arrived, the two soldiers guarding my cell were shocked to see him.
John calmly said, "Open the door."
One of the soldiers hesitated.
"Sir, we can't. The General ordered us not to let anyone in, no matter what."
John stared at him.
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to? If you're worried about the General, I'll take care of it."
The two guards exchanged a quick glance — then stepped aside and unlocked the door.
When John walked in, he found me lying on the bunk, my face still swollen from the fight. He shook me gently until I woke up.
"It's alright now," he said quietly. "You're safe. Come with me."
The guards didn't say a word as we passed them. John led me to a private room — there was a bed, a table, and everything needed for a personal stay.
"Wait here a minute," he said before stepping out.
A few minutes later, he returned with food in hand. "Eat," he said simply.
After I finished, John sat across from me and asked what had happened in the gym. I told him everything. He listened without interrupting, and when I was done, he stood up.
"Get some rest," he said. "We'll talk in the morning."
---
That night, John changed into casual clothes and joined his team in the mess hall for dinner. The moment he sat down, the General stormed in — red with anger.
He marched straight up behind John, shouting,
"What the hell were you thinking letting that kid out? Do you have any idea what kind of monster he is? He almost killed one of my men!"
John chuckled softly.
"Almost killed one of your men?" he repeated, standing up to face him. "First off, that kid was here on my request. Second, your man was trying to boss him around — the kid just put him in his place."
He leaned in slightly, his tone calm but sharp.
"And you're telling me one of your 'best soldiers' got taken down by a kid?"
John sat back down. The room went silent. The General stood frozen, humiliated in front of everyone, then turned and left without another word.
John picked up his fork again. One of his team members looked at him.
"Who is that kid, sir?"
Before John could reply, Jenny spoke up.
"Wait… is that the same kid from last Saturday?"
John nodded. "You'll find out everything tomorrow."
After dinner, he went to the CCTV room and asked the operator to pull up the footage of the gym incident. As he watched, he saw the same cold look in my eyes that he had seen the night of the alley shooting.
He smiled slightly. "So, it wasn't a coincidence after all."
He requested a copy of the footage, and the operator quickly handed it over — everyone knew better than to question Captain John.
As John walked back to his quarters, he ran into the doctor who had treated both me and the bald soldier.
"Who is that kid?" she asked curiously.
John smiled faintly. "You and everyone else are going to find out soon."
---
The next morning — Sunday, 8:00 a.m. — John came to my room.
"Get up," he said. "You're coming with me."
He led me to the mess hall, where his team was already gathered. The team consisted of three men and four women besides Jenny. Everyone fell silent when we entered.
John gestured for me to sit beside him.
"So," he began, "have you thought about my offer?"
Before he could finish, I answered,
"Yes."
He looked at me, his expression serious.
"Are you sure? There's no going back from this."
I met his eyes. "I'm sure. One hundred percent."
A slow smile crossed John's face.
"Welcome to Task Force 101, Private Alex."
The entire mess hall froze. Every soldier — even John's own team — stared in disbelief.