Unfortunately, Travis, Justin, and Kiara were all seated in different sections of the plane. Without his two new friends, Travis decided to open his data pad and check just how much he missed while "comatose".
As it turned out, he missed a lot. The war had largely been a stalemate from what he remembered. But at some point in the past 4 years, the African Empire had made staggering progress. They had broken the seige lines in South America, and captured much territory.
The Kingdom of Oceania hadn't made as much progress, but they still captured Hawaii, Japan, and the Korean peninsula.
Luckily it wasn't all bad news, because the Kingdom had thus far failed to break the lines in Russia, and the Empire's advance had slowed greatly once they hit Venezuela.
By the time the plane landed, Travis understood why the Republic was moving so fast to get more soldiers like him. It was desperation. They need something to change the tide of the battle, and Travis was it.
As soon as the plane stopped, a ramp decended straight onto the tarmac, as the prospective soldiers exited the plane, drill sergeants decended on them like vultures.
With wicked smiles, they ran around, screaming their heads off. Somehow, they were so loud they seemed to drown out the plane's engines.
They were herded into a building right off the edge of the tarmac. At first, Travis thought it was a hangar, but upon entering he saw it was a supply depot. Shelves lined the room, with a large counter separating the space the prospective soldiers stood in from the racks.
Behind the counter, 10 women who had to be between 40 and 60 were dealing with people one at a time. They'd call someone forward, look at them for a couple seconds before grabbing uniforms and boots and handing them to the trainee in front of them.
Despite the fact that no measurements were taken, the women seemed to get the sizes right every time.
When it was his turn the woman in front of Travis scowled at him for a second, then her eyes lit up.
"Ah! So you're the special order! Give me just one moment."
She walked away from the counter and into the rows of shelves, occasionally checking a tag before shaking her head and continuing the search.
After a couple minutes, she found what she was looking for. She returned with uniforms and a pair of boots, much larger than the ones the others recieved. Travis moved back outside, where he found that Justin and Kiara had already received their gear.
Justin looked at the uniforms in Travis' arms, not making an attempt to hide his surprise.
"Dude, they have your size?"
"No. Apparently it was a special order."
Kiara looked at him with joking disdain.
"Wow, must be nice to have them custom order clothes for you. You must feel quite special."
"Oh yes." He said, playing into the bit. "They're even made out of silk instead of the normal cloth, very soft."
As they all started laughing, a voice rang out causing them to jump.
"SHUT UP MAGGOTS!" One of the drill sergeants had walked out of the supply depot. Then he pointed to a building about 5 miles away. "Everyone see that building on the hill? Those, are your barracks. You have 20 minutes to get there, get changed into your uniforms, and be outside so we can start to mold you into proper soldiers."
He paused, letting his words sink in. Then he smiled, but there was no warmth, and his eyes held a mischievous glint.
"Oh and by the way, your time started when I walked out, so you currently have 17 minutes and 54 seconds left. I would get to stepping if I were you."
○○○
They ran their hearts out. As the last trainee ran back out of the barracks, the drill sergeants shook their heads, disappointment on their faces.
" Trainees, that was disgraceful. It took you 37 minutes and 38 seconds."
Another drill sergeant spoke up, addressing the first.
"Drill sergeant Fields, I think these trainees are trying to waste our time."
"I think you're right. Trainees, since you want to waste my time, I'll waste yours. FRONT LEANING REST POSITION, MOVE!"
○○○
800 God damn push-ups. Travis was grateful for his increased strength. He was exhausted from the exercise, but when he looked at the others, it dawned on him how lucky he was.
The drill sergeants allowed them to drink water and gave them a 5 minute rest. When it was over, they immediately jumped into the first lessons.
"Trainees, the first thing you will learn is drill and ceremonies, or DNC. Pay attention, because failure to do so will result in 'corrective punishment' so we can ensure youve properly learned your lesson."
They learned attention, parade rest, at ease and rest. Then they learned how to form up properly, followed by facing movements. Afterwards it was proper marching technique.
Finally they headed to dinner chow, exhausted and overwhelmed. As they stopped in front of the dining facility, or DFAC, the drill sergeants stopped them in front of the door.
"Trainees, this is the DFAC, you will eat three meals a day here, but first, you have to earn it. OPEN RANKS, MARCH. HALF RIGHT, FACE. FRONT LEANING REST POSITION, MOVE"
After being properly dusted off (40 more push ups) they entered the DFAC and got their food. Thankfully Justin and Kiara were in his platoon, so they were able to sit together.
Travis looked at Justin. "Is this even edible? The bread looks like cardboard and the chicken looks so dry it might as well be a desert."
"Well we can't get food from anywhere else, so unless you plan on starving you'd better choke it down."
Kiara joined the conversation. "Travis don't tell me you're so prissy you can't handle some dry chicken."
"Listen, if I die because I choked on a piece of chicken my sister will resurrect me just so she can laugh in my face."
"It sounds like she's perfect for dealing with a brother like you then."
○○○
After dinner, they were allowed to turn in for the night. Travis fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.