There is no doubt in anyone that Dary is not an easy recruit to handle. He is sarcastic, easy to step over the line and is plainly said often a pain in the ass. But even despite these prominent character traits he has shown a different attitude towards the training than what I gathered from Amanda's previous reports. He stopped being repeatedly late to class and even spends additional time in the computer lab to work on his difficulties in that area.
There are still hints of disobedience present in his behaviour but his gaze is directed into the future now instead of backwards. As dramatic as his recent suicide attempt has been, it actually seems to be the first positive development he has shown since he was recruited. If he keeps this work attitude up then I can well see him graduate at some point instead of becoming a lost cause to Division and a waste of our time.
However despite this positive sounding review of his first month under my care there still needs to be a very close eye kept on the little changes in mood and attitude that Darcy has proven to have. My initial review of course sounds enthusiastic but compared to the first months in the bunker, he has improved. He has his eyes set on graduation now but there is still a lot of work to be done before I'm confident enough to even consider him for his graduation mission.
Future Ideas.
Darcy can't lie and his features are reflecting his thoughts, which will become a death sentence in the field. Especially if he is chosen for a career as an undercover assassin this will become a big problem. Therefore I will practise this skill with him primarily in the coming month since our agents need to be vertasile and able to bluff their way out of trouble.
Rachel When she had been younger, her father had always made sure that the dangerous weapons where safely locked away when he was home and had been even more strict about it when he was away. Felicity had been allowed to shoot a gun but she was a couple of years older than Rachel, so that wasn't surprising. Instead of shooting guns at targets, the younger girl had leaned towards creating her own weapons even though she had never seen the danger in creating seemingly harmless little explosives. The first time she had handled a gun was when she came to Division and only there she had been able to train properly until she had a nearly perfect aim. Of course there were one or two time when she still wouldn't hit in the square center of a target, but when it came down to it she wouldn't miss. On the outside though it was harder to keep her senses sharp without having to frequent a shooting range using her cover identity, which is why the agent preferred the arrangement in the bunker to either let off some steam or make sure that she was still able to shoot straight. A few days before she had asked Darcy to join her, figuring that he could use the practise and that it might reflect positively on his attitude as well. She was leaning against the wall, waiting for the recruit with her eyes closed, enjoying the almost complete silence.
Darcy had been told specifically by Chiron to practice on his other subjects before he went back to weaponry. And though his handler had a point that his other subjects were definitely more deserving of his time, Darcy missed weaponry. When Mandarin made him feel lost in translation and IT made him feel like an idiot, he found himself missing the feeling of a gun in his hand. That very fact scared him a little, realizing that before Division, the very thought of him not only holding but liking to shoot a gun would've made him sick to his stomach. But circumstances called for adaptation and he'd found his niche inside Division, the one thing that made him feel confident that he could give something to the secret government agency. In doing so, he felt he could worry less about his chances of cancelation. But Chiron had put an end to that a couple weeks back and it had been awhile since he'd taken up a gun. When Rachel had come to him a couple days before and asked him to practice with her, it was all the excuse he needed to get right back into the swing of things. As soon as he finished his Russian exam (which, miraculously, he felt he had done superbly on), he dropped his notes off in his room and jogged to weaponry. Ordinarily, the jog might have winded him in the past, but that too, under Chiron's guidance, had changed. After running and swimming laps everyday, Darcy had much more endurance than he'd ever suspected he had and as he rounded the corner into the weaponry room, he realized that he hadn't even broken a sweat. Smiling widely to see that Rachel was already there, he nodded in greeting. "Punctual. Fucking fantastic," he chuckled. "I haven't done this in weeks. You ready?"
Rachel laughed when she heard Darcy loudly announce his presence in the room, distrupting the silence she had previously enjoyed with his presence. She didn't mind at all. "An elephant would've me quieter coming in here, Darcy.", she teased him before abandoning her spot at the wall to walk towards the locked weapons storage that held the firearms that the recruits would use to train. As an agent she had gotten a key from Ops earlier and didn't require supervision. "Then we're even", she grinned, before unlocking the door and sliding it open. "I think the last time was during the chaos a while back." She had proved to herself back then that she could hit a target but that had been different. The blonde didn't want to get her mood spoiled by the memory. "Which gun do you want? Today you can choose." She turned back around to the recruit, feeling more relaxed in the company of someone else than when she was on her own. Rachel had always been better with people around her.
Darcy shrugged with a smirk, unphased by her chastisement. He hadn't necessarily been going for stealth when he'd arrived and somehow, he felt like Rachel didn't really mind it at all. Especially not when she encouraged him with her laughter. In fact, he was rather smug. Division was not the place to inspire smiles or laughter in others and if Darcy was able to do so with one of his fellow recruits or agents, he was all too pleased with himself. "Luckily, I'm not currently being tested on my stealth then, yeah?" he chuckled, moving to stand by her. He felt restless, his skin itchy as the agent went over to unlock the door, eager to see the guns he'd not been allowed to touch for weeks. Briefly, he wondered if there were other implications behind Chiron's decision for him not to train in weaponry. How much was it because Darcy had said he was already good at shooting? And how much was it because Chiron might be afraid that he might attempt suicide again? Darcy pushed these thoughts from his mind as he was more than relieved that he was able to train now. Nibbling his lower lip, he looked at all of the guns in their stored space, trying to decide which one called to him today. "Hmm," he mused. "Think I'll take the Glock 19 for now. Start off more simply before moving to the M-16, yeah?" He asked Rachel, almost asking for permission.
Rachel nodded enthusiastically at that. "Very lucky." , she stressed. While waiting for Darcy's answer, she already picked out her preferred gun as well as spare ammunition. She made automatically sure to point the muzzle towards the ground, away from the two of them. It had been something that at first took her quite a bit of focus but now she handled every gun as if it was loaded without having to spend much thought on it. "Does it feel as weird to you as it does to me that I'm the one in charge right now?", she confessed nervously. Darcy was older than her but she had somehow managed to become his superior by graduating before he did. The guy finally made his decision and Rachel was quick to select one gun of the requested model for him. She handed it to Darcy along with two spare magazines before making sure that she locked the weapon's locker correctly again. She didn't want to be the one to blame should the recruits managed to start another uprising and arm themselves again. Better to stay cautious. "You don't need to ask me for permission. I'm not your handler.", she told him with the smile still on her lips. It was important to her to make that distinction. "Who is your handler now anyway? I heard you got moved." Slowly the young woman walked over to the shooting range and then started to check her gun carefully.
Darcy waited patiently as Rachel found her own weapon of choice, treating it with the caution that Division taught. The simple action though brought back to mind the whole ridiculousness of this situation. Even after months in Division, Darcy still couldn't believe that he was living in an underground bunker, training beneath a secret government agency to kill people. The other people that filled the bunker beside him were troubled youths just liked himself and any one of them had the same potential to pick up a pistol and gun down a slew of other recruits and agents. It was weird to him that only now was he starting to question Division's motivations. What did they do exactly? Why did it exist? Why was it kept a secret? Out of all people to recruit, why troubled victims of heinous pasts? Shaking himself out of it, his thoughts left him as he was handed his preferred gun and he smiled, taking the same caution to load it as Rachel had hers. His eyebrow raised high, he smirked teasingly. "Weird?" he repeated. "More like disturbing." Still, his statement was a joke as he had no doubt in his mind that Rachel was about a hundred times more capable than he was in anything that Division sought out to teach. As he loaded the bullets into place, the soft 'click' it made gave him a peace that few things in Division had the ability to do. "Ehm, Chiron," he answered with a small shrug. "He's fucking wound tight. But he's dealt with me so far without canceling me, so that's got to be something, right?" He didn't believe in his answer himself, but for the moment, he was going to have to train as though he thought he would make it to graduation. Otherwise, he knew he never would. Moving over to Rachel, he took the target besides hers, checking the safety on his gun, anticipation rising inside him. "How about you? How often do you keep in touch with your handler now that you're out of the bunker?" he asked curiously.
Rachel followed Darcy in his actions by finally loading her gun as well. It was done within a few quick movements and she was satisfied with the ease of it. Her training really had paid off enough to not let her forget how to handle a gun. She tried to put a face to the name but only a fleeting image appeared in front of her inner eye. "I think I saw him in ops once but I'm not sure.", she shrugged. It wasn't vital for her to know the man anyway, so she wouldn't over-exert her brain with trying to figure out who he was. It was good that he seemed to support Darcy enough to give him a real chance at graduating this place. The blonde, who had left the bunker after less than three months, found that the young Irishman deserved that. "Let's hope it stays that way." She smiled again, unchecking the safety of her gun and aiming it at the paper target. "I don't.", she just replied curtly to his innocent inquiry. Even though it seemed to be moving uphill a little, her relationship with Amanda had not recovered from the events during her graduation mission. The agent wasn't even sure that she wanted that to change anymore. "I mean there isn't much reason for it outside of the regular reports." She tried to defuse the tension that she had caused by her reply. Her finger found the trigger and she squeezed it slightly. The gun went off.
Darcy thought it was just as well that Rachel not knew who Chiron was. After all, though Darcy was beginning to find the handler's company to be entertaining, if nothing else, he couldn't imagine that he'd be interesting to very many people. Besides, who wanted to interact with handlers if they didn't have to anyway? "Indeed," he agreed. "I'm hoping to leave this fucking nest soon. I'm getting tired of the monotony." As Rachel answered his question, he wasn't oblivious to her curt reply. He wondered what history she and Amanda might have had, especially since his past with Amanda was something that if he couldn't look back fondly on, at least he didn't hate. Still, he didn't feel like pressing the agent, especially not with a gun in her hand. Instead, he just nodded, watching her as she took her aim and fired. A wide smile grew on his face as she saw the bullet hit her target and he waited no more than a moment later before he raised his own gun, took aim, and fired.
Time Frame: 1400J - Individual Combat Training, the day after X
Word Count: 2,368
Chiron was distracted today with the prospect of having a new recruit that he had to look out for. Well new probably wasn't the right term to describe Darcy who had been inside the bunker since quite a while already. Yet to him he was just like any other recruit who had just been thrown into the often scary world of Division. Or at least he liked to think that this was all the young man was to him. The truth went a lot deeper of course and maybe he would talk about it to someone in the future but right now he was determined to not let his hesitation get in the way of being a professional. The army taught you to put your personal feelings aside, do your job and follow orders. It was what made it possible for Chiron to stay as detached as possible and as effective as possible as well. He checked his watch to see that it said 1358J, which meant that any minute now the recruits should start tickling slowly into the training room. He had already handed out the assignments for all his recruits for this lesson yesterday because he solely wanted to focus on Darcy's development today. The recruit had said that he had a good understanding of the different combinations he had been taught but Chiron wanted to put that to a test. He already knew that the dark-haired young man wouldn't like that but it had to be done.
Darcy was more nervous than he would have liked to be. After all, he had told himself after his meeting with Chiron the night before that he would be prepared for whatever his new handler would throw at him. For one, he knew he had to impress Chiron, make him see that he was a recruit worth training to begin with. He knew he already had a rough start with his new handler, having been more than just a little bit rude and rebellious when they'd first met. Not to mention, his recent suicide attempt and his need to be given to a new handler to begin with just proved that he had a lot of ground to make up. But most importantly, Darcy knew that he didn't have a lot of options. He either showed Chiron what he was made of or be recommended for cancelation. Darcy refused to let the latter even be an option. He'd survived Joseph, survived homelessness, survived depression and a suicide attempt. He'd survive Division too. So, instead of taking advantage of the extra five minutes in between classes to get himself back together and get some water and steal a snack like he normally did, he went straight to the training room. He was sure the other recruits wouldn't be there yet, but if Chiron was there, maybe he could make a good impression. Besides, he didn't want to lose track of time and be late. However, even though he'd been expecting Chiron to be there, he was still surprised to see him waiting. Offering a self-conscious little smile, he walked to the center of the room. "Afternoon," he greeted quietly. "So, today should be interesting, yeah?" he asked as both a way to start a little conversation while also showing that he was ready to begin at Chiron's command.
Chiron nodded a greeting when the Irish recruit showed up early for class. It was a pleasant surprise since he knew from previous reports that Darcy was someone prone to be late for class if he even bothered to show up at all. Maybe being so close to death had changed his view on how he handled himself inside Division but the handler wasn't going to let himself be too impressed by this display of eagerness. It was just like the very first days at school after the big summer break. You were motivated and had vowed to do a lot better than the last year but within a week or two you found yourself following your old lazy ways again only to repeat the same thing in the following year as well. "It definitely will be.", he agreed with his charge before motioning for Darcy to follow him a bit more into the back of the room. "Since you're here already we shouldn't waste time. You told me that you know basic combat training but I want to see that for myself." He hated to get physically involved with recruits when not absolutely necessary but Chiron didn't want to let another recruit get the chance to beat Darcy up in case he had exaggerated his skills.
Darcy sighed as soon as Chiron turned his back to lead him farther into the back of the room. He was glad to get right to business, to have less time to discuss and more of an opportunity to dive right in. That was just how Darcy liked to operate. Besides, he liked the idea of being able to train with Chiron, even if only for just a few minutes, without the prying eyes of other recruits. He knew the other recruits found his combat skills to be laughable and he wanted the chance to grow and to learn without the pressure of being mocked in the process. Still, as soon as Chiron began to talk again, Darcy had to steady himself with a large, silent breath to keep himself from blanching. He had told Chiron that? That he knew basic combat training? The truth was that he did, he knew the basics very well. But he hoped it wouldn't seem like he was lying when Chiron still managed to kick his ass. It was inevitable. Everyone kicked his ass during combat, including the new recruits. Still, Darcy nodded, owning up to what he said and knowing his words to be true even if he wasn't so good at implenting what he knew. "I do. I know the basics. I just - . Need to learn how to be faster. Everyone else can fight like they've been born to do it. They fight like it's routine...," he trailed off. "Like a fucking choreographed dance they've learned. I want to get to that level too. But it's been hard when everyone beats me to it before I can even begin to learn." He spoke bluntly, openly, hoping to get more out of the training exercise if Chiron knew the truth.
Chiron listened to what Darcy had to say, seeing that he wasn't at all comfortable with the thought of having to fight someone. His words confirmed to the handler that he had made the right decision to face the recruit himself and not let someone else get the opportunity to get a kick out of fighting him because they thought that beating someone up would impress him. It rarely did since Chiron liked to see some sense of right and wrong, some sense of honour, in his recruits as well as an instinct for killing. It was a hard balancing act but it was something that was important to him. "Soon enough it will become routine to you as well." He knew that no one was born a fighter, some were just more naturally gifted in that area than others. He hadn't achieved his fighting skill without training. The numbers of hours that he had spent training were to many to count but it had definitely paid off and even saved his life. "If you want to be faster then I recommend you run ten laps around the gym every morning in addition to your usual work out routine. That will help you get your breathing in order." And it would also increase his stamina which was one of the main points that someone needed to train if they wanted to succeed in a fight. The one with more endurance would eventually win, even though most fights didn't last that long. "I want to see what you can do." He positioned himself surely on the ground and faced Darcy, raising his arms to indicate that the recruit was supposed to take position as well. "I want you to attack me. Try to hit my chest." It would give him a feel for the strength and technique of his recruit and it would keep his mind occupied enough to stop it from noticing the bandaged wrists.
Darcy wanted to believe in Chiron's words more than anything. He hadn't hoped for anything as hard as he did now in years and he knew that he'd do just about anything to live up to the standards that Chiron was setting up for him. He knew that it wouldn't come easily, knew that it took a long time and a lot of practice to be able to go from bottom of the class to an experienced fighter. But even if he had to drag fellow recruits into the training room during off-blocks to practice, he would do so. Even if he had to ask his excessively intimidating handler himself for extra help, he would do that as well. The idea of running ten laps before training every morning made him swallow heavily again, not understanding how being exhausted before training even began would help him. But that's what they did in the army, wasn't it? Run laps before training? And it seemed like it worked out well for them, so Darcy was going to have to put even more trust in Chiron than before. As Chiron positioned himself in a fighting stance, Darcy hesitated a little. This was his first chance to show Chiron what he knew. However, no matter how nervous he was, he was actually glad that he would get to show Chiron his skills by fighting him instead of having him watch him train with another recruit. So, without hesitating any longer, he shifted into position as well, adrenaline thrumming through his veins as he did so. He knew he had to be extra careful with his wrists until they were healed completely, but he also wasn't going to hold back either. Without wanting Chiron to anticipate a direct hit to his chest, Darcy instead began with a sweeping kick to the back of his handler's knees as he shifted forward quickly. As he bridged the gap between them with his kick, he threw his elbow up to try to catch Chiron's chin while using his other arm to punch foward toward his target of the handler's chest.
Chiron had his eyes trained on every little muscle twitch in his opposite's body. He noticed the hesitation at first but it was just as quickly replaced by something resembling determination. Then Darcy moved and tried to sweep him off his feet by aiming at his knees. The handler immediately made sure that his right leg was out of reach of the kick by moving a few steps back. "I didn't pick you for someone who likes to play dirty." He blocked both attempts of the recruit easily with his arms, finding himself appreciating the fact that Darcy hadn't just stubbornly tried to aim at his chest from the start. He however didn't like it when his recruits decided that just because they had seen him drag his leg it made for an easy target. The truth was of course that Chiron had to fight the instinct to show too open that he was vulnerable after all and just now he had been caught a little off guard simply because the young man had seemed too intimidated by his presence to try something that low. "My grandmother punches harder, recruit", he urged his opponent on with a teasing smile. Would Darcy get angry at the insult? Sometimes it was only those few insults that would tip a recruit over the egde. When they got angry Chiron would have a laugh out of humiliating them. If you couldn't contain your temperament then you didn't belong in a place where control was everything.
Darcy had been too narrow minded in his determination that he hadn't considered the possibility of his failure. He had been absolutely certain that by trying to throw Chiron off by going in for his knees first instead of just going straight for his chest like he was told that he'd been sure that he would land his mark. Instead, as Chiron moved back a few steps, Darcy's kick met with empty air and as a result, he stumbled forward a bit, and he lost the momentum of his other two hits as well. Darcy soon saw that the power behind his other two attacks wouldn't have mattered anyway as Chiron easily blocked them as though he had been anticipating them from the beginning. The very idea made a wave of disappointment in himself swell inside him, knowing he was probably being too tough on himself but feeling letdown nonetheless. He knew it was ridiculous of him to think that he could jump right back in the saddle and beat his handler, of all people, in combat, but he had been too eager and focused to consider anything else. However, the disappointment was replaced with an inkling of hope and a smidge of pride at Chiron's words - he hadn't pegged him as someone who could play dirty. At least that was something. It meant that he had surprised him in some way, meant that he was capable of changing Chiron's opinion of him and showing him that there was more to him than met the eye. Darcy was willing to do anything at this point to prove that to Chiron and that included being resourceful, being clever, thinking ahead - "playing dirty" as his handler had put it. At Chiron's teasing remark and smirk, Darcy couldn't suppress the surprised chuckle that burst from his lips. Though he was hesitant to return the smirk, not wanting Chiron to think that he thought of this as a game, he couldn't contain it. "And I've heard better insults from a five-year-old girl," he countered with a shy smirk. With that, he became determined once more, letting the joke pass before he swung in again, ready to keep on training.
The cold was barely noticeable to Skylar compared to the feeling that had taken hold of the recruit. She would never be able to explain to anyone what she was feeling, the fact that she was so clearly able to identify her emotion scared her much more than her injured shoulder or that her chances of getting hypothermia had risen a lot. The brunette couldn’t bring herself to get away from the door that had closed sometime ago – or had it been only second since she had been ripped away from Jane? She hadn’t know, how could she have? But not it was staring her clearly in the face, the fact that she had lost someone. No one was ever so important to her that she would miss him but this one person had managed to bury herself so deeply inside Skylar, that she was devastated.
In the head she had replayed the moment over and over again but the outcome was always the same. Jane had been taken by the flood, taken from her. The sob that escaped her was out of her control, the tears that dropped down her cheek didn’t belong to her. Skylar never cried, this wasn’t her. With the shaking hand of her uninjured arm, she wiped away the wetness from her face. She was shaking not only from the coldness but it was causing her shoulder to move and the pain finally helped her snap out of her current state of mind as she tried to access the damage that had been done.
