Emily Hitchens was excited about joining the Army. Unlike many of her friends, she couldn't afford college and didn't feel that she was quite ready for it, anyway. She had been accepted into some special unit, and was waiting to be picked up to go to the base for MEPS and basic training. A black car arrived.
"Emily Hitchens? Sergeant Hawkins," the woman introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you," Emily replied.
"We'll be taking a plane to the base for your intake. There's another recruit waiting at the airport," the sergeant explained during the ride.
"What is this unit? They didn't tell me anything about it, other than that I'd be accepted," Emily explained.
"I'll wait for the plane and tell you both at once," the sergeant declared.
They arrived at the airport and boarded a small, commuter looking plane. Definitely not the large cargo planes used to move troops and supplies that Emily had seen on the news.
"Emily Hitchens, meet Ally Smith," the sergeant introduced her.
"Nice to meet you."
"Same here."
During the plane ride, the sergeant briefed them on their new lives.
"You'll be joining an all female auxiliary unit. There will be 12 of you, but a maximum of 8 will be sent on missions at any given time," Hawkins explained.
"What are we axillaries of?" Emily asked.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, recruit," Hawkins said discouragingly.
"Before I get to that, I have to let you both know that you'll be expected to do ANYTHING necessary without question for the United States of America. This is not a civilian job. You will see things and be asked to do things you'd never experience in civilian life. This is your last chance to drop out, because after I explain who you'll be working with, there will be not turning back. If you can't handle doing ANYTHING necessary for this unit, the Army, and your country, then just tell me now and I can get you transferred to a regular Army unit," the sergeant warned.
"Why is this an all female unit?" Ally asked.
"As I said, you'll need to be willing to do anything, no questions asked," the sergeant responded.
"I'm in," Emily replied.
"Me too," said Ally.
There was a silence.
"Your unit is an auxiliary of Task Force 99. It's an elite 32 man commando unit with recruits from the Army Rangers, Special Forces, Navy SEALs, and even the CIA and Delta Forces. It was created to track down high value targets in the War on Terrorism," the sergeant explained.
"Permission to ask a question," asked Emily.
"Yes ma'am," replied Hawkins.
"How dangerous will our missions be? Trust me, I'm brave, but those units do some serious shit," Emily ranted.
"There is no danger in this unit. You will be assisting Task Force 99 in training missions only, and are unlikely to ever even leave the United States," the sergeant explained.