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↱"Freedom is never given; it is won."↲
-A Phillip Randolph
✺
same day/hour later
"CADET DEVLIN?"
Katerina turned with a start. She had been mindlessly sharpening her blades and instinctively held them up in defense. The tall older soldier that had called for her recoiled slightly, chuckling as he held his hands up in defense.
"Walls, Cadet! Stand down!" he said nervously, although there was a hint of an amused smile playing on his lips.
Katerina sighed and waved her hand apologetically, her adrenaline was still racing and every little noise had been making her jump.
"Don't sneak up on a soldier when they've got their blades out. What are you? New?" she asked sarcastically, sheathing her blades, both hands then moving to sort her tangled hair.
"No," the soldier laughed. "Not new. I'm Team Leader Ian Dietrich. I'll be leading the Elite Squad, I'm sure you've been briefed?" he asked, his shaggy brown hair ruffling in the wind.
"Yeah," she mumbled, tightening the fabric that held back her hair. "There's more of you?"
Ian nodded his head and gestured to a group of soldiers that stood in the distance talking to Armin.
"Team Leader Mitabi Jarnach," he said while pointing to a tall man with an underdeveloped beard. "And Team Leader Rico Brzenska." Off to the right of Mitabi, stood a woman with short grey hair and round glasses.
"They and their squads will be joining us as well," he concluded, extending his hand to her.
Katerina regarded the hand in front of her and scoffed, moving past him toward the edge of the wall where the other soldiers were preparing for battle.
"I guess he wasn't kidding then," Ian muttered, following Katerina to the others who were putting the last touches on their equipment.
Katerina furrowed her eyebrows and turned to him. "What did you say?"
Ian stopped in his tracks and smirked. "None of your concern Cadet," he said as he walked away from her.
She wrinkled her nose as Ian walked away. It wouldn't have surprised her if that criminally insane Commander of his warned Ian against her.
