Now I want to test all of you. Neil - you will be instructing the whole team for atleast 12 hours straight. Every hour, one member is allowed to break off if nobody takes a break of more than 100 seconds in that hour. If someone crosses 100, the breakout hour starts again. No rest shall last more than 150 seconds. James, however, will be the last one to break off. Let's see how much you guys are willing to take pain on his behalf. Report in the field thirty minutes from now." General said without a heart.

It was an impossible task indeed. Working out for twelve hours straight. And I wasn't the only one in shreds - everyone was.

"What's wrong with you guys?" I asked them when I heard a few groans.

"We're being ridden since last night." Major Richard Marks spoke rubbing his neck.

Damnit. They are not ready for this heroic task too.

"I'm going to call it off." I said as I got up.

"How? By walking up to him and saying that you are too weak to face one shot he threw at you? Or that you feel pity for these men who, in real, are stronger than he thinks?" Neil snapped at me.

"I... I..." "Won't last that long?" He completed my stamenent and I looked down sealing my lips.

"We all know you won't. Even he knows you won't. He just wants to see you trying your best." Neil continued when I said nothing.

"But I can't let others suffer because of me! If it was just me, I would have given it my all."

"High time you learn the definition of team, James!" He said standing up annoyed.

"Sir.." Blundell quickly walked to us.

"You both are right. But there's no other solution now. We have to go by what the Commander has said. Whatever we do now, will reflect upon all of us together." He then turned to me. "Sir, if that helps, then hear this - we're here for our own benefit. We wanted to be a team, and we've got a chance. You just helped us in getting that chance. We'll try our best to plough on. You just have to give your best to win."

He tried to convince me with raised eyebrows. Though it did nothing to passify me, rather made me feel more guilty. But I nodded a yes for the sake of all hopeful eyes set on me.

"All set? Time to report." Neil called loudly.

With a loud 'Yes sir' we walked out to the ground to meet General Warren waiting there.

"You and your boys ready, Captain Neil?" He asked.

"Yes sir." "Think again. Because if anyone is planning to take a break more than the permitted time, he'll be responsible for you restarting your CT from day 1." Warren said and all of us were shunned.

Neil was about to complete his CT in a few days. He had worked hard on me, Kelly and everyone else despite having a schedule of his own. His seniors were making it so difficult for him already. If he is made to start it all over again, it's all going to the dumps. Damn you Warren!

"Get started." Commander said before Neil could respond. I don't think he was in favour of accepting that challenge either.

One can not imagine the state I was in. I rest on my ass for more than a hundred and fifty seconds, and Neil will have to pay for it by going through the humiliation all over again. Fuck my life!

We started with Neil at the stands and rest five of us on the field. Me, Kelly, Waldo, Blundell and Marks. I'm glad a few members skipped because they were out for the night.

Kelly looked wasted and I hoped I last one hour and get him out. The boy needed a break from all the shit going on around him.

Thanks to Neil's choice of easy sets, we all pushed through and got Kelly out. He walked and stumbled on one of the seats. Poor boy must have been through a lot.

As soon as he was out, I started feeling the weight of my body. My eyelids felt the heaviest. I'm sure it was hardly thirty minutes after Kelly walked away when I had to stop to catch my breath. Rest four were still pushing on the ground.

My mental count was set at ninety because I didn't want to take any risk. I got back to pushing when the braincells rang up the alarm. Soon Blundell was down. Somehow he managed to get back in time too and we knew who should go out next.

Lasting another sixty minutes as per the terms, Blundell was allowed to exit.

Waldo and Marks were grunting loudly with me while we approached the end of third hour.

I have no idea how we stuck by till Waldo was out. In the next hour, Marks left too.

I had taken a break of less than hundred seconds in each hour. Doing high knees alone in that state was not helping me at all. I just wanted to stop and fall on my back and breathe.

The thought of Neil's CT struck my mind before I could do that.

Six hours were up and I had eyes on me. Commander didn't leave for a moment and I knew he was waiting for me to give up. I had six more hours to go. Previous six felt like a snap of fingers but the next six felt like centuries.

I couldn't get up from this 7th set of crunches. I just couldn't.

"91, James! Get up before I come in and pull you up! Get the hell up!" Neil warned me loudly. The anger worked and I struggled to get up but did it somehow.

I knew I won't last. All I could remember was the situp I was doing before everything went blur. Not sure if anyone heard my apology but I tried my best to blurt out a 'sorry' before I passed out.

************************************

It was the D day. A big folder was kept in front of General Warren. I strained my eyes a little more and realised that it was my dossier. Also, along with it was my daily task diary.

Fucking hell! My whole life was written on those papers. My strengths and weaknesses were kept on his table and it was upto him what he wanted to use against me.

Not just him, but another General sitting on his right and three Brigadiers sitting on his left looked at me with pity. I didn't bother to count the number of Colonels and other ranks who came from HQ just to witness this.

All in all, there were almost hundred men waiting to know whether I'll continue my training or will be kicked out.

I had passed out before even seven hours were finished. I woke up to find Marks disconnecting the fluid line from my forearm.

'You tried your best' were his words with pressed lips. I couldn't look into his eyes after that.

"Lieutenant James." Warren started off declaring the result, knocking me out.

He closed my dossier with a loud bang and slipped it aside with so much force that it reached the end of his table. A little more force and it would have fallen down.

"You thought you are capable to stand amongst the best men of the forces who grilled their youth across borders and came here to get their experience tested and got rigorously trained to call themselves Class-I agents? I'm sure your commander back at KMA thought so too."

Fuck. He was pissed. I knew what's coming. And I'm sorry for that, Beta. I didn't give it my best and I let you down.

"I've been ready for this day since Colonel Reese got this trial sanctioned from HQ. I knew the result all along. And so did these eight officers who came all the way from HQ to hear what they already knew." I looked down in shame.

Thank god Beta is not sitting here. He would be ashamed to hear all this.

"Not only did you waste my and my CTO's time, you also wasted time of these gentlemen."

The way Commander was insulting me and Beta - it hurt more than my defeat.

"Though I won't flinch even once to say the result we all know, I'm really impressed that you survived for fifty days at this place. I had ordered every single CTO, Instructor and staff of mine to make your life miserable. And all my men followed my order. Still you didn't give up and go over the fence even once. I have to give it you." He said changing his tone.

It should have made me feel better but I felt more miserable. What's the point in praising me when it did nothing to achieve the goal I had set?

"Trial officer Lieutenant James Dwight - your trial of fifty days gets over. Your tests are over. And so are your dreams. Anything you want to say before I officially announce the obvious?" He asked me grittily.

I took a deep breath hoping it sucks in the tears of defeat that were at the brink of my eyes.

"It has been an honour to stay here and train under the best instructors, to get to eat with the best men, to get tested by the best officers and to get judged by the best leaders of the forces. I thank and apologise to all the men who kept encouraging me throughout. I don't regret coming here even once and will do it again if and when I get another chance to prove myself." I said with my head held high meaning each word.

"I hope you will appear for this test again, hopefully five years from now. That's the minimum I'll allow having seen you performing here." He said firmly.

"I'll apply every year till you permit me, sir." I replied respectfully but firmly. There's no way I'm giving up on this now.

"You'll face worse if you come back earlier. I'm warning you." He said raising his tone.

"I'm ready, sir. But I will get there one day. I promised my commander and I'm not going back, even if I have to face all of this again." I said looking into Neil's eyes who looked back at me pitifully but proudly.

"I'll ensure that, don't you worry. I hope your bags are packed." I had no answer to that. Also he didn't ask me a question so I kept my mouth shut.

"In case you haven't, pack your bags and get out with your sleeping bag." "Yes sir." I whispered and stood straight waiting for the words I dreaded.

Before I could assess what was happening, Beta walked in. I stood stunned and forgot to breathe. Why the hell is he here? It's too humiliating for me to stay here for another second.

"Good afternoon, sir." Beta saluted General Warren with a tightly clenched jaw and got a respectful nod back.

"What do you mean his dreams are over?" He asked Commander in a challenging tone and I felt a pit in my stomach.

Why are you asking for it, Beta?

"His dreams are over because he won't get enough sleep from now onwards." He said as he stood up. And with him, every other officer stood up.

My heart was beating one hundred times per second. Don't say anything, Beta. He's about to kick me out.

"He will be training for Class-I from tomorrow." Commander said and Beta turned to me with a huge smile on his face.

And my eyes gazed across Warren. He was grinning too. The next person that I knew had backstabbed me - Neil - was laughing with his lower lip sucked in.

They all knew! All these fuckers were biting my ass for past thirty minutes! And all of them knew it! Beta included!

How the fuck did that happen?

The expression on faces of HQ's officers was same as mine - What the Fuck?

Ah. These men didn't know. Atleast there's someone on my side. Or against me. Or whatever.

Commander turned towards the men waiting for his official announcement. "Lieutenant James Dwight will be training for Class-I from tomorrow. Instructor Charles will be his Instructor I/C. All of you are ordered to teach him every skill he needs to learn. He's your brother now." As soon as the words left Commander's mouth, the air was filled with hoots and whistles and loud cheers.

I could hear Marks and Kelly shouting their congratulations over and above everyone else. I stood in attention. It was surreal!

Then he turned towards the other General officer who was representing HQ. He said something that I couldn't hear because of the noise but I knew he was telling them that I earned it.

It was difficult for those men to accept the final decision. They exchanged a few words, then saluted and left.

And with them, I felt all the negativity leave my surroundings.

"Lieutenant James?" General called my name out loud, silencing the whole crowd.

"Yes sir!" I replied equally loud. My adrenaline was too high to say any lower than that.

"You are the first officer who dared and survived here for 53 days in extremely hostile conditions and still gave me brilliant results! You have broken quite a few records in the tests and I'm damn proud of your team for sticking with you till their last drop of sweat! You earned it my boy!" He answered the series of questions swimming in my brain.

While I process what he just said, he shouted again. "Hey Class-I Agent Dwight! Too tired to drop and give me fifty?" Commander asked with the smirk still on his face.

"Negative sir!" Every cell in my body was screaming a 'Yes sir' except my brain. You could ask me if I can swim hundred miles, and I'd agree because Fuck I did it! The way he put those words before my name, I'd take a bullet to my heart happily!

"Reese, join him." Warren ordered Beta.

"Where's that big mouth, Neil?" Commander asked loudly while Beta walked upto me with his chest jutted out in pride.

"Right here sir!" Neil answered rushing his way to the front.

"Get your ass next to him." Commander ordered him with thinned eyes. I scoffed at his way of celebrating my win. Atleast he didn't forget how we make memories at KMA.

I stood with Beta on my right and Neil on my left. Two men who brought me where I am.

"Drop!" Warren shouted and all three of us dropped and pushed like we're going to die if we stop.

Kelly started counting loudly and others joined him. Soon the counts became deafening and the ground started verberating. They all joined in my celebration. I looked down and smiled to myself with wet eyes.

That moment - it will always have a special place in my heart. It's nothing like I ever experienced. I turned from nobody to somebody. And these men - they saw me winning way before I even thought of it.

************************************

So! If you want to make history, do it like my man James! Or just be ordinary and live. He's shining like the sun!

I'm sure you all have this 'Special moment' memory in your heart too - school recitations, winning in sports, getting the scholarship you were working so hard for, enrolling in the university you dreamt all your life? It feels SURREAL when you achieve what you wanted to. The hard work paying off is the best feeling ever!

So all those still not there, don't lose hope. You'll drop and give fifty one day too. Just keep going!

************************************

Vote and COMMENT share experiences for a pat on the back. Afterall that's what drives us to do better. Right?