A Spectrum

“Just sooooo f*****g pretty..” Zira thought as she looked through the office window. Her Sargent, Elais, had stationed her at Uni’s and was currently in the office speaking to the CEO about her placement. A lot had been happening in the downtown area with the recent bomb sitings that had been reported. The military wanted to send some of their best, (and laziest) soldiers to keep civilians cool minded until they figured out suspects. So here she was, at attention before the big CEO’s office, shamelessly staring down the beauty behind the window. She didn’t know who it was, or where her Sargent went- but she was happy for the eye-candy after being ditched for a while. “Corporal.” A rough voice sounded in front of Zira. She blinked and turned her head in his direction. “Where did you?.. Nevermind. Yes Sargent?” She asked, giving him her full attention. She noticed another pretty girl beside him. This one was shorter than her eye-candy and also was a completely different race. ‘Why am i thinking about eye-candy so much?.’ She continued to wonder around her mind, missing the entire conversation her Sargent and the CEO’s assistant had with her and about her. Elais noticed his subordinate’s glazed eyes and sighed, knowing she had gotten lost in lalaland. He smiled shaking hands with the assistant before barking orders. “Attention!” His voice snapping the passive soldier in one breath. One minute she was relaxed and dazed, and now she stood rigid and ready, awaiting further orders. Sargent Elais scanned her for a moment, all bits of posture was still and spot on. He frowned before giving her a nod. “As you were,” she relaxed but kept her gaze on him. “Your mission ends the next time you see Swanson. Crystal?” He questioned. She went back to attention before saluting, “Clear Sargent.” They nodded again before he marched off. Zira stood there a little longer but soon dropped her arm and went at ease. She smiled at the assistant, “Sooo, you’re my new boss huh?” A little rock of her feet, she got a little closer to the woman, her smile still sweet. “I can get used to being under a pretty little lady like you.” The assistant smiled back before thumping Zira in the nose. She sneezed and backed away, a hand pinching her nose. “Rule 1 of the company, no intimate relationships inside the office.” The assistant said matter-of-factly, her hand now on her hip. “And secondly-“ a second voice cut in beside them. They looked and there, a woman in a sharp green suit walked towards them. ‘Zooweemamaaa,’ Zira drooled in her mind. The assistant nodded at the new woman in the room as she came to stand beside her, both of them facing the soldier. “Im your new boss, kid.” She smirked, her brown dreadlocks getting in her face. Zira froze for a second before meekly saying, “whoo-hoo?” The CEO's assistant and the new boss stood side by side, both facing Zira as she tried to gather her thoughts. The new boss raised an eyebrow at Zira's reaction before letting out a small chuckle. "I see we have our work cut out for us," she remarked, exchanging a knowing glance with the assistant. Zira shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension about her new role. The CEO's assistant stepped forward, her tone softening slightly as she spoke. "Don't worry, Zira. You'll have plenty of opportunities to prove yourself here," she reassured, placing a comforting hand on Zira's shoulder. Zira's initial nervousness began to fade as she looked between the two women standing before her. Despite the unexpected turn of events, she felt a sense of determination welling up inside her. With a newfound resolve, Zira straightened her posture and met the gaze of her new boss. "I'm ready for the challenge," she stated confidently, a spark of determination igniting in her eyes. The CEO's assistant and the new boss exchanged a satisfied smile, knowing that they had found a promising addition to their team in Zira. After a moment passed, the soldier spoke again. “So. Boss? Is that what im to call you?” She asked, her posture slowly shifting to at ease unconsciously. The assistant snorted before placing a hand on her chest, “Im Mia, and ‘Boss’ is-“ “You’ll call me Ma’am.” The CEO spoke up, interjecting Mia’s sentence. She looked at her boss inquisitive of her behavior but noticed the stare off between the two women. Her breath got caught in her throat. ‘So..so much tension..’ she thought, the two women hadnt spoken a word but their eyes were locked together. Mia deadpans realizing how bad things are with her boss’s personal life before interrupting the showdown. “Well, Im Mia once again, and She’s Ma’am I guess,” she sided-eyed the dreadhead. “What do you wish us to call you soldier?” Zira paused for a moment, a bit stunned. “Um..can i get back to you on that?” She mumbled. The CEO scoffed, “Can’t tell us your name?” The soldier winced before waving her hands wildly. She shouted they had the wrong idea but the CEO already looked done with the whole conversation. Mia sighed and elbowed her boss. With a tight smile she spoke. “Ignore her. I guess we can stick to soldier unless you permit us your name.” Zira paused again, frozen at the idea of a choice or even being asked her real name. “SOLDIER 228! FRONT AND CENTER!” The voice boomed from the man before the stage. A small mocha skinned woman clad in a military uniform stepped out from the formation. She ran to join her Sargent and saluted him. “Front and center! Sir yes sir!” She shouted, her eyes staring forward. Like a hawk, he glared into her very essence before speaking. “You’ve been accused of fraternizing with the enemy, how do you pled?” He growled. Soldier 228’s eyes widened, her composure falling. “What?. No! I just exposed Soldier 374 as a traitor to Corporal 7!” She rushed to defend herself against her commands onslaught of words but next she knew, she was being taken away. Then it went dark. When she woke again, she was tied up in a dingy room. There were puddles all around the floor from the running pipes scaling the ceiling. She panted lightly through the cloth tied around her mouth, the muggy damp air making her skin feel hot. Soldier 228 bit her gag before assessing her situation. She was tied down to an old electrical chair. While the cables being removed eased her mind of being fried, she had metal straps locking her arms, legs, and neck in place- so she couldn’t break her restraints. She looked around the room as much as she could but suddenly the door swung wide open. Commander 0 and Sargent 7 strode in the room, a small smirk on both their faces. “Soldier 228, do you know why you’ve been sent down here?” Commander 0 asked, his voice cold. She began to reexplain herself but is cut off by a slap from Sargent 7. “You insolent fool. You are not human. HA!” He laughed, his hand on the commander’s shoulder. “You are a piece of a machine,” began 0. “You are nothing but a bolt, a nut, a screw of something much bigger than yourself. A number in an equation, 228. Do not delude yourself on trivial matters such as a name.” The men scoffed. The woman looked worriedly at the soldier before her, a haunted look in her eye. “Soldier?” Mia said softly, a question in the title. Zira took a deep breath before blinking back to reality. “N-no..,” she sighed trying to get her head together before continuing. “I dont care what you call me, but please. Never call me soldier.” She begged, her voice getting quieter near the end of her sentence. It was silent for a while before someone spoke. “Zii.” The two women look back at their boss before Zira nods, slightly surprised at how close it is to her actual name. Mia smiles at the disappearance of the distant look in her eyes and takes her hand. “Well Zii, let me take you to your station.” Zira looks at the CEO and the dreadhead gives her a small closed lip smile. She looks gratefully at the women and speaks, “Lets get going then.” And the two set off. The boss hangs back for a bit, watching the both of them closely, the soldier in more peculiar. She stares biting her lip, a little lost in her thoughts. When the door clicks shut, she snaps out of her daze and rushes to her office. She scampers around her desk, searching for the new hire’s documents. The room is decorated in many beautiful artifacts and certificates of all kinds were displayed along the walls. The huge windows let in the sunlight and breathtaking view of the bustling city below. All she could think about though was what that girl’s name was and why she didn’t tell them. The corner of a folder under her keyboard caught her eye and she lunged for it. She paused wondering why she was so adamant with digging for this woman’s name but gave into her desire without an answer. She scanned but slammed it down out of anger. ‘ Soldier 228…Aged 23..Skilled in artillery and explosives…contract ends in sight of Major. ‘ There was essentially nothing about this girl that had been handed to them. She shivered at the fact that she had an entire number as her name, ‘were the soldiers just statistics for them?’ She thought. The CEO shook her head to clear her mind before there was a knock at her door. The object of her thoughts and her assistant entered the room, mixed expressions on their faces. “Sooo, bossss, my womannn, my ma’ammm,” started Zii, a big cheesy smile on her face. She thought it was cute but glared out of anger at her subconscious. “What did you do?”