Clink clop, clink clop. The sound of hard steel-capped boots clipped and banged a soft echo through the desert, while the sun beat down on their necks. Clink clop, clink clop. Turning the world into nothing more than a hostile realm of heat and sand. Shifting everyone’s perspective of the wide desert into a chessboard where the warriors of the Disposal Unit would have to ignore the irritating things and push forward.

  Hours of walking in three segmented wedge formations, from the middle of the night till the middle of the day, without rest or a drink break. They all drank purified water and ate dense nutrition bars on the move. If they needed to remove that waste, they had to suck it up until they arrived at their objective. An unpleasant walk that was meant to prove if they were capable, even if they all believed it was a stupid ritual organised by a different Order.

  Already, the complaints are seeping in. It made sense for the Order Militant to have different units or specialists to have their own uniforms. However, someone is a complete idiot to think it was a good idea to have people wear dark clothing in the middle of the desert.

  ‘Ryan,’ Davidson called out, pulling down his scarf to reveal his golden beard. ‘Did you get any news about when our Order would be phased out?’

  ‘Late 2017, early 2018, I think. Not sure the exact date, but it should be close by now.’

  Davidson chuckled, ‘that early, huh? I bet a lot of people who signed up to join this Order would be furious to hear that they are going to be transferred somewhere else.’

  ‘I’m annoyed as it is after serving for a few years. Making us do these exercises, and for what? To prove to some boy in blue that we can hold a gun and do our job?’

  ‘That’s the Order Militant, Ryan,’ Davidson bitterly replied. ‘They never liked us for a reason. I heard a rumour that most of the officers in the Militant would put most of us Disposal Unit in the same “special task force”, and never utilise us.’

  Ryan raised a brow. ‘Not use us? So, the bastards wouldn’t bother putting us through a suicide mission to better improve their strategies? I cannot tell if I should be insulted or honoured to be kept alive for a bit longer.’

  ‘You were not born in Olympus, I doubt you would understand that it is the greatest of insults. We are taught at a young age to fight and die for the cause, that the world would sleep easily not knowing our sacrifice, regardless of the Order we are a part of.’

  ‘Don’t want to ruin your parade, partner. But I joined the Order to help people, not to support some strange death cult.’

  Before Davidson could dispute Ryan’s point, they both stared out in the distance as they noticed a group of armed soldiers walking towards them. ‘Friend, or foe?’

  ‘Best to find out than get ourselves into a fight.’ Ryan raised his hand to signal his entire team to keep their weapons at the ready, but not to engage. Everyone checked their weapons and put a round into the chamber. All of them were accustomed to fighting humans, even if they were unsure who they were facing.

  For all Ryan knew, it could be anyone going through the desert. Though it was clear they were military as they all wore desert camo, he couldn’t tell what force they belonged to. He thought they were NAC soldiers, but the orange was not the same. Which made Ryan suspect that the group they were approaching were either mercs or a different group that had come to the country on a secret mission. Either way, neither possibility was good.

  As the group intercepted, Ryan halted his unit to keep them behind so he could meet in the middle to speak with the other group’s leader. Breaking off from the centre, a skinny-looking man with round glasses, someone he would expect to encounter in an office rather than being part of a well-armed group.

  ‘Who am I speaking to?’ Ryan asked after slinging his rifle to his side to show that he was not a threat. In response, the man did the same.

  ‘No one, just a group of hikers going through. Call me J.’ The man said in a thick English accent. Caused Ryan to realise that he was potentially speaking to the English SAS. He remembered reading in the paper about England and the North African Confederacy having diplomatic issues. He didn’t expect the relations to deteriorate to the point that England had to send soldiers to do something dirty. Either to undermine the newly formed global power or to sow chaos within the region. But whatever their goals were, Ryan didn’t want to be in the middle of it.

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  The man gestured to Ryan and his entire unit.

  ‘What about you?’ The British man called out. ‘Going on a “hike” as well?’

  Ryan nodded, ‘sure am, partner. It is lovely this time of year, I just want to take the family out on a lovely holiday.’

  ‘A family man, so what group are you a part of and whose side are you on?’ J said in a harsh tone. It was clear to both parties that neither side was meant to encounter the other.

  ‘We are just a group of hikers,’ Ryan said, echoing the man’s excuse. ‘But I have a feeling that isn’t a satisfying answer.’

  ‘No, mate, it really isn’t.’

  The two stared at each other, examining each group to determine if they needed to draw their weapons and kill the other and calculate how victory could be achieved. The SAS leader seemed the weakest amongst their group, but J had a bloodthirsty look in his eye which made Ryan flinch uncomfortably. Something had to be done, and he needed to think fast.

  ‘We’re mercs,’ Ryan blurted out, catching J off guard.

  ‘Mercs?’

  ‘Yeah, just doing a training exercise to sharpen our skills. You?’

  Taken aback by Ryan’s casual delivery and questioning after an intense stare down, the man shrugged. ‘We’re on a mission of our own. That is all I can say. But I will be honest, mate. The whole thing fucking sucks ass.’

  ‘You can say that twice, all of it is total booger aids.’

  ‘That is for certain.’ J laughed at Ryan’s joke. Allowing himself to bond with a stranger over their combined discomfort of the desert and hatred for their mission. ‘I will be honest, I am a bit surprised to see mercs in this area.’

  ‘I’m more surprised to see the English SAS myself.’ Ryan admitted. ‘Not often I see you fellas doing something outside of your island.’

  The man smiled at Ryan’s guess. ‘Close, SBS.’

  Ryan chuckled. ‘You’re a bit far from water to be out in a place like this.’

  ‘You could say something like that, not the most fun assignment. We are like a turtle’s cunt out here. Dry and thirsty for water.’

  ‘Yeah, our exercise is also boring as shit. We just want to get it done and go home, have a beer, maybe a wank, and go to sleep.’

  With a nod of approval, J gestured to Ryan. ‘So we will not talk about this?’

  ‘All I’ll say is we encountered some hikers, it's nothing too serious on our end. All we ask is that you do the same.’

  ‘Sounds like your exercise isn’t so legal.’

  ‘Nor is your mission.’ Ryan quickly pointed out.

  ‘Huh, touché.’ J examined Ryan’s team one last time before looking back at the cowboy. ‘Hikers?’

  ‘Hikers.’

  After shaking hands to say they agreed to let the other group continue their illegal activities, the two men returned to their teams to relay the news that the other side was okay. The two groups walked past each other as if nothing had happened.

  Though Ryan was excited that he had prevented a firefight, he would now have to report that his squad was caught twice, and he didn’t even try to hide or avoid them. However, he reasoned that talking to people and lying was far easier to talk to people than evading them. If they didn’t have to go through the mission again, Ryan suspected some sort of disciplinary action after this.