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You and Sasha are the newest recruits on Task Force Meridian, and she has decided that the way in is to prove she is one of the boys. You are doing it the quiet way: head down, learning from the operators who have done this longer, while she performs for the men and teases you for being too girly. Then Captain Vestry orders a trivia night after a mission, and a deck of cards gets more out of the team than a briefing ever could.
A new recruit named Sasha had joined the task force only a week ago—and so had you. You were both the newest members of the team, thrown into the same unfamiliar environment and expected to prove yourselves beside some of the most experienced operators around. Unfortunately, while you were trying to quietly learn the ropes, Sasha had apparently decided that the best way to fit in was to make sure everyone knew she was different. She was, plainly, the devil. Sasha had an irritating habit of constantly announcing, in her overly cheerful voice, “I’m one of the boys!” She seemed determined to prove she was just as tough, rough, and easygoing as the men on the team. Unfortunately for her, nobody seemed particularly impressed. She was constantly making jokes at your expense, teasing you whenever she got the opportunity, and calling you a “girly girl” whenever you did something she considered too feminine. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone. Sasha was a blonde girl who clearly cared about looking feminine. She spent plenty of time on her hair, adjusting her clothes, and making sure she looked presentable. Yet she still insisted she was “one of the boys,” as if being feminine was somehow a bad thing. You, on the other hand, largely kept to yourself. You were new, just like Sasha, and still learning everyone’s personalities, routines, and expectations. You weren’t interested in constantly announcing yourself or trying to impress anyone. Unfortunately, Sasha seemed to read your quieter personality as an invitation to compete with you. Since you had both arrived at the same time, she constantly compared herself to you. “You’re such a girly girl,” she’d tease whenever you did something she didn’t like. You usually ignored her. Unfortunately, Sasha had also been assigned to the female barracks, meaning the two of you had to share the same living space while you adjusted to life at the base. And that came with its own set of problems. Whenever one of the male members of the task force walked into the barracks area, Sasha’s entire personality seemed to change. Her voice would suddenly become higher and noticeably sweeter. Her posture would straighten. She would start giggling at things that weren’t even funny. And, of course, she would immediately find some excuse to strike up a conversation with whichever man happened to be nearby. It was painfully obvious. Even though you were both new recruits, the rest of the team had already noticed the difference between you. You were still trying to figure out where you fit in. Sasha was trying to make sure everyone noticed her. That task force consisted of Captain Vestry, Kessling, Merriday, Quist, Skerritt, Haversham, Cruikshank, Stannard, Blakely, Vandry, and Bellwether. After another long mission, everyone came back to base expecting to finally get some rest. Instead, Vestry had other plans. “Right,” Vestry announced, gathering everyone’s attention. “We’re doing a team-building exercise.” A collective groan moved through the room. Merriday immediately leaned back in his chair. “You’re joking.” “No.” Quist chuckled. Skerritt quietly took a seat while Haversham folded his arms across his chest. Cruikshank looked mildly amused, while Stannard and Blakely exchanged an entertained glance. Vandry simply shook his head. Kessling, meanwhile, looked as though he’d rather be anywhere else. Vestry led everyone into a meeting room, where several chairs had been arranged in a circle. In the middle of the table sat a simple trivia card game. “Nothing complicated,” Vestry explained. “We draw a card, answer the question, and pass the deck along. Simple enough.” “Sounds thrilling,” Kessling muttered dryly. Vestry ignored him. As everyone took their seats, Vestry deliberately arranged things so that Kessling was sitting directly on Sasha’s left. Kessling immediately noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly behind his mask. “Vestry.” “Sit down, Lieutenant.” Kessling gave him a long, unimpressed stare before finally settling into his chair. Sasha, meanwhile, looked delighted. Quist picked up the deck and shuffled the cards before drawing the first one. “Alright,” he said. “First question.” Everyone looked toward him. Quist cleared his throat dramatically. “What are your five favorite things in the world?” A few people immediately began thinking about their answers. Since Sasha was sitting beside Quist, she answered first. She pressed her hands together and gave an exaggerated little giggle. “Ooh, probably…” She paused dramatically, looking around the room. “The boys, of course.” She giggled again. Merriday immediately looked at Quist. Quist raised an eyebrow. Stannard covered a grin. Haversham simply stared at her with a completely unreadable expression. Skerritt looked away, seemingly trying not to react. Sasha continued, completely unfazed. “Ummm… video games, chips, my family, and…” She paused again, drawing the moment out. Then her eyes shifted toward Kessling. “Love.” Sasha gave him a pointed little smile. Kessling stared straight ahead. There was a brief silence. Then came an almost inaudible sigh from behind his balaclava. Merriday immediately looked down at the table, trying not to laugh. Quist bit the inside of his cheek. Stannard raised an eyebrow. Blakely quietly muttered, “Oh, no.” Haversham glanced toward Kessling, clearly waiting to see how he would handle it. Even Skerritt seemed to realize exactly what Sasha was doing. Kessling slowly turned his masked head toward her. “Are you finished?” Sasha smiled innocently. “Yep.” Kessling turned back toward the table. “Good.” The room fell silent for a moment before Merriday finally broke. “Bloody hell. This is going to be a long game.” Vestry leaned back in his chair, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Oh, I think it’s going to be entertaining.” Kessling shot him a warning look. Vestry simply picked up the next card. Meanwhile, you sat quietly across the table, already wondering how two new recruits had somehow ended up causing completely different kinds of trouble in their first week.