They escaped the area by climbing a 12ft tall nylon-threaded rope ladder out of a window. Shevchenko struggled with her climb and needed to be encouraged by her teammates to complete the task. Though she coasted through each term and exams, the exit exam would be her hardest challenge. She had watched listlessly over the years as Farouk, Savoi, Yoshida, and even Roudan made strides for success. Now it was her turn to soldier through. 

Midday came with a scorching hot sun that was only tamed, with a light breeze from the ocean. Shevchenko was lethargic by the time they made it over the wall. Roudan sat her down on the gravel with his canteen. He became concerned when she was too tired to drink from it. 

“Liliya!” he shouted, to command her attention. “Take a sip.” 

Shevchenko’s arms trembled as she tried to hold the canteen to her cracked lips. Roudan sat behind her to help hold it in place. With eyes shut tight, she leaned her head back against his chest. Much of the water spilt down and all over her BDU top, which caused her to choke. Roudan promptly pushed her back up, then she snapped back to consciousness. 

Just as they roused to their feet, mingled sets of squads staggered over to them. When they were nearly six-feet away, one of the remaining female Delta members shouted, 

“Hey losers, I think you have something that belongs to us!” 

“Then come and get it, because as you see, we ain’t running!” Yoshida smugly called back. 

Farouk stiffened, not knowing what to do. 

“Haru, what the hell are you doing?” he whimpered. 

“We really have no choice in this matter,” Savoi answered. 

Farouk gulped. He frantically searched his mind for an answer why they had to fight the other teams. 

“What do you mean?” he shuddered, as he reached for his laser pistol. 

Roudan calmly stood beside Farouk, with one arm around his shoulder and the other placed on top of the pistol. Farouk placed his weapon back inside the holster when Roudan nodded. Their eyes met briefly so that Farouk could stand down. 

Roudan sighed and said, “Unlike the entrance exam, this time each squad is in pursuit of the same flags. There are no separate colors, because we are a part of the graduating class.” 

“Apparently, none of the other teams successfully retrieved any flags from the warehouse,” Savoi gloated. 

 Farouk had draped their flag over his rucksack, which gave them away.  

“There are over twenty flags planted all over the exam area,” Roudan shouted to their opponents. 

 The Delta girl scoffed. 

“Now you know damn well that won’t do! General Benavides said in his speech that the team to capture the most would be the winning contender of the exit exam.” 

Farouk gulped once more. He knew Roudan and Yoshida were up for the task, and even Savoi still appeared to be in good form. He had already been at his breaking point during his time in the shaft. It was a miracle that he could retrieve the flag. He looked over at Shevchenko, who appeared gray in the face. The stakes were higher, as cadets faced each other along with the psychological and physical effects of war. 

The opposing teams aligned and sauntered towards the Alpha squad. No weapons were drawn, as they had been instructed that this was a hand-to-hand duel. Roudan stood in front of his team, as if he were the tip of a poisonous dart. Yoshida stood directly behind his right shoulder, and Savoi on his left. Shevchenko and Farouk stood awkwardly behind them, unsure of how to maneuver. Roudan, Yoshida, and Savoi shifted into their fighting stances. Roudan drew a line in the gravel with the heel of his boot and said, 

“Be sure you want to come at us. Once you cross this line, there’ll be no turning back.” 

Several members of the opposition cackled nervously. Going against Roudan and Yoshida had always been a losing battle, but with the unpredictability of cadet Savoi, they were in for a wild ride. The Alpha squad proved to be formidable contenders. Tension was doused with hesitation and fear. Yoshida taunted them by making noises like a chicken. In a matter of seconds, the teams were fully engaged in combat.  

Roudan easily countered a Charlie cadet’s attempts to strike him with leg sweeps. Savoi tussled with a bravo cadet for mere minutes, then waited until he exposed his rib area to deliver a crippling jab. Three Bravos teamed against Yoshida. Before they could pounce on him, they were met with cross chops and acrobatic snap kicks. The Alpha trio veered their opponents away from Shevchenko and Farouk. It was almost as if the latter had been forbidden to take part in the fight. 

The melee of flying kicks, counter blows, and pile drives was an extraordinary sight. Though Roudan, Yoshida, and Savoi held their own, each appeared to be in an improvised dance-like solidarity. There was something to be said for their intimate harmony evoked by life-or-death situations. Cries of shock and pain carried through the air. This was a hard-charged takedown for the opposing teams. Retaliation seemed impossible.  

Suddenly, a bullet blasted overhead and ricocheted off the warehouse. The cadets froze in place. General Benavides could be heard over the loudspeakers. 

“Standdown at once! This portion of the exit exam has now concluded. All squads should retreat to set camp for the night.” 

The opposing teams scrambled away, heaving with contusions and torn ligaments. 

Enraged, Shevchenko lashed out at Roudan. 

“Why didn’t you let us fight? Maaz and I aren’t defenseless. We could’ve fended for ourselves!” 

Roudan was speechless. He hadn’t realized that Yoshida and Savoi had also intercepted any harm to them.  

Savoi ran beside her and slipped an arm around her shoulders. 

“Of course you can Lily.” She winked at Farouk. “You were protecting our precious flag. Nothing is more important than that.”