It had been nearly nine months since David, aka Kowalski, had enlisted into the TT and was a candidate member of the Archangels. In the beginning, a lot of people were wondering why the craziest gang in the TT needed this kid. There were those who looked at him with envy, because Archangels are the elite among the elites in the hierarchy of the company, and here some all-new guy, who can barely handle the usual workload, becomes a candidate.
However, he was able to reach the required minimum by his own willpower and a lot of educational slaps from his beloved instructors. He practically didn't get out of the training ranges and drills. No weekends, vacations, or time off, just rare meetings with his mother, who was still in a coma. Sweat, tears, and blood became his daily companions. I'll be honest, though, at some point the rate of progress slowed down and we had to undergo an early surgery to put in a couple of implants. Training got even tougher after them, because we had to make up for lost time, even I didn't go through such rigorous training in the beginning, but we just had no other choice since we signed him up as a candidate directly.
Sometimes I wanted to berate myself for rushing into taking him in. He could have worked as a regular security specialist, and then we could have gradually pushed him up to the top. He had already experienced a couple of near to death experiences due to overwork, and psychological breakdowns were frequent occurrences. But after all, what was done was done.
When he showed a minimally acceptable level in shooting and other disciplines, he began his training as a field hacker-netrunner. This is where the guy proved that he got some really good brains, as long as you don't let him fool around or look for easy ways to get things done. At first he was quite rough and careless. Forgetting that his first priority was to protect us from enemy netrunners, and not just to fry the brains of the first enemy he encountered. But by breaking down his mistakes, explaining why he needed to do everything in a certain order, soon he, with our help, began to understand the specifics of working in the TT. Most importantly, he began to gain experience, started to behave more cautiously. God, how embarrassing it was to watch his first fights in simulations, but now we can safely entrust him our backs and be sure that he will fulfill the order, whatever it may be.
To show David what it's like to fight the Voodoos, we did a couple of rescues in Pacifica. David-Kowalski wasn't used to fighting them, but his instincts allowed him to give the Voodoo boys a good fight, though he was mostly playing defense at first, but gradually learned the basic tricks of the netrunners and started working in more aggressive mode.
To summarize, we can say that David has become a pretty good fighter. The only thing hindering him is his lack of experience, but that's not a problem, especially with the job we do.
Today was the official, shall we say, ceremony of the acceptance into the Archangels squad. Giving him a patch with penguins, the informal symbol of my squad, and yes the call sign Kowalski, we alltogether went out to celebrate this with a great barbecue.
"Oh... This is our first proper day off this year." - I said, sitting down in a chair with a bottle of German beer.
"You don't say, Skipper, we've been working all year without having a proper break. Let's not do that again, man. Teaching and doing shifts at the same time is really tough and exhausting." - Rico replied, grilling meat.
"At least we've got a full set now, for any sort of emergencies. But you're right, this was a wild ride. This was the first and hopefully the last time. Fuck it..." - I nodded back to him, simply enjoying the warmth of the sun and the comfort of my chair.
"By the way, Skipper, where did you get that meat?" - Private sniffed the smell of roasting meat to the Private, who brought a tray with sauces.
"Something wrong?" - I arched an eyebrow questioningly.
"Well... It doesn't stink, it doesn't look like the usual meat sold in the supermarkets or roasted in the markets by shopkeepers." - Private picked up a piece of steak and started to examine it.
"Yeah, because that piece of meat you're holding in your hands wasn't raised in a tube, but taken from a real cow." - taking a sip of beer, I replied to him and started laughing when I saw Private's face stretched out.
"What's more, it's not regular beef, which not even every manager can afford, but elite, although it doesn't come close to Wagyu."
(Excerpt from Wikipedia: Wagyu is the common name for meat breeds of cows characterized by a genetic predisposition to intense marbling and high levels of unsaturated fats. The meat of these cows is of high quality and very expensive. Wagyu breeds are bred in Japan, hence the origin of authentic wagyu beef).
"Yeah? How much is it worth, then?"
"Very, very expensive. All that meat we're going to eat today cost me half the price of a decent car."
"'Holy fuck... Thanks, Skipper!"
"Come on, we all deserve it, especially Kowalski. By the way, where did the alcoholics with doctor's degrees go?"
"Waiting for the projector and equipment to be delivered. You told them to get everything ready to watch Penguins of Madagascar."
" I completely forgot... It's time to let Kowalski know why we have such unusual call signs. This is going to be fun! Rico, how much longer do we have to wait?"
"Two minutes!"
"You said that about five minutes ago!"
Rico looked at me with a disapproving look, hinting that such valuable meat shouldn't be roasted as it is and rushed.
"Okay, I won't rush you." - Waving him off, I reached for a bottle of Belgian beer this time from the mini-fridge next to me.
At that moment, David-Kowalski had finally arrived, having been sent away to visit his mother.
"Uh-oh. You've finally arrived, and I was already wondering how I was going to keep Private away from the meat so he wouldn't eat everything before you got here." - turning toward him, I pointed a finger at him, scolding him for his lateness.
"Sorry, Skipper... Traffic." - Kowalski replied, scratching his head.
"Are you sure about the traffic? Or were you trying to look under the skirt of the first hottie you saw?" - I asked a provocative question.
"No... Come on, Skipper." - he shook his head.
"And I wouldn't advise it. The fewer one knows the better one sleeps." - In the tone of a knowledgeable old man, I told him the wisdom of life.
"What do you mean, Skipper?" - like a parrot, Kowalski tilted his head to the side.
"It's just that, Skipper, was once shown something so-o-o-o-o shoclking!" - Rico said, and together with Private burst into a laugh.
"Silence! I was just starting to recover from that psychological trauma, and you bastards reminded me of that damn bar."
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha," my words provoked a new wave of laughter, yes, the kind that even an uncomprehending David-Kowalski started laughing.
"Skipper, you must tell me that story!" - said Kowalski.
"I won't tell it sober. When our medics get a couple of liters of their moonshine into me, then I'll be able to tell you about that terrible moment." - I answered, rising from my chair in search of the Demidov brothers' strategic liquor stock.
Just at that moment, the medical brothers appeared, dragging a bunch of equipment for an outdoor home theater.
"Hey, knights of the douche bag and scalpel, where's the vodka?" - I asked the most important question in a man's life.
"We put it in a little inflatable pool with ice. Is it all set in there?"
"Almost, Rico's still grilling, otherwise we're all set, just waiting for you. Hurry up."
The brothers quickly set up the projector and other components. Then we all finally gathered around the table with just a pile of salads and, most importantly, a whole mountain of meat.
"Well guys, it's been a long journey, but we made it. Now our team of Penguin Commandos is all set. So let's celebrate!" - I gave the first toast, after which everyone cheered me on with a loud roar.
And then we revealed the secret of our nicknames to David, after which he had a real butthurt. Everyone else just laughed at his reaction. Then there was a viewing of the legendary cartoon and a binge. All through the night you could hear strange shouts like, "Kowalski, Analysis!" or "Smile and wave, boys!"