ServaCorps Justice Department

The instructor shook his head. "No. Everyone's checked in. Is there a problem, Miss Allen?"

"Good. Glad to hear it."

A few more minutes passed, and then the vehicle stopped inside a parking garage that only had a few vehicles. Some of them were marked as Securion personnel vehicles. The driver pulled up to a window, checked in, and then pulled inside and parked. Everyone started unloading.

"Alright, we're here. Everyone out."

The group was led through the parking garage to a walled-in complex of buildings. A tall concrete wall topped with barbed chain-link fence surrounded a group of buildings - a barracks, a cafeteria, an armory, and a storage building. Much of the area was flat and grassy, with a few training areas, a target range, and an obstacle course. It looked as if it was all new, and much of it seemed to be state-of-the-art equipment and construction. It was well-hidden within the city.

Another group of trainees pulled up in an identical vehicle, and came into the complex behind the other group for briefing. The instructor stopped everyone once they were inside the gate, and turned to speak to them.

"Welcome to the ServaCorps Justice Department Training Facility - or SCJD-TC, for short. For the duration of your training and for necessary durations of your employment, this will be your home and base of operations. This location is confidential, and it will remain that way. Any questions before we begin?"

"The duration of the training will be about a month, at least."

Another trainee spoke up. "Can't we go home? Nobody told us it was going to be a month. We didn't even pack our things..."

The instructor responded. "Of course, you're welcome to go home whenever you'd like. But, doing so would dismiss you from your employment with ServaCorps, and we'll have no problem finding others to fill your position. Don't worry - we've got plenty of supplies for everyone here."

Once the trainees were settled in, they went through about a month of training that covered everything from ServaCorps policies to combat strategy and "acquisition" defense techniques. They focused on keeping themselves, their co-workers, and especially the slaves which were known as "products" safe from threats. Some of the trainees left voluntarily, others were expelled or disqualified based on their performance, but most of them reached a suitable average and some excelled, including Lily. Everything was covered over with at least some level of classification, so the new trainees would know nothing more than they needed to in order to perform their job effectively.

After "graduation" in which each of the passing trainees were granted the status of ServaCorps Agent, they were allowed to either remain in the SCJD training grounds barracks or to return home, but they were assigned regular missions to secure the interests of ServaCorps. Lily and the other agents each received a discreet laptop to handle their ServaCorps affairs, through which they were assigned confidential missions and could communicate with other SCJD agents and officers.

A message popped up on the screen when Lily opened it. It was from a superior in the SCJD, and it read:

"Agent Allen:

We have an assignment for you.

You will be meeting with Agent Markson at the provided coordinates. You are expected to arrive at exactly 0800 hours tomorrow morning. Your briefing will be updated as necessary. You will be escorting a caravan to a trade station. Bring weaponry, and expect some resistance and opposition in case of unforeseen incidents.

Good luck, Agent Allen."

The coordinates led Lily to a warehouse on the outskirts of Tyton. It was unmarked, but there were three armored trucks and a patrol vehicle lined up outside that were all marked with the ServaCorps insignia. There were also a sleek, black patrol car that was parked to the side, and a man dressed neatly in a suit and black sunglasses who was carrying a briefcase spoke with another man in a dark flack jacket who had a handgun holstered at his side. The man in the suit exchanged something from the briefcase, and then promptly got back into his car and left. He looked like he may have been a corporate executive, or a government worker.

As Lily approached, the other man saw her. He tucked whatever the man had handed him into his jacket, and then walked over to greet her.

"Agent Allen?"

Agent Markson shook her hand firmly. "Yes, I'm Agent Markson. Nice to meet you." He was a young man, about Lily's age, and he wore a dark cap over his short, cropped hair. "Well, we'll be going into territory that has seen some problems recently, if I understand correctly. Follow me, I'll show you where we'll be riding. You're new, aren't you? From the new SJCD camp up in Tyton?"

Most of the slaves were already loaded up into the vans. Some of them could be heard banging on the walls, screaming, or crying. Occasionally, one of the standard ServaCorps contracted guards would order them to quiet down as they prepared to finish loading the caravan and head out.

"Glad to hear it. We'll be watching each others' backs here. I'm supposed to be babysitting, but I think we can both handle ourselves. We've got some rent-a-cops along for the ride, but we'll be running the show, as far as security's concerned." Markson glanced at his watch. "We'll probably be there in about two hours. Headed for a little trading post. It's a simple run...ride there, make sure nothing goes wrong, and then come back. Easy." He grinned confidently as he climbed into the driver's seat of the patrol car in front and popped the passenger door open for Lily.

"We'll be ready as soon as they're finished loading up."

"Simple - we do our job. What you were trained to do. We eliminate any threats, conceal the evidence so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, and then we keep moving. We can't risk any damage to the products, and there's already enough shit going down that we just try and keep this low-profile. We just lead the caravan, and make sure nobody bothers it. And if they do, we neutralize anything that gets in the way. That's all there is to it."

The caravans started up their engines, and one of the guards gestured to Markson that they were ready. He started up the car, and the engine revved up. Although it looked like an average new Tryscarian car just from the appearance, it performed more like a sports car. From the looks of it, Lily might guess that this was a car provided to Markson from ServaCorps. One of the perks of working for a mega-corporation, maybe.

Markson pulled out and the rest of the caravan followed, one by one. They took the highway out of Tyton, and pucruised through a few small towns before hitting a smaller two-lane road to the east. The trip was fairly quiet and uneventful, although there were a few disdainful glances by on-lookers as the caravan rolled through more populated areas, until it finally reached a more rural road that led to the trading station.

"Probably about an hour away, now. See what I mean? Simple. A little boring."

Markson cleared his throat. "Company benefit. I've worked here for awhile. There are some nice perks for loyal employees at ServaCorps." He glanced at Lily and grinned, then looked back and kept his eyes on the road. "You're right, nothing is really as it seems. But, just a tip, you'll get a lot further in this line of work if you just pretend it is. Trust me, I know."

They continued until they could see the trading station in the distance. Markson kept driving, and called in ahead to verify that the caravan had arrived safely.

((Continued in "The Hunter" - General RP))