“Qian-umma!” came an excited scream before the woman found herself deposited on her backside with an overexcited young woman on top of her.

       “Okay, okay…”Qian struggled as she was hugged tightly around the neck, “Air…air.”

       She tapped Jinri’s arms then the floor to signal surrender before Sun-young pulled the girl off.

        “Sorry, I missed you,” she helped the older woman up before giving her a more tame hug.

        “Where’s the new recruit?” she asked.

        “Ready to jump right in, eh?” Sun-young teased.

        “Not really, I’m just concerned you might have left the newbie with Amber,” Qian straightened her clothing as she was led in the direction of one of the training rooms.

         The steel doors burst open and they had to lunge out of the way as a yelling body came hurling past them and into the adjacent wall. Amber sat with her back against the wall and what Qian was sure were little tweeting birds around her head. A young woman in converse sneakers walked to the entrance with a scowl.

         “Don’t call me princess,” she growled before crossing her arms and jutting out a hip for a pose that exuded confidence.

          Qian stood mouth agape and eyes tracing every angle, every curve, and…

         “Yah,” Sun-young cupped her leader’s chin and pushed it up to close , “Qian-umma, this is Soo-jung unnie.”

         “Umma?” Soo-jung smirked, “Don’t you mean halmeoni (grandma)?” Qian instantly lost the admiration of the woman’s body she had felt earlier and growled in irritation.

          Sun-young helped Amber up and none of the girl’s said a word as they watched their leader carefully. Krystal locked eyes with her fearlessly and the other girls held their collective breaths. Qian surprised them all with a sudden smile.

           “I’ll try not to slow you down,” she smiled sweetly as she walked by the younger woman, “Your highness.”

          A round of “Ohs” and giggles broke the tension and it was Soo-jung’s turn to growl.

          “I’ll…uh…I’ll be in the control room, good training unnie’s,” Jinri made a hasty exit as Amber and Sun-young filed into the training room.

          Soo-jung strode in slamming the steel doors behind her as she rejoined the group.

          “Alright can everyone hear me ok?” Jinri’s voice came over the speaker system and a booth was illuminated near the ceiling.

           They held up their hands in an ‘ok’ signal and took in the many parts to the room. There was an obstacle course, a rock climbing wall, and a caged in arena.

           “Great, let’s go ahead and use our operative names, so that Soo-jung can familiarize herself for when we’re out in the field,” Jinri announced, “I’ll start, I’m Sulli.”

           “Luna,” Sun-young spoke enthusiastically.

           “Amber,” the young woman she had thrown out of the room earlier answered.

            “Victoria,” the older woman responded.

            “Krystal,” Soo-jung gave the appearance of being bored.

            “Victoria, you need to hit the obstacle course first, and you have to beat the time record.”

            “Luna set it a 6 minutes 39 seconds right?” Victoria rolled her shoulders beginning to warm up.

            “Well…” Sulli edged, “That was the record, until Krystal arrived.”

             “She broke Luna’s record?” Victoria eyed the other girl suspiciously.

             “More like demolished it,” Krystal smirked, “You have to beat 4 minutes 28 seconds, halmeoni.”

             “You have to beat Krystal’s time Vic-unnie or the Red Light Agency won’t allow you back,” Sulli added.

             “They called me in, and yet I still have to participate in their elimination games,” Victoria shook her head in disbelief.

              “If you don’t think you can beat it, we can call the nursing home to come pick you up,” Krystal jabbed and Victoria growled.

              “Fine, but if I break it you have to accept me as leader and cut it out with the halmeoni crap,” Victoria walked over to the young woman sticking her hand out.

              “Deal,” Krystal looked at her hand in distaste before shaking it.

              “Vic-umma, do you really think you can do this?” Luna approached their former leader and whispered.

              “I don’t know,” Victoria replied sliding down into a split and stretching backwards to limber up.

              Her seemingly elastic body and moves were not lost on Krystal and she appreciated the display. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Victoria. The woman was extremely attractive if she was honest, but her frost bitten behavior was what kept her safe. She worked alone and trusted no one. She had explained all of this to the Agency but they insisted on dropping her in the mix with these women.

              “Ok Victoria-umma, when you hear the buzzer please begin,” Sulli instructed as Victoria neared the starting line.

               “Victoria fighting!” Amber and Luna shouted startling Krystal as the girls cheered.

         The buzzer sounded and Victoria took off toward her first obstacle which was a 15 feet high wall and had a rope dangling down the front. She leapt cleanly up to the 10 foot marker and grabbed the rope pulling herself up and over the top in short work. Two walls hung parallel to each other with rows of jagged spikes where the floor should have been. Jumping up and forward she planted a hand and foot on either wall and began moving forward over the spikes. Successfully landing on the platform at the opposite end she rolled forward and began dancing over and under the electrified wires. Pulling her leg up behind her head in a straight line she spun between two awkwardly hanging wires. Running again she slid underneath another wall and began dodging darts. One whizzed by her face as she bent forward into a somersault, but another caught her shoulder, and second in her thigh caused her to stumble.

              “She’s not going to make it, it’s already been 2 minutes and 30 seconds and she still has to make it up to the rock wall and then back down on the zip line,” Luna watched worriedly.

              Victoria looked up at the formidable wall before placing her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. She winced as she pulled the dart from her thigh and the one from her shoulder. Taking a few steps back, which cost her precious seconds, she took a running leap and latched on 6 feet up. The hand holds were slick beneath her perspiring palms and her muscles ached as she hauled herself upward.

              “4 minute mark, Victoria,” Sulli announced and Luna hid her face in Amber’s shoulder unable to watch. Victoria’s arms shook as she neared the top and one of her hands slipped causing her to drop three feet.

             Amber put a hand over to keep from gasping as Victoria struggled to hold on.

            “4 minutes 24 seconds,” Sulli’s voice trembled. Victoria growled deep in and forced herself upward despite her protesting muscles.

            “You’re my body, and you do what I tell you to do,” she spoke to herself as she reached the top and the zip line.

             Latching onto the bars with her remaining strength she swung free of the wall and rode it down to the finish line. When she dropped off she fell to her knees and a buzzer sounded again ending the training.

              “Final time,” Sulli announced and everyone waited in unbearable silence.

             “4 minutes and man I wish I had drumroll,” Sulli frowned.

             “Sulli!” Amber and Luna shouted in frustration.

             “Okay okay,” Sulli held up her hands, “4 minutes and 27 seconds.”

            Amber hugged Luna tightly and spun her around before both women pounced on their elder.

             “Vic-unnie!” they cheered, “You did it, and you beat the time!”

             Victoria was grinning ear to ear as she was hugged by her sisters and then a hand appeared in front of her face palm up.

              “Not bad,” Krystal spoke as she continued to hold out her hand.

              Victoria grabbed her wrist feeling an initial shock run between them as Krystal’s hand closed around her own pulling her up.

               “Alright team, meet me in the dorm,” Sulli gave a thumbs up before disappearing from the booth.

             Amber and Luna led the way as Victoria and Krystal brought up the rear.

              “So, what did you do?” Victoria tried to make conversation with the other woman, “To get transferred here I mean.”

               “I killed my last partner,” Krystal replied bluntly causing Victoria to look at her sideways.

               “Look I don’t work well with others, so they dropped me here to teach me ‘teamwork’,” she said the last word while holding up her fingers in air quotations, “All I have to do is make it through the first mission and I can be on my way simple as that.”

                “You’ve never had an Alpha before then I take it,” it was more a statement than a question.

                “Never had much use for one,” Krystal replied flippantly.

                “The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack,” Victoria spoke sagely and Krystal rolled her eyes.

                 “Are you seriously quoting Rudyard Kipling’s the Jungle Book?”

                 “I’m impressed,” Victoria smirked.

                 “What, that I know who Rudyard Kipling is?” she crossed her arms.

                 “No, that you can read,” Victoria winked and jogged lightly ahead to join the other women.

             Krystal smirked conceding that she had walked into the insult, but frowned just as quickly. She wasn't here to enjoy herself, she was here to accomplish the mission, and get out. Right? She bit her bottom lip in thought as she trailed the other women.