It came at midday.
The bus was ancient, but functional. They would have to carry their bags and sit with them, but given how few came that day, it would still leave room. There were just about a dozen of them, arriving at all hours, by all sorts of transportation from their own various starting points, eventually making their way to the old bus depot. The uniforms were as varied as their physical characteristics.
The ride was long, but not too boring. The depot had stood in a dry dusty basin between two mountain ranges. The bus didn’t roll far down the old blacktop before turning onto a gravel road that wound around the end of one of the closer ridgelines. The road zigzagged down one side of a ravine, then up the other. Soon there was grass, then trees and a few water courses. The bus labored to climb up into the mountains. Sometimes the narrow road opened upon inspiring vistas.
It was almost nightfall when they arrived at the gate. It was poorly lit. A lone swing section hung from a pole on one side. There was a large sign covering one whole section of the chain-link fence next to it. The bus driver opened the door and said, “This is it.” The men grabbed their bags and rose stiffly from between the cramped hard seats. Hardly had the last man hit the ground and bus engine gunned and drove away.
There was no one in sight on the other side of the fence. One of the men cleared his throat and said, “The most elite unit in the world, eh? Impressive gate.”
The men stood before the sign and read.
This is a test. There is no training conducted here, only testing.
There are no special rules for this test. If you need rules, you are in the wrong place. You are free to come and go at will. Daily routine of support services are entirely a matter of administrative efficiency. Schedules will be posted. Testing will be conducted without advanced notice; there is no schedule for testing.
Cadre are few. There are no tricks, no games, no manipulation, no secrets. Favoritism will not be possible, even though there are no objective standards. There is no scoring. You either succeed or you fail.
The testing is designed to measure whether you fit the unit profile. It is not a collection of skills, training, experience, ambition, or any other adaptation humans make. It is entirely a matter of character and talent. It is not a question of whether you can be broken, but how you break.
Those selected to stay will know without being told.
On the other side of the gate was a smaller sign. Large red letters said “Departure Depot” with a large red arrow pointing down the fence toward a nondescript shack. A water spigot stood beside the door, and outhouse stood off to one side. One of the men blinked, sighed, then hoisted his bags and walked silently toward the shack.
The rest noticed the gate was unlocked. One of them reached out, lifted the latch, and pushed. “Hope we didn’t miss chow!” The gate swung open just enough to let them walk in with their bags. The last one through turned and closed the gate, latching it back.
Not many people walking about on this earth are actually alive.
