Read Special Forces 01 for Free Online

little farther, to a small park another mile down the road, before turning around and heading back to the house. When he arrived in the front yard, he cleared a space from the toys and spent another half an hour completing his calisthenics. It was a well-thought regimen of stretches, sit-ups, push-ups, crunches and speed drills. He completed his workout precisely at 06:00, which pleased him. He liked schedules and routines; it gave him a feeling of continuity, and that was important right now with so many changes occurring. He was feeling warm and limber, and from the sweat patterns on his clothes, was in definite need of a shower.
    Rys had one foot on the porch before he realized that someone was watching him through the kitchen window. He entered through the kitchen door and gave an acknowledging nod to the man sitting there. With his tousled dark hair, bath robe, and slipper shod feet, it was easy to think of the Admiral by his first name today. “Good morning, Jeremy.”
    “Good morning, Arystair. Do you train every morning?”
    “Yes, sir.” Rys confirmed, heading for the fridge and pouring himself a tall glass of juice.
    Jeremy turned in his chair to watch him. “You startled me this morning when I went to check on you. Your bed was empty, and I couldn’t tell if it had been slept in or not.”
    Rys paused at this, giving his superior a puzzled look. “You checked on me? I didn’t realize that civilians had bed check.”
    “I check on all of my children first thing when I wake up in the morning,” Jeremy explained with obvious patience. “I also look in on them before I go to bed, and again if I happen to get up during the night. I sleep better knowing that everyone is safe and accounted for. What time did you get up?”
    “Five.”
    Jeremy winced. “I realize that you are used to military protocols, Arystair, but civilians normally don’t rise and shine that early.”
    “Yes, sir, but the truth is I have never been able to sleep very long. If I sleep more than six hours, I feel groggy and lethargic all day.” Rys drained the glass of orange juice in one long pull, without stopping to breathe. Wow, that was good! Was it real juice, instead of some powdery chemical concoction that you added water to? He went back to the fridge and retrieved the container. Yes, the label confirmed that it was real, contents “100% pure orange juice from concentrate.”
    Delighted by this discovery, he poured himself a second glass, hoping he wasn’t making a pig of himself. Having real juice was a rare treat.
    “Did you sleep well?”
    “Very well, thank you, sir.”
    “Good. Sara planned on taking you shopping about eight o’clock. All of the children will be at school by that time.”
    “Understood, I’ll be standing by.” Rys was trying to figure out what to wear that wouldn’t shout Uniform! Maybe he could wear the plain black fatigue pants and a black t-shirt?
    “And before I forget, there is an envelope over there with all of your banking and financial information in it. Your pay and allowances have been transferred to the Bijordan Credit Union in your personal account.”
    That was important information to have. Rys opened the envelope and rapidly scanned the papers. Everything appeared to be in order, and there was also a debit card inside, so he could conveniently access his funds. “That was fast,” he nodded to Jeremy, with approval. “I thought this might take at least another week to process.”
    “I encouraged them, so they made it a priority. All of 01 should have the same information by now. You shouldn’t have to worry about money if you need to buy something.”
    Rys smiled his thanks and slipped the card back into the envelope. He’d put it in his wallet right after he got cleaned up. He almost headed for the stairs but it occurred to him that no one else was around and this might be a rare chance to talk mission parameters. “Sir, I assume you’ve reviewed our plan from