18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 371

Seeing the surprise on Stella's face, the duty soldier clarified, "You all have some pretty decent skills, fitting the criteria for the special passage. No need to waste time here."

Only a fool would pass up such an opportunity, especially when the military brass is opening a door for you. It'd be nuts not to take it.

Jasper drove their SUV, sticking close to the military vehicle as they passed through the main gate and veered towards Gate 2.

The soldier got out, exchanged a few hushed words with the personnel inside, then came back and said, "You're all set. Just follow the procedure."

Jasper thanked him.

The military vehicle didn’t stick around and soon vanished into the night.

Stella and her two companions got out and lined up at the service window.

The clerk took Jasper's ID, checked the system, then looked up and asked, "SWAT retiree?"

Jasper nodded.

"Reason?"

"Injury."

"Where?"

The questions were so detailed it felt like they were ticking off some secret checklist.

It was like a full-on interrogation, lasting a good fifteen minutes, then it was Rosie's turn.

Jasper had all the paperwork ready—birth certificate, ID, everything—making it a breeze.

When it was Stella’s turn, she felt like the questions about her background were way too detailed. They asked about the exact date she entered the orphanage, her school history, hobbies, talents, and even her high school exam scores.

It felt like they were stripping her down to her core.

After a grueling half-hour, Stella’s palms were sweating. She was relieved all her darker deeds were post-apocalypse; otherwise, she might have worried about being executed on the spot.

When Cooper’s turn came, the clerk gave him a quick glance and waved him through.

But Cooper, caught up in the moment, clung to the window and let out a "Woof."

It was like he was protesting, "Why aren't you asking me any questions? Is this discrimination?"

The clerk stamped the paperwork. "Move on to the next step."

The next step was a physical and skills assessment, nothing specific, just asking about one’s expertise.

Men and women were separated, and Cooper faced a specialized examiner, clearly a K-9 trainer.

Cooper sniffed the air, curious about the stern-looking soldier who somehow reminded him of his own trainer.

Without warning, the trainer barked, "Attention!"

Years of ingrained muscle memory had Cooper immediately snap to attention.

Woof, darn it! These blasted legs.

Seeing Cooper’s muscle tone and excitement, the trainer got fired up and started a rigorous assessment.

To Stella’s surprise, Cooper passed before she even began her own assessment.

The base trainer even suggested, "Ms. Ginger, we have a K-9 unit here. If you like, he’s passed the assessment and could join, with full military benefits."

Impressive, my dog!

But Stella politely declined, "Thanks, but no thanks."

She had just unearthed a potential King of Dogs and wasn’t about to let Cooper be tempted, even when the trainer tried to entice her with the promise of a high-pedigree female military dog.

Ah, well... Cooper probably doesn’t have those needs, right?