Heed Harry wakes up to the sound of his alarm clock. Being the tired but cerebral person he is, he swings his arm and slaps the stop button. He hops out of bed, jubilant about the day ahead. It is Field Day, and his students are going on their Tier 1 field missions. Heed Harry first runs out to the gym. After a one hour session, he jogs to his teaching job at the National Operation Pandemic Elites, N.O.P.E for short. They complete missions during national crises that could involve anything from terrorists to the most wanted predatory wild animals.
When he gets to class, he pulls up his assignment and reads it aloud. The students are about to go on to their final training year. This will be one of the most important projects they’ll ever do in their careers. He hands out the missions they have to complete successfully to get a passing grade. All the missions are Tier 1, meaning they are the easiest ones out there. The students will get harder challenges next year.
Coinciding with Heed Harry passing out missions, a biker gang called the Ragers, who are on the Tier 1 criminal list, prepares to make those missions more extreme than anyone saw coming.
Heed Harry goes into each mission in-depth, making sure the students pay attention. After wishing everyone good luck, he gets his stuff and jogs out.
Heed Harry’s first stop is the grocery store. He walks to the back, where he sees his glorious gallon of milk awaiting him. Before he can grab it, he gets a call. He accepts the unknown caller.
One of his students, Greg, is whispering, “This is not a Tier 1 mission. This gang is loaded with explosives. There are dozens of bikes. They’re surrounding the Vault. The files in there cannot be exposed.”
“Ok,” says Heed Harry, “I’ll be right there.” Heed Harry bolts out of the store, across the street, and all the way to Greg’s mission spot at an online shop’s warehouse. The warehouse was inactive at the moment due to budget cuts.
He hops up onto a platform and sees Greg crouching there, peering at the gang on the other side of the warehouse. He looks petrified.
“Hey,” says Greg, “what should I do?”
Heed Harry sits there in terror and shock. He has a secret that he must tell, but it could ruin his career. “Look, Greg, I know this is a really bad time, but I gave some erroneous information about my actual skills in the field.”
“What do you mean? Wait, am I going to die? Am I already dead??” asks Greg.
“Well, I guess I should just tell you… I am completely inexperienced. I have no credentials. I have never actually done anything in the field.”
“WHAT!!” yells Greg, “ How- wh- What do you mean, like, you’ve never done this before?!”
“Never,” says Heed Harry, “I started as an intern at the control center. In a vulnerable, desperate time for the agency, they put me in to teach. All of the important people went missing soon after and no one knew that I had no credentials. They just never changed my position.”
The door behind them slams closed, and the platform collapses. Sweat is secreting from Heed Harry’s and Greg’s foreheads. The Ragers notice them and start charging across the warehouse.
“Quick, sever that metal bar from the door! We need to get out!” yells Greg.
Heed Harry pushes away the bar from the door. They both run out and down the street.
“Oh my god, that was close,” shrieks Heed Harry.
“Yeah, it was,” says Greg. They sit in silence for a minute. Then Greg admits, “Look, I know you are in a really bad situation right now. It is fine with me that you have never been in the field, but you have to give me good grades!”
“Deal,” says Heed Harry.
Heed Harry incites Greg to pursue his education, and then they go their separate ways. Greg goes home, and Heed Harry goes to the store to drink his daily gallon of milk.
The End