The Shower Audit: Why an Academy “Nobody” in a Towel Liquidated the Draken Dynasty and the Heartbreaking Truth Behind the Golden Trident
The sound of the water stopped. Five pairs of combat boots hit the wet tile floor in perfect, rhythmic unison—the sound of a firing squad approaching its position.
I stood motionless in the corner shower stall of the Aegis-West Point Annex, water still dripping from my hair, a thin towel wrapped tight around my small frame. I had heard them coming thirty seconds ago. The deliberate footsteps in the corridor, the door lock clicking shut, the whispered coordination of predators who thought they had finally trapped their prey.
I knew what this was. A “Shadow Liquidation.”
“Instructor Miller.”
Genevieve Draken’s voice cut through the steam like a jagged shard of glass. She stood three paces away, arms crossed over her pristine uniform, her chin tilted in that arrogant stance only the truly entitled could pull off. Behind her, four other senior cadets fanned out, blocking every exit.
“We need to close the ledger.”
I said nothing. I just stood there, shoulders hunched, eyes fixed on the puddle at my feet. I maintained the posture of someone who knew they were outmatched—someone who had learned that in this academy, silence was the only armor left.
THE WEIGHT OF THE “CIVILIAN” BLUR
“Three weeks,” Audrey Blackwell stepped forward, her polished boots echoing against the tiles. “Three weeks we’ve had to endure being instructed by a ‘placeholder’ with zero military credentials.” She laughed sharply, a high, brittle sound. “My family has funded this academy since the Cold War. And you? You’re a deficit. A nobody from a community college.”
Khloe Salinger moved closer, her eyes calculating. “No combat record. No officer training. Just a civilian instructor who ‘lucked’ into a government contract because of a diversity quota. You’re a stain on the Draken legacy.”
“People like you don’t belong in the Spire,” Bianca Vane added, her voice dripping with clinical disdain. “You’re making a mockery of our hierarchy.”
Genevieve took another step, invading my personal space. The scent of her expensive perfume clashed with the antiseptic smell of the showers. “So here is the audit, Miller. You’re going to resign. Tonight. You’re going to tell the Commandant you aren’t qualified to breathe the same air as us.”
I lifted my eyes. They were tired, but they were clear. “No.”
Genevieve’s face flushed a deep, angry red. “Excuse me?”
“I said no. The training cycle isn’t finished.”
“You think you have a choice?” Audrey sneered. “You think you can stand against the Draken-Aegis Council? Against our bloodlines?”
“I think,” I said softly, my voice dropping into a frequency that made the steam in the room seem to vibrate, “that you should leave now. Before this goes somewhere none of you are trained to handle.”
Genevieve snapped. “Then we do this the hard way.”
