But as members of the press corps spotted her, silence spread quickly across the large space. Shocked stillness settled over them all. She stared at them and they stared back, taking in her rather dramatic appearance. Personally, she relished her all-over shade of beige, caused by the thin layer of mud residue.

She spoke into the microphone. “If you all can start early, I have places to go and things to do.”

It took a minute or so of scrambling, but the lights went on, and when she got thumbs-ups from the camera crews, she spoke into the microphone. At least this time Schneider hadn’t bothered writing down prepared remarks for her.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for coming out today to check in on me. As you can see, I’m still standing. In an effort to keep this short so I can get back to my teammates, I’m going to make a quick statement and try to anticipate most of your questions.”

She noted movement in the back of the theater as a silent row of SEAL instructors filed in, much like last time. Except this time she could put names with the faces. She knew who the jerks were, who the decent guys were, who the skeptics were, and who her silent supporters were.

Dryly, she said, “Yes. BUD/S is hard. No, I don’t like it. Nobody does. Yes, I get along fine with my teammates. No, I don’t get along with my instructors. Nobody does.” That got a laugh out of the reporters.

She continued, “I’ve had a few minor injuries along the way, which is perfectly normal. No, I don’t feel particularly discriminated against, nor do I feel singled out or favored. I’m just another trainee, which is a tribute to the professionalism of my instructors and fellow trainees. The hardest part is always the next training evolution, and as SEALs are fond of saying, the only easy day was yesterday.”

There. Griffin had just slipped into the back of the auditorium. She didn’t even have to look up from the reporters to feel his presence.

She finished up with, “I have every reason to believe I’ll make it through the remainder of Phase I. Particularly since I would rather die than quit. Let’s see. What else? I don’t know where I fall in class ranking. I don’t care. I’m giving it my all, and that’s what matters to me. That and doing my best to see my teammates make it through, too. That’s all I’ve got for you today.”

“Why are you covered in dirt?” someone shouted out.

“Because I left my teammates running relay races through mud flats, and I plan to rejoin them as soon as we’re finished here.” She caught movement in the wings stage left, and out of the corner of her eye spotted an admiral’s gold sleeve stripes.