The static sound faded. “All right boys. Be at ease.” Sounded from the bullhorn. This was followed by the sound of about two hundred soldiers getting into more comfortable positions.
Shaw looked at his men from his raised dais. His face bore little emotion. Ben could see a permanent grimace on the countenance of the old man. Shaw raised the bullhorn back to his mouth.
“You boys have done an admirable job the last few days. You’ve done it without complaint and without question. I want to tell you that you’ve done good. I want to tell you that you’ve done what all them higher-ups never had the balls to do. You did what you had to.”
A brief pause as Shaw thought about his words.
“What we’re doing here, is what’s required of us. We’re exterminating as much of the threat to those few remaining healthy folks as we can. They won’t thank you for it! But I am.”
“And all that, when every one of us is suffering the same effects. I’ve seen men volunteer to be shot, so that they will not become a threat to their brothers in arms. Now that’s what I call true loyalty and honor. I’ve been around. Trust me, I’ve seen it all. I’ve tried to be loyal and honourable. Fuck.” Shaw grimaced with distaste. “Enough to have my own career shit on several times. But I would rather hang with you boys any day! It beats kissing ass and collecting stars.”
He paused again and shook his head slightly
“Sorry boys, I’m rambling.”
He looked at his men now. He really looked. Ben felt Shaw’s eyes meet his, just like everybody else must have. Only, Ben had to drop his gaze.
You’re a disgrace, and not worth this!
Shaw continued talking. “I think that today’s mission might just be our last.”
“We will throw another mission at you tomorrow, should we still be a battle-effective unit.”
His voice and manner told his troops that he didn’t expect that to happen though.
“For today, you will be under the leadership of Captains Matheson and Horner here –” Shaw indicated the Captains with a small wave of his hand.
“Both good men. Glad they are still with us. I think we just might have outlasted all the pencil pushing oxygen thieves!” For the first time Shaw showed a hint of amusement as Ben watched the officer grin.
The grin faded fast.
“We’re tackling the airport today, boys. Matheson and Horner will take charge in the field. The primary goal is to remove all tangoes. The secondary goal is to minimize damage to the airport itself. We want that airport to be functional for future use.”
Shaw sighed once. The old man’s face was permanently set in a scowl, but his eyes betrayed some sadness.
“You’re good men. And damn fine soldiers. Thank you. I appreciate what you are doing.”
Just like that the moment of weakness passed. “We got a job to do, boys, and we’re going to get it done. I expect a successful mission, and all of you soldiers back here at camp this evening. Good luck. ... Dismissed.”
He turned away, to the aggressive sounds of Sergeants getting their troops mounted up into the vehicles. The only armor they had was the half-tons with their 50cal guns.
We got no Ass, as they say. Ben thought as he followed Garcia to the back of a truck.
Ben got a hand up onto the back of the military truck. He shuffled down and took his spot, just like he’d been taught. Garcia sat to his left. Across from him sat another soldier. ‘Johansson’ his name badge read. Next to him there was ‘Simons’. Then ‘Chang’. Then ‘Lewis’, and then ‘Akimbe’. Ben looked at all the men, read their names, and offered a silent apology.
Hi, my name is Brown. Sorry about all this. I’m with the group responsible for the death of your wife, your children, your mom... You.
The truck started moving, jostling the soldiers as they drove out of the compound and on to the uneven dirt road. The sun was little more than a brighter patch of horizon in a midnight blue sky.
It was several minutes later that Ben stiffened suddenly. He sensed that he was being watched. He looked across the aisle at Johansson. The soldier was staring back at him with an intense look. Ben felt as if Johansson was looking right through him.
He knows! Ohmygod-ohmygod whatdoIdo!
“Hey... Brown.”
Too late.
“You got a wife? Kids?”
“Um ... No.” Ben stumbled over the words.
Johansson just nodded and continued.
“She told me... She said go see the kids. They won’t understand. So, I went to see them. She was right. They didn’t understand. My little girl got so mad at me that she hit me and ran off...”
Johansson put his hand on a spot just above his bicep, remembering the last physical contact he had with his daughter.
He stared off into space for several moments. Ben could see him struggling with his emotions.
“I think... If we make it through today–” The guy two seats over from him – Chang – put his hand on Johansson’s knee and shook his head, warning him not to say what he was about to say.
You’re going AWOL, aren’t you. You’re going home. Do it, Johansson. You’ve done enough already.
Johansson swallowed his words. He looked over at Chang with a mixture of spite and gratefulness, clamped his mouth shut, and didn’t say another word for the entire ninety-minute drive.
TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT.
Ben came back to the present. It had started to rain. The wind caught the rain every once in a while, making it patter against the glass in the observation tower. The sound was irregular yet strangely soothing.
Wind, silence, wind, tat tat tat tat tat. Silence, wind, tat tat tat tat tat.
The sound reminded Ben of the battle and all the bullets.
A veritable gale of bullets.
The convoy of trucks had parked about half a mile from the airport, along a back road. The soldiers had disembarked and been led to the staging area.
The plan was fairly simple.
