This is why I think to myself, I don’t want a fucking girl on my team.
“Guess she handled it then.” I tell T-Rex, even though I’m annoyed at myself.
I should have taken fifteen seconds and listened to her explanation. Then gone back in there and finished the job for her, given that asswipe a black eye and bloody nose. But, I’m hard on her. Because if I admit the truth to myself, I’m deeply attracted to her, and being hard on her, punishing her, not listening to what she has to say, it’s my defense against that attraction.
Am I still hoping she’ll give up and go home? Yes.
I stomp out of the head and to the supply room to gear up.
There is a mission to complete. I can worry about Ryan later.
24
Ryan
We hit the target early in the morning, hopefully before any tangos are awake. The sun is just coming up as our rolling convoy pulls into position. I don’t really like clearing multiple story buildings, as it means we lose high-ground advantage. But, here I am, with six marines, and three of my team, T-Rex, Hanzo and of course our esteemed leader Broussard, silently climbing a stair well in the south corner of building two.
As we clear the west side, we hear gunfire erupt from the east. The building is a shelled out concrete apartment building. We hurriedly clear out the three east facing apartments while communicating to the other teams to find out what is going on.
The gunfire is coming from a building kitty corner to the one we are in. In less than thirty minutes the one behind us will be fodder for the Air Force’s highly targeted missiles.
“Alpha team needs cover,” is the command consensus.
“Delta team has a good visual,” is the return confirmation.
“We are clear to engage,” comes Broussard’s yell from the corner apartment. I swear these buildings are put together with paper and spit, his voice comes through so clearly from two rooms away.
I look to Hanzo and he knocks out the glass from our east facing window.
Hanzo, a Marine named Sullivan, and I take positions.
I can just make out the shadowy figures on the ramparts of the building across the street. It’s probably less than a hundred yards.
They are doing a good job of taking cover in between firing rounds at Alpha team.
I don’t hesitate- just lay down some suppressive cover. The rat-tat-tat of my gun is not the only one echoing in my ear.
A bullet hits the concrete wall just beneath me.
I duck down to reload. “Yo, chief. Return fire. Twelve o’clock.”
I’m a bit in disbelief that it came from directly across from us. What’d they do, drop us down in an infested snake pit? The intelligence we had said those buildings were empty as of two hours before our targeting time- according to infrared imaging from a satellite.
“Confirmed. Tangos at twelve o’clock.”
I look at Hanzo and Sullivan where they had taken cover next to me.
“Can you get a grenade over there, Hanzo?”
“Shit no. It’s more likely to fall down into the street.”
I was just about to ask for other options, when the whizz bang of grenade launcher registers in my brain.
I grab the marine next to me by the front of his shirt and pull him with me. I’m not sure if it is my forward momentum or a push from the grenade blast, but we clear the room entirely and land in a crumpled heap beneath plaster and concrete in the hall.
Pushing into a sitting position I check on Sullivan. He is laid out, but coughing dust - so I know he is breathing.
Before I can yell to Hanzo, Broussard is in my face, pulling me up by my Kevlar vest and yelling at me.
“ARE YOU OK? TALK TO ME RYAN.”
“I’m fine…” I do a quick scan on my body. Bruises and my right ear seems to be throbbing painfully, but…”I’m fine.”
“WE’RE FALLING BACK.”
I nod my affirmative, while he turns around to give orders.
Just then an enormous boom shakes the entire building. It comes from the west side, the Air Force guys had found their target.
Hanzo is already up, with gun at the ready, looking hardly the worse for wear. Guess me and Sullivan had been in the main blow out area.
T-Rex pats me on the back as he passes, and a cloud of plaster dust puffs up from my shoulder. We go round the building and back down the stairs. I collect my nerves and stuff them away so I can be at the ready as we exit the building.
The only problem is, the gunfire from across the street has us pinned down and unable to get back to our convoy where it is parked to the south of us.
The first floor team, Charlie, already has good defensive positions and are laying out return fire. We stand just inside the doorway, catching our breaths while Broussard is on the comm requesting backup to hit the tangos from the back.
A couple more grenades hit the building, their deep booms echoing in the stairwell, but not causing any damage in our immediate vicinity. The gunfire keeps up it’s constant rat-tat-tat.
Broussard yells, “Backup denied. Airstrike denied. We’re going to split up and circle around. Delta team with me. Charlie team stay here and keep ‘em occupied. Give me an ammo count!”
T-Rex yells a “Hoo-Yah! Four up!” Meaning he had four magazines left.
Hanzo, Sullivan and I all give our counts as we file in for a short walk.
Broussard
I scan the hall for Ryan. She is leaning against the wall- face dirty white with plaster dust and sweat. A little trickle of blood from her right ear, most likely a ruptured eardrum. I consider ordering her to stay hunkered down here with Charlie team, but immediately dismiss the idea when my gut protests at separating. The best way to look out for her, protect her, is to keep her close.
As T-Rex leads the team around to the back exit, I call out an order for Ryan on our comm line.
“Give me a report, Ryan. What’s your status?”
“All good, Chief.”
She gives me a thumbs up before bringing her rifle to her shoulder and ducking low and left out the back door.
I follow, laying out the route in my head, recalling the geographic maps and our positioning. It should take us less than fifteen minutes to circle the outside block and come up behind the tangos.
The first seven minutes go fine. It is when we go to cross an alley that all hell breaks lose. Zips and splats of gunfire erupts, hitting all around and in the alley; half the team has already crossed ahead of me and T-Rex. The last marine to cross was the unlucky one- bleeding from a gunshot wound in his leg,he is laying down in the middle of the alley. Before I can communicate our location, and ask for a med team, Ryan breaks into the middle of the alley, Hanzo laying down cover fire for her while she drags the marine back behind the cover of the far building. I lay down my own cover fire for her, while acknowledging the sharp stab of panic that has my heartbeat increasing tempo the minute I see Ryan break into the alley. The fear and panic do crazy things to my chest and I don’t like it.
She and Hanzo are now assessing the injuries, rapidly pulling things from his med kit, while the other members of the team stand protective and alert around them.
I am beyond tired of this FUBAR situation. I call in our location, and thankfully, the higher-ups gave the OK for a little more firepower relief in the form of a missile loaded Humvee. It makes short work of the insurgents in the alley, and we are able to get the marine medevac’d quickly. We continue our trek to circle around the block, and come up behind the tangos pinning Alpha team down.
Thankfully, the element of surprise is on our side, and we are able to quickly eliminate them. Some realize the futility of their situation within moments and give up. The rest after a short ten minute gun battle.
We re-clear the buildings. I take note of the hole in the wall where Ryan was when I pass by it a second time. It is the size of a Volkswagen. The fear that I could have been mopping Ryan off these plaster walls is real. I don’t know why it seems so much w
orse than the normal worry I feel for those under my command. I just know I don’t like it one bit.
25
Ryan
Another day in the desert. I’m rehashing some of the day’s events as I sit outside the guard tower watching the gate below me. It’s three-thirty AM and nothing is stirring.
“South Tower, standard check. No activity.” I speak into my comm.
A few moments later, as I am stifling a yawn, the tower door opens, and out walks Chief Broussard.
“Hey, Ryan.”
He sits down beside me and when I inhale, his clean masculine scent tickles my senses.
“Hey, Chief.”
We are both quiet for a few moments. I’m trying to come up with some reason for him being out here, but all I can come up with is that he is checking up on me.
“You did good today, Ryan.”
“Thanks, Chief.”
Seconds tick by, minutes and nothing breaks the interlude.
“I wanted to apologize, Ryan,” Chief Broussard begins, “I should have listened to your explanation about the scuffle in the briefing room yesterday morning.”
I’m flabbergasted. I think this is the first time any commander of mine as apologized- and quite a turnaround from the usual annoyance I read from Broussard.
“Oh. Um…” is all I get out in response before hastily tacking on, “apology accepted.”
We sit quietly for a few minutes more, and a chill breeze causes me to shiver.
“It’s pretty quiet out here,” from Broussard.
When I don’t respond immediately, he says on a sigh, “Guess your not going to make it easy on me.”
“Sir?”
“I’m trying to...pass the time. Make small talk. Get to know you a little, Ryan.”
“Oh.”
I look over at him. He’s in full uniform, geared out like we are required to do for guard duty. Sexy stubble on his chin and eyes glittering at me through the semi-darkness. I’m not sure but I think his lips are tilted up in a half-smile.
“Are you planning to stay a while, sir?”
“Yea, I thought I’d keep you company tonight.”
Butterflies explode in my stomach.
Keep calm, Ryan.
Broussard
Is there anything more alluring than Ryan decked out in full battle gear? I’m not sure. I told myself I was just going to come up and apologize then leave. But, now I am sitting beside her, wanting to prolong our contact. She’s not making it easy though. Damn near the silent treatment. I can see the gears spinning in her head though.
Still waters run deep is the phrase I’d use to describe Ryan. It’s close to the end of our shift now, the sun starting to peek over the horizon- the barest lightening of the sky.
Cars have been going along the main thoroughfare for half an hour now, and I watch and think about the people going about their daily lives as if their neighborhood is not an active warzone.
A gray sedan approaches the gate just to the right of us at about fifty yards out.
Ryan puts her rifle scope up to her eye while I listen in to the reports coming from the gate.
“Scheduled. Army officer Al Abir meeting with General Taal. Vehicle unknown. Proceed with caution, need visual and retina scan confirmation.”
The air swells with vigilant apprehension.
The guard steps up to the car, the retina scan computer in his hands, while a bomb sniffing German Shepherd and his handler do the standard checks around the vehicle.
A sudden rat-tat-tat of gunfire disrupts the routine. The guards take cover while the driver of the vehicle attempts to back up-but gets abruptly stopped by the pylons. The gunfire continues while I spot where it is coming from.
“One o’clock, Ryan.”
She doesn’t hesitate and opens fire at the insurgents standing behind the corner building.
A grenade comes from behind the wall and hits the car at the gate.
Officer Abir is probably toast, his car smoking, all the while gunfire chips away the concrete around the gatehouse.
The guards have successfully found cover in their fortifications, but we need to eliminate the threat so they can get back inside - an involved process at this FOB.
The communications are flying back and forth, and I am relaying information myself to the higher ups as Ryan keeps up a steady of stream of return fire.
She’s suddenly standing up behind the firing wall, giving it all she’s got.
I look into the street, where two insurgent’s technicals have pulled to a stop, their guns pointed at our tower.
I see the operator of the left vehicle drop dead in my peripheral vision, just as I pull the trigger to hit the one on the right.
Somehow that fucker still manages to pull the trigger and the whoomp of a grenade launch reaches my ears.
Ryan pushes me down, inside the tower, her body weight following, as we fall uncontrolled in a jumbled evade maneuver. I see the back of her head hit the concrete floor as a dust cloud of mortar plumes out behind her.
I’m up and to her within seconds.
“Shit, Ryan, are you alright?”
The noise outside the wall has increased and judging by the radio comms flying back and forth the reinforcements have arrived.
Her eyes focus on me.
“Yea, I’m fine.” She sits up and her eyes seem unfocused. I call for a medic.
“What about you,” she says pointing to my neck.
I put my hand up to it and come away with a little trickle of blood.
“Yea, I’m fine,” I tell her.
Abruptly all the gunfire stops, signaling the success of our backup. She starts laughing, while I just shake my head. Our medic and support have arrived.
She gets the once over, same as I do; A butterfly band aid is the extent of the medical attention I need. Ryan’s eval seems to be taking a bit longer, so I listen in while the medic examines her. Checking for a possible concussion.
She refuses to go to the medical clinic for a scan.
“Go get cleaned up, Ryan.” I tell her, “I’ll handle the debriefing.”
She nods just once, and slings her rifle over her shoulder.
I turn towards the medic.
“I’ll keep an eye on her for concussion symptoms,” I tell him.
He packs up his kit, and gives me a nod.
“You know where to report should she present any symptoms, Master Chief?”
“Sure do. Thanks kid.”
26
Ryan
“Listen up, Pussies. We have a mission.” Broussard breaks into our idle workout.
I set down the dumbbell in my hand and wipe the sweat off my face with the bottom of my shirt. T-Rex re-racks his weights with a clang, while the rest of the team follows suit to give their full undivided attention to the chief.
Per usual, my gut clenches at the sight of the Chief's handsome face. Ignore it. Ignore it. I repeat it over and over in my head, until T-Rex catches my eye. He gives me a questioning look since I still haven’t moved from my spot in the corner of the tent. I roll my eyes and step into the impromptu huddle the guys created around Broussard.
“We are heading out tomorrow morning to the Death Pass. We’ll be flushing out insurgents that have been making transports impossible.” He continues, “We’ll be inserting via chopper on the south side, while Seal Team Eight will insert on the north. Prepare for up to two weeks in rough terrain. Our trek should take us a week if we don’t run into any issues. But we fully expect to engage the enemy at some point or points. Any questions?” He finishes.
His eyes connect with mine and the trill of attraction swirls in my stomach. After seconds tick by that feel like minutes he looks away breaking the connection. When nobody pipes in, he says, “All right, official briefing tonight twenty hundred.”
“Hoo-Yah!” is the cheer that goes up at his last statement.
The huddle breaks up when Broussard gives a head nod and leaves out the tent.
T-Rex comes over to me.
“You ready to get dirty, little chicky?” He asks me while sitting down on the weight bench.
“Hells yea, T. You know it won’t be the first time.”
He laughs at that. “And what’s up with you and the chief?”
I look around to make sure none of the other guys are listening in to our conversation. Then ask, “What do you mean?”
He gives me a look that means he doesn’t believe in my playing dumb look.
“I could cut the tension with a knife.” He says.
“That’s just in your head. There’s no tension.” I tell him. I now have the worry that everybody in the world can read my attraction to Broussard on my face. I grab my empty water bottle and spin out of the tent. No need to keep this conversation going. I nearly crash into Broussard in my haste to get away. My chest a hairs-breadth away from hitting his shoulder, I do a inelegant shuffle to stop the impact.
“Sorry, Chief.” I say after regaining my balance.
“No worries, Ryan.”
I nod my head an keep on walking.
Broussard
I watch Ryan disappear through the maze of tents and temporary buildings. She seemed out of sorts, but I couldn’t imagine why. She had performed exceptionally well on every D.A. we’ve been on- I can’t imagine that this one would make her scared or nervous. I fold up the orders I had been reviewing, and turn back into the tent. Let my eyes adjust to the shade. The scent of sweat and heat and dust assaults my nose.
I find T-Rex sitting over on one of the weight benches. I make my way over to him.
“What’s up with Ryan?” I ask him. No need to beat around the bush.
“What you mean Chief?”
I scratch my chin and the stubble that has turned into a near beard there.
“She seemed off. I don’t know- you think it’s finally getting to her?” I ask him hoping I don’t sound like an overly concerned boyfriend. Fuck. I don’t ever ask any of the other guys if the shit we see or the situations we are in ever fuck with their minds- and I know for a fact that sometimes it does.
The Distance Between Dreams Page 9
