"West has already explained about that."
McQueen started to walk away.
"Sir?" Shane said, stopping him. "Make sure you don't hum."
McQueen turned and frowned.
"You'll get caught in his nightmare, and you might find it hard to get out. "
"We'll talk about the order later."
"Yes, sir," Shane said.
The old man was mumbling. Shane leaned close and tried to make out the words. He was muttering something about going home to his daughter.
And he was smiling.
The Verdict
They waited in their bunks, the glow from their tiny bunk lamps casting shadows across their faces. No one spoke. The blood, the helmet, the bugs, all their fears were quiet now.
In a moment, McQueen would come in and deliver the verdict on Damphousse.
"They're gonna get me," Vanessa sighed. "I'm finished."
"Then they should get all of us," said Cooper.
"I disobeyed an order too," Shane said. "McQueen's order."
"They're not interested in that," Nathan said. "They're not even that interested in the fact that Vanessa disobeyed the order. They're just trying to figure out what happened to us, and the rest of the Marines out there."
"So it won't happen again," said Cooper.
"I don't think they believed us," Damphousse said. "Their eyes screamed suspicion."
"Look," Wang said. "We all told them about the lights. We've got the burns to prove it. They've gotta believe us."
"If they believed us," Nathan said, "there never would have been an inquiry in the first place."
"But what about the others?" Wang said. "What about the ones they rescued? They all told the same story. "
"There weren't that many," Nathan said. "Not enough. Too many died out there."
Shane spoke the words they were all thinking. "It's what each of us didn't tell them that'll make the difference," she whispered.
She was referring to the fears they had tried to keep hidden. But the light had brought them out for everyone to see.
"Whatever happens," Damphousse said. "I want you guys to know this. When we were in the thick of it all, Paul kept saying, 'this isn't us.' But I know it was the part that really was us that kept us alive."
They were thinking about this when McQueen entered.
"The inquiry panel has voted against further investigation," he said. "They are not going to charge you."
"So, you believed us?" Wang asked.
"We believed you were subjected to an unknown Chig weapon," McQueen explained. "If we've learned one thing in this war, it's that the enemy is capable of anything."
McQueen smiled. "Get some rest," he said. "You've earned it."
When he was gone, the members of the 58th lay back in their bunks and closed their eyes.
"The enemy was down there," Cooper said after a moment. "But it wasn't the Chigs."
Then, one by one, they reached up and turned off their bunk lights.
Shane was last. It took her a second to flick off her light. But she did, and the world faded to black.
Table of Contents
The Hearing
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
The Hearing—Wang
The Hearing—West
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
The Hearing—Hawkes
Chapter Ten
The Hearing—Damphousse
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
The Hearing—Vansen
Chapter Fifteen
The Verdict
Space Above and Beyond - #4 The Enemy - Dina Anastasio Page 6
