Cold Warriors Page 13

  A smile crossed her lips. Yes, she did love him so very much. Perhaps there was a chance.

  Dr. Bishop stepped out of his office. The ribbons of his uniform and the sparkle of his rank and insignia switched the feelings in her heart and mind. Suddenly she didn't feel as sad; she just wanted to serve.

  "Ah, my best patient. How are you?"

  Her expression hardened. “I'm fine, Sir.” She immediately rose from her seat and stood at attention.

  His face soured. “My goodness you have changed. You're so very ... put together,” he said while scrutinizing her attire.

  "Sir, I have a mission brief in less than an hour, it is time for my injection."

  "Nice,” he glared. “At ease,” he said while waving her off. “Sometimes I'm too good.” He shook his head and sighed. “Somebody needs their dosage lowered."

  She cocked her head to the side, “I don't follow."

  "No you wouldn't. Have a seat, I'll be right back.” He walked away mumbling, “Definitely a lower dosage or just an antidote ... what do I have in stock?"

  A thought managed to crawl its way back into her mind. “I was supposed to do something?” she struggled to recall.

  The only thoughts she could remember were the mission, the briefing and her willingness to fight. “Who ... what was it?” she bit her bottom lip.

  Then it hit her. She grabbed the scrap of paper off the doctor's desk and wrote her response. Pleased with herself and happy, she smiled.

  The doctor returned and swabbed her arm. He wore a white lab coat and a friendly smile.

  She glanced at him and handed him the folded slip of paper. “Could you do me a favor and send something for me through the ship's mail?"

  "Depends. What is it?"

  "It's a note. I need for you to...” she winced and slurred her words as the doctor injected the cool liquid into her arm, “send ... something ... to the XO ... for ... me."

  He placed the needle aside and injected her with another. “It's not hate mail is it? Because I won't be party to anything of that nature unless I'm the author,” he chuckled.

  She glanced at him quizzically.

  He arched an eyebrow. “I'll be sure he gets it."

  0700 hours Glaucus System

  "This is a training exercise,” Keegan said while turning off the lights in the front of the briefing room. A large screen lowered from the ceiling. Pictures of a terrain with low rolling hills leading out into a plain flashed across the screen. He took out a laser pointer and started showing the team specific locations on the map.

  "You and two other teams will be inserting on planet. You are to make your way from this point to this point here. It is approximately two kilometers from your landing zone. You will be carrying on your person, gear for communication to locate your position, and a device. This device is to be inserted into the ground and activated. Afterwards, you are to high-tail it out of there to meet at this location where you will be extracted. Your commander on the ground will be Chief Warrant Officer Beller. Any questions?"

  Keegan's intense stare surveyed the room. Dozens of eyes followed his every move. They all sat quiet and still. One hand raised in the air. He pointed to a man in the back.

  "Are we going to be under attack?"

  "Yes, there will be simulated fire. Next."

  "How are we getting down there? Are you going to beam us down?” another cryo cracked.

  The other cryos chuckled.

  The joke was lost on Keegan. “I don't follow."

  "Alright that's enough,” Beller warned.

  "Colonel, he wants to know our method of transportation to and from the planet,” Caitlin offered.

  "By armored transport.” He frowned and continued. “Next."

  Caitlin raised her hand. He stopped and shifted his weight.

  "Driskoll."

  "How long do we have to accomplish this mission?” Caitlin asked trying to ignore the rush of emotion that swept through her.

  "From start to finish three hours. Any other questions?"

  The room fell silent.

  "What's the device we're planting in the ground?” another asked.

  "That is classified,” he answered looking her squarely in the eye. “Listen people. You will not be alone down there. Soldiers from the Powell and the Schwarzkoff will be participating on this mission along with your brothers and sisters from the Blanchard. Some of them will be friendly, some won't. It's your job to judge the difference, accomplish the mission and get back home.” He paused and glanced at their eager faces. “Good luck."

  * * * *

  Keegan stepped inside the darkened CIC. Sailors hurriedly monitored incoming communications and the status of the people on the ground. He knew he should have been on the bridge, but he was nervous and wanted to check on things himself instead of asking for constant updates. Normally something of this caliber wouldn't be a cause for nerves, but Caitlin was down there.

  He sighed trying to rid his body of tension. “How's it going down there?” he asked the officer on duty.

  "It just started. The Powell and the Schwarzkoff have already begun their offensive and several of the cryos backed by two of our squads are actively engaging."

  "Roger that Clodagh, he's on your six,” the CAG's voice crackled through the loud speakers.

  "Milk Man calling Desert Moon,” a man's voice echoed over the loud speaker.

  "Desert Moon here,” an operation specialist answered peering at his monitor.

  "We are approximately one click away and soft target has gone hard. Do we proceed? Over."

  The Tac officer nodded to the operation specialist. “Proceed with caution. Over."

  Keegan recognized the man's voice calling in, it was Beller. And where there was Beller, there was Caitlin.

  * * * *

  "Okay, our guardian angels have given us the go ahead.” Beller handed the communicator back to the operator. His squad huddled around him like a football team receiving plays from their quarterback. They were scared and Beller knew it.

  "Yeah, but it's, like, we're surrounded,” one of them remarked.

  "Yeah but, like, so what?” he mocked. “We have a job to do so let's do it."

  "What are the rules of engagement?” Caitlin asked. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. All she could hear were explosions and people yelling.

  "Shoot to kill."

  The others looked at him in horror. After all this was just a training exercise.

  "What happened to your spirit?"

  "We got it Chief.” Michaels answered.

  The others didn't respond.

  "Don't worry, they're filled with blanks,” he snorted answering their incriminating stares.

  "Oh.” they said and nodded. Caitlin was fearful, but decided it was not going to help matters by voicing it.

  She looked at them with horror. Are these the people that are supposed to be watching my back? The only experienced operators were Beller and Michaels, everyone else was new. Terror grew inside of her.

  "Keep your heads together and do your job. Don't forget to watch your ass and your buddy's too. You do this and we'll get out all right. Let's move out."

  The wind whipped around them just as it began to snow. Caitlin and Michaels brought up the rear of her squad, keeping a look out for any unfriendlies. They were to make sure that no one followed them.

  She held her rifle, which had been specially outfitted for the cold, close to her body. Though she favored colder climates, her M20 did not. It had a tendency to freeze up when condensation formed on it, so she kept it close to her body like a newborn child. It was the only way of keeping it sufficiently dry.

  She rubbed her nose, wiping away a trickle of liquid. She glanced at the sky. Daylight mixed with descending clouds. Her comm unit crackled in her ear. “Eyes peeled,” the voice said.

  She rolled onto her back and reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of gum. In boot they told her that chewing was good for the nerves and kept you from
biting your tongue when the recoil of the rifle hit. So far they were right.

  Placing the wrapper into her pocket, Caitlin rolled onto her stomach and peered through her scope. Seeing a figure in the distance, she checked the trigger safety lock making sure it was disengaged. She remained still, poised to fire. Continuing to peer through the scope, she hoped to get a better fix on the target. As the person moved closer, she vaguely recalled her instructor's first lesson while on the firing range: Never point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.

  Then she began to doubt.

  What if this person was a friendly? Even though they were using blanks, being shot by your own wouldn't go over too well during the mission brief.

  She lowered her weapon. The person gestured to her. She squinted trying to understand his signal. Unsure, she radioed Beller.

  "Bell, this Cate. Do you read?” she whispered

  The comm crackled in her ear. She glanced around. He was nowhere to be seen. She tried again with no answer. She spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. At her eight o'clock position she spotted Michaels.

  "Michaels,” she spoke quietly into the comm while looking through her scope. “Check out your three o'clock."

  She peered at the squad's rear gunner through her scope. He gestured at her than shook his head.

  "I guess he must be a friend,” she sighed surveying the area around her. Without warning a jet flew overhead whipping up dust and dirt around her. She chewed slowly observing the area when she saw the worst sight a soldier could ever see. A man, apparently a cryo whom she didn't recognize, jumped up and ran across the field screaming.

  "What the Hell?” She frowned. Her comm unit crackled briefly. The soldier's voice screamed in her ear. “No! I can't do it! I won't do it!"

  "Shit. This is not good,” she grumbled.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  "What the Hell happened?!” Keegan stormed into the launch bay just as the armored transport's doors opened. Things went from bad to worse down there and he didn't need to hear the guffawing of the CIC personnel to know it.

  "What the Hell happened?” the CAG asked hopping down from his plane and storming toward the transport.

  Keegan watched as two medics helped a bleeding cryo to the infirmary on a stretcher while another was assisted on foot. He wanted answers from the commander in the field. It was his job to keep an eye on his people and get the pulse of what was going on down there.

  Appearing disgusted and angry, Beller exited the transport and stopped in front of the Keegan.

  "Beller what happened?” he asked as the CAG took a place next to him.

  "More than you'll ever want to know."

  "Save the smart ass remarks, I want you and your team in the briefing room on the double,” Keegan ordered.

  * * * *

  "We're not ready.” Beller answered quietly. His shook his head and rubbed his hair.

  Keegan paced back and forth as he tried to regain his bearing. He had big problems. Not only were they under-trained, but were they also cowards? The CAG leaned against the wall staring at his friend.

  Leaning forward in the chair, Beller explained. “Apparently Michaels was alerted to a possible enemy presence—"

  "How? Your comm packs didn't contain any biomonitoring equipment."

  "Yes they did."

  "What kind?"

  "The old fashioned one called eyes and ears,” he retorted. “Michaels is the one carrying the big gun, it's his job to watch our ass!"

  "It's Michaels’ job to vaporize people!” Keegan replied. “It's his team members’ job to scope ‘em out."

  Beller shot him a glance then shifted in his seat. The colonel could tell that he was hiding something.

  "Who alerted him?” Keegan asked knowingly looking to his right. His glance fell upon Caitlin. Just before the mission, he went over their specs and hers. It was her job to alert the team and to watch the team's rear along with the rear gunner.

  "I did, Sir,” Caitlin answered.

  "Shut your trap,” Beller ordered.

  Caitlin leaned back in the chair and folded her arms. The colonel shot Beller a dirty look and narrowed his eyes. He knew he was doing right by protecting his team but now was not the time. This was a major screw-up that could not be repeated in battle.

  "Go on,” Keegan said to her. Though he cared for her, this was not the time to play favorites.

  She looked to Beller, he nodded and she continued. “I saw someone approaching the target area. I couldn't make out who it was and they made some sort of gesture to me. I wasn't certain if it was friend or foe. I alerted Michaels to check it out and to tell Beller. That's when he ran."

  "Who ran?” The CAG perked up.

  "I don't know, Sir. Some guy."

  "What guy?” the CAG asked jumping in before Keegan could speak.

  Startled, Keegan looked at his friend as if to say, shut-up, I'm handling it.

  "Some guy. He was a cryo. I tried my C.O. again, then the next thing I know Anders is up, too."

  "Where did Anders go?” Keegan asked knowing something like this was bound to happen. They panicked in battle.

  "Presumably after him."

  "What did you do?” the CAG asked

  "I stayed to complete my mission."

  The CAG stood in front of her. “Stand up.” He eyed her up and down. “You stayed behind?” he asked slowly.

  "Get off her back,” Beller barked. “It's not her fault. They took off ‘cause something got into them."

  "Are you saying they were trying to desert?” Keegan asked accusingly.

  "I don't know if they were going to desert or going berserk. All I know is these guys lost it and she stayed with the rest of us to complete the mission."

  "And while you were completing the mission 1169, what was the status of the unknown who came into your position?"

  Caitlin stared into the CAG's eyes.

  "I don't know,” she answered icily.

  "You see, in the Corps we have a little thing called rules of engagement. And do you recall yours during this mission?"

  "Yes, Sir."

  "They were?"

  "Shoot to kill."

  "Did you do that?"

  "No, Sir."

  "Did it occur to you when you first saw this person, to shoot first and then ask questions later?” The anger in his voice became more apparent with each question.

  "No, Sir."

  "And why not?!"

  "Because I wasn't sure if he was a friend or foe."

  "If you were unsure, it was your job to take a closer look and then take him out. Because of your hesitation, you jeopardized an entire mission."

  "No, Sir."

  "What?!"

  "No, Sir."

  "Did it occur to you to alert your C.O. and follow Anders?!” he shouted.

  "No."

  "It never occurred to you to watch his back!” He moved in closer practically staring down at her.

  "No it didn't!"

  "Why?"

  "Because I didn't want to abandon my post."

  "You think doing your job is abandoning your post!"

  "No. I think joining a screaming man on a rampage across a hill is!” She shouted back. “As for Anders, she went after the first guy just as we were being bombed by one of your ships!"

  "Who do you think you're talking to?” the CAG yelled inches away from her face.

  "You best just step off,” she barked at him.

  "Are you threatening me!” he yelled, his face inches from hers. “Huh? You got something smart to say to me?!"

  "Back off!” Keegan yelled, “At ease, Colonel! Now!"

  The CAG backed away. “Your ass is mine."

  * * * *

  Beads of perspiration ran down Caitlin's face as she sat alone in the brig. The temperature in the tiny cell seemed to rise with each breath. She leaned against the bars wiping sweat from her brow. “Hey, could you get me a medic!"

  The MP in the distance igno
red her request. She studied the small gray cell with one cot and a crude toilet in the corner. In the ceiling she spied an air vent. She rushed over and stood atop the cot. Trying to grasp, she caught on the second jump. She grunted as she hauled herself up hoping to meet cool air. Instead she was greeted with a bath of balmy heat causing her to tumble on to the floor.

  "Well lookie here, the ship's ice cube is starting to melt,” the CAG growled.

  A bead of perspiration ran down her face. He was right, she was melting.

  "Get up, you're coming with me,” he ordered.

  * * * *

  Caitlin's arms burned as she pulled herself up to the bar. Her heart pounded in her ears and her hair and clothes were drenched in sweat.

  "You think you can come out of nowhere and disregard the chain of command?"

  She tried to pull her chin to the bar again but fell to the ground instead. She attempted to stand but staggered and collapsed to the floor.

  "Get up! I am not finished with you!"

  "I can't,” she wheezed. The air was hot and humid. Her arms felt like melting plastic and the room was beginning to spin.

  "Get up now! Move your ass!"

  Caitlin jumped up and grabbed hold of the metal bar. She tried to maintain her grip but was unable to. Her boots hit the floor first with a loud thwack followed by her hands as she tried to recover. Her eyesight blurred as her body cramped.

  "Women like you are vampires. You suck the life out of people. You drain them of morale, you break up the team."

  She craned her neck trying to focus in his direction.

  "Don't you eyeball me!"

  She crawled on the floor, “I need water."

  He craned down towards the floor. “You like being on the floor ... is that how trash like you feels comfortable?"

  She attempted to stand.

  "Stay down and give me a hundred. Push ‘em out now!"

  She hopped down into the standard position and began to crank them out.

  "You people don't seem to understand that as long as you are here, you are under our command! You got that?!” he yelled down at her.

  "Yes, Sir,” she answered weakly, collapsing.