A Soldier’s Passion Page 17

  An evil grin spread across Vincent’s face as he looked over my shoulder.

  “How about there?” He suggested.

  I looked up to see the observation bunker. It had a roof that jutted out from the side of a very steep hill. There was some scruffy foliage on the hill. It was an audacious location. I smiled.

  “Nice,” I said.

  We each carried a military issued blanket. One was spread on the concrete roof. The other went over us along with some of the foliage. We were on our sides. Vincent’s was behind me with his head above mine. The blanket and brush concealed our skin and hair and clothing as well as providing warmth. We shifted into a meditative state to keep absolutely still. I surrounded us with a weak magnetic field to obscure our bodies from scanners. Though I would never put it in a training manual, I couldn’t help but think the press of Vincent’s body did wonders for my focus.

  The observers were assembled a little after 0730. Generals Mueller and Braun, a few of the trainers, Dr. Auerbach and Eloise Kramer were there. Remak arrived with an assistant. They had been checking on the battle bots and other automatic obstacles. A few moments after that, Raden and Maximilian and the rest of the squad arrived. There was profound confusion and some annoyance over our apparent absence.

  “The last place they were seen was the high school with Robert Greven. Their car is still in that area,” Remak said. “The last time a camera picked them up was 06:30.”

  “Blitz can blank a camera by himself,” Raden said thoughtfully. “But how could he hide Hardcase.”

  “There are no readings for either of them on this course,” Remak said.

  “Start the exercise,” Mueller said suddenly. “They are here. I don’t know how, but they are here.”

  There was a lot of saluting and scurrying after that. Raden and Maximilian scanned the area with narrowed eyes. I wasn’t concerned. They could spot the best in elite conventional soldiers, but they could never spot me if I didn’t want to be seen. We simply watched and waited.

  Vincent and I had discussed was likely to be on that course aside from Raden, Maximilian and the special ops squad. Remak liked trip activated turrets. Near them would be machine gun nests, snipers or both. There would be tanks and land mines. Remak was very clever. One attack would be a distraction from the second or third wave.

  There was a turret 30 feet from the bunker. I suspected there were mines near it. We agreed to attack the turret and whatever was around it then sweep to the left. Maximilian liked to sweep right. There was never any way of knowing what Raden was going to do.

  “Power up,” I said quietly as I did the same. There was a lot of energy in the air because of all of the weapons systems. “On two, we stand. On three, we go up and over.”

  I felt Vincent nod.

  “One...two...three!”

  We easily bounced up 20 feet then arced that same distance to come down in front of the turrets. I shot a burst of energy toward the ground and detonated two land mines. We landed in the aftermath of that blast. I kept us shielded as I melted my turret while Vincent shattered his. I knocked a sniper from his post in a tree with an energy blast while Vincent grabbed the machine gun and flung it and its operator toward the bunker. He knew there were no land mines there. We cleared the area in less than 20 seconds and were on the move.

  Everyone expected a conventional attack strategy from me, but I was bouncing off broken walls and tanks and trees like my lover. Our movements and speed kept our opponents from figuring out that we were actively keeping within six feet of each other. But this was no cakewalk. There was no way I could keep us constantly shielded, so we go singed and there were some very near misses with live rounds.

  The tanks were tough – especially the flying one sent our way by Maximilian who didn’t know we were in the line of fire. While we were trying to get out of the way of that, Raden took a shot at us. I converted the energy from his blast and sent it through Vincent who deflected the tank. I sent a good 50,000 volts back at Raden who barely got out of the way.

  “Not good, Nitro!” I shouted.

  “What about the tank?” He sneered before sending another blast our way.

  I sent the blast right back singing his clothes.

  “He’s trying to fucking kill us!” Vincent snapped as we moved on. “Don’t tell me I’m being paranoid.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I muttered. “I agree with you. Defend with any force necessary. We should warn Maximilian.”

  We leapt to assess the area. There weren’t many conventional units or live turrets left on the field. Raden was nowhere in sight, but Maximilian was nearby. We landed in his path in a dense group of trees where we were unseen.

  “Something’s wrong with Raden,” I said.

  “More wrong than usual,” Vincent added.

  “Defend yourself however necessary,” I said. “Let’s end this exercise now.”

  “Yes, Colonel!”

  With that, we moved out. Maximilian went one way, we went another. Vincent and I made quick work of the remaining turrets and accompanying firepower. Once the last threat from the conventional special ops was neutralized, we made another leap to survey the area. An explosion in mid-air took us down. We hit the ground hard, but rolled to our feet immediately.

  “I would have killed you for nothing,” Raden said as we righted ourselves. “Colonel Perfect and his wild child. You always made me sick.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded. “I’ve shielded you the whole time you were in my squad. Under any other commander, you’d be in the brig!”

  “As I jumped through hoops and fit your image while Hardcase ran amok!”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Vincent snapped. “I paid big time every time I stepped over the line, so did the Colonel!”

  “Says you and your spin doctors,” Raden spat.

  He was powering up. I stepped in front of Vincent. He put his hand at the small of my back.

  “You took down Joint Command and get to walk off into the sunset with fat salaries and each other,” Raden said quietly. “I didn’t like it, and now someone’s let me do something about it.

  “Who?” I demanded.

  Raden shrugged. “Why not...It was Mueller.”

  Raden detonated a large boulder near us sending the shards in our direction. I held them in a wall of energy that Vincent sent back his way. It happened in the blink of an eye. The return salvo was too fast for Raden to move or shield himself. The razor like shards riddled his body, killing him.

  A loud buzzer sounded halting the exercise. I wondered if Maximilian had killed the last target or the VIPs in the bunker already knew someone had died. I found myself on my knees. Despite the circumstances, I was devastated at the thought of killing one of my own squad. I heard Vincent calling my name and felt his arms around me, but all I could see was that mangled body – a bloody symbol of my failure.

  “Don’t do this,” Vincent whispered in my ear as he turned me to face him. “Look at me, Rik. Look into my eyes.”

  They were beautiful eyes and so full of concern for me.

  “He would have killed us both and enjoyed it,” Vincent said emphatically.

  “I know,” I whispered.

  “He only stayed alive as long as he did because of you,” Vincent said urgently. “Rik, please!”

  “I’m okay. I promise,” I said after a hard swallow.

  “You’d better be or I’ll kick you ass,” Vincent said softly.

  I smiled a small smile wishing I could kiss him.

  “Let’s get Mueller,” I said.

  We didn’t make it to the bunker. There was a delegation in our way a few yards down the trail. General Braun, Dr. Auerbach and Remak stood squarely in our path. I wondered if they’d tied Ms. Kramer up and put her in a closet.

  “Where’s Mueller?” I roared startling everyone. I rarely raised my voice.

  “Leave him to us, Colonel,” Braun said.

  �
�Why?” I countered, still bristling. “So you can retire him quietly? He tried to kill us, and he had more help than Nitro.”

  I glared at Remak who reddened considerably.

  “The general offered me a great deal to betray you, Colonel,” she said. “I could not do that, nor could I tell you what he did. I had no proof that we ever spoke about it.”

  “What about the phone call?” Vincent demanded.

  “It was a warning to be on alert,” she said quietly. “I had no proof that the General was still going to try to harm you, but I did see him dining with Raden a few days ago. I also couldn’t risk our phones being monitored, so I had to be obscure.”

  I felt a little of the tension in my body ease away, but only a little.

  “What will be done with him?” I asked in a quieter tone.

  “You have to stay out of this, Colonel Heron,” Auerbach said emphatically. “Both of you.”

  “It would be disastrous to your cause if you’re viewed as involved in the fall of another general, no matter what the circumstances” Braun said. “The Foundation would never have cooperation from Joint Command.”

  “Don’t sacrifice all the good work you can do out of anger – however justified that anger is,” Auerbach said gently.

  “We have to feel safe,” Vincent said with quiet intensity.

  “Rik, Vincent, you are both incredibly valuable to the Military and the Foundation,” Braun said. “It is imperative that we keep you safe.”

  Vincent and I looked at each other. He looked as tired as I felt.

  “Isn’t it time for the traditional drink?” Auerbach asked.

  “One of my men is dead!” I exclaimed.

  “A man that tried to frag half the men on this field today,” Braun retorted. “It was a skirmish accident, Colonel. Have a drink with the men.”

  “It is expected, sir,” Remak said.

  I looked at Vincent. His expression was tense. His features were drawn. I could tell he wanted to go home, but he shrugged in resignation.

  “Okay,” I said. “What happened to Eloise Kramer?”

  “She’s with the men at the pub,” Auerbach replied.

  “What did she see?” Vincent asked.

  “She didn’t have on earphones during the exercise, so she doesn’t know what happened,” Braun replied. “It appeared to be an accident. She left for the pub before we took Mueller into custody.”

  “We’ll go, but I want a full report on Mueller tomorrow,” I said with a pointed look at Braun. “Trust has to work both ways.”

  “You are both stressed and tired. Go and have a drink,” Auerbach said. “Doctor’s orders.”

  “Lt. Remak, Ouida,” I said tiredly. “If you would take us to pick up Bobby and our car.”

  “If I may suggest that you leave the car for tonight,” Remak replied. “I can have it driven back tomorrow.”

  “Bobby’s off for the weekend,” Vincent said. “And you are tired.”

  “Alright,” I said. “Let’s go. Until tomorrow, gentlemen.”

  When we reached the car, Vincent opened the door to the backseat. I climbed in and slumped onto the seat. Everything that had been holding me upright seemed to drain from my body. I couldn’t even fasten my seatbelt. My hands were trembling.

  Vincent was in my lap as soon as we cleared the training field. He tilted my head up and kissed me fiercely. His elegant hands gently cupped my face. I chocked back a sob and yielded to his demanding mouth. Every thought left my mind as Vincent ravaged my willing mouth.

  “That’s better,” Vincent murmured against my lips.

  I pressed my face against his neck while he held me close until we reached the school. The windows were tinted, so no one could see us untangling our limbs and straightening our clothes. Remak’s gaze met mine as we climbed out of the car. Hers was filled with concern.

  “We’ll be right back,” I said quietly.

  Vincent was watching me carefully.

  “I’m alright,” I murmured. “Just a little raw. Why are you so calm?”

  “I can be angry later,” he replied softly. “Right now, I need to take care of you.”

  “Thank you, love,” I said as Bobby approached.

  He looked bedraggled from the long day. His eyes got big when he saw us.

  “Are you okay?” Bobby asked. “What happened? I heard somebody died.”

  Vincent hustled him along to get away from all the attentive ears nearby.

  “Let’s talk in the car,” Vincent replied quietly.

  The boy’s face grew more confused and concerned when he realized we weren’t getting in our car.

  “It’ll be okay, Bobby,” Vincent said. “Get in front. We’re going to have food and drink with the soldiers from the exercise and Ms. Kramer.”

  “Really? Cool.”

  I was grateful for Vincent. I still didn’t trust my voice. Once we were in the car, my lover buckled me in then took my hand in his, entwining our fingers.

  “So what happened?”

  “There was an incident during the exercise,” I said quietly. “One of my squad – Nitro – was killed in a blast.”

  “Oh, man...I’m so sorry...”

  “Don’t worry, Bobby,” Vincent said. “And don’t talk about it at the restaurant, okay?”

  “You will tell me about it, right?” Bobby asked.

  “We will tell you everything,” I replied. “For now, let’s enjoy the food and the company. They’re all good soldiers.”

  “They tell great stories,” Vincent added.

  “Can I have a beer?”

  I was surprised when Remak didn’t object. I shrugged at Vincent.

  “Eat first,” Vincent said. “Then you can try one.”

  “Cool!”

  I actually started to smile.

  The men and women who fought in the skirmish filled the Base Bistro. They all stood as the four of us entered the room. They looked tired and beaten up and some were singed around the edges.

  “As you were. And somebody owes us a beer,” I said loudly.

  There was a cheer as we made our way to Maximilian’s table. Ms. Kramer was seated there. She looked relieved upon seeing us. As we took our seats, I noticed the empty chair with a beer on a placemat at the end of the table. When our beers arrived, I took mine and stood.

  “All stand!” Remak barked.

  “Today, we fought well and used our skills honorably,” I said in a strong, level voice. “But we’ve come back one man down. Nitro was not an easy soldier to serve with, but no one could doubt his incredible zeal to do his job. This day, his zeal got ahead of his skill, and he is lost to us all. He was an integral part of the squad, and his service will be missed. Raise your glasses and remember. To Nitro Raden!”

  “To Nitro Raden!” the crowd responded.

  I didn’t think I could eat until the tray of sandwiches and crispy frites was set in front of us. Even before Vincent could gaze at me with a pointed stare, I reached for some frites and a sandwich. Bobby was wolfing down his food while staring at his frosty beer. Vincent relaxed and attacked his plate.

  “Where were you two when the skirmish started?” Ms. Kramer asked.

  “We were on top of the bunker,” Vincent replied proudly.

  “And how did you kick that tank away?” Maximilian asked. “I’ve never seen such a thing even with the Altereds.”

  “You kicked a tank, Brother?”

  “I had help,” Vincent said.

  “Vincent and I can combine our energy under certain circumstances,” I said. “The resulting power is exponential, it seems. We’ve just begun to work with it.”

  “It was extraordinary – almost as beautiful as my own magnificent muscles,” Maximilian declared.

  Despite the moans and grimaces, good old Maximilian was shirtless and posing. Ms. Kramer was stunned. Bobby couldn’t stop giggling. Vincent and I eyed his beer mug. It remained untouched. Bobby was probably punchy from the early start. Either that, or the allure
of Maximilian’s flexing flesh had long faded for Vincent and me.

  Ms. Kramer’s questions prompted some prime stories from the regular soldiers and from Max. Even I enjoyed them. And it was wonderful to hear Vincent laugh. Bobby ate quite a bit before cautiously sipping his beer. He made quite a face before having what could be called a healthy swig. Our eyes met over the glass. He smiled devilishly. I smiled back realizing just how much he was enjoying being included at this gathering and how much he admired all of us. It sounds corny, but in that moment, I remembered why we fought. Young people like Bobby were who we fought for, so they could choose who they want to be. It made everything that happened today seem a lot less pointless. I found my focus again. When my eyes met Vincent’s, his were sparkling at me.