Surprise! You’re Dead

Braun waved his hand in a casual motion. "It would be an easy thing to slip the virus into an injection. Perhaps a routine shot before going into the field?"

He put a hand to his chest and gasped. "Didn't we just give you a shot? Creepy!" He shivered.

Private Johannson laughed. "He clicked 'I agree' without reading it first!"

Braun's mock surprise turned to an evil smile. "No worries. We're going back home. The cure is common there. Too bad there is no cure in this time." He tsked his tongue. "Can you imagine if someone actually got stuck here who was infected?" Braun let the threat hang in the air. Kerr opened and closed his mouth.

Braun held his eyes. "So, are you in?" He paused, holding up his palms. "If you're in, we go back to HQ. We give you a quick injection to clear up any flu you might have picked up. You can dispose of the Gift at your discretion. Hell, you can take it yourself!"

The three soldiers murmured agreement.

"That's how I would go," said Private Murphy.

Major Blanc agreed, "That's how we roll. I think we're all rocking The Gift."

Private Johansson brushed his chest with a laugh, "Represent."

Braun ignored them. "You write a glowing report about how well your first mission went."

He pointed two fingers at Blanc. "Major Blanc there can fill any details if you're foggy..."

Major Blanc nodded with a smile.

"In about a month, you'll receive your regular Air Force check. We'll include a generous bonus from the Union Army for a job well done." He brushed his palms with a dramatic swish. "No fuss. No muss."

Kerr couldn't didn't know what to say. A drop of sweat rolled into his eye. He blinked it away. "And what if I'm not… in?"

Braun sighed and looked at his nails. "Yes, that's the other option." He shook his head and tsked his tounge. "You can choose to remain here if you find our methods… distasteful. Tell me again, how does one die of COVID-104? I heard it's quite painful. Major?"

Major Blanc grinned, "Yes, sir. After your organs start to shut down, it is said to be quite painful."

Kerr gulped.

Colonel Braun coughed, "We could tell the folks back home anything. 'The pressure of time travel was too much for him. He had one of those psy-cho-lactic breaks.' Is that what they're called?"

Private Murphy waved a hand. "Something like that. We'll look it up. Long story short is that we had to leave him behind."

Johansson agreed, "He attacked us and we returned fire. Why was he even carrying a gun? It was so strange. Tragic, really." He removed his cap and placed it over his heart. His voice quivered, "It all happened so fast."

Kerr shook his head, "A lot of innocent people are going to die because of this!"

Braun's face erupted in purple as he thundered back, "This is War! Be a man!" He sprayed spittle as he shook a fist in the air, "We're from the future, man! These people are already dead!"

Kerr blinked twice. He realized reason wouldn't work.

"All right, all right," Kerr held up a hand in surrender. His other hand pressed against his thigh. He pressed an activation trigger to his Jump Suit.

The safe word. The panic signal. The Jump Suit opened all the pipes. The hydraulic push of drugs began.

His muscles began to vibrate. The world slowed down as Kerr prepared for action.