Day #364

The sound of gunfire woke me and I was meet by an extremely bright light that was positioned over me. I squinted trying to block out the light to see but failed miserably. Galaxies began to run across my vision looked like a picture from Hubble. I blinked to get them out which didn't help much. I closed my eyes and began to count to 10. I opened them again to a monitor staring back at me. Different numbers and vital readings that I didn't recognize ran across the screen. Great, I'm in a hospital. By the decorations and pictures titled "Battle of Chickamauga" I was in the base at Fort Oglethorpe. At least I was back home. I instinctively began to do an appendage check. I moved my arms and fingers first. They moved in protest as they were stiff. I noticed an IV on top of them as it moved along with me. I began to move my legs, feet, and toes. I sighed in relief as I still have all of my appendages. I tried to sit up but a sharp pain ran through my torso which then caused a headache to erupt. It was not a small scratch that could be patched up with a Band-Aid.

"Fuck, you have no idea how glad I am to see you awake and functioning Captain Fairben." A feminine voice said as the door opened. I turned my head to see a tan women clad in black walked in. Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail and trailed behind her. She walked over to the windows and pulled the curtains. Fall had progressed quite a bit and the leaves were mostly fallen off the trees. It was grey and dreary out as rain moderately fell. She pulled up a chair which made a terrible sound and sat down beside me.

"Major…" I tried to say, but it came out hoarsely. My throat was dry and scratchy.

"Now, now Fairben didn't I tell you to call me Major Berkley, or even better Stephanie." She said as she set a binder loaded with paper down in her lap. The papers looked about two inches thick. Her squirt barely covered her knees. This also didn't help with the way she sat. She wasn't trying to guard herself in any form or fashion. I turned my head so I wouldn't catch a "glimpse" that I didn't want to be surprised with. Knowing her, she wasn't wearing anything from the recent prey she victimized. "You know I don't like it when one of my better captains get wounded in battle."

"What is the status of my squad? How many are wounded? How many are dead?" I interrupted her flirting. A sense of dread began to watch over me. I clenched my right fist which caused the monitor to send off alarms. I quickly released and it stopped screaming at us.

"I would say you're being rude again, but your concern is quite understandable. Lucky for you, your squad only sustained injures and no casualties. I can't say that for the other squads. I lost one and a half squads that day" She said with a blank face. I sighed in relief and regret. Wait that day? How long have I been out? I was about to ask but was cut off as. "I also wish to congratulate you on the success of your mission."

"Don't thank me, thank my squad members. They actually understand the meaning of stealth and can escort with ease." I replied to quickly and humbly. I was confident in my squad and their abilities and didn't want to claim all their hard work. "Although it would be nice if the next mission didn't have a surprise fire storm by Republic jets and an onslaught of ground troops that appear from out of nowhere."

"I can't make promises like that Fairben, but I can promise you this. You will get a few days off to recover before we call you again." She said handing the binder over to me. She sat it down on the tray in front of me. "I was also told to inform you that you will no longer be captain of Squad US-099."

"May I ask why I am being relinquished from my duties?" I asked as quickly as she finished her sentence. I didn't think that I sustained serious wounds that would exclude me from future war efforts.

"That is classified. The only things that I can disclose to you is that after you release, you will be briefed on your next assignment and admitted into our partner program. You will be issued a new weapon as well." She said looking at me. She checked her watch and stood up.

"What if I decline?" I said looking up at her. Her face dropped as her expression shifted back to a certain hardness.

"You cannot this time Fairben. If so they will execute you." She said walking off to the door. "They specifically picked you because of your performance and leadership qualities. Once you feel able to, in that binder there are candidates for you next partner and new classes of weapons that they may be issuing. Familiarize yourself with them and have a candidate ready by the end of the week."

She left with a wink and blew a kiss in which she emphasized to make sure I noticed. When the door closed with the sound of her heels profoundly clacking away. I shivered in place slightly. I felt more disgusted by her then the idea of being executed. I reached for the remote by the bed to lift it up. The feeling had fully returned in my arms and I can move them without feeling stiff. The bed slowly raised into the upright position. I turned on the TV to the news. Headlines rolled across titled "UN victory in Sea of Japan. Korea and Serbia in Sight." The anchor reeled off a list of battle victories as images of evacuations in Japan started going flashing across. It seems like an earthquake had occurred causing more strain on citizens fleeing from the war on the sea. I adverted my attention to the binder and its contents. I reached out to open it and noticed something on my left hand. It looked like sigil that was deeply engraved. It was a deep blue which reflected the light and in the shape of the trinity with a small cross underneath it. I tried to consider what the army would use this for and came up with nothing. I also don't remember getting a tattoo before I blacked out after blood lose.