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01-05-2014, 03:07 AM | #1 |
Barty's Right-hand Man
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,138
|
Ch.3
“You’re sure it was a woman?” “Yes, Colton,” Gen. Flagg answered with a sigh. “For the millionth time…it was a woman.” “Why do you find that so hard to grasp, Lieutenant?” Colton looked over to the doorway of the hospital room he was currently staying in to see a balding, middle-aged man in a military uniform very similar, if not identical, to General Flagg’s. “Well, I’ll be,” Colton began, in awe. “Gen. ‘Iron-Butt’ Austin himself, coming to see me. I must have done something right to receive two five-star generals in my hospital room at once.” The two men looked at Lt. Colton, a blank, almost hard, expression on their faces. “Or, maybe something very bad.” “Not necessarily, Lieutenant,” Gen. Flagg replied. “Of course, leaving out the ‘Iron-Butt’ would have been better.” “Sorry, sir,” Colton immediately apologized, sitting up a little straighter. “Oh, come now, Flagg,” Gen. Austin began, going over and sitting on the edge of Colton’s bed. “All the men I don’t like call me that…don’t you think it’s only fair to allow someone I do like to call me that?” “How about we skip all this bull-shit and get down to business?” “Fair enough,” Gen. Austin replied, turning from his fellow General, back to the Lieutenant. “First off, Lt. Colton, you’re getting a promotion…to Lieutenant-Colnol.” Colton’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but kept his mouth shut, prepared for the other shoe to drop. “And you’re also getting command of your own team.” “Thank you, sir, but…with all due respect, I’ve already had command of my own team. When I was in the war.” “Which is one of the reasons why we want you to head up this new team,” Gen. Austin responded. “Colton,” Gen. Flagg began, then, after pausing, decided to be more formal, and continued. “Joseph, you’re a hell of a soldier. One of the best I’ve ever seen. Period. You follow orders, and even when you shouldn’t, you come out smelling like roses. If there’s a messy situation, you do your job, and take care of your people. That’s the kind of soldier we want in charge of this new operation.” “I heard about your teammate,” Gen. Austin began, solemnly. “I was sorry to hear about his death. But then I heard how you took him directly to graves registration, as a last favor to him. That says a lot about you. And it said something to me, as well.” “You’re the kind of soldier we can rely on,” Gen. Flagg stated. “So we know that the team you head up is going to be reliable as well.” “What team?” “A counter-terrorist team made up of specialists,” Gen. Austin explained. “The best soldiers we can find.” “The best of the best of the best, so-to-speak,” Flagg interjected. “It’s official name is Counter-terrorist Force Delta.” “That doesn’t seem too catchy,” Colton commented. “Sorry, Colton. All the good names were taken.” “Does this have anything to do with what happened today?” “Affirmative. We believe the soldiers that you battled today were part of an up-and-coming terrorist organization known as Cobra.” “Cobra? We get Counter-terroist Delta, and they get named after a deadly snake?” “Can we focus?” “We’ve been hearing rumors for months, had people look into bombings, assassinations, anything and everything that supposedly had ties to this group.” “What do they want?” “World domination.” “They’re no different than any ruthless, terrorist organization: they’re determined to rule the world.” “And we want you and your soon-to-be Delta boys to put a stop to it.” “Whose their leader?” “No one knows.” “What do you know?” “Not enough. We don’t have a base of operations, a name, or anything.” “What about prisoners? Haven’t any of the soldiers you’ve captured talked?” “We’ve never taken any of them alive.” “They’ve been trained well,” Austin stated. “Not U.S. Military well, but well enough to take them seriously on a battlefield.” “I take everyone seriously on a battlefield.” “One of the reasons why I love you,” Gen. Austin said with a smirk. “Trust me…if we can capture these Cobra soldiers, we’ll get them to talk.” “Then it sounds like we need to get us a P.O.W.” “What you need to get is some rest,” a sweet voice from the doorway said. All three men turned to see an attractive blonde nurse standing in the room’s doorway, holding a clipboard. “Especially if you want to get back out on that battlefield.” “Sorry, Jane,” Gen. Austin said, getting up off of the bed, as the young nurse approached. “You know how us old Military types are.” “Not really,” Jane replied, checking Colton’s pulse. She then looked from the General to her patient and added, “But I’m starting to.” CH.4 The Baroness rapped on the wooden door three times, then, after getting verbal permission to enter, she did so. Stepping into the room, the raven-haired woman briefly took in the surroundings, including all the maps, schedules, floorplans, communiqués, books, and even weapons. “Commander,” she began in her thick accent, “Is there anything else you wish before I retire for the evening?” “No, Baroness,” the man replied softly. “Very well then.” The woman turned and went to exit the room, but the Commander stopped her by speaking her name.” “Baroness…the soldier you encountered today…what did he look like?” “Middle-aged, brown hair. Graying at the temples. Average build and height.” “Not…blonde hair?” the man asked slowly, as he reached out and touched a picture that was thumbtacked to the bulletin board hanging on the wall over his desk. “No, Commander,” the Baroness answered him. “Not blonde.” “And you’re sure he was middle-aged? Not a young man by chance?” “It was not him, Commander,” the Baroness reassured her leader. “I’m positive.” “Thank you, Baroness,” the Commander said, taking his hand off the picture. “Good evening, Commander,” the Baroness said, before leaving the room. The Commander heard the door shut, then lock, but paid no attention to it. He was too preoccupied with the photo in front of him. The picture was of a young soldier, clean-shaven, with blonde-hair. It was only from the shoulders up, and he wasn’t smiling. It had been cut out from a newspaper a few years prior, but it was still in good condition. “Soon, my young friend,” the Commander said to the picture. “Soon we will meet.” With lightning-like speed, the Commander withdrew his dagger from the sheathe on his left thigh, and jammed it into the bulletin board, right in the middle of the young soldier’s face. The Commander withdrew his hand from the dagger’s handle, allowing it to remain in the board, as well as the wall behind it, then sat back, and relaxed, although he didn’t take his focus off of the photo. “And then, you will pay.” CH.5 “How many files do I have to go through?” “Until you find the right members for Delta.” “Well, looking through these dossiers, that could take years,” Colton stated, slapping down a file in frustration. “I mean, have you looked through any of these? They’re a joke. These are the best of the best of the best?” “They are,” Gen. Flagg answered. “We are in serious trouble.” “Oh, come on,” Gen. Austin said, picking up a few of the files off of Colton’s hospital bed. “There have to be some good ‘ol boys in here you can sign up. What about this one?” “A chef?” Colton replied after glancing at the file. “You want me to sign up a chef? I need a roadblock against Cobra, not a McDonalds flunkee.” “How ‘bout this one?” Gen. Flagg asked, showing Colton a file he had picked up. “What? The guy’s got the Marine Corp symbol tattooed on his chest.” “So?” “Sorry. It’s a little too gung-ho for me.” “Well, how ‘bout the Navy? This guy looks like a candidate.” “I read his file,” Colton answered. “I’d say he’s a car wreck, but, since he’s a sailor, I’ll say he’s a shipwreck.” “What about her?” Austin asked, showing an open file to their bed-ridden comrade. “I’m not enlisting a woman,” Colton stated, defiantly. “Especially not some magazine cover-girl.” “What’s wrong with enlisting a woman?” Jane called from the doorway. “Yea, what’s wrong with enlisting a woman?” Austin repeated, looking at Colton. “Benedict Arnold, is that you?” Colton asked. “He’s only teasing, Jane,” Flagg assured the woman as she headed towards the bed “Oh, I know,” the nurse replied, “Because he knows that if he’s not, I’ll jam this needle in his ass.” “I’m starting to think you’d enjoy that.” “Nothing gets by you,” she said, swabbing his arm. Colton continued to look over more files as Jane gave him his shot, then, as she was cleaning the area, something from the file he was looking at caught the soldier’s eye. “Wait, this one,” Colton said suddenly, sitting up so fast he scared Jane. The sudden movement sent pain through his body, causing him to wince, but the excitement of his find quickly overtook the feeling, so he straightened up and continued. “What about this one here?” “Which one?” Gen. Austin asked, coming over to the side of the bed, as Jane snuck by. “This one,” Colton answered excitedly, handing the file to the General. “A colonel.” “You mean he actually found someone that peaked his interest?” Gen. Flagg asked, sarcastically. “Seems to be,” Austin replied, handing the file back to Colton, who continued to go over it. “And I think you’ll certainly approve of him, too.” “Why?” Flagg asked, curiously. “Who is it?” “Abernathy.” “Abernathy?” Flagg repeated in shock. “Colonel Clayton M. Abernathy,” Colton read off the file. “Codename-“ “Tomahawk,” Gen. Flagg finished, causing Colton to look up from the file in surprise. “But…most people just call him Hawk.” “So how do you know this Colonel Hawk?” Colton asked, peering over the file at the General. The General took a deep breath, apparently going over in his head what he wanted to say, what he could say, and what he would say. “There was a situation over in the Middle-East,” Flagg began. “There always is,” Colton interjected. “Some local planted a bunch of explosives in a camp where a lot of women and children were. One of the Colonel’s men found out about it, and beat him pretty bad.” “So?” “So, it’s against the U.N. Peace Treaty,” Flagg explained. “I understand that, sir,” Colton replied, an edge in his voice, “But I still say, ‘so’? Those were innocent women and children in that camp, and for anyone to try and kill them, deserves to get beat. “Which is exactly how Colonel Abernathy felt,” Gen. Flagg stated, a smirk on his face. “But instead of allowing the soldier who actually beat him take the blame, Hawk took it.” “Why?” “The camp, the soldier, and the situation were all under his command. It was his responsibility to take…or so he felt.” “Plus, it would keep the soldier that actually administered the beating to stay out of trouble,” Colton added with a nod, starting to understand the Colonel’s train of thought. “Yea…I can’t say I would’ve handled it any differently.” “Amazing, isn’t it?” Gen. Austin asked, looking over his shoulder at Gen. Flagg. “They haven’t even met, yet, and they’re already thinking alike?” “That’s a good sign,” Gen. Austin stated. CH.6 Lt.-Col. Colton shielded his eyes as he stared up at the helicopter that was lowering towards the tarmac, silhouetted by the sun. The chopper had Army markings on it, and only contained two people inside of it: the pilot, and the man that Colton had come to meet. Flanked by Generals Austin and Flagg, Colton eagerly awaited the passenger, hoping Colonel Clayton ‘Tomahawk’ Abernathy was indeed the correct choice to join the counter-terrorist force. Once the chopper’s blades came to a stop, the cockpit rose vertically, allowing Colonel Abernathy to stand up and step out of the transport. Colton immediately took in the young man, and was immediately pleased. The Colonel stood just over six feet, with a good build. He wasn’t too muscular, yet wasn’t too lean. His buzzed blonde hair shone in the sun, until he put his dress hat on his head, covering it up. Reaching in to the abandoned passenger seat of the cockpit, Abernathy retrieved his duffel bag, army green in color, heaved it onto his shoulder, then turned and marched towards the three men. “Colonel Abernathy, reporting for duty for Counter-Terrorist Force Delta,” the young man said, stopping and saluting to Austin, Flagg, and Colton once he’d reached them. “At ease, Colonel Abernathy,” Gen. Flagg said, after he and the other two had saluted in return. “Hawk, this is Lt.-Col. Joseph Colton,” Gen. Austin began, “He’ll be heading up Delta. From here on out, you answer to him.” “Pleasure, sir,” Hawk replied, as the two men shook hands. “Colonel, I’m sure you’d like to get settled in, but if it’s all right, I’d like your opinion on something first.” “Yes, sir,” Hawk replied. “Let’s step inside, then.” Colton turned and opened the door behind him, then waited for both Generals to step inside. Hawk took up holding the door as Colton followed the two men inside, then went in, as well. All four men travelled down the main hallway in silence, until halfway down they reached a door. This time, Hawk opened the door, allowing all three men to enter. Once inside, they sat down around a wooden table that had a chair at each side, with several stacks of file folders on top of the table. “Colonel, these are all dossiers on every soldier worthy of serving on Delta’s roster,” Colton began. “I want you to pick out the men that you would be proud to serve with on this team. Remember-these are the best of the best. I want you to pick out the best of the best of the best.” “Wait a minute,” Gen. Austin interjected. “You’re letting him choose the roster?” “Why not?” Gen. Flagg asked, looking over at the other General. “Well, seeing as how this is Colton’s team,” Austin began defensively, “I’d say it’s Colton’s decision.” “Point taken, General,” Colton began, “But seeing as how Colonel Abernathy’s going to be my field commander, and I’m destined to be a desk jockey sooner rather than later, I’d say he needs to become very familiar with his team, starting by choosing the roster.” “Whoa, what…wait a minute,” Gen. Austin blurted out. “What do you mean-“ “With all due respect, Generals,” Colton interrupted. “My time as a grunt is over. My body won’t be able to withstand everything Delta is going to throw at it. I can use my expierence to lead the team, and oversee them…but as far as being in the field, and dodging bullets, Col. Abernathy is our man.” “Colton-“ “That’s my offer. Take it or leave it,” Colton stated, matter-of-factly. “If you want me to lead Delta, then allow me to make my own decisions. And my first decision is that Colonel Clayton ‘Hawk’ Abernathy is my field commander.” The two generals looked at one another, then, after Austin sighed, asked, “I guess we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” “Not if you want me in charge of Delta,” Colton replied. “Let Colton do it his way, Gen. Austin,” Flagg advised, pushing his chair back. “I’ll vouch for him.” “Like that’s supposed to give me any comfort,” Austin retorted with a smirk as he pushed his chair back, as well. “Colonel, we’re going to go grab some coffee,” Colton began, as he pushed his chair back and stood up, “Would you like anything?” “No, thank you, sir,” Colonel Abernathy replied. “I suggest you take some, Colonel Abernathy,” Colton advised, pushing his chair in, “If you’re going to go through all these files, which I would like you to do, then you’re probably going to need something to keep you awake. Reading all the information in all these files won’t be the most exciting task, and I’d hate to come back in here to find you asleep on the table.” “No, sir,” Hawk responded, reaching out and picking up a file, “I won’t let it come to that. I’ll make sure to get up and stretch my legs once-in-a-while.” “Very good, Colonel,” Colton said, turning to follow the two generals towards the door. “If you do need anything, let me or someone else know.” “Yes, sir,” Abernathy replied, although he was already lost in the file he was examining. Once all three men were outside in the hallway, and the door was shut, Gen. Austin put his arm out in front of Lt.-Col. Colton to stop him from walking away. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, or Col. Abernathy,” the General began, “It’s just that there is a lot riding on this. The world is becoming a darker place, with more dangers than ever before, and they seem to be lurking around every corner, waiting to pounce at the first sign of weakness. “Cobra is this newest threat, and they’re coming in hard and fast, and to be perfectly honest with you, I’m not sure that we’re going to be able to stop them. We sure as hell aren’t ready for them.” “Not yet, we’re not,” Colton replied. “But you give me time-“ “We’re running out of time, Colton,” Gen. Austin snapped, cutting him off. “Gen. Austin,” Gen. Flagg began in a calm tone, hoping to deescalate the situation, “Have a little faith in the Lt.-Col., he’ll get the job done.” “I’m not allowed the luxury to simply have faith in my subordinates, then sit back and hope that they don’t fail. “This isn’t personal, Colton,” Gen. Austin added, turning to the Lt.-Col., “This is just how things work.” “Sir, I understand you have policies to go by, and higher-ups to answer to, just as I do…but if you’ll allow me the time that has been allotted, and a little bit of faith, I give you my word…” Colton paused as he looked Gen. Austin square in the eye, so as to let him know how sincere he was… “if you let me form Delta, lead Delta, and head up this operation the way that I see fit, then Cobra, and any other ruthless terrorist organization that is determined to rule the world, is gonna have their asses handed to them.” The two men stood where they were for a few moments, close in proximity to one another, their eyes locked, until Gen. Austin finally broke the silence, extended his hand to Colton, and said, “I’m giving you the ball to run with, Lt.-Col. Don’t drop it.” The two men saluted, then Gen. Austin turned and headed off down the hall, as the two , as the two remaining men watched. Once the General was out of earshot, Gen. Flagg turned to Colton, and said, “Ol’ ‘Iron-Butt’ means well, but it’s just like you said: he’s got people to answer to, rules to follow, blah blah blah. But he does have faith in you, don’t misjudge that. However, we can’t afford to have any setbacks. Keep that in mind.” “You losing faith, too?” “Not at all. I know what you can do. You’ve got my support, you’ve had my support, and you’re going to continue to receive my support.” “But…” “But I have to follow the same guidelines that he does. I believe in you, I believe in giving you this opportunity, and I believe that you, and team Delta, will be successful. But God help you if you aren’t.” With that, Flagg quickly saluted, then turned and headed off down the hall, just as Gen. Austin had done earlier. “Glad there’s no pressure in all this,” Colton said with a sigh, as he watched Gen. Flagg walk away. Both Generals Austin and Flagg left for the day shortly after parting ways with Lt.-Col. Colton. Colton, however, hung around the base, making phone calls and doing paperwork, while continuously checking in with Col. Abernathy once every hour on the hour. Towards the end of the day, Colton popped in on the young colnel, half expecting him to be twitching with nervousness. The Lt.-Col. Was shocked to see Abernathy standing in front of the rooms only window, hands behind his back, staring out into the fading sun. “Taking a break?” “No, sir,” the colonel replied, looking over his shoulder at his superior officer. “I’m finished.” With that, Abernathy turned his attention back to the sunset outside in the distance. Colton opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. As he stood there, contemplating what to say, the Lt.-Col. Didn’t know what surprised him more: the fact that the colonel was finished, or the non-chalant manner at which the young man acted, as if his task to sort through the hundreds of files had been no big deal. “You’re…finished?” “Yes, sir.” “You went through all of them?” “Yes, sir.” “Colonel,” Colton began, pausing to choose his words carefully, so as not to offend the young man, “I don’t want to sound rude, but…I find that hard to believe.” “I understand, sir,” Abernathy responded, finally turning fully around and heading over to the table where the files were neatly stacked in several piles. “Fell free to check my work. After all, I expect you to have the final say in the matter.” Colton eyed the young man, then looked down at the table. “Okay, well, if you don’t mind, I would like to look over them.” “Certainly, sir,” Abernathy replied, pulling out the chair he had been sitting in earlier. As the Lt.-Col. looked at the different stacks on top of the table, Abernathy took hold of a small stack that sat on his chair, then picked it up and handed it to Colton. “There they are.” Colton stared at the small stack of files Abernathy had placed in his hands, then up to the young Colonel, then back to the files. “These?” Colton asked in surprise. “Just…these?” “Yes, sir.” “This…is all there is? Just…these?” “Yes, sir,” Abernathy answered, a tone of exasperation in his voice. “I’m, uh, sorry, Colonel,” Colton began, “But I thought you were going to hand me one of the stacks from the table. You know, the bigger ones.” “I understand, sir, and I’m sorry to disappoint, sir, but you requested the best of the best of the best. Those are the candidates I chose.” “But… how many are here?” Colton asked, paging through the stack to count them. “Eleven, sir.” “Eleven?” Colton repeated, incredously. “Yes, sir,” Abernathy sighed. “Eleven.” As Lt.-Col. Joseph Colton briefly examined the files in his hands, Col. Abernathy waited patiently, figuring that his run in counter-terrorist force Delta would extremely short-lived. Finally, the young colonel’s patience ran out, and he went for broke. “Permission to speak freely, sir.” “Absolutely, son,” Colton replied, closing the folders to give the young man his undivided attention. “I did the best I could. Yes, I had a lot to work with, and a lot to choose from, and all the potential prospects were great, they really were. I f the roster has room for expansion down the road, I would love to revisit these files. “But the fact of the matter, is that you requested the best of the best of the best. You left it up to me, so I made my decisions. I understand this is your team, and you have the final say-so, so… if you’d like to make any amendments, please, feel free.” Colton hefted the stack of files in his hands, as if psychically weighing them simply by holding them. He looked at the young Colonel as he did so, several thoughts racing through his head. “Well, hang on,” Colton finally began, turning and heading over towards a rectangular table set against the far wall. “Let’s see what we’ve got, first.” Col. Abernathy came over to join the Lt.-Col., who laid all ten files out onto the table, and opened them up. “Okay, we’ve got a bazooka soldier, that’s good…a mortar soldier, that’s good. Two laser rifle troopers.” Abernathy stood in the at-ease position, off to the right rear of Colton, anxiously waiting for his final, overall reaction. He also wondered how far down he wwas going to be demoted. “A ranger, very good. Outstanding record. Might want to think about-“ “Making him my second-in-command,” Abernathy finished. Colton looked over his shoulder at the young man, who sheepishly replied, “Sorry, sir.” “No,” Colton corrected with a sly grin, “It’s nice to see we’re on the same page.” Abernathy relaxed after that statement, until Colton came to the last file. “A woman? A woman?” He spun around on Abernathy fasted than the Colonel had anticipated. “I thought I made it clear I wanted no women on this team.” It was evident now that Colton’s patience was at an end, and his final verdict was about to be rendered. “Listen, Col. Abernathy, I appreciate you wanting to diversify the sexes, and all, and yes, between you and I, she is quite a looker, but-“ “Sir, you asked for the best of the best of the-“ “I know damn well what I asked for!” Colton shouted in frustration. “You don’t have to keep reminding me every five minutes! But might I remind you that you shouldn’t interrupt a superior officer.” “Yes, sir,” Abernathy replied with a sigh. “Sorry, sir.” “Look, Col. Abernathy, I appreciate your input, and your dedication to this unit, but… maybe you’re not cut out for this. It’s not your fault, though, it’s mine. I chose you for this role, but… maybe I chose wrong.” “With all due respect, sir,” Abernathy began, a tone of resentment in his voice. “I did not. These men are the best of the best of the best. And that woman… is the best of these best.” With that, Col. Abernathy smartly saluted the Lt.-Col., then spun on his heel, and headed for the door. “Colonel Abernathy!” Colton called out, just before the young man had reached the door. Abernathy stopped, his left hand on the doorknob, and looked over his shoulder at the Lt.-Col. “First off, I didn’t dismiss you.” Abernathy scowled at his superior officer, but said nothing, since Colton had a point. “And second, you need to wait for me.” “What? Wait for you? For what?” “Because if we’re going to assemble this team, we’re going to do it together.” Colton eyed the young Colonel, whose face slowly broke into a smile. “Yes, sir.” Last edited by Yojoe77; 01-13-2014 at 02:46 AM.. |
10-09-2021, 06:17 AM | #2 |
Barty's Right-hand Man
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,138
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