The Heart Darkens

Trust Me

The symphony of the now tranquil but desolate mountains clung to him as if they were a life force on their own. Like if the land had seen too much in it's time to contain itself any longer. A storm was coming, and everyone knew it. Especially the lone TECH Agent, kneeling on the side of one of these mountain's stone cliff edges, his hand clinging onto the edge of the rock while he peered down in the equally as quiet Jalalabad-Kabul highway. No vehicle, either civilian or militarized, had been seen in the early morning. The wait was starting to take its toll on Matthew.

Matthew was curious if they would actually show up come noon. He'd been up on the rocks, motionless while looking in the scope of his binoculars for a better part of a day, waiting for any convoy to come along. It was strange, which is why Matthew waited, diligent to his mission. But it wouldn't help with his boredom.

Just then, he heard his radio crack as if someone was going to speak and unsurprisingly, it was just Sam checking in on him. Possibly the only person he wouldn't want to talk to right now. He scoffed, putting that all aside, he just got on with speaking with his only family. 

"TECH 2, come in TECH 2." Sam said over the radio. Matthew clicked a button on the side of the radio to listen to her.

"Reading you loud and clear, Red Watcher." Matthew responded after a few seconds, as bland as can possibly be.

"The other operation just started. Any updates on your side?" No. Of course there wouldn't be.

"...Negative. It's dead out here. Too dead." It took a bit for Sam to respond, as if she was disappointed but, still sure.

"I copy TECH 2. Just sit tight, we need you out there if anything does happen. Which it certainly will."

"I get it. Is that all?"

"Affirmative. Let us know when something happens. Red Watcher, over and out." As soon as Sam stopped talking, the radio clicked off and Matthew was back to his lonesome. 

He was thinking about the conversation with her the past day. Had he been too upfront with her, way too aggressive? It wasn't fair that they couldn't spend more time together, after 20 years of not seeing each other. They were childhood friends and well, she was literally the only remaining member of her bloodline. Yeah, he was a dick. But he wasn't one without reason, he thought she wasn't even glad to see him. To talk. She wasn't like Marcus, who-

Marcus. 

In all this excitement he'd forgotten who he really was before TECH. A grunt for the US Army Rangers, fighting in his squad, Coyote 2-1. Taking on small groups of tangos in the mountains, patrolling through small towns and interacting with civilians who thanked them for saving them from occupation from the insurrectionist groups. It was more simple than TECH. And all the while he was alongside his best friend Marcus. What would he say now, knowing Matthew had become something much more than a lowly grunt? He wanted to find out.

The base near Kabul they were originally stationed in was about 30 minutes away from his current position, but Matthew could make it less if he hurried. That's hoping Marcus was there to begin with, and not out on patrol, let alone set home. Matthew had been told he was treated well and he would make a full recovery after the night his convoy was attacked. But he had never learned anything about him afterwards. It pried at Matthew to find out what. Alas, he had a mission here. If he missed anything, it would mean victory or defeat. And there was no telling when the convoy would come. But this would probably be the only time he could get a chance to get some of his own insight. He battled with his own thoughts, looking both sides down the highway and back towards the direction of the base, checking his wrist watch and contemplating if it was worth it. The mission, or the closure of seeing his best friend?