Wings of Honor: Meeting The Enemy

Chapter 8: Firewatch

Dear Momma and Daddy,
I have joined The Airborne. The 82nd Airborne, 326th Glider Infantry Regiment. Like the paratroopers I saw from my first days of Operation Torch, I will now join their ranks to drop behind enemy lines. While I am already mostly familiar with the gliders we would usually use to deploy with, I am one of the lucky few to actually parachute down and make a difference, prior to the glider trains bringing soldiers, supplies, and heavier artillery. My new role is a paratrooper pathfinder, what they call it.
My new position also comes with a rank increase, as well as a corresponding pay increase. You should know that I still live quite well on the money I have, and willingly send the majority home. Do as you wish with it, but it is yours to spend, if you so choose.
My only regret is that this new position will not allow me to write letters as regularly as I would like to. My sending and receiving of letters will become much more sporadic, as we drop without reliable means to regroup and reinforce.
When we drop, we are on our own.
Although, it should comfort you that, as you know, I pack more than necessary. I know the weight limits of my parachute: 300 pounds. While I may pack food, ammunition, and other supplies, your photos still remain with me. That is the one thing I never sacrifice.
Although, the pot pie you sent me a while back, I was forced to leave that behind. I'm sure the armorers enjoyed it for me though.
I will send letters as soon as I possibly can.
Love,
S/Sgt. Marvin Jerez

Outnumbered. Outplanned. Outgunned. Outmaneuvered. What advantage did we have other than stealth? We were in the dark, still separated from each other, not enough animi to tip the scales even if we wanted to, and now we were displaced from a good recon position.

At least we were alive.

This new position was behind one of the final bluffs before the climb up to Jade Mountain. Our camp was obstructed from our recon position, and from that position we were in the lowlands looking up into Jade Mountain. If we were discovered again, both the camp and the recon position would easily be exposed to indirect fire by that MG, but thankfully Travers' stunt convinced him not to draw attention anymore at any cost.
I watched our old cave get overrun with enemy Japs. Twenty of them swept the area clean, and then reported to the NightWing who landed nearby. I was too far away to tell from my binoculars, and I wished my eight times scope was in working order to tell who exactly the dragon was. But if I had to guess, there would be only one person; and it was not Darkstalker. However, once they seemed satisfied, they began to leave the position.
Oh that's great. Maybe if they leave the cave alone, I could probably sneak back in. They wouldn't expect a stupid act like remaining in a single spot for multiple engagements. Even better if I was invisible, I could recon in peace. Or... maybe Grace could-
Then a flash emanated from the cave, followed by grey smoke. I strained my eyes, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Then a deep rumble struck us, the echo of the detonation.
I heard someone running up behind me, the clatter of a rifle.
"What the hell was that!" Travers exclaimed, slamming down next to me.
I put my glasses down, still seeing the dust waft higher into to the air from the warm day. "That was our cave. Goldman's tying up loose ends."
I looked down at Travers. He wasn't sure to be fearful or enraged. I helped him up and led him back to camp.

Here, we had Grace tending to the fire. Tatsuo was somehow standing with his hands unbound!
I drew my pistol on him, while Travers raised his rifle.
"The hell!"
"Easy Marvin!" Grace stepped between us and him.
I stood there in shock for a moment, then realized what was going on. I swatted away Travers' M1.
"Captain? But he-"
"He isn't going to hurt us." Grace stated, looking back at Tatsuo.
"It's true. I won't." He stepped up, keeping his head down but still looking up at me.
"I don't understand your Japanese speak though." Travers tried to raise his rifle at him again.
"Calm the fuck down, Travers." I pushed his rifle away again, grasping it by the barrel. "You vetted him Grace?" I asked.
She nodded. "He won't hurt you. Not unless Travers hurts him first."
That statement sent shivers down me and Travers. He yanked his rifle from my grip, and stood in trail carry.
"Can... can I trust him with a weapon?" I asked Grace.
"What!" Travers exclaimed.
Grace nodded her head. Tatsuo stopped looking at her, to me, and nodded his head as well.
"Alright then." I started unslinging my Springfield, tossing it over to him, along with my bandolier. "Lose it or break something you can't fix, and I'll make sure Goldman knows exactly where you are for the rest of your life."
The soldier seemed terrified for a moment, then nodded in fair confirmation.
That seemed a little harsh. Grace commented.
Just want him to know that I'm serious. I turned and faced towards Travers.
He was still skeptical, especially now that we armed him, but he trusted Grace. He nodded and walked past me, taking a seat near the fire across from Tatsuo.
The sun was beginning to set beyond the mountains, blanketing the land in a navy blue and orange.
"It's getting late." Grace walking up alongside me said.
"I'll take first watch-" "No."
Grace stopped me with her claw. I just stood stunned for a moment.
"What do you mean 'no?' "
Grace looked me dead in the eye, almost pleading, then sighed and hung her head. "You've been awake for all of three days now!"
I just gave her the sideways look. "What about it? I've gone longer."
"Jesus Cap. Is that true?" Travers stood back up, approaching me.
I would be lying if I didn't say I had the familiar fog over my head for the past day or so. I confess my eyes felt a little dry, probably bloodshot. But I could still be awake for a good day or two more if I needed to. Coffee and catnaps would enhance that range dramatically. Dare I say I may have built up quite a tolerance for caffeine.
Even Tatsuo inputted. "Don't be ashamed. Even Goldman gets eight hours of sleep every night."
Well that makes it all the better, comparing your necessities to the ones of your greatest enemy.
"We're saying you need to get your sleep Marvin." Grace clarified.
"I don't need sleep." I shot back.
Travers did not agree with me, Tatsuo shook his head too. I knew Grace was already planning on how to knock me out with a couple homemade tranquilizer darts.
I sighed. "Fine. You guys take the watch." Fearful of what exactly Grace had in mind.
"Okay. Get your sleeping bag, you can sleep here by the fire."
"Grace has the comm." Travers said, impressed.
I sighed, unraveling my sleeping bag. I set up my sleeping spot, and took off my outer clothes that I didn't need, including my jacket. Unlike some others, I actually use my blanket to keep myself warm, not additional layers of clothing. Oh well, thanks to Grace's enchantment, my sleeping bag was already cozy warm.
I lay not far from the fire, close enough to where I could still feel it's faint warmth on my face, the calming crackle and popping of a healthy wood fire. Through the flames, I could spy a human sized silhouette, and another that took up the entire left side of my vision. But I wasn't worried, their minds were friendly.
But even though I knew I was safe, there would be the stray spark of light coming from the trees and the forest behind us. The golden glint of canine eyes, something I will never forget anymore, and something I would recognize from miles away now. But not just the eyes of wolves. Evil pinhole eyes of white, giving way to black pits of darkness, where the most gruesome of innocent destinies lies behind a living amalgamation of metal and plastic and fur. Even now, I still hear his deep, low, but slow stomach laugh, as he counts down every step closer to me. To my own fate at the hands of teeth and claws.
But alas, they were the distant sounds of owls sounding off in the distance. Finally recognizing the sound, and through deduction and reason concluding it held no danger anymore. I could finally relax my tense legs, arms, and back. I could finaly let my body rest against the ground for the first time in a long while.
But yet, when I open my eyes once more, those two pinprick eyes still stare back. The eyes of restless souls, seeking vengeance. The eyes of the killed becoming killers. They come closer together, as I swear I hear rustling through the grass, coming closer to me and to Grace! And just as I'm about to sound an alarm, one ember disappears. The other bobs around for a half moment, before following suit.
The restless souls finally fulfilled. Their lust for revenge: satisfied. Their quest for justice: complete. The party they were meant to have: ... enjoyed.
As I listen to the far rustling of the leaves and the trees and the wind running through these mountains, I cannot help but feel a calming sensation from these low and eerie sounds. I associate them with home, and home with safety. Be it as it may.
But now, the wind dries out my eyes, and deprivation is convincing me to have my eyes shut.
Rest. I tell myself. Rest. You are safe. Grace is in command. Travers is watching over you. Nobody knows where you are. Rest.
And yet, the part of me with three chevrons says to stay awake! It's the night, night is when the attack will come. Don't leave your defenses unmanned and scouting undone. You are vulnerable, and mistakes when you're vulnerable are often fatal.
For a brief instant, my breathing becomes slightly quicker, but yet restricted and more controlled. A surge of discipline to try to stay awake, but it fades not long after half a minute or so, and I am left thinking as to it's effect.
I can sleep. I am protected. People I trust are watching over me. I am safe. I can sleep in peace.
Round and round, tossing and turning all the while. My restless mind circling round idea after idea, until the ultimate surrender. Where nothing has happened, and I finally acknowledge nothing will happen. Then is when I lie on my side, with my head resting on my arm resting on the next layer. This is when my breathing becomes quieter, shallower, but slower still. During this time, no one would even recognize I was there by sound alone.
By now, I surrender my body and soul to sleep, hoping that it may gift me back into the fridged hope of a new day. Nothing else I think of, nothing else occupies a though. Just dark. Just night. Even the sounds fade around me.
Nothing exists... except perfect peace.