The Guardian Angel

Chapter -4: James

Jeff, Ryan, and I waited for our 4th member, Alan. He was an enlistee and new to the whole ordeal. He had been placed under me right after he had finished training.

He rushed into the room, huffing and panting. Bent over with his hands on his knees, then straightened and gave a hastened salute. He ran to join the other two after apologizing about 100 times.

I briefed them about our plan. We were to take a jeep, which would be driven by Alan. After we reached there, we would take custody of the terrorist. And with some extra personnel drive back to base, where he would be held and later, tried.

The four of us made our way to the armory the next day, where I loaded into my bag an M4a1, a Colt 1911, and a few extra mags. Once everyone was ready, we stacked a few rations and made final preparations to set off.

I made my way to the Sergeant Major's office to let him know we were setting off. I knocked and entered his office.

"Ah, Sergeant James. All prepared?" He inquired.

"Yes sir, we were just about to leave. Wanted to let you know before we went." I answered.

I called shotgun, with Jeff and Ryan in the back. Alan got in the driver's seat and gunned the engine. We then flew down the sandy road toward the base. The camp was about 10 hours away from the main base. We had already loaded on extra fuel. It would be impractical to expect a gas station in the middle of a desert, much less so in a military area. We took turns driving every few hours so that everyone could get some rest.

The early morning cold slowly ebbed away as the sun came up. In a few hours, it was searing hot. The armor we wore surely didn't help our situation. The heat was dry heat, which made it all the worse. We would get dehydrated and not even know we did. Safer to keep drinking water.

By the time we reached the base, the sun had already half set. We headed to the platoon commander's office.

"We're here to take the terrorist into custody." I informed him. He asked for a few details, which I, in turn, provided.

"He is in the infirmary. He tried to escape last night and we had to use some force to stop him. He got injured. So, he has to be in recovery for a night more before we can hand him over. Until then, arrangements have been made for you to stay here."

We thanked him and left. We were shown our accommodations. Which basically meant a sleeping bag in a tent, on hard ground. But that's all we get. Better to not crib and cry.

Once I had finished placing my stuff inside and had made it as comfortable as possible, I headed outside and hit the showers. The water was cold but exactly what I needed after the hot day in the desert. Even though the place was called the showers, I had to use a bucket and mug to take a bath. It was just a covered area, where you could have some privacy to take a bath.

I poured water onto myself. The water traveled down from my head, snaking its way through my chest, thigh, and foot, until it mixed with the sand below, carrying all the grime, dirt, and sweat with it.

Dinner tasted terrible. We retired to our rooms later at night. Tomorrow would be the day we shift the captive back to base. Security was a bit tighter that night. So, I supposed they were expecting an attack. They would try to rescue their friend. The other alternative for them would be to kill him because he knew the location of their bases and if he were to reveal them, which we would ensure he does, they would be wiped out. Terrorists depended mainly on the element of surprise. Against a well-trained and provided-for army, they stood no chance.

I had no sleep that night. The minute I'd been given this assignment, I had signed off sleep for a few days. I stood on the north side of the camp, where the infirmary was set up. It was nothing grand, just a tent with a few beds and a few doctors running about. The cold and chilly air had always kept me awake and this time was no exception. Can't really sleep when your balls are being frozen, can you?