Trial And Error

Chapter Fourteen

Kian's POV

Kian stood outside Lucas' door, checking her watch - 1 p.m. In an hour she'd be leaving on patrol with her squad. But first, their tradition - seeing each other pre-mission. Her gear was meticulously prepared, rifle cleaned, ammo loaded, Kevlar strapped on. Now it all sat on top of her, and she was already sweating.

The door swung open to a bleary-eyed, grumpy Lucas. Probably thought she was a random member of his platoon.

"Morning, sunshine!" Kian breezed past him into the sparse quarters. Her eyes landed on the two pictures - Lucas and Olivia at their wedding, and the four of them together.

"Heading out?" Lucas mumbled, sitting back on the rumpled bed.

"Yup, one hour." Kian sat in the rickety chair. "Any new intel to share?"

Lucas sat back down on his bed, wiping the sleep from his eyes "Nothin much, a squad and I got some intel this morning around three on a critical leader. I got the information back to HQ now we have to wait for it to climb the chain of command. Also, another team got intel on a compound in the area, the plan is to go in and hopefully gather more intel. Expect more missions soon."

Kian leaned forward in her seat. "That intel is great and all, but it's not what I was asking about. I already knew all that."

Lucas blinked, then realization dawned on him. He flopped back on the bed with an exaggerated groan. "Oh, you mean Madison? Why don't you just call her yourself? I'm trying to get some sleep here."

Kian gave him a pointed look. "I tried but she didn't pick up. And I know you and Olivia talk every hour of every day."

Rolling his eyes, Lucas relented. "Fine, but there's not much to tell. She said the shows are all sold out so far, so that's good."

Kian leaned back, unsatisfied. "That's it? Nothing else going on with her?"

"Nope, nothing else. Now can I please get some rest?"

Kian and Madison's communication had dwindled to an all-time low. Frankly, it was killing Kian. They both knew staying in touch would be difficult, especially with Kian's unpredictable schedule. She was coping but hoped Madison was holding up okay too

Kian threw up her hands in resignation. "Alright, alright. I'll let you get back to sleep. Just do me a favor and tell Madison I miss her."

The two friends embraced in a tight hug. "Of course, I'll pass along the message," Lucas assured her. As they pulled apart, he grasped her shoulders, looking her in the eyes pleadingly. "Good luck out there. And please, try to stay out of trouble."

Kian flashed a coy smile, patting his arm reassuringly. "Me? Trouble? Never."

Lucas rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Yeah, sure. Don't kid yourself."

...

"Why out of all days, they chose today to have us out here in this tin can?" Holland asked, yelling over the clanking of metal. Kian kept her eyes on the road, scanning the beautiful mountains of Afghanistan.

"That's a great fucking question."

The squad she'd chosen to go out with consisted of, Murray, Watts, Lin, and Holland. Being a part of the platoon headquarters and not being able to go out into the field as much was taxing on Kian. Unlike other officers, she'd rather be out in the field with her people. As important as coordinating, planning, and scheduling patrols, operations or training are, going out is just as important.

However, Holland had a point; today was probably the worst day she could have chosen. All of this equipment piled on their bodies contributed to the ungodly amount of sweat dripping down their bodies. Still, despite the discomfort, Kian found some peace looking out at the beautiful mountains gliding by. The steady rumble of pebbles against the humvee's metal hull became a calming rhythm.