2OO3 :House Of Ashes:

』Morning One : Part 3『

Jason locked eyes with the rear view mirror, staring directly at the Colonel doing so. He noticed Eric's eyebrows frantically moving around as did his eyes - half from paying attention to the uneven road, half because he had promised the Lieutenant that they would leave Salim alone out of anything to do with what happened.

Anger bubbled and Jason could feel his face heat up, his stomach twisting in knots, but whether that was the case, he kept close watch of Eric.

"I thought we made a promise to him?" Nick piped up.

"We did, but we can't do this without him." Eric answered the Sergeant honestly.

"Yeah, but-"

"You want to use him for your hero story? Like you wanna use us for it too?" Jason cut in for Nick, again. He had a bad habit of doing that. He adjusted himself and leaned forward.

"N-No, I don't know where you're getting this idea from," Eric responded, surprisingly keeping his composure considering he has been nothing but a loose cannon this entire time.

Jason looked away. What the fuck was Eric thinking. Nick was just as surprised by this and decided to attempt to comfort his Lieutenant. He reached over to touch Jason's knee and the Lieutenant allowed this once his hand rested there. Jason's eyes soon locked onto Nick's hand placement. It was a weird gesture, but he knew what he was trying to do and he appreciated it - Nick was more emotional than Jason was.

"He has a son, Nick," Jason told him under his breath, just faint enough for Eric not to hear him.

Nick in return listened, he understood where Jason was coming from and agreed.

"We promised him safety," Jason continued, "We can't do this to him."

Now feeling more restless and a bit uncomfortable, Jason moved his knee causing Nick to withdraw his hand. There was only so much touchy feely the Lieutenant could get before he closed off. Nick knew that both Salim and Jason spent enough time together fighting for their lives down in that hell hole to form a bond.

This moment hiccuped when Eric took a sudden sharp left turn, now following a loose dirt and desert sand path going up. The ride got rough, all three of them occasionally bouncing and bobbing as the suspension of the Caiman took the ruts and grooves to which Eric threw out a soft apology, continuing to focus on where he was driving.

"How long we got in this tin can?" Jason asked aloud.

"Four more hours, Lieutenant," Eric answered him.

"I need to take a piss," Nick chimed in.

The two marines didn't expect what happened next. Eric slammed on the brake, causing the truck to slide to a stop, kicking up loose rubble, pebbles and sand as he did. Jason flew forwards into Nick, both of them grunting from the collision of their bodies. Nick was quick to bring his hands up to soften Jason's landing, but he has smacked his cheek into something hard that was in one of Nick's vest pouches.

They both scrambled, the Lieutenant eventually sitting back on his ankles while he gave his right cheek a soft brush with his fingers. He checked the tips and he was relieved it wasn't bleeding.