Cycle of Vengeance

A Family Affair Part 2

A Family Affair Part 2:

"Well you look awfully happy for a detective investigating a murder," Joe said.

"I... well you can't let something that happens every other week get you down," Mark retorted. He was humming happily to himself at his desk, scrolling through his reports on the computer while his mind was clearly elsewhere. "Alright. So maybe I've got some good news to compensate."

"She said yes didn't she?" Joe deadpanned.

"How did you... I mean, maybe."

"Hey congrats. You got something to look forward to when you get off work."

"Yeah, cause everyone knows you lead a boring life, totally not filled with women and parties when you get off work."

"I wasn't complaining," Joe said while raising his arms up in a shrug. "I just wanted to say congrats." He sat down at his own desk and leaned back in his rolling chair. "And just so you know, I've done nothing at all this past weekend except read, watch movies, and go for a run."

"And then score beautiful women who seem to flock to you anytime you're outside wearing your workout clothes."

"It wasn't that."

"But you didn't deny there was a woman involved."

"It was just one, and as cliched as it sounds literally all we did was talk." Mark raised a curious eyebrow.

"About what?"

"War. Turns out she was a counselor who worked at the VA hospital. And she's a vet." Joe's expression fell into a sullen frown.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Besides, I'm one of the lucky ones. Not everyone came home from that experience with half the luck I did."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean those who had louder consciences than me didn't come back to fanfare at all. They just came back in shackles and strait jackets."

---

Lieutenant Joseph Rodriguez hunched down and held himself against the wall separating him from enemy gunfire. The dense jungle nearly blotted out the sun above them, making it dark even at the height of noon. He could feel the beads of sweat condense on his skin every second as he was squatted down.

"Looks like it's just a straggler family. One well placed fire attack should bury them," a nearby soldier yelled over the gunfire.

"Right." Joe slipped on a thick, metal glove over his right hand and a compact fuel source on his wrist. "Cover me." His subordinates complied and shuffled over to the side, as far away from Joe as possible before pouring assault rifle and machine gun fire on the enemy position. Joe crawled through the thick rainforest vegetation to hide his presence while his men drew attention to themselves. When he was close enough to see the barrels of the enemy guns, he aimed his glove. A flash of white flame burst out of his hands. The enemy guns, along with the hands that held them, were engulfed in white and soon all gunfire ceased. The fire subsided quickly, save for a few residual flames still burning some plants caught in the blast. Joe approached the blast zone first, keeping his right hand up and ready to fire. Once he saw his handiwork, he quickly lowered it.

"All clear!" he announced. His men rapidly approached the scene. "They never stood a chance." Joe's voice was dull and tired. Laying before him were the charred remains of five rather pathetic combatants. Joe could tell just from the faint traces of flesh still attached to the skeletons along with the outfits that two of them were women, no younger than forty. The three other corpses were small, too small to belong to anyone older than ten. Yet small 22 caliber pistols were clutched in each of their nearly unrecognizable tiny hands. A soldier audibly began gagging and holding both hands over his mouth. "Corporal, you gonna be okay?"