Penguins of Anarchy III: Edge of Disaster

Seventeen

They had been flying for two days.  They were dehydrated, anxious, and afraid.  But now, Dreemo, Sam, Riker, and Marcosis were nearing their destination.  They had kept their distance from the mainland of North America as they approached Alcatraz Island, and soon it would be in sight.  No one had spotted them, as far as they knew.

Riker decided to switch to manual control in case they were spotted and needed to take evasive action.  He sat in the cockpit, ever alert, while Dreemo sat between Sam and Marcosis in the fuselage, a huge knot in his stomach as he clenched up for the deadliest battle he had ever encountered.

But they still weren't there yet.  Very few words had been exchanged between the four of them during the past two days, but Dreemo decided it was time to break the silence.  "We've been friends and comrades for over a year now," Dreemo said softly but clearly.  "And yet, after all this time, I only ever knew how Sam, Felly, Drake, and I got to Aurora Base all those months ago.  I never found out how you got there, Marcosis.  Or you, Riker."

"You're sounding sentimental, Dreemo," Riker remarked from the cockpit, trying to keep his cool even though overwhelming terror was welling up inside of him.

"Well, it's just that we've been through so much together, and I don't even know how you guys wound up at the same base that we did," Dreemo explained.  "It's kinda weird, how that never got brought up."

"I didn't have the best parents in the world," Marcosis began.  "My dad was abusive and yelled all the time, and my mom was never there for me.  Eventually, I got sent to military school—Mammoth Academy, actually; my dad wanted me to make something of my life.  So I took his challenge and got better and better until I was the best trainee in the school.

"Then I enlisted in the army and met a really nice girl who was in my squad.  We fell in love and all that.  Then, one day, we were sacking a castle filled with black market dealers and things went bad.  Everyone in my squad, including the girl I loved, died that day, while I managed to call for evac and barely escaped in one piece.

"After that, I got promoted to corporal and spent the next three years leading task forces.  Most of the troops under my care never made it home; it made me fall into a pretty deep depression.  Eventually, I was transferred to Aurora Base because my supervisor thought it would be best to keep me away from battle for a while.  And a few months later, the Martial Alliance attacked and I met you guys."

Dreemo nodded, clinging to Marcosis' every word.  Sam looked thoughtful too, finally understanding why Marcosis was always so negative.

"How about you, Riker?" Sam asked.

Riker hesitated to answer, still thinking about Marcosis' story.  Then he said, "I come from a long line of soldiers in my family.  Everyone from my great-great-great-grandfather down to my dad was a soldier.  Every single one of them was killed in action one way or another.  So I decided to carry on their legacy, even though going to war was the last thing I had in mind.

"I learned how to make being in the military enjoyable.  I made lots of friends, threw plenty of parties, and when the time came to fight, I was ready for it—I even had fun as long as everything went well."  Riker paused.  "A lot of my friends, on the other hand, weren't quite as ready.  I watched most of them die on the battlefield; a few even died in my arms, and those that survived are probably dead by now.

"After just a few months, my sergeant saw how much potential I showed and had me transferred to Aurora Base so that I could receive further training from the esteemed Col. Fragnile and Sergeants Shraknal and Klondike.  Then the Alliance attacked and I was assigned to defend the shield generator of the base.  That's where I met Felly, and then I met the rest of you when we made our escape."