The Scout

Chapter - 8

The Scout-
Chapter - 8/  'Boys to Men'
By; mike hurley

Phantom turned and looked around him; to his right, and far below he saw Ty and Amy, walking. To his left was a great, snow covered mountain. Straight ahead, his trail began to descend from the Mesa, cross several deer & antelope trails, then meet Amy & Ty's ahead. He looked up and saw a small drone, turn and hide between 2 evergreens. It seemed to be watching his people. He looked high up into a dark nimbus cloud and saw another drone. It hid in the lower cloud layers. He stared as it shot a Python-6 missile and blew up the little drone.

Lieutenant Thomas Majors scanned the area with a heat seeking camera. He saw Captain Borden, with his rescued citizen and then, higher and 1200 meters north, Phantom. Everyone at the Drone Control Operations Centre knew who Phantom was; he was legendary.  The Lt zoomed closer and saw the big wolf/dog staring at him. Wolves always creeped him out. It was the intelligence he saw in their eyes that seemed to know what he was thinking. Last month, he met a female with 2 pups on a wandering trail, climbing above Lake Louise. They were just 20 meters apart on the trail. The wolf showed her fangs & he about messed his pants, as he said, 'nice wolffee' and slowly backed down the trail.  He'd been freaked out for days.

The Lieutenant set the Reaper drone to automatic and got up to take his morning break. He needed to get that mother wolf out of his head!! He walked into the restroom, and stood in front of a urinal, and sighed as his bladder happily emptied. 

All day long Lt Tom Majors was safe in his office, in front of a terminal.  His hand on a mouse. He killed people with a mere click and watched death all day.  He was a drone pilot dealing with the beginning symptoms of PTSD. 

He finished, flushed, and gave it a shake, zipped up his pants, washed his hands and looked at himself in the mirror.
He saw the stress in his eyes and so needed to hold his cat and close to eyes to all this hell.
But Tom Major's remembered walking through the British, Canadian, and American military cemetery's at Normandy as a boy.  He held his great-grandfathers' arm and helped steady him for hours as they walked among gravestones seemingly as plentiful as the grains of sand on Normandy's stark beaches. 
After endless random salutes to men neither knew, his great-grandfather turned to him and said.......
'Little in life is worth dying for, but freedom is one I would gladly join these men to protect'.

Thomas walked back to his desk, put on his headset and asked his drone for a report.......

                                     🦋🦋🦋

Ty waited for Amy to catch up, he saw her moist eyes, took her hand, and asked what was wrong. She stared at the two flags on his lapels and smiled as she said; 'nothing', everything's fine. Ty brushed the hair out of her eyes and replied; tears don't say nothing Amy, tell me, ....please. She leaned her forehead into Ty's chest & quietly said; Ty,........you know the status of your family, Jennifer and your unborn  child, .....are gone. Ty.....I'm so sorry !!  I never even met them & it upsets me thinking of you, you know identifying her. I know how much you loved her Ty. I see that love still in your eyes when you tell me about her. That's part of my sadness.

Then there's my family Ty!!  I have no idea if their dead or alive. Tears dove down her cheeks, as Ty pulled her close. He kissed her forehead and held her. Ty knew, when the time for words was over. Hearts often communicate without words; Ty's strong arms wrapped around Amy was all she needed. They stood for almost 10 minutes, Amy's body pressed against his. Her face buried inside his jacket. Amy was becoming more comfortable showing her feelings to Ty.  She knew he was strong enough to understand, and caring enough not to try & tell her to calm down. Feelings were important, especially for a girl,........she was lucky.......she had a man who loved her, and knew exactly how to hold her.