Missing in Action

Chapter Twenty Five

Missing in Action

Chapter Twenty Five

James' P.O.V

We stood in silence as we all waited for the Admiral to speak. As soon as he had walked out, even the seagulls had silenced themselves in understanding.

We shouldn't be stood here.

I remember so many other times like these. Times when it was people from other ships and people that I never really had spoken to. I remember how bad I felt that they were lost, but I always thanked the stars that I was still here.

It wasn't like that now.

Cassidy was missing and Henry was dead, and I was still here unharmed and safe. I felt awful.

"I don't even know how to begin this," Admiral Sheffield said as he surveyed us all.

His eyes rested on me. I nodded in respect for him, and in understanding. It had never ceased to amaze me how many lives Cassidy could touch, and in some ways, there was hardly anyone in this base that didn't like Cassidy Davis, the Admiral included.

"As you all know, HMS Illustrious left port four months ago in order to carry out bombings on our enemies' strongholds. During which, we had a nuclear threat from a small breakaway country from the Soviet Union. The Falcon squadron and Kite squadron were sent to eliminate this threat," the Admiral's voice seemed to boom around the port.

"The threat was eliminated on 15th of June by the Kite squadron," the Admiral said.

A few people moved slightly as if they knew what was coming next.

"However, this threat was eliminated against the orders of the Falcon squadron who were in charge. Many civilians lost there lives because of this," the admiral's face hardened as his gaze rested on what must have been the only member of the Kite squadron that had survived it.

I hadn't talked to Kerry since we had got back. It was weird. Anyone who didn't know that Kerry and her team had been robots hadn't been told. I couldn't bear to look at her after I had found out about Cassidy.

Some people began to mutter.

I glanced across the sea, in the direction of Cassidy. She was out there somewhere. She had to be.

"The Kite squadron was branded as insurgents and both Red 1 and 2 were dealt with by Falcons 1, 2 and 3," Admiral Sheffield stated.

He paused. I wanted him to say the next words just to get it over with. I wanted to yell at him to say them. I just wanted him to say that Henry was gone.

He sighed and rubbed his face. He looked around again. He didn't want to say it, just like I didn't want to accept it. But life doesn't work like that.

"However, we... we lost Lieutenant Henry Purcell dealing with the Kite squadron's mistake," he finally said.

Mistake.

That was the best word had. He said it was mistake. It wasn't a mistake, it was murder on a large scale and it was all because of one man's ideas.

It had spread quickly that Captain Johnson had committed suicide. The coward hadn't wanted to face what he had done. Part of me still wanted to storm into the Houses of Parliament and demand why they had let this happen. That part of me was still whole.

Ben, who was standing next to me, let his hands ball into fists.

"We have organised a funeral to take place tomorrow at 14:00," the Admiral said.

I had fallen apart after I was told about Cassidy.

I had just got out of my plane. Ben and Peter were waiting for me. I asked them where Cassidy was. They had just shook their heads. I didn't need anyone to tell me what had happened. I just knew.

I think I just fell apart all over again.

What would happen if she never got out?

Suddenly, there didn't seem to be enough air to breath.

"We also lost someone else. Lieutenant Cassidy Davis was forced to eject from her plane over territory that is currently held by terrorists," the Admiral said.

He watched me, Ben and Peter. His eyes were full of pity. I couldn't stand people looking at me like that.

"Our sources confirmed that she was captured on her way to the north border. Lieutenant Davis was only twenty five miles from the United States airbase where she would have been given safe access to a way home," Admiral Sheffield said.

Other sailors began to mutter, but all I could hear was buzzing. It sounded like I was in a hive with thousands of bees flying around.

Sailors kept turning around to look at us. I couldn't read their faces because my vision was blurred.

They had her. They had Cassidy.

I couldn't breath again. My heart was pounding in my ears. My chest was rising and falling quicker than I thought possible. I felt like I was falling into a never-ending pit that was getting darker and darker by the minute. There was no way out.

They had caught Cassidy. Time was running out. She was going to die.

Ben grabbed my elbow to steady me. I smiled at him gratefully. He just nodded back. We were supporting each other.

Cassidy had always been the one that had held us all together. We could always rely on her. But without Cassidy, we were lost.

How long would she last?

I didn't know the answer. No one did, not even Cassidy herself. Anything could happen to her out there, and now... now she was out of places to run.

I imagined an hour glass. The sand falling down as the seconds tick by. Now the sand represented Cassidy life, but I could no longer see the hour glass. Maybe we would never find out if she-

I didn't let myself continue. I decided to ban that word. If she came home- when she came home, I will let myself say it then. Until then, I won't let myself believe that she could, but then I was giving up.

The Admiral hushed us all. We fell silent again. His eyes rested on me again.

"However, at the first available opportunity we get, we will rescue Lieutenant Cassidy Davis. That is a promise," he said.

I silently thanked whoever was listening up in heaven for that. The reassurance that Cassidy was not alone, and that we would not leave her.

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A/N Sorry it's short!

Imagine_Fiction