A Soldiers Story: Ghosts of the battlefield

Chapter 7: Your fault

3rd person POV / Back at Base

Geist jumped out of the Heli after it landed. He helped Jäger to the med bay as Doc and some other medics carried the other two.

Jäger: „Danke." he said. Once a medic got to take care of him Geist left. Before he could go through the door though, Doc stopped him. „Is everything alright?" he said with a worried tone. Geist just answered with the cold stare that had been on his face since he got here. As Doc hesitated to say something, seemingly startled, Geist just left the room. But Doc wasn't the kind of person who would stand by after something like this. He took out his phone and called Harry.

Geist was currently storing away his equipment as the speakers turned on again. „Operator Poltergeist is to report to Harry's office, now."

He sighed and made his way there. He stopped in front of Harry's desk, put his heels together and his hands by his sides.

Harry, who sat in his chair, stood up. „You know you don't need to do that." he said calmly.

Geist didn't answer and didn't change his stance, so Harry just continued, seeing that it would get to nothing asking another time.

„Gustav and Marius told me what had happened and both are very concerned about you."

Again, silence. Harry sighed.

„Should you change your mind and want to talk, Gustav and I will help as probably most others here. For now, I suggest you take a break. You will be the first one to know if anything happens." he promised. Geist saluted and walked away.

Geist POV

I headed to the cafeteria in hopes of just getting a quick meal and then trying to get some sleep for now. But of course, it wouldn't go that way.

Shortly after I got there Maestro stood up from his table walking towards me with heavy steps and a grim face.

Maestro: "This is all your fault! You made a promise! If you would have stayed with them this wouldn't have happened and now there isn't even the slightest bit of remorse on your face! How can you stay so cold knowing this happened because of you?!" Maestro shouted at me.

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked him in the eye. He didn't move an inch and didn't change his expression of hate he had on his face. He was certain he was in the right.

Maybe he was.

Geist: "I KNOW THAT. AND YOU KNOW WHY I DON'T?! BECAUSE EMOTIONS ARE WEAKNESS!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Every eye looked at me. I got closer to Maestro with every sentence I yelled.

"EMOTIONS ARE NOTHING BUT A WEAK SPOT WHICH SOMEONE WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF!

THAT IS WHAT I WAS THOUGHT, NOT BY ONE PERSON BUT SOCIETY; LIFE ITSELF EVEN!

I LEARNED THIS LESSON BY MYSELF AND NOT THE EASY WAY!

THAT IS WHAT I MADE MYSELF BELIEVE BECAUSE EVERYONE OUTSIDE OF MY FAMILY EXPECTED IT FROM ME!

"Man up" they would tell me.

Laugh at me for being such a "crybaby"...

Never. again."

By the end, I realised that I had gripped Maestro by the collar of his shirt.

I turned on my heel, leaving the startled Maestro behind. Blitz and Thatcher stood in my way as I went to the door. They tried to stop, asking if they could talk to me about it.

I roughly pushed them to the side both didn't make any further attempts to stop me and just watched as I threw open the doors and left in direction if the training area.

I mindlessly began punching one of the sandbags as hard and fast as I could, without stopping, until Doc came in the room, after a few minutes or so, obviously looking for me. Once he saw my already bloody fists he rushed over to me. „At least let me help you with those." he said inspecting my knuckles and started to drag me to the med bay. „You know this won't make it better..." he started to lecture me. 'But better that sandbag than him' I thought. Quickly afterwards the rest of it just became background noise for me. Normally I would have listened to him and cared about what he said. But I already knew everything he told me.

After Doc was finished I at least got to take a short nap before the PSA turned on yet again. By now it was about evening.

„Operator Poltergeist is to report to Harry's office, now."

Still a bit sleepy I enter his office, stop before his desk and put my heels back together just like before.

Harry: „After today's mission and regarding your current condition I decided it would be best if I get someone involved who you already know." He said calmly as always. Now I first noticed that someone was standing behind Harry.

"Hello, Richard. Been a while"

Alibi POV / ???

My head ached when I woke up. With still blurry vision I try to make out where I am but it was too dark. Behind me, I heard Metal scrape on the floor making a very unpleasant noise. I turned around only managing the see two silhouette outside

„This is her?"

„That's what they said."

„Not what I had expected after their stories, but I also don't know what I expected." the first one said getting closer to me.

„Sticchio." I cursed at him.

„No need to be rude. You'll only make it worse for yourself."

„Why the hell am I even here?"

„We saw an opportunity and we took it because now we finally have a good source of intel and after we're done with you some old friends of ours want to... talk to you too." he said in a menacing voice.

„Who?" I asked.

„Just wait and see." he answered smugly and left the room. The door screeched again and fell shut with a loud bang.