𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙊𝙛 𝙎𝙠𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 [𝙍.𝙎.]

Mayday

Sandra was lying in her bed, going over everything she had been told that day. She wore a nightdress and her hair was in a loose braid. Her hands folded over her stomach and sheets thrown to the floor as she found it far too warm for them.

The door suddenly burst open, revealing her brother who quickly shut it as he began to pace around the room. Sandra turned onto her side, watching him.

     "Find anything?" She asked dully after a few minutes of watching him.

     "They are using bombs, they've got crates of them in storage" James muttered, leaning back against the wall as he thought some more, his eyes zeroed in on the ground intently as he thought. "They've weaponized the choppers with more guns then would only be precautionary and they're deflecting questions"

      "Anything else?" Sandra asked after a few more minutes.

     "Yeah, that war photographer is an anti-war photographer" James stated with a small smile. Sandra's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, sensing she was missing something.

     "Mmm" Sandra hummed in a teasing tone "Yeah, she seems nice, I definitely wouldn't mind her as a sister-in-law"

James' head snapped up in shock, before it turned to a scowl and then a harsh glare sent straight at his sister who started to giggle uncontrollably, clutching her stomach as James left her room with a huff, slamming the door behind him.

***

One of the boys popped a record on, playing a song Sandra vaguely recognized.

She was wearing a tanktop, covered by a jacket and some army pants. Her hair was in it's usual half ponytail, pulled back in a black bandana that day with a few strands blowing around loosely.

She walked past the partying soldiers that were posing for photos and pushing each other around, some dancing others just talking and laughing. Sandra noticed a guy farther back, focussing on writing something, probably a letter to his family.

She hurried up to the deck where her brother stood, surveying the water as the ship moved, standing next to him silently she looked out over it as well.

She stared at the storm ahead of them, not sure how to feel about any of it really. She wanted to go, but sitting in that room yesterday and then looking out at the storm made it far more real.

     "We're probably not coming back, are we?" She asked, though it wasn't really a question, just an insecurity.

     "You don't have to come" James responded, looking at her, but she shook her head.

     "Yes, I do" She countered "Let's just hope we at least make it through that storm"

With that she headed back to the group of soldiers on the lower deck, running into Slivko as he introduced her to the rest of his friends.

She also met the photographer, who seemed friendly enough, though Sandra was truly impressed by her determination to make it in a man's world.

***

The group was packing up, boarding the helicopters.

Sandra noticed Nieves standing by the entrance of one, looking as if he was going to be sick. Brooks also seemed uncertain she noticed, as Randa walked away from him, though the other man seemed to be in high spirits.

     "Two mikes till launch" Same man announced over the PA, causing Sandra to flich slightly "Troops and civilians board assigned aircraft. Two mikes till launch"