NOTE. THE FOLLOWING STORY IS FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. THIS STORY CONTAINS LANGUEAGE, VIOLENCE, BLOOD, GORE, AND SOME SUGGESTIVE THEMES. (no sex btw)
ALSO NOTE! The characters portrayed in this fanfiction are named after members of an ATLA fansite. Any confusion, feel free to contact me.
1150 Hours, Somewhere in the outskirts of Kyoshi...
The 11 man squad carefully made its way through the dense forest. They cautiously navigated through the sea of trees and bushes, careful not to make too much noise. The leaves and twigs crunched underneath their boots as their dark olive uniforms blended in with the scenery. They were all tense, their weapons at the ready, their dog tags shining in the sunlight. Anywhere, anytime, a Firenation ambush could take place. Worse, a booby-trap could be tripped and engulf an entire platoon in a ball of fire. Being unidentifiable was every soldier's worst fear, next to dying.
The squad made its way to a clearing in the forest. The only sound being made was the radio chatter from other platoons in the outlying area from the radioman's radio.
"THIS IS CONCRETE!THEY'RE TEARIN' US TO PIECES! WE NEED BACKUP, NOW!"
"Say again, Timeless, your current position is where?"
"Uh, roger Bishop-three, sending a medivac chopper your way, over."
"Alpha-Beta-niner-two copies, fire mission approved, firing one round to grid 11-5-32. Incoming."
"Gallantmon, turn that damn radio off." The 1st Lieutenant of the squad ordered sternly, walking past the radioman.
"Yessir,'' Gallantmon said, turning down the volume on the radio. All that was heard was the wildlife. The young Lieutenant at first glance seemed disheveled and tough. Then again, so was the rest of the squad. After all, they had been patrolling the humid forest and the even more humid swamp for the past four months, searching for Firenation activity.
The squad trudged on into the forest, the canopy providing shade in the hot July heat. It was a good thing their weapons had heatshields, or else the grips on them would have burned the soldiers' hands.
One squadmate, walking next to the 1st Lieutenant, seemed to be panting heavily and seemed like he was about to pass out. Then he made gagging noises and sounded like he was about to throw up.
"Private, you ok?" The 1st Lieutenant asked. The private only gagged even more, still walking alongside him.
The Lieutenant rapped his helmet and asked again, "Yo, Private, you okay?" The private responded by falling to the ground and vomiting on an Oak tree. The exhaustion was killing him, but not the rest of the men.
"You're one simple son-of-a bitch, Pvt. Kalypso. On your feet!" The Lieutenant ordered, pulling up Kalypso by his collar. The young private was gasping for air now.
"He's simple 'cause he's 'green', shithead." A squadmate cradling an M-60 muttered, flicking his cigarette to the side.
"What was that, One-Half?" The Lieutenant asked calmly. There was a scant trace of anger in his voice.
"Nothing, Lt. Rudiger, sir. I was just commenting on how hot AG looks." One Half answered, referring to Cpl. AG's sun burnt face and arms. The whole squad erupted in laughter. Cpl. AG shot One Half and angry look (though he did look a little flushed).
"Rud, I think we should rest up here for now," 2nd Lt. SBD said. He was second in command of the platoon, and good friends with Rudiger. He was the one you could ask advice from. He was also the most intellectual one of the bunch.
Rudiger stared out into the forest path ahead. Then he checked his ORGPS for the next checkpoint and the next set of instructions from Col. Uncle Iroh. (objective-radar-global-positioning-system. Not only did it tell you where you were and tell your objectives, but it also told if an enemy was nearby, a red dot on the radar, kind of like Halo)
Rudiger then turned to his men and announced, "Okay, guys! Rest up! In a half hour, we're moving out!"
"That's not enough time to finish a fucking chess game, man!" Sgt. Gotag complained, getting out the mini-chess set from his rucksack. He and Staff Sgt. Taunt were the logistics of the platoon, and both had a passion for chess. The rest, however, had a passion for pieshow and gambling.
"Don't care. You're lucky I'm not giving a FIVE minute break, Sergeant," Replied Rudiger casually, "Everyone! Stay hydrated! Keep cool! We move out in thirty!"
The men set down their gear in a small clearing in the thicket, on a cliff overlooking the sea of tress below, but kept their weapons close.
Most of them sat down, relaxed and chatted, while the rest were either playing cards or chess. Lt. Rudiger and Lt. SBD stood off to the side. Normally, they were always chatting together. They were longtime friends, and were always found together (rumors circulated around the platoon that they were gay. This rumor was quickly dismissed after Rudiger ordered the men to clean the latrines with their bare hands,). After all, Rudiger DID have a girl back at the South Pole, and took a liking to the intelligence officer back at HQ, Major EG (xxearthgrlxx).
"Cigarette?" Rudiger offered 2nd Lt. Silent But Deadly.
"Nah, man, I don't smoke" Retorted SBD.
"You're right, dude, I shouldn't either. You know, Doctor Suzume and EG are trying to get me to quit." Rud said, taking a puff of the cigarette.
"Is it working?" SBD asked.
"No." Scoffed Rud, "but lately I'm doing it when under pressure, not all the time, y'know?"
"Like when you're nervous, right?"
"Yeah, at base I don't do it, partly because EG will scold me if I do." Joked Rud. To most of Easy Company (a.k.a "The Big Easy"), they knew Rud had the hots for EG. What they didn't know was that they were growing close, somewhere on the border of love, and that Rud already had someone waiting for him back at the South Pole (a dilemma soon to come). SBD was the ladies man of the group. Every city or village they went to, he was always hitting on all the ladies.
"HEY ONE HALF!" Hollered Rudiger.
"What?" Answered One Half loudly. He was with the other men, eating their rations in a small circle. Some of them were in tiny cliques.
"Take that position by those bushes over there by the path! We don't want to be caught pigging out like last time!" Called Rudiger.
One Half sighed and whined, "Come on, Lieutenant! I just started eating! If I leave, then Outlaw is gonna eat my rations!"
"I'm not gonna eat it, relax. Not like this shit is good, anyway." muttered Cpl. Outlaw, his mouth full of food.
"That's an order!" Scolded Rudiger. One Half grumbled and grabbed his M-60 and stomped towards the position.
"Hehehe, what he doesn't know wont hurt him!" Chuckled Outlaw as he took some of One Half's rations.
"I thought you hated this crap!" Said Pvt CZ, the medic of their platoon (and the only Waterbender, too).
"Dude! I haven't eaten breakfast! I'm starved!" Complained Outlaw, scarfing down his food.
"You fat fuck you!" Laughed Pvt. Gallantmon.
"Hey guys, check this out!" Cpl. AG said, sitting on a log, reading the army newspaper. "Says here that the Avatar is really some twelve year old kid!"
"What! No way, man!" Said Pvt. DWTH, the sniper of the group. He got up from where he was laying down and looked at the article AG was reading.
"Way." Replied AG. The whole squad knew about the Avatar returning. It filled them with hope that the Avatar would end the war soon.
"What, he was gone for like, a hundred years, right?" Gallantmon asked.
"Yeah yeah, wasn't he found by like two teenagers from the South Pole or whatever?" Asked Outlaw nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, right now they're somewhere down south." AG read.
Not too far off, Sgt. Gotag and Staff Sgt. Taunt011 were playing chess on a mini-board (compact).
"You better watch that bishop there, Sergeant." Taunted Taunt.
"Oh, I'm watching it all right, just like I'm eyeing your queen, sir." Retorted Gotag. Again, both had a passion for chess, and played whenever they could. Chess is a game of thinking and logic, and they felt that logistics was a crucial factor on the battlefield. It meant the difference between life and death.
"So, how's your girl doing back home?" Taunt asked, still keeping his mindset on the game.
"She's fine. She signed up for the war effort in Omashu, you know." Gotag replied.
"Oh, really? So she's doing her share then, right?" Taunt asked, moving his knight to Gotag's pawn and taking it away.
"Yeah, right now she's up in the North Pole, trying to help rebuild it after the Flamers tried to take it."
"I remember fighting there...the first time "Big Easy" fought together..." Taunt said softly.
"I try not to think about it...the carnage and all." Breathed Gotag. He looked at his watch. "Crap, it's almost time to move. Let's finish up back at base." Gotag got out his digital camera, took a picture of the board (so they could pick up where they left off) and packed up.
"IF we get back..." muttered Taunt.