Virginia
Tonight
Alicia Turner, lieutenant in the Psi Ops division of International Operations, stood up and stretched her aching back before taking notice of the airplane that taxied in close to the windowed departure lounge. This wasn't her usual gig, babysitting psi-operatives usually went to The Black Razors, International Operations elite commando units, but these two men were not the usual psi-operatives.
Both Lt. Colonel Marc Slayton and Sergeant Cole Cash had nodded off and fallen asleep in the pre-molded hard plastic chairs that peppered the lounge in what once had been even rows of new high tech furniture. It was not uncommon for soldiers of their caliber to sleep through anything, getting even twenty winks can be challenging when you're jetting around the globe killing terrorists and defusing political hot spots. Or each other, she thought to her self, as she moved to the window watching the crew outside prep the plane for another immediate take off.
Six hours ago the two men behind her, each of whom have served on I.O.'S covert military unit designated Team7, had nearly killed one another. Now they slept next to each other like brothers, which was appropriate since it had only been these two who came back alive from Team7'S last mission. The entire situation amused her just a bit.
"What are you smiling about Ms Turner?" Colonel Slaton asked.
Alicia paused a half second to make sure she contained any outward emotional responses before turning to face Colonel Slayton.
"Smiling?"
Outside one of the crew stepped out on to the planes flop down stairway door and motioned for the passengers to come aboard with a wave of his hand. Slayton stepped back to the seat next his and picked up his bag.
"Up and at 'em Cash." He growled, marching out onto the tarmac.
Cash slung his bag over his shoulder and moved over to the door. Alicia was still smiling as he approached with his hand out stretched, in it lie a yellow daisy Cash had picked from the landscaping outside.
"Something to remember me by?" He smiled.
"Are you not coming back?" Alicia asked accepting the flower.
"You never know how things will work out."
"I know." Alicia stated smiling broader as she leaned in and gave the scruffy man a kiss on the lips, careful not to get scratched by his three-day beard.
Without another moments hesitation she turned and exited the lounge into an awaiting black sedan that drove her back to I.O. headquarters. Cash went through the door out onto the tarmac and headed up the door ladder behind Slayton.
Once in the air, the seatbelt sign darkened, Cash picked up his gear and moved to the other end of the plane that carried only a few other passengers and away from Slayton.
"Be careful Cash." Slayton remarked, never looking up from his briefing reports.
"What do you know of it?" Cash asked.
"I know Alicia is like me, not like you, and people like me choose their career's over everything else." Slayton finally looked up.
"Your career died on Caballito Island with the rest of Team7 Colonel. You remember, you shoved me onto that chopper leaving Martinez and the other bodies behind." Cash began to wish he'd packed his weapon and wasn't sure he'd regret using it this time.
Slayton chose not to remark at all as Cash made his way to the back rows of seats to plug into his I-pod and what ever else he may do to prep for a mission.
Virginia
Yesterday
"Are you ready for you're…" Carin Mathers stopped in her tracks as she entered the hospital room of one sergeant Cole Cash.
"Sergeant its part of my duties to help you get dressed, you don't want to re-open your wound do you?" Cash was ahead of the game this morning all ready dressed in the gray fatigue style pants and hard soled slippers when Mathers entered.
"That's ok doc, I've gotten dressed in more nefarious circumstances." Cash winked.
"I'm not your doctor sergeant." Mathers got behind her patient and helped him with the shirt. "I'm a physical therapist as I've told you many times."
"You're the doc doc." Cash smiled.
"If you'll follow me." She stated leading him out of the room and down to the second level laboratory but it was only a few paces before she noticed that Sergeant Cash was not doing as instructed, as usual.
"Sergeant?"
"Two strait weeks of the lab is enough for awhile doc, lets hit the gym today."
"I don't think.." Mathers stopped in mid sentence when it was abundantly clear that sergeant Cash was not waiting to hear what she had to say and heading strait for the gym as if he'd been cleared for that level of activity.
"I don't suppose you'll be satisfied with something simple like jumping rope?" Mathers asked as she entered the gym.
"Not hardly." Cash knifed his way across the equipment dotted floor to the far side of the room, which held the automated obstacle and fighting courses.