McNealy Air Base, Osea

March 2019

Alex Banks crashed onto his bed. He had just returned from a long day of tests and was utterly exhausted. Suddenly, he heard a noise. He got out of his bed, picked up his smartphone and turned on the flashlight, and headed down the hall to see where the noise came from. His flashlight shined onto Ashley Davenport, a fellow trainee, who was stuffing her face with brownies.

"Um, Ash that's not allowed in the barracks. Remember Pvt. Pyle from Full Metal Jacket?"

"Please don't tell them!" Ashley blurted out. "Please, I was just hungry Alex. If you tell them, we all would get punished! So please don't tell them."

"Okay fine but please stop. You're keeping me awake," replied Alex.

Ashley nodded and put the jar containing the brownies underneath her bed. Alex returned to his room and went back to sleep.

The next day, the trainees and their instructor Major Bailey went to the O Club, where they received their callsigns. After a while, it was Ashley's turn.

"So for Ashley here, does anyone one have an idea for her callsign?"

Alex raised his hand. "Sir, what about Brownie? One time I saw her stuffing her face with brownies."

"Great idea Alex! Ashley Davenport, you are now Brownie."

"Alex, why?" Ashley was not happy with her new call sign.

Alex was next.

"What about Alex here?" said Major Bailey.

Another trainee, who had received the callsign Zeus, suggested Trigger. "Remember he flinched when he hear a gun once?"

"Ok then. Alex Banks, you are now Trigger."

After receiving their callsigns, the trainees dispersed throughout the club, drinking and socializing with each other. While Alex was finishing a glass of beer, Zeus sat down next to him.

"Hey Trigger. What's up"

"Nothing much. What about you?"

"I'm good as well. Brownie looks like she could use some company, though. Heard she likes you."

Alex glanced over at Ashley, who was sitting alone at a table with an empty glass and looking at a picture of a pilot on the wall. He recognized the pilot in the picture as Alvin "Chopper" Davenport, the Wardog Squadron pilot who sacrificed his life during the Circum-Pacific War.

Alvin decided to join Ashley.

"Hey Ash, why are you starting at that photo?"

"Alex, he was my older brother."

"The MotorMouth Chopper? I knew someone who was an member of an AWACS crew for the Wardog Squadron. He said the radio operator always told him to cut the chatter. He always hated him. It's incredible how he sacrificed himself to save everyone in the stadium, though."

Ashley looked up. She was visibly upset. "How you know all this?"

"My uncle was a mercenary during the Circum-Pacific War. He was the second-in-command of the 8492nd Squadron and was there when it all kicked off. He was the one who said the raid was a drill."

"Your uncle killed my brother. Alex!" Ashley broke down in tears. Two other trainees stepped forward and tried to comfort her. One of them glared at Alex.

"Do you realize what a mess you created?"

"I was just trying to…"

"You're so insensitive. Guess the name Trigger really does fit you."

It was midnight and Alex had gone to the bathroom, leaving his door open. Ashley went into the room and looked around to find something to possibly use as blackmail. She saw an old photo, possibly two decades old and picked it up. It showed a group of fighter pilots, with an infant sitting on the lap of one of them, a woman who had the Galm Squadron patch on her flight suit. She realized that the woman was Galm 1, the legendary Belkan War ace, and that Alex was her son. She heard he was coming back so she cleaned up and left.

The next morning, Alex noticed that something was wrong. He looked around his room and realized that the picture of his mother and her comrades, which had been on his desk just yesterday, was missing.

Later, while eating breakfast with some other rookies, Alex brought up the missing photo.

"So I had this old photo on my desk but this morning, it was gone. Anyone have any idea where it is?"

Mark Grimm, who had the callsign Faun, spoke up. "Not sure this is of any help but last night, I saw Brownie go into your room while you were using the toilet."

Another pilot, callsign Footpad, chimed in. "I saw her come out with something in her pocket. Couldn't tell exactly what it was but in retrospect, it probably was your missing picture."

"Speaking of Brownie, she's right there near the entrance," Faun mentioned. "Why don't you go talk to her?"

Alex looked to his left. Sure enough, Ashley was there, chatting with two other female pilots. He got out of his chair and walked up to her.

"Hey Ash, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Sure, can we do this in private?" Ashley stared coldly at Alex.

"Okay." The two headed outside into a deserted hallway.

Alex proceeded to his point. "I know that you were in my room last night. What were you doing there?"

"Nothing. I was just curious, Alex."

"Well, I'm also pretty sure that you took an old photo of me and my mom that was on my desk. I'd like you to give it back."

"Not until you apologize for humiliating me in front of everyone else last night." Ashley raised her voice. She was clearly still angry about the events of the previous evening.

"Ash, I'm sorry for what you had to go through. But I never intended to upset you or cause you pain."

"For Christ's sake, Alex! I wasn't able to sleep last night because I couldn't stop thinking about my brother after what you said to me! You're such an insensitive POS! No wonder why you're callsign is Trigger!" She took a moment to breath and regain her composure. "The photo is in my desk. Middle drawer. The door's unlocked. Stay away from me from now on, okay?"

"Alright, fine." Alex walked back to the mess hall.