The Ribbon
Chapter 1 – So it begins
Friday, July 2, 2004 1204hrs, Camp Curtis Memorial
I had to call a cab to get on base because my van was still impounded. I slept in all day because there wasn't really anything I could do other than my usual morning workout. Whenever I woke up, I did a total of a hundred pushups, two hundred sit ups, and fifty pull ups. Afterwards, I would go for a thirty minute run or ten minutes of jump roping at a hundred and twenty jumps per minute. This was my usual morning workout and I did it every day. After I completed my work out this morning, I took a shower and got ready to meet Major Harkin at the base. The cab driver didn't say anything to me during the ride and I really didn't care. Camp Curtis didn't seem all that different from when I last saw it eight years ago. All evidence of the destruction had long since faded away but I could remember where the bombs had fallen and where I had been knocked out. I could even point out the place where I last saw Amanda before I was wounded. The spot the memorial was built on was where the bleachers were when the last bomb impacted the ground, the same exact spot where my father, sister, and brother died. I looked at all the names that were on the memorial. Eighty-four people died that day and yet there were ninety-two names on the wall. I don't know why we haven't asked for my name to be removed yet. The more I thought back to the day of the attack, the more the lower left side of my back started to hurt. When the last bomb hit, a piece of shrapnel embedded itself into my back and I almost died because of it. The pain just seemed to come back the instant I thought about it.
"Hey, Kid!"
I looked over to my right and saw Major Harkin approaching me in his car. He motioned for me to get in and we drove around the hangers to the get to the primary runway. No planes had been in the sky all day, nor were there any on the flight line. Something's not right. Where are all the ground crews and aircraft? Harkin didn't seem too disturbed by the anomaly. Harkin was just as sharp as I was and he would've noticed how strange everything was by now, but he didn't say anything. We arrived in front of one of the main hangers on the flight line of the primary runway. The hanger was closed so Harkin parked his car on the side of it and we got out. Harkin led me to the side door where he unlocked it with a key card and we both entered the building. The first thing I saw was a man welding something with a blow torch on a work bench. His welding mask obscured my view of his face and I didn't have the slightest idea who he was. The man looked over at us and Harkin walked on ahead while I watched as they conversed. The man Harkin was talking to turned his head away when he took off his welding mask and put on a pair of aviator sunglasses. He continued talking to Harkin and I could see the man looking over Harkin's shoulder to look at me. What's up with this guy? A couple minutes had passed and they were both still talking. I started to wander around the hanger a little bit and noticed that it was divided by a makeshift wall. Some things that I noticed around this half of the hanger were the personal pictures and awards hanging on the wall. There were also some familiar aircraft parts organized neatly on the ground.
"Hey, don't touch!" I looked over at the man who was talking to Harkin and saw him coming towards me. "Those parts are more valuable than your life."
"I figured as much. Even I'd be nervous about someone messing with parts to a P-51," I said.
"How did you know?"
"I've had a thing for airplanes ever since I was a kid. The first plane I ever flew was the Mustang."
The man looked back at Harkin and he nodded in return. "I want to show you something," said the man and motioned for me to follow him. He led me to the other side of the makeshift wall and I was surprised to see what was there. It was a very familiar looking airplane. "Does this look familiar to you in any way?"
"This was the first plane I flew when I was eight," I said and then I looked the pilot. "You're the guy who took me flying that day."
The man nodded, turned, and walked towards Major Harkin. They were both talking again and I could hear bits and pieces of what they were saying. They were talking about me and by the looks they were giving me, it seemed like they were arguing. While they were doing that, I looked over the aircraft that was sitting in the hanger. Every part of it was well maintained and still airworthy. The paint scheme was that of the 352nd Fighter Group. They made their mark in history during the battle of Y29 back on Earth in 1945. Whether or not this airplane was one of the group's Mustangs was beyond me, but the paint job was nice touch.
"Just do it! He may surprise you and if he doesn't, I won't bother you with this again," shouted Harkin.
I looked over at Harkin and his friend. They both looked at me and I felt like I was being put on the spot. It was right then that I started to question why I was really here. Harkin initially said that he had something that he wanted to show me but now I suspected there was another reason as to why I was here.
"Alright, I'll do it," sighed Harkin's friend. "Kid, get in."
He was pointing to the plane and I had no idea what was going on. We were going flying and I had no idea why. I looked at Harkin, hoping he would tell me what was going on. All he did was tilt his head, encouraging me to go. I hesitantly climbed onto the wing of the Mustang and climbed into the back seat. As I was strapping myself in, Harkin's friend gave me a pair of expensive looking Aviator sunglasses and a headset set so we could communicate with each other.
"So, what should I call you?" I asked.
"Solo," he muttered angrily.
Alrighty then, let's go. I put on the sunglasses and headset as Solo strapped himself into his seat. I looked down in front of me to see the copilot's controls. The stick, rudder pedals, throttle lever, flap lever, and landing gear lever seemed like they were tacked on at the last minute, but I knew they were fully functional. The only instrument gauges that were in front of me were the altimeter and speedometer. I really didn't need much else if I was going to fly this thing again. Harkin opened the hanger door and Solo started the plane up. I was anxious to actually fly again but I knew that this was a test of some kind. The engine began to putter and Solo applied a little more power to the engine. The puttering became the sweet humming of the P-51's Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Solo then started to taxi onto the runway as Harkin waved at me.
"Can you hear me, Kid?" he asked.
"Loud and clear, Sir," I replied. "Hey, what's going on? Why am I going flying in this thing again?"
"I thought about what you said last night while I was driving you home and after you proved that you could out fly me, I figured I'd test you," said Harkin.
That was Harkin I flew against last night? "I already figured this was a test, but for what?"
"We'll talk about it later, assuming you pass."
"Until then, your ass is mine," said Solo added.
Oh crap. We had finally made it onto the runway and Solo had stopped at the end of it. I could tell he was going to let me have it and I tried to mentally prepare myself for what was about to happen. Without warning, Solo slammed the throttle all the way forward and we started to shoot down the runway. We were quickly approaching take off speed and when we did, we lifted off of the ground. I felt myself gripping the edge of my seat like I did when I flew for the first time. Solo banked to the right and began a climbing right turn into the sky. My heart was racing as we zoomed through the air at two hundred and fifty mile an hour. It was the same adrenaline rush I felt eight years ago and it felt great. Solo was twisting and turning all over the place and I tried to move with the plane so that I didn't end up knocking myself out again. He was pushing the plane higher and higher and I started to wonder how long I could stay conscious at an altitude with little oxygen.
"Alright, Kid, let's see how long you can stay conscious under a bunch of Gs," said Solo
"What?"
Solo didn't say anything as he rolled the plane over and pulled a tight split S. My sunglasses slipped down my nose and I was breathing more heavily as I struggled to stay conscious. Tighten your legs and abdomen to stay conscious. According to Solo, we had just endured four Gs, but he wasn't done yet. After he pulled out of the split S, he went into a vertical climb and swung the Mustang's tail around so that we were now diving straight down. We were headed towards the ground at over three hundred miles an hour and we were only going faster. I looked at the speedometer and saw that we were approaching four hundred miles an hour. Solo then snapped the stick back and I quickly caught my sunglasses before they flew off. I was grunting as he pulled six Gs when he nosed up out of the dive. Harkin could hear me on the ground and I could tell he was getting a kick out of this.
"Keep breathing, Kid. There's nothing else to it," said Harkin over the radio.
"Easier said than done," I replied.
"Hey, it could be worse. I could've had you fly with me in a jet without you wearing a G suit."
I quickly slipped my sunglasses into my pocket and turned my attention to what was happening. Solo was flying harder than before. None of his maneuvers had a smooth transition between them. This made it difficult for me to stop myself from being tossed around in my harness. I practically felt my neck crack a couple times when Solo reversed his turns. I even hit my head on the side of the canopy multiple times. Solo was laughing in the front seat as he held a continuous roll to the right. I was getting extremely dizzy and I could feel myself getting close to vomiting. I didn't know if it was spite or if I just wanted it all to end, but I grabbed the control stick in front of me and snap it over to the left. The sudden change in direction came as a surprise to Solo and his head slammed against the canopy, knocking him out cold. Oh, shit! The pilot was knocked out and I was all alone. Oh man, oh shit, I didn't mean to do that! I was freaking out because I had no idea what I was doing. Yeah, I flew a simulation but that was a hell of a lot different than flying in real life. Okay, Antonio, get a grip and recover the plane from the spin. I grabbed the stick and gently pushed it over to the right so that the plane stopped spinning. The Mustang leveled out at five thousand feet and I reached in front of me to check Solo's pulse. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found that he was still alive. I then sat back in my seat and looked out through the canopy. I could see all of Wesson from up here and I felt a great deal of happiness sweep over me. For the first time in my life, I felt free. All the pain and suffering I've endured since I was born had disappeared. I felt like nothing could hold me back from doing anything and everything. This was actually happening and I was going to make the most of it. I was nervous about how I was going to get back on the ground but I decided to worry about that later.
"Hey, did the kid pass out yet?" asked Harkin over the radio.
"Nope, but Solo did," I replied.
"What," Harkin exclaimed.
"I tried to reverse the roll and he hit his head. I got control of the bird though."
"Kid, you have to wake him up."
"Harkin, how far can I go before Curtis launches interceptors at me?" I asked.
"Uh… you have free reign over the sky as long as you don't fly over the airport," said Harkin. "Why?"
"I think I'll go for a little ride. I'll be back in an hour."
"Kid, I swear if you do this, I'm going to kick your ass to the other side of Wesson and back. I will…"
I cut off my radio and put my sun glasses back on. I was gently handling the control of the plane so that I could get a feel for it. When I was eight, Solo told me to think of a plane as an extension of myself and lean with it whenever I made a turn. I quickly got used to how the Mustang handled and I pushed the sick over to the left while I pressed down on the left rudder pedal. The Mustang instantly started a left bank and I turned to head for the northern part of Wesson. I could see everything from here, even the shore of the Lake Harwood. I could point out my school, my house, and every other point of interest around the city. Stick down and to the right while applying right rudder. The Mustang responded by going into a descending right bank towards the ground. I was at one thousand feet, going three hundred and twenty-eight miles an hour when I leveled out of the dive. I was flying over the suburban area of Wesson and I could see people looking up at me as I flew over them. Pulling back on the throttle, I pushed the stick forward and descended to five hundred feet. I made it a personal rule not to go any lower so that I didn't freak anyone out. I was now flying just under two hundred miles an hour and I could see kids in their back yards looking up at me. They were all waving and jumping around as they pointed me out to their parents. One kid in particular caught my attention. He was in doing yard work with his parents and I could see that he was helping his dad dig a hole. The kid looked up at me and began to wave both of his arms wildly into the air. I couldn't help but smile knowing I was making his day. I doubled back and flew over his house again and the kid went insane. He started jumping as he waved his shovel in the air. As I flew away from him, I rocked the wings to let him know that I saw him. I know how that kid feels. I continued my joyride around Wesson and I saw the city skyline towards my nine o' clock. The first thing that came to mind was to attempt to weave through the buildings and buzz the skyscrapers, but I knew I would get myself into a ton of trouble if I attempted to.
I changed my heading towards the east and noticed the park down below. It was always filled with people during the summer who just wanted to spend time with families and friends. People occupied the baseball fields and basketball courts from where I could see. I was still flying at five hundred feet and I could see even more people looking up at me. Let's have a little airshow. I brought the stick over to the left and applied left rudder so that I made a wide loop around the park. I must've circled it about five times before I got everyone's attention. Right, here we go. I leveled out over the park and applied more power to the engine. I pulled back on the stick and I could feel the Mustang starting to pitch up, along with the G effects on my body. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle and I continued to put the plane through a vertical loop. When I came out of the loop, I cut back on the throttle and banked right so that I entered a climbing right turn. I then rolled further to the right so that I could pull into a descending left turn. At five hundred feet, I leveled out and proceeded to execute a four point roll. As I went through the roll, I could see Solo's hands raise above his head while we flew upside down. He was still unconscious and I figured he'd be alright. He might not like the fact that I took his plane for a joyride but I really didn't care. After I completed the four point roll, I snapped the stick back and to the left while I applied full left rudder, executing a high G barrel roll. I then slammed the throttle all the way forward and began to gain altitude. I was well above three thousand feet when I nosed over into a dive towards the ground. I was quickly approaching the Mustang's top speed of 437 mph. I knew I was capable of going faster than 450 mph before its structural integrity became compromised so I was careful not to overdo it. I pulled out of the dive just before I hit my hard deck, or minimal altitude limit, and rolled into a wide barrel roll.
As I came out of the maneuver, I banked to the left so that I could see the people down below. They had all stopped what they were doing to look up at me. A bunch of people who were standing were now sitting down in the grass as they watched my aerial acrobatics. A lot of kids were running around with their arms spread behind them. It seemed like I was making a lot of people happy today and I was totally okay with that. The maneuvers I pulled kept the attention of everyone down below. I would've loved to have waited until Sunday to fly, but this was good enough for me. I even stopped to take in the view. It was a beautiful day out. There were patches of clouds in the sky but it was clear for the most part. The sun was at its apex, giving me a clear view of everything. Man, this is still extremely dull. I pulled a few more maneuvers before I rocked my wings and peeled away from the park. I changed my heading back to the west and headed back towards Camp Curtis. I wished the flight lasted longer than five minutes but the runway quickly came into view. I turned my radio back on and I could hear Harkin trying to hail me over it.
"Kid, where did you go?" he shouted.
"I'm back over Camp Curtis, coming in for a landing, Where are you?"
"I've been trying to follow you for the past hour. I swear as soon as I see you, I'm going to…"
I quickly shut off the radio again as I circled the runway so that I could land. Okay, landing procedure: Gear down, flaps at forty percent, and throttle at thirty percent. As I was coming in I noticed that something was wrong. The Mustang kept veering to the right while I was descending onto the runway. Oh crap! I raised the flaps and throttled back up so that I could abort the landing. The wind was blowing perpendicular to my flight path, causing the Mustang to veer off to the side. I wasn't confident enough to attempt a crosswind landing so I had to us the secondary runway and fly into the wind if I was going to land safely. I circled around towards the south side of the airfield and lined up with the runway. I lowered my flaps and cut power to the engine again and I was descending at a steady pace. My speed was at the edge of stalling but the oncoming wind kept the plane aloft long enough for me to make a soft landing. Touch down. I came to a complete stop on the runway and proceeded to taxi over towards the hanger where Harkin parked his car when we first arrived. Once I was there, I unstrapped myself from my seat and rolled the canopy back so that I could get out. I was able to figure out how to turn off the engine after I got Solo out of his seat and placed him in the ground. He was still alive but he had a huge bump on the side of his head. He wasn't bleeding or anything and his eyes reacted to light when I pulled back his eye lids. I took a look around and saw that Harkin was nowhere to be seen. I pulled out my cell phone and called for an ambulance so that they could take care of Solo. While I was waiting, I climbed into the front seat of the plane. It felt way more different than sitting in the back. Everything felt more complete and I felt right at home, though it wasn't the same feeling I felt while I was flying. The moment ended when I saw the ambulance approaching in the pilot's rear view mirror. I sank down in the pilot's seat and peeked over the side to see everything that was going on. Solo had finally woken up and the paramedics concluded that he didn't have a concussion or anything, just a huge headache.
I was relieved that I didn't severely injure the guy but I knew he'd be mad at me. As the paramedics continued to talk with Solo, Harkin rolled up in his car. I'm gonna get it. It was clear to me that he was mad and now I had to suffer his wrath. He started to search for me around the hanger and when he couldn't find me, he called my cell phone. I never put the thing on silent and my ringtone gave my position away as I hid in the cockpit. Harkin climbed up onto the Mustang's wing and looked down on me inside the cockpit.
"Follow my lead," he yelled in German. Umm… okay. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You could've been killed!"
"I got the both of us back in one piece, didn't I?!" I yelled back.
"It doesn't matter! I told you to try and wake him up so that you could land, not so that you could take a fucking joyride around the city. What if something happened to you while you were out there?!"
"Oh, now you're worried? That didn't cross your mind while I was at the mercy of this fucking maniac?"
"Unlike you, he knew what the fuck he was doing the whole time."
"Well if that's true, then why did he pass out?"
"You knocked me out, you dumbass," shouted Solo.
"You tried to kill me!" I shouted.
"Shut the hell up, Kid. You're lucky to be alive," said Harkin.
The three of us all continued to argue over my free flight until a car pulled up alongside us and a man stepped out. He was the Major General in charge of all air operations on Camp Curtis and I guess he heard about what happened .Harkin and Solo both saluted him when he stepped out of his car and I hid behind them both. The General put both of them at ease and motioned for Harkin to get in his car. Harkin motion for me to follow him and I did.
"Who the hell is he?" the General asked.
"I'm his mentor, Sir. He's my responsibility," said Harkin.
The General gave me one look and scoffed. I doubted that he was the sympathetic kind of guy and I now started to realize that I might've gotten Harkin into a shit load of trouble. I thought he'd be furious at me but the fact that he told me to play along was a sign that he was looking out for me. We got into the General's car and headed for Building 1. It was the building where all the top brass worked. The General parked his car in his reserved parking spot and we all got out. Nothing was said as we all headed inside the building. The fact that the General himself came to get Harkin was a bit suspicious and it made me wonder why. He could've easily sent someone like an MP to get us. We continued through the building and I noticed how odd this place was. The receptionist's phone was ringing off the hook while I noticed a bunch of other officers just lounging around, talking with each other. If I ever became an office, I pray to God that I don't end up sitting on my ass collecting the easiest paycheck in the world. I was a very proactive guy. When thing's needed to get done, I did them. When work needed to be done, I couldn't sit still for long before I got restless. Eventually, we got to the General's office and Harkin told me to wait outside. I sat on the floor outside the General's office and leaned back against the wall. I could hear the General yelling at Harkin on the other side of the door. Apparently, the General grounded all aircraft so that Harkin could evaluate a potential candidate for something called The Mobius Initiative. Is that what this was? What's The Mobius Initiative? I continued to listen in as intently as I could to what was being said.
"I told you to keep the demonstration over the base, not half of Wesson! I don't know what your recruit did to Barlowe to get control of that aircraft, but you should've kept him under control. Where the fuck is he anyways?" demanded the General.
"He's waiting for me, Sir," said Harkin.
"Then you have exactly five minutes to get his sorry ass in front of me before I demote you to a Second Lieutenant, Harkin."
I heard foot step coming towards the door, followed by Harkin coming out of the office. He closed the door behind him and looked at me as I sat on the floor. Harkin knew I was listening in on them and he also knew I had questions. Harkin sighed and took a seat next to me before he started to talk.
"You got five minutes to ask me what questions you have, go," he said.
"Umm, okay. What was this test about?" I asked.
"The test was to see how capable you were of handling all the physics behind flying. From what you've demonstrated today, you know how to handle a plane. I thought you would've taken control of the plane sooner," said Harkin.
"Wait, you knew that would happen?" I asked.
"I was counting on you to struggle with Solo over the controls, but I didn't expect you to knock him out. I was hoping that you'd convince him to let you fly the plane over the base."
"You…. sneaky guy," I said trying to avoid an insult he didn't deserve.
"Yeah, next question?"
"What's The Mobius Initiative?"
"It's a volunteer program for ISAF. The independent Stated asked us, specifically the remaining US forces, for help in strengthening their air force. We haven't had any applicants so I thought you were my best bet."
"You're trying to get me into ISAF?" I asked.
"Kid, right now, I'm out of options on what to do. My superiors are growing desperate and they're looking for a way to end the war over in Usea before things get out of hand and at the rate the war is going, it's only a matter of time before Erusea rules over the entire continent," said Harkin.
"Why would it matter if they did?"
"That's classified. All you need to know is that ISAF needs pilots, and fast. You're the only one I know of who can do this."
"Why me," I asked. "Why choose me for this when you have all these other trained pilots here?"
"Because they don't see the point in fighting in a war that's not theirs," said Harkin. "No one outside my line of work doesn't realize the greater impact this war can have on the rest of the world."
I was surprised that Harkin was trying to get me into ISAF, but I knew he wasn't doing it because I asked for it. I really didn't care either. I just wanted to get away from Wesson. "Will the General let me join?"
"You leave him to me. Now, are you in or out?"
"I'm in," I said and I got up off the ground.
"Just one thing before we go in: whatever you learn from here on out, you have to promise me that you'll keep it together, alright?"
I nodded at Harkin as he got up off the ground. I followed him back into the General's office and stood in front of his desk. The General was looking out over the airfield as he glared out of his window. Harkin got his attention and the General turned to see me standing next to Harkin. All I could do was glare at the General as he looked at me. I already didn't like this guy. Judging from all of his office decorations, he seemed like the 'results at all cost' kind of guy.
"Is this some kind of joke? Who the hell is this?" asked the General.
"The only recruit for the initiative, Sir," said Harkin.
"Are you fucking dense? What the hell is this kid gonna do, cry until the war ends?"
"He's more than capable of learning the ropes fast enough before North Point is attacked."
"I'd be inclined to believe that if it didn't take him four years to graduate high school," scoffed the General. "And besides, what make you so confident that he'll even prove useful?"
"He's one of the surviving subjects from Project Pitbull," said Harkin.
The General paused and carefully looked me over. Pitbull was a secretly funded project known to only a handful of the highest military and government officials of an unspecified country. All records were sealed and most of the people who were involved were either dead or in jail.There wasn't any way he could've known for sure that I was part of Pitbull, or even know about the project at all unless he was there. As the General was studying me, I was studying him. His reaction suggested that he knew about Pitbull, but I didn't know how much he knew. The more he looked at me, the more I thought he looked familiar.
"Even if that were true, he still isn't a qualified pilot for me to allow it. All subjects from Pitbull were trained to be adaptable soldiers. Not pilots," sneered the General.
"We're all soldiers by trade, General. It seems like you've for gotten that yourself," said Harkin.
"Watch your mouth, Major!"
"Not this time, Sir. I need pilots to help out ISAF and all I need from you is to approve my recruit for training."
"Nothing you say is going to convince me to allow you to train this prepubescent jackass," said the General.
You son of a bitch! I really wanted to kill the guy now but I couldn't. I was so close to the edge and it would take a lot to stop me if I went off. Harkin grabbed my shoulder and told me to call a cab so that I could go home. He was going to let the General have it and I wanted to see how it all went down. I let out a sigh of disappointment before I walked out of the General's office. I was about to call a cab but I didn't have enough cash on me for the whole way home. The nearest ATM was at the base's main gate. Oh great. I headed out of the building and began to walk alongside the road that led off of the base. The sun was beating down on me and I really wanted something to drink. Again, the closest place where I could get it was near the base's main gate.
I started to wish I had my van, but I hated to be seen in it. A guy like me driving a minivan was just embarrassing. I need a new car. A new car wasn't the only thing I needed. I needed a new saxophone because my current one was becoming a pain in the ass to take care of. I also needed new shoes, a better airsoft gun, and I needed to get the hell out of Wesson. I thought about all this after I bought a can of my favorite half and half iced tea and a box of gummy worms once I got off base. I mostly thought about why I needed to get out of Wesson. I've been stuck here for the majority of my life and I was sick of the same boring atmosphere of this place. Nothing ever happened after Harkin and I helped the DEA with their cleanup efforts around the city a couple years back. Sure, the Pitbull Reform Project had its perks and we were occasionally called upon, but spending the rest of my time in this town was the worst way anyone could spend their life. There was nothing meaningful going on here. The only people who were here were part of the military or an employee of some kind of business working for douche bag bosses, which is probably why everyone looked so pissed off all the time. The main part of the city was the most dangerous place to be. The crime rate for car theft, mugging, and prostitution was extremely high in this part of the city. The fact that I had to walk through here to get home was a pain in the ass because the last two times I did, a lot of people got hurt.
"Hey, Castillo," shouted a voice from an alley way I passed. God dammit! I turned my head to look at the guy who called my name. It was the school bully from when I was a freshman in high school, Matt Weaver. He was a heavy set guy who trained to become a professional MMA fighter. He was the top fighter in the amateur league and he told all of his friends that I was his motivation. Too bad I wasn't the right kind of motivation. Matt was accompanied by four of his other friends who were in the same grade as I was. They always hung out in this alleyway because it was where the fight club was located. I was banned for breaking a guy's leg because he decided to pull a knife on me and everyone thought it was mine. But guess what, I didn't care. "Where're you going in such a hurry?"
"Home," I said apathetically.
"Aww, I'm hurt," said Matt as he placed both of his hand over his heart. "And here I am, ready to show my appreciation for helping me become the top fighter in my league."
"I'm glad I was able to help," I said and I turned to walk off.
"Whoa, not so fast, I still haven't shown you my appreciation," said Matt as he cracked his knuckles.
Oh, great. Matt and his friends all glared at me as they surrounded me. I quickly glanced at all of them and labeled them one through four. Matt was directly in front of me while his friends circled me at even intervals. I placed my candy in my pocket and chugged the rest of my drink. After I let out a good burp, I crushed the can in my hand and tossed it up into the air. Matt's number three man quickly rushed me from behind and swung a wild haymaker. I instinctively ducked and ran my fist into his gut as I spun around to confront him. I then hit him in the gut with my knee and tossed him over my shoulder at guy number one, who fell pretty hard. Guy number two tried to swing his leg into my gut but I caught it and countered by swiping his other leg out from under him by crouching down and swinging my left leg around. While I was still trying to stand up, guy number four tried to roll over on my back, but I rolled with him so that I landed on him. When we hit the ground, he grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. I countered by elbowing him in his jaw, knocking him out. I tried to get up again but guy number one was about to punch me when I deflected his arm away and he tried to knee me in the head. I deflected his leg to my right and kicked him in the nuts when I was finally able to get up. Guy number two came running like he was going to tackle me. I had my back against a wall and waited for the perfect moment to make my move. Guy number two lunged at me like he was going to run his shoulder into my abdomen, but I dove out of the way so that he hit the wall, head first. I got back onto my feet so that I could face Matt. He didn't look scared at all. The biggest mistake Matt always made when we fought was that he always underestimated me. He didn't know that I've been doing this longer than he has. I looked at Matt with a blank expression and I could tell he was aggravated that his friends couldn't take care of me. He wanted to fight me but I wasn't going to give him the chance, so I walked away and he didn't follow me. This is just one more reason why I need to get out of this place.
1838hrs Mom's House
I walked into the drive way just in time to see my mother get out of her car. She had just arrived back from work and was still dressed in her MCCUU, or Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform. My mother was a Master Sergeant in the US Marines. Even though she was severely injured during the Curtis attack, she stayed in the military. She only received second and third degree burns on he hands and forearms along with some bone fractures that have long since healed. She was in charge of the supply school on Camp Curtis. All of the men and women under her command called her Mother Hen because she always looked out for everyone. That's one quality that I picked up from my mother and Major Harkin.
"Hey, mijo (Spanish for 'my son'), where've you been?" she asked.
"I just got back from base," I said.
"You walked the whole ten miles?"
"Yeah, my van is still impounded and I didn't have enough money for a cab."
"What were you doing on base?"
"Major Harkin tried to hook me up with a job and he asked me to leave so that he could talk to someone in private," I said.
"Oh, so what's the job?" asked my mother.
"Hopefully, I'll be working for the Major General of the Air Force."
"Doing what?"
"I don't know, and I really don't care right now. All I need is a job," I said.
"Well hopefully you get it," said my mother and we both walked inside the house.
My mother headed right for her bedroom so that she could take a shower while Amanda and I prepared homemade burgers for dinner. Amanda had spent all day with her friends and she proceeded to tell me about all of their drama and other girl related things. Like all other men, all I did was just smile and nod. My mother and sister loved my cooking. I had to teach myself while mom was deployed to Usea when I was fifteen and she couldn't take my sister and me with her. Neither of us was old enough to hold a job so mom would send us $200 a month for food and other necessities. I made do with what I had and I even experimented a little when it came to cooking. According to my sister, my steak was the best in the world. After the food was ready, we all sat down and ate.
"Today was a good day," said Amanda.
"Did you finally beat your three mile PR?" I asked.
"No, Katie and I were at the park with Jake and Christi when we saw this airplane flying overhead. I tried calling you like five times so you could see it," said Amanda to me.
Oh, trust me, I was there. I pulled out my phone to see that I had six missed calls and a load of text messages from Major Harkin. I couldn't hear or feel it over the sound and vibration of the plane's engine. Harkin was trying to get me to pick up my phone so that I could return the plane to the airfield because I could've been seen as a threat. If I had known that, I wouldn't have flown around Wesson like I did. However, if I didn't go for a ride in that plane, Harkin might not have considered putting my name forward for ISAF.
"Yeah, I was being interviewed for a job on base," I said.
"Wow, you work fast," said Amanda.
"Well, you know me."
"Yeah, I just hope you don't piss off the General while you're working for him," said my mother.
"No promises," I said.
We all finished up eating and we cleaned the kitchen. After that was out of the way, Amanda and I went to my room and played some Ridge Racer on my Play Station 2. She and I were extremely competitive when it came to racing games. We were in the middle of an extremely close race when my phone started to go off. I quickly paused the game and Amanda threw a fit because she thought I paused it because I was about to lose. I looked at the caller ID to see that it was Major Harkin and I quickly answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kid, it's me."
"Hey, so how did it go?"
Harkin was quiet and I was rather nervous about what he was going to say. "Antonio, I need you to be completely honest with me when I ask you these next few questions, alright?"
"Yes, Sir," I said confidently.
"How badly do you want this?"
I shot a glance at Amanda who was looking at me, trying to get a read on what I was talking to Harkin about. I walked out of my room and headed for the back porch of my house so that no one could hear what I was saying. I didn't want them to know about what Harkin and I were up too.
"As much as I want to kill the guy who killed my father," I said.
"How far are you willing to go to make this happen?" asked Harkin.
"I'll do whatever it takes. I won't look back."
"How prepared are you for dealing with the consequences?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," I said.
"Alright," said Harkin. "Kid, I feel like I have to warn you. Once we go forward with this, there's no going back. I just want you to know that."
"I know, Sir."
"Alright then, meet me in the same spot tomorrow at noon. We'll go over everything from there," said Harkin and he hung up.
I'm finally going to get what I want. I felt a grim sense of satisfaction sweep over me knowing that I was actually going to be trained for all of this. My obsession for becoming a pilot was finally going to become a reality and I couldn't wait. I was leaning over the rail of the deck and I thought about what I would be doing soon. I didn't know how any of this was going to work or how others would react to it. Right now, it didn't matter. I was finally going to find my place in the sky, but I had no idea what was in store for me.
