Lady Jaye spotted Dusty in the distance, a lean dark shadow seated on the top of a sand ridge. She gave a small sigh of relief and sped up her approach, her feet slipping noiselessly in the loose sand. He blended into the environment so well she had almost missed seeing him.
"Dusty?," she called up softly.
He looked down at her, smiling, and pressed a finger to his lips. Then, he patted the sand in invitation. Lady Jaye accepted without hesitation, instantly scrambling up the side of the dune. Once on top, she quietly sat down beside him, thankful for the moment's rest. Taking deep breaths, she willed her rapidly beating heart and breathing to slow.
"It's beautiful, ain't it," his upturned face reflected the brilliant glow of the stars above.
Lady Jaye slowly moved her gaze from his shining eyes to the vastness spreading above and had to choke back her surprise. It was beautiful. Stars stretched across the inky black sky, more numerous and brighter than she had ever seen them before, the whiter band of the Milky Way clearly visible. Gazing in silence, she suddenly had to fight back the desire to reach out and touch them. Her hand twitched.
A knowing smile crossed Dusty's face. He reached over to lay his own hand over her's to still it, "Ya can't. I've already tried many times," he said quietly.
She stared at him, surprised, and slightly embarrassed. Then she turned her gaze once again to the dazzling ceiling above. She was glad he couldn't see her blush in the darkness. It was usually she who read people with uncanny precision. She was not used to being on the receiving end.
"When I was a kid, I always loved the desert stars," he spoke softly. "I used to sneak out at night just so I could get away from the city lights and look at them," he chuckled, "My ma never knew…"
"I can see why," she whispered, "they are absolutely breathtaking." She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around her. With the sun gone, the temperature was falling rapidly.
"So what brought ya here?" He turned to face her, her sudden movement having brought him back to the here and now.
"Oh," she stiffened, suddenly remembering, "Flint and Beach Head sent me looking for you. The meeting is being moved up to 2100 hours."
Dusty glanced at his watch, "Guess that only leaves us ten minutes."
Jaye's eyes followed him as he rose without another word and began shaking off the sand. Then, he extended a hand to her.
Lady Jaye stared at him in quiet surprise. She had never seen this side of Dusty before. She took the offered hand and he pulled her to her feet, waiting patiently as she had brushed the sand from her own BDU's.
"We'd better get going," He said simply, once she had finished.
"Right…," She took the lead, "Follow me."
From the edge of her vision, Lady Jaye saw him cast a wistful glance back toward the sky above him. Her own face held a thoughtful expression as she led the way noiselessly back across the slippery sand.
Hawk had already scheduled regular check ins with his command team, Dusty, Flint and Beach Head, before they had left the Pitt. With the majority of the Joes and Green Shirts participating in the training, if something came up, the General wanted to be able to reach them instantly. Though a participant and not a leader, he had also requested that Lady Jaye, being an Intel officer, attend this first meeting.
"Hawk, we're all here now… ," Flint informed him as Lady Jaye and Dusty pushed the tent flap aside and stepped inside, "Lady Jaye and Dusty have just arrived."
He was speaking into the special com unit Mainframe had developed. It allowed for instant private access between Hawk at the Pitt and the Desert Camp Command team.
Flint and Beach Head were seated on one side of the small table they used for conferences. The late arriving Lady Jaye and Dusty quickly took the empty seats on the other side. They had gathered in the command tent, under the dim lighting powered by a small generator.
Beach Head, frowning, pointed to his watch and mouthed, "yer late."
Lady Jaye bit back a retort and directed her voice sweetly toward the com, "Sorry we're late, Sir…It was my fault. It took me longer than I expected to locate Dusty."
What she had said was true. She had been trudging around for over an hour before finding him, and then ended up hiking an additional twenty minutes back to camp.
"That's fine, Lady Jaye," the General quickly brushed aside her apology, "Our meeting was moved up on short notice. So, tell me, how was your first day? Is everything going well for you?"
"Just fine," she relaxed and smiled, "Dusty's doing a great job and I'm already learning a lot."
"As I expected," he chuckled.
"I had no idea there was so much to learn," she laughed lightly.
"Well, that's why Dusty's in charge. He's the expert when it comes to the desert."
"That he is, Sir," she reached over and squeezed Dusty's arm.
Dusty shifted in his chair uncomfortably, his face breaking into an embarrassed grin.
"So, what's the next item of business?," the General addressed his question toward Flint and Beach Head.
"Camp is up and fully operational," Flint was quick to inform him.
"Good…good."
"Helicopter pad is also ready," Beach Head added.
"Already?," Hawk said in a pleased tone, "very good indeed."
"The Joes have been working hard, Sir."
Dusty had certainly put the Joes through the paces, getting camp set up despite the blazing sun and intense heat.
The result was that a temporary Joe camp was now in place. The very same they had reported to Hawk. Small tents dotted the sand, several large water tankers were parked to the south, a helicopter landing pad had been prepared. The Joes had levelled and smoothed and packed the sand as best they could. Portable latrines had also been constructed. Showers were not available due to water restrictions, but each Joe was allowed a gallon of water a day for personal hygienic purposes. There was no mess, but in a shaded area, wooden crates held MRE's which served as breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.
"Looks like you three are doing an excellent job running the camp. Keep up the good work."
"Yes, Sir! Thank you, Sir."
"How's everything from your end? Any news of Cobra?," Flint asked.
"Unfortunately…, yes," the General said slowly, "Our British counterparts have just informed me that they are currently monitoring some recent Cobra activity."
"What could Cobra be up to in Britain?," Lady Jaye wondered aloud. The Brits only involved themselves with Cobra when it involved their own soil.
"Well, that's just it, Lady Jaye," he sighed, "Intel reports indicate that Cobra may now be headed toward Vegas."
Lady Jaye's eyes widened, "Las Vegas! But…, why would the Brits be tracking them here?"
Beach Head's and Flint's eyes met in disbelief. Las Vegas wasn't that far from where they were holding their Desert Training.
"Cobra out here? Are they crazy? We have an entire Joe regiment with us!," Beach Head snarled.
"Yeah…Hawk, and we haven't exactly been secret about our presence."
"I know, I know…. It seems unbelievable to me, too, Flint. I'm to meet with their representing agent tomorrow and hopefully find out just that. For the moment, I'm willing to let them handle the situation. I'll let you know if we decide to involve the Joes."
Lady Jaye's forehead wrinkled. She sensed Hawk wasn't being entirely forthcoming. As an Intel Specialist, she was quite aware that something wasn't adding up. He had completely ignored the most obvious question. Why would the British be following Cobra to the US?
For the first time, Lady Jaye began feeling the isolation of their desert camp and wished she had access to a computer or her files. But she didn't. She didn't have anything. Her brows knotted together in frustration.
"So you don't want us to do anything, Sir?"
"No, Flint, Not yet. I'll keep you apprised of the situation."
"Okay, Hawk," he grumbled.
"Hawk out."
The Joes cast thoughtful glances toward one another.
Their second morning began early. The Joes stumbled out of their tents for PT even before the sun had risen. Shivering and bleary eyed, they followed Beach Head on a three mile run across the sand in semi darkness. Now, the early morning sky was changing rapidly from pink to orange to yellow overhead, the day already growing warmer. The Joes were fully awake and talking noisily as they finished cleaning up after their morning meal.
Flint and Beach Head threaded their way carefully through the assembled Joe crowd.
"Morning, guys," Dusty looked up, greeting them amiably. He had just finished his own breakfast.
Flint and Beach responded with nods.
"Ready to start the day?," Flint asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be," he gave a short laugh and rose to his feet, "Day two. Here goes nuthin…," he dropped his empty MRE bag in the nearest waste receptacle and headed for the platform. Then he stood there in silence, waiting until everyone had quieted.
"Good morning, Joes. It looks like another gorgeous day. I hope ya all rested well in those nice tents we provided for ya here in camp. But, don't forget, my job is to prepare ya for out there. Out there…," Dusty swept his arm towards the vast desert and grinned, "you'll have to find or make yer own shelters."
Flint's and Beach Head's lips lifted in identical smirks. They both knew where this lesson was heading. They scanned the immediate area, quickly selecting ideal building spots.
"Shelters are not just important for a place to sleep at night. They're important for a number of other reasons as well. During the hottest part of the day you rest, conserve your body's water…There's very little shade out in the desert, so you'll have to be prepared to make yer own."
"Today, yer gonna practice how to make a shelter with just a few simple supplies; a tarp and a hand shovel. In your survival packs you'll find what you need to get started."
Dusty then proceeded to carefully build his shelter, explaining each step so that it could be repeated or improvised as needed. He made it look easy. When he had finished, he crawled into the shade underneath and poked his head out.
He was smiling in amusement, "This morning's lesson is simple. Once ya get yer shelter made, you can rest. Until then, happy building." He took a long drink from his canteen and then wiped his mouth, "and don't forget to be drinking plenty of water."
"Ya can begin.…," With a parting smile, he slid back into the shade of his shelter and made himself as comfortable as possible.
The Joes dug into their survival packs eagerly and pulled out their own reflective tarps and shovels.
"Piece of cake," Ace said smugly.
"This oughta be easy," Gung Ho muttered confidently, scanning the area.
"You'll have to improvise," Dusty had said, "look around and use what you find in the desert. Choose a good location for your construction site. Don't fight the desert, work with it."
Dusty's philosophy for surviving the desert was that one should not alter the desert to fit individual needs, but instead adapt and become part of the natural ecosystem already in place.
Each Joe immediately set to work. They wandered around, looking for dunes with rocks, for something to build into, something that might be used to construct walls or could be used as weights. It wasn't anywhere near as easy as Dusty had made it look.
Beach Head was the first to select a location and construct a shelter, not surprisingly, but Flint was just a few seconds behind him. The two shared smug grins as they slid into the welcome shade of their tents and pulled out their canteens. Raising them in the air, they pretended to clink them together.
"Cheers," they called.
Flint then turned his amused grin to watch Lady Jaye scampering about.
She had wisely set her eyes on a juniper bush, situated near a rough rock formation, poking out of the sand. But, unfortunately for her, so did Gung Ho. They reached it at the same time.
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the desert heat had quickly risen with it. Under the brightening sun, sweat was already streaming down their flushed faces. They stood arguing about who was going to use the location for several minutes before they finally realised, that with some creativity, they might share be able to share the space. Instantly, each claimed a side of the bush and then began digging in the soft sand. Dusty had instructed them to create a hollowed trench about two feet deep.
Gung Ho was the quicker in getting his dug and easily fixed and weighted his tarp over it. He grinned triumphantly and winked at Jaye as he crawled inside.
"Awwww, shade….," he spoke loudly. Then he opened his canteen and gulped his water noisily. "This is so nice…"
Lady Jaye growled and set to work faster. She had dug into sand initially like Gung Ho but then had run into rocks on her side almost as soon as she had removed the sand's top layer. It took a lot of extra time and effort to dig around them so they could be removed but she did, and she incorporated them creatively in building a rough wall on one edge above the trench. Then, wiping the sweat and sand from her eyes, she pulled the tarp over the top and weighted it down with the remaining rocks. The result was a shelter tall enough to crouch in and long enough to stretch out. With a satisfied sigh, she slid inside gratefully, away from the hot sun. Inside, as she gulped water thirstily from her canteen, choosing to ignore the amused laughter coming from Gung Ho's shelter.
Each shelter was slightly different and unique in it's own way.
Shipwreck had simply dug a hole in the sand and then covered it with the tarp, weighting the edges with more sand. Then he crawled in carefully, hoping he wouldn't accidentally bury himself. Each small move had him sweating with worry, though, as sand trickled down the sides of his trench, slowly refilling the hollow he had made. It wasn't long before sand was in his boots and down his shirt and in his beard. He was sadly reminded of the time before he became a Joe when he and Flint and Mutt had been caught in a desert storm and nearly buried by a huge wave of sand. He had lost his sand ship on that one. Great little vessel, too, he sighed mournfully.
One by one, the Joes managed to create some form of sun shelter and then crawled inside to the welcome relief from the blazing sun.
Dusty carefully observed their efforts, complimenting some, giving suggestions to others.
They stayed until all the shelters had been constructed and the sun had traveled into the west, the hottest part of the day behind them. Then, Dusty announced that it was time for chow; MRE's were available by the water tank.
"Yeah!" the Joes yelled, popping out of their holes like rabbits. They had worked up appetites digging in the sand and it had been a long time since breakfast. Many of them rushed to the meal crates. Then they spread out in whatever shade they could find.
Flint found a spot next to Lady Jaye. She was wrinkling her nose as she tore open her meal pack. The aroma had wafted up, a mixed jumble of unidentifiable smells.
"I wish MRE's could be made to taste better," she sighed, taking a small, cautious bite and rolling it around on her tongue. "Not even hunger makes one very appetising."
"I know what you mean," he examined the stringy meat and then popped it into his mouth, "but they're not made with taste in mind…they're made to keep bodies moving."
"Well, I suppose they do that," she admitted, but she still couldn't help making a face before taking another bite.
"Well….," he leaned close and whispered into her ear, "If we can get away, I promise to take you out for a real meal."
"Now, that sounds absolutely heavenly, " Lady Jaye's lips curved into a smile. Then she lowered her voice so that only he could hear. "But just how do you propose to do that, Mr. Warrant Officer, Sir?," she asked coyly, her eyes sparkling. She was game if he was.
He gave her a lopsided grin, "Don't worry, I'll think of something."
Her smile faded as she turned her attention back to her colourless meal. She let out a huge sigh and scooped out another bite of her chicken and rice, chewed slowly, and swallowed.
"Hey Dusty, aren't we ever gonna have anything besides these MRE's to eat?," Shipwreck complained as Dusty took a seat next to Flint. "How about some fresh food…You know what the DOD says….a little A-rations…"
"Sorry. Not until you catch it yourself, Sailor," he smirked. "That lesson comes later."
"Ugh…," Shipwreck groaned and set his half eaten MRE to the side. "Seriously, Dusty? You really want to torture us, don't you?"
Lady Jaye leaned into Flint, her face slightly pale, and whispered, "If you take me out of here for that one, I'll love you for ever."
"I thought you already loved me…" his eyes teased.
"Well, let's just say I'll love you even more," she smiled impishly, her cheeks dimpling.
"Hey, you gonna eat that, Wreck?," Gung Ho pointed eagerly to Shipwreck's half eaten meal.
"Be my guest," Shipwreck shrugged and handed him the uneaten portion.
Gung Ho took it and began happily shovelling the remaining food.
Shipwreck watched him in disgust.
"Shipwreck, you know you should be eating all of that," Flint chastised him.
"Yeah, well…I guess I'll live."
"MRE's are better than catching yer own," Alpine mumbled, busily consuming his own meal.
"I know, don't remind me," Shipwreck paled visibly as he watched him eat, "Man, I wish I was on a ship somewhere…anywhere but here…," he sighed and cradled his head in his hands.
"If you were, Wreck, I'd be with you," Lady Jaye gave him small smile.
"Really, Doll?," he turned to her, his face brightening.
"No," Flint spoke firmly.
