Training: Debrief Part II.
(little action in this part, more to come).
Kim was sitting in the hallway, still in her training suit. There had been a fair amount of annoyed looks directed her way, especially during the unit debrief. At least Taggert had spoken to her later… Her face started to do a slow burn at the memory.
"So, Long day,." Colonel Verne said, walking by her. Kim strted to get up out of the chair and Verne waved her down. "I'm an old man, so let's just both sit and talk. Okay, cutting to the chase, you failed—you didn't neutralize the sentry which directly contributed to combat losses later suffered."
"what would you have do-"
"I would have done what I did the first time I met that kid." Samuel said in the same jovial voice but suddenly it didn't reach his eyes. "I slamned him down onto the ground, and held his mouth shut with one hand, and with the other." He made a short sharp gesture, "I slashed his throat open, both vein and artery. It took him less then 15 seconds to go unconscious, maybe 25 to die. He'd already pissed himself—he shit himself when he realized what was happening." The joviality left his voice, "He was fifteen if he was a day, and the last sight he had in this life was looking up at his killer. Today I have grandchildren older than he was."
For a moment Kim couldn't say anything. She just couldn't. Samuel seemed like such a nice-
"This job involves a little split personality." Verne continued, quietly. "Taggert out there would run into a burning building to get a kid. Major King still has nightmares about what happened in 2010—yet they're prepared, yes expected, to do things against the enemies of this nation that would get them locked up as complete sociopaths if they did them on their own time. Our enemies use children Kimberly, which means we kill children." He shrugged, "That's what happens all to often." He looked over at Kimberly. "But would you make that change in yourself? You're not 18, and even so, SOG units have some of the highest instances of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome of any group of people on the planet, and a lot of it has to do with what is done—what sometimes must be done." He laughed shortly, "And while I love this nation, I also understand that sometimes she behaves like a fifty year old whore trying to score some money for her next hit….not all the missions we go on are completely innocent or saving the world." He frowned, "but you give up your right to make those decisions when you- no, that's not entirely right. You do have a right, you can refuse to go, and take what comes, be it discharge or court martial." He paused, "So could you make that change in yourself? You who decided to go to work at a day care…"
Kim had expected to get read the riot act and had been preparing to defend against that, but this… now that she was out of the simulator, she could see it as a simulation, but back then, it had been so real, and the idea of killing someone that young…
"I want to do something." Kim said, "But…but I don't know what." Suddenly her voice turned vicious. "Sometimes I hate this place. Everyone's being watched, everyone's scared… it's almost like a prison, and nobody seems to notice!"
"Of course not, it happened one step at a time, and they didn't' have your little time machine, courtesy of the Federal Penitentiary system." Verne laughed, "How do you think I feel sometimes—my generation was the do your own thing and never trust the man generation." He looked at her, "Part of it's unavoidable—technology makes this easy to do and there's never been a technology that hasn't been used, ever since that new fangled thing called "fire". Part of it is that well… people have gotten used to having walls around them…feeling safe. It's a hard thing realizing that people want to kill you, kill your kids."
"But I bet more people have died due to drunk driving…"
"Maybe not, not after 2010…and in any case, that argument doesn't work. More soldiers die from mines and artillery than snipers, yet snipers scare the ever living crap out of soldiers—a good sniper team can stop a regiment in its tracks. Same thing goes for terrorism, with the added bonus that few people here can really understand the mindset that motivates a suicide bomber—it makes them even more frightening- alien."
"So I should go back to work at the day care, and that's it?" Kim asked.
"Maybe. If that's what you want. You've paid your dues to society and you gave a hell of a lot to it before you had your crash and burn." His voice was calm, neither condemnation or support in it. Kim had made her decision and she realized that Verne wasn't going to patronize her by belittling it, or giving after the fact backpats. "So first of all, yeah, if you want you could. Second of all…" He paused, "As an SOG soldier you'd be good. If you worked at it you could be great… but you would never be "Team Possible" You'd be under orders at all time and you wouldn't have the option of interpreting those orders to suit your desire. If you want to work independently, there may be other jobs for you."
"Like what?"
"Not certain, but if you don't like the way this nation is going, then your path doesn't end in the military. We don't make political policy in the service. That's not our job, and believe someone who has been in nations where the military does make those decisions, it never works out well."
"Right… I'm gonna become president."
"Not without a pardon, no, but there are a lot of ways to change things."
"And what would you do?" Kim asked. Samuel shook his head.
"I won't say. I might prejudge you in the wrong direction—but lets just say that before you can make a decision, you'll need a lot of information." Kim's face had gone back to its normal, rather pale coloration, as she completely forgot about Taggert's lecture. The woman started thinking, hard. Samuel waited a moment then got up and nodded to her.
"Well, I'm off to a hot shower and bed. I'm not like these young sparks.."
"M? Oh, Okay!" Kim said, "I'm sorry… I'll tell Ron what happened."
"Thank you much, Ms. Possible…" He said, strolling off. Before he had turned the corner, Kim had completely forgotten about him.
Ron was nervous. Kim was at the mansion and that made him happy that she was waiting for him. On the other hand, today had been the simulation and he didn't want to find out that her next stop was Fort Bragg for SOG training. It was late, and he let himself in. After all day spent fixing the problem Samuel's little "diversion" had created, he hoped that Kim…
…well he didn't know what he hoped right now. He opened the door to the living room/office and found Kim sitting at the computer desk, the printer slot spitting out bound books.
"Hey Kimbo." Ron said, and kissed her.
"mm." Kim said, distracted looking at the readout as yet another book dropped into the bin next to her. Ron raised his eyebrows, and picked the copy up, still slightly warm.
Pulling up the Ladder: The end of mass immigration to America, 2010-2014.
The other books were in the same vein, Ron realized as he picked a few others up.
Privacy and Security in the Post 2010 world.
The Politics of Paranoia and the New American Consensus.
None of them were popular books—they were all college level books, Ron realized, and then looked at Kim and saw that she had the same look on her face she'd had cramming for exams while they were dodging arrows and spears in the Amazon.
"I'm not going to have as much time as I did Ron…" Kim said in a distracted voice.
"You…joined the SOG?" Ron asked, dreading the answer.
"No. I bombed." Kim said, but without any annoyance. Ron's eyebrows climbed for the ceiling and he looked at Kim covertly, trying to see any signs of synthodronedom. "But I enrolled at Middleton College. Night classes."
"For the school?" Ron asked.
"No. Poli sci and some other stuff." Kim shrugged, "I don't need to go for a degree in anything so I can pick what I…need."
"Need?"
"I need to know more about what's going on." Kim paused, "So I can try and change it." Looked over at Ron, and gave him a tired smile. "I talked with Colonel Verne… and thought about the other stuff I've seen."
"And?"
"This nation is sick." Kim said, suddenly with certainty. "And it needs to be fixed…but it's not like… back when we were Team Possible. There's nobody I can hit and send to jail to fix it… it's bigger than that."
"It is that." Ron said, "So what are you going to do?"
"Learn about the problem." Kim said, And then with certainty. "And fix it."
Later that night, Ron walked into the armory. There were the weapons on the wall, and in its special place, the Lotus Blade. Ron touched it, feeling the blade stir in response to his finger.
And Fix it. Half the people on the planet would wonder just how she was so full of herself…
But on the other hand, Kim had never been unwilling to take a challenge…well with the exception of public singing, Ron thought with a smile. But she'd always been willing to push the envelope, to make her dads slogan, "Anything's possible for a Possible" more than a joke saying—turn it into a simple statement of truth. Even when she'd gone to prison, she'd done that. She'd said she would help him, she had…and she hadn't counted cost, nor so far as he could tell, regretted it. He had done enough regretting for both of them.
And now with that same determined cast to her mouth he'd remembered back in high school, she'd casually mentioned that she was about to do the same thing, to set herself against the tides of history and all the world… And fix it.
That's not the job for Kim, it's a job for prophet. Ron could imagine what some people would say about an Ex con with such an arrogant cause…
…but come to think of it, Moses had been an ex con… at least as far as the Egyptians were concerned. He smiled at the image of Kim in some Old Testament Robe…
And then lost his smile. Moses had never been allowed to Enter the promised land, after all.
But Kim had been right and he was wrong. Whatever happened, Kim was owed his support. He'd give her it. No matter what. Maybe he wasn't the same as he had been back ten years ago.
But some things never changed, and one of those was that he'd never abandon Kim. No matter what.
When he came back up, Kim as asleep in their bed. The windows were open, as usual. Kim couldn't sleep in a room unless the windows were at least cracked and the doors were unlocked. Ten years worth of living in a single locked room would do that. But he lay on the side of the bed and looked at her face.
For the first time since she'd come out it was… completely at peace. Not lost, not hopeless, not worried.
At peace. A decision made. Lead, follow or get out of the way.
So be it. On one side, all the trends of the last 10 years. On the other, a single Ex-Con named Kim Possible.
"Wouldn't be the first time the long shot bet won." Ron said to her softly, putting his hand on her cheek fingers lightly brushing her skin.. "Just the biggest bet you ever made."
Maybe it's time to try for the impossible again. So be it. I'm in.
TBC.
