Chapter fourteen- Charlie's Creek

"Good evening and welcome aboard ladies and gentleman. They call me the chief and i will be your captain for this voyage. If you would like to safely stow your luggage, we can commence our journey"

We clambered aboard the green boat, the boat itself swaying gently under our feet. As we walked over its planks, the wood was hollow, echoing our footsteps. Cherry continued to keep his arm around me and we sat down on a side-bench, placed on the left side of the boat. The chief went back to the cockpit and ragman did the same, leaning against the side window. Junior and hoss took up the other side. As soon as we were all seated, the boat stammered to a start and floated of down the river again.

"What's this piece of shit made of?" hoss was asking as he stamped his boot onto the planks, producing the same hollow sound that had concerned me just moments before.

"Hey, go easy brother. Sally here's seen enough action without you stamping your goddam sized thighs all over her" the chief turned back to the wheel as soon as he was sure hoss was going to stop stamping.

"So," ragman edged forward towards the chief. "What are you doing so far out here?"

"That's a long story sergeant, dropped some marines back at the creek, seen some strange shit up there"

Hoss lay back, soaking up the final rays of sunshine that filtered through the trees above, causing the light to pale in contrast to its true, fiery color. A fire that could burn the eye of a mere mortal.

"Now this is the way you travel, if my old ma could see me now.." he sighed contentedly, kicking his feet in front of him.

"If your ma could see you now, crazy bitch would probably tell you to take a bath. Although, she's probably used to the stench, seeing as shes your cousin or sister or some shit" The content look slid of hoss's face.

"Fuck you man, i've had enough of your shit" they both stood simultaneously, squaring up to each other, chest to chest, face to face. For heavens sake, they were acting like teenagers, i'm the goddam teenager not them. I watched for a moment, both of them edging forward warily, fists up high in the air. It looked more like the begin of a cock fight between chickens, minus the fists of course.

I sprang upwards, knocking cherry off-guard and stormed over to the two of them. Pushing in between them with my arms, i placed a hand on each of their chest's, forcing them to be separated.

"What the hell are you doing! It don't mean a thing alright! not a goddam thing!" i shook my head, keeping the force in my arms until junior fell back down into a seat.

"Looks like you finally caught onto our saying huh?" junior chuckled and hoss sat down beside him, spacing a meter or two between them.

I glared at both of them to show i couldn't be messed with, and then folded my arms over and crossed back to the left side, cherry wrapping both arms around me as soon as i sat down again. My muscles were instantly tense-free, and i leaned backwards into him; inhaling his heady scent.

Up in the cockpit, the chief regarded us with bemusement, then became serious again as he took in the stretch of river we were now passing into. We were surrounded by trees but a sense of foreboding lingered in the sky, the grey clouds pressing into thick ones, rain literally being moments away.

"Alright fellas, this is one messy, high stretch of river. I'd be on them guns if i was you" It was only then, taking a good look around the boat, that i noticed four guns. One at the back, one at the front, and one for each side of the boat. That meant four of us were going to be shooting, and one was not. Well that one person wasn't going to be me, that's for sure; and i highly doubt its going to be hoss either.

Apparently ragman was thinking the same thing, and coming to the same conclusion of that a medic would need to stay low, cherry was the name that dominated as answer in both our minds. I remembered the last time cherry was on an automated gun, he was hyperventilating more than a claustrophobic person in a closet. Probably for the best that he wasn't on one, i could tell things were about to get serious.

"Cherry, i want you to stay low okay?" ragman announced, much to the expectations of all of us. Even cherry visibly wiped a bead of sweat from his face and nodded. Cherry leant in and kissed me for a brief moment, before dropping to the floor and shuffling into the cockpit on his stomach. I smiled, i don't think i could ever get used to this feeling of being loved, of such a sincere feeling.

"Alright, lessa your on rear. Hoss, junior, your on the sides; and i'm on front. Remember, it don't mean a thing"

"Yes sarge"

Just then, the trees and bushes started to rustle, and vc straw hats appeared from beneath them. They opened fire just as we took up our allotted position, bullet's ricocheting of the boat's outer armor.

Getting the machine gun started up was easy, the recoil however was violent. It was lucky my arms were stable as they were continuously pounded by backlash. The vc weren't so lucky however, once their cover was pelted with bullets. The boat continued to move on and the trees began to thin out into a village, above it were the beginnings of a city. That meant we were closer than we thought, but as vc tore out from civilian huts that lay above the water height, it was obvious this city was dominated by vc and going inside it would be a death mission.

As if the chief could read my mind he yelled out an explanation over the cracking of guns.

"There's another city about 50 miles from here, we'll head that way instead"

"Sure thing" ragman released an arm to sign a thumbs up before returning it to shoot the fresh hoard of vc.

"Tram pen!" and from my line of sight, a tram pen drifted its way towards us, explosives lining each side.

I concentrated my bullets into it, the cases thwacking against the boat as it blew up with a bang a yard away. Smoke blew up and i rubbed my eyes, waiting for it to clear.

Suddenly, the boat stuttered and groaned, before shuddering to a stop in dead center of the village.

"Engine fail!"

"Get this piece of shit moving!"

"Come on sally, don't fail us now" i couldn't stop to look but i could hear the chief slide out of the window onto the bonnet of the boat, slamming a fist down onto it; in a hope that it would start.

"Come on, come on!" another vc came in from the side and an RPG was fired somewhere. Smoke started to rise from the boat and then the engine roared back to life.

"Woohoo! we have lift of!" the village was almost at an end and the last vc were to be picked of as trees started to return.

"I got one!"

"I killed em!"

"I got me one man"

"You can't even shoot shit on a machine gun" i heard hoss say in response to juniors 'i got me one man'

"Fuck you hoss, i'm the best sniper in 101st and you know it!" Oh great, they were bickering again and just as it was about to get serious. The walls of the city canal were up ahead as i turned to see, a convoy of lorries were passing above us on the road; however it was impossible to shoot them.

"Okay you two, quit your bitching; we're still in combat here" ragman said warily. We passed under the road without serious infliction and the canal entrance was dead ahead. Another ship, just bigger than a tram pen and white in color, washed up in front of us; a chopper monitoring its movements from above.

This wasn't going to be good.

"Look! a cobra gunship!"

"Yeah! cobra! cobra!" junior called just as the chopper began to shoot at it. The bullets pounded into its engine and it blew into pieces right before our eyes. I felt rather than saw juniors slump of disappointment. The chopper took of and we continued passing through the canal, the walls bloodstained as vc boats came through and were mercilessly killed by us.

"Take out that tram pen!" City walls surrounded us and pre-warned vc awaited us on machine guns. Although i was in my element of killing, i was attacked by a strange sadness. Reminded of the society of the earth i came from, realizing that it hadn't changed much from now, that these humans had not learned from their mistakes. Sending their soldiers to their inevitable deaths. There wasn't really a need for war, why couldn't they co-exist in trade? I didn't ask for this burning hatred of mine, my desire to avenge the wrong's marissa has caused me. But i have it, and it was fueled by the nature of humans. It was kill or be killed, enjoying it is just a bonus.

The boat jerked to yet another stop, forcing me to pull away from my troubled thoughts and my automatic killing. I couldn't risk another glance, however. Whatever was happening at front, we were surrounded by vc behind meshed wire and bunkers that were make-shift along the length of the canal.

"The canal's blocked!" the chief answered my question with a yell. So that's what's happening. Well, i sure hoped it got unblocked soon. Without using magick, i was as susceptible to succumb to injury as they were. I wondered what it was like for cherry, who lay cowering on the boards. Still couldn't look. Must focus all attention into beheading these idiots.

"Just drive straight fucking through it" a typical hoss response.

"No way, soldier boy. I ain't risking sally" and so we continued to get shot at. I'd say sally is in a lot more trouble just sitting here than driving through some crates or whatever it is that's blocking the canal. I didn't have a very good range of shooting here either. I could only turn the gun one hundred and twenty degrees either way, not even enough to see what was happening on the sides where hoss and junior were defending.

"RPG!" i heard junior cry and a tremor shivered through the boat upon impact.

"We're taking serious damage here, i don't know how much more she can take"

"Then just go fucking through it" i muttered angrily. Him and his goddam beloved boat. I'd barely known the guy for five minutes and already he was beginning to piss me of.

"Man, i'm getting shot to shit here" hoss complained.

"Just keep shooting!"

Just then, treads thundered over the canal land.

"Look out! Armour!"

"We're fucked!" And just as i was beginning to agree with hoss, the same helicopter from earlier whooshed over, dropping its payload onto the canal land and river. Blowing up both the tank and blockage, if melanie were to serve me right. What side was it on exactly? Oh well, no time to question it,

"Get moving!" iyelled and the chief jumped the engine back into gear.

Within seconds we were sliding of down the canal once more.

"So cherry, how's it feel now that your a real soldier?" junior asked conversationally, cherry resurfacing slightly from the cockpit.

"I don't know, kinda hard to tell with all this shit going on"

"Man that's bullshit, you ain't no real soldier until your second tour"

"You people ain't no real soldiers, real soldiers know to shut the fuck up when in combat" and, ragman-one, rest of the guys- zero. The area was quiet and the end of the canal was in sight, but not without a threat. 3 ships, one large and two small; sat waiting in the middle of the canal. They were blocking our only exit and it was just my luck that i couldn't shoot them. Damn, i wasn't really one for encouraging from the sidelines. The others were sure up for it and as i clambered down from the gun, they launched multiple bullets in them. I slid down until my back pressed up against the side of the boat, waiting and listening for the bang that would signal our safety for a little while longer.

Sure enough they came quickly and loudly. Three cracked bangs and many cheers of victory.

The canal ended and jungle resumed.

"Well done fellas, we made it"

"We kicked their asses all the back to hanoy"