Chapter 25: Welcome To The Military
(Cato's POV)
We are now at a SWAT team room in LA. I volunteered to help them in the mission, although there were many who disagrees. It was a risky move, sacrificing myself for the sake of my brother, my friends and the other children who were taken. And when I volunteered, it a lot smoother than I thought.
We were in the police department back in Elmore. We just witnessed the transmission given by Info and you could say that we were petrified by what's about to happen. Our siblings about to be full on terrorists, who's not afraid of that happening? While waiting for the officers to discuss the matter with the military general, I had the urge to step up and say something. And I can see on Riki's eyes that he does too. He's very close to Anna and she's his only sibling. I doubt he's gonna give her up that easily.
The transmission was from the military general going to the all of California's police teams. They planned to rendezvous at a military base somewhere about 15 miles outside of LA. The time that Info mentioned the plane was scheduled to leave was four days after the transmission. They believe that in the meantime, they kept hidden in some of the safe houses around the area.
The discussion was just about over and they were about to finish the transmission. I couldn't take another second to talk, so I stepped forward and spoke in front of the general.
"General, my brother was one of the children who was kidnapped. And if this is what they're gonna do to him, then I'm not just gonna stay behind and watch it all go down. So with all due respect, I wanna volunteer to help you."
Everyone stayed silent whilst my friends were surprised of my bold yet possibly stupid move, especially Amber. Nobody said a word and faced me as if I had something else to say.
"If my brother's life is at risk, I'm not gonna let it slide. Let it be that they killed him, turned him into one of them. Even if so they put a bullet in him, I am not gonna let them go away that easy. I'll put myself at risk if I have to. So please, let me help."
The general looked at me with a stern look on his face. He was a dark skinned creature dressed in regular general uniform. I stared back at him giving him the face of that I'm not gonna let this go. Then, Riki walked up to my side.
"Me too, General. My sister is there as well. I'm not gonna let them hurt her. I volunteer as well." Riki said with the same serious face he pulls whenever Anna is the one getting involved and ends up as the victim.
I don't really know it, but my friends at the back of the room faced each other. Thinking if they should help or watch it all from the sidelines. Then, I saw Gumball, Lexy and Christine walked up together.
"We volunteer as well." Said Gumball. "All five of us are in the same situation. What we're hearing from whoever did that transmission is something that has to be stopped. And as long as my sister is there, I'm not turning my back on this. None of us will."
We can hear some whispers coming from the room saying that it was ridiculous of us volunteering. Even Officer Donut looked at us with full of concern written all over his face.
"Kids, are you sure about this?" He asked. "Do you know who are we up against?"
"We know very well where this is headed. Which is why we're gonna step in and put a stop to it." I said.
The general's face still had the stern look on his face, looking like he doesn't wanna hear any of this. But then, a small smile formed across his face.
"Don't worry, chief. I admire you five. Not many people are willing to put their lives at stake to save others. And the fact that you are doing this to saved your loved ones are impressive. Your motives are clear to me, and looking at your faces that you mean business. But I have to warn you, when we go in, we go all out, and not all of us make it home. Am I clear?" The general spoke.
"Loud and clear." Riki said.
"Very well then. All of you will meet up at the police department tomorrow as soon as the sun rises. That'll be enough time to say your farewell to your loved ones. You will follow the police to the rendezvous point to have you prepped up for battle. Chief, make sure you bring them by 9. Then, it's go time." The general ordered.
"Yes, sir"
"Oo-rah" I said to him, making him slightly chuckle.
"You have your orders, everyone. Over and out." The general said his last words before ending transmission.
That night, I packed my bags so that I can get out early before sunrise. As I was doing so, Amber helped me. I know she doesn't want me to leave, let alone sacrifice myself to save others. Having the thought that this could be the last time, she asked if she could sleep with me. The idea boggled my mind but I tried calming down and let her do what she wants for tonight.
My bed wasn't really meant for two people. So it doesn't matter whether we had the desire to or we were forced to, we still had to snuggle together to sleep to save space. My body close against hers. In my mind, I doubt either one of us thought of the second opinion. I looked up at the white ceiling thinking about everything. Amber noticed and she wrapped her hands around me, trying to calm me down. She doesn't know whether I was excited to get into a fight that could cost my life, or I was scared of it. Either way, she still made me calm.
"I'm really sorry, Amber." I said slowly.
"What for?"
"You're probably thinking that I might not come back from all this. That's why you wanted to help me pack, why you wanted to spend the night with me."
Amber put her hand on my cheek and turned my face towards hers, her face facing upward to meet mine. Our faces literally inches away from each other. Our eyes staring at each other. "Hey, it's okay. You've gone through bad situations before. This is no different. I admired you the moment you stepped up. You wanted to rescue your brother, your friends and the other kids. You have that sense of courage and recklessness in you. That's why I love you."
And at that moment, she pulls my head closer to hers and kissed me. At that moment is when I wanted for time to stop, so that this will go on forever. The way we kissed, it felt different. It was as if both of us were savoring our last kiss. Is it because that I might not feel this again? Is it because I might die? Is it because she's just merely my girlfriend who I care so much that I'll miss her and she'll miss me? The thoughts kept running circles round in my head as we broke apart, again staring at each other's eyes. I started thinking that the thoughts was ridiculous considering that I volunteered myself and this was my decision.
She smiles and giggles at me. Sometimes, watching her cute face is really irresistible to the point where I just see her and nothing else in the world. I pressed my forehead against hers and we fell asleep like that.
Earlier this morning was when we say goodbye to our friends and families. Riki's parents sent him to the police department, and so did Gumball and Lexy's sent them. The rest of us walked there. The five of us said our goodbyes before we left. But out of everyone of my friends, Amber is the only one crying. She held me tight, hugging me and not letting go. I began feeling tears running down my shoulder. I started getting worried. I had flashbacks of when Carrie was depressed after Gumball left four years ago. I started to worry that she'll be depressed too. I tried to comfort her, whispering softly by her ear.
"It's okay, Amber. I'll be back, and I'll be damn sure I'll be back alive." I said.
"*sniff* You better be." I push her from my shoulder so that I can see her face. "I'll be waiting for you *sniff* to come back."
"I'll try texting you if I ever get the chance, if you want to. I'll at least say goodnight. That make you feel better?"
"Yeah. It would."
Then, I noticed the others were waiting for me in a SWAT truck.
"I gotta go. I love you."
"I love you too. I'm gonna miss you."
"I'll miss you too." I say as I walk into the SWAT truck.
I closed the doors as I sat down and looked at them from the window. I can see them becoming smaller and smaller as we moved farther away from them. And alas, we made a turn and they were nowhere in sight now.
I sat back, trying to get comfortable in the truck. I notice some of my friends staring at me but I just ignored it. They can see clearly that something is going on in my head. Something that made me uncomfortable, something that might get me distracted. Gumball finally broke the silence.
"She's gonna worry about you." He said. "You know that right?"
"Don't remind me." I said. "I don't know how she's gonna be to be honest."
"What do you mean?" Riki asked.
"Well, me and Amber, we've been sleeping under the same roof for the past 8 years and we meet each other almost everyday since the first time we met when I was 7. I'm just wondering how she can cope with me not being there for a few days without me."
"It could be good for both of you. You two might need some time away from each other. One day, you guys might split up for a certain period of time so you guys need to get used to it. You're not gonna be together every single day of your life. You're bound to have some time off from each other." Riki explained trying to ease my worry.
"Yeah, it could." I say, faking that I wasn't worried anymore. I didn't want the others to get worried about me getting worried about Amber. At least, now's not the time to get worried over anything and we all know that. I tried to change the subject. "Did you guys had a rough time with your family?"
"Me and Gumball didn't go through much. Our parents are actually hoping that we'd get Anais back whatever the cost may be." Lexy answered.
"Lucky. My dad agreed, seeing that he finally sees me doing something brave but my mom wouldn't let me. It took me a few hours just to get her to rationale what's at stake right now. I guess because we lost Anna, she's worried about losing me too." Riki said.
"I can see the logic in that." I said emotionless.
"Yeah, cuz you've experienced it first-hand, didn't ya?"
"No I didn't." I lied. I did experienced it first-hand, before I slept the night before with Amber after I apologized. She told me that it would be okay, that she knows that I do stupid shit like this and that's why she loves me. But after the kiss we had, I can tell deep down, she really doesn't want me to leave. That she wants me to stay home with her.
"Sure you haven't. What about you CJ?" he asked facing towards Christine this time. Christine didn't hear the first time and he had to repeat himself.
"What?" Christine asked.
"What's wrong? You nervous finally seeing your brother?" Lexy asked.
"No not really. There's something I've been keeping about my mom's death. The car crash. I get the feeling it's my fault."
"Oh yeah, you never actually told how it happened." I said.
"Yeah, cuz I didn't have it in me to say. But I think I should just let it out. It's no use keeping it in me and burying it knowing it's gonna haunt me forever."
"Well, what happened? How is this your fault?" Lexy asked, being the most concerned among us and tried to be the best friend she's been.
"Me and my mom, we were heading to the mall. But then we had this argument. I got really mad and..." Christine told the story trying to hold back her tears. Lexy guessed what happened next which was all of our guesses the same.
"Your mom lost control of the car, didn't she?" she finally said. Christine started welling up with tears and Lexy hugged her. Christine hugged back, holding her as tightly as she could and not letting go. "It's not all your fault. Don't blame it all on yourself." Lexy continued. The rest of us guys could just sit back, watch the two girls embrace the warm hug and enjoy the ride there.
It took awhile to get to the rendezvous and I fell asleep on the way, making up for some sleep in which I know I'm gonna miss. I lay motionless and my vision meets nothing. Just a mere black void around me, with nothing in sight and nothing in mind.
When I woke up, we were at the gate of the rendezvous point. I wished they could've been more blunt on what it was, because we seemed to approach into a military base. It was no surprise however because the general said we needed training. Officer Donut, who was behind the wheel the entire time, woke us up from our slumber and told us to get ready. The general is strict and disciplined as he should, but he's good compared to the others I've seen in video games and movies.
We got settled in after a quick tour around and now I'm here, in a small barrack fit enough for 6 bunk beds, 3 on each side. I unpacked my stuff in my duffel bag and saw my regular stuff but one stood out. Something bright was glowing in my bag. I reached out to take it and saw something that I don't remember putting in my bag. It was the locket I gave Amber, the one that it showed both of our faces in them. That's when it hit me. Amber helped me pack up. She must've snuck it in my bag. Though I preferred her to have it, in case if something ever happened to me, I still held on to it. I clenched my fist with the locket in it thinking about her. I promised that I'll be back and that's what I'm gonna do.
"Hey, Cato. Good to see you're conscious now." I hear a faint voice coming from the door. It was Riki.
"Yeah, I'm daydreaming too much, aren't I?" I asked sarcastically, knowing the obvious answer.
"Yup, and it'll be cool if you tone it down a little."
"A little hard for that happening."
Riki then walks up to me. "Look, I know you're worried about Amber and she's worried about you, but you still gotta think of focusing on the task at hand right now. I know how you feel, I'm worried bout my sister and my parents are worried about BOTH of us. But there's gotta be time when I gotta wash those thoughts away." I look at his face, concern written all over it. It's really rare to see Riki the one comforting me or anyone else.
He left the room without saying a word or looking back, either hoping that I listen to him or he just wants to give me some privacy. I wrapped the locket around my neck and hid it inside my shirt, making it look like a dog tag soldiers normally wear. And with that I took off to training. Just like Riki, I was wearing gray sleeveless shirt with green slacks. The clothes are so tight it itches sometimes because of the stitches. I guess it's that way just to show off your body or something.
We all gathered in a training room, all five of us wearing the same outfit: tight gray sleeveless shirts with green pants. When I first saw Lexy and Christine, I kinda got carried away and started staring at them. I looked away after a solid 10 seconds hoping they didn't catch me. The general told us that we needed to go through simple tests to test courage, discipline, accuracy, strength, and most importantly teamwork.
The general motioned us towards a wall about 10 feet tall. We lined ourselves in front of the wall and when the general calls out, we started rushing towards the wall, trying to climb it. But there was no way to do it, we can only make it barely to touch the ledge of the top of the wall with our fingertips. It was smooth wood and that makes it even harder to climb. I looked towards the general after awhile and saw him pinching the bridge of his nose in disappointment and started yelling out.
"C'mon, c'mon! TEAMWORK!"
I didn't know what he meant until Riki tugged my arm. He motioned me to stand by the wall, facing the others. He held out and cupped his hands and whispered to me "Hold your hands like this." In an instant, Lexy runs up to Riki and that's when I saw the whole idea: we needed to give some of us a boost.
Christine wasn't too far behind and ran towards me. I braced for impact and she jumped, one foot on my hands. At first, the weight of her body made me a little unsteady but then I used a lot of effort to push her up. She barely made it up but Lexy managed to grab her arm and pull her up. Then it was Gumball's turn. We put our hands together and Gumball ran towards us, doing the same us what the girls did. He made it up and pulled himself without breaking a sweat. I ran back and got ready to climb. Riki nodded at me signalling that he was ready too and I ran up to him and jumped, putting my one foot on his two hands and grab hold of the ledge. I almost fell until I saw two hands holding each one of my arms. Lexy and Gumball managed to pull me up. Riki came up last and he had no trouble doing it.
The general's face was a little pleased, but by the way he was talking, I knew he was a little pissed. "Well, took you long enough to climb up that goddamn wall. But since it's your first day of training, I'll let it slide."
Then we were led to a boxing ring at the middle of the training room. There was two men fighting each other, almost looking like the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. One of them was a bulky red robot who was pummeling jabs and punches on the other robot, who appears to be a skinny blue robot. The blue robot was doing all he can to block the red robot's attacks but the force was too much.
"Alright, that's enough, Sergeant Red." The general shouted towards the red robot.
The red robot faced us and stopped assaulting the blue robot, walking and leaning to the ropes of the big boxing ring.
"Hey, general. These are the liabilities I heard about, I see?" Red said with a rather disconcerting face. The blue robot behind him was trying his best to get back on his feet. Ever since we got here, I've been hearing a lot of people saying that we're liabilities, just another burden for them to carry. We're gonna prove them we're more than just that though, I know it.
"Stand down, these soldiers came to save their respected siblings from the recent kidnappings. Show some respect at the least."
"I'll show my respect when they show me that they won't be a burden to my team."
"Hey, Red. Chill out." The blue robot intervened and put his hand on Red's shoulder after finally getting back up. The red robot left shrugged his hand off with a grunt. "Sorry about his behavior. I'm Sergeant Blu, leader of the Recons and Scout Squad. And this is..."
"Sergeant Red, leader of the Assault Squad. I'm pretty much a big deal around here, so don't you cause any trouble." This time, it was Red's turn to interrupt Blu. Blu seems like a laid back guy who basically has nothing to lose in war, whereas Red is the big mouth and arrogant.
"Okay, introduction's aside, we need to use the boxing ring for hand-to-hand combat training." The general said after being quiet so that the duo can introduce themselves, despite it being unnecessary.
"You got it, chief." Red said as he jumped from the top rope and landed on the ground. I felt the ground shaking around me like an earthquake caved in. I almost lost my balance and saw him pull a nasty grin on his face, eyeballing me. Blu came out shortly after and they went to the bench nearby to freshen up.
"Okay, so since we have three guys and two girls, we're gonna split into two mixed teams; one guy, one girl as a team. Arashi and Jackson, you're up against the Wattersons. Prep up, you got 5 minutes." The general said. Riki and Christine faced each other and then looked over to the twins. Knowing their bad chemistry and the fact that they're not as close as Gumball and Lexy were worry both Riki and Christine. And lastly, the four of them faced me.
"Umm...what about me?" I finally said as the general stood in front of us standing firm, hands behind his back. He turned his side on me and faced the two robots.
"Red, you up for another round?" The general shouted in the distance.
"You know I'm always ready." He said with a confident voice.
"You're against Anderson after this match."
The massive bodied robot faced towards me and started to stare me down. The fact that I almost lost my balance to his impact when he jumped from the ring might have given him the thought of sure victory in his hands as it was written all over his smug face. I just hope I can be ready to face him. I turned back and noticed the others already in their pairs talking about their strategies for the match. The general on the other hand was smiling at us. "Welcome to the military. In here, any obstacle can come your way." He said as I faced him.
The general was kind of lenient when I think about it. He's not expecting much from us, it's like he just wants to make sure that we can fight for ourselves. Normally I'd think the general would be strict and push their soldiers in command to their limits, but to us, this one seems on cooldown.
However though, he was probably saying that because I'm about to face most probably one of the biggest soldier in the military. I tried to hide my fear but it was a little too much. If I can't fight stronger than him, then the only way I can win is to fight smarter.
Wow, that took longer than expected to be honest. I thought I could get this done by New Year but guess I came a little short. Anyway, hope you liked how this chapter turned out. I tried to picture an actual military feel doing this, while the part where they stood up to face the general on transmission was just straight to the point. Well, hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment down if you have anything to say bout the chapter/story. As always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Love you guys, peace out and happy new year! May this be another great one.