For MamaBirdCat. A story challenge featuring Low Light.
The Usual Disclaimer: don't own not making a profit
The Road Goes on Forever: The Highwaymen
Chapter Twenty Five
If you can't undo the Wrongs, Undo the Rights
0930
Cooper MacBride had his work cut out for him. An important part of forgiveness was the ability to make amends and that meant Janack. He heard that somewhere. He wasn't concerned with Beachhead or Trick Shot. With them it was more or less a few guttural noises and grunts and that would be the end of that. Problem solved. But when it came to Janack there was more to it. For the past two years Cooper worked side by side with the female night sniper from sunset to sunrise with the belief that Lieutenant Daina Janack was not just uninterested in men but was a lesbian. He paraded around in his underwear and shared a room with her. He showered in front of her. She dressed and undressed in front of him. Not once was he bothered by it. He never gave her a second thought. She kept their working relationship professional. He didn't think twice about it.
General Hawk told him differently.
That changed everything.
Like most Europeans Daina grew up with a different idea of sexuality than most Americans thought. To her nudity and the mingling of men and women didn't necessarily denote ideas of sex. It was not unusual for men and women to share communal baths and bathrooms up until the middle of the 20th Century. Entire families would take baths together with other families. It was just something that was done as a part of their culture. Another part of their culture was being a part of the military. Both men and women were encouraged to serve a minimum of two years for their country. Daina found out early that she belonged to it. Her colonel drove her hard. Colonel Brekhov had his own opinions about women in the military but even he recognized Daina's talent as helicopter pilot and marksman. As the only woman in the unit she was less used to unwanted attention as irritated by it. She found it hard to brush off the way Cover Girl could. The men in her unit tested her all the time with lewd comments and stripping naked. She thought of it as the communal bath in her city of Ostrava where she grew up.
The woman herself was from the Czech Republic situated between Poland and Germany. Depending on how people viewed it Daina Janack was either Eastern Block European constituting Romany and Slovakia or progressively Euro grouped with Germany, Austria, and Italy. The region was known for its vague and liquid historical borders. In the city of Prague evidence of the old and the new melded together like a picture of a city that looked forward towards the future while still honoring its past. She still missed the springs when she could walk across the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River. It literally connected Eastern and Western Europe. She left coins for the beggars.
She loved it.
By the time Daina Janack was asked to join the G.I. Joe Team her skill as night sniper was only exceeded by one other person male or female: that was Cooper MacBride. Like anyone else in the sniper community Janack heard of Low Light. She was in a better position than most in the ability to search his military record before she was assigned to work alongside him. When she did eventually meet him she found him to be just as good as the rumors said he was. His record stood on its own. She was intrigued. Cooper MacBride was soft spoken when he spoke at all. He opted to stay by himself also. Unlike Janack who had her own reasons for being alone Low Light was just plain antisocial. The man was moody in a way that always kept her on guard. She never knew night by night what mood he would be in. His insomnia and night terrors didn't help. Even on his nights off Janack could spot him wandering the base through her scope. Sometimes he would spend hours on the roof of the Pit with her. Neither one of them said a word.
Over the past two years it became a habit. They worked well together. They seemed to intuitively know what each other was thinking. There were times when Low Light was almost playful. That was when they shot a smiley face on a sheer rock a mile away. General Hawk was livid. They had to scrub the rock until it was new again. They laughed the whole time. It was worth it. Janack laughed. It was one of those rare times she saw him smile. She got to know him not through conversation but by observation. She knew the times he was awake for days on end. She knew the times he didn't take his medication. She knew the times he was hung over and the times he needed to go to Nebraska. She visited him the time he was in jail and she listened to him when he explained himself. Throughout it all she never judged him. She ignored the rumors.
When Cooper broke up with his long term girlfriend Lisa she thought she would have every opportunity for herself. He didn't show it but he was depressed. He was with Lisa for two years. Everyone thought they would get married. Their break up was a surprise. For Daina she watched him from afar for too long. Now he was not only single but he was confined to the base for the rest of the year. That gave her plenty of time she thought. She waited initially because she knew he would have to detox first. The alcohol was too strong. During the first few months he was exceptionally moody. His temper was short. He didn't sleep. He prowled around at night like a caged animal. He ripped into Firewall the first week she was in rotation until the computer specialist was in tears. Daina could tell Cooper was doing all he could to control it. She thought he would come through it to finally see her standing in front of him all along. She was wrong. At the end of a long weekend he was sent to Sierra Gordo with a young sniper named Dixon and Janack was left with a pouting Firewall that seemed to do nothing but complain.
When Low Light and Trick Shot came back from Sierra Gordo they both made it their personal mission to train the young sniper. Daina never saw someone with such raw natural talent before. She agreed with Cooper. Michael Dixon would be the best there was. His training kept her in direct contact with the night sniper. She had a first person account of how the man taught and guided Dixon. She took him under her wing. Cooper did the opposite. He didn't want him as an apprentice. He was under orders from General Hawk. Daina thought he was jealous. He always appeared to shoot by instinct. He never missed. And when he would hit a target he would sit back and smile as if waiting for Cooper's approval. She got in the habit of calling him 'Malo Stene' which meant 'Little Puppy' in Czech. Dixon thought she was calling him Milo Steve. She laughed again. She didn't have the heart to tell him the truth.
Daina Janack had her opening.
Sharon Dixon was a natural beauty. She was tall and slender. But what was the most was her innate confidence. She had a certain presence about her that some women had that made men turn their heads. Even Daina liked her. She was perfect for General Hawk. Their romance was something everyone expected. So when Cooper MacBride's head turned as well Daina Janack saw it coming. She knew right away. And the night that Cooper broke orders and curfew it was on the tip of her tongue to stop him. She should have stopped him. Instead she watched him ride away. He didn't give her a second look. By the time he came back he was relegated to Private and sent to the barracks. Once again she had to wait. She sighed. It was frustrating. She wanted to give up. General Hawk sent her along with him as his best snipers instead. He was right. Between Low Light, Trick Shot, Barrel Roll, and Janack, the G.I. Joe Team won each round. Cooper celebrated by getting drunk and screwing around with a too thin pale white makeup artist that made Daina irritated. She knew the only reason Cooper was with Mary was proximity and opportunity. Given the chance he wouldn't pass it up. Unfortunately God knew that too. She had to witness him slide slowly back into the bottle. She exhaled. She hated watching him leave yet again. It seemed that she would always be by his side but never be with him. When he came back she took him by the elbow and led him back to her room. Cooper MacBride was too drunk to see straight let alone do anything. But when he woke up on the floor in the fit of a nightmare she did the only thing she could. She slapped him. It felt good. His legs were strong beneath her thighs.
"Slap me scratch me pull my hair. I like it rough." He said to her.
She snorted. He seemed to bat his eyes in a way Daina only saw cute little baby Disney characters do in the movies. They sucked her in. She couldn't stop watching. Then Beachhead knocked on the door. They were in Cheyenne Mountain and Cooper was so close that Daina could count his tattoos. He didn't seem bothered by her. He went about his business as if she wasn't there. She frowned. Unlike the rest of her unit that she ignored she watched Low Light's every move. She should have known better. She found out why that afternoon.
Janack knew something was wrong the moment he walked up. It was unnoticeable unless you knew what to look for. She saw it immediately. So did Beachhead. If there was one thing that Low Light didn't tolerate it was someone touching his scope. A sniper could tell automatically by sight if a scope has been messed with. Daina found out firsthand how violent Low Light could be. She also found out why the night sniper never looked at her despite everything she did over the years. He thought she was gay. She was mortified. According to Low Light any woman that wasn't bought or spread their legs was automatically gay. Daina was so mad she punched him in the face.
And then she did give up.
She'd had enough.
Daina didn't know what she was going to do with Dwight when she closed the motel door in New Mexico but it didn't take them long to know her heart just wasn't in it. Barrel Roll followed her in as if it was natural. Barrel Roll wrapped his arms around Daina Janack. He didn't understand why Cooper MacBride avoided it. The man was an enigma. He held onto Daina Janack harder but it didn't help. Their kiss was awkward with neither one of them knowing where to go or who to lead or follow. They spent a few minutes with his hands on her breasts and hers to his neck. Daina stood solidly despite his best efforts when she should have been melting in his arms. He had his arms around her and his lips to hers when he broke it off. It was all wrong. Her mouth was slack and her hands were limp at his shoulders. He leaned his forehead to hers and sighed.
In the end he conceded.
"Low Light huh?" Barrel Roll said.
Daina nodded back. "I am sorry Dwight." She said.
She closed her door.
Daina Janack was packing her sniping rifle when she closed the lid and saw Cooper MacBride's boots hit the floor. She stopped for only a minute before she clicked the clasps shut and stood up. She had the case in her hand. They were getting ready to leave Fort Hood Texas for Louisiana. She added her rifle to the rest of the luggage and closed the back door of the Hum Vee. It was already hot but that wasn't why her cheeks were red. Janack was like a lot of long range snipers. She preferred to have her confrontations from a mile away. In close quarters in the light of day she felt awkward. Cooper had his jacket on and his goggles over his eyes. She could see the bruise on his jaw from where she hit him.
"Got a minute?" He said.
Daina crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the truck. They were the only ones there. It didn't seem as if anyone else was in much of a hurry to leave. Whatever he had to say was important.
"General Hawk showed me the video. I know it wasn't you that took my scope." He started.
He shifted on the balls of his feet. If Janack didn't know better she would have thought Cooper looked embarrassed. He opened his mouth to say something else but stopped. She decided to save him from further embarrassment.
"No I'm not gay Cooper." Daina said.
"Yeah ahh, sorry about that." He said.
"It is alright." Daina said. "Although you did put on one Hell of a show." She smiled and just for fun she winked at him.
Cooper grunted. He gave a half smile he was known for. It was difficult to apologize when he was an ass and drunk. But what made it worse was the fact that Barrel Roll told him she had a crush on him. He just didn't have the same feelings towards her although on closer inspection he had to admit that she was pretty good looking. She was taller than most women and he knew from experience she had a body on her that wouldn't quit. She was built like a 1940's movie siren with curves in all the right places. In another lifetime it might have worked. For now he had other things on his mind beside women.
Michael Dixon aka Trick Shot walked up to Cooper MacBride and Daina Janack. Trevor Jack was with him. He stopped in front of them. He had a smile on his face.
"Hey Tre invited me to ride with him this time." He said. "Isn't that cool?"
He patted Cooper on the shoulder and left with a wave.
Daina and Cooper looked at each other.
"Tre?" The both mouthed.
End Chapter Twenty Five
If you can't Undo the Wrongs, Undo the Rights
Merry Christmas from KSlycke