Chapter 35
FOB in Kandahar, Afghanistan
The sweat is already dripping of me as I head through the barracks surveying the emptiness, it's nothing like the base I was stationed in before at Bagram. Beside and behind me walks soldiers who I have never seen before in the same boat as me, they're intrigued by this place. Every tour I've done has been different and I've gained different skills from each one, but this place, this place is empty and I don't like it. There's an eerie feel about it and I know from the state of the barracks that it is not secure, let's hope that I don't have to be here longer than necessary.
A loud whistle is blown and we are ordered to stand in a straight line and wait for commands. My military posture kicks in and my back straightens as my face hardens with my arms straight on my sides and my boots slammed together. The patrol cap on my head keeps the sun from burning my scalp but it doesn't stop the sweat from collecting on my forehead. A couple of seconds later Sergeant Major of the Army Mercer appears with a few officers that I don't realise and stands in front of us, looking at each and everyone one of us with a judging eye until he sees me and the hard look on his face softens and I can see a hint of a smile. Soon enough it's wiped off and he clears his throat.
"Soldiers, Welcome to Kandahar. For most of you this is your first tour and by Christ is it going to be a challenging one". He asserts with a strong voice as he walks up and down, looking each soldier in the eye. "You will address me as Sergeant Major Mercer and nothing more, some of you know me-" he looks me in the eye "—and some of you don't. I will be giving you your assigned operations and will brief each and every one of them. Before I introduce my leaders I would like to say some words so listen carefully" He warns and stands straight with a rigid posture just like all of us soldiers except with his arms behind his back. "It's going to be tough I'm sure you have all heard of the attacks that the Taliban have been planning, this is real life now. This is not training, your lives as well as your team mates are at stake whilst you are out here. There will be no slacking you will all have assigned jobs whether that be patrolling outside the base or being sent out on an operation, I will not stand for laziness, soldiers!" He asserts with authority.
At the look of this base I believe every word he says, in the FOB I stayed in Bagram there was a tent full of equipment to maintain fitness, there was tables with playing cards, hell there was even a pool table but here, there is nothing. From what I can see there is about 20 large tents placed around the camp and an area for eating, the rest is dust filled crates of weapons and vehicles for operations outside of the post.
"With that said, let's introduce ourselves." He offers and looks to the men who send him a tight lipped smile. A middle aged looking man steps forward and surveys us all with a slight nod.
"I'm First Lieutenant Alford, I am a leader and help plan specialised operations alongside with Staff Sergeant McKinney" He informs and my I look over to SSG McKinney, I remember him from Bagram we used to chat sometimes. All the officers are introduced and SMA Mercer looks at all of us again with a nod.
"The officers here will lead, plan and keep all of you in check! Before I let you leave to find a place and organise your possessions I want to welcome back one of the best, a soldier well known for clearing an entire village full of enemies and saving life after life, Sergeant Pierce" He announces and I swallow when I hear my name being called. I take a step forward and instantly feel eyes upon me as I walk up to SMA Mercer and shake his hand with a smile.
"Good to see you Sir" I politely affirm and he smiles.
"Good to have you back Sergeant" He nods and turns to the line of soldiers who are looking at me with questioning but knowing eyes. "Sergeant Pierce is one of the best so if you have any problems, I'm sure she'll be happy to help" he boasts and pats my good shoulder with a proud nod. I'm not entirely sure why I'm getting so much praise but I'm not going to object it, all of these new soldiers need to be put in their place otherwise their turn out like Joe Becker. "FALLOUT!" He orders and each soldier raises their hand up in salute and slams their right leg down before turning on the balls of their feet and marching off until they're out of SMA Mercer's sight.
I look at him with a smile as he rubs his face with a little chuckle and looks at me.
"How are you doing Sergeant? You look fully recovered and healed" He comments and I nod with a stiff posture.
"I'm feeling great sir" I lie because I'd rather be at home with Santana but… "A little confused at the moment though with all the new faces. Where is our division?" I ask and he sighs slightly.
"I was going to mention it at the briefing but I shall inform you now. We had to split up, some soldiers are working with the afghan army down in Kabul, others in Bagram however the base got ambushed resulting in many deaths. We relocated and dare I say it but here in Kandahar, it is worse than I imagined." He explains and I raise my eyebrows in shock to what he's saying.
"It appears to be—empty" I comment and he shakes his head with a disbelieving look.
"We have soldiers patrolling 24 hours a day, we've had 12 injuries in 3 days. The Taliban seem to be multiplying in numbers and are gunning us down" He growls and my jaw does drop because Joe never told me any of this, I feel like I've been kept out of everything.
"It sounds bad Sir"
"It is! I will brief you on the operations later however I will tell you that this is going to push everyone to the limit. There's not just 3 operations where a number of squads go and complete it, there is more than 50 operations to take care of and most soldiers are not returning, if they do they are in body bags" He swallows and I exhale deeply, knowing that this is going to be the hardest 3 months of my life. "I will arrange squads and assign personnel but for now I'll let you get settled in and muddle with some of the new faces." He smiles and I nod with one question on my mind, he seems to know because he chuckles. "Corporal Becker is located in the tent on the far left, he requested to see you"
I smile and salute him before heading off to the tent. It's been so long since I've seen him and I can't wait to catch up on what he's been doing. As I approach the tent I rip it open to find a shirtless Joe making out with a topless Amy underneath him. Smirking, I drop my bag down alerting the couple and clear my throat with my arms wide.
"Well this wasn't the welcoming I was expecting" I grin and watch as Joe's face lights up and he practically jumps off Amy and runs to me, engulfing me in a massive comforting hug.
"Britt! Oh my god!" He exclaims and I pat his muscular back with a grin as I squeeze him, I have missed my New Yorker. We hug for at least 2 minutes before I pull away and look at his tired and newly scarred face with a smile.
"Good to see you buddy" I sigh and he smiles so brightly that I think his cheeks hurt.
"Britt I have missed you so fucking much! How are you? You look great, have you recovered properly? When did you arrive?" He rants and I shut him up by laughing loudly with a shake of my head.
"Breathe Becker, Breathe"
He shuts up and just smiles with a playful eye roll. I glance over his shoulder at Amy who is indeed shirtless and wearing a shy but welcoming smile.
"Morning Private Carr" I announce and she smiles at me, lifting herself of the cot and walking over to me and Joe.
"Sergeant Pierce" She nods before subtly scanning for her tee. As she does I look at Joe with a raised eyebrow and smirk to which he nods whilst wiggling his eyebrows, secretly telling me that they've banged. Shaking my head, I look at her as she puts on her tanned tee and smiles nervously.
"So… I'm going to go claim a cot and unpack my shit." I say as I lean down and pick up my bags, ready to leave the tent. Joe, who throws his arm around Amy's shoulders raises an eyebrow.
"Why don't you stay in here?" He questions as he itches his shoulder with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. I grin and shake my head, looking between Amy and Joe with raised eyebrows.
"What and be third wheel? I'd rather not be here whilst you two fuck" I laugh as I walk out the tent, leaving the two alone but not before hearing "Fuck you Britt". It's good to be back, it's good to see Joe. I walk around and look at the array of tents, debating which one to choose because if I choose the wrong one then I'm stuck with the idiot soldiers inside for the remainder of my stay. Deciding on the one opposite Joes I walk in and instantly every soldier in here drops their bags and what they're doing to stand straight and salute me, making my eyes widen slightly. "At ease Soldiers" I breathe and they relax as I walk in and head to the spare cot at the very end.
The tent isn't the biggest one in the base but it's quite cosy and spacious since there's only about 10 soldiers in here, 5 cots on one wall and 5 on the other. Looking around, I notice that there's no male soldiers in the tent meaning that these soldiers were taught the rules back in training. Everyone starts to chat freely about how hot it is or about the briefing that's going to happen besides one person, one girl who looks so young she should be in school. She empties her bag on her cot which is opposite mine and begins to fold her t-shirts terribly wrong, painstakingly wrong and placing them on the tiny table next to her bunk. A couple of female soldiers look at her and whisper to each other with smirks on their face making a frown appear on my face as the said soldier swallows and moves the peak of her patrol cap down so it covers her eyes slightly. Placing my bag down on my cot, I walk over to the soldier and smile at her as I begin to fold her t-shirts. I know she's looking at me but when I turn to look at her she averts her eyes onto the tee I'm folding making me grin.
"It's about getting it proportionate, you need to fold both sleeves inward then fold it again, fold it up at the bottom and then at the front and you have a perfectly folded t-shirt" I demonstrate with a smile, trying to look in her eyes as she physically shakes with nerves. I'm not sure if the nerves are from being here in Afghanistan or because she's in front of me.
"U-uh Thanks" she stutters and I smile with a nod before walking back over to my cot, noting that the whispers have stopped and every soldier is focused on their self. I feel for the young soldier, it's probably her first tour and by the looks of it she's shitting her pants. All of the soldiers around take time with unpacking their things whereas myself, I only unpack a few tees and other bits of my uniform because I know that we or at least I won't be here that long. When we get sent out on operations, depending on the severity of them, they're usually days or even weeks so we have to repack anyway. SMA Mercer knows my skills so he'll send me out straight away.
I just hope that Santana looks over me and keeps me safe
….
After everyone's packed and exchanged names I meet up with Joe and Amy who are wearing smirks on their faces. With a raised eyebrow, I throw my arm around Joe's shoulders and inhale deeply.
"So you guys are gonna have to fill me in with everything that's happened over these 4 months" I say and Joe scoffs with a shake of his head with a grin.
"There's too much" He laughs making me nudge him as we walk across the base, glancing at the occasional soldier that we pass. "I'm sure SMA Mercer told you about the split, we have none of our troop left. Amy and I got here like a couple of days ago and we haven't been given no orders yet besides basic patrols, we're just as eager to find out what's going on here" He informs and I nod, adjusting my patrol cap so I can see my best friend's eyes. It's rude not to make eye contact.
"Jesus, I really had no idea how bad it got." I breathe as my boots scrape across the gravel mixed in with dust and sand on the ground.
"When you left the base was ambushed and we were forced to retort to another area of safety. We got split up but eventually SMA Mercer took control of the situation and sent those troops out who weren't stationed with us to different parts of Afghanistan. I'm just lucky that I stayed with Amy and you're here and not in Kabul" Joe smiles and I send him a friendly wink with a pat to his shoulder.
"Now that you're here Sergeant we could gain some organization and beat these attacks, complete the operations and get home safely" Private Amy Carr speaks and I nod at her with a smile.
"We gotta drill these motherfuckers!" Joe smirks and Amy smacks his arm making him wince like a little girl and look at her with raised eyebrows.
"Language Joe! We're around Sergeant Pierce" She scolds causing me to burst out laughing and for Joe to roll his eyes and push me.
"Babe, Sergeant Pierce and I are best friends. We swear around each other, we insult each other and we practically fuck girls together. I don't think she minds" He comments with a laugh and I clear my throat at the 'Fuck girls' part. I know he doesn't know that I'm now in a relationship, especially with the girl who broke my heart many, many years ago.
"Babe huh?" I smirk and watch as Amy ducks her head with a shy smile and Joe itches his dirty brown hair.
"Well when you were away—Amy and I got sort of cosy" He smiles and I grin, looking between the both of them and noting how smitten with each other they are.
"Hmmm" I grin and go to say something but get cut off by a loud voice booming over the entire base.
-Report to the SMA's Tent for a briefing, I repeat, Report to the SMA's Tent for a briefing. Over-
Glancing at Joe, I raise an eyebrow in questions as to where SMA Mercers tent is as he knows his way around the base, at least I hope he does, he's been here longer than I have. He leads the way and it's silent as we walk besides the scurrying of eager soldiers ready to hear some orders, ready to finally par take in some action and be wanted. That's what they're here to do right? That's what I'm here to do.
"What about you?" I hear and I look at Joe with a frown, not understanding what he is asking. He smirks and runs his eyes over my face, noticing the newly scars made from my endless fights with Puck that weren't there before.
"What about me?" I retort and he hums.
"Anything happen back home in Lima?" He asks and I clear my throat, wondering if I should tell him about Santana and I. How ridiculous, I'm obviously going to tell him, he's my best friend and he's going to wonder who I'm gonna be writing letter to whenever I get the chance. Deciding to shrug as my answer, he shakes his head with a laugh. "Come on, you were away for 4 months, you must have some news for me?" He pushes but I just smile and blend in with all the other soldiers that make their way to the tent.
"We'll talk later" I grin and he sticks his tongue out at me making me laugh before everything goes silent when SMA Mercer takes his position in front of all of us. Unconsciously, my back straightens and my hands go to my side in correct position when listening or being in the same room with someone higher up in the ranks than you.
"Now that we are all here I would like to start off by saying this briefing is to be kept private within us, a snitch doesn't make it in the army" He asserts with a hard stoic face. "The purpose of this briefing is to assign you an operation and to bring you up to date on the perimeter defence plan. I will cover each operations and take your questions at the end" he states into the silence as each soldier listens. "In this precise moment in time there is soldiers spread out across the whole of Afghanistan, fighting to protect everybody at home and their selves. We are no different. There is a current threat, not just towards us but to the people of Afghanistan, our job is to eliminate any form of threat and protect the people. I am doing things differently this time around because bottom line up front, we do not have the time to waste. More people are dying every day and I'm bloody well sure you don't want that to be you" He informs and clears his throat a second before looking up with a clicker in his hand. "Like I mentioned previously, you will be split up in courtesy of myself and other general's recommendations and trooped on your mentality, skills and experience."
All I can think about is that this is going to take forever, there is well over 100 soldiers in this tent and SMA Mercer has to read every soldiers name to direct us into squads.
"Staff Sergeant McKinney will read a bunch of names and if your name is called out you will be in his squad and I shall set you an operation." He reads and I look at Joe, praying that we are together. I see what SMA Mercer is doing, he's teaming up the older and higher ranked soldiers with the privates, obviously it is a good call. SSG McKinney clears his throat and looks at the piece of paper in his hands, since he's a staff sergeant he is allowed to lead a larger troop of soldiers with the occasional sergeant.
"Private Andrews, Private First Class Blackburn, Corporal Jones, Specialist Frye, Private Garner—" He reads and I look around at the soldiers who diffidently group together next to SSG McKinney who continues to read out Soldiers names. At the end of it SSG McKinney has a troop of 35 soldiers and in my eyes, they all seem like hard working civilians who want to do their country proud. Again, other soldiers with high class ranks step forward and read names of soldiers who are joining their troops for the remainder of their stay. Once you are in a troop there is no changing unless you are physically causing harm to your fellow soldiers.
Glancing around, I scan the area and notice that there is about 35 to 50 soldiers left, waiting to hear who they will be grouped with. My eyes stop on one person when I notice it is the same girl from the tent I am staying in, she looks different from the others. I stare at her rigid but professional posture as she waits to hear her name be called, with her mouth closed and eyes focused on a spot on the wall as soldiers chat around her. A frown appears on my face because I don't get it, she seemed so shy and scared back in the tent but now, now she's stoic. Maybe it's because she knows that there is no way out of this, she is here in Afghanistan and she is about to find out what her role is. I guess I was like that on my first tour, I was shitting bricks and thought that I would never make no friends here, but I met Joe who is still my best friend after 4 years. Something about the girl is intriguing.
"Britt? Brittany?" I hear and I look to Joe who is wearing a frown and looks over to what I was looking at, well rephrase that, who I was looking at and when he does he smirks and nods like he understands. "Ah, now I understand—"He smirks and I look at him with a shake of my head, he's got it wrong. "The horny player Pierce is back and she wants some of that!" He laughs and nudges me with his hand, making me internally groan because I'm not that person no more and I need to tell him that but sadly I don't get the chance because my name is being called.
"Sergeant Pierce, here's the list of Soldiers who are going to be in your troop" SMA Mercer informs as he walks over to me with a piece of paper with a load of names written on them. My eyebrow raises and he takes the words right out of my mouth before I even think of them. "I have extended your group to a larger one, do you think you'll be able to handle it?" He questions with a slightly knowing tone to his voice, he knows that I can manage 3 or 30 soldiers. This is my way to prove to him and all the other generals that I am a worthy soldier and even though I've been out for 4 months I still have the skills and mind set to rank up. I take the list out of his hand and salute him with a confident tight lipped smile.
"Of course Sir! I'm always ready for a challenge" I declare with confident but a softness tone of voice to which he smiles proudly at with a nod.
"I knew you would be, it is good to have you back sergeant" He smiles before turning around with a glare and hushing everyone so I can read out the list. Clearing my throat, I glance at Joe before looking to the list.
"Private First Class Larsen... Specialist Shaw, Private Johnson, Corporal Reid, Specialist Scott, Private Mills—Private Carr, Corporal Becker" I read and glance up at Joe who grins happily with Amy as they walk over to me. Having a quick scan, I notice that my troop is mixed between men and women but I can get to know them after I've finished reading. Clearing my throat, I look back down at the list and let out a breath. "Private First Class Todd, Corporal Wolfe and Private Parker" I breathe and glance up to see the young soldier from my tent walk towards me with a look in her eyes, a look I've never seen before. She looks vulnerable and scared.
"Now that everybody is in a troop, I will assign you your operations. I will call you in so if you would all like to wait outside and exchange names, and whatever other information you want to give" SMA Mercer dismisses and I walk out of the tent and into the blaring heat with my new troop. I lead them over to an area next to a wall so we can talk with some shade because I guarantee when we get out there we will not have time to stop.
My troop gathers around and I look at each and every one of them with a smile, they look like nice people but I'll have to know them before I make any quick judgements, I learnt that on my first tour when I saw a little girl who seemed so innocent and friendly until she pulled out a grenade and blew two soldiers to pieces, literally pieces. Clearing my throat, I step forward and stand tall.
"Let's start off with greetings, I'm Sergeant Pierce if you didn't know… Now for us to work together effectively we need to know each other. I'll start since I'm in command… I have served in the U.S army for 4 years and in that 4 years I have served 3 tours, this will be my fourth and third time in Afghanistan. I have fought in Iraq twice and each tour has been a successful one, well successful as you can get" I comment with a little chuckle and get a hum with a few giggles in response meaning I'm doing something right. "I had to leave during my tour in Afghanistan where I was stationed in Bagram with Corporal Becker and Private Carr" I gesture to Joe and Amy who nod "I got shot in the shoulder and had to go on recovery leave for 4 months, but now I'm back and we are going to do our job and protect the country" I exhale after I finish my speech and look at my fellow soldiers who seem wordless.
"I'm Corporal Becker and I'm Sergeant Pierce's wingman" He smirks but I send him a look as to say 'act professional' and he clears his throat. "You can probably tell from my accent that I'm from New York, and I have also served 3 tours in the space of 4 years alongside Sergeant Pierce" He smiles and gets some nods from the new faces.
"I'm Private Carr and I have served in the Army for a year and been on one tour which was to Afghanistan with Corporal Becker and Sergeant Pierce." Amy says and then soon enough everyone is eager to introduce themselves.
"Uh I'm Private Johnson-It's my first tour but I'm gonna smash it cause if some of these jokes can then I can!" He smirks and I run my disapproving eyes over him, already sensing a bad feeling about this guy. He is physically fit with short cropped blonde hair that is slicked back as he currently wears a smirk.
"I'm Private First Class Larsen, I have served two years in the army and was stationed in Iraq last year for my first tour. I'm excited to see what Afghanistan has to bring and of course working with new people" He states and I nod, this guy seems a bit more respectful and tolerant. He stands taller than PVT Johnson with the same level of fitness, hopefully there's no competing because I'd beat them all with my world records.
"Hi, I'm Specialist Shaw. I have only been in the army for a year and a half but I came into basic training with a four year degree, in medical science" She laughs slightly and I smile with a raised eyebrow.
"If you don't mind me asking, but why did you join the infantry instead of the medical corps?" I ask and she smiles, giving me a chance to take in her appearance and I notice that she looks a little older than the rest, not meaning that she is old because there is no wrinkles on her face. If I was to hazard a guess I would say she is 22, maybe 23.
"When I came to it I realised that I chose the wrong regiment, my heart has always been with the infantry and after I done my degree I dropped the medical corps to join the infantry and I'm glad I did because I've had a blast so far" She chimes and I grin, her medical experience could come in handy. I glance at a small, Hench man with a buzz cut and a shining smile and gesture for him to introduce himself.
"Hey guys, I'm Specialist Scott, I have been with the army for about, gosh, 3 years now and toured 3 times. I'm specialised in handling a sniper, I am a sniper man" He grins and my eyebrows shoot up to my hairline, a sniper? He is going to come in handy, he can watch over us and take out any threats that we don't see from a far.
"That's impressive! What do you like about the sniper rifle so much that it made you specialise?" I ask with a tilt of my head, actually enjoying getting to know these soldiers, its making time fly by as well until we get given our operation.
"I love the sniper rifle itself not just because how technical it is, but the weight and power behind it. The training was so intense and I was really pushed to my limits but I think that has made me appreciate my job and the sniper even more" He chuckles but I can see the passion in his eyes and hear it in his voice. He's a good soldier and I'm glad to have him as a part of my troop, shame I couldn't say the same for PVT Johnson.
"I'm Private Mills, this is my first deployment and I'm excited but scared at the same time, But being around older and more experienced soldiers is sort of putting me at ease" She chuckles with a slight scoff and I send her a smile before looking to the young lad who I'm guessing is about 20.
"I'm Private first class Todd, I've served one year in the army and hope to do two more" He comments and I frown slightly.
"Do you not want to enlist for longer?" I question and he shakes his head.
"I want a family and I know that I can't have my girlfriend and the Army so I'd make a decision and it would be to start a family" He explains and I swallow as Santana pops into my mind. Would she make me decide? Could I choose? Santana or the Army?
"I'm Corporal Reid" A red head woman booms with a hard and stoic face, I let my eyes run over her face and notice the scarring around her left eye, running down to her cheek and her nose. I wait for her to carry on but she doesn't say anything else and a big burly man decides to speak as he could tell that she didn't want to.
"Hello! I'm Corporal Wolfe, like the animal" He winks and laughs "I've served in the army for 3 years and have been to Afghanistan twice. This will be my third time, the third time I'm away from my gorgeous children and wife" He chuckles but it's breathlessly and his eyes glaze over a little. You wouldn't think a man as muscular and manly as the one in front of me would show emotion, in Afghanistan.
My eyes flicker over to the young girl whose eyes are planted towards the dusty ground and I tilt my head, a small smile playing at my lips at the girl's behaviour. Normally I would shout at her for being rude and not meeting my eye but for some strange reason, I don't want to shout at her, I don't think she deserves it. I think she realises that everyone is waiting on her because her head snaps up and her cheeks turn pink when she notices all the eyes on her.
"What's your name?" I ask gently and her eyes snap to mine where I keep her gaze for a while. Her eyes seem so… Broken and lifeless. How could it be though, she is no older than 19 meaning that she could have only served for one year.
"U-Uhm P-Private Parker" She stutters out and ducks her head when PVT Johnson smirks at her. I glare at him and stand slightly taller to dominate him, let him know who is in charge because I already know he needs to be put in his place.
"Private Parker, is this your first deployment?" I ask and she looks up at me and into my eyes again before nodding gently. I nod with a knowing smile, she's nervous and scared.
"I want you all to know that I will try and keep you all safe as long as you are in my troop. We are a team and we will work as a team, if any of you are scared, worried or I don't know need to talk to someone, look around because these soldiers will be your family from now on. We are all here for each other to help get through hard times when we are missing family members, girlfriends—" I swallow because again Santana pops into my head and by Christ do I fucking miss her. "—Boyfriends and even pets, we are all here for each other okay?" I
"Yes Sergeant!" They all shout in sync making me smile and nod, I feel quite proud. SMA Mercer steps outside his tent and gestures for us to go in, I look at my troop and exhale whilst pulling on my ACU jacket. I walk into the tent with my troop behind me and stand at attention in front of SMA Mercer who is holding some papers in his hands and hovering directly over a map that is laid out on a table. I glance at the map and papers before looking SMA Mercer in the eyes and waiting for him to speak.
"Like always, I save the best till last. Sergeant Pierce I expect you and your troop to sail through this operation, I think you are very capable, all of you" He begins and I'm just etching to find out what the fuck it is. "We are under attack and I hate to say it but we don't know what the Taliban is planning, so we need to take out every one before they kill even more of us. The communication system engineers located a satellite in a town called Marja" He says and points to the town on the map in front of him. "It has been controlled by the Taliban as well as drug traffickers for years and is known as the forbidden town. In 2011 the British troops attempted to clear the Taliban but failed which resulted in over 3000 deaths. Operation Moshtarak is being assigned to you" He informs and runs his eyes all over our faces "The aim is to remove the Taliban from Marja and eliminate the last Taliban stronghold in central Kandahar."
"Will there be any civil Afghans inside?" I question with a frown because by the sounds of it, it only sounds like a strictly Taliban town meaning that they would have eliminated or converted the civilians.
SMA Mercers clucks his tongue and looks at some pictures of the town and its design, contemplating if any normal human would be able to survive there. "Reports have shown that 92% of Marja is run by Taliban, however that doesn't mean there is no innocent civilians inside being held hostage. Bring them to safety immediately, do not leave them there. I want you all too clear that town and send a message"
"Which is?" Asks Specialist Scott.
"We will never surrender and we will fight for our country."
I nod with a proud smile and look back at my troops to see some with slightly confused frowns but some with a tight lipped grin. "If we attack the hotspot in Kandahar that will send out a message meaning that we are not fearless and that will switch something on in their complicated brains. They'll die if the cross us" I explain and hear SMA Mercer clap in approval.
"However, they could retort and cause one of the largest world wars in Afghanistan" He suggests and I laugh breathlessly with a nod.
"Or that"
SMA Mercer goes over the brief one more time and in a little more detail so we are sure as to what we are doing and being safe about it. Corporal Reid and I work out a safe way to enter so we do not walk straight into enemy territory because that would not go smoothly. One of the skills that any soldier learns in training is navigation and the map is a bird's eye view of a piece of ground which is reduced and drawn to scale to make it easy for us. "There's about 10 block radius from the base to the enemy which gives them an advantage to swarm us, however if we cover here from here—"I point on the map as everyone follows me "—we should be okay." I nod and look up at the other soldiers who nod with confident smiles besides Private Parker as they write down coordinates and certain points on the map.
SMA Mercer exhales and clears his throat as he stands tall "I knew I made the right decision in assigning you all this operation, I hope you do me, yourself and your country proud. I expect you all to be ready by 0700 hours tomorrow and waiting by the vehicles. Sergeant Pierce I trust that you will provide your troop with the best stability and protection?" He tests and I salute him.
"Yes sir"
"Great, well you are all dismissed. Get a good sleep tonight because you will need it, grab some food from the canteen and pack for your operation tomorrow" SMA Mercer asserts and salutes before walking out of the tent. I hear the soldiers behind me let out a breath and I take one last look at the map and jot down any extra information I may need before leading my troop outside into the heat. Spinning on my heel, I look at each and every one with a surge of confidence and a smile.
"I believe in us, we can complete this operation. For now—" I bid and look at the watch on my wrist, it's only 14:58 meaning that it's 05:28 as the time difference between the US and Afghanistan is 9 and a half hours, Santana would still be in bed all nice and cosy. "—you can do what you want. I'd suggest getting some food and then relaxing before we go out tomorrow because I'll tell you now, you will not get a lot of rest. You are all dismissed" I ease and they all salute before leaving besides Joe and Amy. Shaking my head, I let out breathless laugh and walk with Joe and Amy.
"I'm so glad that SMA Mercer put us together, and you're the leader." Joe beams and I laugh, patting his shoulder as we walk towards the food tent. "We seem to have a nice troop of soldiers, unlike before…" He scoffs and my lip turns up in disgust.
"What happened to Rodriguez anyway?" I ask and Amy clears her throat.
"He died, IED" She states and my eyebrows raise, now I feel kind of bad of thinking about him in a way.
"Oh…"
Joe shakes his head as we walk into the tent that is surprisingly bigger in the inside than it looks on the outside and head to a spare table. We're smart and know that if we all rush for food our table will be gone and we'll have to sit on the floor out in the heat, so Joe decides to go and get his food first leaving me and Amy at the table.
Clearing my throat, I look at her and notice how she looks a tiny bit uncomfortable making me smile. "Relax Private Carr, I don't want things to be awkward because you know you're with Joe" I say with a hint of a laugh. She visibly relaxes and looks into my eyes.
"Sorry I just- He's your best friend and it's unprofessional—you're a sergeant and you could report us to SMA Mercer" She panics and I shake my head with a laugh.
"I would never do that. He is my best friend so I wouldn't do that to him, I know how much he likes you" I smirk when she ducks her head with a bashful smile and slightly pink cheeks. "Just don't make out in front of me!" I joke with a playful wink making her laugh and hum.
"Why? Would it turn you on?" I hear from behind me and look over my shoulder to see Joe with a grin on his face and a tray of food. Shaking my head, I laugh and brush him off with the middle finger. Amy stands up and Joe winks at her as she goes to get her food. I look at him with a grin as he fiddles with his plastic knife and fork "Stop staring at me" he whines as I laugh loudly and push him.
"Sorry lover boy" I smirk and he whips head to me with wide eyes. I look at him with an innocent look and raised eyebrow. "What?" I ask, trying not to laugh.
"Don't call me that. Don't say the L word either" He shivers making me raise one of my eyebrows at him.
"What's wrong with the L word?" I question and he slurps some of his spaghetti off of his fork. Joe looks at me and licks his lips with a shrug.
"It's too early for that, like way too early" He insists and I raise my hands up in defence. "I mean—we're not even official or anything like that, we're just—"
"Fucking?" I interrupt and he stops with his mouth wide open and shuts it because he has nothing else to say.
"It's not like that" He murmurs into his spaghetti and I look at him with a look that could only be perceived as 'Bullshit'.
"Then what is it like?" I push and he slams his fork onto his tray and sighs loudly.
"I don't fucking know!" He snaps and my eyes widen slightly at him. Well someone is a bit touchy on the subject, maybe I should be a little more sensitive, I don't know.
"Alright, Jesus…"
We sit there in silence for a couple of minutes, the noises of chattering and chairs being screeched on the floors is all I can here. Joe sighs by me and lowers his fork of spaghetti making me look at him because he clearly has something to say.
"Sorry Britt- I didn't mean to snap at you" He apologises with sincerity and I nod at him with a small smile.
"It's okay, I shouldn't have kept asking you questions. I get it, it's complicated" I smile and he smiles back, eating the mouthful of good looking spaghetti. Jesus where the fuck is Amy and why is she taking so long, I need some food in my belly.
"So we never got to talk about you" He smirks as I swallow, shaking my head. I know what he'll do if I tell him, he'll go blitz because he saw how fucked I was for the first year in here. I obviously got over it and slept with other people but Joe knew that I would never commit because I still loved Santana and now, now I'm with her I know he won't like it.
"There's nothing to talk about" I claim and he scoffs like he calls bullshit because yes, I am bullshiting. I want to tell my best friend that I'm in a relationship with a girl I deeply love but—
"Come on Britt! I just want to know what it was like going back to Lima after 4 years. You were away for 4 months, you must have something to tell me. I'll tell you everything that's happened here so why won't you tell me?" He questions and I sigh, rubbing my face and groaning lightly.
"There's so much to say—a lot has changed, I've changed" I mumble and he looks at me with understanding but some confusion behind his eyes. "I got into a couple of fist fights with this douche bag—"
"Did you win?" Joe interrupts and I look at him with a nonchalant eyebrow raise. "Of course you fucking won" He laughs and gestures for me to continue.
"Uh- I met this girl Olivia and she's like one of my best friends" I begin and notice the feigned hurt look on Joes face making me laugh and push him. "One of my best friends! Um, I sorted stuff out with my pop and oh yeah—I'm in a relationship" I drop and watch as Joe's eyes widen and his jaw drops. Wait for it, wait for the multiple questions and interrogating.
"No way!" He gasps and I nod with a tight lipped smile, watching as he claps his hands together and pushes his tray forward a little before resting his head on his hand. "Tell me everything! What's her name? Is she beautiful? How long have you been together?" He rants and I cut him off by chuckling.
"Okay, okay! You're like a little fucking school girl" I insult playfully but he shrugs it off because at heart he is a little girl. I let out a breath and look between is curious eyes. "It's um—I'm back with Santana" I confess and watch as he processes the name, probably thinking it sounds familiar and then he looks at me with his mouth open and a look that reads 'You're kidding me?'.
"Wait, Santana as in Santana who broke your heart Santana?" He asks and I nod with a slight hiss because I know he's not going to take this well. Joe shakes his head and laughs breathlessly before running a hand over his short hair. "You are joking? Please tell me you did not get back with that bitch?!" He pleads and I frown angrily.
"Don't call her that!" I growl and he throws his head back with a loud groan. Nobody and I mean nobody calls Santana a bitch or any name under the sun. Joe looks at me and exhales deeply.
"Why? How? I-I thought she was straight?" He frowns and I shake my head.
"It's complicated" I repeat as did he when I asked him about Private Carr. "She's not straight, she came out after we had sex. It was our first time since I came back and I was drunk, I just had a fight with puck and she admitted it in the hospital" I explain to Joe who listens carefully. "When I went back I saw her in a pub and we just connected again. I was helping her pop renovate his garden and it just—It gave me an opportunity to talk to Santana and we just clicked." I smile as Santana pops into my head, her luscious brown locks sprawled out on my pillow and her dark brown eyes staring into mine. She's so beautiful and I'm lucky I get to call her mine, I get to call those pink plump lips of hers mine.
"Britt? You spaced out a bit there" Joe comments and I shake my head, looking at the soldier in front of me.
"I love her Joe"
Joe sighs and I look at the wall of the tent before I feel a hand on mine. "Okay, if she makes you happy then I'm happy" He smiles and I grin at him.
"Would you look at us, two of the biggest players all settled down—Sort of" I hiss because Joe and Amy aren't exactly exclusive yet. He laughs and nods, swirling some spaghetti onto his fork.
"So does that mean you won't be going for none of these pretty ladies? They don't get the Pierce's Python" He smirks, eyeing some of the women up around the canteen.
"Sadly so" I laugh, I would never ever cheat on Santana. I wouldn't need to because she gives me everything I could ever wish for. After lunch with Amy and Joe I head back to my tent and prepare for the mission tomorrow. As I walk in my eyes are instantly drawn to Private Parker sitting on her cot staring down at something that resembles a picture in her hands. I slowly walk over to my cot and out of the corner of my eye I watch her quickly put the photo in her right shoulder pocket of her ACU jacket.
We don't talk as we pack our things, however I glance over at the youngster and hiss when she packs her rucksack so complicatedly that she won't be able to fit anything else she might need in there. Again, I walk over to her causing her to stop and tense up, automatically straightening her posture with her arms straight by her side. My eyes roam up her uniform and notice how clean and smart it is, with a nod of approval I smile.
"At ease Private"
Private Parker relaxes by exhaling and looking down to her combat 45l patrol rucksack as do I with a little chuckle. "if you roll your tees you'll be able to fit other necessities like MRE's and a lightweight sleeping bag" I help and roll up her tees to make more room and make it more comfortable for her when she's running around with it out there whilst getting fired at by Taliban's.
"Oh-Um—Thank you Sergeant" She mumbles and I smile at her, I've never known anyone to be so shy in the army because you have to be confident in a profession like this, you are putting yours and other people's lives on the line, you have to be confident.
"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" I ask and hit myself internally, of course she is fucking nervous, this is her first deployment and probably the first time she is ever going to kill anyone, that is if they don't get to her first. I won't let that happen, I vow to protect all of my soldiers.
Private Parker adjusts her patrol cap and clears her throat with a shaky sigh "Uh-Yeah. I-I've never you know…" She drawls off and I nod with a small smile. I reach for a pair of her socks and graze her hand ever so lightly but it makes her look up at me with a nervous smile.
"Don't worry, you are in safe hands and I will do my best to keep you all safe" I vow and watch as the tips of her ears turn pink and she nods with a small smile.
"Thank you Sergeant"
As I pack for the assignment my mind drift off to Santana and a small smile graces my lips, I pray that she's okay and coping down there without me. I'm doing my best but it's only day one and I know I have to put that to the back of my mind to succeed in here. I contemplate writing her a letter now but I don't have the time so that's going to be on my to-do list for tonight. A large sigh escapes my lips as I fall onto my cot and process all the information for tomorrow's job, one of the dangerous towns in the whole of Kandahar, thanks for easing me into it slowly SMA Mercer.
I know Santana will be looking over me the whole time telling me to be careful.
It's only 91 days until I can see her again, hopefully, that is if my deployment isn't extended.
Hello, it's me…. YOYO guys how are we all? So I decided to a long chapter today, what did you think? It's been awhile since we've seen Soldier Brittany and of course it' in a new setting in Afghanistan with new soldiers. If you guys have any questions related to the army I would be happy to try and answer them for you. Brittany is in charge of her troop that seem like nice people. I have a few ideas for this story that I'm really excite to write and include. The question is, whose POV next? Santana's or Brittany's? Now I'm going to base it on a vote so PM or review:] A lot of you guys said you want Santana to live with James, like I said you can still vote for that too haha. I feel like I'm a presenter on the x factor. Brittany gets sent out on her mission, is there anything you want to see? Private Parker is going to be an interesting character and maybe Brittany might befriend her. Remember when Brittany sort of had the reputation, you know where she just had pointless sex well that does still remain with her where she goes, just wanted to clear it up in case some of you got confused with the conversation with her and Joe. Thank you guys for all the nice reviews and to a lot of people who have been asking, I am British hahaha. Have a nice night, till next time. Remember vote quickly so I can get writing :]