Chapter LIII: War Stories
10 Oct 1858
Incheon, South Korea
That evening at the fire station a banquet of seven different varieties of kimchi was served in honor of the boys' mostly successful mission. They had two working vehicles now, and enough food to get them through the end of the day tomorrow. They had arrived too late to warrant Ji-hye leaving without a meal so the decision was made that she would join Sergei and the kids for dinner. It was still uncertain whether she could leave at night or wait until morning, but they could decide that on a full stomach. At dinner, Sergei and Ji-hye noticed the difference in how certain groups of the boys and girls handled the aftermath of the day's battle. The boys who survived the trip were excitedly telling war stories to impress their friends while another group centered around the girlfriend of one of the boys who that had been lost during the supply run were somber and expressing feelings of sympathy. One of the boys in that group even seemed as if he was subtly jockeying to replace the grieving girl's fallen boyfriend. "Hindsight. Every one of those boys was ready to shit themselves when we were out there; now look at them, all so stoked on themselves." Sergei laughed. Ji-hye looked over at the boys to whom Sergei was referring to. "This mecha came up on us and it was like "Boom!" the freaking gas tank smashed that thing and carried it through the next building." one of the boys in the first group was excitedly telling his friends. "Yeah man, It was badass, like something out of a movie." another of the boys bragged. "And Seok-min here, this guy took out at least a dozen spiders." the second boy turned to give credit to his new friend. "It was more like ten." Seok-min modestly corrected him. "Still man, the Russian dude only got seven." the boy said. "I bet that Russian dude was like some secret government assassin too." another boy who had not been a part of the mission commented. "You've been playing too many video games." remarked Seok-min with a spattering of laughter among them. Back at their table Sergei was trying to stomach down some of the kimchi while observing his fighters. It was apparent that some of these kids knew each other, whether as friends or just as faces from school while others we simply strangers to them. Sergei reasoned that the boys they lost today weren't exactly known or liked by the other boys in the team he assembled for they all seemed to treat what they had been through as some sort of game. It did not appear to be a coping mechanism to Sergei as was his own jovial attitude tonight, more that they actually thought that the killing and dying out there was pretty cool. Was there ever a time in my life that I thought like that, wondered Sergei. Perhaps he had seen too much killing and dying in his time that he couldn't remember. Nonetheless the boys seemed to handle themselves well for now. Eventually he knew that reality would strike them, whether from this run or from another one in the future. Eventually something would happen to someone they care about or they would see something that they simply couldn't unsee. When that happened they would have to find a means to cope with it or it would destroy them for there was a lot more killing and dying ahead of these boys. If pretending this all was a game worked by no means would Sergei discourage it. These kids had the potential to be molded into good soldiers, but only time and the fires of battle would prove it to Sergei.
"What is this stuff anyway?" Sergei asked Ji-hye after swallowing down some of the kimchi. "Pickled cabbage mostly." answered Ji-hye. "So that's why it tastes like shit." laughed Sergei. "But you're still eating it." chuckled Ji-hye. "Lady literally I am so hungry I would eat shit out of my own asshole." Sergei joked. "Give me shashlik and a piping hot bowl of beef stew or borscht over this stuff any day." Sergei commented. "The man likes his meat, what can I say?" giggled Ji-hye. "Yes, yes, you got it. Meat makes you strong." Sergei said while flexing his muscles. The two of them shared a laugh while the children carried on with their dining and various conversations amongst each other. "In all seriousness though, with our numbers now we will have to make food runs every other day. I don't know how we are going to sustain this if we lose 3 people every time we want a bag of chips." Sergei confessed. "We'll get better at it. We'll learn the alien patrol routes and find places to go where we won't be hit so hard or not at all." Ji-hye told him. "The kids will get better at it too, a little on the job training goes a long way. They're not like us remember." Ji-hye assured him. "Like us? What do you mean? I am pilot, you are police officer. You are the one with the skill for danger not I. Is more like they are not like you." Sergei corrected her. "You know what I mean." Ji-hye replied. Her detective's instincts kept nagging at her that there this "I am just a pilot" routine of Sergei's was a lie. There had to be more to this guy, something he couldn't say for whatever reason. It was of no importance, she felt she could trust Sergei. The feeling just kept nagging at her though. "So have you given any thought to leaving tonight?" asked Sergei. Ji-hye stopped to think as she finished chewing her food. "Well, come to think of it I might be better off in the morning. The aliens like to step things up at night and they always see you before you see them." Ji-hye answered. "I see your wisdom in that. We would not want you to get killed." Sergei replied. "We better hope that Leonid hasn't burned the place down by the time you get back there." Sergei commented. "He's probably passed out now anyways." Ji-hye said. "It takes a lot for that man to pass out; he has liver like iron." Sergei commented. Both of them laughed and resumed their meal. After a day of relative safety Ji-hye was nervous to go back out there. Every day since they had been dislodged from the police station was like swimming with the sharks; the danger never relented. Having a little bubble, as illusory as it was where she did not have to live in fear was nice. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to slow down and enjoy life, rather than just sustain it. A couple of hours of peace would be all she would have however. She knew the task had to be done though and that she was the best one to do it. As the meal concluded the children split off into their assigned duties. Some of them cleaned up, others went to stand watch and the rest settled down for the night. After making one last set of rounds to see that the place was secure and under control Ji-hye and Sergei went to their respective rooms upstairs. Ji-hye quietly walked in as to not disturb the girls who were already sleeping. Hyo-ri waved at Ji-hye as she entered from her stool by the small window where she was standing guard. Ji-hye smiled and waved back. That girl carried a presence about her, something that told Ji-hye she would make a good leader. She was respected by her peers, but not arrogant. She was still a child but there was so much potential there. In a way it was like looking at a younger version of herself, not in appearance, Ji-hye acknowledged was never that pretty in her teens, but in attitude; there was strength and compassion there, with a sharp intellect to boot. Someday, Ji-hye thought this young woman would rise to the occasion. As she sat down on the floor and pulled the blanket over her thoughts shifted back to the current occasion. Tomorrow would be another test of her perseverance. One more night, and then she would leave, Ji-hye thought as she closed her eyes.
