Week 13
Day 86 (12/31)
Clark figured his instincts didn't fool him that often. Magnus had come back with them on two of their outdoor missions, once again. The second time, he didn't say anything. But the next time he couldn't hold his tongue. Clark finally took Magnus aside and asked him why he was doing all this. If he had been studying him in the field all this time. His presence was finally getting on his nerves.
And Magnus had finally said that it was nice to go out on the field with them. If Bruce had been able to hear that, Clark was sure he would have probably gutted him on the spot. It gave Hal and Ollie and him some extra work. While Magnus was a soldier and a psychotherapist, he didn't have a lot of field experience. So they couldn't rely on him to cover for them.
This time the shrink had not come. Their mission had been to do a classic round and indeed, Magnus would have been more of a burden than anything else. When he got out of the Humvee, all he wanted to do was sit on his butt. A general opinion of their group. They would spend hours trampling on this kind of mission.
"I wanted to party tonight... there are guys coming off the base tonight, they're going to have some fun around here. I was motivated to go, but now... "
Ollie sighed without finishing his sentence.
"You're going to take a nap," said Clark. "It's doing me a lot of good. "
Hal then grabbed them by the shoulders and led them away, checking to make sure no one was following them or listening to them.
"Look, I made arrangements with Keaton and O'hara. They're going to come back with some hooch, but keep it to yourself, okay? Tonight, if we're discreet enough, we can have a little party! "
Clark and Ollie glanced at each other hesitantly.
"Do you know that if we get caught, we're dead? " asked Clark.
"We can even risk the criminal court," Ollie added.
Hal swept away their worries with a wave of his hand.
"You're exaggerating too much here! It's New Year's Eve, guys! Do you really think that even they won't enjoy it a little bit? "
Clark pouting.
"Well, I hope not, because if all the guards are drunk, I hope we won't be attacked. "
He received a violent pat on the back from Hal:
"Fortunately for us, that's not the case! In exactly... one hour, we will technically be off duty! "
Hal's smile made them give in.
"Well, okay," said Ollie.
"Deal," Clark replied.
They were about to break up when Wayne came running back to them:
"In the Humvee, now! "
When they saw the urgency of the situation, they got busy. Clark then saw Magnus, equipped, heading in the same direction as them.
"Are you coming?!" he exclaimed as they entered the Humvee.
"I was there when the Major received his instructions. "
Clark couldn't stay as inexpressive as Bruce. His anger could be seen on his face. Ollie decided to get in the middle.
"Uh, and so, what's the emergency? "
"One of our guys has his foot on a mine. "
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
At the sight of the emergency, as soon as the Humvee stopped, they followed all of Wayne's instructions. Queen helped Kent get dressed while he secured Magnus and the place, making contact with the other team.
"The kid stepped on a mine over there. Hurry up, he's had his foot on it for twenty minutes already. He's a rookie, he didn't pay attention. "
His superior, a Sergeant, pouting as he was saying that to Bruce. The mine was on the road with the soldier on it. He was barely over 18.
"Twenty minutes ?" Kent continued. "And he's still there?! "
"You're not going to send your robot?" the Sergeant asked when he saw him in his uniform.
Kent blew.
"Certainly not! It's a miracle he's still in one piece, it's far too late to send our new EOD. "
The Sergeant was surprised by Kent's irritated tone. Jordan arrived to calm things down:
"Don't blame him, our last robot, Jerry, blew himself up. As a result, our little Joe... "
"That has nothing to do with. " contradicts Kent.
He was finally ready.
"It's anti-personal, Kent. Be careful," Wayne threw at him as he was leaving. "Constant contact."
He raised his thumb and left as quickly as he could.
When he was in front of him, Kent greeted him. The young soldier was completely panicked, but he was still able to hold still.
"I'm Sergeant First Class Clark Kent, I'm here to help you. If you could hold on a little longer, that would be fine with me. I wouldn't want to end the year with fireworks. "
The little kid had a funny puffing.
"Private Henry Bell, sir. I wouldn't want to end up in pieces either. "
The soldier's voice was not very assured. Kent could easily understand him. He stooped down on the mine, releasing it gently with his fingertips.
"Call me Clark. Just keep it quiet, it'll help me get us out of here. "
That's what he said to himself as he extended the mine clearance. Way too big to be just for one man.
"I couldn't see it that big," Henry said, looking at what was under his feet.
"Uh, it's just going to take longer than I thought. Just stay calm. "
Kent dug gently to one side.
"Well. Fuck. I'm really jinxed. "
"Something wrong, Kent? "
He sighed.
"A big problem. It's a bouncy fragmentation antipersonnel. It should have jumped at first contact. Safety perimeter at 100 meters. "
Kent then heard burst voices. Fifteen meters away, he could still hear what they were saying. He could vaguely hear Magnus and the Sergeant asking questions and Wayne answering on the radio :
"The mine is defective. It makes it highly unstable. "
"I don't understand, what is it? " asked Henry.
Kent stared at the device, already thinking about what he should do.
"If this thing blows up, we'll end up with fireworks. "
Henry held back his tears:
"Damn it. "
Kent also felt his stress rising. He had to stay focused. It wasn't an IED. No TATP. No dead body. Just an anti-personnel landmine that had become truly obsolete. He tried to visualize the whole thing. It must have been a model weighing 9lb. The load must have been around 0,7lb with the shrapnel... 4,5lb more...
"Kent, how are you feeling?"
Hearing Magnus upset him.
"Go back 100 meters and I'll feel better already, thank you! "
The pressure should have blown up the mine. But obviously, either the pressure sensor was faulty or... the self-destruction should have lasted a few seconds longer. Maybe the system had another igniter, a traction igniter. That would have given it two detonators to neutralize. The first was the simplest. He cleared the mine by digging gently. All he had to do was insert a small metal rod into the first mechanism.
"You can still give up if you're having trouble, Kent. No one will blame you. "
Kent closed his eyes. He was about to hit him. Suddenly, silence fell behind him. He was convinced that it was because of Wayne.
"Thank you," he said in Russian.
He stuck the rod. Theoretically, it was unarmed.
"Henry, you're going to lift your foot when I tell you, okay? "
The relief he heard made him bite his lip. He had better not screw up. He had his pliers ready for disarming.
"Go ahead. "
Henry took his foot off. He stood next to it, breathing a huge sigh of relief:
"Thank God! "
Kent shook his head.
"Clark will be enough! Now get the hell out of here! "
Henry ran down faster than a rabbit.
"I'm staying to withdraw the charges. This thing was already obsolete before I was born! Fifties, I'd say. "
"Already there before? "
Kent observed the head of the mine. The earth around it had been slightly stirred, but no more. The mine had really aged.
"Probably. The bombing must have brought it up, but it never exploded. Unbelievable. "
He cut the stakes, detached the connected wires and unscrewed the igniter. He retrieved the charges that seemed to be intact. The mechanism must have been damaged over the years.
"I'm finished. "
He got up, retrieved his things and returned to them.
Jordan helped him remove his protective suit. Now that he had Magnus in his sights, he had only one desire, to gut him. Wayne stood in his path.
"I thought this kind of device didn't land in Iraq. "
The change of subject worked to distract Kent.
"I think there were some in Morocco and Algeria. But all it takes is a few crates being hijacked and stored somewhere and forgotten... In itself, it can be turned on again without any problem. "
Hal stepped forward to retrieve the charges and examine them.
"I must admit that you've stumbled upon a relic there! "
"Too bad we didn't take any pictures," Ollie said.
Kent's eyes sparkled in one go, sending shivers down his two colleagues' spines. He could dig up the rest pretty quickly and take it away. It would be a souvenir for him.
"You're crazy," the Sergeant let go, bringing them back down to earth. "But thank you. "
"Thank you Clark," Henry added smiling.
He just nodded his head and replied:
"Next time, watch your step! "
Henry laughed and his team headed back in their original direction. Wayne's unit returned to the vehicle. Magnus then turned to Kent.
"I'm sorry about earlier. "
Kent gave him a cold look, but he remained courteous when he replied:
"I think you've had proof for a while that I'm good in the field now. Today, the guy who had his foot on a mine wasn't as stressful to me as the shrink who was talking shit to me on the radio, you know? I can't handle several distractions at once. Today, Private Bell was really brave and I was lucky for that. "
Magnus nodded his head.
"I... I assure you that I wasn't thinking badly. "
Kent was certain of it. Wayne intervened:
"This was the Doctor's last mission. There won't be any more interventions. "
He then saw the stupor on Magnus' face. No matter what Wayne said, it was having an effect. He was grateful for it. But it wasn't up to him to fix the problem.
"I could handle it on my own. "
He had taken the risk of speaking Russian again. There was nothing stopping him from doing that, but it excluded Jordan and Queen from the conversation. Conversation that didn't take place: Wayne never answered him.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
They all toasted together as they were gathered in the tent. Sitting on Hal's and John's beds, the four of them stayed there while many of the soldiers were out. They had waited until after the meal to go to their tent and take out the bottles of alcohol that had been smuggled into the camp. It was a real mess.
The first bottle circulated among them as they talked and around the game they had finally started. It was a terrible idea, to make a drinking game. But it was good for all of them. Alcohol disinhibited and loosened their tongues a bit.
That's how they could learn more about John, who actually had more in common with Hal than they thought. Oliver talked a bit about the complicated history with his family, and Clark discovered that he had a lot in common with Bruce: both shared an incredible fortune from their family. But Oliver had completely cut ties with his family, who resented him for getting involved without taking over the family empire.
It was a sad story for him, but he had come to terms with it. He was as good as dead in the eyes of his family, except for his sister, with whom he had kept in touch. That was it. Clark thinks he was really lucky to land with the Kent.
He turned his attention back to the game: he had to concentrate as hard as he could if he didn't want to get drunk before midnight. It was Hal's turn and then it would be his turn to play:
"In my 4x4, I put: an M4, a pair of socks, a scarf... uh... an axe, a scooter, a porn magazine, a tank, some C4,... a tie, a picture of Pamela Anderson and I added... a poster of Cindy Crawford! "
John and Clark boo Hal:
"Oh nooo! We were trying to be serious this time !" John let go.
Hal folded his arms:
"Because it's serious, a tank in a 4x4?! More than a poster?! "
Clark and John looked at each other. The deminer swept aside the explanation with a wave of his hand:
"Oh well, if nobody cares... Okay. In my 4x4, I put: an M4, a pair of socks, a scarf, an axe, a scooter, a porn magazine, a tank, ... C4, a tie, a picture of Pamela Anderson, a poster of Cindy Crawford and ... a sextape of Angelina Jolie! "
He was applauded by Ollie and Hal while John looked outraged:
"You betrayed me! "
Clark made a grimace:
"Eeeeh, since we're on a roll huh... "
"You're disgusting. And respect for women!? "
Ollie tapped John's shoulder.
"To catch up with us, I'd say the poster for "Rosie the Riveter"!"
They laughed when they saw the image of the famous poster of the pin-up girl with the bandana saying "we can do it", a propaganda from the Second World War.
"Fuck you, Ollie. "
Arrow bit his tongue out:
"Go ahead and play! "
John sighed:
"In my 4x4, I put: an M4, a pair of socks,... a scarf, an axe, a scooter, a porno magazine, a tank, some C4, a tie, a picture of Pamela Anderson, a Cindy Crawford photo, a sext-
"Aaaaah! You've loooost ! " they said in chorus.
John frowned.
"It was a poster of Cindy Crawford and not a photo! "
The black man swore into his beard.
"You've confused me here with this story about Rosie! "
Hal held out the bottle and John had to drink the number of sips corresponding to the number of items on the list, 12 sips. They encouraged him to drink as he grinned. When John stopped drinking, he shook his head slightly:
"I'm dead. "
Clark patted him on the thigh.
"Come on, don't worry, you're going to make it! "
Ollie gave him a sadistic smile:
"Too bad, I'm starting! You'll be the last in the round! "
John let out a long disgusted sigh.
"Ah fuuuck. "
Ollie continued the game:
"In my 4x4, I put: a frying pan. "
And at that moment, everything went into a spin.
Day 87 (01/01)
Clark stumbled to his barracks. He had really, really had too much to drink. It was really, really unprofessional... at all. Tomorrow, their shift started at noon. He would have a few hours to sober up a little bit...
He tried to enter as quietly as possible. Despite the light on, Clark walked at wolf's pace, his condition making him even more ridiculous than anything else.
"I'm awake, you know. "
Clark froze completely, facing Bruce.
"Uh... Happy New Year Bruce! I wish you... lots of good things, joy, love, stuff... "
Bruce shook his head, letting a grin appear on his face.
"Happy New Year, Clark. To you too, I wish you many good things. "
Clark smiled back at him and walked over to his bed. Bruce was obviously reading. He untied his shoelaces with difficulty and hardly took off his boots. It was quite sad to see. He then attacked his clothes.
"Let me help you. "
With his head stuck in his shirt, Clark protested:
"I can do this on my own! "
He pulled so hard that he tilted to the side. He heard Bruce sigh and with a movement he was released from his clothes. Bruce was right on top of him.
"I could do it," he protested.
Bruce shook his head again. Clark stood up in revolt:
"Stop thinking I can't do it alone! "
"Sorry, but you didn't look like you could do it. "
Clark shook his head negatively.
"I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about on the field! I could handle the doctor! "
Bruce approached, his eyes turning silver.
"It's my job to do this. "
"Stop it, Bruce! You do that and then you ignore me! You don't have to protect me if you're going to act like I don't exist afterwards! "
He saw the Major gritting his teeth. Clark's head turned, all of a sudden.
"I know. "
Clark frowned, upset. He approached too.
"You know it and you do it?! Damn it Bruce, I hate it when you do that! It hurts my feelings! "
Bruce didn't answer. They were close. Maybe too close. Clark stank of alcohol miles away, but he was sure he could smell Bruce. Only a few inches separated them. All of them. Small ones. Inches.
He could feel the warmth of Bruce's body. He would only have to reach out his hand slightly to touch it. He would only have to lower his head to hit his shoulder. To close his eyes to feel his hand caressing his neck. To tilt his head to touch his lips.
Clark abruptly withdraws, shocked by his own thoughts. Holy Mary Mother of God! He had really had too much to drink. He could feel his face burning so much he was ashamed of himself.
"I'm... I'm sorry. "
He moved back and didn't dare look him in the face, putting one hand over his mouth as if to stop himself from speaking. Or to try something that might even ruin his career. Behind him, Bruce replied:
"Me too. We should go to bed. "
Clark nodded. It was the best thing to do to remove the tension that had just set up between them. He finished getting ready and joined Bruce, who was already in bed. Horrified by thoughts he had never had before, Clark remained tense in bed for a long time. Until the alcohol finished its effect and plunged him into a deep sleep.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Clark woke up with a huge headache and nausea. He hadn't had a hangover in a long time, and he was obviously having a lot more trouble getting over it than he had been before. He left himself for a few seconds before getting up. Time to assess whether he could make it to the bathroom without emptying his stomach contents.
He hydrated to the maximum and took a cold shower. A good shower to wake him up and make him sleep a little. He felt like he had a jackhammer in his head and his stomach was loose. Drinking water had almost smeared him even more, but all this had awakened the connections between his neurons.
And he thought back to the day before. The sensations he had felt, the thoughts that had crossed his mind. Kissing Bruce. That was clearly what he had in mind. Fuck ! He loved women! He certainly wasn't gay! And on top of that, Bruce was his superior, a relationship with him would be impossible. No, he wasn't even supposed to consider such a thing!
He took his head in his hands. Luckily Bruce had gotten up early and left. He was having a hard time. He really needed to pull himself together. Act normal with Bruce. Be normal. He could do that. It was just because he was drunk the night before, he thought that, just because he was so emotionally deprived and he hadn't had intimate contact with anyone in a long time. That was it.
He got ready and went out. A coffee. He needed that lousy coffee to get his thoughts together. And also to recover physically as well. He went to the refectory and preferred to get a large cup of coffee rather than the entire contents of a tray for his breakfast. He then joined John, who seemed to be in the same state as him.
"I'm dead," John said as Clark sat down in front of him.
The black sniper's head was almost in his tray.
"So was I. How are the others? "
Clark put his head on his hand, listening to John:
"Ollie's sleeping like a log and Hal continues to empty his stomach contents. "
His stomach was so upset that just the thought of Hal vomiting lifted his heart.
"I think I'm going to do what Hal did... "
John had a small laugh.
"We really screwed up... "
Clark took a look at John's watch.
"And to think that we're going back to work in four hours... I'm psychologically not ready. "
John nodded his head and displayed a grin.
"The new year is starting well! "
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Kent! How's it going? "
Wayne really had no pity for them. He made them pay in his own way for their outburst of the day before. Kent couldn't blame him for that, not when he had to concentrate and still had a lot of alcohol in his blood.
"A few more nuts and that's it. "
It took him longer to change a tire. Jordan was assisting him while Queen and Wayne covered them. They had a flat in the middle of the road. They heard vehicles coming and they were on their guard.
"They're ours, it's okay," Wayne announced.
It was a convoy of three vehicles. The first vehicle started to slow down and the front passenger signaled the others to continue. They then saw the other two vehicles pass them, silting them up as they passed. The third stopped at Wayne's level.
"Need a hand, guys? "
Wayne shook his head negatively.
"Thank you, It'll be fine. We're done, we'll meet you on the road! "
The soldier laughed.
"All right, Happy New Year! "
The vehicle restarted. They could have laughed at the joke, well, except Wayne, but they were too bad for that. Kent finished in a hurry.
"We're ready to go again," Hal said as he stood up.
They both put the gear away. As soon as they were ready, they all got back in the Humvee and headed back to camp. Kent was sure of one thing, they were in a hurry to finish his day.
Day 90 (01/04)
The new year was off to a decidedly strong start. Much more than the other times. But here... whatever was happening on the terrorists' side, the things they had stumbled upon lately indicated that they were planning big moves. If the Marines were in charge of hunting them down, they still hadn't found the network that was handling it all.
But today, they were called for a completely different reason. A suspicious vehicle left in front of an NGO building. His unit had been dispatched to the scene. Kent had a bad feeling when he was told the target. Because it was a serious target. Because the enemy would be more cautious and would not want the plan to go wrong.
When Jordan parked their Humvee, a hundred meters from the building already, it was a monster brothel. Too many people, too many civilians that had to be pushed back. It had to be a medical NGO. All the local people came to see them for free medical care. It was a lot of people in a small area. The rangers had been deployed to contain the crowd and hold the perimeter.
"You're the bomb squad ?" said the guy in charge.
"That's right. What have we got? "
Wayne was obviously in a hurry. He was doing the right thing. The lieutenant in front of him didn't say anything to that. He answered his question.
"A car, in front of the building. Very heavy load and parked there for a long time. The tires burst. "
Kent nodded his head. He was already starting to get dressed.
"Wires visible? " asked Wayne.
The lieutenant shook his head negatively.
"We didn't see any. "
Kent was already starting to think about the type of device. Wayne turned to him:
"Leave your headset on. Queen, you cover it from the top of that building. Jordan, you go with him. "
"I'm going to deploy extra men to cover him. "
Wayne was imperturbable when he replied:
"You'd better be. When everyone is in position we'll send in the deminer. "
Kent was ready. He had already been cleared through the crowd and the security perimeter. When he saw the vehicle, completely clear, right in front of the building, he knew he would have a problem right away. But he would fix it later. In an emergency, he had to go around the vehicle.
"The building has been emptied ?" he asked.
The answer came a few seconds later:
"He's being evacuated by the rangers at the rear exits. ยป
"I am ten meters away from the vehicle. "
"Ten meters, copy. "
He finally arrived at the height of the car. Only one tire out of four was not burst. The weight difference was dangerous and the fourth tire would soon give way. He had to secure it as quickly as possible.
"I'll need two creecks. The car is unstable. "
The car was old and dirty. He couldn't get a good view inside. But indeed, he couldn't see any wires.
"Okay. I'll bring them to you. "
"No. I'll come and get them. "
He checked all the doors and windshields. No wires in sight. He tested the passenger door. Open. He was very careful when he enlarged the opening. He sighed when he saw the interior, with wires running from front to back. He never had any luck.
"Okay, I've got a visual on the inside, I'm coming back to you. "
"Copy. "
He returned to Wayne. He was waiting for him with the creeks. It was perfect.
"Did you get a visual on the explosives? " he asked immediately.
Kent began to remove the velcros from his outfit.
"Negative, they must be in the trunk. But inside... there's enough wire to rewire my house. A real mess. "
Wayne frowned when he saw him undo his outfit.
"Keep it on. It's too dangerous. "
"I can't work with it, I won't have enough mobility in the car and I'll risk doing something stupid. "
There was a period of reflection before Wayne helped him. When he took it off, he was already sweating.
"And then I'm dying of heat inside! "
He took some water, put his communication helmet back on and Wayne handed him his bulletproof vest.
"I don't want to rush you, but the situation is fucking urgent," urged the Ranger Lieutenant.
Kent had left his tools at the scene. He put his handgun back on his thigh and checked that everything was in place. He retrieved the cracks and ran away again, weighed down by his load.
"Okay, so I'm already securing the vehicle. "
And that part was going to require extreme attention to detail: stabilizing the car so that he could move inside without risking shaking the vehicle. To do that, he didn't have to raise it. He was just going to have to use the cracks as a wedge. It was the only thing that could do the job in such a short period of time.
He wanted to be thorough. It wasn't easy. It wasn't like he was handling the latest creeks or the ones used by the fire department, which were much more appropriate for the situation. It was pretty stressful for him. But he did it, he got through it.
"The creeks are in place. "
"Copy. What about you guys?"
Queen answered on the radio:
"Clear. If there's guys around here, they're well hidden. "
Kent entered the vehicle through the door he had opened. All wires went from under the steering wheel to the back of the car, to the trunk. A swarm of wires splitting further to the rear. He was thinking. Was he going to risk opening the trunk, or was he going to go through the back seats instead?
He took out his knife and attacked the seats. The vehicle was so old that it made it difficult for him. He couldn't get the seats out of the way properly and he couldn't get the foam out properly. But he had to clear it to make room for himself.
He turned around and checked the doors before opening them. He opened all four doors and threw the foam out.
"Hey Steel, we're not asking you to clean up either! "
Kent smiles as he hears Jordan's comment.
"I don't like being messy at work! "
He heard Queen and Jordan laughing in his headphones. It relaxed him a bit, messing around like that. But until he knew what kind of bomb he was dealing with, he was not reassured. He shipped as much foam and seat pieces as he could. Until he had proper access to the trunk.
"I'm in. "
He retrieved his little flashlight and lit up. Good. That already gave him a clear idea of what was going on.
"Okay. Move the security perimeter back another 200 meters. "
He had a dozen different types of shells in front of him. That was more than a dozen kilos of explosives, not counting the weight of the shrapnel.
"Copy that. Queen, Jordan, move. "
Kent leaned forward to get a better look inside the trunk and sighed with relief. The trunk opening was trapped. If he had tried to pick the lock, he would have blown himself up. The trap mechanism was activated by inserting a key or hooking kit into the trunk lock.
He must have already found his way around this mess of colored wires. If it was connected to the steering wheel cables, it could also be connected to the battery. There had to be a trigger. It had to follow the colored cables. Putting his flashlight between his teeth, he visualized the color of the cable and walked up to the steering wheel. He had to go over it several times. The colored cables were the same for different connections and in this general mess, he could not find his way around.
"In position. I also have the rangers in sight. We're all OK. "Jordan said on the radio.
"Copy that. We're moving the civilians back. "
Kent managed to follow the right wire to under the steering wheel and there he saw no connection. That pissed him off. He pulled himself out of the wires and managed to get back to the front of the vehicle. He was slightly distracted when he heard the shouts of the crowd being pushed away by the rangers.
"Major, we have to calm them down, it's moving too much. "
He checked the command to open the cover before activating it. Big stroke of luck, there was no explosion. Kent got out of the car and opened the hood. The swarm of wires he saw demoralized him.
"But how could they do such wiring?! "
It was so messy that he was surprised that they managed to make a giant functional IED. He swore that he was beginning to spot the useless wires. He couldn't afford to pull them out lightly, he had to be careful.
"Seriously, how could they not see that?! I thought the buildings were being watched, damn it! There's no way the vehicle came rolling in with all this shit in it. It was set up last night! "
He swore again as he had just pinched himself between two rooms.
"There was a fire last night, two blocks away. The guys had to take care of it. It was obviously a diversion. "
It was the lieutenant of the rangers, who answered. Kent nodded his head even though he couldn't see him.
"I understand. "
He said that because he realized it could be seen as a criticism. What was far from being the bottom of his mind, his emotions just took over him for a moment. Now he was calmer. Unlike the crowd.
He could hear from afar the cries of protest from civilians. The agitation was always bad, when there was an extra bomb in the equation. It stressed the soldiers even more, including him. Because unrest was always a source of the unexpected, and Kent didn't like the unexpected in this kind of situation. He really didn't like it. He also didn't like the kind of unexpected that Bruce Wayne was named after.
He swore and hit his head on the flat of his hand. It was more than frustrating. Thinking about Wayne in that kind of situation was bad. Very bad. Especially since he had been totally obsessed with him for the last three days. The thoughts that had entered his head seemed to want to stay there forever.
"Anything wrong? "
He froze when he heard Wayne's voice. It's clear, he had to concentrate. It was messy enough as it was.
"I'm afraid I'm going to be a while. "
And it was true. He had to disarm this mess and defuse all these shells. And it was really hard work. The longest part would be handling the shells.
"Just do your best. "
Wayne didn't need to repeat himself. Kent was already doing it.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
It was his vain. Kent had been in intervention for several hours. He was getting tired. The shells were really taking his time, and on top of that, he was soaking wet and really feeling the cold. He got caught in the rain, heavy rain, while he was working on the engine. And he couldn't dry at all.
The light had gone down a lot and he had to work constantly with his little lamp. As a result, he was working in more unpleasant conditions than usual, ending up with cramps holding his lamp in his mouth or stuck in his neck.
"We have movement in the East. Confirmation. "
Kent wasn't really paying attention. It was the fourth alert since they'd been there and so far it hadn't been anything special. It was people wanting to get treatment, or guys who really wanted to go that way but were blocked by the rangers.
"Confirmed. Two men in their 40s. "
It was his ninth shell and he still had four left. No wonder with all this cargo that the tires had burst. He extracted the explosive charges as delicately as possible and put them on the ground.
"We've seen them before. They were here earlier. " Queen said.
Kent listened more carefully to the transmissions.
" Lieutenant Cosby warned his men. " replied Wayne.
" Movement to the South. "said Queen.
It smelled really bad this time. Kent took care of the shell he had in front of him and removed the charge.
"Shit, he's got a knife! Contact! "
The first shot was that of a Barrett. As the screams told him it was chaos outside, Kent grabbed his handgun and loaded the bullet. He moved to the front of the vehicle, checking the front window, just enough to see two soldiers on the ground. Then he saw some guys standing out from the people running and pointing their machine guns at him.
He had the reflex to duck at that moment. There were many exchanges of fire and he was being targeted. For a few seconds he thought he was in hell. The glass exploded everywhere, the bullets rained down on the bodywork and destroyed the entire interior of the car. Kent, protecting his face with his arms, closed his eyes and prayed for it to stop. Praying that no bullets would hit the shells. Praying that the charges he was lying on didn't explode.
It was answered. There was no more shooting. There was no more shouting. Silence. Only silence.
"Kent! Kent are you okay?! "
He took his arms off his head. Obviously, he was not hit. A little cut by the shards of glass, but not touched.
"Kent answers! "
He could clearly hear the concern in Wayne's voice. He hastened to answer:
"I have nothing, I'm fine. "
He breathed a sigh of relief himself. He got up and resumed his work.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
He was careful in his movements. The car had become unstable with the fourth flat tire and the loads scattered elsewhere. And also to the fact that the car looked even more like a sieve than anything else. He finished about an hour after the shooting.
"I finished. If the other recovery team is here, bring them in. "
Kent got out of the car and noticed the number of bullet hits on the car. Even the front end had caught. He could have definitely taken one.
"Wow. I've got one hell of a lucky star. "
He made his remark more for himself.
"Come back, everybody. We're done. "
Wayne was irrevocable. As soon as all their belongings were retrieved, the vehicle started.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoo
He lay down on the bed as soon as he came out of the bathroom.
"I died. "
Clark had taken a shower as soon as he got home. Just to get rid of himself and the pieces of glass embedded in his hair and a little bit in his skin. His muscles were sore from the postures he had had to take and the long operations like that were putting him flat. And then he might as well fall asleep like that. Half dressed, sprawled on his bed. He heard Bruce drop a brief laugh behind him.
"I think I heard you say the same thing to Hal three days ago. "
Bruce took a wicked pleasure in laughing at him when he was drunk. And Clark had a hard time really laughing about it, because it reminded him of how he felt about Bruce.
"This time I'm sober. But I'm tired and I'm aching all over. It's a pain in the neck to break your neck with this bullshit. "
He heard Bruce moving. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he preferred not to pay attention to it.
"Try to relax. "
He frowned and the next thing he knew, Bruce's hands were on his shoulders. And he reached out in surprise.
"If it bothers you, I'll stop immediately. "
Bruce started moving his hands and massaging him. Clark would have liked to say it bothered him. But within seconds he was totally relaxed. He couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was because Bruce's hands were on his skin and it really felt good.
He breathed a sigh of appreciation. It felt so good. Bruce's warm hands relaxed his muscles. Clark closed his eyes, preferring to concentrate on how it felt. On Bruce's palms massaging him, on his fingers digging in and caressing his skin. That warm feeling on his body that had been affected by the cold in the pouring rain.
It was good for him. Beyond the physical benefits, it also affected his mind. It relaxed him. It reassured him. It was good for him to be taken care of. It was good for him to be touched that way.
Clark didn't know when Bruce stopped. He also didn't know when his hands stopped massaging him to caress his skin. He just knew that he fell asleep very quickly, his face relaxed for the first time in a long time.