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Chapter Two
At the 'Tun, the British officers made it clear that they wanted to keep to themselves. They sat down at one of the vacant tables, grouping around Urquhart. Only Flight Lieutenant Chambers sat alone at the bar, sipping a coke.
"What was that all about?" Vanessa asked in astonishment. "I mean what is a tankbrat? Either there are In-Vitroes or natural born humans ..."
"Children who have In-Vitro parents are often called tankbrats, Damphousse," McQueen replied who had entered the bar unnoticed. The Marines looked up at him expectantly after this bit of information.
"Chambers is obviously their CO, why doesn't she report this idiot to the Commodore, Sir?" Paul asked. "I wouldn't put up with this ..."
McQueen nodded, then leant forward.
"Flight Lieutenant Chambers' father is a Marine Corps Major General, the highest ranking In-Vitro besides an Admiral, and I guess she had had to put up with a lot of nicknames over the years ...", he said while glancing over to Chambers.
"You mean, Colonel, she is an American serving in the British Air Force?" Cooper inquired but McQueen shook his head.
"Her mother's an English Group Captain with the RAF, Hawkes," the Colonel replied. "From her mother's side she comes from a long line of career officers, so she joined the RAF. I know Chambers and I guess he expects only the best of his daughter ..."
Shane shook her head.
"It seems as if she has given up fighting, Sir! If I'd the chance I would clobber Urquhart from here to the homeplanet of the Chigs!" she said. "He is an asshole ..."
"You're right, Vansen, and I trust that you'll give him something of his own," he nodded and went over to the bar.
"Did anything happen in the quarters, Meg?" he asked when he sat down beside Chambers.
The woman looked up and shook her head.
"No, Sir. The number 9-8 squadron took up lodgings as demanded, Sir!"
McQueen watched her closely. She had the features of her father and to look at her he saw her father's face the first time he had met him. It had been shortly after he had been assigned to the Marines and on a secret mission during the AI-wars and Chambers had been his commanding officer. Later, Chambers had asked him to be the godfather of his daughter who had just been born. When he had been informed by her father that she was coming to the 'Toga, Chambers had also told him that she had lost her entire squadron only a few months before. She had been in therapy for three weeks before she had signed herself out and taken up duty again but he had been able to see the tell-tale signs of fear and defeat. Seeing her like this, he felt a strong feeling of protection towards her just as if she were his own flesh and blood.
"We are in the 'Tun, Meg. You can quit your 'I'm an officer talking to my CO'- stuff."
The young woman smiled and raised her glass in silent salute.
"And I always thought you were an officer through and through, Uncle Mac!"
"Yes, I am but you are my godchild and I'm not as inflexible as some people might like to believe." McQueen answered and took a sip of his beer.
"Do you still watch the W.C. Fields films?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes, but we aren't talking about my hobbies, Meg. Tell me something about your squad!" he demanded and saw Meg's soured expression.
"Flight Lt. Michael Urquhart is the tall one on the right," she said and pointed to the blonde man at the table nearby. "He's a good shot but his skills as a pilot are mediocre. Nevertheless, he is my second in command though I'd rather had Mullen. Susan Parsons is the woman. She has just left boot camp and is still a bit uncertain about herself but she is made from good stuff and I have high hopes in her that she'll be promoted to Flight Lieutenant soon."
"What about the other two?" McQueen inquired.
"Petey Mullen is the redhead. His temper is fierce but he's a born pilot and his shots are good. He was a techie before he joined the Corps, so he's our trouble-shooter on sorties and Ops. He also likes play-acting..." she grinned at that and pointed to the last man at the table.
"Con Firth is the one over there. He gets angry if someone makes fun of his height. But he is a good soldier and takes point in any ground Op."
McQueen turned around to face his niece again. The nine-eight was the second squadron under her command and he had serious doubts if she could pull this assignment around. Ever since she had lost almost her entire squadron, the number seven-two RAF squad, on some miserable Chig-planet in the Procyon Region, she had lacked her definite edge as a commanding officer.
If she didn't get her act together she would loose this squad as well and he was sure that it wouldn't be due to a battle.
"Do you have any problems with Urquhart?" He sensed her tensing and he knew that he had hit bull's eye.
"Did your Marines tell you that?" she asked defiantly but McQueen shook his head.
"Even a blind man would sense that something's wrong with the two of you ..." he replied and turned towards the table where her fellow officers sat.
It reminded him of the many times when he had sat apart from his Angry Angels-comrades because they did not accept an In-Vitro among them.
"The nine-eight is a newly established squadron, Uncle Mac. We all have a lot of getting used to each other. And Urquhart has been with the number 9-8 only a few weeks, he will come through ..." Meg said reassuringly but McQueen shook his head.
"And in the meantime he rallies your fellow officers against you, Meg," he turned around to face her. "This man is dangerous. If a squadron does not form a gung-ho, no-one's watching your back when you need it ..."
"Don't you think that I know that, Uncle Mac?" Meg inquired. "But I have never reported a fellow officer just because he didn't accept my family ... And you should know from own experience that you have to keep a low profile. In the end they grow bored with their wisecracks ..."
The Colonel emptied his beer and stood up.
"It's your choice, Meg. But you are the commanding officer of this squadron and sometimes it's better to make a counter-attack instead of sitting out ..." Chambers nodded and turned towards her coke again.
"Meg?" McQueen inquired suddenly and her head jerked up.
"You were not responsible for the deaths of your crew-mates," he said nodding towards the ring with the RAF signet on her hand. Meg closed her eyes, clutching the hand with the ring into a tight fist.
"In war we all lose people who are dear to us but we just keep on fighting. If you can't do that than you lose yourself ..."
She knew he was right but the pain over the deaths of her crew-men had left a deep pain inside of her. The first time she had been assigned to a regular flight Corps, the seven-two, she had been the only natural born human. Soon she had found out that other CO's had refused to lead a squad of tanks and because of her outstanding family, she had been assigned to the job. Until then she had known that people made a distinction between In-Vitroes and natural born humans but in the RAF she had learned that there was a third distinction; that of tankbrats and she was one of them.
"Do you think McQueen and Chambers are more than mutual acquaintances?" Paul asked and nodded towards the Flight Lieutenant.
"They seem quite close to each other ..."
"Paul," Vanessa said. "You know the proverb: Curiosity killed ..."
"The cat ... yeah, I know, 'Phousse," Paul interrupted her and grinned.
"But you get paranoid around here without the mail arriving in time, so I'm looking for some exciting news ..." The Marines laughed and Shane nudged Cooper at his side.
"Why don't you go and invite her over, Coop?!" she suggested.
"Yeah, then Paul can satisfy his curiosity," Nathan said and grinned towards Paul who lowered his eyes in embarrassment.
"Go on, Coop. You are the charmer of the five-eight," Vanessa urged him with a smile.
Cooper smirked at that and stood up. Slowly, he went over to the bar and sat down beside Chambers. From time to time he shot her a sideways glance, not sure how to invite her over. Chambers had noticed his stare and after a while she grew annoyed.
"Alright, Marine. Are you finished with your freak show?" she snapped angrily. "Now, leave me alone and tell your friends that I'm not a googy-eyed monster..."
Cooper squinted at her in surprise, then he smiled shyly.
"Uh. No, obviously you're not!" he said and extended his hand.
"Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes of the five-eight US Marine Corps," he introduced himself. "My friends and I ... uh, wonder if you'd join us, Flight Lieutenant," he nodded towards his friends who sat at their table expectantly. Chambers watched them for awhile and the Marines exchanged glances with her. She turned towards Cooper, shaking his hand.
"Flight Lieutenant Megan Chambers, Meg to my friends!" she introduced herself. "And one thing I want to make clear from the beginning, my father is a tank!"
"I can live with that," Cooper answered and turned around to reveal his navel at the back of his neck. "I never had a father, IV or not!" She stared at the birthmark and lowered her lids when he turned to face her again.
"I guess I put my boot right in, didn't I?" she asked. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you but at the moment I have it up 'til here ..." she touched her forehead with her hand. She picked up her glass and stared into it for a few moments.
"I would like to join you and your friends," she said slowly and Cooper led her over to the table.
"Chambers, these are my friends," he said and pointed from left to right. "This is Paul Wang, Vanessa Damphousse, Nathan West and Shane Vansen, our honcho."
"Hello, Meg Chambers!' she introduced herself. Paul pulled a chair to the table and urged Meg to sit down.
"So, what do you think about the Saratoga so far?" he asked. Meg laughed and shook her head.
"Besides being on the flight deck, I have just seen the sleeping quarters and the tavern but she is an impressive sight as far as I could see her from the ISSCV. My squad is stationed on a similar dreadnought in the Procyon region."
"We were assigned to the Procyon region a while ago and we were met with severe counter attacks by the Chigs. The last thing we heard were that the United Forces had to retreat ..." Vanessa said and bent forward.
"Yes, it was awful," Meg replied wearily. "We were outnumbered and the Aliens flew one attack after the other against us. My last squadron, the Dark Knights, had severe casualties, only two of the original set-up are still in active service ..."
Oh God, she sounded just like the after-mission reports which had been issued after the 98th ill-fated transport Op. Ever since she had asked herself if she had done everything possible to maintain the safety of her crew. If she was up to be a commanding officer. Three of five pilots were dead and she had the uncanny feeling that she had not done her best as their CO.
The Marines exchanged a look with each other for they knew that something like this could happen to them as well any time their were on Op. They grew silent and only hushed whispers were heard from the nearby tables. Cooper stared down at his hands. The thought of loosing his friends made him both sad and angry at the same time.
"Is it true that the Air Force has left-hand drive attack jets?" Cooper suddenly blurted out and was rewarded with a bright smile from his friends.
"In a way, yes!" Meg answered, smiling despite herself at him. "The cockpit is a bit different than the one of the SA-43 attack jets. The propulsions are all on the left hand side as well as the turbo thrusters ... I would like to have a go at one of your Hammerheads to see if I can handle it! Uncle Mac ... I mean Colonel McQueen promised me to fly one during the patrol flights ...."
"Uncle Mac?" Nathan asked in surprise. "I didn't know that McQueen had family ..."
"My father and the Colonel were in the AI-wars together. He saved my father's life and ever since he had been part of the family. When I was a child I really thought he was my uncle until I found out that In-Vitroes didn't have any natural born relatives ... well ..., no brothers or sisters to speak of, anyway ..." Meg answered thoughtfully.
The next day the Marines inspected their SA-43 transatmospheric attack jets which had been fitted out with new LIDARs. The British pilots were curious about the jets, lingering around the flightdeck in more than an obvious way and when Cooper and Shane ran into Meg, they asked her if she and the others wanted to have a look.
Shane watched as Chambers scurried down the corridor to inform her squadron.
"I think you're doing a good job ..." Vansen said and smiled at Cooper.
"McQueen must have sensed that you two would take off like a house on fire ..."
"What do ya mean?" Cooper asked in surprise.
"Chambers' never distinguished between natural born humans and In-Vitroes. She thought it was normal and now, without the shelter of her family, she has to learn it the hard way that most people think differently." Shane touched his arm. "You've been through all this and you can help her ..."
Cooper nodded, not quite sure what she meant. But then most of the time things eluded him. Since he had left the gestation tank six years ago and had escaped from the Gestation Facility in Philadelphia when one of the monitors had tried to erase him, he had been on his own and tried to teach himself the ways of humans.
When the rest of the Wild Cards arrived in the corridor leading to the flightdeck, Shane briefed them.
"I guess McQueen wants us to show them our jets, so ..." she paused and nodded towards Wang. "You will show your jet to Mullen; Vanessa, you will take Parsons and Nathan ..."
"I will take Urquhart ..." Nathan replied and smirked.
"No," Shane shook her head. "You'll take his buddy, Urquhart is mine and I'll make damn sure that he hates every second of it!"
The Marines laughed at that. Shane Vansen had not been elected their commanding officer for nothing, although she was a charming and easy-going woman, she had fierce claws when pushed too far.
The British pilots arrived after being rallied by Chambers, but Urquhart made it unmistakably clear that he was not interested in the Yankee's jets. Fortunately, he was outnumbered by his comrades-in-arms for once. They were eager to learn more about the famous Hammerheads and when Urquhart wanted to sulk he should do so.
Soon, the Marines found themselves in friendly arguments about the advantages and disadvantages of the British and the American attack jets with the British officers. Shane treated Urquhart like a child after she had ordered him to sit down in the cockpit, making sure that the British pilot felt as uncomfortable as he had made Chambers feel.
"If you pull a right handed turn, you have to make sure that the thrusters are at full max otherwise the Chigs kill ya ..." Shane tried to explain and when she saw that Urquhart barely hid a yawn, she pulled the button of the emergency exit and Urquhart was slammed hard into the seat, his teeth clattering.
"If you think, that these explanations are just to bore you, think again, Lieutenant!" she hissed. "The Chiggies won't be impressed that you bloody Brit gives them the honour to KIA you."
"Lieutenant, do you think the Colonel would allow us to have a go at these?" Con Firth asked Nathan and looked up at him sheepishly.
Nathan had given him a hard time as well but instead of following Urquhart's lead, he had realised that the Marines were the better pilots and that Flight Lieutenant Chambers was made of the same stuff. The young British Lieutenant had realised that he had treated her badly, just because Urquhart had a grudge against her. And he was determined to make up to his CO.
"I guess so," Nathan replied. "Unless you guys think you aren't up to it!"
"Gosh, sometimes I wish I was born right-handed," Meg groaned and sighed. Being a natural left-handed person the set-up of the digitals and buttons in the BC-48 came in handy but here, where almost all of the important gear was reversed, she had a hard time getting used to it. When she missed the propulsion button again by half a mile without looking directly at it, she cursed underneath her breath.
"Hey, you gonna get used to it," Cooper said reassuringly.
The two pilots had not noticed that McQueen had strolled into the flightdeck and when he appeared beside Cooper who was squatting at the pit of the cockpit, the young Marine stood up quickly and stepped aside.
"So, what do you think, Hawkes?" the Colonel asked. "Is Chambers fit to have a go with one of the Hammerheads?"
Hawkes nodded his head, glancing at Chambers who sat in his cockpit.
"Yes, Sir, I think she is up to it ... Sir," he replied and ducked his head. After so many months serving under the command of McQueen, Hawkes still felt shy around the Colonel for he had the greatest respect for this man who seemed like a father-figure to him.
McQueen nodded and turned around.
"Wild Cards ..." he announced. "Number 9-8 squadron ... you are assigned to a patrol flight near the Kali wormhole and I want you to get acquainted with the jets. You will be assigned to Hammerheads as soon as the technicians have inspected them ..."
Parsons and Mullen made war cries in an ear-shattering volume and Shane sought eye contact with Nathan. Together with Cooper they were the best pilots of the 58th squadron and it was a challenge to prove that to the RAF pilots as well.
"Sir," Chambers said, she had stepped out of the cockpit of Cooper's Hammerhead.
"Yes, Flight Lieutenant?" McQueen asked.
"Sir, it's not that we are not excited to fly these Hammerheads but SPACECOM informed us that our own Spitties will arrive here soon ..."
"That's right, Chambers," the Colonel answered. "After the Kali wormhole sortie you will serve your remaining time with your acquainted gear!" he turned to face both squadrons.
"You will be present at 0600 hours sharp in the briefing room tomorrow morning," he said.
"Until then ... you are dismissed!" The Colonel left the flight deck.
He was about to stand up when the woman above him swung her legs over the edge of her rack and slipped down to the floor. Chambers opened the hatch and slipped outside.
The young IV didn't know what to do. McQueen had not given him explicit orders to keep an eye on her and yet he felt as if he should follow her. He stood up and noticed that Nathan had left his bunk as well.
"I heard her crying," Nathan said apologetically and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we should follow her. Cooper nodded and both Marines went outside. On the corridor there was no trace of Chambers and the men split up. Nathan heading for the tavern whereas Cooper headed for the flightdeck. Only the occasional emergency light was giving off a yellowish glow and was leading him the way. When he approached the flightdeck Cooper saw that someone was sitting in the shadows of the hatch and when he came nearer he saw it was Chambers. "Hi," he said as he squatted down beside her. "Hello," Chambers answered and wiped her eyes awkwardly. "I think I'm a bit nervous about the patrol flight tomorrow. It's childish I know, but this THING ..." she pointed towards the cockpit to emphasise her words. "...gives me the creeps!"
"The LIDAR needs a lil' get used to it but everything else is history ..." Cooper replied and lent back against the metal wall. He didn't know why she had lied him, even he could see her pudgy face.
"I, uh, I heard you crying ... and I kinda thought you might need someone to talk ..." he said and watched her.
Megan lowered her lids and blushed.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't want to wake you ..."
"You didn't. I kinda thought that Shane was having one of her nightmares again ... Do you have bad dreams?" he inquired shyly.
Meg nodded to that and gnawed at her lower lip.
Everytime she closed her eyes she was caught in those dreadful days again when she and her old squadron had fought for their lives.
"In my dreams I see my old squad-mates again," she suddenly blurted out and she inhaled deeply. "I keep thinking that if I had been a better CO they would still be alive..."
She swallowed hard but try as she might she couldn't suppress her tears any longer. She rubbed at the tears angrily which ran down her cheeks and for a moment Cooper was confused. He knew that the NBs offered comfort in those situations but he didn't know what to do. Awkwardly, he put an arm around her shoulders and as soon as he had made physical contact, Megan turned in his arm and buried her face against his chest.
Cooper stiffened for a moment in confusion but then he hugged her to himself and petted her shyly on her shoulder and cheek.
It felt good to hold her in his arms and that turned him into more confusion. It felt right, as if she had been born to fit snugly in his arms and for a moment he had to steady his breathing.
Cooper held her until her sobs died down and even after she had sat up again, he was reluctant to let go of her.
"You alright?" he asked hoarsely and searched her face.
"Ta, I'm fine," Megan answered and avoided his eyes. She felt embarrassed that he had witnessed her tears. But she had enjoyed his comfort and compassion but it had made her vulnerable.
"Thank you again, Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes of the USMC!" Meg tried to tease and grinned at him but her smile faltered as he saw the frown on his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Why are you doing this?" Cooper asked in confusion. "One minute you, uh, cry your heart out and the next you're teasing ...?"
Megan sat up and knitted her knuckles together nervously. How should she make him understand that she felt embarrassed? She had lost part of her family and she knew that In-Vitroes could not could not relate to family and bonds of friendship so easily.
"If people think that they have made themselves vulnerable they tend to make fun of it, especially if they lose their grab on reality in the arms of a perfect stranger," she started to explain. "So people make fun of those things so that it will not seem so important. It's like having a noose around your neck, if you think that people can hurt you ..."
Cooper squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. He knew from own experience how it felt to be vulnerable.
"I guess I know what you mean," he whispered. "I ... uh, I had a noose around my neck once ..." Cooper murmured and when he saw the appalled look on her face, he withdrew his arm and straightened himself.
"What happened?" Meg asked with honest interest.
"I ... uh ... these guys wanna see me swing ..." he stammered, feeling his face growing hot all of a sudden when she put her hand on his arm.
Man, what was wrong with him? He was used to the occasional pet from his friends, even from 'Phousse and Shane. But when he had held her in his arms other emotions had flooded his mind and now, as she touched him, he felt nervous all of a sudden.
Think of her as a friend! Yeah, think of her just another one like Shane and 'Phousse. Even better think of her as McQueen's niece!
Cooper clenched his teeth. It was no good!
"I'm sorry, Coop," he heard her say and when he turned his head to face her again, he could see real concern in her eyes. "Being a child of an In-Vitro you think you get used to the humiliation but it always shocks me again and again," she shrugged her shoulders and when she returned her gaze to the young Marines' face she was surprised to see so much raw emotion in his eyes. Over the years she had seen that same look over and over again in the eyes of her father, and sometimes even in McQueen's. The same anger, rage and hurt had also been found in the faces of the young pilots of the seven-two.
She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to push back the memories of her old squad.
When would the hurt stop? she asked herself. When would she be able to forget the frightened look of James Woolfe, hanging on to her for dear life, as he bled to death on moon 3446-Delta, better known as Acheron?
"So much hurt," she whispered as she looked up at him again. She reached out and traced his jaw with her fingers, a gesture harking back to that fateful week on the god-forsaken moon.
Cooper closed his eyes and swallowed hard.
Think of McQueen yelling at ya! he reminded himself but to no good use. Chambers' butterfly touches on his skin made him feel edgy and nervous.
Not that he was as innocent as some people wanted to believe. He knew the basics of sex pretty well, being accurate about rating the nervousness he felt for what it was: basic sexual need! But he had escaped from the gestation facility before he gotta know anything about the love stuff and that didn't help a lot tonight.
Megan sensed his inner struggles but she was oblivious to the fact that she was the cause of it. Being the child of an In-Vitro she had come to know the hatred of natural born humans against In-Vitroes first hand.
"I wish there would be a cure to take away the pain and the humiliation," she said and as she realised what she was doing, caressing a man she had only known for two days, she pulled her hand away.
Hawkes acted purely on instinct then.
To hell with his stupid resistance to withstand this woman any longer. He bent forward and put his lips on her mouth.
Cooper was surprised that she didn't pull away from him immediately. He had been kissing a lot of women over the few years he'd been alive, or trying to kiss anyway. Even Shane had been one of his victims once. But it never had felt this good, this special.
At first Meg was scared about this sudden change of things but after a while she yielded to the hard crush of his mouth by softening her own lips, opening them as an invitation. Cooper soon found out that it even felt better if he took his time. Instead of thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he started dipping into the warm hollow with the tip of his tongue, teasing and tasting her.
And man, she tasted good! Better than anything he had ever known. He liked that! He liked that a lot!
Hawkes pushed forward slightly and put his arms around her shoulders tentatively.
He wanted to taste more of her! Wanted to ... SHIT! He was doing it again. Will you ever learn, you stupid tank?!
He pulled away from her and then he realised that he had held his breath. He forced great gulps of air into his starved lungs and sat back on his heels. Megan had slumped against the wall and tried to steady her racing heartbeat.
Lord, she thought. What was she doing? One moment she was thinking about her old squad and the next she was almost having a little tumble with the Lieutenant.
She should reprimand him, she knew that, but try as she might she couldn't come up with one good reason why she should be angry with Hawkes. In fact she had enjoyed his kisses more than she was ready to admit. For the first time in many months she felt alive again and she cherished this feeling.
For a long time they were silent but when Cooper looked up, noticing Meg's bruised lips, he knew he had hurt her.
Stupid, bloody tank! He could count himself lucky if she didn't report him to McQueen!
"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely. "I kinda got carried away ..." he knew it sounded like a lame excuse and he braced himself for the bragging which was about to rain down on him. The last time he had done this little stunt, Shane had almost flagged him.
"No harm done," Meg said shakily and stood up. Cooper looked at her bewildered, then shook his head.
"What do ya mean?"
"I mean, Coop," she said, squatting down in front of him. "Don't apologise for something we both enjoyed and needed!" As she raised to her feet she extended her hand and pulled Cooper to his feet.
"But next time you better ask first before you kiss a woman ..."
Both pilots didn't notice the Marine hiding quickly into the shadows of the flightdeck hatch as they went down the corridor.
Nathan closed his eyes for a moment. He hadn't wanted to eavesdrop, he had just happened to pass by, searching both Cooper and Chambers.
When he had noticed them it had been too late to retreat silently and he had hid in the corners. Witnessing their romantic encounter had torn something apart in him, thinking of Kylen, and yet he had somehow felt relieved that Coop got a taste of love at last.
I just hope he doesn't screw it! Nathan thought but he couldn't laugh about the pun.
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