Private Carl Jenkins woke up. He got dressed and slowly walked to the
mess hall. They had another drop today. Several Roughnecks greeted him as
they passed in the hallway, but Carl only smiled in return. Carl didn't
talk much anymore. He knew a lot, but said little. That was just the way he
was. And it was good that it stayed that way.
"Carl? Carl, are you all right?" Rico was standing over Carl when he woke up.
"Let me see him!" Doc pushed his way past Johnny and started to monitor Carl's condition.
"What happened?" Carl asked.
"You took a bad fall, there, Jenkins. Your drop suit didn't eject right, and you hit hard." Lt. Razac answered from one side.
"A good thing you have a hard head, Buddy." Johnny laughed.
"You were really scared," Carl observed. "In fact, you were almost more scared than when Diz took her bad fall-- but not quite. She still has the edge."
Johnny frowned. "You took a bad fall, so I'll let your comment slide this time. But you know, you better stay out of my head!" Johnny stormed off.
"You missed all the fun," Razac commented. "You slept through the whole drop."
"What fun? You're trying to find a way to tell me that Gossard is wounded and the whole gamma squad was wiped out. It was a roaring defeat."
"Private Jenkins, you know the rule around here. No interference with other people's thoughts unless ordered." He glared at Carl.
Carl didn't seem to notice. He just looked blankly past the Lt. His eyes focused on someone in the back of the room. "Hey, Diz, good to see you. I would think you would be with Gossard."
Dizzy blushed a little, then got mad. "Why would you think that? We've been friends for years, of course I would stay with you when you are hurt."
"Sure. Goss just got a clean bill of health, huh? Don't try to deny it, you were there with him the whole time he was being checked out."
"Bug off, Carl!" Dizzy yelled at him, completely forgetting the Lt.'s presence.
"Don't go all defensive on me, Dizzy. I know the one you really love is Johnny, and he will figure it out soon enough. Maybe sooner, if I just tell him."
"Private, you are out of line!" Razac started, but Carl brushed him off. He threw his feet over the side of the hospital bed and stood.
"I'm going to the mess hall." He called over his shoulder. He never even bothered saluting.
"Something's wrong with that boy," the Lt. started to say, but Dizzy interrupted him.
"Nothing a good beat down wouldn't fix." She stalked off after Carl, leaving a very confused superior in her wake.
Carl sat beside Gossard in the mess hall.
"Well, I see you are up and about. You had us worried for a bit." Gossard stated.
"Yeah, I guess so. But I feel fine now. No, I feel free!" He lifted his eyes to the ceiling with a pleased look on his face. A second later, he looked back at Gossard. "Go ahead and say it. You think I'm crazy."
Gossard sputtered for a moment. "Well, I mean, I didn't say, how did you..." He trailed off. "Jenkins, are you ok? It's not like you to mess with people like this. I heard about what you said to Jonny--"
"Yeah, Doc told you." Carl interrupted. "He said that I was way out of line and should take it down a notch. Then he said that he was worried what a concussion could do to someone of my abilities." Jenkins threw up his hands in frustration. "If none of you will say what you mean, maybe I ought to do it for you!" He got up and walked away with the air of a man with a mission. Gossard could only stare dumbly after him.
Carl went to his room, but found Higgins there cleaning his camera. "Want an interview, Kid?"
"S-sure! What brought around this change? You would never do one before."
"Never mind that. When do you get to air next?"
"Live? You want to do it live? I don't know..."
"It's live or nothing, Bob. You know what a scoop it is to get the very first interview with an Intel psychic?"
"Ok! I'll get it set up for the news in half an hour!"
Carl lay down and smiled at the bottom of the bunk over him. This was going to be good.
"Everything's ready!" Higgins called. Carl sat in the seat Higgins motioned him to and cleared his throat.
"This is Robert Higgins of FedNet news, live in orbit. I have with me today Private Carl Jenkins of the Mobile Infantry, also of the Intel Psychic Squad." He turned to face Carl. "Private Jenkins, could you tell our viewers a little about life as a psychic in the Mobile Infantry?"
"Sure, Bob." Carl smiled into the camera lense. "As a psychic in the MI, I am able to decide matters knowing both sides of the story completely. No one can lie to me, so I can know the true thoughts and feelings of anyone in the squad at any given time. For instance, right now, you are wondering if this was the right thing to do, and if you could stop the live feed without getting fired."
Higgins gasped.
"The Lt. agrees with your thinking exactly, which is why he is marching over here right this instant. He will be sadly disappointed to find the door is locked and the override jammed." Carl smiled. "What I have to say needs to be said. For starters, I wonder about the effectiveness of a team that contains a love triangle. It is easy for me to see, but somehow harder for others to make out the relationship between Johnny Rico, Dizzy Flores, and Jeff Gossard. Johnny has been in love with Dizzy for a long time, but won't admit it. Dizzy is in love with Johnny, but won't tell him. Instead, she is using her poor friend Jeff as an out. Jeff knows the truth, but won't tell either of them. He has deep feelings for Dizzy, but it is not love. Just friendship.
That brings us to the next subject-- T'phi and Francis Brutto. I believe they will be friends one day, if they can stop shoving their opinions at each other and actually talk. They have a lot in common. They are both family men here to fight for their homes. They both have sons training to join the MI.
The problems of the other troopers are somewhat smaller. I think I will start with--" Zap! Higgins finally got the camera shut off, but the damage was done.
Seconds later, Razac and the others managed to get the door open. "Jenkins, what is wrong with you--" Razac started, but his words were lost on Carl. The rest of the squad had dog-piled him, and were beating him. Pain throbbed through him, in even pulses...
"Carl! Carl, are you ok?" Johnny knelt by Carl's bed, looking at his friend. "You woke up screaming and hit your head off of my bunk. What were you dreaming?"
Carl said nothing. He knew a lot, but spoke little. Some things were better left unsaid.
"Carl? Carl, are you all right?" Rico was standing over Carl when he woke up.
"Let me see him!" Doc pushed his way past Johnny and started to monitor Carl's condition.
"What happened?" Carl asked.
"You took a bad fall, there, Jenkins. Your drop suit didn't eject right, and you hit hard." Lt. Razac answered from one side.
"A good thing you have a hard head, Buddy." Johnny laughed.
"You were really scared," Carl observed. "In fact, you were almost more scared than when Diz took her bad fall-- but not quite. She still has the edge."
Johnny frowned. "You took a bad fall, so I'll let your comment slide this time. But you know, you better stay out of my head!" Johnny stormed off.
"You missed all the fun," Razac commented. "You slept through the whole drop."
"What fun? You're trying to find a way to tell me that Gossard is wounded and the whole gamma squad was wiped out. It was a roaring defeat."
"Private Jenkins, you know the rule around here. No interference with other people's thoughts unless ordered." He glared at Carl.
Carl didn't seem to notice. He just looked blankly past the Lt. His eyes focused on someone in the back of the room. "Hey, Diz, good to see you. I would think you would be with Gossard."
Dizzy blushed a little, then got mad. "Why would you think that? We've been friends for years, of course I would stay with you when you are hurt."
"Sure. Goss just got a clean bill of health, huh? Don't try to deny it, you were there with him the whole time he was being checked out."
"Bug off, Carl!" Dizzy yelled at him, completely forgetting the Lt.'s presence.
"Don't go all defensive on me, Dizzy. I know the one you really love is Johnny, and he will figure it out soon enough. Maybe sooner, if I just tell him."
"Private, you are out of line!" Razac started, but Carl brushed him off. He threw his feet over the side of the hospital bed and stood.
"I'm going to the mess hall." He called over his shoulder. He never even bothered saluting.
"Something's wrong with that boy," the Lt. started to say, but Dizzy interrupted him.
"Nothing a good beat down wouldn't fix." She stalked off after Carl, leaving a very confused superior in her wake.
Carl sat beside Gossard in the mess hall.
"Well, I see you are up and about. You had us worried for a bit." Gossard stated.
"Yeah, I guess so. But I feel fine now. No, I feel free!" He lifted his eyes to the ceiling with a pleased look on his face. A second later, he looked back at Gossard. "Go ahead and say it. You think I'm crazy."
Gossard sputtered for a moment. "Well, I mean, I didn't say, how did you..." He trailed off. "Jenkins, are you ok? It's not like you to mess with people like this. I heard about what you said to Jonny--"
"Yeah, Doc told you." Carl interrupted. "He said that I was way out of line and should take it down a notch. Then he said that he was worried what a concussion could do to someone of my abilities." Jenkins threw up his hands in frustration. "If none of you will say what you mean, maybe I ought to do it for you!" He got up and walked away with the air of a man with a mission. Gossard could only stare dumbly after him.
Carl went to his room, but found Higgins there cleaning his camera. "Want an interview, Kid?"
"S-sure! What brought around this change? You would never do one before."
"Never mind that. When do you get to air next?"
"Live? You want to do it live? I don't know..."
"It's live or nothing, Bob. You know what a scoop it is to get the very first interview with an Intel psychic?"
"Ok! I'll get it set up for the news in half an hour!"
Carl lay down and smiled at the bottom of the bunk over him. This was going to be good.
"Everything's ready!" Higgins called. Carl sat in the seat Higgins motioned him to and cleared his throat.
"This is Robert Higgins of FedNet news, live in orbit. I have with me today Private Carl Jenkins of the Mobile Infantry, also of the Intel Psychic Squad." He turned to face Carl. "Private Jenkins, could you tell our viewers a little about life as a psychic in the Mobile Infantry?"
"Sure, Bob." Carl smiled into the camera lense. "As a psychic in the MI, I am able to decide matters knowing both sides of the story completely. No one can lie to me, so I can know the true thoughts and feelings of anyone in the squad at any given time. For instance, right now, you are wondering if this was the right thing to do, and if you could stop the live feed without getting fired."
Higgins gasped.
"The Lt. agrees with your thinking exactly, which is why he is marching over here right this instant. He will be sadly disappointed to find the door is locked and the override jammed." Carl smiled. "What I have to say needs to be said. For starters, I wonder about the effectiveness of a team that contains a love triangle. It is easy for me to see, but somehow harder for others to make out the relationship between Johnny Rico, Dizzy Flores, and Jeff Gossard. Johnny has been in love with Dizzy for a long time, but won't admit it. Dizzy is in love with Johnny, but won't tell him. Instead, she is using her poor friend Jeff as an out. Jeff knows the truth, but won't tell either of them. He has deep feelings for Dizzy, but it is not love. Just friendship.
That brings us to the next subject-- T'phi and Francis Brutto. I believe they will be friends one day, if they can stop shoving their opinions at each other and actually talk. They have a lot in common. They are both family men here to fight for their homes. They both have sons training to join the MI.
The problems of the other troopers are somewhat smaller. I think I will start with--" Zap! Higgins finally got the camera shut off, but the damage was done.
Seconds later, Razac and the others managed to get the door open. "Jenkins, what is wrong with you--" Razac started, but his words were lost on Carl. The rest of the squad had dog-piled him, and were beating him. Pain throbbed through him, in even pulses...
"Carl! Carl, are you ok?" Johnny knelt by Carl's bed, looking at his friend. "You woke up screaming and hit your head off of my bunk. What were you dreaming?"
Carl said nothing. He knew a lot, but spoke little. Some things were better left unsaid.