Of Faith and Man
Disclaimer: Same as before...The prayer Ted says is called the
Parachutist's Prayer and was written by Andre Zirnheld, SAS, who was killed
on July 26, 1941 and it was found on his body. Sorry if any of you guys
aren't religious...
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: Ted awoke almost automatically before 0900 (9 AM) on any Sunday morning. Less than four hours ago the eighteen men of Mobility Troop had returned home from a mission where three enemy artillery positions had been silenced. He picked up his carbine and webbing because of the proximity of the hangar to the frontline. He headed over to a tent where Chaplain Reinhold was holding Catholic Sunday Mass.
"I bring this prayer to You, Lord. For You alone can give. What one cannot demand from oneself. Give me, Lord, what you have left over, give me what no-one ever asks You for. I don't ask You for rest, or quiet." Ted prayed as he knelt down after Communion.
His life right now certainly wasn't restful or quiet. And he certainly asked God for things no one ever asked for. Even before the Biohazard hit Earth and even before he had volunteered for Selection he had no rest or quiet, ever since he learned that Jamie didn't share his feelings things had been painful. Leaving seemed the best solution, and he still kept in contact, there was a half written letter by his cot.
Even though they never dated, he still missed her friendship, missed speaking to her, but he knew had lost and the Special Forces were all he had remaining to him, "Whether of soul or body; I don't ask You for wealth, nor for success, nor even health perhaps. That sort of thing You get asked for so much that You can't have any of it left. Give me, Lord, what you have left over, give me what no-one wants from you."
Hell, nobody wants heartache, suffering, or anything of that sort. But as the Colonel told him, "Grandson, the life of a Special Forces soldier is often lonely and entails much suffering."
Ted continued his prayer, "I want insecurity, strife, And I want You to give me these once and for all. That I can be sure of having them always, since I shall not always have the courage to ask You for them."
Ted had to smile as he remembered his grandfather, Colonel Charles I. Balfour, US Army, 2nd Special Forces Group commanding officer. The old man was an influence on two generations of the Balfour family, first on his father, Sergeant Major Michael Balfour, and himself, Lance Corporal Ted Balfour. The man may have been crippled by a stroke years before Ted had been born, but looking into the man's eyes you could see the almost imperial visage of the proud, strong warrior he might have been. Ted had memorized the prayer he was saying when he was eight, at the behest of the Colonel as all of his grandchildren called him out of respect. Sadly the Colonel had died three days before Ted had gone to Basic Training when he was seventeen.
"Give me, Lord, what You have left over, Give me what others want nothing to do with. But give me courage too, and strength and faith; For You alone can give what one cannot demand from oneself." Ted concluded, "Amen, and thank you sir for disciplining my mind, body, and soul."
Ted had to grin lightly at that, the last line was one he would have to say whenever the Colonel punished him for any sort of childhood transgression after he flawlessly would recite the prayer. He kept a copy of that prayer taped inside his uniform at all times, ever since he was with the 20th Light Infantry Division (Territorial Reserves), as a boy soldier of seventeen.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: Sitting in Starbucks, Zack, Ivy, Gene Locksley, Armando, and Tatiana were clustered around a table. "So let me get this straight," Gene Locksley began, "This Ted Balfour character's been in love with Detective Lynch since they started working together and when she mentioned she was seeing someone he ran off to join the Special Forces?"
"You hit the nail on the head Gene." Ivy said, leaning closer to him. They had been getting pretty close in the two months he had spent living in their house during his convalescence.
"Can't things get any stranger?" Gene asked.
"Yeah, they can." Sammy Medina groaned. He was twenty-three and Ted's male best friend at ACME. They had worked together until Sammy transferred into the research and development team as a vehicle test driver after the National Bank hostage incident.
He was a skinny fellow with longish hair and a mustache. He was also called, "The Playboy Detective" by Ted. He was so named because he was an incurable flirt, jumping from one shallow little relationship or one night stand to the next. He rarely had a relationship that lasted more than a month. He always wore an Indy 500 jacket, and race t-shirts and jeans almost everywhere.
"So how was last night?" Armando asked, "You gotta teach me to be a chick magnet like you."
"It was great. Lola was excellent, as usual, but I don't recommend the tequila sunrises I drank at the pub where I met her." Sammy replied.
"That's unhealthy. You're stringing along, what three girls at the same time now?" Tatiana replied.
"Four actually, Lola, Chrissy, Jane, and Meghan." Sammy said, proudly.
"And you're proud of that?" Tatiana asked, "You're impersonating that Fozzie fellow from Happy Days..."
"That's Fonzie, not Fozzie." Zack corrected.
"Sorry I never watched much TV in Russia." Tatiana replied.
"Remember that night two years ago you came back with a black eye?" Zack asked, "May I ask what that was all about?"
"Ted, surprisingly, lost his temper. He does have quite a short fuse at times." Sammy replied.
"What happened?" Ivy asked.
"Well, let's see, we were at a pub that night Martin came back for a couple months to attend sniper school at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I took a C-5 trip and persuaded him to spend his forty-eight hour pass in San Francisco...."
~ ~ ~ ~
2141: "Hey Ted, you should spend that forty-eight hour pass in San Francisco." Sammy said.
"Maybe Sammy, maybe." Ted replied, "I write you guys all the time, I also call every time we get a satellite phone link into the camp, which is once a week."
"C'mon, we all miss you back at ACME. Come on back and see us." Sammy said, "Most soldiers would want to go home after they'd spent over eight months in some pissant desert."
"I'm Special Forces, not most like soldiers you know." Ted replied.
"Yeah right. You do wanna go see us again. I mean we've known you for years Ted, drop the Special Forces guy act for a while and show us the Nice Guy Ted again." Sammy replied.
"What, you're implying I'm not a nice guy?" Ted replied, offended.
"Nah! Not at all! I mean despite all that kill people with your bare hands, jump outta planes, and drive around in modified Land Rovers, and rappel from skimmers stuff you're still the guy who'd help an old lady across the street in a heartbeat." Sammy replied, "And besides we all want to see your face again."
"Alright. I'll come back."
~ ~ ~ ~
Starbucks, 2143: "So what happened after?" Gene asked.
"Well we went out to the pub to shoot the breeze over what we'd missed on each others lives and had a couple drinks. Well a couple of those Crimenet pricks walked in that night..."
~ ~ ~ ~
2141: Ted and Sammy sat at the bar at the Rose and Crown Pub on Main Street. "This is nice. Is it new?" Ted replied.
"Yeah, apparently the new owners were on a British kick and they actually imported half the furniture and pictures straight from the UK." Sammy said.
"This is bloody amazing mate, I feel like I'm back in London again." Ted replied.
"And coolest is how half the waitresses around here are not only good looking, but their nice British girls...." Sammy began.
Ted fixed him with a half malevolent glare, Sammy continued, "What did I say?"
"Quit with the one night stand schemes, I'm not interested." Ted replied.
"Dude, I'm just trying to get your conservative British behind laid." Sammy replied, "What, you want the relationship angle? Jeez man, you're such a sap sometimes."
"Watch it mate," Ted joked, "Otherwise this sap is gonna use some of those 'man-killing' skills to throw your arse across the bar."
Two Crimenet guys walked in just then. They were ACME's hotshot paramilitary SWAT unit. However more often than not there was a lot of friction between the two units. The Crimenet guys tended to think the ACME guys were a bunch of highly intelligent and glorified school kids playing detective while Crimenet guys were seen by ACME detectives as abrasive and tactless meatheads. The two that walked into the bar were Sergeant Jon Vasquez and Moe O'Bannon.
"Hey, isn't that Ted Balfour?" O'Bannon asked, "One of the few ACME guys we actually kinda liked."
"Yeah, that's him alright." Vasquez replied, "The guy who could've been crime net material."
Vasquez was a chunky, bespectacled Puerto Rican fellow with a grown in shaved head. Ted had taken to calling him one of two names, either Chia-Cop in reference to his haircut, or El General because of his arrogant nature. Ted had nothing but contempt for most of the Crimenet guys because of their overbearing nature.
"I see you blokes haven't caught Carmen yet." Ted remarked, sipping his room temperature beer, "You remfs (rear-echelon mother f--ers) can't even catch the common cold."
"Ha ha," Jon said, "So what's up Balfour?"
"Nothing really mate." Ted replied. Those two were the ones who always tried to recruit him into Crimenet.
"Beat it Medina." O'Bannon demanded of Sammy.
"Hey dickers (British Army slang for IRA operatives, an insult), if he goes, I go." Ted replied, "Barkeep, give me tab."
"Wait, cancel that. I suppose Sammy can stick about. Bartender, one round of Heineken on me." Vasquez replied.
"Right, so what's up?" Ted replied. He was a casual acquaintance with these guys sometimes at ACME, if nothing else to gather Crimenet tips before other detectives did when his own investigative methods failed. The way they carried on sometimes would make people think they were drinking buddies. For all Crimenet's faults they had a solid intelligence network ACME envied.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: "So Crimenet showed up, what's the big deal. They're geekwads and we smarter." Zack said, "Ugh, me from Crimenet. Me big stupid barbarian...."
Everyone chuckled over the comment and Sammy said, "Well that's when Jamie walked by the pub with her family, and from our seats at the bar we could all see her."
~ ~ ~ ~
2141: "Man, that's a hot chick right there." Vasquez remarked, "Jamie Lynch is definitely hot."
"Watch your tongue mate." Ted remarked, with a flash of controlled anger.
"Dude, you worked with her for two years. Don't even try to say you haven't thought of....." O'Bannon began.
"Oh c'mon. Don't tell me you wouldn't..." Vasquez began.
"You'd best shut up right now about her or I'll break both your necks." Ted replied.
"He's serious guys." Sammy said, putting himself between them and trying to push O'Bannon back.
"Bad idea!" O'Bannon growled and punched Sammy in the eye, "So you want to fight now you English prick! Did I ever tell you my old man was Irish!"
"Really mate, I never figured it out." Ted said, slowly and as soon as he said out he kicked O'Bannon between the legs and gut punched him. The big Irish man fell over in a tangle of arms, legs and Sammy's barstool. Vasquez broke a bottle and cocked his arm back. He barley even had time to do so before Ted knee kicked him in the groin and elbowed him in the throat.
"I warned you wankers!" Ted replied, and walked out of the pub.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: "So that's why Suhara had to bail the four of you out of the lockup." Zack grinned, "I did think it was funny when you said you walked into a door."
"Did Jamie see?" Ivy said.
"No, she'd walked by a long time ago. She did ask me two days later what happened and I said Vasquez and O'Bannon were drunk, started a fight and Ted and I just finished it." Sammy replied.
"I guess that's why Ted went back to Fort Bragg post haste." Armando said, "He barely said more than a few words to us before saying he had more commitments at the sniper school and North Africa."
"She probably would have thought it was sweet, Ted getting into a fight for her honor." Tatiana mused, "That's so romantic."
"That's so unlike Ted, losing his temper like that." Sammy replied.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: The North African desert nights were and still are as cold as the North African days are hot. Ted wrapped a heavy Bedouin desert robe around his frame as he hefted his Lacrima-99 Pulse Rifle with the M-206 40mm grenade launcher (often called the 206 for short) bolted under it. His webbing and extra magazines were still accessible, and he was warm. The Arab shamag head cloth Zack had sent him three weeks ago was a marked improvement over the standard issue stocking cap that he usually wore on night watches, he still wore the cap but had the shamag (the head cover worn by Arab men) over the top, preventing more heat from escaping.
He was on wire watch, meaning he would be walking a lonely sentry post along the chain-link fence topped by spools of razor and concertina wire. He was responsible for the areas nearest the hangar. Other units, which included an MP detachment and a K-9 unit, also provided perimeter security.
The vehicle watches were driving about the camp perimeter every half hour with three men each manning two Land Rovers. The proximity of the Forward Manning Base to the frontline wasn't as close as the Forward Operating Base, but throughout the campaign the enemy had a nasty habit of attacking positions behind the line. Especially if the positions were occupied by the Special Forces that often made a habit of sneaking into their territory and killing them.
He could see Ives plodding along with his 206 and webbing. He could tell it was Ives by his height and the fact that he had Rowdy, one of the six K- 9s assigned to the squadron. The Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant, Staff Sergeant Doyle, had decided to requisition six K-9s for the unit before it shipped off to Africa.
Ives was one of the six qualified handlers in the unit, and Rowdy was his German Shepard. He was walking on the outermost end of the perimeter, using the K-9 to hopefully spot enemy troops before they attacked. Ted nodded to the Scotsman, who nodded back, as they passed each other on their patrol. Sentry duty was a lonely, boring, and dangerous yet necessary job.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: Jamie smiled as she opened the letter Ted had sent her. She could see a couple of those snapshots from Germany he'd promised but forgot to send a couple weeks ago. Those were taken when he took the mountain rescue course in the Alps four months prior, back in May. She'd just gotten back from Mass, so she hadn't changed out of her Sunday best yet. She was still wearing her black slacks and her short sleeved light blue blouse.
She read the text of the letter as she sat on her couch:
19 September, 2143
Dear Jamie,
Things on the front have been pretty hectic and I've barely been getting much in the way of sleep. You said you ran into Abu Parhouz, from B Squadron in your last letter. Send the lad my regards, and if he says the Saudi soccer team's taking the World Cup, tell him that Britain's gonna wipe the field with them. "For Harry! England! And St. George!" (She had to smile at the last one. Ted had been raised on both sides of the Atlantic, so he had a taste for both baseball and soccer.)
Anyhoo, if he's still miffed over the x-lax incident, tell him to get over it. Also, if he should mention something called the XXX Incident I had no part in it!
Give everyone my regards, and tell them to keep sending me stuff, care packages are great. I hope that my snapshots get through alright. Thanks for the fuzzy dice you sent over last time, I hung them from the mosquito net in my cot. I did get everyone's birthday cards.
Cheers from the Desert,
Ted
The paper was yellowed a bit and had some loose sand in it. Ted wasn't joking about how dusty Africa was. She was so engrossed in the letter that she didn't hear Chris walking into her apartment, using his key until he plopped down on the couch beside her.
"From Ted, luv?" Chris asked.
Jamie folded the letter closed and turned towards her boyfriend, "Used your key?"
"Yeah, I was wondering why you weren't at reception. Usually you, Ivy, and Zack and the others are all gabbing away about something." Chris replied.
"Ivy forgot to give me Ted's latest letter on Friday, I had to read it." Jamie replied.
"So what's the story with Ted?" Chris asked.
"He's one of my good friends at ACME, as well as my first partner." Jamie replied.
"The way you carry on about him sometimes, you'd swear he had a thing for you." Chris replied.
"I don't know about that. He always tells me I'm one of his best friends, but I don't think there's anything more than that." Jamie replied.
"Then I've got nothing to worry about then, luv." Chris said, laying his head in her lap, unexpectedly.
Jamie was startled at first, "You don't."
The doorbell rang just then and Chris stood up to answer it. "Hey Ivy, how's it going?"
"Is Jamie in? We're going to brunch, you guys wanna come along." Ivy said.
"How 'bout it luv?" Chris asked.
"Sounds good." Jamie said, "Give me a few minutes to get changed."
"Take your time." Chris said.
Ivy certainly liked Chris, he was a caring, attentive boyfriend to Jamie, but at the same time she felt sorry for Ted. But then again, he didn't act on the feelings he had for her when he had the chance. It was pretty sad though, Ted always seemed to be somewhere on the other side of the world all the time. It was obvious he loved Jamie, but couldn't be with her, so he only knew to run away. Part of Ivy wished Ted would fight for the woman he loved, but another part knew Ted was too much of a gentleman to interfere in Jamie's happiness, even if it meant the cost of his own.
"I guess I'm not much of a romantic." Ivy commented to herself, "Keep faith Ted, you'll find someone eventually."
Ivy could see why Ted had run away. Jamie and Chris seemed so content together, and they did make a cute couple. Maybe it was for the best that Ted was out of the picture for now. Ivy watched as Jamie picked up her purse and let Chris help her into her jacket. If Ted saw this, his heart would come apart completely.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: "What am I supposed to tell her, God? Do you really think she'll respond favorably to, 'Jamie, for about ¾ of the time I've known you I've been in love with you'? She'll give me the cold shoulder and I don't think I could take it." Ted whispered to himself into the lonely African night.
The desert stretched for miles without features, save for dunes and the occasional wadi or oasis. "Besides she's got Chris, she doesn't need me in the least. At most I'm probably just a friend who's just a tad more attentive than most of them. At the worse I'm probably just yet another fellow who's developed a crush on her. I guess the Colonel would be pretty ticked off at me over this. 'Remember grandson; never date anyone you work with.' He always said. He never seemed to take into account that hearts have other ideas."
"Well haven't you heard a damned word I said?" Ted continued, "Haven't I been hurt enough?"
A pair of lamplike eyes near the fence line stopped Ted in his tracks. He saw the Gollum sapper putting something next to the fence. Ted raised his 206 on the creature resembling old Gollum from the Hobbit and squeezed off two rounds into the area around the glowing eyes. He was rewarded with a guttural grunt of pain and the sound of a body flopping into the sands.
The shots woke everyone in the area and half dressed soldiers ran out to the slit trenches with weapons at the ready. A lone ogre came charging over the dune, wielding a crude battle axe in one hand and a crude explosive in the other. It was shot to pieces about five yards from the fence by about fifteen different weapons. It was something straight out of a horror movie, first the creature's axe hand fell away as a burst of gunfire from an MG- 70. Ted saw a cameraman and a reporter standing in the open.
"You bloody jackasses! Get down!" Ted shouted and yanked both men into a nearby slit trench.
Just then about three more pairs of glowing, lamplike eyes appeared over the dunes. The Gollum energy orb projector team fired several fist size orbs into the compound. Ted fired rounds at them and loaded a 206 grenade into the launcher. He fired it down range and the grenade exploded into the midst of the creatures. A piercing animal like wail of pain shot out over the desert as shrapnel found its mark.
Ives was shooting steadily at something downrange with the MG-70. It was actually pretty funny to see the short Scotsman hanging onto the light machinegun which was almost as big as he was.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" James Closterman shouted. "Casualties?"
"Casualties?" the question echoed through the group.
"None sir!"
"Right, lets go get a body count with the Land Rovers." Closterman said.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: "I just wonder sometimes about why he left so quickly." Jamie began.
"It's complicated." Zack began, trying not to tell Jamie in so many words what had sent Ted packing.
"You're starting to sound like Ted." Ivy observed.
"Ive," Zack joked, trying to lighten the mood, "I don't have an English accent, a wry sense of humor, or take tea in the afternoon."
"Excuse me man," said a fellow from the other table. He wore blue jeans, a black AC/DC t-shirt with an unbuttoned flannel collared long sleeved shirt over it, "We were sitting one table over and couldn't help but overhear you talk. This Ted wouldn't happen to be Ted Balfour, G Squadron."
"Yeah, how do you know?" Ivy asked.
"Ernest Hockle, B Squadron, 9th Special Forces." The black haired fellow a couple years older than Zack replied, "You must be Ivy, Zack, Jamie, Armando, Chris, and Tatiana."
"How do you know us?" Armando asked.
"Simple, Ted talks about you guys all the time. He always lights up like a Christmas tree whenever he talks about his old friends from ACME." Hockle replied.
"If you guys are in Ted's unit, what are you doing in America? Aren't the 9th Special Forces working in Africa?" Gene Locksley asked.
"They are. But each Special Forces group contributes an entire squadron to the Special Projects Team, the US Army's Counterterrorist unit." Hockle replied.
"Oh yeah, there was an article about that in the Marine Corps Gazette." Gene replied.
"Marine eh?" Hockle grinned, "What battalion."
"3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division."
"I was in 2nd Battalion for the 1st Division myself." Hockle replied.
"Whenever Marines go into the Special Forces we make those Army guys look like bags of shit." Gene grinned.
"Gene, you never ran Selection." Ivy said.
"That's because all Marines, to a man, know they can cruise it easy." Gene replied.
"Amen brother." Hockle replied.
Zack rolled his eyes, "They're always like that. The Marines, I mean."
"Before we get into any more arguments as to best service," Hockle said, "I've known Ted since Selection. He was my room mate during that time, and throughout all our training he would yammer nonstop about his friends from ACME."
"That sounds like Ted to me." Jamie replied, "He's certainly one of the nicest, most caring friends I've ever had."
"He says the same thing about you too." Hockle said, "I must admit, I never thought in a million years I'd meet you guys. He always says 'God blessed me with those that I consider my friends' and he not only meant us, but you guys as well. And when you write him back, tell him he owes me twenty credits from our last poker game."
"Sure. I'll let him know." Jamie replied.
"Thanks, much appreciated. Enjoy your meal." Hockle said.
"You too. And be sure if you run into Ted later, tell him American soccer's taking the World Cup!" Zack shouted.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Give me, God, what you have left. Give me what others don't want. But also give me courage, strength, and faith." Ted whispered into the North African night many miles away.
~ ~ ~ ~
Sorry this one's a bit disjointed. I'm still working on a million different ideas as they come...
.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: Ted awoke almost automatically before 0900 (9 AM) on any Sunday morning. Less than four hours ago the eighteen men of Mobility Troop had returned home from a mission where three enemy artillery positions had been silenced. He picked up his carbine and webbing because of the proximity of the hangar to the frontline. He headed over to a tent where Chaplain Reinhold was holding Catholic Sunday Mass.
"I bring this prayer to You, Lord. For You alone can give. What one cannot demand from oneself. Give me, Lord, what you have left over, give me what no-one ever asks You for. I don't ask You for rest, or quiet." Ted prayed as he knelt down after Communion.
His life right now certainly wasn't restful or quiet. And he certainly asked God for things no one ever asked for. Even before the Biohazard hit Earth and even before he had volunteered for Selection he had no rest or quiet, ever since he learned that Jamie didn't share his feelings things had been painful. Leaving seemed the best solution, and he still kept in contact, there was a half written letter by his cot.
Even though they never dated, he still missed her friendship, missed speaking to her, but he knew had lost and the Special Forces were all he had remaining to him, "Whether of soul or body; I don't ask You for wealth, nor for success, nor even health perhaps. That sort of thing You get asked for so much that You can't have any of it left. Give me, Lord, what you have left over, give me what no-one wants from you."
Hell, nobody wants heartache, suffering, or anything of that sort. But as the Colonel told him, "Grandson, the life of a Special Forces soldier is often lonely and entails much suffering."
Ted continued his prayer, "I want insecurity, strife, And I want You to give me these once and for all. That I can be sure of having them always, since I shall not always have the courage to ask You for them."
Ted had to smile as he remembered his grandfather, Colonel Charles I. Balfour, US Army, 2nd Special Forces Group commanding officer. The old man was an influence on two generations of the Balfour family, first on his father, Sergeant Major Michael Balfour, and himself, Lance Corporal Ted Balfour. The man may have been crippled by a stroke years before Ted had been born, but looking into the man's eyes you could see the almost imperial visage of the proud, strong warrior he might have been. Ted had memorized the prayer he was saying when he was eight, at the behest of the Colonel as all of his grandchildren called him out of respect. Sadly the Colonel had died three days before Ted had gone to Basic Training when he was seventeen.
"Give me, Lord, what You have left over, Give me what others want nothing to do with. But give me courage too, and strength and faith; For You alone can give what one cannot demand from oneself." Ted concluded, "Amen, and thank you sir for disciplining my mind, body, and soul."
Ted had to grin lightly at that, the last line was one he would have to say whenever the Colonel punished him for any sort of childhood transgression after he flawlessly would recite the prayer. He kept a copy of that prayer taped inside his uniform at all times, ever since he was with the 20th Light Infantry Division (Territorial Reserves), as a boy soldier of seventeen.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: Sitting in Starbucks, Zack, Ivy, Gene Locksley, Armando, and Tatiana were clustered around a table. "So let me get this straight," Gene Locksley began, "This Ted Balfour character's been in love with Detective Lynch since they started working together and when she mentioned she was seeing someone he ran off to join the Special Forces?"
"You hit the nail on the head Gene." Ivy said, leaning closer to him. They had been getting pretty close in the two months he had spent living in their house during his convalescence.
"Can't things get any stranger?" Gene asked.
"Yeah, they can." Sammy Medina groaned. He was twenty-three and Ted's male best friend at ACME. They had worked together until Sammy transferred into the research and development team as a vehicle test driver after the National Bank hostage incident.
He was a skinny fellow with longish hair and a mustache. He was also called, "The Playboy Detective" by Ted. He was so named because he was an incurable flirt, jumping from one shallow little relationship or one night stand to the next. He rarely had a relationship that lasted more than a month. He always wore an Indy 500 jacket, and race t-shirts and jeans almost everywhere.
"So how was last night?" Armando asked, "You gotta teach me to be a chick magnet like you."
"It was great. Lola was excellent, as usual, but I don't recommend the tequila sunrises I drank at the pub where I met her." Sammy replied.
"That's unhealthy. You're stringing along, what three girls at the same time now?" Tatiana replied.
"Four actually, Lola, Chrissy, Jane, and Meghan." Sammy said, proudly.
"And you're proud of that?" Tatiana asked, "You're impersonating that Fozzie fellow from Happy Days..."
"That's Fonzie, not Fozzie." Zack corrected.
"Sorry I never watched much TV in Russia." Tatiana replied.
"Remember that night two years ago you came back with a black eye?" Zack asked, "May I ask what that was all about?"
"Ted, surprisingly, lost his temper. He does have quite a short fuse at times." Sammy replied.
"What happened?" Ivy asked.
"Well, let's see, we were at a pub that night Martin came back for a couple months to attend sniper school at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I took a C-5 trip and persuaded him to spend his forty-eight hour pass in San Francisco...."
~ ~ ~ ~
2141: "Hey Ted, you should spend that forty-eight hour pass in San Francisco." Sammy said.
"Maybe Sammy, maybe." Ted replied, "I write you guys all the time, I also call every time we get a satellite phone link into the camp, which is once a week."
"C'mon, we all miss you back at ACME. Come on back and see us." Sammy said, "Most soldiers would want to go home after they'd spent over eight months in some pissant desert."
"I'm Special Forces, not most like soldiers you know." Ted replied.
"Yeah right. You do wanna go see us again. I mean we've known you for years Ted, drop the Special Forces guy act for a while and show us the Nice Guy Ted again." Sammy replied.
"What, you're implying I'm not a nice guy?" Ted replied, offended.
"Nah! Not at all! I mean despite all that kill people with your bare hands, jump outta planes, and drive around in modified Land Rovers, and rappel from skimmers stuff you're still the guy who'd help an old lady across the street in a heartbeat." Sammy replied, "And besides we all want to see your face again."
"Alright. I'll come back."
~ ~ ~ ~
Starbucks, 2143: "So what happened after?" Gene asked.
"Well we went out to the pub to shoot the breeze over what we'd missed on each others lives and had a couple drinks. Well a couple of those Crimenet pricks walked in that night..."
~ ~ ~ ~
2141: Ted and Sammy sat at the bar at the Rose and Crown Pub on Main Street. "This is nice. Is it new?" Ted replied.
"Yeah, apparently the new owners were on a British kick and they actually imported half the furniture and pictures straight from the UK." Sammy said.
"This is bloody amazing mate, I feel like I'm back in London again." Ted replied.
"And coolest is how half the waitresses around here are not only good looking, but their nice British girls...." Sammy began.
Ted fixed him with a half malevolent glare, Sammy continued, "What did I say?"
"Quit with the one night stand schemes, I'm not interested." Ted replied.
"Dude, I'm just trying to get your conservative British behind laid." Sammy replied, "What, you want the relationship angle? Jeez man, you're such a sap sometimes."
"Watch it mate," Ted joked, "Otherwise this sap is gonna use some of those 'man-killing' skills to throw your arse across the bar."
Two Crimenet guys walked in just then. They were ACME's hotshot paramilitary SWAT unit. However more often than not there was a lot of friction between the two units. The Crimenet guys tended to think the ACME guys were a bunch of highly intelligent and glorified school kids playing detective while Crimenet guys were seen by ACME detectives as abrasive and tactless meatheads. The two that walked into the bar were Sergeant Jon Vasquez and Moe O'Bannon.
"Hey, isn't that Ted Balfour?" O'Bannon asked, "One of the few ACME guys we actually kinda liked."
"Yeah, that's him alright." Vasquez replied, "The guy who could've been crime net material."
Vasquez was a chunky, bespectacled Puerto Rican fellow with a grown in shaved head. Ted had taken to calling him one of two names, either Chia-Cop in reference to his haircut, or El General because of his arrogant nature. Ted had nothing but contempt for most of the Crimenet guys because of their overbearing nature.
"I see you blokes haven't caught Carmen yet." Ted remarked, sipping his room temperature beer, "You remfs (rear-echelon mother f--ers) can't even catch the common cold."
"Ha ha," Jon said, "So what's up Balfour?"
"Nothing really mate." Ted replied. Those two were the ones who always tried to recruit him into Crimenet.
"Beat it Medina." O'Bannon demanded of Sammy.
"Hey dickers (British Army slang for IRA operatives, an insult), if he goes, I go." Ted replied, "Barkeep, give me tab."
"Wait, cancel that. I suppose Sammy can stick about. Bartender, one round of Heineken on me." Vasquez replied.
"Right, so what's up?" Ted replied. He was a casual acquaintance with these guys sometimes at ACME, if nothing else to gather Crimenet tips before other detectives did when his own investigative methods failed. The way they carried on sometimes would make people think they were drinking buddies. For all Crimenet's faults they had a solid intelligence network ACME envied.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: "So Crimenet showed up, what's the big deal. They're geekwads and we smarter." Zack said, "Ugh, me from Crimenet. Me big stupid barbarian...."
Everyone chuckled over the comment and Sammy said, "Well that's when Jamie walked by the pub with her family, and from our seats at the bar we could all see her."
~ ~ ~ ~
2141: "Man, that's a hot chick right there." Vasquez remarked, "Jamie Lynch is definitely hot."
"Watch your tongue mate." Ted remarked, with a flash of controlled anger.
"Dude, you worked with her for two years. Don't even try to say you haven't thought of....." O'Bannon began.
"Oh c'mon. Don't tell me you wouldn't..." Vasquez began.
"You'd best shut up right now about her or I'll break both your necks." Ted replied.
"He's serious guys." Sammy said, putting himself between them and trying to push O'Bannon back.
"Bad idea!" O'Bannon growled and punched Sammy in the eye, "So you want to fight now you English prick! Did I ever tell you my old man was Irish!"
"Really mate, I never figured it out." Ted said, slowly and as soon as he said out he kicked O'Bannon between the legs and gut punched him. The big Irish man fell over in a tangle of arms, legs and Sammy's barstool. Vasquez broke a bottle and cocked his arm back. He barley even had time to do so before Ted knee kicked him in the groin and elbowed him in the throat.
"I warned you wankers!" Ted replied, and walked out of the pub.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: "So that's why Suhara had to bail the four of you out of the lockup." Zack grinned, "I did think it was funny when you said you walked into a door."
"Did Jamie see?" Ivy said.
"No, she'd walked by a long time ago. She did ask me two days later what happened and I said Vasquez and O'Bannon were drunk, started a fight and Ted and I just finished it." Sammy replied.
"I guess that's why Ted went back to Fort Bragg post haste." Armando said, "He barely said more than a few words to us before saying he had more commitments at the sniper school and North Africa."
"She probably would have thought it was sweet, Ted getting into a fight for her honor." Tatiana mused, "That's so romantic."
"That's so unlike Ted, losing his temper like that." Sammy replied.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: The North African desert nights were and still are as cold as the North African days are hot. Ted wrapped a heavy Bedouin desert robe around his frame as he hefted his Lacrima-99 Pulse Rifle with the M-206 40mm grenade launcher (often called the 206 for short) bolted under it. His webbing and extra magazines were still accessible, and he was warm. The Arab shamag head cloth Zack had sent him three weeks ago was a marked improvement over the standard issue stocking cap that he usually wore on night watches, he still wore the cap but had the shamag (the head cover worn by Arab men) over the top, preventing more heat from escaping.
He was on wire watch, meaning he would be walking a lonely sentry post along the chain-link fence topped by spools of razor and concertina wire. He was responsible for the areas nearest the hangar. Other units, which included an MP detachment and a K-9 unit, also provided perimeter security.
The vehicle watches were driving about the camp perimeter every half hour with three men each manning two Land Rovers. The proximity of the Forward Manning Base to the frontline wasn't as close as the Forward Operating Base, but throughout the campaign the enemy had a nasty habit of attacking positions behind the line. Especially if the positions were occupied by the Special Forces that often made a habit of sneaking into their territory and killing them.
He could see Ives plodding along with his 206 and webbing. He could tell it was Ives by his height and the fact that he had Rowdy, one of the six K- 9s assigned to the squadron. The Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant, Staff Sergeant Doyle, had decided to requisition six K-9s for the unit before it shipped off to Africa.
Ives was one of the six qualified handlers in the unit, and Rowdy was his German Shepard. He was walking on the outermost end of the perimeter, using the K-9 to hopefully spot enemy troops before they attacked. Ted nodded to the Scotsman, who nodded back, as they passed each other on their patrol. Sentry duty was a lonely, boring, and dangerous yet necessary job.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: Jamie smiled as she opened the letter Ted had sent her. She could see a couple of those snapshots from Germany he'd promised but forgot to send a couple weeks ago. Those were taken when he took the mountain rescue course in the Alps four months prior, back in May. She'd just gotten back from Mass, so she hadn't changed out of her Sunday best yet. She was still wearing her black slacks and her short sleeved light blue blouse.
She read the text of the letter as she sat on her couch:
19 September, 2143
Dear Jamie,
Things on the front have been pretty hectic and I've barely been getting much in the way of sleep. You said you ran into Abu Parhouz, from B Squadron in your last letter. Send the lad my regards, and if he says the Saudi soccer team's taking the World Cup, tell him that Britain's gonna wipe the field with them. "For Harry! England! And St. George!" (She had to smile at the last one. Ted had been raised on both sides of the Atlantic, so he had a taste for both baseball and soccer.)
Anyhoo, if he's still miffed over the x-lax incident, tell him to get over it. Also, if he should mention something called the XXX Incident I had no part in it!
Give everyone my regards, and tell them to keep sending me stuff, care packages are great. I hope that my snapshots get through alright. Thanks for the fuzzy dice you sent over last time, I hung them from the mosquito net in my cot. I did get everyone's birthday cards.
Cheers from the Desert,
Ted
The paper was yellowed a bit and had some loose sand in it. Ted wasn't joking about how dusty Africa was. She was so engrossed in the letter that she didn't hear Chris walking into her apartment, using his key until he plopped down on the couch beside her.
"From Ted, luv?" Chris asked.
Jamie folded the letter closed and turned towards her boyfriend, "Used your key?"
"Yeah, I was wondering why you weren't at reception. Usually you, Ivy, and Zack and the others are all gabbing away about something." Chris replied.
"Ivy forgot to give me Ted's latest letter on Friday, I had to read it." Jamie replied.
"So what's the story with Ted?" Chris asked.
"He's one of my good friends at ACME, as well as my first partner." Jamie replied.
"The way you carry on about him sometimes, you'd swear he had a thing for you." Chris replied.
"I don't know about that. He always tells me I'm one of his best friends, but I don't think there's anything more than that." Jamie replied.
"Then I've got nothing to worry about then, luv." Chris said, laying his head in her lap, unexpectedly.
Jamie was startled at first, "You don't."
The doorbell rang just then and Chris stood up to answer it. "Hey Ivy, how's it going?"
"Is Jamie in? We're going to brunch, you guys wanna come along." Ivy said.
"How 'bout it luv?" Chris asked.
"Sounds good." Jamie said, "Give me a few minutes to get changed."
"Take your time." Chris said.
Ivy certainly liked Chris, he was a caring, attentive boyfriend to Jamie, but at the same time she felt sorry for Ted. But then again, he didn't act on the feelings he had for her when he had the chance. It was pretty sad though, Ted always seemed to be somewhere on the other side of the world all the time. It was obvious he loved Jamie, but couldn't be with her, so he only knew to run away. Part of Ivy wished Ted would fight for the woman he loved, but another part knew Ted was too much of a gentleman to interfere in Jamie's happiness, even if it meant the cost of his own.
"I guess I'm not much of a romantic." Ivy commented to herself, "Keep faith Ted, you'll find someone eventually."
Ivy could see why Ted had run away. Jamie and Chris seemed so content together, and they did make a cute couple. Maybe it was for the best that Ted was out of the picture for now. Ivy watched as Jamie picked up her purse and let Chris help her into her jacket. If Ted saw this, his heart would come apart completely.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: "What am I supposed to tell her, God? Do you really think she'll respond favorably to, 'Jamie, for about ¾ of the time I've known you I've been in love with you'? She'll give me the cold shoulder and I don't think I could take it." Ted whispered to himself into the lonely African night.
The desert stretched for miles without features, save for dunes and the occasional wadi or oasis. "Besides she's got Chris, she doesn't need me in the least. At most I'm probably just a friend who's just a tad more attentive than most of them. At the worse I'm probably just yet another fellow who's developed a crush on her. I guess the Colonel would be pretty ticked off at me over this. 'Remember grandson; never date anyone you work with.' He always said. He never seemed to take into account that hearts have other ideas."
"Well haven't you heard a damned word I said?" Ted continued, "Haven't I been hurt enough?"
A pair of lamplike eyes near the fence line stopped Ted in his tracks. He saw the Gollum sapper putting something next to the fence. Ted raised his 206 on the creature resembling old Gollum from the Hobbit and squeezed off two rounds into the area around the glowing eyes. He was rewarded with a guttural grunt of pain and the sound of a body flopping into the sands.
The shots woke everyone in the area and half dressed soldiers ran out to the slit trenches with weapons at the ready. A lone ogre came charging over the dune, wielding a crude battle axe in one hand and a crude explosive in the other. It was shot to pieces about five yards from the fence by about fifteen different weapons. It was something straight out of a horror movie, first the creature's axe hand fell away as a burst of gunfire from an MG- 70. Ted saw a cameraman and a reporter standing in the open.
"You bloody jackasses! Get down!" Ted shouted and yanked both men into a nearby slit trench.
Just then about three more pairs of glowing, lamplike eyes appeared over the dunes. The Gollum energy orb projector team fired several fist size orbs into the compound. Ted fired rounds at them and loaded a 206 grenade into the launcher. He fired it down range and the grenade exploded into the midst of the creatures. A piercing animal like wail of pain shot out over the desert as shrapnel found its mark.
Ives was shooting steadily at something downrange with the MG-70. It was actually pretty funny to see the short Scotsman hanging onto the light machinegun which was almost as big as he was.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" James Closterman shouted. "Casualties?"
"Casualties?" the question echoed through the group.
"None sir!"
"Right, lets go get a body count with the Land Rovers." Closterman said.
~ ~ ~ ~
2143: "I just wonder sometimes about why he left so quickly." Jamie began.
"It's complicated." Zack began, trying not to tell Jamie in so many words what had sent Ted packing.
"You're starting to sound like Ted." Ivy observed.
"Ive," Zack joked, trying to lighten the mood, "I don't have an English accent, a wry sense of humor, or take tea in the afternoon."
"Excuse me man," said a fellow from the other table. He wore blue jeans, a black AC/DC t-shirt with an unbuttoned flannel collared long sleeved shirt over it, "We were sitting one table over and couldn't help but overhear you talk. This Ted wouldn't happen to be Ted Balfour, G Squadron."
"Yeah, how do you know?" Ivy asked.
"Ernest Hockle, B Squadron, 9th Special Forces." The black haired fellow a couple years older than Zack replied, "You must be Ivy, Zack, Jamie, Armando, Chris, and Tatiana."
"How do you know us?" Armando asked.
"Simple, Ted talks about you guys all the time. He always lights up like a Christmas tree whenever he talks about his old friends from ACME." Hockle replied.
"If you guys are in Ted's unit, what are you doing in America? Aren't the 9th Special Forces working in Africa?" Gene Locksley asked.
"They are. But each Special Forces group contributes an entire squadron to the Special Projects Team, the US Army's Counterterrorist unit." Hockle replied.
"Oh yeah, there was an article about that in the Marine Corps Gazette." Gene replied.
"Marine eh?" Hockle grinned, "What battalion."
"3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division."
"I was in 2nd Battalion for the 1st Division myself." Hockle replied.
"Whenever Marines go into the Special Forces we make those Army guys look like bags of shit." Gene grinned.
"Gene, you never ran Selection." Ivy said.
"That's because all Marines, to a man, know they can cruise it easy." Gene replied.
"Amen brother." Hockle replied.
Zack rolled his eyes, "They're always like that. The Marines, I mean."
"Before we get into any more arguments as to best service," Hockle said, "I've known Ted since Selection. He was my room mate during that time, and throughout all our training he would yammer nonstop about his friends from ACME."
"That sounds like Ted to me." Jamie replied, "He's certainly one of the nicest, most caring friends I've ever had."
"He says the same thing about you too." Hockle said, "I must admit, I never thought in a million years I'd meet you guys. He always says 'God blessed me with those that I consider my friends' and he not only meant us, but you guys as well. And when you write him back, tell him he owes me twenty credits from our last poker game."
"Sure. I'll let him know." Jamie replied.
"Thanks, much appreciated. Enjoy your meal." Hockle said.
"You too. And be sure if you run into Ted later, tell him American soccer's taking the World Cup!" Zack shouted.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Give me, God, what you have left. Give me what others don't want. But also give me courage, strength, and faith." Ted whispered into the North African night many miles away.
~ ~ ~ ~
Sorry this one's a bit disjointed. I'm still working on a million different ideas as they come...
.