Space Force by Jeremy Robinson

Author:Jeremy Robinson [Robinson, Jeremy]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Breakneck Media
Published: 2018-10-27T00:00:00+00:00

26

STONE

“That was crazy,” Taylor whispers. Cloaked in darkness we sit side by side, our conversation hushed. “Do you think she meant to do that?”

Remembering the way Gerty jumped through the BFG beam and emerged as an explosive powerful enough to drop the Wunderchote and half a building, I nod, forgetting he can’t see me. “No doubt. She might not have been human, but she represented the best of us.”

“Kind of weird that Billy made something like that, yeah? I mean—” He grunts and sighs. “—that he created an intelligent sexbot without anyone knowing seemed unlikely, but not really surprising. The ladies aren’t exactly lining up for a night with stud Billy. The guy wants to be called ‘Billy.’”

Another grunt. Another sigh.

“But she was the real deal. A fighter. A sister in arms. Kind of wish I’d known that before.”

“I don’t think many of the men I’ve served with would be willing to make that kind of sacrifice.” Jumping on grenades to save your com-patriots is a Hollywood cliché, but it doesn’t happen that often. It’s not that soldiers aren’t brave enough to sacrifice themselves, it’s simply that when things are going sideways, reactions are instinctual, and when a grenade lands nearby, instinct guides everyone away from it. Soldiers aren’t trained to dive on grenades. If they were, there would be pig piles of men being blown to smithereens.

What Gerty did was more than jump on a grenade. She threw herself into Mount Doom, knowing her demise would save us.

And now we have to honor that sacrifice…right after we finish up.

“How you doing over there?” I ask.

“I’m at about 75%,” Taylor says. “You?”

“Same.” I take a deep breath, trying to relax, and gag on the stench. “Holy hell, what did you eat?”

“Don’t try to peg your stank on me, man,” Taylor says.

A squeak like air being let out of a pinched balloon fills the air. I can’t help but chuckle. “Just let loose. You’re clenching.”

“I’m trying to stay quiet,” Taylor complains. “You want speed or stealth? I don’t think I can do both.”

“Fair enough,” I say, still smiling. I have to enjoy the humor of our situation now because once we’re out of here, neither of us are going to mention this to anyone. It’s bad enough when it happens during an online gaming session, but during combat? It’s the kind of situation that can haunt you for the rest of your career.

Between rounds of gaming and copious amounts of Mountain Dew for me, and coffee for him, a run to the bathroom is occasionally required. This can usually be accomplished in the time it takes for match-making to complete and a round to start. But sometimes, upon reaching the bathroom, nerves and biology unite against you. It was these situations that gave birth to the code: SS. Surprise Shit. If the situation arose, we would simply text SS to the other and the team would be informed that the missing man would be AFK (away from keyboard) for a few minutes, but would soon return…a pound or two lighter.

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