SIW : Adam and Bronwille.
Another chapter ready and we're getting to the big finale, for this part of the story at least. After that it's full focus on Adam and Bron and really get them together as they're meant to be. Special thanks go out to Nulli Para Ora for providing another excellent Adam written period piece "Revenge". Double thanks for Nulli and Mazuri for giving it the quick once over and not in the least a huge thanks for Mikothebaby for another job well done: THANKS LADIES!
I'll let you get on with the story.
Mokkelke.
Chapter Ten : The End is Near.
Unable to get rid of the adrenaline coursing through his body, Adam turned to the one thing that at this moment could ease it a little bit. He actually had to smile as he realized that the cute little redhead had provided him with a means to get on top of his feelings and at the same time give his past a final resting place. One day he will thank her for it profusely and thoroughly.
Sitting down, he stared at the blank screen for a few minutes, thinking back at that one moment where he lost part of his control, went beyond enemy lines, to get his personal revenge. The things he'd been witness to for so many times finally had caught up and he needed to put a stop to it, he just had to. He lingered in his past for a few minutes longer and then started typing.
A few hours later, he went over it again and he felt relieved, like a burden fell off his shoulders and he knew he could get into the right mindset to deal with the current affairs. His eyes roamed over the last few lines, they told clearly what was needed.
Anger can be useful, it insulates, empowers and focuses. I accepted anger as my companion and I embraced the power that it gave me. Nothing will replace the satisfaction that anger gave me on that day and nothing will ever come close to the euphoria of revenge.
Revenge is what I need and what I'll get. Then I'll come back to you and come clean
he thought. He felt the sting in his eyes, telling him that now would be an ideal time to go to bed and get a few precious hours of sleep.
Before he did just that, he typed down a quick message, attached his story and sent it to Bron. As ever, he was curious at how she'd react. Despite her past, she managed to amaze him every step of the way. He just hoped she would forgive him this little charade of hiding behind this persona. He was sure she would. Now all he had to do was focus and concentrate on getting the revenge he swore he would get for her.
When he tucked himself in for the short remainder of the night, he focused hard on her smell and how her body felt against his. His pent up frustration written out of his system, he now wanted a few moments of happiness. With a smile on his face he drifted off to sleep.
+ + + +
# # #
From Atlas to RedB
Dear RedB,
There is a lot going on in my life right now. It, however, gave me an opportunity to dig into my past and put a few things into perspective. For so long, I had trouble placing them, dealing with them. I was touched by your kind words on my previous story, and they only helped me convince myself that I had finally found a way to get some closure for things long past. You have my gratitude for that, always and forever. For so long, I always hid that part, pretended it was never there. Now I can admit that, yes, I am a soldier at heart and I want to protect the innocent and I want to punish the guilty!
The part you have read, or are about to read, is what happened a few days later. In a way, I admit to you only that I am not proud for losing my common sense and I know it was the discretion of my then Lt that kept it from getting out. I never understood why, only recent events have made a few things more clear to me and now I understand. I'm on my own way to redemption. Just taking a detour for some revenge first.
I will not say enjoy the read this time, it's not a happy thing to read, but it is what happened, in all its brutality.
Forever grateful,
Atlas
# # #
Bron played with her lower lip, pulling and tugging at it as she read each word of the brief message Atlas had attached his new story to. She wasn't sure what to make of it. She did know he was as tormented as she was, having the same conflicting emotions and now it seems she gave him a means to cope with it. Pride filled her with that thought. Yet, she was apprehensive about his next piece. His warning that it wasn't going to be pretty kinda made her doubt whether to even start reading it.
She thought about his first story, the message that came with it, combined with the current one. His path was in a way similar to hers with the difference being he seemed to actually move forward while she was only taking very small baby steps. Letting out a weary sigh she told herself to put on her big girl panties and just read it. Clicking a few buttons, she downloaded and then opened the attached file.
* * * *
* * * *
Revenge.
Nights in the jungle weren't peaceful. There was never a time when a soldier was not on guard. We didn't sleep in the normal sense of the word. We simply lost consciousness during our designated times, still listening out for orders.
That's exactly what I was doing when the sound of an explosion started my ears to ringing while spurring me into action. My hand was immediately on my weapon and I was on my feet. Another explosion had me turning my head toward the infirmary and my Lieutenant barking orders.
"Fucking eighty one millimeter mortars! Davis, O'Neill, Johnson, move your asses! We need to get all we can out of there!" He was already ahead of us, running like a mad man to secure our injured brothers.
I didn't even blink, I just ran and took up a defensive position along with several others. We created a perimeter and searched the dark forest for any movement or sound. If we were lucky we'd see the light when the next mortar launched, giving us an area to target.
We weren't that lucky. The next explosion hit the infirmary again, sending all of us flying in different directions from the force of the blast.
They're targeting our injured? What kind of fucking animal targets men who can't fight back?
There it was again, my closest friend, fresh and ready for retribution. As dazed as I was from the blast, I was still building that same hatred for the enemy. I didn't get up right away, I lay there on the ground, listening, scanning for any indication of their position.
Give me one damned sign and your ass is mine!
More explosions told me that there was more than one eighty one millimeter hidden in the blackness of the forest. I was starting to pinpoint their location from the sound of the mortar firing.
Gotcha assholes!
I crawled on my belly to my weapon and took aim. I couldn't see Charlie, but I could damn sure send some bullets into his general vicinity.
"O'Neill! Get your ass over here! We need to provide some God damned cover fire so that everyone gets outta here"
Son of a bitch! We're gonna let them get away with this?
I didn't want to listen to the Lieutenant. I wanted to kill every single one of them out there; but going against protocol had already cost someone their life. "Sir!" I crawled toward the Lieutenant and jumped to my feet just beyond the burning rubble that used to be the infirmary.
I followed Lt. Bradley through scenes of organized chaos. There were people running in every direction, screaming orders and acknowledgments and doing anything they could to salvage what was necessary. We had a contingency plan in case something like this happened.
There was another location that we could fall back to if the need arose. We needed to make sure we didn't leave anything behind that would give Charlie any intel before we left. Everyone was scrambling, doing what they were trained to do.
There was no time to think about the people being blown up as more mortars fell. Our job was to react, to protect as much as we could and ensure the survival of as many as we could save.
Explosions continued on as three Marines stayed behind, Browning 50cals at the ready, distracting Charlie and giving us time to escape.
I will never forget, brothers. Semper Fi.
By daybreak, we were heading back, looking for survivors. We'd radioed our sit. rep. and two platoons met up with us at around 0400.
The sight of our fallen was gruesome. I entered the perimeter and stopped at Hawkes' body. His leg was clearly broken, but that wasn't what killed him. I could taste the bitterness of bile rising up in my mouth as I saw that his throat had been slashed.
Fucking Charlie! I will kill every last one of you!
It was no different for the next several bodies that we found. Many had been killed by explosions or gunfire, but there were too many whose injuries weren't fatal. Their deaths were brought after they suffered and that was something I wouldn't forgive.
I was approaching the area where the infirmary used to be when I heard the faintest groan. It was a woman's voice, more than likely one of the nurses. I double timed it to the source and that's when I saw her.
She was on the ground, nose bleeding, eyes black and swollen, lip split. There were purple bruises in the shape of fingers around her neck and when she did manage to part her lids, the whites of her eyes were completely red.
