A Dragon's Tale #Watty's2015

Set Sail

"I'd bet my life", I answered.

Nolan sighed. We walked down a few more corridors and then Nolan showed me a small bunk room where Adelind was hiding out. There were two beds up against the left wall and there was a small table against the right that held a Windows 13 laptop. The room was lit with a single light bulb and floored with green tile.

"I figure it's a week and a half trip for the states", Nolan said, "the ship has satellite internet, so you can contact the you kids whenever you want, might wanna strap down, the fleet leaves in 20 minutes."

"Will do", I said as Nolan left. I sighed, took off my vest and then lay next to Adelind.

"What was the deal with Artimus", Adelind asked.

"She found out her brothers Jake and Allen are SEALS on the Californian coast", I answered, "she was worried that one of her shells had their names on it."

"Oh wow", Adelind said, "how'd she find out about that?"

"She saw a paper that had the names of all the SEALS who were gonna be on the beach", I said, "told me she hasn't slept more than an hour, total, over the past few weeks."

"Poor girl", Adelind said.

"Nolan said he was gonna put the Battleship Samaritan out front", I said, "but he knows that no matter what he does, people are probably going to end up killing family members before this is over."

"And we can't back out", Ator said appearing in the door way, "I just wonder if I have anyone down at that beach. Count yourself lucky boss, your HDR, you ain't gonna have family down there."

"You are family", I growled, "Hudson, Trent, Logan, Wyatt, Frank, Jackie, Rolland, Faline, Shadow, Nina, Artimus, Mnerloth, your all my family. Go ahead Sargent, say it again, I dare you."

"Point taken", Ator said, "but at least we won't be on the other end of your 105."

I sighed, "message received as well Sargent, anything else you wanna add, maybe make my day a little worse?"

"If I think of something I'll let you know", Ator sighed, "aren't you and Adelind worried though?"

"About?", Adelind asked.

"What if one of you takes a fatal bullet?", he asked, "or steps on a land mine, or some combination of bullets and explosives send one of you two under?"

I buried my head underneath Adelind's neck, not much caring to answer the question. I knew the answer to what would happen to me if she got killed, but in truth I wasn't sure how she would take my death.

"Bridge we cross if we get there", Adelind said laying a wing over me, "hopefully it won't come to that."

Ator sighed, "I don't know what I would do if I lost Vanlith, curl up with my boys and cry myself to death I guess."

"Ator enough", I said.

He sighed, "yeah, I'll see you guys later."

Ator left and shut our door behind him.

"Well that was a pleasant talk about death", Adelind sighed, "right before the biggest combat op of our lives."

I sighed, "of all the things."

"What's bothering you?", Adelind asked.

"Nothing", I answered.

"It's something", she answered, "you only try to bury yourself underneath me when something is really eating you alive, so what is it?"

I sighed, "how would you take my death?"

Adelind looked at me for a minute, then lay her head on my neck.

"Find a way to close the planet sized canyon just long enough for the kids to grow up", she said, "then die shortly afterwords."

The words were like a knife through the heart.

"That helped", I whimpered."Sorry", Adelind said quietly, "that's the truth."

I sighed at myself. The chance was there that neither of us would come back from this. There was the chance we both would and the chance that only one of us would. Either way, unless we both came back alive, the kids lost both of us, one to bullets or explosives and the other to a broken heart.

That couldn't happen.

We sat there in silence for what seemed like hours before the Draco gave a lurch and a humming sound came from below deck. We were on our way.