It's 1973 and the Vietnam war has just come to an end. James Conrad and his partner in war, Sophia Dawson, are wandering the depths of Vietnam when they're visited by two curious looking Americans who say they'll pay them to lead a group through the...
The crowd had thinned leaving Dawson and Conrad still leaning on the wall. Brooks looked on from afar and his eyes began to calculate as to when he should join in the conversation. The pair had been recluses since they boarded the ship, only talking to each other and making polite conversation with those who bothered to introduce themselves.
Brooks figured that it was due to the solider inside of them. They were scoping the place out, figuring out where they stood before they made their place. San saw that his attention had been stolen. "Figuring out when you should join the conversation?" She asked and her voice brought his attention back to her.
He looked down at the floor and his face blanched from being noticed and San sent him a knowing smile. "Go on" she motioned him away and he nodded "Thank you" before he scattered off across the threshold.
Brooks should have known that they'd sense his presence before he spoke out, after all, they were trackers by nature. They looked up at him as he approached and hushed their whispers. Brooks had studied their files attentively before joining the ship and they were nothing but impressive - they had both grown up in the shadow of their parents who had fought in the Second World War.
Conrad's father had perished in the fight but Dawson had been lucky, her father returned but, not as himself. It was difficult for anybody to get treatment for shell shock, especially for somebody who had no money and no status. Brooks got why she had fled her home town and joined a new fight, but he didn't get how she had became partners with Conrad. They were from different worlds.
Conrad had grown up wealthy, born in Westminster and schooled prestigiously, where as Dawson grew up in the Bethnal Green and went to a comprehensive state school. Their partnership confused many, but after seeing how they interacted and reading the missions they had completed, Brooks was beginning to understand.
He approached with a smile "So you decided to join us after all?" His loud voice called out and the pair replied with weary faces, Conrad rose a brow. "Call it curiosity" Conrad replied "What made you think we wouldn't?" Dawson then pondered. Brooks put his hands up with a calm smile "Just seemed like you guys weren't that committed is all"
"Well, now that we know that we're dropping bombs on an uncharted Island, we definitely are"
Dawson was sarcastic by nature. Brooks pushed his lips into his cheek and waved his hands about as if to explain but San, the Biologist joined before he could. Dawson would always sound her displeasure at a job or mission and Conrad had learned to deal with it as part of her personality, and, after all, he usually agreed with her.
