Something about this camp didn't feel right from the outset. Sure, it was highly defensible, but it didn't feel like any old military camp. Even accounting for a possible convoy getting separated, there were way too many high-tech-looking devices.
For a country with the resources like Japan, and the full might of the United States now turned onto the islands in the pacific, this camp should be packing no more than what we carry on our backs. But here were well-built huts, houses, a command center... and a concrete ammo dump. Inferring from all the warnings posted around the doors, I assumed whatever was in here was extremely sensitive. Sensitive enough to keep a chain and lock on two reinforced doors. This wasn't so much to keep others out than it was to keep whatever this is in. With Moon and Qibli's help and a pair of bolt cutters, we got those doors open. Immediately I was met with a strange... drone. Buzzing noise? A hum? It's hard to describe, but whatever was in there was producing that noise.
The hell?
Pardon my thought, but that was the only proper response to this situation. Somehow, Goldman and Reed pushed on. For some reason, I looked towards McManis. He only shook his head.
I got a bad feeling about this.
I took a deep breath, I was not about to let my men possibly run into a den of Japs just waiting to ambush us. With a shiver, I stepped into the concrete structure. And just as quickly, the world went silent. Only the humming persisted.
I have never felt this much at peace before. Even my tinnitus succumbed to the absolute silence, the total peace of whatever this room held.
As much as I wanted to sit here for a long time and just... think, I had a job here. And it wasn't done.
Then again, it wouldn't be done for a while.
I half waited a second for Moon's cheerful and insightful response, but she didn't speak.
Moon? Do you copy?
I asked, now requesting her response. But there was nothing. Looking around, there were crates upon crates of something.
"Stay frosty."
Kish's words echoed around this dank industrial structure, nearly making me jump, it reverberated so much. Like he spoke right in my ear.
"Go silent."
"I don't fucking like this."
I whispered, and McManis whispered with more gusto. I just shivered and moved on. Inching slowly forwards, our path dimly lit with electric lights. I kept my rifle at the ready, this peace was getting unsettling.
Suddenly, I felt something well in my abdomen, spreading quickly to my chest.
"Hey, Lieutenant?" I heard Travers' voice echo behind me, but... he seemed so far away. He was right behind me. I keeled over as an intense migraine enveloped me.
Death.
Fire and death. My men... burning. Their screams.
"No." I reached out for them. I tried to grab Gosling's hand, but his skin tore away from him. Fire engulfed him as he screamed in horror.
"No!"
I saw the rest of my men, trying to reach the door, but everything was surrounded by the pits of hell.
"No!" I screamed, gaining a moment of lucidity. I stumbled backward, Travers managed to catch me.
"Lieutenant!"
The world was blurry, imagination meshed with reality. I couldn't tell what was up from down anymore. The visions came back, filling my world with pain.
I saw myself at the door of a big grey building, burning inside. My men, burning inside.
No. I can't let this happen!
But the vision persisted. Goldman burning, McManis burning, Gossling burning, many more I could not see.
"Lieutenant! Are you okay?"
I blinked fast, my entire body shaking.
"W... We have to get out of here." I stammered out.
"What?"
"What for?"
"He's going crazy again, I knew our leader was a coward!"
"Shut up Goldman!" McManis ordered.
The visions came back. The maneuver squad stood outside, but me and McManis were inside. The world was filled with red and heat. I felt my skin boil, peel into the flames. The screams were inaudible, but I could still hear them clearly in my mind.
"The Lieutenant! We can't go on like this." Travers held me.
"He's having a panic attack. It's fine. He's a coward and a lowlife, Mexican piece of shit." Goldman spat.
"No, we have to get out." My head throbbed, my spine was freezing in the arctic, my heart felt like it was being ripped out.
"Marvin, are you okay?" Kish approached.
"Why don't we leave? It's Marvin's order." Hastings asked.
"I ain't listening to a word that man says!"
The maneuver squad safe, Goldman burning, Hastings burning, Gossing burning.
"No, we all have to leave, or we're all going to die." McManis stated.
"Says the superstitious son-of-a-bitch."
"Says the man who has the next most experience!"
McManis was safe. The MG squad burned. Ammo cooking off like firecrackers
"Says the assistant squad leader!" The first time Kish ever raised his voice, the room went silent. Suddenly, I heard a sniff.
"Fire. That's fire." Towne exclaimed.
"We need to go. Now!"
"He's right, where there's smoke, there's fire. Travers turned to Goldman. "Stay here and die, Corporal, we're getting out."
Travers caught me by my collar and dragged me out. My head spun as I tried my damndest to keep balanced.
Fire, death, all evils still flashed before me. McManis slingshotted me out and away from the doors. The world returned to me, but that didn't make my pain go away. Moon caught me before I hit the ground, then recoiled when my vision returned.
Fire, death, explosions. My men are in danger. Danger I put them in. Danger I forced them into.
"Winter!"
"Moon! What's wrong?"
Moon looked down at me, picking up my head. "Marvin, was there anybody else in there?"
I looked up at her, then weakly shook my head. She nodded to Winter. He promptly jumped up and hosed down the building with his frost breath.
"Get back!"
Qibli and Turtle jumped on the doors, forcing them closed.
A deep rumble shook the ground. All my men hit the dirt.
The building shattered, sending fragments in all directions. Moon shielded me with her body. Qibli covered the maneuver squad, Winter managed to be between Goldman and the explosion.
We held fast, I heard rocks and shrapnel pelt her scales. Hailstones, larger than anything I've ever experienced. But my headache stopped, I could think clearly now.
As soon as this hellish storm was over, Moon let me see the night sky again. The cold breeze hit me, and I wished for an instant she kept me surrounded. Safe, warm, away from the pain I knew all too well. But the sight of my men broke through. I half stumbled on my splint, checking them over.
"Travers! You're okay."
I patted him down, no blood. I moved to McManis, patting him down.
Then I moved to Kish, he was fine.
They were fine, all of them.
I breathed a sigh of relief, falling to my knees. I cried, whispering silently.
"Thank you Lord. Thank you so much. For saving my squad, my dragon friends, me. They're okay. Lord keep us our good fortune, do not let us suffer from temptation. Deliver us from evil. On your honor lord. May my soul be yours alone to command."
I heard a metallic ca-chink. I drew my eyes up to face down a stinger machine gun.
"Goldman!" I gasped.
"Shut up, Marvin. If that's even your real name. I don't even know if you're even telling me the truth now." He talked like a man with a conviction.
"Goldman ... why don't you put the gun down, and we'll all go talk it over back at base." Kish tried to intercede.
"Why now? Why there? Don't you want to know how our amazing squad leader predicted two major disasters?"
His words froze everyone where they were. Still on the ground, I felt the attention shift to me.
Yeah, he did predict the plane crash, and this dump exploding.
Goldman's right. How did Marvin know about this?
The only way I could see how he predicted this, was if he set them up themselves.
That did it.
"Goldman, I did not sabotage the plane or the ammo dump!"
He stumbled back, recovering and keeping his gun on me.
"H-how did you know I was thinking that?" Fear eclipsed him.
Marvin, don't tell him. Not right now.
No, he'll know if I lie. He'll kill me.
Then I'll kill him first.
"No!" I said aloud, startling everyone. "I am not going to let you kill anyone Moonwatcher"
The Nightwing stepped down and away, but a low growling still emanated from at least one of the three dragons. The rest of the men were all in ready position, the tense situation put everyone on edge. Nobody knew who was an enemy.
"Goldman."
He only stared at me with cold, ... dead eyes. Eyes that revealed he did not show any restraint for killing, for any reason. Just give him the opportunity.
"Goldman."
"Sir." He growled, almost turning it into a "cur."
"Would you believe me if I said..." No. I shouldn't tell him. They don't trust me now anyways. I'm going to lose their support. We'll all be left for dead.
"Spit it out!" Goldman screamed at the top of his lungs, I whimpered a moment.
"Goldman."
"Stop wearing out my damn name and just say it already!"
"Okay! I can see the future alright!" I barked out, breathing hard.
Everyone took a step back. I awaited his response, but none came.
"I'll get these... visions. Sometimes in advance, a few minutes, I don't know how far ahead yet. But they're real, they actually do happen. That's how I managed to save the plane, how I got you guys out of the dump, and even..."
"What? I'm tired of your bullshit!"
He raised his gun at me. I closed my eyes.
"Wait!"
I opened them to see Hastings pointing his little carbine at Goldman. Goldman seemed to back off for a second, scoffing.
"Really Hastings? You're siding with them. He's a traitor! How else would he have known about these things in advance? He's a Nazi spy, and a damn good one I must admit."
"Then tell me, Corporal, why would he try and save us then?" McManis finally stood forward, holding his rifle at the ready. "Why would he try and make an effort to keep us safe? He got us all down alive at the plane, and just now. If he was a spy, we would be dead before we left the tarmac."
The squad chartered in agreement. Their thoughts had circled around to possible motives, and they all pointed towards me being genuine about what I said.
"So he's a saboteur who doesn't want to get people killed. Big woah. There's been a few around, what makes me believe that you aren't one?"
"Because-" I blurted out, killing myself inside for having spoken.
Goldman let down his weapon, walking with a vengeance. He picked me up with his hand, threatening to choke me.
"Because what asshat? Because you are a traitor?" The squad was in full chaos, guns were being pointed, sides were being taken. I didn't realize that my cross had somehow slipped off, and was in Travers' possession. Moon finally put her foot down, roaring loudly.
"Because I can see him too!"
Goldman froze for a second, not daring to move a muscle.
"W-she says, Moon, that she sees him. That he's not a traitor." Travers stammered out.
Goldman chuckled, looking over behind him. "What? You can suddenly understand dragon now?"
"It's the truth though!" Moon yelled.
Goldman let me down, and I collapsed back onto the ground
"Marvin... your Lieutenant... can read minds."
"What?" Travers exclaimed.
"What? What did she say?" Goldman demanded. Travers stuttered for a moment.
"It's true," I said, clutching my throat, speaking softly. "I can... somehow, read minds."
A silent hush came over the squad. Everyone didn't know what to believe.
Marvin can read minds?
That's impossible! That's fairytale shit!
That would explain a few things though.
Oh shit, how much does he know? Does he know about what I did? What I did to others?
Everyone's mind was racing. Travers stepped up and said,
"It's true. Moon is vouching for him."
"And she can do the same," I added, out of breath.
While there was no sound, internally, everyone chattered away. Unintelligible thoughts flashed through my mind, my head became uncomfortably warm. Goldman only shuffled his weapon back into place.
"How can you prove it?" I'm not some sucker like anyone else here is.
"And you're not." He furrowed his eyes. "You're not, Goldman. You're the best Machine Gunner I've ever met. I wouldn't doubt for a minute you or your abilities. I'm only asking for you to do the same. Whether you trust me or not, I'm behind all of you."
That made him back off.
This is wrong. He can't see inside my head. He can't know about me.
"And yet I can, somehow. I don't know if it's a curse really."
"No. This is wrong. This is wrong!" He bolted. Dashing into the forest. I only hung my head and let tears well up in my eyes for a moment.
Over the mental commotion, I heard soft footsteps. I looked up to see Travers, my cross in hand. Offering it to me.
"Is this true? I want to hear it from you." Please tell me it's not. I don't know what I'll do if he finds out about how many men I've killed, and that I feel no remorse.
He was so shocked, he needed to hear it twice. I sighed, taking my cross in exchange.
"It is true. And you don't have to worry, I'm much the same way. All the bodies, I've seen so many, they all look the same. Just... with different uniforms."
I heard him gasp a moment, before stepping back.
I tried getting up on my own, but my splint had slipped out of position. I went down with a cry and a crash.
"Marvin!" Moon rushed to my aid, although I put my hand up to stop her. I tried getting up again, using my rifle as a crutch, but it slipped in the soft dirt, nearly causing me to faceplant in the mud. McManis walked over, kneeling down.
"You talk in your sleep Jerez." You poor, pathetic soul.
I could do nothing but look hopelessly into his eyes.
"Do I?"
He said and thought nothing as he knelt down further, picking me up by my shoulder. He still let me lean on him, and walked me back to the group. They were conversing amongst themselves, but their thoughts hollowed out to the sounds of gunfire and rain. When they saw me approach, I could again hear their thoughts clearly.
He's a danger to all of us.
He's useful. He could help us win the war.
He is valuable, to both us and the enemy.
He lied to us. He's been convoluting with these dragons since the beginning. What else is he hiding?
What else could the Lieutenant be hiding? Maybe something worse?
I hung my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
Don't worry about them. They haven't seen things the way I have. The scruffy voice of a veteran.
"T-Thank you... McManis" He just looked over at me and smiled.
"Alright. As you know, the lieutenant has some... abilities he did not fully disclose at the outset. Whether or not he made the correct decision to tell us is irrelevant. What he did do was put the safety of all of us, over the potential backlash of such abilities. As such, I propose we do not subject him to a court-martial, instead, we will journey on our own path. With... or without Marvin."
I felt a shiver run down my spine. I was being relieved of my duty. The worst part was that my... the men nodded and thought in agreement. Sensing the situation, Sergeant Kish walked up to me, looking at my rugged self all over.
"While I do not fully approve of this, I cannot risk losing more men than I have to Marvin. You know that."
I whispered, nodding. "I know."
"Then you know, you will be welcomed back, when you can regain our trust." But I'll keep you in my thoughts.
I nodded again.
With a heavy sigh, Kish made a circular motion with his finger. The men, heads hung low, began to march away.
"Wait!" Qibli shouted. I translated.
"These are skyfire. All of these pebbles. They can block mind-reading abilities if you keep them close."
"Guys, grab the black pebbles. They can block any mindreading if you keep them close. Grab a few, save one for Goldman."
Kish just seemed to look over, his eyes glossy in the flickering firelight. All he did was motion to the men at the rocks. As they all bent down to collect one or a few, one by one I felt their minds come under that all too familiar hum. Travers took one last look at me before he picked up his.
I wish you well... Lieutenant.
Yet even his mind, vanished from view.
The world had gone dark again, and I felt cold inside.
I hadn't stopped to think about how I took this feeling for granted. Maybe it was how I was able to understand people so well? Maybe I had it all this time? No, that wouldn't explain it. These powers, these abilities only appeared before the plane crashed down.
A true mystery. But now I had a bigger problem on my hands.
I was alone, without the help of my squad. Only a day's worth of rations at the most, with depleted ammunition, and nothing more than the clothes on my back. I couldn't return to camp, I couldn't return home.
I was stuck, I was alone,... I was helpless.
I could do naught but hang my head and cry. My dirty hands brushed up against my grimy face. The numerous scratches I formed. The permanent pain that welled from my leg. It was all too much. It was all too much.
A terrible thought crossed my mind. I still had my pistol and a few magazines. I could go without going through all of this. I would be able to see my friends, my family, everyone together... in heaven. I could end it all right here, and it wouldn't cost a thing.
Don't.
Moon's voice echoed in my mind. I knew she knew my plight. But even still, it felt like she knew nothing. But she still came and sat with me.
"Marvin. I know it's bad for you right now."
"Bad is putting it lightly." I managed to make out between sobs.
"But... you can keep moving forward. Like I did."
"Like... you did?" I looked up to her.
"Yeah. I had to tell my Winglet. Qibli, Kinkajou, Turtle-"
"Winter didn't take it too well," Qibli interjected.
"No kidding! I just found out my older brother was not dead, and my sister was out for revenge for Scarlet!" Winter growled.
"But... we are still here. Even though life feels like it's over, it's not. And for me, it was more of a beginning really." Moon resigned calmly.
I sniffed. "Howso?"
"Well..." She trailed off, but visions of her journeys flashed before me.
"Wow." I sniffed. "I guess being a guy with those abilities isn't so bad after all."
"Yeah, it's a useful tool. As long as you use it the right way of course."
"Oh, don't give me any ideas." I sobbingly chuckled.
Qibli smirked, Winter just rolled his eyes. But then reality hit me. It was cold, it was dark. I had nowhere to go, and I was helplessly immobile.
Could I set up here? I'd probably get myself killed by dragons looking to kick the Japs off their island.
"Actually, Marvin." I turned once again to Moon's voice. "Do you think we could take him back to Jade Mountain?"
Winter seemed to toy with the thought, while Qibli answered quickly.
"Sure. But he might get hassled."
"I'm fine with being hassled. Just as long as I don't die." I cleared away my tears.
"At Jade Mountain, we can all but guarantee that."
Me and Qibli chuckled.
"If you guys will have me."
"You made it through one trip, why not another?"
That settled it then. With a massive groan and seething pain, I managed to drag myself aboard Moon. While not to say climbing vertically with my right leg broken wasn't difficult, finding purchase on tiled dragon scales was way harder. I made my way to my usual position, grabbing hold with my hands only instead. I tried hooking my legs, but it only caused a blinding pain that nearly knocked me off.
"Go easy. Please." I hissed in pain.
"I will. Let's go."
She carefully lifted us off into the night sky.
The cold air made me shiver, and I remembered all the supplies that remained at the camp. My trench coat, my cot, a few memorandums, a few bits and bobs that I would've liked to have kept. But then I felt something pricking me from one of my pockets. I dared let one hand down to try and adjust whatever it was. I pulled out the small metallic object.
It was Campana's two silver bars, which shone in the moonlight. I couldn't bring myself to let it fall, but I knew I no longer deserved this honor. It was dark, and I was exhausted from the fighting. No shape to be a diplomat. I was so exhausted I think I fell asleep on the flight there.
The next thing I knew, Qibli was carefully lowering me down onto a bed of leaves. I barely noticed a pink and yellow RainWing snuggle up against me, enveloping me with her wing and her optimist aura. She made me feel just a little bit better.
I was too tired to notice or put up any resistance, I probably only had six or seven hours of true sleep during my entire time here.
As I drifted off, I made out Moonwatcher's calming voice. She was talking to another dragon, but she kept looking over at me. She kept a smile, sending me comforting images and thoughts. While I would've liked to say "thank you" before I used a service — ie. falling asleep before I say thanks for the bed — there are some things better left said tomorrow. Right now, it was a total shit-show, that's the only word I could use to describe it. I let down all my objectives, necessities, and everything else to be picked up tomorrow.
There was no hurry. I, quite literally, had my entire life here ahead of me.