"I can't believe we are doing this. Are you guys kidding me? A day away," Mills complained while the Jeep stopped at the harbor. "One day away! And, no, now we gotta go to another island, with another jungle"
"Vietnam's not an island, dumbass," Cole corrected him.
"Well, Key West is" Mills defended himself. "And that's exactly where I need to be right now. With a drink in my hand"
"Key West ain't an island either. It's a key."
"You ain't funny, Cole."
They made their way through the crowd to the ship that leads them to the last-minute mission that Colonel, Packard, had accepted so gladly.
"You do understand me, right Slivko?" asks Mills, approaching the soldier. "Sure you feel like me, you would like to be at home, in your bed, with your girlfriend"
"Ex-girlfriend," corrected again Cole.
"I doubt that would have happened anyway..." said Slivko trying to play down the issue.
"What do you mean? She wrote you all those letters, she must be waiting for you."
"Slivko never answered her," said Cole.
"That ain't funny, Cole."
"But it's true."
"Yes, well... It's complicated" tried to explain, without success, Slivko.
"One worse than the other," Mills said, looking from Cole to Slivko. "Nuts! Come on Reles, let's look for a place away from these two, it can be contagious" He went up the ship dragging his mate.
Slivko smiled at Mills's comment but began to wonder if he had not screwed things up. At first, not answering her letters had seemed right. He had made it clear: she should go on with her life. But now that the letters stopped arriving and the war was over, he saw things from another angle. The truth was that he had never imagined he would come back. «When one enlists», his father used to say, «gives his life to the Nation.»
"Last mission soldier!" said Cole striking him on the shoulder and going on the ship.
Slivko adjusted the bag on his shoulder and followed him.
Meg was one of the first crew to board. First and foremost because she hated being late, and second because she wanted to avoid the temptation to back down. When leaving her house she had run into several groups of people celebrating the end of the war. Arriving at the airport was a tough task, tempted all the time to get off the taxi and join the festivities.
"There she is!" field supervisor Victor Nieves greeted when saw her enter the meeting room. "My new field assistant" Open his arms welcoming her.
"Hello sir," she replied amused by his excitement. "I wanted to thank you for this opportunity..."
"Nonsense" Nieves said shaking her hand "You were the most qualified; everyone at LANDSAT is impressed by your work."
"Thank you, sir,"
"Stop calling me sir, tell me, Victor," he said with a big smile.
"All right... Victor," she repeated.
"That is! Now let me introduce you to the team."
Megan follows him to a small adjoining room filled with transmission devices. There, a group of no more than five people was finalizing details for the meeting.
"Attention, I want to introduce you to Megan Fox, the new field assistant."
"Hello!" Megan greeted smiling.
"Hi," a young man approached. "I'm Brooks; this is my partner San and this is..."
"Randa," Megan said in a thin voice as she saw the big, white-bearded man.
"So Fox," Randa said shaking her hand with a smirk.
"Did you know each other?" Asked Brooks.
"No," said Megan letting go of him. "I mean yes... from a talk at the University..." she lied.
Randa looked at her but did not comment.
"Megan!" Nieves called from the meeting room "Could you bring me a coffee please?"
"Whit permission," said Meg and took the opportunity to sneak away feeling a little dizzy.
The meet with Randa had taken her a lot by surprise. She took several deeps breath, trying to clear her mind, as she walked the hallways looking for a coffee pot. It was obvious that no one knew about the link that bound them, if that could be define as a link. The man in question was her absent father. He and his mother had separated when she was a baby. According to her mother, Randa was obsessed with mythological creatures or something like that. He had spent the family's savings on investigations that only led to their bankruptcy. Megan had seen him only once; or twice if the current meeting counts. On that occasion, she saw him at a conference at the University. There, she corroborated that the man had lost his mind. He had some crazy theories about passages under the earth. The conference was short and doesn't have a happy ending. The students of the prestigious university had zero tolerance for nonsense. She began to regret having agreed to join the expedition. Anyone who worked with Randa must be just as crazy.
"Sorry miss," a man dressed in moss-green apologize for hit her.
Megan shook her head, still a little lost, and looked around: was surrounded by men dressed in that monochromatic uniform. Soldiers board the ship and head to the meeting room. «The only thing I lacked,» she thought, stepped aside and watched the men pass her by. A light chestnut hair reminded Slivko and made her heart skip a beat. Whit her stomach churning and sweating cold, she made her way through and went downstairs in a hurry. She stopped when she hit the rail.
"Are you ok?" asked a woman passing by.
"Yes..." Megan said holding her breath. "Sailing is not my thing."
"We are not sailing yet."
"My body knows what's coming."
The woman smiled gently. "I'm Mason Weber, photographer", said.
"Megan Fox, assistant" she shook her hand.
"Do you know where the meeting room is?"
"For that stairway," she said pointing to the hallway she had traveled. "In the back."
"Thanks. Are you sure you're okay? I could get you a pill for dizziness."
"That would be awesome."
Megan took her time to get the coffee. She came and went considering jumping out of the boat. Finally, she decided that was not a very good idea. She preferred to deal with Randa and the soldiers and not face the certain death that involved throwing herself overboard. «Very reasonable,» she thought.
When she returned to the meeting room, it was already quite advanced. Nieves was in a corner while Brooks explained how they would proceed.
"We'll fly in over the south shore and then strategically drop seismic charges to better help us to understand the density of the earth," he said.
"You're dropping bombs?" Asked a man who Megan had not noticed. He did not dress as a soldier but not as one of the LANDSAT scientists.
To tell the truth, she had entered the room with the aim of not looking up from the floor. The number of soldiers that were there made his hair stand on end and she was afraid to don't be able to get her nausea under control.
"Scientific instruments," Brooks said, trying to soften his words.
"You hear that boys?" Said Slivko. "We're scientists now!"
Megan had arrived with Nieves to deliver his coffee when she heard that unmistakable voice and looked up to meet his ex's. The smile on Slivko's face, result of that innocent joke, vanished when he saw her.
Megan left the room as fast as she could. She locked herself in the bathroom and released all his indigestion. «I should have thrown overboard when I could!» she thought. What the hell was Reg doing on the ship?
"Megan? Are you there?" said Weaver knocking on the door. "I have the pill if you still need it."
She opened the door breathing fast, sweating and with her messy and wet hair stick to her forehead and neck.
"Thank you," she said, taking the pill and the glass of water that Weaver offered her.
"You look terrible..."
"Is the meeting over?" said she looking in the mirror and trying to put herself together.
"Yes, a soldier is looking for you."
"Where?"
"I think he's still in the meeting room."
"Great," Meg said and headed for the other side.
She went on deck, needed a breath of fresh air. Her head was a thousand per hour. After all that time waiting, she didn't feel ready to face him, what would she say? How would he react? The soldiers were leaving the meeting room. Without thinking it twice she slipped into the cargo compartment. There she would be safe and could think WTF to do.
«You're a coward Megan Fox,» said to herself as she spun among the stacked boxes. Ammunition, explosives, cartridges... She was surrounded by weapons... Why there were so many? The smell of gunpowder stirred his stomach, and the room began to spin.
"Are you ok?" Slivko held her before she fell round to the floor.
She felt his sent, smelled so good, salty and sweet at the same time.
"Yes," said coming to herself and letting go of him.
They stayed in silence for a few seconds. She was staring at the floor with her arms cross, trying to keep her shaking body under control. While he couldn't get his eyes away from her. Thousands of thoughts go through Slivko's minds; he wants to tell her so many things but didn't know where to start.
"How are you?" said he finally.
"Fine. And you?" answered she without looking at him.
"Good..."
"I'm glad," she said and turned to get away.
"Meg, wait." He took her arm to stop her. "I am sorry..."
"Why for?" She said letting go. "For leaving me? For didn't answer my letters? For being a bonehead?"
"For all" said he scratching the back of his head. "I just wanted you to continue with your life."
"And it went very well!"
"It's good to hear..."
"You're such an Idiot!" Meg turned on her heel.
"Wait, Meg!" He stopped her again. "I'm sorry! I am sorry! I know I'm the biggest bonehead off all, but I did it because I love..."
"Don't you dare!" She said pushing him. "That stupid decision had nothing to do with me!"
"It was the best for both of us."
"Then why are you here if the best thing is to be away from me?"
"Because I'm weak and selfish..."
«Straight to the heart,» Meg thought. She knew he wasn't any of those things.
"When you stopped writing me, I went crazy!" Reg continued, pulling on his hair with both hands. "I began to think that you had found someone else and... I couldn't stand it; I can't stand it... Please," he said, taking her by the waist and bringing her to him. "I'm here now..."
She was trapped in his arms. He was strong; it wouldn't be easy to escape. Did she want to do it? He leaned his forehead against hers and when he saw that she wasn't struggling to get away, he smiled.
«That smile...» Megan thought.
"Ups!" said Weaver. "Do we interrupt?"
The man Meg saw in the meeting, a tracker or something, was with her.
"Were you two kissing?" The man asked making her blush.
"Of course not!" Meg said and left in a hurry of the place.
Slivko went after her.
"Meg!"
"I hope," she said, stopping before going on deck. "That you never go through what I went through"
"Meg... please..."
"Good evening, soldier," said and lost from sight.
Reg stayed there savoring the meet. Was so close! He almost reached her lips! He felt fate smile at him again, felt that he had an opportunity, a second chance. After all, she had allowed him to hug her.
Megan locked herself in her cabin and threw herself on the bed in a bun. After months, she had finally seen him again; they had spoken and he had hugged her. She remembered his smile and his sent. «Do not be so weak, Fox!» She said to herself. «Resist.» But she couldn't get that image out of his head.