Page 11

LINDA

L inda forced herself to focus. Despite the distracting thoughts of Brutus, she had a job to do.

"Sergeant Castellanos, got a minute?"

Linda looked up from the notebook in her palm, seeing Lieutenant Parker and Sergeant Orkin waving to her. Snapping her notebook closed, she gave them a thumbs up before quickly turning her attention to Derrick Jackson.

"Okay, so you and the rest of the team run Brutus through how to do a Swiss seat, get him set up for rappelling during the field exercise."

"You're going to let him go down the tower?" Jackson asked incredulously.

Linda laid out the plan. "He'll go down the wall side first only if he's any damn good will I send him down the free rappel side. And no way is he carrying a load."

"Shit, I plan on Spidermanning the fucker," Jackson said with a grin. "Bet Superstar can't do that."

Linda almost smiled at Jackson's antics.

Even the casual nickname "Superstar" grated on her.

She needed to get a grip. She was about to say something to Jackson about the nickname she'd heard over the past few days for Brutus, but when Orkin cleared his throat she dropped the matter for the moment.

Instead she turned and hurried over to Orkin and Lieutenant Parker, who was looking at her in amusement.

"Yeah, sorry sir." Linda glanced at her fire team. Jackson and Satomura could hold the fort. A status update on Brutus. She wondered if this was going to be good or bad. "I was going over this morning's training plan with Jackson. He and Satomura can handle things for a few minutes. What's up?"

"Wanted to talk about Project Brutus," Parker said. "We're almost at the halfway point, and Major Kirk wanted a status update. How are you feeling?"

Linda thought for a few moments before answering, because she was having trouble separating certain things into their proper perspectives.

Finally, she said, "It's complicated, sir."

"How so?" Parker asked. "You seemed pretty satisfied Monday at least."

"Yes, but that was... that was the beginning of the week," Linda said. "And on the surface, I don't have too many complaints. He's worked his ass off at the tasks I've given him, and more than once he's told me that what he's seen people do is tough. But..."

"Ah, the but." Parker chuckled. "Sergeant Orkin was just telling me about the but. How about you repeat it for us, and then you can add your two cents, Castellanos."

Linda paused. It was true. It wasn't that he was mouthy but his presence...it was hard to ignore. Especially when he looked at her. Blue eyes focused with intensity. A football player's body honed and ready.

"I gotta agree, sir," Linda admitted. "It's not that he's mouthy.

He's never mouthed off when I've told him something.

But when he talks to the rest of the squad, he's a little too direct, and you can get this sense that he wants to take charge and either have everyone do it his way, or just have everyone focus on him and tell him exactly how to do it.

He's not much of a passive group learner. "

"Give me an example," Parker said.

Linda swore the man sounded almost slightly amused.

"Of each."

"Sure sir. Like this morning, we're doing that adjusted PT so we can deal with his.

.. issue," Linda said, alluding to Brutus's ankle, "and as soon as we break out into fire team relays on the calisthenics, he's just going balls out, pushing everyone.

I had to tell him twice to shut up and listen to the count I was giving, and I could tell he definitely didn't like that. "

"Okay... and the other?"

"Well, check him right now sir." Orkin nodded in the direction of the storage container where Brutus was gathered with the rest of the fire team.

It was clear that the student was in charge, as he was directly telling Takeshi Satomura to do something with the knots on his Swiss seat.

"See what I mean? He's the lowest on the totem pole, but he's making everyone dance to his tune."

"And in a normal situation?" Parker asked for clarification.

"It's be more of a monkey see, monkey do sitch, Lieutenant.”

Linda was far lower on the totem pole but she did trust the man, they'd fought and even bled together on missions. He was smart and insightful... if sometimes a bit insufferable.

"He's not just a football player," Lieutenant Parker explained. "He's a man who, if his bio's at all accurate, has been bred since birth to be a take-charge type."

"Okay. Look, Brutus Townsend isn't just a football player.

He's a team captain for the Bluecats, and on the field he's the guy who's supposed to call the defensive plays.

It's a mentality that's deep in his soul.

Some people have problems letting go of it unconsciously.

I ran into that in Ranger school, as you can guess.

Most of my class were officers or had been in long enough to be NCOs.

You try getting an entire platoon of lieutenants and staff sergeants or older together and get it to run.

On paper, it seems easy. Well-trained, intelligent people, right? In reality, it's a clusterfuck."

Linda hadn't been to Ranger school, but Orkin had, and he chuckled. "Especially when you're sleep-deprived, sir. Although Brutus isn't sleep-deprived. Reports from the barracks say he's a good boy when it comes to his rest. The man's usually in his room and snoring by nine-thirty."

Linda nodded. It was true. She'd even checked on Brutus personally, and had to fight back an emotional urge to do more than just listen to the muffled sound of his snoring through the door. It was almost, she hated to admit to herself, cute.

"So he's squaring himself away. We just need to put him in a position where he has to not only be second banana, but accept that position and rearrange his internal thinking on the matter at hand.

" Parker tapped his chin with a forefinger.

"Okay. Well, effort-wise, he's getting passing marks and I'll tell the CO that.

But tomorrow's going to be a big test for you all.

Sergeant's Time, which means I'm going to be missing out on everything while you two run the show.

Sergeant Lincoln's going to be getting the final touches ready for our field exercise on Friday. What's your plan?"

"You and I were thinking similar things, sir," Orkin said. "So we're going to do some old-fashioned soldiering for the platoon. Range Eighteen, you know it?"

"The FBI training area?" Parker asked. "Yeah, of course. You requested it?"

"We're going to go Fortnite the fuck outta the place, sir," Linda explained with a grim little smile. "Fire team against fire team, using simunitions. While I'd like my team to win at least a couple of rounds, I'm expecting Brutus to get shot in the ass at least once."

Parker laughed, nodding. "Good plan... and I have to confess, I'm a bit jealous.

While you two get to do some real training, I'm going to be spending from oh-seven to ten-hundred hours meeting with the other officers in the battalion as we all get briefed up on the upcoming Combined Federal Campaign charity drive. "

Parker left, and Linda looked at Orkin. "So, what about Brutus?"

"Look, let me take your fire team over this afternoon. Have you run Brutus through a firearms familiarization class yet?"

"Not yet, but I didn't think we'd need much," Linda said. "Half hour at the range tomorrow to make sure he doesn't shoot himself in the balls and that's it. More time for hooah soldier shit."

"Nope, let's do this by the book," Orkin said. "We keep him safe, and that means he knows the guts of an M4. So dust off the old classroom training mat, get him down in the armory, and go over the weapon with him this afternoon."

"Will do," Linda said reluctantly.

It wasn't that the class would be difficult. She could break down, clean, and rebuild an M4 in her sleep, and could walk a blind man through familiarization with the weapon.

But the armory was the most isolated area of the Charlie Company offices, in the basement next to the supply cage where nobody went unless they either had to get something or were fucking off, trying to avoid work.

But since the company was doing almost exclusively group training activities today, there were no chances to disappear for slacking off.

Which meant she'd be alone with Brutus.

And what she hadn't told Orkin, or Lieutenant Parker, or anyone yet... was that part of what worried her about Brutus's personality was that she found herself tempted to give in and listen to him too.

A very primal side of her liked the idea of Brutus Townsend taking charge.

More than once last night, she'd had idle thoughts about the sight of him shirtless, those rippling muscles and powerful hands on her skin, those searing blue eyes looking into hers as he told her exactly what to do. .. on her knees.

And in her idle thoughts, she could see herself obeying those commands.

Which could be very, very dangerous for her career.