Page 13

LINDA

T he wind bit at Linda's exposed skin, but as she rounded the final turn, a surge of exhilaration pushed past the chill. Project Brutus was almost over. Now it was a straight shot to the company area the last exercise of the field exercise would be complete.

Up ahead, the line of the platoon stretched out, Brutus's different colored uniform sticking out. Stepping out of line, she jogged up the middle of the road to catch up to him, falling in next to him. "How're you feeling?"

Brutus's face was once again roughly the color of swiss cheese. He nodded grimly.

"Orkin gave me what he called 'Ranger Candy.' He laughed when I asked him what it was. Told me nothing compared to what I'd get from the Bluecats, but it'd take the edge off."

Linda huffed a small laugh herself. "Eight hundred milligrams of ibuprofen. You'd be surprised at how much you can get done on a couple of those."

Brutus nodded, keeping his head down. "Yeah well, he lied, or else I'm in worse shape than I thought. At least I've got one thing going for me."

"What's that?" Linda asked, and Brutus looked up to glance along the line of the company, two platoons in a single line on each side of the two-lane road.

"You guys look tired too," he said, cocking a little grin. "I guess fifteen miles takes it out of everyone."

Linda couldn't disagree. Her knees screamed with each step. Sixty pounds of gear, plus the ache of fifteen miles, made every muscle protest. The pack, body armor, and equipment she carried was almost one and a half times her normal body weight.

"Just a half mile to go, and we can drop this crap," Linda assured him. "First platoon might already be able to see the company area even."

"Cool," Brutus grunted. "But I'm going to be so happy to have a hot shower."

"So will everyone," Linda said. "Which means, of course, that we're going to drain the barracks water heater and nobody's going to get more than five minutes of middling hot water."

Brutus grunted again. "That'll be a start. I can get the sweat and stink off of me at least."

When they reached the company area, Linda gratefully dropped her rucksack, mimicking the practiced movements of her team, and was relieved to see Brutus do the same, he was fitting in. She unstrapped her body armor, feeling pounds lighter as the weight lifted off her shoulders.

Up front, Major Kirk brought the company to attention, and looked around.

"At ease!" he called, grinning as the company relaxed slightly while staying in their organized lines. "Well that's a fun way to greet a Sunday, isn't it?"

"Hooah!"

Kirk laughed. "That's what I thought too. Which is why I had a little discussion with the XO, and Captain King had a great suggestion. One final surprise extra duty."

Linda glanced down the line of the squad at Brutus to see his reaction. The man had just endured a three-day training exercise where he'd slept in a sleeping bag on the ground, eaten nothing but field rations, and gone through almost half a dozen different training scenarios.

None of it was hard for the members of Charlie Company, but it had challenged Brutus to his limits. He'd spent three days not only not being the best in the group but getting subtly embarrassed constantly. Like Orkin had wanted, Brutus had gotten shot more than once during the exercises.

Yet he held his demeanor throughout the entire exercise, not complaining at all.

He did it now too, not letting any disappointment show on his face as a few other members of the company groaned.

Perhaps he was just in too much pain to care, he still looked like he was holding back a scream by sheer force of will.

But then, Major Kirk smiled. "Today's last duty is... a barbecue. So go stash your rucks in your rooms or your vehicles, and get your weapons cleaned and checked in. Captain King and I will get the barbecue started. Right, Captain?"

"Long as you didn't forget the gasoline, sir!" King called, getting plenty of laughs.

King was a good XO, and everyone in the company thought they were lucky to have an officer like him as second in command. In any other unit, he'd have already been a company commander, but that's the way the 3/3 operated.

Linda took her ruck sack into her room, dropping it off before quickly changing undershirts, pulling on a warm and dry shirt to go along with a fresh polypropylene top.

Outside, the sun immediately felt warmer as everyone found a spot to clean their weapons.

Music broke out as someone, probably Tyrone Crews judging by which window it came from, turned on a stereo.

"So how's it look?" Brutus asked, offering her the M4.

Linda ran a practiced eye over the weapon. "Good job. Really good. You actually got it cleaner than some of the lifers. How'd you get the barrel clean so quickly?"

"DJ showed me," Brutus said, referring to Derrick Jackson.

Brutus had become familiar with the lower enlisted, and Linda approved. They openly called him 'Superstar' or 'Brutal,' while he would often refer to them by their company-given nicknames as well.

"Instead of using the normal swabs and solvent, use a length of string and a thin strip from an old sock. He loaned me his."

Linda laughed, nodding. "I use the bottom hem out of an old t-shirt personally, but same effect. Okay, go check with Sergeant Lincoln and get your weapon checked in. Sergeant Lincoln, got a check for you!"

Weapon cleaning didn't take long, and as shimmers of heat rose over the barbecue and Captain King and Tyrone Crews got food onto the heat, Major Kirk formed up the company again.

"Brutus Townsend, front and center!"

Brutus jogged around, limping slightly, but Linda didn't think anyone would connect that with his secret. After fifteen miles, many first-time marchers had blisters and sore feet.

"Brutus," Major Kirk said when Brutus got in front of him, "for the past week, you've been more than a guest of Cranked, you've been a hard-working member.

Not perfect, but I never expect perfection from my new soldiers.

But your time with us has reached its end, and as of the end of this barbecue, I can gladly say that you are honorably discharged from your time in Charlie Company, Three Three Infantry. "

The company cheered, and Brutus shook the Major's hand. Linda felt proud, and knew it was the strangest temporary assignment she'd ever complete. But she'd done her job well... if not perfectly.

You crossed a line with him, she thought guiltily. But you pulled it back. And maybe that pull back is what got him to turn the corner. He certainly has been different since the arms room.

She nodded to herself, reminding herself of her mistakes. She'd learn from them.

"Thank you Major Kirk," Brutus said as the Major ceded the speaking position to him. "Uhm, I'm really, really hungry y'all, so I'm going to keep this short."

"Damn right you will!" someone called to general laughter.

Brutus grinned lightly.

"Yeah... yeah. Look guys, when I showed up last Sunday, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'll admit, I didn't think it'd be half as tough as it's been. And for about the first hour and a half on Monday, I thought I was cruising along. No offense to the PT test."

There was general laughter. Brutus joined in before sobering.

"I quickly learned my lesson. Or at least started to.

Over the past few days though I've seen even more.

I know that the fans, the sports writers.

.. hell, even my other fellow football players, will say I'm a warrior.

That we go out onto the field of battle.

It's football culture, I guess. We feel a lot better about ourselves and our salaries when we say we're going to battle when we're really just going to play a kid's game.

But the truth is Charlie Company, you're tougher, you're more dedicated, you're more warrior than I'll ever be.

You've humbled me, but more importantly taught me a lot.

Uhm, I'm not done with the Army, as you guys can guess I've got quite a few more league-mandated charity events and things like that to do.

But this week? This means a lot to me, and I hope to carry the lessons of this week into the other events, and into my future.

Ah, I'd like to give special thanks to Alpha Team, Second Squad, Second Platoon.

You guys really have hand held me when necessary.

So DJ, Keishi, Dawks... thank you. I wish I could meet Hollywood, because he's lucky to be working with you guys.

And the same goes for the chain of command.

Sergeant Castellanos, Sergeant Orkin, Lieutenant Parker.

.. look, everyone in Charlie. I don't want to name you all because the burgers I can smell would burn, so just..

. thank you. And I plan on staying in touch if you guys would let me. "

There were cheers at that, and the barbecue started. It was a typical infantry barbecue in Linda's eyes, with lots of meat, a decent amount of charred corn on the cob or other vegetables, and now that the firearms were locked away, a decent amount of beer for those who wanted it.

The smell of charcoal and sizzling meat filled the air, mingling with laughter and the clink of beer bottles. Linda savored the taste of a juicy rib, the sauce tangy on her tongue, as she watched soldiers relaxing after a hard week's work.

About halfway through, Lieutenant Colonel Remsburg came by in civilian clothes, shaking hands and checking on the troops. Eventually he made his way over to Linda, who was still gnawing on a rib.

"Sergeant Castellanos, how was it?" he asked, smiling. He was trim and dressed casually, his civilian jacket clean and neat on his compact body. "I'd say a bunch of the credit goes to you."

"The credit goes to the whole team, sir." Linda wiped her right hand clean on her pants before shaking the offered hand. "And to Brutus too. He worked hard."