Page 77 of Ranger's Rise

I follow him out and to the simulator. There’s a drop-down on the computer that has every fucking position. Web is crazy with this shit. We try gunner and engineer. I’m happy with what we did, but it won’t be enough to explain the why. Cort needs the why.

“Boss?”

“I need to train the Officers, but Cort will want why we do what we are ordering. That’s a lot of information to explain to someone.”

He nods. “Big picture. Remembers like us.”

I’m surprised and nod. “Yeah, but I had eight years to learn. How do I get him the big picture in a short amount of time?”

He swings his head. “Boss knows Ops. Show him you.”

“How?”

He puts his hand out. “Tablet, Boss.”

“I don’t have one.”

He pulls his phone and types. “Office.”

We go to my office and he walks to the desk then looks around. A white box catches his attention and he smiles. “Tablet.” Fuck, how long has that been here? I remember seeing it last week but was busy, so I pushed it to the side of my desk. He opens it and waits for it to turn on then starts typing. These kids and the typing.

“Give him you.” He holds it out for me.

I take the tablet and laugh. “I will, thanks, Brother.”

“We have your back, Boss.”He follows me back to Ops.

Cort is still watching city feeds. “Do you have your tablet, Boss?”

“Yeah.” He bends pulling it out of his lower cargo pocket.

I type in Ranger Handbook and scroll to chapter eight. “This will explain the whys before the meeting and I can show you in the simulator.”

He reads the first page and smiles. “Huh, thanks. This is good. I still want you there, but I’ll read this before the meet.” He keeps reading and I watch his screens. “Fucking perfect. Thanks, Ranger.” He walks out and I look at Brinks.

“Tell me I’m not on a shift in Ops.”

He laughs. “I am. What did you give him?”

“The Ranger Handbook.”

He smiles. “I didn’t think of that. He’ll memorize it.”

“I have him on the aviation Chapter.”

“He’s got a photographic memory. He’ll read the whole thing. It will help more than explaining shit to him. He has nothing to go on now. With the breakdown of why, he’ll get it and apply it to the chopper Ops.” He’s a smart guy.

“Yeah. Akai told me.”

He laughs checking his feeds. “Akai said that?”

I shrug. “He said he knows Ops and to give him me.”

He stops smiling. “They’re so fucking smart.”

I laugh and walk out. Everyone in the fucking building is smart.

I get Freedom for ten minutes and I’m happy to see her smiling. “The chopper went out loaded. How was that?”