Gunslingers

Jimmy, Johnny, Maeve, and I were heading to a compound today. There were rumors that American soldiers were captured, but our orders were to bomb and go. But if Americans were there, could we actually be the cause of their death?

"Come on, Syn, it's time to go." Johnny tossed me my helmet and we climbed into our bird. "Are we really going to bomb with the possibility of Americans there?"

Starting the plane, I didn't know how to respond to Christ. One the one had, we had orders, but the lives of fellow soldiers should outweigh those orders.

"I don't know." And I genuinely didn't. I would probably follow whatever Jimmy wound up doing. For this mission, I was his wingman.

We crossed the border into Iraq and started the strenuous journey to the compound. The flight was boring but somewhat scenic. Most people thought Iraq was just desert and dirt, but there was actually beauty to the country. If we weren't at war, I would visit this place.

"Rainbow Eagle to Golden Scheter, we're approaching the compound. We need a way to confirm the Americans are out. Can we do a low fly-by?"

"Rev, I don't think a low fly-by is a smart idea. They'll see us coming."

"It'll be perfect, Syn. You fly low to see and then we fly by and drop."

We passed another mountain range and Johnny clicked into the conversation. "And if there are Americans there?"

"Then it becomes a rescue mission. Coming in to the spot in five," Jimmy said.

Sighing, I started to fly lower. If we got in trouble, all I had to say was that Sullivan was involved. We needed to see if our own were there.

"We doing this, Gates?" Johnny asked.

"Yes."

Our plane drifted low as we neared the compound. My plane passed right over it at a slower pace than I'd normally do. There were dead bodies all over but no signs of American soldiers.

"Rev, there's only bodies. Clear to drop."

Johnny and I took as as Rev's plane flew over the compound. We saw the compound light up and headed back to our base.

"What about the soldiers?" Maeve asked.

"Apparently no longer our problem," Johnny said, "They're on their own."

That left a sour taste in my mouth. We were abandoning our own because the mission was over. Sometimes being a pilot sucked. I wish I could just search for them.

"This sucks," Maeve said.

"Yeah, it does," I said right back.
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Johnny and I walked to our shared room on the carrier. We were both quieter than we'd be after a normal mission. There was a feeling of dread dangling over us. We should have searched for those soldiers. It was going to haunt me until I heard about them. If the news was bad, I don't think I could rationalize our leaving them behind. They'd be hurt or dead, and we would have done nothing.

"Do you think we could go back our and look for those soldiers?" I asked Johnny as he opened our door.

We both striped out of our flight suits and put on our light combat gear. Johnny stared at me and shook his head. "Pretty sure it's like treason or something to steal a plane."

"I feel guilty that we barely looked for them." I flopped down on my bed.

Johnny nodded and sighed sadly. "Yeah, me too. I wish we could look for them too, but we can't, Syn. That's not our job, and there are people out looking for them."

I nodded. Short shit was right.

Notes

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days, shit was weird in Portland. But I am home now after a lovely visit with my sister and her boyfriend.

Please rate and comment and go check out my new fic: the Legend of Beowulf!

Heretic Blood