//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: Angels Among Us // by Dash32 //------------------------------// ‘Two days later’ This was it. No more playing around. No more jokes. No more bullshit. It was time to get serious now. Applejack and Rainbow Dash rose bright and early and got themselves ready to go on their very first mission. To say both girls were nervous was...well...an understatement. As they got their packs together and gathered everything they’d need for their journey. They both looked at one another and gave each other a small smile, as if to reassure the other that all would be okay. But the silence said it all. Both girls could feel the fear practically radiating from the other as tension rose. As they gathered the last of their needed items into their packs, they both cast each other one last glance before embracing each other in a tight hug. One of those hugs that was slightly painful, but neither girl cared and neither one wanted to let go, lest it be the last they ever see each other... “Y-You be safe now, ya hear?” Applejack said, her voice shaking with fear. Rainbow Dash gives her a small nod in return and responds with tears in her eyes. “Y-You too...y-you’d better come back...” “I-I’ll do my best Dash...” Just then, the door to the barracks slams open as General Sentry and Captain Spitfire walk through in full uniform, their faces as cold as ice. “Alright, listen up! Each and every one of you have trained hard for this moment! Every waking moment of the last few weeks has led you here. I’m not going to lie to any of you. Some of you probably won’t make it back...but this is what soldiers do! We lay down our lives to protect our home! Our freedom! Our very way of life! Without us, there is NOTHING standing between Uncle Sam and the savages in that God forsaken country that would rather see America burn to the ground! I want you to know I’m proud of all of you for making it this far! It has been an honor to have you in my Corps. Now it’s time to see what you’re really made of! We are Marines, are we not?!” “SIR, YES, SIR!!” “DO THE MARINES BACK DOWN IN THE FACE OF DANGER?!” “SIR, NO, SIR!!” “DO THE MARINES GIVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT?!” “SIR, NO, SIR!!” “ARE YOU READY TO PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE FOR HONOR, INTEGRITY, AND THE FREEDOM OF THIS GREAT NATION?!” “SIR, YES, SIR!!” “THEN LETS GET IT DONE, MARINES!!” “SIR, YES, SIR!!” “ALRIGHT! Now that all that is out of the way, Captain Spitfire here is here to brief everyone about the shit storm of a country you all will be heading into today! Show her the respect she deserves and you will all be okay! Listen to her, and she’ll get you all home safely! Captain Spitfire, you have the floor.” General Sentry nods over to Captain Spitfire as she nods back and takes a few steps forward. “Thank you General...As General Sentry said, I’m proud of how far you have all progressed in your time here! But the easy part is over now! Today, you all ship off to Afghanistan! For some of you, this will be the last time you ever see each other. For others...for others you’ll have the grace of God on your side! And you all have my solid word, that I will do my damndest to bring you all home in one piece! Those of you that don’t...i will personally make sure to inform your families myself. I will see to it! NOW, I hope your packs are big enough for your balls! Because you’re gonna need ‘em when we get to the hot zone! EVERYONE CLEAR?!” “MA’AM, YES, MA’AM!!” “GOOD! Then let’s go! Plane leaves at 1630!!” She says before spinning around on her heels and walking out with her hands folded behind her back. Applejack and Rainbow Dash cast one last look at each other before they both make their way to the plane. As the large grey fuselage of the C-130J came into view, both girls could hear their hearts hammering in their ears. Applejack looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was staring wide eyed at the large quad-engines passenger plane, and noticed her hand shaking with fear. Forgoing her own fear, Applejack reached down and grabbed Rainbow Dash’s hand in an attempt to calm her down. “Easy Dash, we ain’t their yet. We’ll be okay. Jes’ gotta watch out fer each other...” Rainbow Dash casts a glance to her blonde friend and manages a smile. “T-Thanks AJ...” “Anytime, sugarcube...” Both girls made their way onto the plane and took their seats before strapping themselves in, while a flurry of other newly released marines and airmen make their way on board as well. Once everyone had taken their seats the cargo bay loading door slowly closed, allowing everyone to cast a final look at the place they call home. As the engines of the plane start up, Applejack sees Rainbow Dash visibly flinch and gulp as the plane starts to move. “First time flyin’, Dash?” Applejack asks with a smile. “Y-Yeah...” “Mine too...” “Hope you all ate breakfast this morning! It might get a little bumpy...” Captain Spitfire yells with a smirk as she fastens herself into her own seat. As the plane lifts off, Rainbow Dash leans her head back as far as she can in a desperate attempt to calm herself in any way she can. For the majority of the flight, everyone remained silent, save for the occasional small talk from the other soldiers. As time passed, nightfall approached and that meant one last bit of sleep for everyone before they dive headfirst into the pits of Hell. Even as the plane ride made it extremely difficult for anyone to catch any sleep, most of them managed any way they could, even Applejack and Rainbow Dash managed to catch a few winks. Mere hours later, the pilot comes on the intercom, with a voice WAY too cheery for being early in the morning and for going where they’re going. “Gooooood morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the U.S. Shag-n-bag! My name is Captain Jonathan Forsythe and I will be your pilot for the duration of this flight! As always it’s an honor to have you aboard the FINEST C-130 the United States Military has to offer! This beautiful beast is equipped with fully loaded 105 millimeter gun, wing mounted Hellfire missiles, several infrared countermeasures, AAAAAND a full storage unit of flares in case evasive maneuvers are needed. If you look to your left and right you will see the familiar faces of those you trained with! Remember those faces and trust that they will keep you safe as I’m sure you would do for them! Now you may hear the sound of something bouncing off the fuselage of this aircraft, that is because we are currently taking fire from a small group of ISIS forces just below us as we go in for a landing. Not to worry though as it takes more than 30 caliber rounds to penetrate the hide of THIS monster. Right beside me is my copilot, Staff Sergeant Dale Chipmann! Sergeant Chipmann you DID inform our guests below they were on a game show didn’t you?” He asks, keeping a joking tone the entire time. “Awww shoot you know what? Must have slipped my mind Captain Forsythe!” “What a shame. In any case, show our contestants what they’ve won today!” “My pleasure!” Seconds later everyone hears the turrets of the plane moving to a different position. “Looks like they all win the same prize! A body full of lead!” The copilot tells before a loud ‘BRRRRRT!!’ Can be heard from inside the plane. Both pilots of the plane cackle wildly and address everyone else in the plane. “HAHAHAHAHAHA!! There they go! Looks like someone spilled a bunch of ketchup everywhere!” Captain Forsythe says with an audible grin on his face. Applejack lets out a gulp before looking toward Rainbow Dash, who had begun to look VERY pale. “I’m gonna be sick, AJ...” she says weakly, her eyes filled with horror. “I-It’s Alright Dash...j-jes’ be glad we can’t see ‘em...” Captain Spitfire unbuckles herself from her seat and stands up before turning around in front of everyone. “LISTEN UP! I know that this was a less than pleasant welcome to Afghanistan. But I’m going to have to ask you all to suck it up! These people have to deal with this every single day of their lives. We as Americans are fortunate that we’re not in the same situation. You should also count yourselves lucky that today is not the day you will be seeing combat! We’ve gotta get you all settled into your new homes first! As such it will be no different than the barracks back home during your training. The only difference between here and there is that sometimes, we DO take fire from the enemy at our base! In which case we will act with efficiency and defend ourselves to the best of our ability! Private Dash! As I’m sure you are aware when we go out into The Pit, you will be under my watch, and Private Apple will be under yours, am I correct?!” “MA’AM, YES, MA’AM!!” “GOOD! Then you and here are to be within sight of each other at all times if you are not being briefed by me! Is that understood?” “MA’AM, YES, MA’AM!!” “Alright! Buckle up, people! It’s about to get rough!” Captain Spitfire sits back down in her seat and buckled herself in as the plane descends, coming in for a less than smooth landing as bullets continue to ricochet off the planes exterior, only to stop when they are within the safety of the compound. “Thank you for choosing U.S. Shag-n-Bag! Your one stop flight for all your military needs! We welcome you to Afghanistan and hope you enjoy your stay!” Captain Forsythe says jokingly, making Spitfire roll her eyes. “Can it, dumbass!” As the cargo loading bay door lowers, everyone is immediately assaulted with the harsh 120°F heat radiating from the sun, in addition to the blinding light. “Here we are! Your new home until further notice! I will take you to the man that runs this place and he will tell you where to go! Those of you that are with me, you will meet me in the west wing at 0530 tomorrow morning, am I understood?!” “MA’AM, YES, MA’AM!!” “Very good! Follow me!” Everyone follows the woman in a single file line, staying out of the way of the other soldiers who had been there for a good long while. Some of them paid them no attention. Others looked at them with sorrow in their eyes. A select few of them stared the new blood down like meat on a stick, waiting to be devoured. It didn’t take long for their journey to come to an end. Captain Spitfire came to a stop in front of a door to a semi large building. She knocks on the door only to be met with a large gruff voice from inside. “ENTER!” She opens the door and confronts an older man in uniform, a cigar in one hand, his other hand placed firmly on the table where a map is displayed, a clear look of frustration on his face. Captain Spitfire walks up to the table and salutes the man, getting his attention. He looks up at her and the look on his face is replaced with one more stoic. “At ease, Captain.” He says calmly. Captain Spitfire lowers her hand to her side. “What can I do for you Captain?” He asks, starting down the new blood behind her. “General Jackson, we have some fresh recruits ready for deployment. I was ordered to assign the ones necessary to you so that you may take over and brief them on the situation. I will take my Airmen with me tomorrow and leave the rest with you.” “Thank you Captain Spitfire. Dismissed.” “Sir, yes, sir.” She says before turning on her heels, nodding to the new recruits and walking out the door. “So, you sorry bastards are the newest addition to the United States Military, huh?” “SIR, YES, SIR!!” Everyone replied. “God, help us...” He said before walking out the door and looking back at them. “Well then...let’s get a move on. I got shit to do. LETS GO!” “SIR, YES, SIR!!” Without anything else to say all of the new recruits, including Applejack and Rainbow Dash, follow the man out as he directed them where they would be staying. “Guess there’s no turning back now...” Rainbow Dash says quietly, to which Applejack smiles somberly and shakes her head. “Nope...were stuck here...” “....Fuck...”