“No! Not those ones!”
Scarecrow’s tablet display lit up with the first sergeant looking to the left, a flurry of activity behind him. His deep, baritone voice boomed at a higher than normal decibel, “I told you, the other ones. Yeah. Those ones. Right there.” He turned to face the monitor. “Better make this quick, Commander. We’re just about to deploy.”
“Is Major Cooper with you?”
“No, Sir. She’s at the rear staging position with the other company commanders, being briefed by the general and receiving their positions on the line of defense. What can I do for you, Sir?”
Scarecrow hesitated for a moment while the first sergeant fidgeted, anxious to be about his duties and preparations. “I need a favor, First Sergeant.”
“Name it. I told you–we owe you for letting us off our leashes on that snakehead mother ship.”
“I want you to make sure you bring Major Cooper back alive and in one piece.”
The first sergeant’s face lit up with a broad, toothy smile. “You don’t need to ask me that, Sir,” he said. “That’s our job. Every man and woman in this company would lay down their lives for the major without so much as a second thought. Don’t worry, Sir. We’ll take good care of her for you.”
Scarecrow smiled and nodded, masking his concern. “Thank you.”
“C’mon, First Sergeant!” Lieutenant Phillips yelled from off-screen. “Get off the horn and get your act together!”
“If that’s it, Sir, I gotta sign off. We’re movin’ out.”
“Go, Sergeant. And please, don’t mention to the major that we had this conversation. If she finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Aye, Sir. Don’t worry, I’ve got yer back.”
“Thanks, First Sergeant. And watch your own six while you’re at it.”
“Aye, Sir. Out.”
The monitor went dark as Scarecrow sat with a blank stare. His anxiety level was rising by the second. Thinking about Sandy in a combat situation was bad enough, but combat against seven-foot reptilians made his skin crawl. He knew what she was facing. He’d come toe-to-toe with the scaly brutes on the mother ship when he rescued Cooper and her Marines. He realized what she must have been feeling every time he left on a mission. She was right–it wasn’t fair for him to put her through that kind of concern. He loved her too much to subject her to what he was experiencing at that very moment.
As he rose from his console, he heard a soft rap at his hatch. He opened it to find Lieutenant MacPherson standing outside, her timid posture evident. She was out of her pajamas, and accoutered in her flight suit. Scarecrow stood stone-faced as she threatened to wilt from his stare.
“Permission … to enter … Commander?” She struggled to get the words out.
Scarecrow’s expression was emotionless. “Come in.” He retreated and sat at his console once more, drumming the surface with his fingers.
MacPherson stepped through the hatch, too timid to step into the room. She moved to one side, hugging the bulkhead and stood silent for a moment, ordering her thoughts. Then she spoke, “… I… want to offer an apology for my behavior earli–”
“You mean your misconduct.”
“Yes, Sir.” Her mousy reply was almost imperceptible. She stared at the deck as she spoke, not daring to look Scarecrow in the eye.
“Apology accepted. Dismissed.” He waited.
“Sir, if I may–”
“Go ahead, Stacey.” His expression remained unchanged.
“Sir, I’m sorry!” she blurted as she looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “I know I lost it out there, but I realize now that I was wrong.”
“You mean once you heard that I managed to grease Black Bart, all of a sudden you got your mojo back?” He stood and approached MacPherson. “I’m not buying it, Lieutenant.”
“I … I was being truthful when I said I don’t want to die–”
“None of us does. But that doesn’t stop any of us from doing the job.”
“But Sir … Sir, I’m only 27 years old. And I want to have a baby someday.”
“Then you need to make a choice, Stacey, because when I first arrived, Hutch gave me a tour of this Boat, and I don’t recall seeing any daycare centres onboard. Anywhere.”
“What I meant to say was … when we were hit and spinning out of control, I thought it was over. When we bounced off Oleander’s shields, the MFD went critical, and I managed to shut it down, but then I saw the CAG get hit, and I was sure he and his crew were dead. I … I just–”
“When I called for a status report, you weren’t unconscious, were you? You froze, didn’t you?”
MacPherson dropped her head and resumed staring at her toes. “Yes, Sir …” Her eyes shot back up, pleading with him once more. “Sir, what I’m trying to say is, I’ve got my whole life ahead of me, and I panicked. There are so many things I want to do. To accomplish. I didn’t want it to be over. Not so soon.”
“You told me last time we spoke that I let you down.” Scarecrow stood and with a gentleness contrary to his stare, he clutched MacPherson by the upper arms as he looked into her eyes. “That hurt. A lot. When I look at you, I see my little sister, Samantha. You remind me of what I believe she would’ve looked like if she was allowed to grow up. Your mannerisms, the way you talk, all reminds me of her.” Scarecrow’s voice softened. “You need to understand, Stacey, I consider you family. I look on you as my other little sister, and I’m desperate to keep you safe. They took Sammie from me–from right in front of me! And I was helpless to stop them. I went through that horror once. I will never let that happen again. Especially not to you.”
A tear trickled down MacPherson’s cheek.
“You’re the best SO in the fleet, Stacey. I wanted you to fly with me during my last mission, but Lieutenant Matheson had to step in to take your place. Your rightful place. Because of Cody’s resourcefulness, we got the job done, but it should’ve been you. You, Vince and I are a team. The best team I’ve ever worked with. I don’t want anyone else watching my six. By powering down the MFD, you saved our lives. My life. Vince’s life. Your own life. But I can’t have you sitting behind me flying missions if you’re going to continue to harbor this ongoing, deep-seated fear.”
“Sir?”
“This is not an isolated incident. I saw the tear on your cheek during the briefing before we took out the first BCMS. I saw your anxiety when you realized someone had sabotaged our bird. And whenever we put on our VRI helmets and we’re connected by the neural interface, I can sense your apprehension. You’ve been harboring this for a long time.
“Every single day we crawl out of our racks prepared to lay down our lives for the Program, knowing full well this could be the last day we draw breath. We’ve settled that issue in our hearts and minds before we even put on the uniform. A lot of good people have already made the ultimate sacrifice, and you dishonor them with your hesitation. I want you back. Back as my SO. Like I said, you’re the best at what you do. But you’ve got to come to terms with this fear of dying before you can hope to be of any use to me.”
“Sir, I love what I do. Every day’s a rush. I don’t just crawl out of my rack–I leap out of it. I know what you’re saying is true, about my fear of death, and recently I’ve allowed it to get the better of me. But I can deal with it. I can get over it, I promise. Please let me make it up to you.”
“I can’t have you freeze up on me, again, Lieutenant.” Scarecrow’s warning was firm. “The enemy has launched their attack on the Mars Base, and it’s all or nothing right now. Everybody needs to be all in. When this is over, a lot of good people won’t be coming home, and as much as I want to keep you safe, there’s a very good chance you and I could be among them.”
MacPherson stared off to one side, weighing Scarecrow’s words.
“There’s no room for doubt or hesitation.” He stared at her with an intensity that was undeniable. “Are you prepared to do what’s necessary?”
Lieutenant MacPherson looked back up at Scarecrow, and for the first time in a week, he saw that her determination was back.
“You can count on me, Sir. You have my word. I won’t let you down.”