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Jack and Jill: Army

Ansley Gilmore

Copyright © 2014 Ansley Gilmore

Published by Ansley Gilmore

All rights reserved. This book or any portions thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Characters, institutions, organizations, and events mentioned in this novel are either the product of the author's imagination or, if real, used fictitiously without any intent to describe actual conduct.
Chapter 1

Headquarters

Lt. Jill Jacobson sat in Major Phelps's office, staring at the floor, trying to avoid eye contact with the major. She noticed her foot feverishly bobbing up and down and willed the nervous limb into calm submission, then glanced at the major. He was looking straight at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her. She tried to imagine how to interpret his stolid facial expression. Was he thinking she was incompetent, a weak woman, unable to stand the rigors of combat? Did he have second thoughts about assigning her to a sniper team? What if she didn't succeed, would she ever be able to face him, her father and three older brothers?

She glanced at the clock. Sgt. Jack Savage should arrive any minute. He was going to be a far greater problem than the major, especially when he found out that his new sniping partner is a woman.

Her nervous foot resumed its uncontrollable bobbing . . .

***

The warm summer air from the open window blew through Jack's short military haircut as he drove the Army Hummer to his meeting at headquarters in Fort Carson, Colorado. He pondered his situation. Jack was an expert at killing people, and he didn't need someone telling him how to do his job. If he were going to serve under someone, he might as well be someone who is worthy of respect. Some of the academy graduates were in the Army just for an education. Some wanted to push a pencil, or train soldiers. Those officers couldn't care less about killing enemy soldiers.

The only thing Jack knew about his new partner was that he was a recent West Point graduate, and that his last name was Jacobson. Jack wanted to be in charge of the new sniper team, but he was a sergeant so Lieutenant Jacobson's higher rank would be a bit of a problem. Jack knew he had to be careful not to cause too much trouble about the difference in rank. But, why didn't the Army put Jack in charge? For that matter, why was a commissioned officer on a sniper team? Officers never served as snipers. Jack tried to relax. He knew he had been picked for this mission because he was the best sniper in the Army. That gave him bargaining power, and he knew it.

Jack parked in front of headquarters next to another Hummer and jumped out. He strode to the steps of HQ and bounded up the squeaky stairs two at a time. Arriving at the front door he felt energized and ready to meet with his new boss. Inside HQ he walked, as if on autopilot, down the long hallway to the office of Major Phelps. He knocked, entered, and carefully closed the door without turning his back to Major Phelps who sat at his desk. He noticed the major had a cute new secretary. She sat in one of the chairs in front of the major's desk. She wore her long black hair in a ponytail, and her petite nose was flanked on either side by cute reddish-brown freckles. Her loose military uniform was not able to hide the curves of a slender, sexy woman.

Jack stood at attention. "Sergeant Savage reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease, Savage. Have a seat." Major Phelps had a sober look on his face as he motioned for Jack to sit in the chair next to the secretary. "Savage, we need to talk. The new mission you've been assigned is dangerous, and I mean dangerous with a capital D. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Sir, I want to go on this mission because it is dangerous. I don't want any easy jobs. I can't prove my true value to the Army if the mission is easy."

"Good. The Army needs more men—I mean, soldiers like you." The major glanced at his secretary when he corrected himself. "Now, before we continue any further, I want you to meet your new partner, Lt. Jill Jacobson."

Jack saw Major Phelps look at the woman who sat next to him. At first he thought he misheard what the major said; or maybe the major had made a mistake. He paused and waited for Major Phelps to correct himself. Silence. _No, this can't be true. Phelps couldn't really mean what he said._ Jack waited another moment. His heart began racing. Then the major looked at Jack. Reality began to settle in. In shock, he took a deep breath and slowly turned his head toward the _female_ who sat next to him. The skinny girl was not the major's secretary; she was Jack's new sniping partner. He should say hello, but he couldn't speak. He should salute, or shake hands, or do something, but he couldn't move.

***

Lt. Jill Jacobson knew the Army of the 1990s had not warmed up to the idea of women in combat. Jack was going to be shocked when he found out that his new partner was a woman. She was ready for his mistrust. Four years at West Point proved she could hold her own against the Army's brightest and toughest male officers. Jill had read Jack's file, and it had said he was tough, so it might take a little while, but in the end she always got her way. She was confident that she could argue with and, if needed, intimidate any man in the Army. She told herself that Jack Savage was no exception. She was determined to win the cat and mouse game that was to ensue. She would start with a friendly approach and use her charm to befriend him. If that didn't work, her determination combined with her fast thinking, and years of studying Army books, would quickly prove her superiority over Sergeant Savage _. I don't care if he doesn't want to shake my hand. The only thing that matters is that he learns to obey my orders without hesitation. What could go wrong?_

Chapter 2

General Hayes's Office

General Morrison burst into General Hayes's office. "What in the blazes have you done? This new sniper team has a woman on it! What are you thinking?" I rarely lose my temper, but this is unforgivable.

General Hayes's eyes focused steady on Morrison. "I don't want to hear your complaints. If you don't like it, go talk to General Knight."

"Don't give me that," Morrison said. "We're going to settle this matter here and now. I'll say it again, what are you thinking?"

"Okay, if you really want to know, there's a new mission in South America. It involves a drug lord. We don't want to kill him. We just want to rein him in. He's shipping lots of hard drugs to the United States and our youth are literally dying because of him. So, we are going to kill his second-in-command, and we are going to do it while they are standing side by side. That way he'll know we could kill him any time we want. Then he'll get the message, and stop shipping drugs to the United States."

"But—well—is this authorized?"

"Look, you know how these things go. There's no paperwork that's going to provide a trail back to us," Hayes said. "The two snipers are the only ones in real danger, and only if they get caught. That's why we formed this new team. They are new and young. They know this is a dangerous mission, but they have no idea how dangerous it really is. On the other hand, we need to do everything we can to help them succeed. So we took the valedictorian from the last West Point class, Lt. Jill Jacobson. Then we looked around and found the best sniper in the Army, and that's Sgt. Jack Savage. Together they are the best of the best, and hopefully that magic recipe will not only accomplish the mission, but will also bring them back alive."

"But, she's a woman," Morrison said. "I mean—well . . . you know what I mean."

"She's going on the mission."

"Why?"

"Because she has to."

"But why?"

"All right, if you really have to know, here's the whole story. First, these missions don't always go as planned. So we always plan on some sort of redundancy in case of a problem. In this case Sergeant Savage is the best sniper in the Army, but there is always the remote possibility that he could get injured, or possibly . . ."

"Killed?"

"Yes. If that happens we need the best back-up plan possible."

"Just how is sending a woman is the best back-up plan?" Morrison asked.

"She's the best shot of all the Army officers."

General Morrison leaned forward and put both hands on the edge of the desk. "You want me to believe that with all the officers in the Army, we can't find one that is a better shot than a woman? Do I look like an idiot?"

"If her father was still on active duty I would send him, but he's retired."

"Her father? Who is her father?"

"Shooter."

"Shooter's her father?"

"Yes. Now do you understand why she is such a good shot?"

"I know he had a daughter, I didn't know her name. I guess all those father-daughter hunting trips that he talked about finally rubbed off on her."

"There is one more thing you should know, Morrison. This is the Nineties, and the Army is looking for ways to promote women serving in the military. A woman on a sniper team will be great publicity. She's young, attractive, smart, and gung ho. After she has a few kills under her belt, she'll be transitioned to a high visibility position where she can be a poster girl for the Army."

General Morrison slowly sat in the large leather chair in front of General Hayes's desk. He intertwined his fingers and rested his hands on his sizable stomach that tugged at the buttons of his uniform. "Hmm, I see. If Savage and Jacobson succeed, we get a pat on the back, and maybe a promotion. If they fail, nobody knows we were involved. Then the parents receive a condolence letter stating their death occurred during a training mission."

General Hayes smiled. "Thank you for understanding. I expect your full support."

Morrison gazed at the ceiling as he pondered the situation, then he looked straight into Hayes's eyes. "I understand the logic of what you did, but really, shouldn't you have used a more traditional approach? After all, we're talking about the possibility of a woman being captured, tortured, and maybe even killed. That will be a bad situation. And if word leaks out it will be bad for the Army, and even worse for us. Besides that, I will never be able to look Shooter in the eye again."

"I don't care what other people think," Hayes growled. "I didn't get this position by thinking like everyone else. And I really do think that this mission has a good chance of success. I read the files on both soldiers. They are perfect for this mission, and they are perfect for each other. Their skills and personalities will complement each other. I know it will be difficult for them at first, but when Savage gets comfortable with a woman leading the mission, everything will go smoothly."

Morrison shrugged. "One more question: why not kill the drug lord instead of his brother?"

"The drug lord has connections to the Colombian government, and so the CIA considers him a potential asset. After he gets over the death of his brother, they think he will be scared for his own life and open to helping us influence the Colombian government officials."

Morrison took a deep breath and pondered again. "Hmm, you think the mission has a good chance of success. Are you willing to wager a bet?"

"Certainly."

"And the prize?"

"Same as always," said Hayes.

"A steak dinner?"

"Yep."

Morrison tilted his head back against the leather chair as he thought about what he had just done. He sat in silence and realized he just wagered a steak dinner against the lives of two young soldiers, one of which was a female, and the daughter of a friend. _I never thought I would ever say this, but I hope I don't win this bet with General Hayes._

Chapter 3

Headquarters

In Major Phelps's office, Jack continued to stare silently at Lieutenant Jacobson. _I don't want to shake hands with a woman who is going to be commanding me in the field._ Finally, the silence was broken when Phelps said, "Savage, it's okay if you shake hands with your new partner."

Jack still couldn't speak, but he was able to reach out and grasp the outstretched hand of his new partner. He took her hand in his and noticed that it was petite, soft on the back, but calloused in the palm. While shaking her hand he said, "Nice to meet you . . ." But Jack struggled to finish his sentence. After several seconds of silence, he swallowed hard and forced himself to finish his sentence by adding the last word, ". . . ma'am."

Lieutenant Jacobson flashed Jack a friendly smile and said, "I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance, Sergeant Savage."

Jack's throat felt like sandpaper. He struggled to maintain his self-control. _Why did the Army do this to me? I am a well-developed sergeant, talented beyond all others in the field of sniping, not to mention hand-to-hand combat, pistol skills, light anti-tank weapon skills, and navigation. Why do all of these skills have to come under the authority of a pencil-neck female that just graduated from the academy? I need a partner who knows more than just books. I need someone who instinctively knows what to do in a combat situation, someone I can count on to watch my back._

Jack was so lost in his mental tirade that he forgot to release his grip from the lieutenant's hand that he was still shaking. Jack noticed the muscles in her petite hand tighten, then her hand straightened, and with a firm twist she nimbly slid it out of his grip.

"Before I let you two get acquainted, I need to run a couple of things past you," said Major Phelps. "You two will be going to training camps before you get your assignment. First, you will be attending jump school together."

"But I have already done that." Jack raised his voice ever so slightly, just enough to emphasize his point, but not enough to be considered insubordination.

Phelps glared at Jack. "Yes, but this is HALO school. I read your file and I didn't see HALO in it. Savage, do you know what H-A-L-O stands for?"

Jack took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Then he responded in a slow, reticent voice. "High Altitude, Low Opening." He saw this as the only good omen so far. He always wanted to do a HALO jump. He did the civilian equivalent when he was in high school. He made many of these jumps from airplanes at twelve thousand feet, and then sky dived to two thousand feet, where he pulled his ripcord. He then floated to earth on a high-performance parachute that steered like an airplane and could land a man on a target the size of a golf cart. Now he would be able to do the military version, which started at a much higher altitude—thirty-three thousand feet. That required the use of bottled oxygen, which sustained him until he got to twelve thousand feet where the air was thick enough to breathe.

Major Phelps continued with a stern face. "After that I want you both to go to the upcoming sniper competition at Fort Benning, Georgia. You two will have a chance to demonstrate your abilities as a sniper team. Remember, only the best go to this competition, and so the winner is literally the best of the best. I fully expect you two will win the competition."

That was another good omen. Jack realized that this would be a good opportunity for him to gain more leverage with the Army by winning the sniper competition.

"After that, if all goes well, you will come back to HQ and get your assignment. Do either of you have any questions?"

Jack didn't know how to respond. He wanted to say that everything was good except for the part about working with a pencil-neck female, but he knew better. So, he simply said, "No, sir."

"Alright, why don't the two of you get out of here and start getting acquainted. Go out and have some beers and do some male bonding—I mean get to know each other."

Lieutenant Jacobson and Sergeant Savage stood, saluted the major, and exited the room.

As the two walked to the parking lot, neither spoke. Finally, they stopped next to the two Hummers at the edge of the parking lot. Jill broke the silence. "Before you say anything, I want to say that I know this isn't what you were expecting."

Jack glared at her. _Woman, that's an understatement._

Jill continued, "The upside is that the Army picked us for this mission because we are the best of the best, and anything less than that will have a sour ending for everyone: you, me, and the Army."

Jack pondered her words. The thought of having a female partner in combat made him grind his teeth.

"So, if we both keep our eyes focused on the successful completion of this mission, we should see a nice future in the Army." Jill smiled again.

Jack understood the logic of her statement. But, somehow it just didn't seem right. To make matters worse, Jack realized that for the successful completion of this mission, he needed to work on his attitude.

"Ma'am, we have a long way to go. So let's not sing Kumbaya too soon."

Jill smiled again. Jack decided that he did not like it when she smiled. He sensed that it was a sign of optimism on her part, and right now he was not very optimistic. _If she thinks she can use her smile to impart some of her optimism to me, then she has a lot to learn._

"Savage, do I detect a little bit of your competitive spirit coming out?"

The pleasant rebuke made Jack even madder. The veins in the side of his neck bulged. He knew he was losing control. He did the only thing he knew how to do. He took a don't-care attitude and then spoke his mind, "Ma'am, you seem like a nice lady, but in the end, I want a partner I can trust. It's going to be difficult to trust someone that is fresh out of school, a woman, and a skinny woman at that."

Jill's smile dissipated. "Good, I think we are making progress. I wanted to personally hear you say those words. I suspected that you would feel that way. I am glad that you have admitted to your weaknesses. Now you can start the process of modifying your inept attitude."

Jack was furious. He felt like he was going to explode. Both hands clenched. He wanted to strike her, but he knew that would be the end of his career, so he did nothing.

Jill responded to his silence. "By the way, Savage, it works both ways."

Jack wanted to continue his silent rebellion, but his curiosity got the best of him. He managed to speak the words, "What do you mean 'both ways'?"

"Savage, it's true that you are stuck with me, but I am also stuck with you."

Jack's hands clenched tighter as he searched for words to express his frustration. Again Jack restrained himself and said nothing.

"Have we put all of our cards on the table?" Jill asked.

Jack was still struggling for words, so he simply nodded.

"Good, we're definitely making progress . . ." she said.

***

Jill felt relieved that she won the first argument with her new partner, if you could call it that. She sensed his quiet rebellion, but at least he saluted her before departing. She returned his salute, climbed into the Army Hummer, and drove off. She looked in her rear view mirror as Jack climbed into the other Hummer and drove away. For some reason, Jill did not have the sanguine sensation that she usually felt after winning an argument with a male soldier. In a way, she felt sad, like she had hurt the feelings of a good friend. But how could that be? She had only known him for less than an hour. She tried not to think about this. After all, her job was to be his boss. I have to be tough and smart. Otherwise he will never respect me. Once I earn his respect, everything will work out. Who knows, maybe in the distant future we might become friends.
Chapter 4

Jack's Troubled Youth

Jack lay in his bunk bed that evening, but couldn't sleep. Beads of sweat dripped down his face, but not from the heat. He was looking up at the spinning ceiling fan, while he was thinking about the problems he had with his new partner. _What should I do? I could ask for a transfer, but I don't want to pass up an opportunity like this. It's too enticing to prove my abilities on a black ops mission. I could ask the major for a different partner. But Major Phelps was not the type that changed his mind easily._

This situation was one more in a list of life-long challenges. Jack began reflecting on his childhood and problems he had at an early age. His thoughts drifted back to the car crash. He and his parents were driving home from vacation in Colorado Springs when it happened. They were only an hour from their home in Denver when the thick fog rolled in. His father could only see one car length ahead. He slowed the car to fifty miles per hour. Jack heard his father talking to his mother about looking for a motel to spend the night. Then his father slowed to forty-five miles per hour. His parents were looking on both sides of the road for a motel.

Jack's mother said, "Any motel will do. We just need a place to stay. It doesn't have to be nice, just a shower and beds for the three of us."

His father slowed to forty miles per hour. Jack sat in the middle of the back seat of the car. His mother sat in the front seat on the passenger side. Their 1965 Ford sedan did not have seat belts so it was not going to provide much protection for the forthcoming collision.

Five minutes earlier, a lone driver was struggling to see out his snow-streaked windshield because of ice that was starting to form on his wipers. He pulled off to the side of the road so he could wipe the ice from the wipers. Unfortunately, in the dense fog, he didn't realize that he had only pulled halfway off the road. Almost immediately a car rammed into the back of his vehicle. Then the chain reaction began. Car after car plowed into the rear of the previous car. The fog was so thick that each driver did not see the previous car until it was too late— _boom, boom, boom_ —the noise was deafening.

Jack's car was the seventh car in the pileup. They had no time to prepare for the violent crash. He remembered a loud sound, like a thunderclap. Then everything went black. When he woke up it was still dark. He felt someone tugging at his feet. His father pulled him out from under the dashboard. The crash had propelled little Jack over his mother's seat, and he landed headfirst by her feet. He looked up at his father and saw blood dripping from a hole between his lower lip and chin where his teeth had penetrated after hitting the steering wheel. Jack's father realized his son was shocked at the sight of the blood and so he tried to calm him.

"I'll be all right," his father spoke in a purposely unruffled voice. "I am going to help your mother out of the car. Why don't you grab a handful of snow and bring it to me so I can put it on my cut to slow the bleeding." Jack felt good that he could be useful. As he climbed out of the car, he thought he could smell a faint scent of gasoline. He scurried halfway down a steep embankment at the edge of the road. There he found fresh deep snow that looked like it would be suitable for the task. He carefully scooped a large handful and tried not to get any dirt mixed in the snow. He turned to take it to his dad. _Boom_ . . . a swirling ball of orange flames and black smoke shot straight up into the air. Jack froze. Then he ran as fast as he could up the embankment, his feet slipping in the snow. Cresting the top of the embankment he saw flames spewing from the car windows. He began yelling, "Mommy! Daddy!"

An onlooker grabbed Jack as he tried to run toward the flaming car. He struggled to pull free. The flames burned a long time. Finally, he realized there was no hope. He stood in silence as the light from the flames illuminated tears running down his face. The fiery image burned in his mind, never to be forgotten. He wanted to scream, but only silence escaped his open mouth.

The onlooker grabbed Jack's head and held him close to her winter coat as if to protect him from the flames and thoughts that were flashing through his mind. _Mommy! Daddy! How could this happen? Why did it happen? What will happen to me now?_

The flames were slowly dying as the first ambulance arrived. A medical technician took Jack's hand after being informed of his plight. He guided him to the front seat of the ambulance. Jack waited for the trip to the hospital. _I don't know who is in the back of the ambulance, but I wish it was Mommy and Daddy._

At the hospital Jack was transferred to the custody of a policeman who found a local pastor that was willing to take him in for the night. He sat in silence as he ate dinner with the pastor and his wife. The couple had counseled grief victims before, but none were as young as Jack. They watched him pick at his food, tears running down his cheeks, and wondered about the thoughts that must be going through his mind. They tried to comfort him, but in the end Jack went to bed that evening bearing the grief that would last a lifetime.

Eventually, Jack was put in an orphanage. Because he was so young, the older boys bullied him. Jack didn't know how to fight so he would try to run. His efforts were futile. Their legs were longer and faster, their muscles stronger. Finally, an older boy befriended Jack. He showed him how to make a tight fist, how to deliver a straight punch, and where to hit an opponent. Jack didn't want the bullies to see him practice, so he would mentally repeat these techniques in the darkness at night after the lights were turned out. Then one day when a single boy tried to accost Jack, he retaliated. He used his newly acquired skills to punch his opponent in the nose, lips, and chin. Jack's fists were hypersonic from weeks of daily practice, and his opponent fell to his knees, writhing in pain and his face dripping with blood.

Jack quickly developed a reputation and was tested many times by the older boys that formed the gangs. His pent-up anger from previous beatings more than compensated for his lack of experience or skill. Eventually the older boys left him alone and moved on to bully other children.

Jack relaxed now that he had a reprieve from the beatings. But then, after he watched the bullies pummel other smaller boys, his guilt overwhelmed him. Those younger boys are now getting the beatings that I used to receive. If I hadn't stood up for myself I would still be getting beatings, and they wouldn't.

He pondered his remorse, and finally decided there was only one solution. None of us will get beat up again.

Jack kept a watchful eye for the next beating. One day after school, he saw the older boys form a circle around a younger boy. The ringleader stepped to the center of the circle and began taunting the boy. Jack watched and waited for the right moment. When the ringleader took the first swing, Jack ran full speed, breaking through the ring of malefactors, and struck the troublemaker in the face with his tightly clenched fist. As before, blood went everywhere. The other boys in the gang bristled and took a step toward Jack, but he didn't back down. He clenched his jaw and took a step toward them. They saw his unflinching eyes and his raised fists. They stepped back, slowly turned, and walked away. Jack felt a calm and gratifying sensation. He had never protected anyone before. I am glad I took a stand. I like protecting innocent people.

That began a series of many similar altercations. Jack never backed down, and he always felt good after protecting someone. This continued until he was in high school. Then one day, an Army recruiter talked about opportunities in the military. Jack listened intensely. With no plans for a career, he was open to the recruiter's overture. Afterwards, he approached the recruiter and asked, "So you want to pay me to kill bad people?"

"I don't recall putting it quite like that, but yes," replied the recruiter.

Jack paused, looked the recruiter in the eyes, and said, "How do I sign up?"

Chapter 5

Parachute Jump School: Day One

Jill had jumped out of an airplane three times at the Army's static-line jump school. She didn't mind. In fact, she was thrilled with the adrenalin rush when she leaped through the door of the airplane. The blast of turbulent air from the propeller hit her body hard, followed by silence and the eerie sense of floating as she fell away from the airplane. The static line unrolled, and moments later yanked out the parachute, which was followed by the womph of the parachute inflating. Then, silence rang loud as she slowly descended to the earth under the perfectly round parachute. Tugging gently on the steering straps, she pointed the parachute toward the drop zone. She then landed feet first and rolled so her ankles struck the ground next, followed by her knees, hips and shoulders. This distributed the landing energy over her whole body instead on a single bone, which could easily break.

She had heard about HALO jumps, and looked forward to the new challenge. She wanted to be able to say that she did it, and it would look good on her Army record.

Jill strutted into the HALO school. _I have to be careful. I can't let anyone sense my fears. But I shouldn't worry; soldiers rarely get injured during training._

Jack was already there, deep in conversation with four other trainees and the instructor. When Jack saw Jill approaching, he stopped talking and with a raised voice said, "Teeeen hut!" Jack and the others snapped to attention.

"As you were," Jill said with a smile, "and good morning."

"Good morning, ma'am," replied the other soldiers.

"It's time to get started," the instructor said. "Let's go to the classroom and get our book work out of the way."

In the classroom Jill sat next to Jack in the front seats, the other four trainees sat behind them. The instructor systematically explained each phase of the HALO jump process. He showed photos and videos of actual HALO jumpers to explain how they controlled their descent by manipulating their arms and legs as they fell at a speed of two hundred miles per hour. He explained the operation of the high performance parachutes that were steered similar to an airplane. Next he talked about opening the parachute at two thousand feet above the ground using the ripcord. Finally, he talked about parachute problems, including proper use of the reserve chute if the main chute failed. The classroom session took three hours. Jill was busy making mental notes. She hoped she didn't forget anything. Now it was time for all of them to practice in the vertical wind tunnel.

The VWT is an enormous fan that blows air straight up at a speed of two hundred miles per hour. This simulates the air rushing past a HALO jumper as they fall. It allows the jumpers to float in mid air, hovering over the fan. The instructor would stand next to the VWT and coach the jumpers concerning the use of their arms and legs to control their descent. The VWT lets the jumpers make mistakes in a controlled situation where they will not get seriously injured. That gives them plenty of time to learn, and gets rid of most of the risks.

The instructor said, "Savage, suit up. You're first. Ma'am, you're next, so suit up."

Jill watched Jack as he put on the necessary jump suit, helmet, and goggles. Then he walked up to the VWT. It was round, and as big as a two-car garage. The instructor flipped the power switch to the "on" position, and it roared to life. It took a full twenty seconds for it to reach maximum speed. The massive motor groaned as it spun the twenty-foot propeller. Jill stood back a ways from the VWT, but nonetheless felt the air tossing her ponytail, and the concrete floor shook under her feet. Candy and gum wrappers on the floor blew to the far corners of the hanger. She was both nervous and eager, and she was going to concentrate on every move that Jack made. She had not done this before, and she didn't want to make any silly mistakes that would lose her respect in front of Jack.

The instructor put on a pair of goggles and stepped up to a small launching platform that was next to the fan. He motioned to Jack to follow. The instructor had to yell so his voice could be heard over the sound of the fan. "Jack, I will go first and then you can join me. Be sure to give yourself a hard push-off when you leave the platform, otherwise you will get blown back and land on the floor."

Jill watched as the instructor lunged into the swirling vortex of air. His leap looked like someone diving into a swimming pool. His body bounced upwards as it hit the rising air, causing the instructor to go up about ten feet. He bobbed up and down. After several seconds the bobbing subsided. He gracefully demonstrated the proper method for moving forwards, backwards, and turning. Then he rolled, first forwards, then backwards and finally sideways. Each maneuver looked graceful; and each maneuver restarted the bobbing action, but then it slowly died as he finished the maneuver. After demonstrating all the moves, he yelled, "Jack, it's your turn."

Jill noticed that Jack did not hesitate. He pushed off as hard as he could from the platform. That kept him from being bounced out of the VWT and onto the floor. The instructor was still floating in the VWT, but on the far side. Jack stabilized himself in the airstream and waited for the bobbing to die down. The instructor smiled at Jack's initial success and yelled, "Let's see you do some turns."

Jack began a series of slow turns, first left, then right. He then made more turns, but faster. Jack smiled at the instructor between turns.

"Are you challenging me to a dual?" yelled the instructor.

Jack smiled.

The instructor joined in on the fun and began turning in circles with Jack. They synchronized their turns so they turned in the same direction at the same time. They alternated left and right turns. Their speed increased, and together Jack and the instructor looked like the propellers on a twin-engine airplane. They turned so fast that they were a blur—faster and faster. Finally, the instructor slowed down. His face paled, his body convulsed, and his cheeks puffed out. Then he swallowed with a slight gagging motion. _He must have gotten motion sickness and began to vomit, but didn't want any of the students to see him puke._

At this point Jack also slowed down, and came to a stop. The instructor looked at Jack. "Have you done this before?"

Jack smiled again.

The instructor maneuvered across the cushion of rising air and turned so that his feet were close to the launching platform. He floated smoothly out of the airflow and landed in the center of the launching platform.

The instructor began yelling commands to Jack. Jack responded by doing everything the instructor asked: forward rolls, backward rolls, sideward rolls. Jill noticed his graceful maneuvers. _Hmm, pretty cool stuff._

"Stay there and I'll send in Lieutenant Jacobson," the instructor yelled over the noise of the fan. "Ma'am, you're next."

Jill put on her goggles and walked up the steps to the launch platform. She looked one last time at Jack. He floated about six feet above her on the far side of the VWT. He looked relaxed. Her mouth was dry.

"Push as hard as you can so you will get into the middle of the airstream," the instructor yelled. "You don't want to get bumped out by the edge of the airstream."

Jill looked at Jack floating in the air stream. _He makes it look so easy. I should be able to get the hang of it pretty quickly._ She looked down at the massive propeller spinning below, then she held her arms in front of herself and pushed off with all of her might.

The blast of invisible air grabbed her and pulled her upward, away from the spinning propeller. When she was about the same height as Jack, her forward motion slowed to a stop. She stared into his eyes and noticed they were a deep brown color, just like his hair. She examined the details of his face, smooth skin drawn taught over muscular features, a strong jaw line that intersected a broad muscular neck . . . _No, I can't let my attention be diverted. I'm here to learn how to do a HALO jump!_

Her forward speed stopped and she saw a look of horror on Jack's face. A split second later she was moving backwards toward the edge of the VWT. Even worse, her speed was increasing. The edge of the VWT passed under her. She was being bounced out of the vertical wind flow. She felt a hand grabbing for her hand, but it slipped off as she continued falling toward the concrete floor. The floor was initially about fifteen feet below her, but it was now much closer and coming at her quickly.

***

Jack saw that Jill was going to be bounced out of the VWT. He quickly floated toward her in hopes of grabbing her and pulling her into the center of the airflow where she would be safe. He almost saved her, but she was moving out of the airflow too fast. His hand was able to reach hers and touch, but he couldn't close his fingers in time to pull her to safety.

Jack watched helplessly as Jill floated out of the vertical wind stream. He saw that she was moving her arms and feet correctly, but to no avail. The vertical wind stream was winning the tug-of-war. He looked at her face and saw a determined expression. Then, she hit the floor. It was anything but elegant. She landed on her left foot first, and didn't roll. Her weight, though not a lot, drove straight down on her ankle. She screamed as she collapsed on the cold and unforgiving concrete floor.

Jack tried to stop his own forward motion but couldn't. He continued moving to the edge of the VWT where the airflow was weak. Like Jill, he was bounced out of the VWT. The concrete floor raced toward him as he fell. He raised his hands to protect his face and break his fall. The concrete impacted both his hands simultaneously. His arms collapsed from the impact, then his head crashed into the concrete floor. The impact nearly knocked Jack unconscious. His body crumpled and pain shot from his head, through his neck, and into his back.

Jack lay motionless on the floor. He slowly turned his head toward the instructor and four other students that knelt around Jill. One checked her pulse while another checked her breathing. Two others gently squeezed the bones above and below both of her ankles to see if anything was broken. The instructor kept saying, "Ma'am, are you okay?" Jack saw that Jill's eyes were open, but not blinking. She stared straight up from her position, lying flat on her back.

Jack slowly picked himself up from the concrete floor and wondered how Lieutenant Jacobson was doing. As he limped toward her, he passed the big red kill switch on the VWT. He slapped it with the palm of his hand and continued his slow walk toward the lieutenant. The huge fan started winding down. Jack stood behind the five men that were checking her out. _Why did those five men rush to her side for a sprained ankle? I probably have a concussion. I should be checked out first. Why does she get all the attention? This is what I have to look forward to when I am in the field with Lieutenant Jacobson. She'll probably get hurt a lot, and I'll have to take care of her, maybe even carry her if she's hurt too bad. Why was I assigned a woman for a partner? This just isn't going to work. She's a girl, and they just aren't as tough as guys. They should stay home, cook meals, sew, and make babies._

Jack saw Jill's eyes starting to move. Her lids blinked once, then blinked again. She looked at the instructor and said, "Where's . . . Savage? Is he . . . okay?"

"He's fine. He landed on his hard head, so no damage was done." The instructor grinned and the four other students chuckled.

Jack heard the instructor's comment, and the soldiers' response. _I am not having a good day. I feel woozy. I do not want to go back into the VWT. My headache is getting worse. I want to go back to the barracks and go to bed._

"Good. If Savage is okay, then we should be able to continue with the training," Jill responded.

The instructor's eyes opened wide and he looked at the four students, and they stared back at him. The instructor looked back at Jill and said, "Ma'am, you should have a medic check your ankle. It could be a class three sprain, and if it is, you'll need several months of recuperation."

"You may be the instructor, but I outrank you. I still have one good leg that I'll use to hop up to the launch platform on the VWT. Once I launch and get to the middle of the airflow, I will not be using either foot, right?"

"Well—yes, ma'am, that's true."

Jack stood still as he listened to the conversation. He wondered why she wanted go right back into the VWT after a nasty fall like that. _She would surely be shaken and in a lot of pain. If she was not careful, she could damage her ankle more, maybe even break it. Wait a minute, why am I worrying about her well being? If she is badly injured, she won't be able to go on the mission. Then Major Phelps will have to assign me a new partner._

"Help me up, and I'll be okay," Jill said. All five men standing around her reached out and gently helped her to her feet.

Jack was the only one who did not help. He watched as she slowly stood up. _This looks like a circus. Five big tough guys helping a skinny little girl pick herself up off the floor. I want to scream at her for trying to do a man's job. Maybe she will break her ankle._

Jack watched Jill put some weight on her injured ankle. Her jaw clenched and a groan roused from deep in her throat. _On the other hand, she is brave to try it again._

Jack edged between the students to stand next to her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm a little shaken, but I am not going to let that VWT get the best of me. I almost pushed hard enough. Next time I'll push a little harder."

Jack stared at her for a moment. He rarely saw this amount of determination in a man, and never in a woman.

"Well—ah—if you feel up to it, ma'am," Jack replied.

"Let's do it," she said as she began hopping to the launch platform.

All four students, the instructor, and Jack, reached out to steady her as she began hopping on one foot toward the VWT.

Jill stopped, pursed her lips, and squinted at the men. "Thank you for helping me up. But if any one of you tries to help me now, I'm going to make you do push-ups all afternoon!"

Each of the six men stepped back and made way for her as she slowly took one hop at a time toward the VWT.

Jack stared at Jill. With each hop her frown twitched downward. _She must be in awful pain._

When Jill got to the steps at the side of the VWT she clasped both hands around the banister next to the steps that led up to the launch platform. She continued using a hopping motion to go up the stairs one at a time on her good leg. She grunted with each hop. By the time she got to the launch platform she was huffing and puffing, and sweat dripped from her brow. She turned, looked down at the six men and said, "What are you guys staring at? Get this machine running!"

The instructor looked at Jack, shrugged his shoulders, and then slapped the run button with the palm of his hand. The VWT roared to life. He climbed the stairs to the launch platform and looked down at Jack. "What are you waiting for? Your partner needs you."

Jack bounded up the stairs two at a time and launched himself into the VWT. He maneuvered himself to the far side of the airflow. Floating in the airstream, he waited and watched. He wondered how she was going to launch herself with _more force_ when she only had one good leg. Jill looked squarely into Jack's face. Then she squatted very low on her good leg. With an explosive push and a loud grunt she dove into the airstream. Her speed died to zero again, but this time she got to the center of the airstream where it was stable. Floating almost nose-to-nose, Lieutenant Jacobson and Sergeant Savage looked at each other. Jack was the first to smile. He couldn't resist. He realized that she was tougher than he ever imagined. Then, she returned the smile.

***

The upward blast of air tore at her jump suit and inflated Jill's nostrils. She opened her mouth and the blast of air puffed up her cheeks; she thought she must have looked like a chipmunk. She bobbed up and down in soft, gentle, one-foot-high cycles.

At first she went up when Jack went down. Jack moved his arms and legs in subtle movements that caused his bobbing to match hers. Bobbing in unison, Jack reached out and grasped one of her hands. Jill reached out and grabbed his other hand.

"Do what I do," Jack spoke in a commanding but gentle voice.

Jill watched as he slightly straightened his left leg, moving him to his right. This slow movement was pulling both of them to the edge of the airflow where she had had her bad spill only minutes before. Fear washed across Jill's face and he gripped her hands tighter. Then Jill slightly straightened her left leg. That pulled her in the opposite direction, which started them in a gentle rotating motion in the center of the VWT.

"Let's 'Promenade home,'" Jack yelled.

"Promenade? You square dance?"

Jill and Jack relaxed their left legs, and straightened their right legs. That reversed their direction and they slowly turned several more circles in the other direction. They reversed their direction numerous times, and each time they slightly increased the speed. Jill's confidence grew with each maneuver.

"It's time for you to solo. I'll stay close if you need help," Jack yelled.

Jill's eyes widened as Jack released his grip on her hands. He floated to the far side of the VWT leaving her alone. Very alone.

Jill glanced at Jack, then tightened her jaw as she turned, first to the right, then to the left. She changed direction several times, and each time she spun faster.

Jill enjoyed her newly acquired skills. Her adrenaline flowed and she had forgotten about her painful ankle. But eventually, her stomach began to churn. She realized that the spinning was taking a toll on her, and she was developing motion sickness just like the instructor did. _What do I do now? If I don't stop, Jack will see me get sick._

Just then, Jill heard a loud but friendly voice. "Enough for today, ma'am. Be sure to land on your good foot."

Jill was glad Jack was ending the session. She blinked several times, fighting back her nausea. She gently pushed down on the airstream with the palms of her hands. This pushed her toward the dreaded edge of the VWT airstream. She steered herself to the launch platform, determined to make a better exit than her first one. The instructor stood on the edge of the launch platform, his hands stretched out ready to catch her. Jill looked over her shoulder, concentrating on where she wanted to land. She noticed the outstretched hands of the instructor, and frowned. The instructor saw the expression on her face. Reluctantly, he lowered his arms and stepped back.

Jill slid gently off the bubble of lift. Her good foot hit the edge of the launch pad exactly where she wanted. She quickly grabbed the handrail and steadied herself on her good but wobbly leg. She made a near perfect landing without any help from Jack or the instructor. Jill smiled, and turned to look at the instructor. He flashed a smile and spoke loudly over the noise of the VWT. "You need to get to the infirmary. My driver is standing by, and he'll take you as soon as you get out of the jump suit. Don't worry about your Hummer; I'll have it dropped off at your barracks."

Jill nodded, hopped down the stairs on her good foot, and began removing the jump suit.

***

Jack watched her face when she slowed between turns. He looked for signs of motion sickness. He knew that Jill would only be able to take a limited amount of spinning. After all, this was her first time in the VWT. He noticed her soft skin and deep blue eyes. When her lips tensed, and her eyes darted left and right, Jack realized that Jill had had enough. _She's been very brave in a painful situation. Maybe I should give her a break. She has a determined spirit, and a tough attitude. I wonder where that came from._
Chapter 6

The Infirmary

Each bump in the road shot pain from Jill's ankle to her hip as the driver drove her to the hospital. She'd sprained ankles before, but none this bad. She felt the ankle with her hands and noticed it was already quite swollen.

The driver parked the Hummer in front of the hospital emergency entrance, "Ma'am, would you like a wheelchair?"

"Yes, that would be helpful." Jill was happy to have the driver offer assistance now that she was out of sight from Sergeant Savage. She was careful about her military relationship to Jack. Her position of authority over him required her to act like a leader, and with that she needed to be brave, even during times of great pain. _I hope Jack noticed that I was capable of learning during stressful and painful situations._

Inside the hospital, the triage nurse interviewed Jill and sent her back for a CT scan. While the CT scanned her leg with a humming sound, Jill continued thinking about Jack. _Did he notice anything about me? Did he think I was pretty? What does Jack like to do when he's relaxing? Does he go to the beach and lie in the sun? Does he go to the symphony? Does he read good books? Does he—_

"All done Lieutenant Jacobson," the technician said, startling Jill. "Your CT is finished. You can get up now. We'll have the results shortly."

An orderly wheeled Jill to a far corner of the waiting room. _I hope it's not broken. If it is, I'll never be able to go on the mission._

***

Five minutes later a doctor with gray balding hair shuffled into the waiting room and over to Jill. "Lieutenant Jacobson, I have some good news, and some bad news."

"Tell me the good news first."

"Your sprain is a class two, not a class three."

"And the bad news?"

"You _must_ take two months off from any strenuous physical activity. Will that be a problem?" the doctor asked.

Two months? That is impossible. I have to finish HALO school, and then go to the sniper competition. After that I have to go on the most import mission of my life.

"I don't think there will be any problem. I have a desk job." _Well . . . that wasn't a total lie. I do have to do deskwork occasionally._

"A desk job? I thought you injured your ankle in the vertical wind tunnel." The doctor furrowed his brow.

"Doctor, I want to thank you for your help." Jill flashed the doctor a cute smile that she knew would show her dimples, and hopefully divert his attention. "Will I need to keep it taped with this Ace bandage?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"And I need to use these crutches whenever I am walking?"

"Yes, but—"

"And I suppose I need to keep the ankle iced for the next two days, followed by warm compresses for a couple more days?"

"Yes, but—"

"Doctor, you are an asset to the Army. You should be proud of the fine job you are doing. Thank you again for all of your help." Jill got up, turned, and quickly hobbled out of the hospital. _How will I ever make a HALO jump with these blasted crutches?_
Chapter 7

Parachute Jump School: Day Two

Early the next morning, Jill hobbled slowly to the Hummer on her crutches as she contemplated her situation. She had to gently operate the clutch with her sprained ankle. The pain was bad when operating the clutch, but not nearly as bad as walking. Jill wanted to finish HALO school because it was necessary for the upcoming mission. She also wanted the personal satisfaction of jumping out of an airplane at thirty-three thousand feet. _If I could take one day off and get some rest, maybe I could finish HALO school._

Jill pulled into the parking lot for the HALO school. She was determined that she would get out of the Hummer and walk to the school without her crutches. She couldn't risk letting anyone see that she had a weakness that would prevent her from finishing. Stopping the engine, she opened the door and gently put her weight on her left foot. Pain shot up through her ankle and into her knee. She had experienced substantial pain before, even broken bones, but this was excruciating. How could this sprain be more painful than a broken bone?

She wished for a miracle as she hobbled to the door. Entering the hanger, she heard the instructor yell, "Teen Hut!"

"As you were." Jill's weak voice trembled. She tried to minimize her hobbling as she walked toward the others. Everyone's eyes focused on her left foot. The tight Ace bandage was tucked inside her boot so there was no visible evidence that she was injured, except for her limping.

Jack and the instructor walked toward her, probably so they could speak to her in private. The instructor spoke first. His voice was quiet, and surprisingly compassionate. "Ma'am, how are you feeling today?"

"I sprained my ankle, class two. So the pain is piercing, but it could be worse. Nonetheless, I need to continue the class."

The instructor and Jack looked at each.

"The Pilatus airplane only carries four jumpers," Jack said. "Maybe the lieutenant and I should jump tomorrow, that way the others could get all their jumps done today." Jack looked at the instructor and waited for his response.

"Well, it's going to be tricky getting everyone to jump today using the Pilatus. If someone has to jump tomorrow, it might as well be you two. Ma'am, take the day off and get some rest."

"I'll walk with you to your Hummer," Jack said.

Jack let Jill set the pace. Jill spoke when they got to her Hummer. "Savage, did I miss something? I thought for sure that the C-130 was going to be used for today's jump."

"Oh, well—you don't think the Army is going to spend all that money on fuel when they could use a more cost-effective airplane?"

"Savage, I don't know whether to believe you or not."

"You don't think I would lie to you, do you, ma'am?"

***

Jack was pleased that his plan to give Jill an extra day of rest succeeded. He was glad the instructor went along with his impromptu story about the Pilatus Porter being used today. But, he still had mixed feelings about working with a female partner. The thought of protecting Jill during her recuperation makes me feel good. On the other hand, I still don't like the idea of her watching my back while we're in hostile territory.
Chapter 8

Parachute Jump School: Day Three

The next morning Jill got out of bed and gently put her weight on her left foot. Hmm, this is a lot better than it was yesterday. Maybe I'll make that HALO jump after all.

When Jill entered the HALO school Jack and the instructor were waiting. Jill tried to avoid favoring her injured ankle. She heard the usual, "Teen hut."

"As you were, and good morning," Jill responded. "Did the others finish up yesterday?"

"Yes, and they all passed," replied the instructor. "How are you feeling today?"

"Much better. In fact, I feel like making a HALO jump out of a Pilatus," Jill smiled.

"Great," replied Jack. "Just one minor problem. The Pilatus had to go in for maintenance. The fuel pressure was a little low yesterday. We'll have to take the C7 instead."

"Hmm, we get to go for a ride in the Caribou. That sounds like fun." Jill preferred the C7 because it was easier jumping out its spacious back door than the small side door of a Pilatus, especially considering her sprained ankle. She wondered if Jack had contemplated that when he arranged for the C7.

"Let's go over the procedure and rules for HALO qualification," the instructor said. "First, you will be jumping at an altitude of twenty-seven thousand feet. You will be using oxygen, and it will be very cold at that altitude. You will be free falling at a speed of two hundred miles per hour to an altitude of three thousand feet. During this time you will steer yourself to keep on a trajectory that will land you inside the target. At three thousand feet you will pull the ripcord. This is a bit higher than the two thousand feet that you would use if you were on a mission, but it's a good training altitude, and it will give you some extra margin in case there are any problems. Then you will fly your high-performance chute to the target, which is a two-hundred-foot circle marked with white chalk. The ten-knot wind will try to blow you off course. Your high-performance parachutes can easily compensate for this, but you must still be on guard and make the necessary compensations. You must land inside the circle to qualify. If you don't, then you will have to take the course again. Furthermore, it will be recorded in your file that you failed the first time, and required a second try. That will be embarrassing, and it will cause a week's delay. Any questions?"

Jill shook her head. I hope I can remember to do everything correctly.

"Good. There is one more item. One of you will be carrying the GPS so you can navigate to the landing zone. Which one of you lucky guys wants the GPS?"

Jill nodded at Jack.

"I'll take it," Jack said.

"Take good care of this GPS. It's brand new, and so far we only have a few of them. Okay, men, it's time to suit up. By the way, that is fake ammo, and so are the food packages, so don't get hungry and try to eat anything on the way down. The medical supplies are real in case you need them. I'll meet you guys at the drop zone." The instructor saluted Lieutenant Jacobson, and she returned the salute. Then he turned, got in his Hummer and drove away.

Jill and Jack looked at each other, and then they looked at all the equipment that they had to strap into, and the two technicians that were going to help them. "Let's get started," Jill said.

Jill's technician began with the parachute harness. He slid the straps over Jill's arms and legs. Then he began tightening the straps. He asked Jill to bend at the waist for the final tightening. After that Jill had a hard time straightening up because the harness was so tight. Then it was time for the parachute. First the main chute was clipped to the harness on her back. Then the reserve chute was clipped to the harness near her abdomen. Next a pistol and spare ammo were strapped to her right leg. A knife and a first aid kit were strapped to her left leg. Then kneepads were strapped on. A water bottle was attached at the bottom of the reserve chute along with two fake hand grenades and a flashlight. A large assembly called an assault vest was attached to the top of the reserve chute. It carried four spare ammo magazines for the AK-74 rifle—which was attached under her left arm—a gun cleaning kit, a small two-way radio, two light sticks, three flares and a small survival kit that included two fake MRE food rations. The space on her lower back—under the main parachute—was where they put the 40mm grenade launcher, poncho, fake C4 explosive, four detonators, and an M-18 red smoke grenade. On the right hip they attached an oxygen tank and regulator, which had a thin flexible hose that fed oxygen to a mask that dangled around their necks. A two-quart bag of saline for IVs was strapped to her left leg. An altimeter was strapped on her left forearm. It had a large dial that was easy to see. It would tell her when to open her main parachute.

Then Jill looked at Jack. He was also loaded with all of the necessary jump gear. They waddled one step at a time toward the C7 and climbed a ramp into the back of the aircraft. Finally the technicians handed them their helmets and goggles. Both technicians saluted Jill and Jack, then turned and walked back to the training building. Jill's claustrophobia was starting. I have to be calm. I can't let all this equipment bother me. I must stay focused on the jump. I can't make any mistakes. I have to be a good leader and not quit.

There were no seats inside the C7 except for the pilot and co-pilot because it was used for parachute jumping. Jill couldn't fit in a seat if there were any because she was just too big with all the equipment she was wearing. They both sat on the floor by the side of the airplane. They tried to ease themselves into a sitting position as gently as possible, but the weight and bulk was overwhelming. Jill plopped on the floor first, then Jack. They looked at each other, and then started laughing.

"I saw that, Savage."

"Yes, and I saw you plop down too, ma'am."

The moment of humor broke the tension that was building. Jill's claustrophobia waned slightly, but she still wanted to rip off all the equipment and parachutes that were attached to her.

"Ma'am, you used to be so skinny. What happened?"

"I joined the Army. This is what happens when they feed you three squares a day."

Their smiles lingered as the C7 engines started. The jumpmaster closed the rear door of the airplane, and the aircraft taxied to the end of the runway. The engines whined, and the C7 shook as it accelerated down the runway. It lifted off and Jill felt the vibrations of the hydraulic motors that were retracting the landing gear.

Jill and Jack were quiet as the airplane flew to its designated altitude. After ten minutes, Jill spoke. "Savage, why did you take up skydiving?"

"I'm a sucker for a good adrenalin rush," Jack replied.

"Why don't you just ride roller coasters or go parasailing?" Jill yelled back.

"It's too easy. There is no skill involved. They strap you in. Then you sit back and enjoy the ride. That's okay for some thrill seekers, but I like the idea of having responsibility for my destiny."

"You want to have control over your death?" Jill yelled.

"Actually, I want to know that if I do my job correctly I will live."

"Yeah, I relate to that philosophy. My friends don't understand why I wanted to join the Army. Everything else seemed so boring and useless to me. Why be a desk jockey when I can jump out of airplanes and kill bad guys," Jill yelled.

"We are approaching ten thousand feet, so put your oxygen masks on," the jumpmaster yelled. "Don't forget to turn the oxygen regulator to the 'on' position. I'm going to put on my oxygen mask, so from here on I will be using hand signals to tell you what to do."

Jill complied and waited for them to arrive at the necessary jump altitude.

Another ten minutes passed. The jumpmaster used his index fingers and thumbs to make two circles that he held up to his eyes like a pair of glasses. That signaled Jill and Jack to put on their goggles. Then the jumpmaster slapped both sides of his head with the palms of his hands to signal Jill and Jack that they needed to put on their helmets. Finally, he waved both hands with the palms up to indicate they needed to stand.

Jill began the process of standing. She twisted slightly toward the side of the airplane and grabbed handholds in the wall of the plane so she could lift the extra weight from the equipment that was strapped on her body. Jill looked up and saw Jack extending a hand toward her, and wondered how he stood so fast. She reached up, grasped his hand and pulled. She rose to the standing position, looked into Jack's eyes, and nodded a 'thank you.' Jack nodded a 'you're welcome.' Their clasped hands lingered, and then slowly parted. She felt Jack's fingertips brush lightly against her palm as he slowly withdrew his hand. A shiver coursed through her body. Did Jack notice that? Jack's eyes were looking directly into Jill's eyes, and they were standing only inches apart, their assault vests touching. What's going on? We should be getting ready to jump out of an airplane at thirty thousand feet, but I sense that Jack has other things on his mind; I know that I do. Why am I thinking things like this? I need to concentrate on the HALO jump. Focus, Jill—focus. How can I get my mind of this good-looking guy that's standing in front of me?

Jill's attention diverted as the jumpmaster clipped a safety strap to his harness. He tugged on both ends making sure it was securely attached to both him and the airplane. Then he hit a large green button on a control panel by the exit ramp. The rear door creaked and groaned as hydraulic motors slowly opened the huge door that stretched from one side of the plane to the other and from the top to the bottom of the plane. It took a full thirty seconds for the door to open. Jill then saw a beautiful view of puffy white clouds checker-boarding the view below. The only details that were visible from twenty-seven thousand feet were the rectangular farm fields that had various shades of green, tan and brown, and the irregular shapes of large rivers. They were too high to see homes, cars, or people.

The jumpmaster pointed to a yellow line six feet from the opening that Jill was peering through. Jill and Jack both waddled to the edge of the yellow line. Jill glanced at Jack and wondered what he was thinking. Does he really think this is fun? Maybe I would enjoy this more if I weren't so claustrophobic. Maybe I will like this better after I do it a few more times. Maybe if—

A green light next to the opening flashed on, and a deafening horn blasted her ears. The jumpmaster waved his arm vigorously toward the opening with a repeated motion. Jill and Jack looked at each other. Jack held out one hand as if to say 'ladies first.'

Jill took one last look at Jack and charged full speed for the opening. With her hands first, she plunged into the freezing air. Her head went straight for the earth below as the slipstream from the propellers blew past her. She was falling faster and faster. As her speed picked up her body leveled to a horizontal floating position. She experienced an eerie silence except for the sound of air rushing past her. As her adrenalin began flowing, her mind speeded up. That made it seem like everything was happening in slow motion. Her gaze fell upon the puffy clouds below. I wonder how long until I pass by those clouds. I wonder if I will pass through the clouds. I wonder if—

Whoosh . . . A large object zipped past her heading toward the ground. There goes Savage. He is such a show off.

Because Jack was responsible for navigating, he took the lead. Jill's job was to follow Jack wherever he went and stay close behind him where he could check on her position. He glanced over his shoulder at her occasionally as they floated straight down at two hundred miles an hour. Jack looked back and forth between his GPS and the landing zone. The puffy white clouds grew closer and Jack slightly changed their course to avoid passing through them. Jill wondered what it would be like to pass through a cloud at two hundred miles an hour. She saw that the fields seemed much larger. Other objects on the ground could now be recognized. She could see houses, cars, and power lines that were not visible when they had jumped from the airplane. She glanced at her altimeter that was on her left forearm. Five thousand feet. Savage should be signaling me soon to pull the ripcord and open my parachute. Jack slowed his descent slightly so he floated up next to Jill. She watched his face as his concentration toggled between the GPS and the drop zone. Jack continued to slow his descent by spreading his arms. Jill followed his lead, and their speed decreased to one hundred miles per hour. My claustrophobia is gone—thank goodness. I wonder if my parachute will open.

Jill kept glancing at her altimeter while Jack watched his GPS. Jill could now clearly see the chalk circle that they were navigating toward. They were right over the top of the drop zone. I'll be glad when I can pull the ripcord. I shouldn't worry. The parachute packers are all experts. They know what they are doing. They have packed lots of parachutes. They are randomly required to make jumps with parachutes they packed, so they are always extra careful when they pack every parachute. Jill glanced at her altimeter. Four thousand feet. Anytime now Savage will give me the signal to pull my ripcord. It seems like the ground is now rushing toward me. Please, Savage, tell me to pull my ripcord . . .

The two floated downward as Jack made a few final adjustments to their trajectory toward the drop zone. Finally, at three thousand feet, Jack looked at Jill and made a yanking motion with his left hand. That was her signal to pull her ripcord. Jill smiled, happy to receive his signal. She grabbed the ripcord and yanked with all her might. It did not require much strength to pull it. She could have used a gentle pull, but she was tense and anxious to see if it opened correctly. Jill remembered the instructor had told her to keep hold of her ripcord and not drop it. He said that he would be very upset if he had to buy a replacement. So she concentrated on maintaining a firm grip on the ripcord handle. She felt the parachute harness loosen slightly as the chute began to unroll. The parachute cords then deployed and a gentle tugging on her harness indicated the parachute was unrolling. She glanced over and saw Jack watching her parachute unfurl. She looked into his eyes and noticed distress on his face. Did I do something wrong? Did I pull the ripcord at the wrong height? Did I pull the ripcord for the main parachute or the reserve parachute? What could be wrong?

Jill's speed was starting to slow just a little, and Jack had not pulled his ripcord yet. As a result he continued to fall at a hundred miles per hour and appeared to be falling away from Jill toward the earth. Why doesn't Jack pull his ripcord? What is wrong? Maybe I should check my parachute. Jill's parachute had deployed just enough that it pulled her to the vertical position and she was dangling with her feet toward the earth. The wind was still streaming past her at a fast rate of speed. She glanced upwards to check her parachute. Oh no, a streamer! The cords have tangled in the cloth and it didn't open fully. I am not going to slow down enough to land safely. What do I do now!

Jill did nothing for a couple of precious seconds while she watched her main parachute flutter in the wind like a streamer. The name streamer is such an appropriate word.

Finally, she realized the parachute was not going to deploy any further. She had to do something soon, or else . . .

Jill tried to remember the breakaway maneuver that the HALO instructor said she might have to use in a rare situation. The instructor had made it sound like parachute problems rarely happened. Right, just her luck. If she had only listened a little better . . .

She reached up to the top of her shoulders and grabbed the two breakaway releases, one in each hand. I hope I do this correctly.

Jill pulled each breakaway release upwards simultaneously, and then she yanked them forwards as hard as she could. Glancing upwards she saw the main parachute was indeed released from her harness and floating away from her. Without the main parachute, her speed began to increase toward the earth. Please, reserve parachute, don't fail me now.

The military had devised a new system for deploying the reserve parachute. The main parachute had a small cord that was connected to the reserve parachute. As a result, when the main parachute is released, it pulls this cord, which in turn automatically pulls the reserve parachute out. This system proved to be reliable, and easy to operate.

Jill waited several seconds. She could hear the reserve flutter as it was pulled out of its container. There was nothing she could do but wait. She couldn't push it out, pull it out, or wiggle it out. She had to be patient. Sure, it would only take several seconds for it to deploy and fully inflate, but at a hundred miles per hour that would consume four or five hundred feet of precious altitude. I am glad we pulled our ripcords at three thousand feet and not two thousand feet. She didn't want to look down, but for some odd reason she couldn't resist. The ground was rushing at her. She was going to hit. In a couple of seconds her life would be over . . .

Jill squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and jacked her jaw firmly as she waited for the impact.

Woomph. She heard the reserve parachute snapping open to its fully deployed position. Jill looked up. Thank God. It opened. I'm going to live.

Jill relaxed briefly at the thought of living another day.

She looked down at the ground, and a new thought pressed her mind. I have to compensate for a ten-mile-per-hour wind from the east, but this reserve parachute is much slower than the main and will barely go eight miles per hour. What do I do now? How can I make up the two-mile-per-hour difference? I don't want to miss the drop zone and fail. I'll have to retake the course. I don't want a blemish on my military record. How can I land inside the circle with this reserve parachute?

Jill surveyed the terrain below her. She looked for a glide path that would give her some protection from the strong headwind. A small hill rose to the east of the drop zone, and she thought it might block some of the wind, so she tugged quickly on the right steering strap. Her parachute headed in that direction. At first it didn't help. She was still losing ground and moving away from the drop zone. But as she got closer to the ground she could see that instead of drifting away from the large circle, she was now drifting toward it slightly. This might work.

The wind blew from the east, but there were also small gusts from the north and south that tried to blow her off course, so she had to tug on the two steering straps to keep her moving toward the landing zone. With one strap in each hand it was easy to tell the parachute which way to go. A stiff tug on the right strap turned the parachute to the right, and a tug on the left strap turned the parachute to the left. The tricky part was knowing how much, and when to tug the straps.

Jill was now less than one hundred feet from the ground. She wasn't quite close enough to land inside the circle drawn in chalk on the drop zone. It's a huge circle. It's two hundred feet across. I should be able to reach it somehow. I have come this far, and I am so close, I must find a way to land inside the circle. I don't want any black marks on my Army record.

The ground was fast approaching, and Jill had to think fast. She tugged her right steering strap as hard as she could to pull her parachute toward the circle. She only needed an extra ten feet to reach the circle. She was fifty feet above the ground. She had to do something. What can I do to get in the circle?

Jill suddenly released the tension on her right steering strap and immediately gave a hard yank on the left steering strap. This violent maneuver swung her away from the circle.

Jack yelled from the ground, "You're going the wrong way!"

Shut up, Savage. I need to concentrate. Jill watched as the circle on the ground moved away from her as she swung under her parachute to the far left. Then, being careful, and at just the right moment, she slacked the left steering cable and yanked hard on the right steering cable. This swung her back toward the circle, but with much more force and speed, and gave her the extra ten feet she needed to get both feet inside the circle. The dirt gave up a small cloud of dust as her feet hit the ground. Her feet and ankles were inside the circle, but her hips, waist, and shoulders were outside the circle. Rats, if I had tugged a little harder I might have gotten the rest of me inside the circle too.

Jill lay in silence for a moment. She wondered what the qualification rules said about getting her feet inside the circle, but not her shoulders.

After catching her breath, Jill unsnapped the latches on her harness and wiggled out from it and all the equipment that was attached to it. She picked herself up from the ground. She watched the instructor talking to Jack. He waved his arms up and down and left and right. He talked rapidly to Jack, but his voice was not quite loud enough for Jill to understand what he was saying. Jack raised his shoulders and hands occasionally as if to say 'I don't know.' Jill gathered up her parachute. Finally, the instructor finished his long and fast discourse. She noticed the silence as the instructor and Jack stood in the gentle breeze and looked at each other. What's going on? What are they talking about?

After another several seconds of silence, Jack raised his shoulders and hands one last time as if to give the instructor a final 'I don't know.'

The instructor and Jack turned and walked over to Jill. The instructor said, "Ma'am, I am afraid I have some bad news."

"I was afraid of that. I knew I should have pulled harder on the steering straps. If I had just gotten my shoulders in the circle I wouldn't have to take the course over again. Now there's a black mark on my otherwise perfect Army record. I am sorry that I didn't land in the circle. I'll do better next time. If I had only—"

"Ma'am, what I meant was you've put me in a difficult position."

"I know, you are going to have to fail me, and I know that you didn't want to fail your first female student. That's all right. I deserve whatever I get. Don't worry about—"

"Hold on, ma'am, you don't understand. I'm in a difficult position because you've used a rather fancy maneuver that I have never seen before. In my twenty-seven years as an instructor, I never saw anyone pull off a close one like you just did. You instinctively figured how to use your momentum to swing away from, then into the circle. That was, hmm, well let's just call it a resourceful maneuver that I never saw before. It's an embarrassment to me because I have not been teaching it, but outside of that, you did very well. You passed the test."

"I passed the test? Even though my shoulders didn't land in the circle?"

"Yes, in fact, you passed with flying colors. By the way, since the parachute malfunction wasn't your fault, I would have let you take the test again without any black marks on your record."

"No black marks on my record?"

"Yes, ma'am." The instructor held out his hand. "Congratulations."

Jill reached out and shook the instructors hand with a firm and proud grip.

***

Jack watched the instructor congratulate Jill. He thought about Jill's desire to be in an Army combat position. If she wants to work in the Army, she could have a cushy desk job. Why is Lieutenant Jacobson so different? Most guys would freak out if that happened on their first HALO jump, but she held herself together, and did a perfect breakaway maneuver.

Jack had seen Jill's streamer and waited to pull his ripcord because he wanted to be closer to the ground when his parachute opened. This way he would land before Jill, and he would have time to get ready in case she needed first aid when she landed. Depending on how bad the streamer was, she might break an ankle, or every bone in her body, or she might even die. In any case Jack was going to be sure to do everything he could to help her when she landed. His plan to beat Jill to the ground by delaying his parachute opening had worked. He saw her breakaway maneuver followed by the reserve parachute deploying and inflating. Thank God she is safe.

Jack had continued to watch Jill as she floated down. He noticed how she diverted her approach to the east so she could catch the slower winds flowing over the hill. Hmm, that looks like something I would do in that same situation. I wonder how she figured that out.

Then, Jack watched Jill shake the instructor's hand. _No matter what happens, in spite of all odds, she always comes out on top. How does she do it?_
Chapter 9

Sniper Competition: The Plane Ride

A week after the HALO jump, Jill and Jack received orders that put them on the next C-130 going to Fort Benning, Georgia, for the sniper competition. They sat down in the middle of the airplane near the wings. The airplane, deadheading to Fort Benning, carried only Jill and Jack. Jack fastened his seatbelt as the pilot started the four big engines on the C-130. As each engine roared to life, Jack imagined himself sitting in the pilot seat, flipping switches, reviewing checklists, making radio calls to the tower, and talking to the co-pilot. What a contrast, he was now sitting next a woman, and he had nothing to talk to her about. Jack stole a glance at Jill. Her head leaned back against the headrest, and her eyes were closed. _I wonder if she is trying to sleep. Is she meditating? I suppose that I should try and make some conversation._ "Are you afraid of flying?"

Jill's eyes opened slowly. She rolled her head toward him and smiled. "I love flying, especially in these fantastic luxury liners. I heard the in-flight entertainment is out of this world." Her squeaky voice hinted that she was making a joke.

Jack paused; he didn't know how to respond. If Jill were a guy he would have shot back an insult, or punched her in the arm, or made a grunting sound. But she was not a man, and worse than that, she was his boss.

"Joking aside, my dad used to have a Stearman. That's how I like to fly, with the wind in my face, a hundred feet above the treetops." Jill smiled again. Jack was surprised that Jill had flown in a small, aerobatic biplane. _She sounds like she has genuine memories of good times with her father._ _I wonder what my life would have been like if I had a father when I was growing up._

"Hmmm" was all that Jack could muster. He wanted to talk to Jill about airplanes, but the gender issue was sidetracking his mind.

Once the engines warmed up, the pilot eased the seventy-ton aircraft through the maze of taxiways to the end of the runway. Jack waited for the engine run-up. Sure enough, at the end of the runway the pilot put full brakes on, and pushed all four engine throttles forward to half speed. Jack again imagined himself in the pilot's seat, checking oil temperature and pressure, looking at vacuum gauges, and monitoring the water temperature. He loved the way these C-130s shook during run-up. It made him want to fly an airplane again.

The pilot relaxed the throttle back to idle, and the shaking stopped. After checking the engine instruments one last time, he released the brakes and pushed the throttle to full speed. The seventy-ton giant lurched forward and began gaining speed. As the airplane was accelerating down the concrete runway, Jack thought about his early days of flying small airplanes off grass fields. He imagined the bumpy ride as the wheels rolled over the clumps of grass and dirt, and the exhilaration that occurred when the bumping stopped, indicating that he was airborne.

The airplane gained enough airspeed to ease off the ground and begin its ascent to cruising altitude. The ride was smooth, the skies were clear, and there was only a gentle breeze. Jack looked at Jill; her eyes were again closed. Jack thought this was strange, and felt like they should be talking. He rode on lots of C-130s before, but they always had lots of people on board, or rather, they had lots of _guys_ on board. Today's flight was abnormally quiet except for the engine noise. _If she's going to close her eyes and sleep, so can I. Jack's eyes were only closed for two minutes when Jill broke the silence._

"Do you mind if we change our seats?" Jill asked.

Jack didn't know what she was referring to, but he played along. "Okay."

Jill stood and walked to the back of the airplane. She sat on the last row and slid in one seat so Jack could sit next to her on the aisle seat.

"We need to talk about the sniper competition before we land. I wanted to get away from those loud engines so we could hear each other."

Jack nodded, and waited for her to continue.

Jill paused, then took a deep breath. "There will be a lot of people watching us during the competition. The higher-ups know that we will get an important mission if we do well. The other soldiers in the competition will be wondering why a woman is on a sniper team. And the instructors never taught a woman before, so they won't know how to handle our situation. On top of that you and I have not had any time to work together and get to know each other. I believe Major Phelps referred to that as 'male bonding.'"

Jack bit back a chuckle as he thought about the slip the major made.

"So, I think that we need to have a strategy as to how we are going to handle these situations," Jill continued.

Jack's fingers dug into his armrests. _Why do women need a strategy? Why can't they just do the work and get the job done?_ Jack bit his lip and nodded.

"The tension between all of the parties involved could get pretty high. We may have to play some mind games with ourselves to get through this competition. I have three older brothers, and I think that it will help me to think of you as one of my brothers. I can then defend you in a sibling sort of way, and at the same time that will give me a perspective that we have a mutual bond that can't be broken. I was thinking about this all morning, and I wanted to pass my strategy on to you, in case you were struggling with the same problem. The bond of a brother and sister is a compelling relationship and it cannot be broken, except in death. In that sense, it is actually a stronger bond than marriage. Many marriages end in divorce, but a sibling is a sibling for life." Jill looked eye to eye with Jack as she spoke above the airplane's rumblings.

Jack's stomach started to feel queasy. "I never had a sister, or a brother," Jack replied.

"Hmm, that's true. I suppose you might struggle to consider me like a sister. What do you think?" Jill looked straight ahead with a pensive look on her face.

Without any hesitation, Jack replied, "I think we win the competition, and go home."

Jill paused, took a glance at Jack, and took a deep breath before speaking. "Jack, I want you to have a good time and enjoy winning this competition. If you would like to talk about this in the future, don't hesitate to approach me about it." Jill placed her head against the headrest and closed her eyes.

Jack wanted to scream. His new boss not only wanted to run the show, but she also wants to make him think thoughts that he was incapable of thinking. _There must be a way out of this mess._

Lieutenant Jacobson and Sergeant Savage sat silently in the back of the C-130 for the rest of the flight to Fort Benning.

Upon landing they quietly unbuckled their seat belts and gathered up their bags. After exiting the airplane, Jill said, "I'm going to the infirmary; I will see you at 0800 tomorrow morning."

Jack frowned at her and said, "I didn't know you were sick."

Jill smiled. "No, it's not that. The problem is that Fort Benning doesn't have accommodations for female snipers. All of the barracks are for men only. Not that I could care. I don't mind sharing a bathroom with you guys. But the commander at Fort Benning thought it would be best if I were segregated during the four S's."

Jack was relieved that Jill wasn't sick because that would hurt his chances of winning the competition. He looked at her cute freckles and her soft smooth skin.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes, Savage."

"Concerning the four S's—don't forget the shaving part. We don't want to look grungy when we meet the competition tomorrow." Jack smiled, implying he was joking. He shaved his face every morning so he didn't look like a hobo. _If I am going to work with her, I might as well learn to joke with her like I do with the guys._

Jill caught his joke and said, "I brought a razor. I will be sure my legs will be free of grunge."

When Jack heard her refer to her legs, he was embarrassed. _Oh no. She is going to think I was making a sexual innuendo._ His expression gave away his thoughts.

"Savage, come on, I was making a joke, too. You take me too seriously. I may be a girl, but I can joke like a guy."

Jack smiled. _She's a girl that can joke like a guy—that's novel._

There were two Hummers waiting for them. After saluting, they silently got in each vehicle and drove off. Jack glanced at Lieutenant Jacobson as she drove away. He saw her smile and wondered if she was still thinking about their playful joking. _That little bit of joking was the first real interaction we've had, and for some strange reason, it felt good._

***

Jill unpacked her gear in a private room in the infirmary as she thought about her airplane flight with Jack. She replayed their conversation in her mind and analyzed it to determine what kind of person Jack was. She purposely was silent during the first half of the flight, waiting to see if Jack would initiate any conversations with her. Since he was rather quiet, she assumed that he wasn't a "life of the party" kind of guy. This was important; she didn't want a partner that was all talk and no action. When it came to "watching her back" she felt she could trust a quiet person more than a motor-mouth. On the other hand, when she turned his grunge joke around, he immediately caught on, so his cognitive skills were pretty good. He also had a sense of remorse when he realized he might have embarrassed her about shaving. Savage has good perception and genuine feelings about others. Most guys are a bit rough around the edges when it comes to sensing other's feelings.

After unpacking, Jill showered. She made sure she gave her legs the once over with her razor. Jack would probably never see her legs during the competition, but she liked the idea of having them smooth and fresh just in case he did.

As Jill was drifting off to sleep, she continued to ponder Sergeant Savage. I wonder what new and interesting things I will learn about him tomorrow.
Chapter 10

Sniper Competition: Day One

At eight a.m., Jack stood in line waiting to be checked in to the sniper competition.

"Morning, Savage."

Jack turned and saw Lieutenant Jacobson. Setting down his gear, he saluted.

"As you were, Savage," Jill responded in a snappy but friendly way.

"How were the accommodations last night?" Jack tried to be amicable to his new boss.

"Okay except the smell of alcohol. It smelled like a doctor's office. I can't imagine why." Jill smiled.

"Mmm . . ." Jack sensed that Jill was in a joking mood, but he wanted to focus on the competition.

"Did you bring the 50-caliber?" Jill asked.

"Yup, I wouldn't be caught dead without it."

"I heard the recoil is difficult to get used to." Jill sounded curious. "I have never shot a gun that was that big."

"I use the latest version of the M82, and it has a muzzle brake that removes some of the kick, but it's still a handful. I've shot rifles a long time, and this gives the worst kick of any gun. I have to pull it tightly into my shoulder before each shot. If I don't, I get heavy bruising that runs the full length of my arm."

"I'm glad you are the trigger man and not me. Or should I say trigger _person_?" Jill said.

"Whatever . . ." Jack replied. _You joke about being a woman now, but wait until we get into a difficult spot in hostile territory. Your sense of humor won't be worth much at that point._

"Have you seen the schedule for the competition?" Jill asked.

"This morning we review the overall competition, then we go to the range and zero the riflescope. The rest of today is the Shoot Out. Day two is the Final Shot."

"Okay, maybe when we get to lunch we can review our strategy," Jill said.

Jack wanted to speak candidly, but restrained himself and remained silent. _She's using the 'strategy' word again. Why can't she just do the work? Better yet, get out of the way and let me get the job done._

***

Jill and Jack worked as a team as they zeroed the riflescope. Jill had sighted scopes many times with her older brothers, so for her, it was a routine task. She knew how to pick a target, determine its range, calculate the cross wind, and estimate the trajectory of the bullet. She was glad she remembered to bring her earplugs. She was new to the M82 rifle, and its report was deafening. When Jack fired it the first time she was two feet from the rifle. The shock wave blasted her body so hard she thought the gun had exploded. She began counting her body parts to see if she was injured. _Two arms, two legs, ten fingers. Even with earplugs, my ears are ringing._

Jack laughed. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Jill nodded and grinned. "Like I said, I am glad you're the trigger man."

Jill and Jack continued the test firing. They began at close range, one hundred yards, then two hundred yards, and finally five hundred yards. Jack's rifle was good out to eighteen hundred yards, which was over one mile, but the sniper competition would not require shooting that far.

Since this was the first time she worked with Savage, she knew that it would go slow at first. They needed to learn each other's phrasing and idiosyncrasies. The jargon was pretty standard, but still, sometimes a different person will phrase things differently. She tried to be patient as she got used to Savage's responses to her commands. Likewise, she knew Savage would have to get used to her command phrasing.

Jill estimated the distance, wind, and trajectory for each shot. Each time she made a calculation, she spoke out loud. That gave Jack the opportunity to confirm or disagree with her calculation.

"Temperature 21 degrees," Jill said.

"Confirmed," Jack replied.

"Distance 100 yards."

"Confirmed."

"Wind 10 knots."

"Confirmed."

'Elevation down 1.5 inches."

"Confirmed."

"Send it."

Jack took careful aim before gently squeezing the trigger . . . then the quiet disappeared as the gun fired . . . _KABOOOOOOM!_

Jill and Jack repeated this procedure for two hundred and five hundred yards. This verified the rifle and scope were aligned and ready for the competition. The only question she had was whether she and Jack were ready. Would they be able to work as a team, or would his fierce independence and chauvinistic attitude drive a wedge between them?

***

Lunchtime came and after going through the chow line Jack sat down next to Jill. He looked at the fifty other snipers eating their lunch, or rather stopped eating their lunch. All the soldiers were staring at Jill. _They must be glad they didn't get stuck with a female partner. Maybe they think we are going to come in last place because a female is on my team. Maybe they—_

"I thought the scope sighting went well. What do you think, Savage?" Jill casually addressed Jack.

"We got the job done. Now the hard part starts." Jack tried not to be rude. On the other hand, he didn't want to encourage any unnecessary, i.e., friendly, conversation with Jill.

"I agree. I noticed that you didn't seem to mind the recoil from your rifle," Jill said.

"No, I had to fire two thousand rounds through it before it loosened up and stabilized. Now I don't notice it." _Maybe Jill is getting easier to converse with._

"The biggest rifle I ever shot was a thirty-aught-six," Jill said.

"Yeah, the M24 standard sniper rifle."

"I shot the M24 in the Army, but I got started in high school with the consumer version, the Remington 700. We used it to hunt deer and elk," Jill said.

"Ma'am, you are full of surprises. Next thing you are going to tell me is that you like to drink beer and arm wrestle with the guys."

Instead of speaking, she smiled at Jack, and then looked back at her food as she continued eating. Jack wondered what the smile meant. _Was it just a smile, or does she have other secrets that I don't know about?_

"Jack, the next three days are going to be full of tension. Our future is on the line. We must work together, but we barely know each other. I thought about you considering me like a sister. I realize now that won't work since you were an orphan, so maybe you could just think of me as one of the guys."

"Does that mean that you really do want to arm wrestle and drink beer?" Jack forced a thin smile.

Jill returned the smile. "Really, Jack, work with me on this. Why don't you just play a mind game with yourself and pretend that I am one of the guys?"

Jack stopped munching his food, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Jill's long black hair pulled back into a ponytail. It gently bounced up and down as she chewed her food. His eyes drifted to her cute freckles and dark blue eyes. His gaze traveled down to her narrow waist, broad hips, and lingered on her long slender legs. "Ma'am, you just don't understand. It's not that easy."

"Okay Jack, we'll just have to go one level deeper. The way I see it, your comfort zone is a chauvinistic point of view, and you think that you can do everything better than me. The problem is that although you can do some things better than me, there are other things that I can do better than you."

"Are you referring to strategic planning?" Jack bit back a snicker.

"Okay, maybe I have used that word a little too much. But, bottom line, neither of us is perfect. Our imperfections are the reason we need to work in teams, hence the name 'team work,'" Jill quipped.

Jack pondered her comments before speaking. "I don't like to think about having imperfections, but I acknowledge that I do have a few. What bothers me is that I don't want you helping me get the job done. Even though I am imperfect, I still do my job, and I do it very well."

"So, is the issue with _me_ helping you, Jack? Or is the issue with _anyone_ helping you?"

Again Jack paused and pondered her question. "My confidence is high enough that I don't need anyone's help. It's probably due to the way I grew up. I spent a lot of time by myself and I had to figure out ways to do things single-handedly, where others could get help from their families."

Jack took a glance around the cafeteria and noticed that the soldiers had stopped looking at his partner and gone back to eating their lunch.

They both sat in silence as they each pondered their situation. Jill swallowed her last bite of food and said, "Let's divide up our equipment and fill our backpacks. We need to be ready for the Shoot Out."

"Right." Jack was glad that Jill changed the subject.

On their way to the staging area, Jill said, "I'm going to swing by HQ and get a weather report to see what the surface winds will be. I'll catch up to you in ten minutes."

Jack spread out all of their gear on the grass and began looking for a logical way to split up the equipment between the two of them. As he was pondering the problem, two navy SEALs walked by and smirked. "Are you going to carry her stuff, too? Maybe, if she isn't too tired, she could carry the granola bars." Jack looked up at them and scowled. The two snipers laughed and kept walking.

Jill returned and gave Jack the weather report. Then they began looking at all of the equipment.

"I'll take the 50-cal and the ammo for it," Jack said.

"I'll carry the spotting scope, food, first aid kit, and water bottles. Why don't I take the ammo, too?" Jill asked while pondering the pile of equipment on the grass.

"Ma'am, I think you would be carrying more weight than me if you did that."

"Maybe, but the 50-cal weighs thirty-one pounds and will be almost as heavy as my backpack. My backpack will be well-balanced and easier to carry while running. You will have to use the shoulder sling, or the side-handle to carry your rifle. Either way it will throw you off balance. At the speed we are going to be running, you will have your hands full."

Jack had a pensive look on his face. _How did she know it weighed thirty-one pounds? Why does she have to be a know-it-all? It's possible that the imbalance load could make a difference, but I'm not going to admit to her that she's right. She's a female, and she shouldn't be able to solve this type of problem. Maybe I will let her learn the hard way._ "Ma'am, that's a good thought. You take the ammo."

***

Jill finished her last minute packing, and noticed her hands shaking ever so slightly. _I need to calm down. I don't want Jack to think I'm nervous._

She lifted her heavy pack and slipped the shoulder straps over her arms. She walked to the starting line with Jack and waited for their turn to start. The teams were instructed that they would be released at fifteen-minute intervals, and would have to run to a specific location that was designated on a map. The map would be handed to them sixty seconds before they started, and they would be told that upon arriving at the shooting location they'd have five minutes to shoot three targets. Their score would be the sum of all three targets. In case of a tie, the fastest time would be the winner.

Jill and Jack were the first to go. Jill, while waiting for the official to give them the map, noticed Jack was standing next to her with his eyes closed.

"What's the matter, Savage? Do you have a headache?"

"No, ma'am. I am concentrating on relaxing because I needed to control my nerves. I want just enough adrenalin to keep my mind sharp, but not enough that would push me to the point of making mistakes."

"Umm." Jill's mind drifted toward her relationship with Jack. She wished that he wanted her, not in a sexual way—well, at least not now—but in a military way. She wanted him to know that their sniper team had two persons on it for a reason. She didn't know much about Jack, other than what his file said. This competition was important because it could develop respect between them. _What is Jack's weak spot? What does he want from the Army that he doesn't already have?_

The soldier with the stopwatch and clock walked toward them. He pulled out the map, handed it to them, and said, "In sixty seconds you can go." He clicked his stopwatch as their hands simultaneously grabbed for the map.

"I've got it," Jack spoke firmly.

Jill looked over his shoulder. _I am willing to let you take the lead occasionally, but I still have rank over you, and if I have to, I'll speak my mind and let you know who's really in charge._

Jack turned the map so it pointed in the direction they needed to go. "Rats, we either cross the mountain, or swim the swamp."

"Not much of a choice, is it?" Jill concurred.

They both paused and studied the map in silence. They had another forty-five seconds before they would begin their venture.

Jill was the first to speak. "What is that?" She pointed to some faint dotted lines on the map that crossed through the middle of the mountain.

"It could be an old mine of some kind. It might work, or it might be a big mess. It could also be a trap; the Army might want us to try that." Jack pondered the options.

"If we go to the entrance of the mine, we could either go through the mine, or over the mountain. A quick evaluation at the entrance to the mine might give us enough info to make an intelligent decision." Jill was thinking as fast as she could. They were almost out of time.

"Jill, I like that idea."

The timer saw his stopwatch approaching sixty seconds and he yelled, "Ready. Set. Go!"

Jill followed Jack as he began running as for the base of the mountain. It was hard for her to keep up with Jack. He was running full speed. Jill watched him as he ran with the 50-cal in his right hand. Sure enough, he soon changed it to his left hand. Then soon after that he switched it back to his right hand.

Jill was huffing and puffing after a short distance. She knew this was going to be tough. She was a girl, medium frame, but at least she was in good shape. She ran two miles every morning. Her runs always included some sprinting to help her when she needed it in times like this. Her mind focused on running like a deer. She used smooth but fast movements that did not jostle her pack. That conserved her energy, and then she wouldn't need as many rest breaks.

Jack glanced back at Jill and yelled, "You were right about running with this 50-cal. It is unbalanced."

Jill almost stopped in her tracks. _Savage actually admitted that I was right. Wow. I'm making progress._

Jill changed her speed slightly to find a comfortable pace while she was getting used to the weight and rhythm of her pack. She worried about finding the mine entrance. _It might be hard to find. Would it be covered with brush, or hidden by trees? Would there be any roads or trails going to it that would be visible?_

After the first mile, Jill slowed and yelled, "Jack, how about some water?"

Jack slowed, turned and nodded. He was out of breath and wasn't able to speak for his heavy breathing. Jill pulled her water bottle out, unscrewed the cap and handed it to Jack. He took two large swallows. Jill also took two large gulps. She swallowed the first and held the second in her mouth to quench her thirst. Then she screwed the lid back on and they began running again. The brief pause hydrated her dry mouth and refreshed her sore muscles.

The mountain grew nearer, and Jill looked for any roads or trails that could lead them to the mine. She glanced up at the mountain. It was two thousand feet high, a mile across, and covered with rocks, trees, and thick vegetation. She didn't say anything to Jack, but she silently hoped that they did not have to climb it.

They were close to the mine, and she looked left and right for any signs of the entrance. Jack spotted an old trail. It was barely visible. They followed it in the direction of the mountain. The trail was often covered with brush or broken tree branches and that would cause them to lose the trail. Then, they would have to stop and walk in ever increasing circles until they found the trail again. This worked three times, but the fourth time they lost the trail, they couldn't find it again. They were lost. They stood silently and stared at the dirt as they pondered their plight.

"Savage, what would happen if we went past the entrance to the mine?"

Jack paused while he thought about her comment. "We wouldn't be able to find the trail, because there would be no trail."

They both turned and began running back the way they came. Jill focused on the surroundings and noticed a tall pile of brush between two trees. Drawing close she could see the darkness of the mine entrance. Jack pulled the brush back, and Jill pulled her flashlight out of her backpack. She turned on her flashlight and said, "I hope you are not afraid of the dark." _I hope Savage knows I'm joking._

Entering the mine, Jack pulled the brush across the entrance behind them. "I don't want it to be easy for the others to find the entrance."

They walked slowly at first, letting their eyes adjust to the darkness as they examined the ceiling, walls and floor.

"Jill, I am going to keep an eye out for any rotted beams that could fail and cause a cave-in."

"Good idea. I am going to keep a look-out for spiders and rats." _I'm not joking now, but I hope Savage thinks I am._

After four hundred feet, they noticed that the walls were changing color. They were now a distinctive black.

"Anthracite," Jack said.

"Hmm, an old coal mine."

"That means there won't be any more timbers to rot, so we don't have to worry about cave-ins," Jack said.

"And no food for spiders, or rats."

They began to pick up the pace. They came to a narrow section and Jill brushed against the wall. She looked at her sleeve. In the glow of her flashlight she could see dark coal dust clinging to her clothing.

The straps on Jill's pack were cutting into her shoulders, and her thighs were burning as she jogged into the darkness of the tunnel. Nonetheless, Jill thought about how much harder it would have been to climb the mountain. If they had, they both would have been so tired it would have had a significant impact on their shooting ability.

The tunnel was straight, but there were large caverns on each side where anthracite had been removed by the miners. Old picks, shovels, and miner lanterns were strewn throughout the tunnel and caverns.

"I think we must be near the end of the tunnel," Jill said.

"I hope so. I'm ready for some fresh air and sunshine," Jack replied.

"Mmm."

After another six hundred feet, Jack said, "Why don't we see any light at the end of tunnel?"

Jill shined the flashlight away from the floor and toward the end of the tunnel. Shining it down the long straight tunnel she said, "Jack, do you see what I see?"

Jack paused and squinted. "I hope I don't see what I think you see."

They both bolted full speed to cover the next six hundred feet. Jill's flashlight jiggled as she ran so they were not able to see details very well. But as they got closer, it became obvious that they both saw the same thing—a cave in. They stopped at the base of the pile of coal that covered the mine from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. They stood in silence as they looked at the coal.

"We should have used my idea and gone over the mountain," said Jack.

"You didn't have any better ideas, and agreed to this. So either work with me like a teammate, or else."

"Okay, so I didn't have any other ideas. We got ourselves into a real mess. I don't think we are going to win the competition after all."

Jill and Jack both plopped down on the dusty black floor of the mine and a plume of the coal dust rose to cover their feet and legs. Jack pulled out his flashlight and they both began sweeping the pile of coal and walls of the cave with their beams of light, looking for a way out.

"It is okay to hope," Jill murmured under her breath.

"What did you say?"

"Never mind." Jill thought about her mother's encouragement to Jill when she struggled to pass physics at the academy.

There was silence as they both continued scanning the pile of coal that separated them from the end of the tunnel.

"What's that?" Jill's flashlight traced long scratch marks on the walls and ceiling.

Jack's beam joined hers as he traced the strange markings on the walls and ceiling. "It looks like someone was trying to dig with a pick. Maybe they were trying to dig their way out."

"But why do that if they could just go out the way we came in?" Jill asked.

She pondered the marks and continued sweeping the beam of her flashlight across the walls and ceiling.

"Maybe instead of trying to get out they were trying to keep us from getting out," Jack pondered.

"What do you mean?" Jill asked.

"I wonder if the Army purposely made this cave-in to discourage people like us. Maybe the end of the tunnel is right on the other side of this cave-in."

Jill wished that she had thought of that, but nonetheless was glad one of them did. With that, Jill slipped out of her pack, and started pulling out the chunks of coal as fast as she could. She tossed them behind herself and was careful not to hit Jack. Jack set his 50-cal gently on the floor so he did not jar the scope, and began pulling out large pieces of coal. For three minutes they huffed and puffed as they tossed the chunks of coal behind themselves. Each piece gave up a small black plume as it landed on the floor of the mine. They both broke a heavy sweat, and wiped their faces periodically to keep the sweat out of their eyes. It was only a minute later that Jill spoke, "Light, I see light!"

"Ha, the Army can't fool us." Jack worked even faster.

Two minutes went by and the opening was large enough for both to go through. Jill went first. Then Jack gently pushed his 50-cal through the opening to Jill, followed by Jill's backpack. Then he slithered through the opening.

In the bright sunlight, Jill quickly put on her pack and Jack picked up his rifle. Then they glanced at each other. Simultaneously, they both broke out in laughter.

"You look awful," Jack said. Black coal dust covered Jill from head to toe except for two round skin colored holes centered on each eye.

"That is the nicest thing you have said to me all day!" Jill laughed as she looked at the thick layer of black coal dust covering Jack and his rifle.

***

It was short jog to the shooting station, but Jack did not take time to brush the coal dust off himself. As they approached the shooting station the Army personnel saw the two black figures approach. They did not know who, or what, they were at first. Then, when they recognized the sniper rifle and equipment, they knew it was the first group of snipers.

"We weren't expecting you for another thirty minutes. You look awful. What is all that black stuff on you?"

"Ha—it's a long story, and we need to get set up." Jack smiled as he unloaded his backpack.

"I'll set up the spotting scope and check the distance and wind," Jill said.

"Good, I'll set up Betsy."

"Betsy . . . ? You call your 50-cal 'Betsy'?" Jill frowned.

"It's another long story. I'll explain later."

Jack finished setting up his rifle when Jill spoke, "Ready?"

"Ready," Jack replied.

"Target one."

"Target one."

"Temperature 22 degrees."

"Confirmed."

"Distance four hundred yards."

"Confirmed."

"Wind five knots."

"Confirmed."

'Elevation up nineteen inches."

"Confirmed."

"Send it."

KABOOOOOOM!

Jack never flinched as the 50-cal bullet exited the rifle and began its journey downrange. He kept his eyes focused on the target as the bullet traveled for a split second. Then, he saw it hit dead center.

"Bull's-eye, Jack!" Jill shouted.

Jack felt her slap his back. "Ouch. Calm down, tiger." _We will have plenty of time later to celebrate._

"Target two," Jill said.

"Target two," Jack replied.

"Temperature 22 degrees."

"Confirmed."

"Distance eight hundred yards."

"Confirmed."

"Wind five knots."

"Confirmed."

'Elevation up eleven feet."

"Confirmed."

"Send it."

KABOOOOOOM!

Again, Jack focused on the second target in spite of the sonic blast that jolted his body. He held his breath for another split second while the bullet traveled.

"Bull's-eye, Jack!"

Jack grinned. "Two down, one to go."

"Target three," Jill said.

"Target three," Jack replied.

"Temperature 22 degrees."

"Confirmed."

"Distance one thousand yards."

"Confirmed."

"Wind ten knots."

"Confirmed."

'Elevation up twenty-two feet."

"Confirmed."

"Send it."

KABOOOOOOM!

It took a full second for the 50-cal bullet to travel to the target.

"Another bull's-eye, Jack!"

Jack smiled when he heard her shout. He heard whispers from the crowd of Army personnel that were standing behind them and observing the targets with binoculars.

"I bet they haven't seen bull's-eyes at this distance before," Jill said. "I think you set the bar pretty high, Jack. The others are going to have a fit when they hear they have to get three bull's-eyes just to keep up with us."

"Yeah, we did pretty good." Jack paused. He thought about what he had just said. He was not used to using the word "we," but for some reason he liked it. _If I have to have a partner, maybe it should be Lieutenant Jacobson._
Chapter 11

Sniper Competition: Day Two

Jill was getting the morning weather report while Jack was drinking his first cup of coffee at an empty table in the mess hall. He saw the two Navy SEAL snipers walking up to him.

"How is the girl's team doing today? We made you some special targets for today's competition." One of the snipers pulled several stiff pieces of paper from behind his back and handed them to Jack. Jack took them, turned them over and unfolded them. They were paper dolls.

"You guys are funny, really funny. Why don't you take your show on the road before my partner comes back and kicks your butt from here to the infirmary?"

"She probably could. You probably could, too, if your partner helped you," said one of the SEALs.

That was all that Jack could take. He slammed his coffee cup down on the table. The coffee sloshed out of the cup and covered the table. He jumped to his feet and took a half step toward the two SEALs. In a quiet, but firm voice, Jack spoke, "I said take your show on the road."

The two SEALs looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and walked off.

Just then, Jill walked through the door. She walked straight to Jack's table and saw the spilt coffee and the paper dolls. "What's going on, Savage?"

"Some of our fans stopped by to say hello."

There was a long pause. "What's the weather forecast, ma'am?"

"Slight breeze, sunny, but hot." Jill looked at the dolls, and then looked at Jack.

"Ma'am, let's get in line for breakfast. We're going to need a lot of calories for today's competition."

After breakfast, Jill and Jack went to the shooting range and checked the roster for the big shoot.

"We're in the last round today," said Jack.

"Yes, but only because we are in first place in the competition," replied Jill.

"So, it's time to hurry up and wait?"

"Yup."

"Let's set our gear down behind the other snipers so we can watch them and do some recon."

"Good thinking, Savage."

They set down on the grass under a shady tree to watch the others.

"Today will be the tough one," said Jack.

"Yes, the pressure is on and I am starting to feel it." Jill paused. "I heard rumors that the target is twelve hundred yards away."

"At twelve hundred yards, the bullet is going to drop a lot," Jack said.

"Probably thirty feet."

"Thirty-one feet, five inches."

"You have it all memorized?" Jill said.

"All of the critical distances, and then a few others. It is better to have it ready so I don't have to do any calculations when I am shooting fast."

"So the rumors are true?" Jill said.

"What rumors?"

"You are the best of the best."

"Oh, that. Well . . . I suppose." Jack couldn't hold back a smile.

"I'm glad we're working together," Jill said.

Jack watched the range coordinator call out sniper names in pairs, and then hand them a map with the coordinates for both the shooting location and target location. He watched the snipers to see their reactions when they saw the distance from the shooting location to the target location. Jack hoped that they would look frantic. That would mean it was a long shot that would press their limits. With his 50-cal and years of experience he knew that he could make a one-thousand-yard shot with few problems. His confidence was growing as he watched the expression on the snipers' faces.

Jack waited a long time as each pair of snipers was called. The shade protected him from the sun, but the rising temperature made him sweat. Finally, at midday, it was their turn. The range coordinator called out, "Jacobson and Savage, you're next."

Jack grabbed Jill's pack and helped her get it high enough to put her arms through the shoulder straps. Jack grabbed his 50-cal and they jogged fifty feet to the starting line.

"Here is your map," said the range coordinator. He pointed to a spot marked on the map as he handed it to them. "This is the location that you will shoot from. The target is due north from that location. It is a circular red target, one meter in diameter. You must spot the target, and determine the distance to it. Then you will get one shot. Either you hit it, or you don't. You realize, since you have the best score so far, if you hit the one-meter target, you win the competition. If you miss, and someone else hits it, then you lose. Do you understand?"

Jill and Jack both nodded. The range coordinator looked at his stopwatch and said, "You will start in sixty seconds from . . . now!"

Jill and Jack both scrutinized the map for the best path to the shooting location. They quickly agreed that the long way, through the valley, was best. They had only fifty minutes, but if they ran hard they could make it in time.

The range coordinator said, "You can start in five, four, three, two, one, go!"

Jack began jogging with Jill close behind. He jogged at a comfortable rate so his energy would last for the duration of the jog. His 50-cal slowed him down, but he knew they needed to hustle. He wanted at least five minutes at the shooting location to set up, check the winds, measure the distance to the target, and most important . . . catch his breath. Jack needed to have his breathing and pulse under control for this long shot. It just wasn't possible to hit a target twelve hundred yards away if he was breathing hard and his heart was pounding.

***

Jill crested the last hill and saw seven officials waiting at the shooting location. "Jack, we have six minutes to spare. I will take the wind readings, set up my spotting scope, and look for the target."

"Okay, I'll set up Betsy and wait for my body to calm down."

Three minutes later they were both in position. Jack was lying prone on the ground next to his rifle. Jill had found the target with her spotting scope and began reading data to Jack.

"Temperature 41 degrees," Jill said.

"Confirmed," Jack replied.

"Distance 1,500 yards."

"What? Ma'am, you had better check that reading. You are way off," Jack replied.

"I said the distance is 1,500 yards." Jill's voice was stern. "What's your problem?"

"My problem? I don't have a problem. My laser range finder says 950 yards. You're the person that has a problem. Your reading is way off. We will never hit the target using your reading."

"Savage, your laser range finder is wrong. My Mil dot spotting scope does not lie, and it says 1,500 yards."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, this laser range finder is a whole lot more accurate than your old-fashioned Mil dot spotting scope."

"Shut up and listen, Savage. We only have ninety seconds to make this shot, and we only get one bullet. Suck it up and set your rifle for 1,500 yards."

Jack paused before making his next statement. "Ma'am, you may be a West Point graduate, and top of your class, but I'm the guy that's been doing this for many years. You are wrong, and I'm right!"

Jill knew he was wrong, and they were running out of time. She needed to convince Jack _immediately_ that he had to do it her way, but she didn't have the time to present a proper explanation. So, she paused and took a deep breath and clenched her jaw. Then she grabbed the shoulder of Jack's shirt and with a heave she yanked him toward her. Her nose was almost touching his. She spoke in a quiet, don't-mess-with-me voice. "Savage, we only have sixty seconds. I know you don't want to hear this, but I am pulling rank on you. You either take the shot my way, or I will kick your butt from here to that target. Then I'm going to court martial you. Your career will be history. So, you have forty-five seconds.Aare you going to follow my orders or ruin your career?"

Jack paused again; then he spoke slowly and quietly. "1,500 yards . . . ma'am."

Jill released her grip on Jack's shirt. "Wind 10 knots."

"Confirmed."

"Elevation up fifty-three feet."

"If you insist, ma'am."

"I do insist. Now send it!"

There was quiet pause as Jack took careful aim. Jill watched him out of the corner of her eye as he took three deep breaths and held the last one. Then he slowly, and very gently, squeezed the trigger . . . _kaboooooom!_

The bullet took a full two seconds for it to reach the target. Jill waited. It seemed like an eternity. Finally, the target jumped.

"Jack, that was a fantastic shot!"

Jack sat up, eyes wide open, and looked at Jill, "Well, but . . . I mean, how did you know that it was 1,500 yards. My laser range finder never fails."

Jill smiled. "Laser range finders are wonderful and accurate. But on a hot day like this when the temperature goes over a hundred, they sometimes pick up reflections of the heat waves between the target and us, sort of like a mirage. When there is a discrepancy between a laser and the old-fashioned Mil dot, I always use the Mil dot distance. I noticed this discrepancy when laser range finders first came out. It doesn't happen often. When it does happen there is usually a slight flicker in the laser range distance, and I happened to notice that your laser range finder was changing back and forth between 950 and 970 yards. That, combined with my Mil dot reading of 1,500, was all the confirmation I needed. I realize that from your viewpoint you thought you were right, but it was a decision I had to make quickly. I'm sorry I did not have enough time to explain all of the details, but sometimes that's the way it happens. I realize it was tough for you to take orders from me in the heat of competition, but you did. That counts for a lot. In battle we will have situations where you need to know that you can trust me to make the right decisions. By letting me make the decision today, you proved that you can do the right thing in a tough situation. The bottom line is that we need to think as a team, react as a team, and work as a team."

"So, you've done a lot of shooting?"

"With my brothers and father. We used to—"

"Congratulations. How does it feel to be this year's champions?" said the chief competition officer.

Jill looked at Jack. "Congratulations, Savage!" Jill held out her hand. Jack, with a relieved look on his face, reached out and shook Jill's hand.

"Ma'am, it has been a long road, but I can say that it was worth it."

Jill noticed a change in Jack's tone. He seemed to be honest about his comment. _Maybe Jack is starting to realize that we are the perfect match, for a sniper team._
Chapter 12

Mission Assignment

Jack was driving a Hummer to Army headquarters to meet Jill so they could receive their mission assignment from Major Phelps. Jack wondered who they would have to kill. Would it be another military sniper that worked for another country? Probably not. The Army would not have gone to all of the trouble of putting together the best of the best for a routine mission like that. Jack thought that it had to be pretty important. _It must be a high visibility target that will be in all of the newspapers around the world the day after it happens._ Jack's curiosity was getting the best of him. He needed to calm down by thinking about something else. _I wonder how Lieutenant Jacobson's sprained ankle is healing. She should be switching from ice to warm compresses. She needs to get better quickly. We need to be ready to deploy on a moment's notice. She is a determined soldier. Did I just call her a soldier? I have always thought of her as just another girl. She's a tough girl, and a quick learner. There's hope for our relationship. I know I have to take orders from her, but maybe that won't be too bad if she can make the right decisions in the heat of battle. Our relationship is not ideal, but maybe it will work out._

Jack pulled the Hummer into a parking space in front of headquarters. Another Hummer was already parked in the lot.

Jack bounded up the stairs to the front door. He had a mental flashback to the last time he came to Major Phelps's office and first met Lieutenant Jacobson. Inside he proceeded to Major Phelps's office, entered, saluted, and closed the door behind himself. "Sergeant Savage, reporting as commanded, sir." Jack glanced to his left and saw Jill sitting in one of the chairs.

"As you were." Major Phelps motioned to the other chair that was unoccupied. "Have a seat Savage." The major lowered his voice. "I heard that the two of you caused a lot of trouble at the sniper competition."

Jack looked at Jill. She looked at Jack and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "I don't know what he is talking about." Jill turned toward the major, "What you are referring to, sir?"

"Yeah, we're perfect soldiers." Jack realized that he had just referred to Jill as a soldier. _That's becoming a habit._

Major Phelps leaned back in his big leather chair and looked at Jack for a moment, and then his eyes moved to Jill for another few moments. "The trouble that I was referring to was the fact that the two of you somehow managed to get four bull's-eyes. That's never been done before, and the people in charge don't quite know what to think of you guys."

Jill and Jack looked at each other. This time they both smiled.

Jill spoke up. "Well, sir, next time we will try to do better."

One corner of the major's mouth turned up slightly.

"Your success at the sniper competition has sealed the deal on this mission assignment, and you both are going to stay as a team. Now it's time to discuss the mission details. First, this mission is top secret so you can't talk to anyone about it. You will be operating on a need to know basis. Don't even hint to anyone that you are going on a mission. If word gets out, some nasty people in South America could mark you for death. They may kill you, or they may even kill your family members. This is a small world and we can't risk bad things happening to your families."

Jill and Jack glanced at each other. Jack saw a somber expression on Jill's face.

"This mission is not the usual type of mission. The CIA will be overseeing this operation. Do you have any problems with that?"

Jack replied, "No, sir."

"Good. Now, here is the situation. The drug cartel in South America is getting out of hand. This is causing two problems. First, the drugs that are coming into the United States are killing lots of young Americans. These young people deserve better than death by overdose. The second problem is that the drug lords are controlling the police, politicians, and anyone else they see fit. This is throwing the balance of power away from the few democracies that do exist, and puts the power of government in the hands of virtual dictators. As a result, we have no negotiating power with the South American countries. The worst of the drug lords is Juan-Carlos Zaragoza in Colombia. He and his brother Ramiro have built an organization that is powerful and unstoppable. Your job is to bring Juan-Carlos to his knees. You will have to go to Colombia through a military back door, and kill Ramiro. But the catch is, you have to do it while he is standing next to his brother Juan-Carlos. Since Ramiro is Juan-Carlos's right-hand man, you will not only be destroying the command structure of the organization, but you will also be sending a message to Juan-Carlos. He will realize that he could have been the target. In fact, if he is as smart as we think he is, he will realize that if he continues his vicious drug trade, he will be the next target. That should stop him from sending drugs to the United States."

"I don't like drug dealers." Jack spoke without thinking. He liked the idea of getting rid of a bad guy like Ramiro Zaragoza. He would be glad to kill both of them, for that matter. Jack had no sympathy for thieves and drug dealers. He looked forward to the mission.

"Why don't we just kill the both of them? Two birds with one stone, or mission . . . pardon the pun," Jill said.

"I am glad you both are on board with the mission. Now, I must emphasize that in addition to this being a top-secret mission, it is also very dangerous. You'll be operating in a foreign country and there will be no one to help you if you get in trouble, or get captured. Your only exit strategy will be a Black Hawk helicopter that will pick you up at a remote spot. If anything goes wrong and you can't get to the pick-up point . . . well, let's just hope that that doesn't happen." The major was using a serious tone of voice.

"This mission is still subject to changes, so you may have to modify your plans as things progresses. The White House could call it off at the last minute. So, be sure to keep your communications channels open at all times, especially your SAT phone. We'll call you with any last-minute changes. You also need to keep us updated with your status so we know that you are safe.

"Finally, here's the fine print. I know I don't have to bring this up, but on the other hand if I don't then you may lose sight of the reality of your situation. You are the first sniper team to have a female in it. This doesn't matter to most of us in the military. We know a woman can do the job as good as a man. That's why Lieutenant Jacobson has been assigned to this team. The truth is that if one or both of you don't make it back, the military will deal with your demise just like any other soldier. On the other hand, if details leak out, the family of Lieutenant Jacobson and the general public will not take kindly to a woman being killed or tortured in a third-world country. They will ask lots of questions. The first question will be 'Why did the Army send a woman?' That will be front-page news for months. You can't allow failure of any kind during this mission. You must execute the mission flawlessly. Anything less than perfection will be a disaster. On the other hand, if you do your job well, you will probably get nice promotions and a long successful career in the Army. Do you both understand what I am saying?"

Jack looked at Jill. Then they looked at Major Phelps and nodded.

"Good. Now get out of my office, take a couple of days off, and be ready for deployment early next week."

Jill and Jack rose, saluted, and exited the major's office. Silently, they walked to the Hummers.

"Jack, are you all right with everything you just heard?"

"Almost. The part about the danger and killing a civilian is fine with me. I just wish the major would realize that we are both soldiers. It doesn't matter that one of us is a woman."

"Hmmm, am I getting a little bit of sympathy from my partner?"

"Jill, the way I see it, you have been getting a lot of bad press. I admit that I wasn't happy at first with the idea of working in combat with a woman, but I have seen you in action, and I realize that I misjudged you. I still have a little ways to go, but I think the whole woman issue is blown out of proportion. I realize this is a dangerous job, but from what I can see we can do it."

"So, you think we can do this mission?"

"It is a simple mission. We go in. We kill a really bad person who deserves it. Then we get out. The hardest part will be getting out because at that point they will know that we are there. I'm looking forward to the mission. It will also be good for our careers, and the Army is my home and family, so I want to make the most of it."

"Jack, I'm glad that you are starting to show some confidence in me. I am even happier that you are showing confidence in us as a team. I have been hoping that we could work things out between us because I firmly believe that we are perfectly matched for this type of work. Our talents and skills complement each other, and will give us great success if we can get past the hurdle of the 'girl issue.'"

"I'm making progress, and I feel more comfortable as we spend time together," Jack replied.

"Hey! That reminds me. I wanted to invite you to spend some time with my family and me."

Jack stared at Jill. His hands tensed. With difficulty, he restrained himself from making fists.

"They are coming down for a couple of days and I thought that we could all get together for some pizza and beer. You will love my brothers and parents."

"I . . . I guess it will be okay. You don't think that I will be getting in the way?" Jack asked.

"No, as a matter of fact you will probably have a great time, and they all want to meet you."

"They want to meet me? So, you have told them about me?" Jack asked.

"Ah . . . well, yes. I telephone my mom on a regular basis and I naturally told her about the better half of the best sniper team in the Army," said Jill.

"Okay." Jack wondered what he was getting himself into.

"Fantastic. Tomorrow at five we're meeting at Johnny's Pizza shop. Be sure to bring your appetite, and don't be late. My brother's eat lots of pizza, and I don't want you to miss out on all the fun."

Jack came to attention and saluted. Jill returned the salute, and they each climbed in a Hummer and drove to their respective barracks.

That night Jack had trouble sleeping. His mind raced as he thought about the mission and pulling the trigger. At that point everything was going to change. He knew that he and Jill would be in a race for their lives. They would have to leave the foreign country as quickly as possible. They needed to be faster than the Colombian drug lord that would be chasing them. After all, they were going to kill his brother. Jack then thought about what Major Phelps said about a woman getting tortured or killed in a foreign country. At first this bothered Jack a little. But now, as he pondered the situation, he realized that it wasn't just a woman that could be harmed, but it was his friend. Yes, he and Lieutenant Jacobson were becoming friends, and Jack didn't want Jill getting hurt. This was a new experience for Jack. It wasn't long ago that he didn't like Jill. But now, he was feeling a strange sense of friendship with her. This was a little confusing, but it was also a nice feeling. She seems down to earth, and has a lot of good qualities. She has more guts than most guys, and yes she is right about how our skills complement each other. I wonder what her family is like.

Jack's eyes started to droop. He had one last thought before he went to sleep. I wonder if she has a boyfriend.
Chapter 13

Johnny's Pizza

Jack parked the Hummer in the crowded parking lot of Johnny's Pizza shop. I don't like socializing, and I don't like crowds. I should just turn around and go back to my barracks.

Walking slowly into the noisy pizza shop, he heard laughter in the far corner. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting he could make out the face of Jill, an older couple, and three guys with short military-style haircuts that were a bit older than him. They were sitting around a large circular table. A single empty chair was next to Jill. So, I guess that is where I am supposed to sit and make small talk. Walking even more slowly, Jack again considered leaving before they spotted him. I could say that I was sick, or maybe I had a flat tire, or maybe—

"Savage, over here." Jill raised her voice and motioned with her hand.

There is no getting out of this now . . .

Jill stood and held out her hand, and Jack reciprocated with a handshake. He noticed that Jill was taller than usual. In fact, she was as tall as Jack. He glanced down and saw a pair of black and white stilettos with two-inch heels on Jill's feet. Then he looked at her black slacks, slender legs, and broad hips. He noticed her short-sleeved white blouse. She has the thinnest arms I have ever seen on a soldier.

"It's good to see you, Jack. I am glad you could make it." Jill sounded unusually cheerful. "This is my family: Mom, Dad, Boomer, Boxer, and Bird, which is short for Bird Man."

Jack nodded at each person as they were introduced. Boomer, Boxer, and Bird, were on his side of the table next to him, and each reached out to shake his hand. Jack felt thick calluses on the hands of each of her brothers when they shook hands. Hmmm, I wonder what these guys do for a living. Then he noticed their thick arms, and broad necks that were flanked by broad shoulders. Maybe they get those calluses from weight lifting. Their father looks like he lifts, too.

"I know that you want to learn all about my family, but we need to order first," Jill said. "We are all meat eaters. Would the Meat Lovers Pizza be okay with you, Jack?"

Jack nodded.

"Now, we're are all going to have sodas to drink, but I will be glad to order a beer for you if you like," Jill said.

"Diet cola is fine."

Jill motioned to a waitress and placed the ordered.

"Now that is out of the way, I want to fill you in on the nicknames. First, Bird Man got his nickname from flying Hueys in Vietnam. He flew over fifteen hundred missions and saved the lives of countless soldiers through medical evacuations. Most pilots never saw that much action, but he decided that he liked it so much that he re-enlisted for a second tour. It worked out well, and he only got a couple of minor gunshot wounds during his two tours."

Bird was sitting next to Jack. Jack looked at him and thought about the gunfire that Bird would have flown through when landing and taking off from a hot landing zone. He would have been a sitting duck, yet he re-enlisted. What kind of crazy person would re-enlist under those conditions?

"Boomer started in the Army in demolition," Jill said. "That just wasn't exciting enough for him, so he decided that when his tour in Vietnam was finished, he would re-enlist in the bomb squad. He was disabling IEDs in the underground tunnels that the VCs were digging. It was dark, cold, and he never knew if a VC was just around the next turn in the tunnels. He had to keep looking over his shoulder in the tunnels while he disarmed the bombs."

Jack didn't mind dark spaces, but he thought that small and dark sounded creepy.

"Finally, there's Boxer. He was in the Army's 82nd Airborne and was also the winner of the 'Best Warrior' competition at Fort Bragg three years in a row. The third year they added a boxing competition for fun and he won it by beating a six foot five inch goliath that weighed two hundred and seventy pounds. It took him fourteen rounds, but in the end he knocked out goliath. They still talk about it at Fort Bragg."

Jack didn't know what to say. I had no idea that her brothers were that tough and rugged.

"So I guess that is why you joined the Army?" Jack asked Jill.

"That is part of the reason."

"It is a little unusual for four siblings to all be in the military. It is even more unusual for them all to be in the same branch. What was the reason you all joined the Army?" Jack asked.

Silence.

The eyes of all four siblings drifted to the father.

Jack looked at the father and realized he was somehow responsible for the sibling's interest in the Army. "So what is your nickname?"

Jill laughed. "Dad's nickname is Shooter. But I am going to let him tell you about his military background."

Jack's eyes shifted to the right slightly. "What about your mom, does she have a nickname?"

Everyone at the table burst out in laughter.

"Jack, you are so funny," Jill responded. "No, of course not. She had to be at home and keep things normal while the rest of us were serving our country."

Jack felt a little embarrassed that he asked a ridiculous question like that, but he did see the humor from their perspective.

"Sorry, ma'am," Jack said to Jill's mom.

"Jack, if that is the worst thing you ever say about me, we are going to get along just fine," Jill's mom replied. "By the way, my given name is Hope, and I would like it if you called me by that name."

"Yes, ma'am . . . I mean, Hope."

The waitress came and set down three pitchers of diet cola and glasses. She said, "The pizza will be out in just a minute."

As the waitress walked to the kitchen to get the pizzas, Hope looked at Jack and asked, "Jack, you haven't asked about Jill's nickname."

"Ma'am—I mean Hope, I didn't know that she had a nickname. Now that you mention it, I am curious."

"Her nickname is Dude," Hope said.

Glancing around the table, Jack saw each person had a grin on their face. "Okay, I think this must be the part where I ask, 'Where did she get the nickname Dude?'"

Hope spoke up. "A dude is a guy that pays a lot of attention to his clothes. In Jill's case, she has always been a good dresser. Of course you wouldn't notice it since you've always seen her in her military uniform. It's true that she is not a guy, but she has proven her ability to keep up with her brothers over the years. So, we like to call her Dude."

"I have seen he pull her weight with the guys before, so I think the name is appropriate. It's sort of . . . cute," Jack said.

Everyone laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Jack.

"It's just that a tough guy like you doesn't normally use the word 'cute,'" Hope said.

Jack recognized the humor, and chuckled at his comment. This family is fun to be around. Tough people, but they are friendly, and have a good sense of humor.

The waitress brought three large pizzas and set them in the middle of the table. "Enjoy. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"I am so hungry," Jill said. "Dad, would you like to ask the blessing?"

"Certainly, Dude."

Jack wondered what 'ask the blessing' meant. Before he realized what was happening each person around the table grabbed the hand of the person next to them. Jill grabbed his right hand with her left hand, and Bird grabbed Jack's left hand. Jack saw everyone bow their heads like they were going to pray, so he also bowed his head. Jack didn't normally like being around people that were religious, but Jill's family was religious in a different kind of way. They prayed before meals like religious people, but they were tough and fun loving like the other Army buddies that he was used to being around.

"Let's pray," said Shooter. "Lord, thank you for this food and our time in fellowship around it. I also want to thank you for bringing Jack to this table tonight. Thank you for watching over Jill and Jack during their training, and thank you for the way Jack was able to help Jill when she needed it. Most of all, I thank you for your presence in our midst this evening. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

Jack thought how Shooter's prayer seemed un-religious. Shooter talked to God like God was his friend. His prayer wasn't a memorized speech.

"Jack, you get the first slice," Jill said as she scooped up the biggest slice and put it on Jack's plate.

The taste of Meat Lover's Pizza on Jack's palate relaxed him. He was enjoying the evening. While they ate, the brothers shared war stories. Hope, Shooter, Jill, and Jack quietly listened to the stories, but often laughed during the humorous parts. After the pizza and cola was consumed, Boxer asked, "Is it time?" Each person looked at the others, and everyone except Jack nodded.

"There is a table for two in the far corner," Boxer said. Everyone stood and began migrating to the smaller table. Jack looked at Jill as he stood.

"Trust me. This will be fun," Jill said.

"Who is going to be first?" asked Boxer.

"I think it is Jill and Bird's turn," Boomer said.

"Oh no. Not tonight . . . please," Jill responded.

"Come on, be a good sport and show Jack what you got," Boxer said.

With hesitation, Jill sat on one of the two seats and Bird sat on the other. Their faces sobered as each placed their right elbow near the center of the table. Then they each stretched and clenched their fingers on their right hand several times. Finally they opened their hands and grabbed each other's hand in an arm wrestling grip. This scene amused Jack. A skinny little female lieutenant, fresh out of the academy, is going to arm-wrestle her older brother who is twice her size. This should be fun.

Jack noticed that Jill didn't seem intimidated by the situation. She must have done this many times before.

"Are you ready?" said Boxer.

Jill and Bird stared each other in the eyes and nodded.

"Get ready . . ."

Jill and Bird each wiggled their elbows as they tried to find a position that would give each of them the most power.

"Get set . . ."

Jill and Bird wiggled their hands and fingers as they each searched for the best grip.

"GO!"

The muscles stiffened in Jill's and Bird's hands, arms and shoulders. Their faces tensed and eyes squinted as each stared into the eyes of their opponent. Grunts could be heard over the restaurant's background noise. Their arms began to quiver as they tried to force their opponents arm to the table. Jack was amused by Jill's determination. There is no way she can beat her brother.

Jill was the first to gain ground as her arm moved slightly in the direction of the table. Jack realized that Bird was holding back so his "little sister" would feel like she was tougher than she really was. Then Bird began to take advantage and his arm moved closer to the table. The two arms inched back and forth in a slow quivering dance. Jack was amused at the show that Jill and Bird were putting on. Customers at neighboring tables were beginning to stare at the spectacle. The quivering in the locked hands increased. Then the slow back and forth struggle began to dissipate as Jill's arm began a slow descent that marked her winning move. Her arm slowly descended. Bird did his best to grimace in a realistic fashion. Finally with only an inch left to her victory, Bird relaxed his arm and let Jill slam his knuckles into the table.

"Ouch! Go easy on me, Dude. You shouldn't take advantage of an old man like me," Bird said.

Jack looked around and saw that all of the people at the neighboring tables were applauding at the show that Jill and Bird had put on.

"Well, that will teach you not to pick on a woman!" Jill said. "Okay Jack, now it's your turn. You can have my seat, and Boxer can sit there." Jill pointed to each seat as she spoke.

Jack looked at Jill, and then he looked at Boxer. Boxer's muscular arms, shoulders, and neck suddenly seemed much larger than before. Jack didn't want to be beaten in any situation, and certainly not by his commander's brother. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Jack said.

Boxer looked at Jack and said, "What is your nickname, Jack?"

"I don't have one," Jack replied.

"Here's the deal. Either you arm wrestle, or we will give you a nickname, and trust me, we'll think up a nickname that you don't like."

Jack wasn't sure if Boxer was kidding, serious, or just egging him on. At any rate he felt cornered, so he was going to have to arm wrestle. Why did I come tonight? Maybe I should have just stayed in the barracks.

Jack and Boxer took their positions on opposite sides of the table. Jack looked at his opponent and wished he were anywhere but here. Jack and Boxer placed their elbows on the table, locked hands, tightened their grip on each other, and waited.

Jill began the count. "Get ready, get set, GO!"

Jack tensed his muscles and applied all the force he could muster. Boxer did the same. Nothing happened. Their arms didn't budge, just quivered.

"Go, Boxer," Jill yelled.

"Come on, Jack," Hope yelled.

"Let him have it, Boxer," Bird yelled.

"Sock it to him, Boxer," Boomer yelled.

Jack didn't hear any cheering from Shooter. He glanced at Shooter and noticed that he was just standing there with a smile on his face. He looks like he is enjoying this. Why isn't he cheering for one of us?

Boxer's muscles were tensing more, and his arm began to take advantage as it slowly moved toward the table. Jack felt pangs of humiliation and desperately wanted to avoid loosing. He spread his feet a little and leaned into the death grip they had on each other. He began to gain ground that he had initially lost. Slowly, the two hands began to move closer to a victory for Jack. Soon, Jack's hand was only two inches from the table and his victory was in sight.

"Come on, Boxer. You can't let me down. Sock it to him," Jill yelled at the top of her voice.

Jack didn't like to hear his boss rooting for his opponent, even if it was her brother.

Jill leaned in close to the quivering fists and yelled, "Go, Boxer!"

As Jill shouted this last encouragement to her brother, Jack felt a stabbing sensation in his right foot. The pain shot from up from his foot, through his knee, and into his thigh. Glancing down he saw that Jill, when leaning toward the clenched fists, had jammed one of her stiletto heels into the top of Jack's foot. The pain was sharp, painful, and distracting. With his attention diverted from the arm wrestling, his arm relaxed involuntarily and was slammed into the table by Boxer.

"Yes! I knew you could do it, Boxer!" Jill yelled.

"What the . . ." Jack mumbled.

Jack leaned back in his chair. He looked around the room at all the people that stopped eating to watch him and Boxer. Then he looked at Jill's parents. Shooter and Hope were both laughing. Jack looked at Jill and her brothers. All four siblings were jumping up and down and dancing a victory dance. Normally, in this type of situation, Jack would feel humiliated and dejected. But for some strange reason, Jack felt like this made him a part of Jill's family.

Jill slapped him on the back so hard it knocked the air out of his lungs. "You are a lot of fun, Jack."

Jack was having fun. He couldn't remember having this kind of fun before. Growing up in orphanages, he never relaxed with people like this. He never experienced "fun competition," and certainly never enjoyed loosing before. This was a new experience for Jack and he was having a hard time understanding why he liked Jill's family so much.

He smiled at the four siblings, and when they calmed down he said, "All right, you got me good this time, but next time . . ."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . there you go, talking tough again," Jill said. The four siblings started laughing again. This time Jack joined them.

Boxer, Bird, and Boomer took a break to go to the restroom. Hope walked over to Jill and began talking to her. Shooter walked over to Jack. "You have a good sense of humor, Jack. That goes a long way, especially around this family."

Jack smiled politely.

"Jack, I heard about your four bull's-eyes in the sniper competition. I know that that is unheard of in the sniper world. I am proud to have my daughter working with you. Jill doesn't talk much to me about the people she works with, but the little that she said about you is rather impressive. I can see why the Army has matched you two together. Jill is very strategic minded, but sometimes needs help with the tactical decisions. But, I am guessing that you have already figured that out."

Jack thought about what Shooter just said. "I know Jill is very talented, and was the best of her class, but no one is perfect. That is part of the reason for a sniper team."

"You have good insight, Jack. I want you know that if you ever get in a bind and need anything, just give me a call," Shooter said.

Jack was puzzled by Shooter's statement. What could he do for Jack? Jack was a self-sufficient person and rarely asked anyone for help. "I'm not sure what you are saying."

"Let's just say that I still have connections in the Army, and if you need any favors, I may be able to help."

"So, exactly how did you get your nickname Shooter?"

"I started out as a sniper just like you did. Eventually I ended up running the sniper school at Fort Benning. I was stationed there when I retired."

"Hmmm . . . and I suppose that you are the person that taught Jill to hunt elk?"

"That was actually a joint effort between her three brothers and me."

"Well, she has proven herself on the range during the sniper competition. I'm glad you taught her so well."

Hope finished talking to Jill. She walked toward Jack and said, "Jack, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Jack walked over to her, and Shooter walked over to talk to Jill. Jack noticed that Hope was about sixty tall and slender like Jill. She also had long dark air and blue eyes like Jill. Unlike Jill, her hair was not in a ponytail; it gently flowed around her neck and shoulders. As Jack looked at her he imagined what Jill would look like when she was her mother's age.

"Jack, I want to thank you for watching out for Jill. She is a wonderful daughter, but she sometimes gets herself into situations that overwhelm her. She needs someone like you to keep her in line and make sure that her good intentions don't come back to haunt her."

Jack thought about this and realized that Jill's mom truly understood Jill's plight in life.

"Ma'am . . . er, Hope, I have seen Jill in action, and I must say that she is one amazing woman." Jack surprised himself. He not only referred to her as amazing, but he also referred to her as a woman. Somehow he had gotten used to the idea of thinking of Jill as a soldier. Jack glanced over to Jill as she was talking to her father. He looked at her long slender legs and stiletto heels. She is the prettiest soldier I've ever seen.

"Jill and I talk a lot, and I feel like I already know you very well. I think you have a protective spirit about you, Jack, and that is just what Jill needs. But you should also know that deep down inside she has other needs. She needs compatibility and friendship. She does get some compatibility from just being in the Army, but not on a personal level. She also doesn't get any friendship either, at least not on an intimate level. She has always had a close relationship to her family, but it stops there. I think she needs to grow past that and find true friendship with other people as well."

Jack looked at Hope, and wondered what she was trying to say.

"I realize that she is your commander, and that is not going to change in the near future. But, you should know that she has great respect for you, much more than you realize."

This caught Jack by surprise. Since when has that skinny little soldier ever shown respect for me?

"Jack, keep in mind that as your leader she doesn't want to let you see any of her faults. That is natural for anyone, but especially for a leader, and even more so for a woman. What I am trying to say is that on a rare occasion Jill may want to open up a little and seek a friendly relationship with people that she respects. Don't be surprised if she does that to you when you least expect it."

Jack pondered this and realized that Hope had some good observations concerning his relationship with Jill. "Thank you for these insights. I never thought about Jill in those terms."

"I know, Jack. Sometimes in the middle of war games, or combat, it is hard to think about personal relationships at these levels." Hope smiled at Jack. "Anyhow, I am so glad that the Army has found such a nice person to team up with my daughter."

This statement caught Jack by surprise. 'Nice person?' I have been called a lot of things in my life, but never that.

"Jack, I will be thinking about you, and praying for you as you two go out on your upcoming mission."

"Ma'am, it's a training mission."

"Oh yes. Training mission. I have heard that many times before. I have seen Shooter, Boxer, Boomer, and Bird all go out on training missions before. By now I have learned how to tell when it is a training mission and when it is a real mission. Each time it is a real mission, they get real quiet and start to withdraw just before shipping out. Jill is going through that stage now, although tonight she is doing her best to act her normal self. I know you can't talk about it, but from past experience, I have learned to watch the news channel all my waking hours during these so-called 'training missions.' I always have trouble sleeping until everyone gets back safely."

"You are very discerning."

"Jack, there are two favors that I want to ask you before you go."

"What's that?"

"First, take good care of Jill, she is my only daughter. I made it through my husband and three boys going off to war, but I never expected that my only daughter would follow in their footsteps. She is the last to leave the nest, and I can't bear the thought of anything happening to her."

Jack noticed Hope's eyes beginning to fill up. "I will do everything I possibly can to bring her back alive and well."

"You are such a sincere person. I am so glad you're Jill's partner."

"You said there was a second favor."

"Please take good care of yourself, too. In order to take care of Jill, you need to take care of yourself, so don't lose sight of those priorities. And—well—just between you and me, I like you a lot, and I think that Jill likes you a lot, too. Her other boyfriends have been nice guys, but they just were not the perfect match that she needs. I don't want to put the cart before the horse. I just think that there may be more to your relationship than you or Jill realize. You could call it a mother's intuition. At any rate, I think you are special, and it would be hard for me to think about anything bad happening to you."

Jack looked into Hope's full eyes and saw a tear run down her cheek. Hope seems like a kind person, and she has a sincere interest in my safety.

"Jack, I also want you to know that after talking to you I feel like I now have a fourth son," Hope said.

A tear ran down her other cheek. Jack's own eyes began to fill up, and he tried to hold back his own emotions. It had been a long time since he experienced the concern of a loving mother.

Hope reached out with both arms and gave Jack a long and tight hug.

Jack thought he had grown very close to Hope, Shooter, Boomer, Boxer, and Bird in a short time. This family is very special . . .
Chapter 14

The Mission: Hurry Up and Wait . . .

The next several days went by slowly. Jack kept busy with his day-to-day activities. Jill called him at the end of each day to say that they were still waiting for the order to begin their mission. Jack fieldstripped and cleaned his M-16 each morning after his two-mile run. Then he fieldstripped and cleaned his 1911 pistol. Then he counted his ammunition, and inventoried his equipment. He did this by first unpacking his rucksack. Then he did his count, and repacked his rucksack. Then he went over his memorized compensation numbers for Betsy: range, elevation, and windage numbers that he wanted to have fresh in his mind when he took his "kill shot." Finally he mentally reviewed his escape strategy and alternate plans. He knew from past missions that there is always a high probability of things not going as planned when they are making a quick egress from hostile territory. After this routine in the morning he would get some lunch and then relax in front of the TV watching the sports channel. After that he would go for a walk. Then dinner. Then wait for the call from Jill. Then go to bed and think about Jill. I wonder how Jill is holding up under this stress of waiting. I wonder how Jill is going to do on her HALO jump. I wonder if her parents are worried about her. I wonder how long it will be before I see her in those stiletto heels again.

Jack, even though he was relatively young, had been on several missions like this before. He knew how to manage the stress of waiting. It was not easy for anybody, but he was comfortable with the uncertainty.

***

Jill had never been on a mission before. She checked the weather at the drop zone in Colombia early every morning, but then she also checked it randomly during the day whenever she started getting nervous. She didn't even know she was nervous. She would just pick up the phone and call the weather service for an update. Often, because she had just called a short time before, the weather service would say that there was no change and politely hang up. Likewise, she would ask herself questions randomly. Should I call Jack in the mornings instead of the evening? Should I call Jack more than once a day? I wonder what Jack is doing. I wonder if Jack is worried about the success of the mission. I wonder if Jack is thinking about me.

One afternoon just after lunch, she was feeling a bit tired as she sat in her chair in HQ. She had been given a modest desk and cubicle with a telephone and computer to do the work required while waiting for the go-ahead for the mission. Her mind drifted to Jack's background. I feel so sorry for poor Jack, growing up without any mother, father, or siblings. How sad. He must have been so lonely. Christmas and birthdays must have been especially painful. There was no one to show him love and kindness. I wonder if Jack ever had any close relationships with the foster parents or their children. Why did he have to lose his parents at such a young age? Did he ever develop relationships with friends at school? Did he ever have a girlfriend? How many girlfriends did he—

"Jacobson, in my office, NOW!" Major Phelps barked.

Jill jumped, caught off guard by the major's loud and sudden voice. She grabbed her pen and notepad and followed the major to his office.

"Close the door and sit down, Jacobson." The major had that serious look on his face again. "We have gotten the go-ahead for the mission. You are leaving tomorrow morning at zero-three thirty sharp. Will you be ready?"

"Yes, sir. Everything is in place and the weather is going to be excellent."

"Good. Just remember that this mission, besides being top secret, is also extremely dangerous."

"Yes, sir." Jill was hoping that the major was not going to dwell on the danger.

"I'll look forward to a successful completion of your mission. You are dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Jill got up from her chair.

The major got up from his chair and walked around the table to her as she was reaching for the doorknob. "Jill, one more thing."

"Yes, sir?"

"Please, take good care of yourself and come back in one piece."

Jill looked into the major's eyes and thought that they were starting to fill up. "Thank you for your concern, sir." Jill thought about his emotions at this moment. She wondered if he had any daughters, and if he were wondering what it would be like to send them on a sniping mission to enemy infested jungles of South America.

***

Jack had just walked into his barracks after his afternoon walk when he heard the phone ringing.

"Savage, we got the green light," Jill told him over the phone.

"How is the weather?" he asked.

"Perfect."

"When do we leave?"

"Three thirty in the morning."

"So, the waiting is over," Jack said. "Get a good night sleep. We'll need it tomorrow."

"I know. You do the same."

"Yes, ma'am. Good night, ma'am."

"Good night, Savage."
Chapter 15

The Mission: HALO Parachute Jump

Loading the plane went according to plan. It was going to be a long flight. Jill wore her fatigues so they would be comfortable for the ride to Colombia. The C-130 took off on time and they both fell asleep after taking off. The jumpmaster had been instructed to wake Jill when they were an hour from the drop zone.

"Ma'am. It's time."

"Thank you." Jill rubbed her eyes and looked around the insides of the C-130. She had been dreaming and realized that this was the first time she had ever woken in a C-130.

"Savage, wake up." Jill nudged Jack several times. He didn't budge. She nudged him harder. There was still no response from Jack. How can he sleep so soundly on this loud airplane?

This time, out of sheer necessity, Jill shook Jack hard. Jack started laughing.

"Okay, you were fooling me, Savage. You got me good. How can you be so jovial just before we jump into enemy territory?"

"Ma'am, I have to be, or else I would do something bad, like worry."

Jill looked at Jack in silence for a moment while she digested what Jack had just said. "We need to start getting ready for the jump."

Both stood and walked to their rucksacks. Opening the end, they each pulled out their combat clothing. Jill already had her combat shirt on, so she only had to put on her combat pants. She turned her back to Jack, so she would not make eye contact with him during her change of trousers. She slid her fatigue pants off her legs, and then slid her combat pants on. She wondered if Jack was watching. After changing she stood and turned toward Jack. He was already busy strapping on the layers of battle gear and survival gear he would need for the next three days. Jill did the same. Finally, they pulled out their weapons. Jack had Betsy, and his 1911 pistol. Jill had her M-16. She glanced at Jack, then reached into the bottom of her rucksack and pulled out a small 22-caliber Ruger Mark III bull barrel pistol. It had a custom silencer attached to the barrel. She attached it to her waist with a small holster.

"Hey, no toys allowed," Jack said.

"Savage, you can kid me all you want. But if we need a quiet weapon, you will be begging me for my 22-caliber. When I fire this pistol, all you can hear is the quiet 'click-clack' as it loads the next round."

"You like to talk tough don't you, ma'am."

"Savage, do you need any help carrying the 50-cal to the back of the plane?"

"No, ma'am. I think I can manage." Jack smiled.

The jumpmaster had their parachutes in the back of the plane waiting for them. He clipped them onto the harness they had already put on. Then he systematically tightened each strap. After that he went back and tightened each strap one more time to get out any possible slack.

Jill felt the jumpmaster tighten her straps. I feel like I am in a tiny space and can't get out. I want to rip off this parachute harness and catch my breath. I can't let it overwhelm me. I must not let Jack see me panic. I have come this far and I can't let him down. I can't let Major Phelps down. I can't let my dad down . . .

Finally the jumpmaster attached chemical light sticks to the back of their helmets and calves with duct tape. Before doing this, he bent each light stick so the small glass vial inside broke and allowed the two chemicals to mix together. Immediately, each one began glowing a soft greenish color. This would let them see each other, but the light would not shine toward the ground where the enemy could see them coming. Also, their landing would occur just after sunrise, and then the light sticks would not be bright enough to signal their location to the enemy.

"Two minutes until we are over the drop zone," the jumpmaster yelled over the sound of the engines. "Put on your oxygen masks."

Jill and Jack put their oxygen masks on and watched the jumpmaster as he put his on. Then they watched as the jumpmaster slid into his safety harness, and clipped the safety strap to his harness. The length of the safety strap had been carefully measured so that the jumpmaster could walk anywhere on the jump platform in the rear of the C-130, but he couldn't go past the edge of the platform. This ensured that he would not get swept over the edge by turbulence, wind, or one of the jumpers on their way out of the plane.

"One minute to the jump zone. Are you guys ready?"

Jill and Jack both nodded. The jumpmaster slapped the big green button labeled OPEN. Hydraulic motors groaned as the rear door opened and the four-ton jump platform lowered into position. The wind outside the plane began whipping inside and created a loud roar.

Jill was watching the platform lower. She still struggled with the claustrophobic feelings. She looked at Jack and noticed a smile. How can Jack enjoy this? He seems to thrive on it. Doesn't he ever get claustrophobia? Isn't he afraid of free falling at two hundred miles per hour in the darkness of night? Doesn't he worry about rough landings, or getting caught by the enemy? Maybe once I am out of the airplane and in the cold air I will feel better.

The jumpmaster removed his oxygen mask just long enough to yell, "Thirty seconds."

Jill and Jack looked at each other. Jack's smile deepened. Jill tried to smile.

"Twenty seconds."

Jill focused on the edge of the platform. When I step off the edge of the platform, it will be my last step on friendly soil for the next three days.

"Ten seconds."

Jill and Jack took one last look at each other. Jill knew that she would not be able to see Jack's face in the pitch-blackness at thirty-three thousand feet.

Jill looked into Jack's brown eyes. Why am I so afraid? I need to be brave for both of us.

"GO!" the jumpmaster yelled. Simultaneously a loud horn blasted in their ears, signaling their need to exit immediately.

With that Jill did not hesitate. She ran to the end of the airplane and lunged off the edge of the jump platform. Jack also lunged and they both simultaneously took their last step on friendly soil as they plunged into the blackness of night.

***

Just before they jumped, Jack looked into Jill's blue eyes. I will do what your mom asked. I will bring you back safe and sound.

Jack watched Jill's exit, and was glad that she did not snag any of her equipment when she jumped. He watched the three light sticks on her back and saw how the airstream blast pushed her into a head-down-feet-up position. Jack noticed that she immediately compensated so that she began floating in a level attitude with her arms and legs extended. He also compensated for the airstream blast. He could not see the outline of her body, just the three light sticks, as they began accelerating toward enemy territory. Jack kept glancing at Jill. He was determined to stay close to her so he would not lose sight of her in the dark night sky. At the same time he needed to keep enough space between them so they did not collide with each other. Jack looked at the GPS that was strapped to his right forearm and double-checked their position. It was his job to navigate to the top of the mountain that overlooked the compound where Juan-Carlos Zaragoza lives. Jack also checked his altimeter that was strapped to his left forearm. It read thirty-one thousand feet. Jack's mind was momentarily distracted. I love this stuff. I did the right thing when I signed up for the Army.

"Jack, how's our position?" Jill's voice crackled over the two-way radio.

"Dead on. Our time is also dead on. Keep an eye out in the eastern sky. In about two minutes you will see the beginning of a beautiful sunrise." Jack couldn't resist. He knew that he was supposed to be professional and focused on the mission, but the thought of Jill seeing the sunrise from ten thousand feet excited him.

"Jill, when we get to ten thousand feet I will let you know so we can remove our oxygen masks."

"Affirmative, Jack."

They were about twenty feet apart now, and falling at a speed of two hundred miles per hour. The sun was still below the horizon, but the twilight was beginning to appear. The ground was so far away that they could not detect that the trees were slowly getting larger. Jack knew that eventually the ground would appear to come at them faster, even though their speed did not change.

"Twenty-five thousand feet." Jack's voice crackled over the walkie-talkie system that was strapped to his parachute harness.

Jack noticed Jill taking a glance over her left shoulder. She must be looking for that morning sunrise. I hope our timing works out and we can see it. It's romantic in a weird sort of way.

"Twenty thousand feet." Jack was glancing between his altimeter, his GPS, and Jill. He noticed how she was easily maneuvering her arms and legs to maintain a position about twenty feet from Jack. She's a quick learner. I am starting to understand why the Army matched us up for this sniper team.

"Fifteen thousand feet." Jack saw Jill glance over her left shoulder as he announced the altitude. The sky was beginning to show a dull orange glow as the sun was preparing to broach the edge of the earth.

"Ten thousand feet. We can take our oxygen masks off now." Jack loosened the straps on his mask as he watched Jill loosen her mask. She once again glanced over her left shoulder as the upper crescent of the morning sun broke above the earth's horizon in the eastern sky. Jill held her glance. Jack was pleased that she took a longer look. He saw a smile forming on her face as the morning sun projected its glow on her. He imagined her pleasure in the beautiful view that few people get to see. I am so happy that Jill—

Poooooofffff!

"What was that?" Jack heard a loud noise. He saw pieces of flesh exploding in all directions. Something hit Jill. What could it be? Was it a stinger missile? Maybe a lucky shot from a ground sniper? Aw rats, what was it?

As soon as it happened, Jill began tumbling, and she was descending at a much slower speed. That meant that she was now above Jack. Jack looked up and saw pieces of flesh floating away from Jill as she tumbled downwards. Jack imagined the worse. If she is hurt in the smallest way, I'm gonna kill the person that did this to her!

Jack instinctively spread his arms and legs as wide as he possibly could. His descent slowed so that he floated closer to Jill. He needed to get to her as quickly as possible so that he could help her. Think Jack . . . what do I do when I get to her? What are my priorities going to be? Okay, I need to get ready to pull her ripcord. That has to be done by 2,500 feet. Then, when I get on the ground I can give her medical attention. I hope she lives that long.

Jack's speed was starting to match Jill's, and as he glanced up he saw the gap closing. He swung his arms and feet to the right, rolling on his back, so he could see Jill clearly. Floating upside-down with his face toward Jill, he maneuvered himself directly under Jill's body as he drew closer. This was a tricky maneuver since he was floating upside down. Every slight movement had to be done backwards. If he wanted to move to his right, he had to move his arms and legs in a fashion that would normally move him to the left. He noticed that her body stopped tumbling, and was face down. They were drawing closer to each other. They were only thirty feet apart. Jack carefully made small adjustments in his position and speed, constantly reminding himself of the need to reverse the direction of each movement. He would only get one chance at this, and he needed to make sure that he didn't blow it. If he approached Jill too fast the collision could break every bone in her body, but he had to hurry so he could pull her ripcord before—well, Jack didn't want to think about that possibility. Jack looked for Jill's head, arms, and legs. He could see that all her limbs were intact, but there was a lot of torn flesh sticking to her harness. There was blood, intestines, something that looked like a small liver and lots of . . . feathers. Where did they come from?

Jack was only ten feet from Jill now. He looked at her face. She had what looked like a huge black eye, and blood covered her face. Her oxygen mask had been ripped off and was not in sight. He was only five feet away, then four, three, two, and one . . . "Gotch ya." Jack's arms grabbed Jill's body in a bear hug, and he held on forcefully for a second to be sure that he had a firm grip. He couldn't afford to let her slip out of his hands. Jack glanced at his altimeter. Five thousand feet. He knew that at their current rate of speed he only had about fourteen seconds to pull her ripcord, and his. He moved his right hand from behind her to the front of her harness and squeezed as tight as he could so he did not loose hold of Jill. Then he moved his left hand from behind her to her ripcord on the front of her parachute harness. With all of his might he gave it a yank. Nothing. Jack pulled harder. Still nothing. Again and again he pulled, yanked, wiggled. The ripcord would not budge. Jack glanced at his altimeter. Four thousand feet. Glancing down at her ripcord he saw the problem. Bone fragments were jammed into the harness and catching on the edge of the ripcord. Jack used his fingers to try to pull the bone fragments out. My God, I hope these bone fragments are not Jill's.

Jack was desperate. He glanced at his altimeter. Three thousand feet. Jack tried to reach his Ka-Bar knife. He was right handed, so it was on the right side of his belt in its sheath. Since he was holding onto Jill's harness with his right hand, he had to reach across his chest with his left hand. The assault vest he was wearing hindered this movement. He grappled with his fingertips to feel the top of the knife sheath. Stretching a little further, he was able to feel the snap that held the knife in its sheath. He flicked the snap open, grabbed the top of the knife and pulled it out. Jack jammed the point of the knife into Jill's parachute harness, being careful not to cut Jill, and began prying out the bone fragments that were blocking the ripcord. One, two, three, four fragments were pried loose. As each fragment was pried loose the wind blowing past them at two hundred miles per hour pushed them out of the way. Jack couldn't see any other bone fragments. Glancing at his altimeter, he saw that it said twenty-five hundred feet. It's now or never.

Jack yanked Jill's ripcord as hard as he possibly could. It slid out with minimal resistance. Jill's parachute began to unfurl and exit the back of her harness. Jack could feel Jill's harness gently tugging as the parachute began slowing Jill's body.

Jack gently released his death grip on Jill's harness. He watched her float upwards from him as he continued to fall at two hundred miles per hour. As they separated, he looked into her blue eyes, one of which was encircled with a massive black bruise. Jill, please don't die like this.

As Jack's downward speed pulled him away from Jill, he noticed that she was in one piece, but not moving. Her eyes were open, but no sign of life was visible. Because of the noisy wind he couldn't tell if she was breathing. He watched the main chute unroll and then inflate into a perfectly shaped parachute. He was thankful that it was open because now he knew that she would have a gentle landing.

At the speed Jack was falling he only had another nine seconds before he would impact the earth. All in all, it was not a bad way to die. It would be quick. In fact, it would be extremely quick. Jack knew that every bone in his body would be instantly crushed, including his spine and skull. That meant that if he did feel any pain, it would only be for a nanosecond, and then he would feel nothing. It would be over.

Nine seconds sounds like a lot of time, but in reality it wasn't. It takes a few seconds for the wind blowing past the parachute harness to pull the parachute out. Then it takes another second or two for it to inflate, and finally another few seconds for it to arrest the speed of the falling person to the point that they can land safely. Jack hesitated. He thought about what would happen if he pulled the ripcord, and the parachute only had enough time to partly inflate. He might be slowed down a little bit, but not enough for a safe landing. In that case he would crash into the earth with enough speed to break lots of bones and crush lots of organs, but the speed would not be fast enough to kill him instantly. I don't want to die like that. It would be a slow and cruel death. It might take hours, or days to die. The pain I would experience for that time would be excruciating. I would be paralyzed. I would not be able to give myself any morphine for the pain. I would not be able to take my "L" tab and die an honorable death. I have to make a choice . . . do I pull my ripcord?

Jack's mind was racing. The adrenalin forced his mind into overdrive. His mental calculations occurred at a blinding speed. What should he do?

Jack's mind flashed back to Jill. He didn't know what condition she was in. Was she dead? Was she alive? If Jill was alive, how bad was she hurt? Would she be able to operate the radio and call for help?

Jack then realized that his concern for his own situation was not as important as his concern for Jill. He had to do his best to get safely on the ground and rescue Jill.

Jack's adrenalin surged as he pulled his ripcord. He watched the ground as it raced toward him. Will my parachute open in time?
Chapter 16

The Mission: Day One

Jack felt his parachute starting to unfurl. He took a quick glance in Jill's direction. He could see the direction of her descent was going to put her near the middle of a clearing. She would be about four miles from their original planned landing spot. Good, she won't be landing in the trees.

Now that he knew where she would be landing, he had to focus on his own problems. As the trees rushed toward him, he quickly glanced upward. My chute is open and fully inflated. I hope it slows me down in time.

Jack looked down and saw trees below him. There was no clearing close enough that he could land in. He mentally reviewed the necessary procedures for a tree landing. He crossed his ankles and squeezed his legs tightly together so they would be less likely to catch on any branches when his body plunged into the top of the trees. Then he tugged the steering cords several times to aim his parachute to the smallest tree he could find. Two seconds before hitting, he extended both arms straight up over his head. Then, after taking one last look, he closed his eyes tightly and bent his left elbow so his forearm covered his eyes and nose. That way, his face would have some protection from the branches that were about to rush past his face.

Jack could hear the small branches snapping as his body plunged into the tree. That changed to a popping sound as the branches were getting larger. Finally, the sound changed to a banging as he hit the large branches near the center of the tree. He could feel his body begin to buckle as the large branches forcibly struck him. He focused his mind on squeezing his legs together and holding his forearm tightly against his face.

Suddenly, there was silence. Jack relaxed, and started checking body parts. He could wiggle his toes and fingers, and move his legs and arms. He was thinking clearly, and could see, so his head must be all right. Hanging from the parachute cords, he saw a large branch about two feet in front of him that he could use to climb down the tree. Jack began swinging and after a couple of tries he hooked the branch with both of his feet. Pulling himself with his feet, he grabbed the branch with his right hand. Then he released his parachute by yanking the quick release buckles on his shoulders with his free hand. He was free from his chute. He began pulling it into the tree so he could hide it. Grabbing the nylon cords, he pulled and pulled. Finally he had pulled the parachute out of sight. He stashed it in a fork of one of the branches. I hate to take the time to stash the chute when Jill is injured, but I can't risk Zaragoza spotting the chute if he flies by in his helicopter.

Jack climbed down the tree as quickly as he could. Then he ran the half-mile to Jill's landing spot. She was in the middle of the clearing, and not moving.

Jack was careful that he did not move Jill. He especially did not want to move her head in case she had any spinal injuries. He felt her pulse. It was weak and rapid. He checked her breathing. It was shallow.

"Jill, can you hear me?" Jack's voice was instinctively quiet. He knew that he was behind enemy lines. There could be patrols, even this far out from Zaragoza's compound.

"Jill, wake up. Please . . . wake up."

Jack looked into Jill's eyes. They were half open, and not moving. He grabbed his flashlight and shined it into each of her pupils and they both contracted. "Good, she has autonomic reflexes."

Jack waited a couple of seconds and repeated himself. "Jill, please wake up."

Jack didn't know what to do. Then he saw movement. Jill's eyes blinked. Thank God.

Jill blinked several more times. "Ja . . . Ja . . . Jack, are you okay?"

Jack couldn't believe that Jill's first words expressed concern for him. "I'm fine, Jill. You hit an eagle at ten thousand feet."

"Ea . . . eagle? Ten thousand feet? Poor eagle." Jack chuckled. He could see that Jill was coming around and he found it humorous that she was so concerned about the eagle that almost killed her.

"Jill, I have to get you and your chute out of this clearing. Aircraft in the area might see us, and we can't let that happen."

"Uh huh. Sure, Ja . . . Jack."

Jack gently pulled the quick release buckles on Jill's shoulders. That allowed him to separate the chute from her harness.

"Jill, I am going to have to use your chute to drag you to the woods. Do you think you can roll over on your side?"

"Uh huh, if you help me a little."

Jill slowly rolled on her right side. Jack was stilled concerned that Jill might have spinal injuries so he let her do most of the work, and only helped when she absolutely needed it. Jack noticed that she was able to use both legs and both arms as she rolled. He pulled her chute and stuffed part of it under her. "Okay, you can relax."

Jill slowly rolled back onto her chute.

"Jill, I will go slowly and try to avoid rocks and holes. Are you ready?"

"Uh huh."

Jack grabbed the two straps that were originally attached to her shoulder buckles. Then he started pulling, slowly at first so he did not jostle her. He was still not sure about the extent of her injuries. One step at a time they moved closer to the edge of the woods. Jack kept listening for any aircraft in the area. He had pulled Jill about halfway to the woods when he heard the distant sound of a helicopter . . . woop, woop, woop.

"Jill, we are going to have to move faster."

"Uh huh."

Jack doubled his speed and in a short time he had Jill in the woods and out of sight. He went to her side and looked over her body for bleeding. He unbuckled her harness and weapons belt. Everything was covered with blood, guts, and feathers from the eagle. As he removed each layer of clothing he found that there was no blood inside her harness or clothing.

"Good news, Jill, you're not bleeding."

"Um, poor eagle."

Jack chuckled again. "Only a woman would feel sorry for an eagle that had caused so much damage to her."

Jack noticed that Jill was trying to move her limbs and head. This was a good sign; she was coming around.

He looked up just in time to see a Hughes Little Bird helicopter fly overhead. He heard the womp, womp of the rotor blades and said, "There goes your buddy, Jill."

"The eagle?"

Jack chuckled again, "No Jill, it's Zaragoza in his Little Bird."

"Zaragoza? That bastard is not my buddy."

Jack stopped and looked at Jill. He had never heard Jill use such strong language. I hope that means she is going to be okay.

Jack instinctively checked his watch. It was six twenty-eight. Zaragoza is getting an early start.

"Jill."

"Um . . ."

"I need to check you for broken bones."

"Su . . . sure."

Jack began the process of systematically, and gently, squeezing her right shoulder, then upper arm, lower arm, and finally her right hand and fingers. Jack could not find any broken bones. She sure is one skinny soldier. How did she ever get through basic training? Then Jack began the same procedure on her left side. Left shoulder, left upper arm . . .

"Ouch!" Jill tensed up as Jack found a sensitive spot in her upper left arm. When her muscles tensed, Jack noticed that her bicep and triceps were tough and wiry. So that is how she got through basic training. She is lean and mean.

Jack continued the gentle squeezing process. "Jill, both arms are okay. Your left upper arm must be bruised from the bird strike, but I didn't find anything broken. Now I am going to check your legs."

"Uh huh. Sure."

Jack began the same process of gentle squeezing, starting just below her right hip. He also was feeling for signs of dampness, just in case she was bleeding from her femoral artery. Working his way down her right leg he found no broken bones, and Jill didn't flinch. As Jack was repeating the process for the left leg he noticed how slender her legs were. Hmm . . . long and sexy. Firm, and—

"Jack, can I have a drink of water?"

"I have good news. You seem to be bruised and battered, but I think the eagle got the worst of the collision. Your bulletproof vest probably saved you from internal damages. So, yes, you can have a drink." Jack pulled out his water bottle, removed the cap, and let Jill take a few sips.

"I'm going to call HQ a little earlier than planned."

"Good. They will be glad to hear that I can go on with the mission."

Jack's eyes widened. He stared at Jill for a second. "That is not exactly what I had in mind. You just experienced a nasty bird strike at two hundred miles per hour and I need to get you flown out of here. You need medical attention."

"Jack, don't do that . . . please. I can make it. We won't be making the shot for another two days. By then I will be much better. I can recuperate while we are doing our recon. I promise."

Jack hesitated. He considered what Jill just said. It made sense, but his gut reaction was still telling him to get her to safety. "Hmm. You have a good point. It won't hurt to wait two days to see how you do. If you don't recuperate enough for the kill shot, then we can make our egress without killing Zaragoza. The Army can send another team in and finish off that bastard." He used the same intonation as Jill when she had used the B word in referring to Zaragoza.

Jill caught his mimic and smiled. "You shouldn't make fun of me when I'm not able to hit you."

Jack was enjoying the friendly teasing. She has a good sense of humor. Especially considering what she just went through.

"All right, I'm going to run this past HQ and see what they say."

Jack removed the comms radio from Jill's harness and set up the satellite dish near the edge of the woods where he could get a good line-of-sight view of the military satellite. He watched the signal strength meter as he adjusted the antenna. Then he entered the scramble code into the keypad. Finally he keyed the mic. "Delta Bravo, this is Flap Jack Two. Do you read me?"

Jack knew that this radio was their only connection to the outside world. Without it he would not be able to talk to HQ. Even worse, he would not be able to arrange a helicopter pick up when they needed to leave Colombia.

"Delta Bravo, this is Flap Jack Two. Do you read me?" Jack again waited, hoping that the radio had not been damaged during Jill's bird strike.

"Flap Jack Two, this is Delta Bravo, go ahead."

"Hello, I am glad to hear your voice."

"What's up?"

"We had a bit of a problem. We had a bird strike on the way down."

"Oh, what a bummer. Was there much damage to the plane?"

"The plane? NO! It happened on the way down!"

"On the way down? What do you mean?"

"I mean that we had a bird strike during our HALO jump!"

"During your HALO? Oh good grief . . . hold on."

The radio went silent. Jack waited. Time seemed to stop. It must have been a full two minutes later when a voice came over the radio.

"Savage, this is Major Phelps. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Jill is the one who had the bird strike. She hit an eagle at ten thousand feet. It must have had a six foot wingspan, and it probably weighed fifteen pounds."

"Holy moly. How is she?"

"She has lots of bruises and a heck of a black eye. No broken bones. I don't see any evidence of internal injuries. She is conscious, but still a bit delirious at this point."

"How fast was she going?"

"We were traveling two hundred miles per hour."

"Oh boy. The eagle was looking for breakfast and never knew what hit her."

"Right. Anyhow, Jill wants to continue with the plan. She can recuperate for the next two days while we do our recon. Then if she is up to it, we can take the kill shot and come home."

There was a long pause. Jack waited while Major Phelps considered the situation. "Jack, I don't see any reason to pull the plug right now, so go ahead with your plan. In the meantime, keep me posted daily with Jill's condition. I'll have a helicopter on standby in case she takes a turn for the worse."

"Affirmative, sir, Flapjack Two out."

Jill had been listening to the radio conversation. "Soooo, we get to spend another three days in beautiful sunny Colombia?"

Jack forced a weak smile. "Yeah, our vacation is not going to get cut short after all. Jill, if we are going to do recon for the next couple of days I should carry our equipment to the observation site on the top of the mountain overlooking the Zaragoza compound. It will take me about one hour to get our equipment up there, and another hour to come back for you. If I get started now, we should be able to start our reconnaissance about ten hundred hours"

"Right, I will stay here."

"Do you still have your toy pistol?" Jack asked.

"Hey . . . be nice. Stop teasing me about my .22. Yes, it's in the holster."

"Good. Keep it handy and leave the safety off. If you need it, you don't want anyone to hear you click the safety to the off position."

"Good thought." Jill reached down and slowly pulled out her .22. She grabbed the stock and pressed the safety with her thumb . . . click. Then she rested the .22 on her stomach, and laid both hands on top of it as if she were protecting it instead of it protecting her.

Satisfied that Jill could turn off the safety, he assumed that Jill would be able to use her .22 if she had to. Looking around, and listening, Jack could not see or hear any bad guys.

"I'll be back in two hours, Jill."

"Good luck, and don't worry about me." As Jill said these last words she affectionately patted the 22-caliber pistol that was lying on her tummy.

Jack got a kick out of the fact that Jill found comfort in things like guns. She had a tomboyish way about her, and he liked that.

***

Two hours later, Jack walked back to the edge of the forest where he had left Jill. Sweat was dripping from his face as a result of hurrying. He wanted to get back to Jill as quickly as possible and see how she was recuperating. Jill was lying there with her eyes closed. I hope that Jill is alive, and just sleeping. She needs the rest.

"Jill, wake up."

"Huh. What's wrong?" Jill grabbed her 22-caliber pistol and started looking around the woods.

"Calm down, Jill, it's just me. I came to get you."

"Oh, yeah, okay . . . sorry."

"We have a four mile hike ahead of us. I can carry you if . . ."

"I was hit by an eagle, not a land mine. I will need to lean on you a bit, but if you try to carry me like some sort of male chauvinist Neanderthal man, then you will be peeling potatoes for a month."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack smiled. He could sense that Jill's rest and nap had already started the healing process. At least her sense of humor was coming back.

"One more thing, Jack. We are out her by ourselves, and there are not any other military people around, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, I noticed that for a little while after the bird strike you were calling me Jill."

"Oh, yeah . . . sorry. It won't happen again."

"Actually . . . I was thinking just the opposite."

"How's that, ma'am?"

"I would like you to call me Jill when we are by ourselves."

"Yes, ma'am . . . I mean Jill."

"Can I ask one more favor? I like calling you Jack. Would you mind if I do that sometimes?"

"I think that is a fair trade."

"Good. Let's get going. We need to hurry so we can start the recon as soon as possible."

Jill's progress was slow at first. Jack didn't rush her. He knew that it would take a while for her to discover all of her sore spots, and then learn to adjust her walk so to minimize her pain. He thought back to the conversation he had with Hope, and how she made him promise to take good care of Jill. I wonder if there will be any more surprises during this mission.

***

Jill was exhausted by the time they got to the top of the mountain. Entering the clearing she spotted all of their gear. Jack had stowed it near the edge of the clearing where they would be able to get a good view of the Zaragoza compound. She noticed a pile of fresh pine needles next to the stash of equipment.

"What are those pine needles for?"

"Oh, I piled them up for you to lie on," Jack said. "I thought it would be more comfortable than lying on the hard ground, and maybe it will help you heal faster."

"How sweet. Thank you."

"Sure. Here, give it a try while I start setting up our scopes."

Jack held on to Jill carefully as he eased her on the pile of fresh pine needles.

Jill sank into the comfort of the soft needles and the fresh scent of pine. Oh my. This is almost romantic! She looked up at Jack. He had a slight, but proud, smile.

Jack retrieved her spotting scope from her pile of gear and set it next to her. "You should have a good view of the compound from here. Why don't you take a look and see if your spotting scope survived the bird strike?"

Jill focused the optics on the front door of the main building and read the numbers in the upper right corner of the viewfinder.

"Fifteen hundred yards." Jill smiled. She was pleased with her ability to perform this task after getting hit by an eagle at two hundred miles per hour. "Of course you already knew that, didn't you, Jack?"

He cocked his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I checked it already. And yes, you passed the test. Sorry, Jill. It's just that I had to know how you are doing. We don't have a doctor or hospital to check you out. I have to use my power of observation to know if you are going to be up to this mission."

"That's okay, Jack. Don't feel bad. If it's any consolation, I would have done the same thing if it had been you that was hit by an eagle. In a way, it makes me feel good to know that someone is watching my back. Could you get my notebook and pen out of my backpack?"

Jack walked to her pile of gear and found the notebook and pen. He walked back to Jill. "Here you are." Jack reached out to hand the notebook and pen to Jill.

"Actually, Jack, why don't you record the data? You might not be able to read my handwriting. I am still a bit shaky."

Jack pulled back his hand and set the notepad on the ground next to Jill's pine-needle bed, and began setting up Betsy.

"Betsy . . . that's a strange nickname for a sniper rifle," Jill said.

"Oh, yeah. Betsy used to be an old girlfriend of mine."

"Is there supposed to be some similarity between them?"

"Betsy was . . . well . . . I'm not sure how to put this. Let's just say that this fifty-caliber is a big gun, and Betsy was a big girl."

Jill thought she was starting to understand. "You mean that she was big in all the right places?"

"Umm."

Jill looked down at her slender body and tried to imagine the voluptuous body of Jack's previous girlfriend. She wondered what Jack thought of her slender figure. "So you like girls that have lots to offer?"

Jack paused before answering. "Betsy was a convenient relationship that only lasted a short time. We had a few laughs, and then it was over."

Jill wondered what "a few laughs" meant. Maybe someday she could ask Jack more about his relationship with Betsy, but for now it sounded like she was history and that is all that Jill cared about.

Jack found some solid ground next to Jill's pine-needle bed and lay down to peer through the scope on his rifle. "It's gonna be a looooong shot."

"Jack, you easily made this same shot at the sniper competition. You aren't nervous, are you?"

"Sniper competition was different. If I didn't make the shot we would lose the competition, but that's all. This shot will cut off the head of the snake, and put confusion in the enemy. That will slow their chase after us. If I miss, we will have to run a lot faster."

Jill considered Jack's perspective. "I guess we just need to be sure that we don't miss."

Jill lay in silence as she looked through her scope for any possible movement on the Zaragoza compound.

At twelve sixteen hours the familiar woop-woop-woop of Zaragoza's helicopter came from the south. It passed almost directly overhead. Jill and Jack did not move. Their Ghillie camouflage suits prevented detection. After the helicopter landed, Jack made a note in Jill's notebook and spoke as he wrote, "Twelve sixteen hours, helicopter returns." Jill watched carefully through her scope to see what was going to happen next. The two rear doors of the helicopter opened and two men got out and walked to the house. One had short brown hair, and the other had a long brown ponytail. They were both in their thirties, well dressed, and in good physical shape.

"Looks like the two brothers are returning from a long hard day at work," Jill said.

"Two brothers, soon to be only one. I only wish that we had HQ's permission to kill them both. I hate drug runners," Jack said.

Jill began thinking about Juan-Carlos. The reality of his brother dying hit her for the first time. Ramiro has only two more days to spend with his brother, then he will be dead, and Juan-Carlos will not have any more family. How sad . . . I would miss my brothers so much if anything happened to them.

The two brothers walked into the front door of the house. A half hour went by without any movement outside the house. Jill took turns with Jack observing the activity. She watched for a half hour, then Jack. That way neither experienced optical fatigue, and they felt alert and fresh. It was now Jill's turn to watch. She saw some servants exit the house and begin setting a large dining table that was in the middle of the front yard. The servants were going to a lot of trouble to make the table look inviting. They put on a red and white cotton tablecloth. Two candles in holders were placed, but not lit. Two vases full of roses were placed on the table. Fine china, expensive looking crystal, and silver place settings were added. Then five large leather chairs were carried out to the table and arranged next to each plate. Finally one large leather and wicker chair was placed at the head of the table. A few minutes went by, and then the food was brought out. Individual salads and rolls were placed at each table setting; and two large silver warming trays were placed at the head of the table. Finally, pitchers of beverages with ice cubes were placed on the table.

"I wonder if they do this every day," Jill said.

Jack was lying on his back relaxing. He rolled over to his stomach and peered through his scope that was mounted on Betsy. "I never ate like that. Now I know what money will buy."

Jill and Jack both watched as the six servants lined up in a row. They were all dressed in white, and had white cloth napkins draped over their left forearms. They stood still in the warm sunshine and waited.

"How long do you think they will have to stand at attention in the sun?" Jill asked.

"Ha, not as long as I did in basic training," Jack said.

Two minutes passed. Finally people started walking out of the house to the table and sat down. The brother with short hair sat in the large wicker and leather chair at the head of the table.

Jill checked her watch. "It's twelve forty-seven hours and Juan-Carlos is taking the seat at the head of the table."

Jack picked up the notebook and pen, and started taking notes as Jill narrated the events.

The brother with the ponytail sat next to Juan-Carlos.

"Ramiro is sitting to his left," Jill said.

A well-dressed and attractive lady with two children—one boy, one girl—sat to the right of Juan-Carlos.

"Juan-Carlos's wife, Tonya, and their two kids—Juan and Lupe—just sat down on his right," Jill said.

Jack kept writing as Jill continued her narration.

"You did your homework pretty good. You even memorized their names." Jack was impressed.

"I have a thing about remembering names. I struggle with faces, but not names."

"I can't imagine. I am just the opposite," Jack said.

The five sat at the table. It was clear that they were waiting for the sixth person.

"They are waiting for Ramiro's girlfriend."

"What is her name?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. He has a different girlfriend every couple of days."

"You really did do your homework."

Finally a young lady came out to the table. She was dressed in a short red dress with a low cut neckline.

"The last member of the party just arrived. I take back what I said about her name. I think her name is Betsy," Jill said.

Jill's tone of voice sounded like she was jesting, so Jack peered through his scope at the latest arrival. "Yep, big in the right places . . ."

"Back to work, Savage," Jill intoned.

Jack smiled as he finished writing in the notebook.

"How are you feeling, Jill?"

"Mentally I am feeling pretty good. Physically, I think the pain has finally peaked, but it is not too bad if I don't move."

"The bruise is spreading. It now reaches from the top of your lip to the top of your forehead. You look terrible," Jack said.

"Why Jack, that is the nicest thing you have said to me in a long time." Jill smiled.

"If you need any pain killers, let me know," Jack said.

"Actually, I was thinking about some coffee."

"Hmm, that sounds good to me, too."

Jill watched Jack get out his survival stove and a couple of fuel tabs. He set Jill's metal mug on the stove, filled it with water, and lit the fuel tab. In about eight minutes the water was boiling. Jack added some instant coffee.

"Would you like some chocolate in your coffee?" Jack asked.

"Chocolate? You have chocolate? Yes, certainly!"

Jack broke a piece off a chocolate candy bar and dropped it into the coffee. He pulled out a spoon and stirred it a couple of times. Then he handed it to Jill. "You'll need to stir it a little more."

Jill wrapped her hands around the hot cup and smelled the steam. "So far, the service at this hotel is five-star." Jill tossed Jack a smile as she took the spoon and stirred the hot drink some more.

Jack made a cup of coffee for himself, and also added a piece of chocolate. They both were silent while they stirred their drinks and looked through their scopes at the compound.

After several minutes, Jill broke the silence. "They seem so normal, in a weird sort of way."

"Yeah, a typical family of murders, misfits, and drug dealers."

"Right. But besides that, Jack, they are experiencing the love between a husband, wife, and children. And they are also experiencing the uncertainty of a relationship between two young lovers. Sort of like a soap opera," Jill said.

"Well, if you close your eyes to the more obvious issues, then yes, I can see what you are talking about," Jack said.

"What I am thinking is that their life is truly weird from our point of view. But that doesn't prevent them from experiencing some of the things that a normal family experiences. Someday one of my brothers could bring home a girlfriend like Ramiro's, and my folks would have to try to seek a peaceful relationship with her." Jill began sipping her coffee mocha while pondering the Zaragoza family.

"Sometimes I wonder what a normal family is supposed to be like," Jack said.

Jill suddenly remembered Jack's plight as a child and wondered how she could be so careless as to talk about normal families in Jack's presence.

"Jack, I didn't mean to refer to your situation. I know you had a unique—"

"I took no offense in what you said. I came to terms long ago with my situation and I am at a point now that I can talk about it freely."

"I am glad you aren't mad at me. I wouldn't purposely make any offensive statement about you or your past."

"I know you well enough to realize that you have no vendetta against little orphan boys." Jack smiled at Jill.

"You make yourself sound so . . . innocent." Jill tossed Jack a friendly smile.

Jill quietly observed the lunch as she sipped her mocha coffee.

"Hey, we got movement." Jack's tone of voice became serious.

"Looks like lunch is over."

Jill and Jack watched as Ramiro and his girlfriend got up and walked to the house. Juan-Carlos and his wife got up and began a long walk around the compound. Their children got up and went inside the house.

"Thirteen thirty hours Juan-Carlos takes a walk with his wife," Jill narrated the event, and Jack recorded it in the notebook.

Time passed slowly as they waited for the next event. Recon was always boring. Fourteen minutes passed, and Ramiro and his girlfriend came out of the house. She had changed into tight jeans, a snug fitting blouse, and brown leather-riding boots. They walked to the barn and saddled two horses. Then they rode into the woods on a horse trail.

"Thirteen forty-five Ramiro goes horseback riding." Jill narrated for Jack to record. "Jack, did you ever ride a horse?"

"No, I am afraid of horses."

Jill stopped looking through her spotting scope and turned toward Jack. Her eyes opened wide. "You're kidding."

"I'm not kidding. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just didn't think you were afraid of anything."

"Jill, everyone has a fear of something. I have plenty of fears."

"Such as?"

"Besides the fear of horses, I have a fear of small spaces, a fear of heights, a fear of public speaking, a fear of dying. Is that enough?" Jack's tone was serious.

"I never imagined that a tough Army sniper like you had any fears."

"Sure. And I suppose that you don't have any fears."

Jill took a deep breath before looking Jack in the eyes. "I have a couple."

"I am listening."

There was a long pause. Jill didn't want to open up, but she realized that Jack was willing to talk about his weaknesses, so finally she spoke. "If I am in rough water that is over my head I quickly panic. Also, I am not afraid of death itself . . . but I am afraid of dying."

Jack understood the water panic issue, but wasn't sure about the difference between death and dying.

Jill became alert. "We have more movement. It's fourteen ten. Juan-Carlos and his wife have finished their walk. She has gone inside the house, and he is walking through the flower garden. He is watering the roses."

"I am going to enjoy putting this note in the notebook: 'Fourteen ten, Prissy little drug lord waters his flowers.'"

"Yeah, the people back at HQ will get a laugh out of that!"

Jill noticed that she and Jack seemed to be getting along better than when they first met. She knew they were quite different, but she also was learning that they had a lot in common.

Juan-Carlos spent a long time in the flower garden. He was only distracted by the arrival of the mail carrier.

"Fourteen fifty-five, and the mail carrier just arrived."

"Got it. Fourteen fifty-five. Prissy little drug lord picks up the mail," Jack said. "Isn't it time you took a break and let me watch?"

"Sure, have a go at it."

Jack rolled over on his stomach, handed the notebook and pen to Jill, and began peering through his riflescope.

"Have you always been afraid of the water?" he asked.

Jill paused again, but quickly convinced herself that it was important to have an open relationship with her sniper partner. "It started when I was six years old. My family was at the beach, and my brothers and I were jumping the waves. Mom and Dad were on the shore, and they had instructed my three brothers to keep an eye on me. Well, the three of them got to splashing each other and horsing around. Next thing I knew I was caught in the undertow. I couldn't even come up for air. I was sucked down and out to sea. When I finally did surface, I was out of their reach. I couldn't swim, and I started screaming as loud as I could. They heard me, but instead of coming to my help, they swam away from me. At the time I thought they were abandoning me. They went ashore as quickly as they could and told my parents. Dad dashed to the edge of the breaking waves. He dove in and swam full speed to my rescue. By the time he got to me I was almost dead. The worst part was the scar it left."

"Scar? What do you mean?"

"Psychologically I was scarred pretty badly. I had never experienced fear before that, and I didn't know how to deal with it. I started to withdraw, and my personality changed overnight. I had to go to therapy for two years to get straightened out. Even now, I still cringe when I am swimming in rough water that is over my head."

"That's awful. I suppose there is something to be said for being forced to deal with fear at a young age. As a result, I never had a traumatic experience that I couldn't handle," Jack said.

"The upside was how my relationship with my brothers changed," Jill said.

"How is that?"

"They suddenly realized that their job was to protect me. We still did fun things, but they were always cautious that I was safe and never had to experience a fearful situation like that again."

"Your brothers seem like genuine guys. I liked being around them."

"They liked you, too. And Mom and Dad liked you, especially Mom."

"Hope likes me?"

"Yes . . ." Jill paused again as she wondered how to explain. "Mom was really upset when I decided to go into the Army. She knew that it would be rough for me, competing with guys and all that. But most of all, she was worried about me being in combat. She tried to talk me into seeking a non-combat role, but I just couldn't agree to that. The reason I joined the Army was because I wanted to kill bad people and make the world a better place. So, Mom and I had a really big disagreement about it. She finally agreed reluctantly. But, she was so happy when she met you because you remind her so much of my brothers that have taken such good care of me ever since the swimming incident."

"Your mom thinks I am your guardian angel?"

"Jack, don't take it so seriously. She is just relieved that I have a decent partner that I can count on when things get a little sticky out here."

"I felt something special about your mom when I was talking to her, but I am not sure what it was," Jack said.

"She is special. She is the core of our family, and each of us loves and respects her for that."

Jack became quiet again. He began looking through his riflescope. He finally spoke in a quiet tone. "I think you are lucky to have a normal and loving home life. I wish I had a family like yours."

Jill didn't know how to respond to Jack's comment, so she quietly stared through her scope at the compound.

"Jill, we have movement," Jack said. "Do you feel up to taking some notes?"

"Sure, I'm feeling much better. I think the coffee mocha cleared my mind."

"Wonderful. Fifteen thirty-two, Ramiro has returned from the horseback ride with Betsy—I mean his girlfriend. They both went inside. He just came back out with a big shotgun. He is setting up a clay pigeon thrower. Yes, he is going to do some target practice."

"Fifteen thirty-two, Ramiro has target practice," Jill recorded the event.

"Have you noticed the compound sentries?" Jill asked.

"I see the four that are covering the immediate perimeter. It looks like there are also four sentries patrolling the woods outside the perimeter, but they don't penetrate the woods this far. They shouldn't cause us any problems. Anyhow, I figure that if they do come out this far, you can shoot them with your 22-caliber pea shooter," Jack chuckled.

"Savage, you may someday be glad I brought my 'pea shooter.'"

"That reminds me, Jill, I am curious where you got a .22 with a silencer. Silencers are illegal for civilians, and the .22 doesn't look like a military-issue pistol."

"I shouldn't go into details about this; on the other hand you are my partner . . ." Jill hesitated and carefully thought about whether she should talk about something that could get her father in trouble. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Jill, if you want me to keep quiet, I guarantee that it will not go any further than you and me."

"Okay, here is the story. My dad, Shooter, was really concerned about me being in combat. I think he was more upset than Mom. He and I talked a lot when he found out. He tried to talk me out of the military but I wouldn't have any of that. Then he tried to talk me out of combat, and again I wouldn't listen to him. So, finally, he said that I could join under one condition. He wanted to have a special pistol made for me by some of his Special Ops buddies. They sometimes use these when extreme stealth is needed. He figured that it was small and lightweight, which was good for a small framed person like me, and he knew that it was very quiet. It seemed to give him peace-of-mind that he could do something for me that would help ensure my safety."

"It sounds like your dad really loves you."

Jill thought about Jack losing his father at a young age, and wondered what it must be like to grow up in orphanages and foster homes. "Yes, and it worked out really well because ever since the day Dad gave me the pistol, his attitude has been totally different. It's as though he doesn't worry anymore about me. I suppose that he does, but he certainly doesn't show it. That is a super big deal because it helps my mom relax. She figures that if Dad doesn't worry about me, then she shouldn't worry too much either."

"So it is a win-win situation, and you get a cool little toy to play with."

"Hey, Jack, don't go calling my 22-caliber a toy."

"Ha, there you go, talking tough again."

"Jack, could you pass me that water bottle?"

"Sure, here. Getting warm, isn't it?"

"I noticed you haven't been hydrating. Are you okay?" Jill asked.

"I'm fine," Jack replied. "We have movement again. This time it is Juan-Carlos. He just came out of the house and he is going for a swim in the pool. The time is sixteen eleven."

"Sixteen eleven, Juan-Carlos takes a swim." Jill made the entry in the notebook.

***

The next couple of hours went by slowly for Jack. The sentries made their normal rounds. Juan-Carlos and Ramiro spent the rest of the day in their house.

About twenty thirty hours Jack heard a snap as a branch broke behind them. Jill and Jack both froze. Their heads did not move but their eyes strained to look at each other to see if the other heard the sound, then they both moved their eyes to the direction of the sound. There were several more snapping sounds like twigs breaking, and each one was getting closer to them. Jack quietly slid his pistol out of his holster and released the safety. He maintained complete stillness. Jack was glad that he had taken care to camouflage their equipment with branches, leaves, and pine needles. He had even covered Betsy with branches and leaves so it wouldn't be visible from the Zaragozas' helicopter. Jack hoped the intruder would not see them. He hoped that whoever it was would pass by them without noticing them. But, if necessary, Jack was ready to kill anyone that would present a danger to them. Just to be extra careful, he reached down with his free hand and unsnapped the catch on his knife and quietly slid it out of his sheath. Now, with a weapon in each hand, he waited for the inevitable.

Finally, the person crested the top of the hill about sixty feet behind them. Only it wasn't a person, it was beautiful deer. Jill and Jack again looked at each other, only this time they smiled and relaxed. Jack quietly holstered his pistol after putting the safety back on, and he slid his knife in the sheath. Jack looked at Jill. He watched her eyes grow wide as the deer nibbled vegetation and worked its way toward them. The deer had big antlers, and large beautiful eyes. Its coat was a deep brown, and thick. Jack noticed that the deer's left ear was ragged and torn. It had the appearance of an old injury that had since healed. He wondered if the injury was the result of a cougar attack. Evidently the deer never noticed Jill and Jack with all of their camouflage. The deer strolled slowly by them looking for food. When the deer was about two feet away, Jack glanced at Jill. He noticed her eyes filling up. This day got off to a really bad start for Jill with the bird strike, but this is certainly a nice way to end it.

The deer slowly made its way past them and down the deer trail. Jill and Jack were careful that they moved their heads slowly as the deer strolled by. The deer never noticed them and disappeared into the woods.

Jack looked at Jill. "I think our camouflage passed the test."

"Jack, that was sooooooo fantastic." Jill wiped a tear from her cheek. "It reminds me of the many hunting trips I went on with my brothers and father. But I've never been so close to a live deer. I loved it. Who would have guessed that in the middle of a combat situation I would experience a wonderful time like this? I have a fine bed of pine needles, a trusty and skilled partner, and a front row seat to watch the deer. I don't think anything else could happen to make this better.

"It was exciting for me, too." Jack paused. "It's strange, isn't it?"

"In what sense?"

"Think about it. Here we are in a combat zone. Stalking people and watching deer walk by. Normally, when we are not in combat, we watch people walk by, and stalk deer on hunting trips."

"That is a weird thought."

Jill and Jack were quiet as the sun went down. Neither spoke for a long time.

Jack finally broke the silence. "Would you like some hot chocolate before going to sleep?"

"Ooooooh, that sounds like what I need. It has been a crazy day."

Jack dug out some cocoa powder from one of their MREs and mixed it with water in her metal mug. Then he set up the cooker and put a fuel tab in it. He lit it with a match and put Jill's mug on it.

Jill was watching the whole process. Her eyelids were starting to droop as the water heated. When the cocoa and water was hot enough, Jack took it off the cooker and handed it to Jill. Then he tilted the cooker so the fuel tab slid onto the dirt. Jack then threw a handful of dirt on top of it to extinguish it.

"Jack, aren't you going to have any hot chocolate?"

"No, thanks."

Jack watched Jill's eyes. They were gaining focus. She was deep in thought.

"Jack, is there something you aren't telling me?"

"How's that?"

"I haven't seen you drink anything lately."

"Well, I didn't want to say anything. I've come down with a UTI."

"You have a urinary tract infection?"

"Yeah, I have been trying not to go, because when I do go, it feels like I am peeing thumb tacks."

"Oh no, you don't need that now. And the antibiotics that we have will not do anything for that type of infection."

"Yeah, it's going to be a long couple of days . . ."

After Jill finished her hot chocolate, she turned her back to Jack, covered herself with her blanket, and said, "Good night, Jack. Thanks for watching out for me today."

Jack smiled. As he lay on the ground next to Jill's pine-needle bed, he watched her shoulders go up and down slightly with each breath she took. He noticed the up and down motion slowed, and so he knew the hot cocoa finally kicked in and put Jill to sleep. When I first met Jill, I wasn't crazy about having a woman as a partner, but I didn't know her. Now, I'm glad she's my partner.
Chapter 17

The Mission: Day Two

Jack woke up as the glow of the morning twilight appeared in the eastern sky. The gentle but cold breeze drew him out of a deep sleep. The morning fog was starting to burn off as the sun began its journey upward, giving the woods an ethereal appearance. He lay there motionless as he pondered the cold ground that he had slept on. He enjoyed being in the outdoors, and camping under rustic conditions. But, he didn't like the cold. He could stand it when he had to, but he preferred having cool night air, not cold raw ground. These thoughts were swimming around in Jack's wakening mind when he heard a snap in the woods to the south. Jack froze. His back was facing Jill's bed of pine needles. He didn't want to turn to see if Jill was awake because that could give away his presence to the approaching enemy. He whispered, "Jill, we have company."

Jack hoped that the snapping sound was a deer looking for its breakfast. It would be nice to begin the morning with another visit from yesterday's deer. On the other hand, it could be a sentry from the Zaragoza compound. In that case, Jack needed to be ready. He quietly slid out his pistol and knife. Jack did not hear any response from Jill, so he repeated himself, "Jill, we have company." Jack could not afford raising his voice any louder, so he waited in his frozen position. With Jill still asleep, he would have to kill the intruder by himself, if it was an intruder. If it turned out to be a deer, he would just roll over, shake Jill, and let her know they have another friendly visitor. Jack heard a few more faint snaps. It sounds like someone is trying to be quiet. A deer would not care if it made a little noise.

The morning twilight was brightening. Jack concentrated on not moving his body while his eyes were focused on the crest of the hill just sixty feet south of him. He watched intently for his first view, would it be a deer, or a sentry? Jack strained his eyes as he saw a dark outline slowly rising above the crest of the hill. The outline grew taller as it approached. There were no antlers, so it was not a buck. That means it could be a doe or a sentry. He continued to focus. As the outline began to offer faint details in the morning twilight, Jack saw something he didn't like. He saw the outline of a semi-automatic weapon slung over the shoulder of a person. Jack knew it was too late to get Jill's help, but nonetheless he could at least give her one last warning. He whispered loudly in hope of waking Jill. "Jill! Look out!"

With that, Jack lurched to his knees and pulled his weapons to the ready position. Then he sprung to the standing position, and started to take aim with his pistol.

In the amount of time that it took Jack to come to his combat ready position, Jill had heard his voice and responded, "Jack, what's wrong?"

When Jack heard Jill's voice he was confused. Her voice did not come from the bed of pine needles behind him. Her voice came from the direction of the sentry that was approaching from the south. Then Jack noticed that the sentry had a Ghillies camouflage suit on. He knew that only U.S. Army snipers wore Ghillies suits. Jack slightly relaxed. "Jill?"

"Morning, Jack. What's with the pistol and knife? Did I miss something?" Jill responded.

"Miss something? You almost got yourself shot in the head!" Jack tried not to raise his voice in case there really were sentries in the area. "I thought you were a sentry and I was going to kill you!"

"Hey, back off, bucko! I was just taking a walk."

"What were you doing out there?"

"I told you. I was taking a walk!"

"A walk? What, you mean like a bathroom break type of walk?"

"Well, no, not that type of walk."

"Cut to the chase, woman. What were you doing out there?"

Jill was now close enough to Jack that he could look into her blue eyes. He saw a look of dejection.

"Jack . . . I know I should have said something . . . but you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

"You didn't want to wake me? Okay, I understand that, but what was so important that you had to run off without telling me. We're in a combat zone and we need to communicate everything that each other is doing!" Jack was struggling to keep his voice down.

Jill took a deep swallow. "When you were helping me up the trail yesterday, I noticed there were some cranberries about a mile from here. So I walked back there to pick some for—"

"Berries? You left camp and almost got yourself shot for some stupid little berries! Woman, we have MREs to eat! We've got plenty of food and water. Why did you do such a stupid thing?" Jack couldn't control himself. He was raising his voice much louder than he should. If there were any sentries in the area, they would certainly be able to hear him as he berated his sniping partner.

Jack saw Jill's gaze drop to the ground. Her lower lip began to quiver and her eyes began to well up. Jack looked at Jill in disgust. Not only is Jill a dumb girl, but she is a whimpering little kid and she is not any good to me out here in this combat zone. I should have told Major Phelps that I didn't want a woman for a sniping partner. I should have spoken my mind before I came out here with this little whimpering woman.

Jill tried to finish her sentence. She had to calm herself down and catch her breath. When she finally did speak, she could only get out a few words at a time. "I . . . I picked . . . the . . . berries . . . for . . . for . . . your urinary . . . tract . . . infection."

With that, her emotions again flooded her body, and her shoulders trembled.

Jack was shocked; he stepped back and bent over so his eyes were even with Jill's. "You picked those cranberries for my infection?"

Jill looked up into Jack's eyes. She took a deep breath and then spoke. "Uh huh."

Jack tried to speak. "But . . . but . . ."

Jill's gaze again dropped to the ground as she tried to compose herself. When she finally spoke, her words were again broken. "I knew that . . . for the success of the mission . . . you needed to get some medicine. It would be hard to shoot if you are in lots of pain. Besides that . . . I felt really sorry for you . . . and I wanted to do something . . . to make you feel better."

She looked into his eyes and after taking another deep breath she said, "I'm . . . sorry . . ."

Jack suddenly realized that Jill had made a good tactical decision, and she showed a true act of camaraderie. Poor Jill. I've misjudged her.

Jack tried to speak, but the words would not come. His own eyes were filling up and his lips were quivering. Finally he took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Jill, I am so sorry. I didn't know. I—I misunderstood your actions. I thought you were being reckless and careless, but you were focused on the mission and my wellbeing."

Jack reached out and pulled Jill's body next to his. He felt both their bodies quivering with emotion. A tear ran down her cheek as he fought back his own tears. His arms gently embraced Jill, and she squeezed tightly into his clutches. They stood in silence in the middle of their makeshift sniper camp. After several minutes of embracing, their emotions calmed. Jack put his hand under Jill's chin and lifted it so he could again see her eyes. "Jill, I don't think words will ever be able to tell you how sorry I am. Will you ever be able to forgive me? I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I won't blame you if you never forgive me, but I hope that eventually you will be able to forgive my insensitive and awful response to your kindness."

Jill sniffled, and wiped her wet cheeks with the palms of both hands. "Jack, there is something special about our relationship. I don't know why it is special, but even during times like this, I want to be your friend." She snuggled back into his embrace.

Jack never experienced a response like that before. He thought about what Jill said. Why would she want to be friends with me after the way I have treated her?

***

Jill watched the sun inched its way upward in the eastern sky as the warmth of Jack's body melted into hers. She knew they had work they needed to do. "I suppose Juan-Carlos and Ramiro will be heading out soon."

"Okay, let's get in position," Jack replied.

Jack released Jill from his embrace and she lay down on the ground in a position that would give her a good view of the Zaragoza compound. Jill was perched on the soft bed of pine needles behind her spotting scope.

"Jack, you probably should eat two or three of those cranberries every hour or so."

"Right, I will do anything to stop peeing thumb tacks. And, Jill, thanks again for thinking about me like that. I'm sorry I got so mad."

"Jack, you can be so sweet." Jill smiled.

"You look like you are still limping a lot," Jack said.

"I'm still sore. I think the most pain is in my shoulder. Mentally I am doing fine."

"Hey, we've got movement. Juan-Carlo and Ramiro are getting in the back of the helicopter. The time is zero-six twenty-eight. I wonder where their pilot is taking them today," Jack said.

"Zero-six twenty-eight—leave in helicopter." It was Jill's turn to record the events. "Yeah, I wonder which drug factory they are going to visit today."

Jill and Jack lay still as the helicopter flew over them on its way to its destination. Even with their camouflage suits, the slightest movement would still give away their location. When the sound of the rotor blades faded, they relaxed.

"So, as they say in the Army . . . 'hurry up and wait,'" Jack said.

"Right."

"All right, we know we got a little time to kill. Do you want some coffee mocha?" Jack asked.

"Ooooh. I love the menu at Café Zaragoza."

Jack dug out the water, instant coffee, candy bars, and cooker with fuel tabs. He soon handed Jill the steaming drink.

"So, where did you learn to cook, Jack?"

"Cook? Ha, my idea of cooking a hot meal is microwaving a bag of popcorn."

"You are not going to have any coffee this morning?"

"No . . . I think I will wait until the cranberries kick in," Jack said. "Jill, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is on your mind?"

"I am curious about why you joined the Army, and in a combat role at that. You are smart, and could have done anything you wanted. Instead you choose to live a very dangerous life."

"First of all, please be careful not to phrase it like that when you are around my mom."

"Oh, right. I'll be careful about that."

"No problem. Anyhow, I remember getting a dollhouse and some cute little dolls for my seventh birthday. I was disgusted that I got such a boring and purposeless gift. My mom took for granted that I was a 'normal' little girl, and she never gave it a second thought. My brothers always got BB guns, pocketknives, and fishing rods for their birthdays. Me, I just got some dumb doll stuff."

"Aw, poor little Jill. I had no idea that you suffered so much," Jack said.

"I went to bed that night thinking about the cool stuff my brothers always got on their birthdays, and I went to sleep dreaming about using BB guns to kill bad people. After that, every night I would have the same dream. It was natural for me to become interested in anything that shoots bullets. When my brothers started hunting, I begged Shooter to take me, too. He always gave in to my requests. From there on, it's history."

"I like that story. I bet your mom was disappointed that you didn't play with the dolls and dollhouse."

"I tried to play with it for a little while, just to make Mom happy. But, she figured out that my heart just wasn't in it. It sat around for a couple of years, and then finally Mom asked me if she could give it to some poor people at our church. It was Christmas time and the family didn't have money for gifts. I gladly agreed. Since it was hardly used, we wrapped it up and gave it to the parents when their kids were not around. The parents had one daughter and one son. Mom knew that their daughter would like the dolls and house very much. Then, as it turned out, Bird found out their son wanted a BB gun for Christmas. Bird had also asked for a new BB gun, and so he talked to Shooter and Mom. He told them that if they were going to give him a new BB gun for Christmas, then he would like to give it to the poor family, and he could keep shooting his old BB gun. We took the dolls, house, and BB gun to the poor family the night before Christmas. Then the next morning they had a wonderful Christmas."

"I like that story," Jack said.

Jill paused as she wondered what kind Christmas memories Jack had. "Yeah, we got up Christmas morning, and everyone in my family felt sorry for Bird. We didn't call him Bird back then, just Johnny. Anyhow, we didn't know it, but Shooter had a special surprise for Johnny. He had made arrangements for Johnny to take a flying lesson that afternoon in a real airplane. When Johnny found out, he was soooo happy. He loved model airplanes, and that Christmas day he got to fly a real airplane. He told Shooter that was a lot better than getting a BB gun. That was his first of many flying lessons. He loved flying, and hence we gave him the nickname Bird. He was in the tenth grade at the time. When he turned sixteen he got his pilot license, and when he was eighteen he enlisted as a pilot. The rest is history."

"I think you're lucky to have the family you have."

Jill sensed his remorse over his situation as a youth. Poor Jack. I feel so sad when I think about how he grew up without his birth parents.

"I have one more question, Jill. It's about the BB gun."

"What do you want to know?'

"You said that you wanted to kill bad guys with the BB gun. Do you have any animosity toward me because I'm the trigger man for this mission?"

Jill was touched by the thought of Jack showing concern for her feelings. "No, Jack. I've learned over the years that I am comfortable working either as an individual contributor, or as a member of a team. When I am on a team, I know that I can't do it all, but I can find satisfaction in doing my piece of the puzzle. In our case, I know that you are a much better shot than I am, and so I find my happiness in providing you whatever support you need so that you can be successful. It's actually very satisfying to me, and in the end it is the best for the mission, and the Army."

Jack looked like he was pondering the things Jill had just spoken. "You look at things differently from most people. The lieutenants I've known in the past see me as a servant to them, but you talk about giving me the support I need to do my job. It makes me feel like I am an important part of the team, and not just a soldier that has to follow orders."

"You are important, and I am glad we are working together." Jill smiled.

Jill peered through her scope at the Zaragoza compound. After a long silence, she spoke. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you about our code word for the helicopter pick-up."

"I was wondering if you were going to get to that."

"To prevent any bad guys from trying to swap places with us during the pick-up, Major Phelps wanted us to have a code word."

"Right, I figured as much."

"He said I could pick the code word, as long as it was pretty hard to guess. I picked the phrase 'arm wrestle.' I thought we could both remember the arm wrestling that happened at Johnny's Pizza."

"I can remember that. Good choice."

"Hey, I think I hear Zaragoza's helicopter returning," Jill said.

Jill and Jack lay motionless as they quietly listened. Finally the helicopter came and landed. Juan-Carlos and Ramiro got out and walked into the house.

"Twelve sixteen, Juan-Carlos and Ramiro return on the helicopter," Jill recorded in the notebook.

"Jill, did you see the appendage under the belly of the helicopter?" Jack asked.

"I am not the expert on helicopters. What are you talking about?"

Jack's riflescope had a zoom, and he turned it to maximum power. He looked carefully at the helicopter's belly and said, "The belly of a Hughes Little Bird typically is smooth and slightly curved. Juan-Carlos's helicopter has a protrusion. It looks like it could be a gun."

"That could be nasty if he has a lot of firepower on his helicopter," Jill said.

"It looks like it is a water-cooled 50-caliber machine gun. He could do a lot of damage with that kind of gun."

"What do you think we should do about that, Jack?"

"I'll have to kill the pilot right after I kill Ramiro. Otherwise it could get really bad for us when we are trying to make our egress. I really don't want to have to face a flying machine gun when we are trying to get back to friendly soil. Especially a 50-cal."

"Point well taken."

"Hey, here comes Ramiro and his girlfriend. She's down and dirty: dirty boots, old torn jeans, and a ragged blouse torn in several places. I wonder what's going on."

Ramiro and his girlfriend went to the barn. Several minutes later, they both came roaring out of the barn on a four-wheeler. They raced down the horse trail that they had used the previous day. Ramiro's girlfriend was squeezing her arms tightly around Ramiro's chest as he gunned the throttle and bounced over the rough trail.

Jill made the appropriate comment in the notebook. "Thirteen thirty, Ramiro goes four-wheeling."

"Looks like a late lunch today," Jack said.

"Speaking of lunch, my stomach is growling."

"What would you like me to cook for you?"

"Oh, yeah, you're the 'wicked cook from the West,' aren't you? How about a veggie burger to go," Jill said.

"Coming right up." Jack rummaged through the MREs until he found two veggie burger meals. He then tore off the ends of two MRE heaters, inserted a packaged veggie burger into each heater envelope, and added water from his water bottle to each envelope. The water activated a chemical reaction that created heat and warmed the food to a piping hot temperature in only a few minutes.

"Coffee?"

"But of course." Jill was enjoying having someone prepare her meal, even if it was an MRE.

Jack pulled out Jill's metal cup, stove, and water bottle. He inserted a fuel tab, lit it, and set the mug with hot water on the heater. Then he poured a pack of coffee in the water and waited.

"Would you like salt, pepper, or Tabasco sauce?"

"Salt and Tabasco sauce," Jill responded with a smile.

Jack handed the condiments to Jill, and a few minutes later he handed her a piping hot cup of coffee. Jill sipped the coffee while waiting for the main course.

"So, your mom mentioned that you had a lot of boyfriends in the past."

"What! When did she say that?" Jill used an indignant tone.

"When we were saying goodbye at the pizza shop," Jack said.

"Did she really say 'a lot of boyfriends'?"

"Well—no, but she did use the plural."

Jill did a quick headcount of her past relationships. "I think there was a little misunderstanding. There have been several guys, but our relationships have been out of necessity."

"Necessity? What does that mean?"

"In high school, I was asked to go to the prom a couple of times. At the academy, I went to a couple of formal events with soldiers. But face it, these guys just needed dates, and I happened to be available—so they asked, and I accepted. None of the relationships went very far past the formal events."

"Hmm, so you never had any romantic interests?"

"Ha! Think about it. How many guys would want to date me for very long when they found out that I would rather shoot a 30-06 rifle than go to a movie? Or worse, go camping rather than dinner and dancing. Or worse yet—"

"Okay, okay, I get the idea. But why wouldn't a boyfriend want to go hunting or camping with a woman?"

"Come on, Jack, that's the sort of things guys like to do with guys, but they don't want to do those things with girls."

"Why not?"

"Because they . . . well, it's not . . . hmm. I guess things just aren't done that way."

Jack was quiet for a moment. "I'm sure that there is some guy out there that will like you for who you are."

"Hey, I don't want your sympathy." Jill was glad that Jack had asked about her past boyfriends because now she could ask about Betsy. "Sooooo, Jack. Tell me about Betsy."

"Betsy? Not much to tell. We met through some mutual friends. They thought that I would like her because she was attractive, and she liked to party. So we dated for a while . . ." Jack stopped mid-sentence.

Jill waited for Jack to finish his sentence, paragraph, and story; but he remained silent. "Aw, come on, Jack, don't stop there. You have to tell me more than that!"

Jack rolled his eyes, paused, and continued. "As it turned out, the only thing we had in common was our friends. I am not much fun at a party because I don't like to drink."

Jill remembered that Jack didn't take her offer of a beer at the pizza shop with her family. I know that Jack impressed my mom when he asked for a diet soda.

"And, after getting to know Betsy a little, I realized that all she wanted to do was get married, and make babies."

"And . . . is there something wrong with marriage and babies?" Jill asked.

"Well . . . ah . . . of course not." Jack paused before proceeding. "But right now is not the time for me to live that lifestyle. I am an Army sniper, and I could easily be killed on a mission. That would leave my wife with no support, and my children with no father. I don't want to do that to anyone. It just wouldn't be fair to them."

Jill was impressed with his response. I like the fact that he thinks about other people and not just himself. I think Mom would really like Jack if she got to know him.

"Were there any others?"

"Ha! Jill, you are like a dog with a bone. No, there weren't any others, just Betsy. Look, we have movement," Jack said. "Ramiro and his girlfriend are returning."

They both looked through their scopes to see what was happening.

"It looks like her sleeve is totally torn off," Jack said.

"Yeah, must have been a really rough ride. Maybe they tried to go through some heavy brush."

"Are those bruise marks on her arm and face?"

"Yes, I wonder if they flipped the four-wheeler," Jill said.

Ramiro slammed on the brakes when the four-wheeler passed in front of the house. His girlfriend jumped off and began yelling at Ramiro.

"I wish I could hear what she is saying," Jack said.

"She looks mighty mad," Jill said.

Ramiro got off the four-wheeler and stepped toward his girlfriend. They were standing nose-to-nose and yelling at each other. After a few seconds of heated debate, Ramiro reached out, grabbed his girlfriend by the neck, and threw her to the ground. Then he grabbed her blouse by the collar with one hand, and began hitting her in the face with his fist. After hitting her several times in the jaw and cheek, his fist finally landed on her nose. Blood flowed from her nostrils, down her upper lip, dripped on her chin, and onto her white blouse. The sight of blood did not stop Ramiro. He continued striking her face with his fist, and each blow brought more blood. At first, his girlfriend struggled to get away, but after a while her fighting subsided. Finally her limbs stopped struggling, and her eyes slowly closed. Ramiro let go of her blouse, and she slumped to the ground. He stood slowly and looked disdainfully at the limp body. Then he sneered, turned, and walked into the house.

"I am going to enjoy killing Ramiro," Jack said.

"I am going to enjoy seeing you kill Ramiro," Jill said.

They both continued to look through their scopes. They waited to see if Ramiro was going to come out and help his bleeding girlfriend. Nothing happened. Minutes went by. The body lay limp and wasn't moving.

"Someone has to do something. She can't just lie there. She needs medical help." Jill was frantic with emotions.

"Yes, and Ramiro needs to be taught a lesson." Jack's voice dropped an octave.

Several more minutes went by with no movement.

"Jack, we must do something."

"We can't. The mission comes first."

Jill regretted her comment. I should not have said that. It is okay to think something like that, but I must be careful not to let Jack think that I am emotionally weak enough to sacrifice the mission just because Ramiro's girlfriend got beat up.

Finally, after several more minutes, the front door of the house burst open. Tonya came running out. Right behind her was Juan-Carlos. Tonya sat next to Ramiro's girlfriend, lifted her bleeding head, and rested it in her lap. Juan-Carlos wiped the blood from her face with his handkerchief so he could see the damage his brother caused. After checking her eyes, nose and mouth, they gently lifted her and carried her into the house. She appeared limp and lifeless.

"Do you think she will live?" Jill asked.

"I don't know. She was beaten badly." Jack's voice was still low and focused. "I will never understand how, or why, a guy could do that to a girl. He would have to be really messed up in his head, or on drugs."

"Bingo. Drugs—the magic word. He certainly has access to them."

"Yeah, that's probably the cause."

Jill picked up the pen and silently wrote in the notebook, "Fourteen thirty-three. Ramiro beats up girlfriend."

Several hours passed with no movement. Jill wondered if Ramiro's girlfriend was going to live. The mail carrier came by at fifteen forty-five, but no one was there to take it from him so he left it on the large table in the front yard. Juan-Carlos did not come out and use the swimming pool, or water his flowers. The children did not play in the yard. Ramiro did not go fishing. No one appeared outside for the rest of the day.

***

Jack sat in silence for the next hour thinking about how much he would enjoy killing Ramiro.

"Jack, I think we need to start planning the kill shot. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, and we have enough recon data to make plans."

"Yeah, today didn't turn out like expected, but I did notice that Juan-Carlos and Ramiro got on the helicopter at the same time both days."

"Their schedule for the rest of their days was erratic. The early morning helicopter flight seems to be the only thing that's consistent."

"And the early morning should have little wind," Jack said.

"Then it's settled. At zero-six twenty-eight tomorrow, Ramiro will take his last breath." Then Jill spoke in a jesting fashion, "I just wish I was going to be the one to pull the trigger and kill that creep."

"Yeah, you should have brought your BB gun." Jack laughed.

"I have been watching the sentries, and they are venturing a little further into the woods, but I don't think they are coming close enough to be a problem," Jill said.

"I noticed that, too. I agree, not a problem as long as they don't get any closer," Jack said. "We should start sorting out our equipment. Then I will put a call into HQ."

"It's time to make our two piles. I am going to miss this campsite. It's crazy how attached I can get to a place like this. I hope we will see the deer again tonight," Jill said.

Jack began sorting their equipment into two piles. One pile was equipment they would leave behind, like unused food, sleeping bags, and extra water bottles. The other pile was all the equipment they would have to carry during their egress—weapons, ammo, radio, and a single water bottle for each. They did not know how fast they were going to have to run after the kill shot. They needed to minimize the equipment they carried in case they were pursued aggressively by the sentries from the Zaragoza compound. Hopefully there would be minimal resistance, and that would mean they could just walk briskly to the landing zone for pick-up by the Black Hawk helicopter.

After ten minutes of sorting, the two piles were finished, then Jack began taking the items from the "take it with us" pile and stuffing them into their backpacks. The only items he didn't pack were their weapons and radio.

"Is it time to make the call to HQ?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Jill responded.

Jack unfolded the comms radio and flipped the power switch to the "on" position. Then he entered the scramble code. Next he checked the signal strength indicator. "We have a strong signal up here—five out of five bars."

"Be sure to ask HQ if there is any change in the weather."

"Delta Bravo, this is Flap Jack Two. Do you read me?" Jack waited for a response.

"Flap Jack Two, this is Delta Bravo, go ahead."

"We are planning our egress for tomorrow and we wanted to give you our ETA at pick-up point Alpha and Bravo."

"Go ahead."

"We will be at Alpha tomorrow morning at oh-seven-oh-five."

"Affirmative, Alpha at oh-seven-oh-five."

"If anything goes wrong, we will be at pick-up point Bravo at oh-eight-twenty."

"Affirmative. Back-up plan will be Bravo at oh-eight-twenty. How is Flap Jack One doing?"

"She is bruised and limping a little, but getting better every day. If needed, she could double-time her egress. By the way, she wanted me to ask about the weather for tomorrow."

"It will be a beautiful warm day, but colder tonight than expected. A front is moving in and the nighttime temperature will drop to 30 degrees. Temperature at zero-six hundred will be 31 degrees, and winds will be calm. By the time you arrive at the aircraft carrier, it should be in the high fifties. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, just make sure the helicopter is waiting for us. I don't want to have to hike all the way home."

"Affirmative. Delta Bravo out."

"Flap Jack Two out."

"So, now we wait," Jill said.

"Wait, and sleep."

"Speaking of sleeping, I was wondering . . ."

"That tone of voice sounds dangerous," Jack said.

"We both went to survival school, right."

Jack hesitated. He had a sense of what was coming. "Yes . . .?"

"Do you remember the cold nights?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember how you had to 'share body warmth' with another soldier?" Jill asked.

"Yes, but that was different."

"It was different because the other soldier was a guy, and now the other soldier is a girl, am I right?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Jill, you should be careful what you ask for."

"Listen, Jack, I am just saying that we are both soldiers, and we are both adults. I think we should make logical decisions in the field that are not based on emotion."

Jack took another deep breath. "Okay, what's your plan?"

"If you gather a few more bunches of pine needles, then we'll have plenty of room for the both of us. We can lay back to back, just like we did in survival training. Then we can cover ourselves with our blankets, and we will be toasty warm."

"Sure, whatever you say . . . ma'am." Jack placed a bit of official-sounding emphasis on the last word. He wanted to set the record straight. They were going to share body warmth. Nothing else was going to happen. She is his commander, nothing else.

Jack strolled into the woods. Ten minutes later he returned with an armload of pine needles. He said nothing as he spread them next to Jill's bed of pine needles. Jack looked at the bed of pine needles he had spread out. He sat down in the middle of them and patted them with his hands. "This is comfy."

"I slept rather well on my pine needles last night."

"Can I ask another question?"

"Sure, Jack."

"I enjoyed meeting your family at the pizza shop. They seem like a really nice bunch of people. They are friendly, jovial, fun loving, and they all have a great background in the military, except for your mom of course."

"Of course. Sooo . . . what is your question?"

"Well, I was wondering . . . they are . . . or rather are sort of . . . I mean . . ." Jack was having trouble finding the right words.

"Come on, Savage, out with it!" Jill taunted Jack in a jesting fashion in hopes that she could put him at ease. She could tell that he was having trouble asking his question. She reached out and punched Jack in the arm and smiled.

"It seemed like your family is . . . religious?"

"Oh, you think they're a bunch of religious wackos, huh?" Jill replied.

"They did pray in a public place, and they all held hands. So I assume that they were all in favor of the prayer that Shooter prayed."

"Jack, I could give you the short answer, and say yes they are religious. But that wouldn't do justice to your question."

"Okay, then give me the long answer. I don't have anything on my schedule until six twenty-eight tomorrow morning."

"I hope it doesn't take that long." Jill smiled. "Hmm, where do I start? First, I should tell you that spiritually speaking, I am the black sheep of my family."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone in my family is a Christian except me, but they weren't always like that. A long time ago my mom became a Christian, then Shooter, then my brothers. Now, I am the only person that is not a Christian."

"Continue . . ." Jack nodded.

"Maybe I can use an analogy to explain the 'Christian' thing. I suppose it is like our egress plan."

"How is that?" Jack asked.

"We have two plans, plan A and plan B. Plan A is landing zone Alpha, and if anything goes wrong, we have a plan B which is landing zone Bravo."

"Sure, but how does that relate to the religious thing?"

"Spiritually speaking, plan A is how we try to be good enough to gain God's favor. We try to do some good things, and refrain from doing lots of bad things. Hopefully, we will eventually have enough good deeds so they will outweigh our bad deeds. Then we assume we have God's favor, and as a result we will go to Heaven when we die."

"I've heard that before," Jack said.

"The problem with plan A is that we cannot be good enough to have God's favor."

"Why not?" Jack asked.

"First of all, God demands perfection. Anything less than perfection will send us to hell. In the Bible, Matthew 5:201 Jesus said, 'except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.' And in Romans 8:28 it says, 'For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.' We will never be perfect, no matter how hard we try."

"Are you sure you aren't religious? You sound like a preacher."

"Jack, I don't want to sound like that. Mom and Shooter encouraged me to memorize a few Bible verses when I was young and I still remember them. Anyhow, it's just that you asked me a question, and as partners we have been making a lot of progress being honest and open with each other. If you want me to be quiet, we can change the subject."

Jack took a deep breath, and looked at the ground. "I think it would be hard to listen to this if you were religious. But you aren't, and I am actually kind of interested." Jack finally looked up from the ground. "Please continue, Jill."

"Plan A is impossible, it just doesn't work. Lots of people try it and fail. Some think they are succeeding; unfortunately they are not. So, just like landing zone Bravo, we need a plan B since plan A will not work."

"You've piqued my interest. I'm listening. What is plan B?" Jack asked.

"Plan B is Jesus' death on the cross for our sins. God knew we couldn't be perfect, so He sent his Son, who was perfect, to be punished for our sins on the cross. There was an exchange made, our sins for his righteousness. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 it says that God made Jesus to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Jesus."

"Okay, so if he died for us all. Then shouldn't we automatically be Christians?"

"Hmm, not quite. I wish it were that easy, especially in my case. The problem is our lack of faith. You see, the Bible says in John 3:16 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever _believeth_ in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' So to have eternal life we must believe that Jesus died for our sins. That is the part that I am struggling with."

"Why would you struggle with that? It seems like the sort of thing that people like you would want to do."

"People like me?"

"Oh, well . . . I just mean that since you came from a family of Christians, you would naturally believe that Jesus died for your sins. I don't understand why you would hesitate."

"My family tells me that it's my own pride." Jill's gaze dropped to the ground. After a long pause, she looked back up at Jack. "They think that deep down I want the thrill of earning my salvation. They say it is a natural thing that everyone wrestles with, and I just have to give it time. They hope I can work things out eventually. My mom says she prays every day that I will put my ego behind me and put my faith in Jesus."

"So, I guess you don't like going home and hearing them preaching at you all the time?" Jack asked.

"No, it's not like that. They hardly say anything about it nowadays. Once in a while one of them mentions it, but usually they are interested in talking to me about everyday things, and I actually feel really glad to see my family whenever I can. And like I mentioned, I talk to my mom whenever I can on the telephone."

Jack thought about how unique Jill was. Bright, tough, a tomboy, likes killing bad guys, likes hunting, likes the military, and has a religious background. _No wonder she never got far with any of her boyfriends. How many guys would like someone like her? Maybe a military chaplain? No, on second thought, I don't think a chaplain would like her tendency toward violence._

"From what I saw of your family, they are very special," Jack said.

A loud snap came from the south side of their camp. Jill and Jack both froze. Jack quietly pulled his pistol and knife. He hoped it was a deer, and not a sentry. Nonetheless, he released the safety on his pistol. A figure rose slowly above the crest of the hill. Jack glanced at Jill in anticipation, then looked back at the approaching figure. The deer from yesterday was again taking an evening stroll through their camp. It nibbled at berries at the edge of the camp, then worked her way toward Jill. Jack glanced at the ground and saw the remains of his last MRE that he didn't finish. He slowly reached down and picked up the packet of chocolate pudding. Jack quietly opened the packet, then reached out and grabbed Jill's hand. Turning her palm up, he squeezed the packet and the chocolate pudding oozed into her hand. The deer approached and sniffed its way toward Jill's hand full of food. The deer moved cautiously. It seemed to sense the friendly attitude Jill had, but was slow in its movements. Finally, when the deer was close enough, it bent its neck and began licking the chocolate pudding from Jill's open hand. Jill's blue eyes filled as she watched the beautiful brown deer nibble and lick at the food in her hand. Jill smiled at Jack. The food in Jill's hand was quickly disappearing. The warm tongue wiping her palm with slippery saliva sent a chill through her body. The deer saw Jill quiver, paused a moment, and then continued licking Jill's palm. Its tongue furrowed between her fingers to get the last of the pudding. Another shiver course Jill's body. Finally, when the pudding was gone, the deer looked at Jack. He smiled. I'm sorry, but I don't have any food to offer.

Seeing Jack was empty handed, the deer meandered off toward the Zaragoza compound. When the deer was out of sight, Jill finally spoke. "I have never experienced anything like that before. The deer was licking my palm. It was so sensuous; it gave me chills."

"I enjoyed that too. I think we were lucky to have one last visit from the deer."

A half hour passed and neither spoke. Jack was thinking about the deer as they watched the sun setting in the western sky.

"Jack, it's getting cold. I think it's time to share body warmth."

"Hmm . . ."

"Oh come on, Jack, I am not asking you to have sex with me. I just want to keep from freezing to death tonight."

"Okay . . . It is getting cold. How do you want to do this?"

"Let's lay in the center of the pine needles. We can lie back to back, and then we can put both our blankets on top of us."

Jack grabbed his blanket, slid over and turned his back to Jill. Jill grabbed her blanket, turned away from Jack, and slid close to him until their backs touched. Jack felt her buttocks and shoulders touch his. Instantly, the warmth of her body began flowing into him. Jack thought how this was much better than sleeping on the cold ground by himself.

Jill reached over and spread her blanket over them. Then Jack spread his blanket on top of hers. They pulled their arms under the blankets.

After several minutes, Jill began wiggling her hips and shoulder as she repositioned herself. She shifted her body up several inches toward Jack's head. After several more readjustments, Jack felt Jill's buttocks settle into the small of his back. Then the full length of Jill's back was in close contact with his back. He felt a surge of warmth because of the full contact. This swell of heat from her body relaxed him. This was a lot better than sharing body warmth with another guy during survival training. There are definite advantages to having Jill as a partner.

In the final glow of the evening twilight, Jack fell asleep thinking about Jill's closeness and warmth.

Hours passed and Jack slept soundly. Jill rolled over and her movement woke Jack. He felt her slender body draw close to his. Her tummy was pressed against his back, and her legs were drawn up close to his. I like the feeling of Jill being close, but I wonder what my buddies would think if they could see me "spooning" with my commander.

Jill must have been dreaming. She was mumbling words that Jack could not understand except for one. She kept repeating the word Buzzy. Then without warning, Jill reached her arm out and wrapped it around Jack's chest, and squeezed close. Jack didn't know what to do. He wondered if he should wake Jill and ask her to turn away from him. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He wished he understood all the words she was mumbling. What should I do?

Jack quietly contemplated his situation, and decided to do nothing. I am going to lie here and enjoy this moment.

Notes:

1. All bible verses are from the King James Bible.
Chapter 18

The Mission: Day three

Jack was sound asleep when Jill tried to wake him. "Jack, wake up. It's time."

"Uh huh, what . . . who . . . what time is it?"

"It's five a.m. You need to set up Betsy."

"Oh, yeah. Let's have some coffee first."

"Sure, but let's make it quick. We don't want to be late for the party."

Jack heated water for Jill's coffee, and added the ingredients. He handed it to Jill and she started sipping the steaming drink. Then he heated water for his cup of coffee.

"Jill."

"Yes, Jack."

"Did you ever have a boyfriend called Buzzy?"

Jill sat up straight, her eyes narrowed. With tension written in her voice she spoke, "How did you find out about Buzzy?"

"You were mumbling in your sleep last night. Remember how we were close, sharing body warmth like you suggested. Anyhow, I was close enough to you that I could make out one of the word . . . Buzzy."

"Hmm . . . my old boyfriend Buzzy? I suppose that my sniping partner is starting to get jealous now that I am dreaming about Buzzy."

"Well . . . ah . . . no . . . I mean . . . I don't want to pry. I was just curious. You don't have to talk about it. You mentioned about being open and honest with each other, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to share some . . . well, open up about past experiences." Jealous? I don't think I am getting jealous. Why would I be jealous?

"You sure like to ask a lot of questions about my old boyfriends. Anyhow, Buzzy . . . he was . . ." Jill started to giggle.

"What so funny?"

"I am sorry, Jack. It is just funny that you assumed Buzzy was my boyfriend. You see, Buzzy was my teddy bear that I always slept with. I couldn't get to sleep without him. In fact, I cuddled in bed with Buzzy every night until the tenth grade. By then my brothers were teasing me so much that I had to stop."

"Oh . . . I see."

"Are you sure you aren't jealous?"

"No. Of course not." Why would I be jealous? Jill is my sniping partner, not my girlfriend.

Jill and Jack sipped their coffee in silence.

"How is your infection?"

"It is much better. Those cranberries really are helping. I hardly notice it now. How are your injuries doing?"

"The pain is slowly improving, and my limping is almost gone."

"Good. We may have to double-time it to Alpha after I kill Ramiro and the helicopter pilot. Do you think you will be able to move that fast?"

"I'll be up to it."

"Jill, can I ask you something?"

"Jack . . . I really don't want to talk about my boyfriends anymore."

"I wasn't going to ask about your boyfriends."

"Oh, in that case, what's on your mind?"

"I was wondering; what is the first thing you are going to do when you get back to civilization?"

"Hmm, that is a good question. I suppose I will call Mom and tell her the 'training mission' went okay. She will be on edge until she gets my phone call. After that I will get a shower and clean up. So, I guess you are asking what I will do after that. I've really wanted a nice strawberry milkshake these past couple of days. As much as I enjoy camping there are some things that I miss. How about you?"

Jack pondered Jill's response, and wished he had a family to call when he returned home. "A strawberry milkshake? That does sound good. You are making me hungry. I could eat a nice thick juicy steak right now. Anyhow, like you, I want to get cleaned up. Then, maybe I will rent a plane and go flying. That always gets my mind off work."

"Work! You call this work? All the fun we are having and you still refer to this as work? Come on, Jack, deep down inside don't you enjoy being out here in the wilderness with me killing bad guys?"

Jack really was having a good time with Jill. I do enjoy this. I wish I could really tell Jill how much I have enjoyed being with her the last three days. Jack didn't know how to respond. He was afraid to say what he was really thinking, so he looked down at his metal cup and continued sipping his coffee in silence.

***

Jill noticed Jack's silence. Why did Jack become quiet all of a sudden? Doesn't he like me? Does he hate having me for a partner that much? I thought that we were making progress in our relationship, but now Jack seems so distant when I brought up the subject of us working together.

***

Jack finished his coffee and put his metal cup in the pile of equipment that was going to be left behind. He nodded at Jill as if to say, "It's time."

"Putting my cup on this pile makes me sad. It is such a final act. From here on, there is only one more thing to do before we leave," Jill said.

"Speaking of the 'one more thing,' let's start getting set up for the kill shot."

"Okay, you set up Betsy, and I will start checking the winds."

Jack put an ammo magazine in his 50-caliber rifle and pulled the slide that loaded one round in the barrel. Then he used his gun-mounted rangefinder to double-check the distance to the Zaragoza compound. He also checked the temperature using the built-in meter on the rangefinder. Then he took a quick look at the trees. He looked at the trees close to him, and about halfway to the compound. He didn't see any movement. A dead calm. If it weren't for the long distance, this would be an easy kill shot.

Jill pulled out her wind meter so she could get a good measurement at their location. "I know how silly this looks when the wind is a dead calm. But, it's the procedure that we have to follow." She held the wind meter at arm's length above her head and pressed the hold button. Checking the meter, she said, "Just as I thought, a dead calm. So this will be an easy kill shot for you."

Jill began doing the math for the shot. Jack watched her out of the corner of his eye as she estimated the difference in elevation between them and the Zaragoza compound. Then she used the laser rangefinder on her spotting scope to double-check the distance. Using this information, she did several calculations. Finally, she spoke. "Okay, Jack, I have the numbers. Are you ready?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"Temperature thirty degrees," Jill said.

"Confirmed," Jack replied.

"Distance fifteen hundred yards."

"Confirmed."

"Wind zero knots."

"Confirmed."

"Elevation up fifty-nine feet."

"Confirmed."

"So, that's it. Now we wait," Jill said.

"Mmm," Jack agreed.

A half hour passed in silence. Jill and Jack were both peering through their scopes as they focused their attention on the Zaragoza compound.

"Here comes the pilot," Jack said.

"He is about a half hour early," Jill said.

"Yes, but it will take that about twenty minutes to preflight the helicopter."

"Oh right, I forgot."

Jack watched the pilot as he used a checklist to review each safety feature. He started by checking the fuel levels, then the tail rotor, the main rotor, then the engine oil and cooling fluid. After that he sat in the helicopter and checked the instruments. Finally, he turned the ignition key to the "on" position and the engine began spinning. The rotor blades slowly came up to speed. I'm happy to kill Ramiro, but I am sorry that I have to kill you. You have no idea that you are going to die in a few minutes.

Jack continued to peer through his riflescope at the helicopter and its spinning rotors. His mind drifted to Jill. I will be glad to get the credit for the kill shot, but I am glad that Jill will be getting the credit for the mission. She is tough and intelligent, and deserves the credit.

"Juan-Carlos and Ramiro should be coming out any time now," Jack said.

Jill looked at her watch. It was oh-six-twenty-seven. "Any minute now . . ."

"Do you hear dogs barking?" Jack asked.

Jack looked at Jill. The sentries used dogs, but they never came this far out into the jungle. He froze, and focused on the sounds of approaching dogs.

"Do you think it's the sentries?" Jill asked.

"I hope not."

His eyes continued to peer through his scope while his ears focused on the approaching dogs.

"I think I hear some voices," Jill said.

"Me, too. They are getting very close."

Another minute ticked by, and as expected Juan-Carlos and Ramiro exited the house and headed for the helicopter. Jack watched Juan-Carlos and Ramiro start their walk to the helicopter. It was about a one-hundred-yard walk. He listened to the approaching voices and dogs barking. What should I do? If I try to take the shot before the sentries get here they will surely find us and kill us. If they find us before I take the shot, they will kill us, and Ramiro will live. Think, Jack—what are the priorities? What should I do?

Jack looked at Jill. He could see the tension on Jill's face. He had to protect her, and Ramiro had to die. How could both tasks be accomplished?

Jack reached over to Jill's waist and grabbed her 22-caliber pistol. He slid it out of its holster and turned off the safety. He said in a quiet but commanding voice, "Jill, you take the kill shots."

***

Jill looked at Jack in unbelief. What do you mean take the kill shots? I am not the person that is the best shot in the Army. I am not the person that has fired thousands of rounds through Betsy. I am not the person that has memorized all of the compensation factors for Betsy. There are only a handful of snipers that can kill a person at a distance of 1,500 yards, and I'm not one of them. What is Jack thinking? I can't take the shot? Jill paused, swallowed, and spoke two words. "Okay, Jack."

Jack looked into her eyes one last time, and then rolled away from her and the 50-caliber rifle. Jill couldn't argue with Jack's decision. He was doing the right thing. She rolled over, putting herself into position behind the 50-caliber rifle. She placed her eye behind the scope, and put her finger gently, very gently, on the trigger. I don't know how much force it takes to fire this rifle. I wish Jack were going to take the kill shot, but I know he is right. I just hope I can do this correctly.

Jack began crawling quietly on his stomach toward the sound of the voices and dogs barking. Jill wanted to watch what Jack was doing, but she knew that she couldn't. Her new task was to take the kill shots, and she needed every ounce of focus to kill Ramiro and the pilot at the distance of 1,500 yards. She tried not to think about how difficult the shot would be. Jill heard Jack crawling through the brush, and as the voices and barking got louder, his crawling sounds became quieter.

Juan-Carlos and Ramiro were halfway to the helicopter. Jill began lining up the sights on the scope. She used the crosshairs marks in the scope to compensate for the vertical drop of the bullet. They already calculated the bullet was going to drop fifty-nine feet. Now she needed to quickly calculate that vertical distance as measured by the crosshairs on the riflescope. She was running out of time. Fifty-nine feet at 1,500 yards? Think, Jill, what is that compensation going to be? Focus, FOCUS, Jill! Fifteen hundred yards divided by one thousand is one and a half. One and a half times three feet per yard is four and a half feet. Fifty-nine divided by four and a half feet is . . . oh rats—I don't have time for my calculator. I need to do this mentally. What is fifty-nine divided by four and a half? Let's see, thirteen? Yeah, thirteen plus a little bit. Thirteen will work. Good, vertical compensation will be thirteen marks below the center of the crosshairs, and since there is no wind there will be no horizontal compensation needed.

Jill relaxed ever so slightly now that she had the compensation calculated. She followed the center of Ramiro's chest with the riflescope as he walked to the helicopter.

Click-clack . . . click-clack. Jill heard the faint sound of her 22-caliber pistol cycling twice. Jack fired two shots into a sentry's chest. Will he need a third shot to the sentries' head to stop him? How many more sentries are there are? Jack has eight shots left.

Juan-Carlos was opening the door on his side of the helicopter. Ramiro was walking around to the other side of the helicopter. Okay, I can't miss this shot. You have to kill Ramiro, and then the pilot.

Click-clack. Jill heard a single shot from her 22-caliber pistol. Jack must have needed a head shot to finish killing the first sentry. I wonder how many more he has to kill. Jack has seven shots left.

Jill kept Ramiro in her sights. She was determined not to lose her concentration as the sounds of her 22-caliber pistol periodically punctuated the morning air. Ramiro was almost at the door of the helicopter. Jill held the scope sights on the center of Ramiro's chest as he grabbed the door handle of the helicopter. Jill knew that she would only have about two seconds when he sat down, before the pilot took off in the helicopter. During those two seconds Ramiro would not be moving. It would be the perfect time to shoot him. Her timing had to be perfect.

Click-clack . . . click-clack.

Jack fired two more shots to the chest of a second sentry. Will Jack need a head shot to finish killing the second sentry? How many more sentries are there? Jack has five shots left.

The door of the helicopter opened. Ramiro lifted one leg into the helicopter, then slid in and closed the door. This is it, now or never!

Jill gently, but quickly, squeezed the trigger of the 50-caliber sniper rifle.

Kabooooom!

The jolt rocked through the rifle stock and slammed into Jill's petit shoulder. The impact stunned her for a moment. I should have used Jack's trick and pulled the rifle butt tightly into my shoulder. I am going to have a nasty bruise after this. She only had one and a half seconds before the bullet reached its target. Jill regained her composure and immediately refocused her attention on the target through the riflescope. Jill could see the supersonic sound trail streaming from the bullet as it traveled the 1,500 yards. It looked like concentric smoke rings expanding outwards from the bullet. The one and half seconds that it took for the bullet to travel to Ramiro seemed like minutes because of the adrenaline that was flowing in Jill's blood stream. Finally, the Plexiglas in Ramiro's door smashed into little pieces, and Ramiro slouched as blood exploded out the broken window and landed in puddles on the dirt next to the helicopter. On the ground Jill saw blood, pieces of flesh, and bone. One down, one to go.

Click-clack.

A single shot. Jack did have to use a head shot to stop the second sentry. I wonder if there are any more. Jill, you have to focus on the next shot—don't worry about Jack. He will do his job; you must do yours and kill the pilot. Jack has four shots left.

When the 50-caliber sniper rifle fired the first time, killing Ramiro, it automatically cycled and loaded the next round into the barrel of the gun. Jill placed her finger gently on the trigger and began setting up for the second shot. I should count my blessings. Since the pilot is right next to Ramiro, I don't have to recalculate the compensation factors. This time, I'll pull the rifle tightly into my shoulder so it doesn't slam into me again.

Jill carefully focused the rifle on the pilot's chest. He had turned around in his seat to see what caused all of the noise when Ramiro's chest exploded. The pilot froze when he saw the hollowed and bloody chest cavity that had a few seconds previously had contained Ramiro's lungs and heart. The pilot's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped.

Jill did not hesitate. Kabooom. She squeezed the trigger while the pilot was still in a frozen state of shock. Once again, it took an eternity for the bullet to travel to the target. And as before, the target's chest exploded. Vital organs burst from the pilot's chest and splattered the instrument panel in a thick layer of bloody goo.

Jill peered through the riflescope with mixed feelings. It saddened her to think that she had to kill the pilot. I wonder if he had any family—wife—sons—or daughters. Were his parents alive? But then Jill reassured herself that he had to die so that she and Jack could make their escape. If the pilot were alive, he could chase Jill and Jack with the deadly 50-caliber machine gun. That would be impossible to escape. The pilot had to die. Now Jack and I can escape without any problems.

Click-clack . . . click-clack . . . click-clack.

Jack shot a third sentry, two in the chest and one in the head. He has one shot left.

Jill continued to peer through her scope. She was proud—in a weird sort of way—for killing Ramiro and the pilot. The task was done. Someone had to do it. It would have been easier for me if Jack had done it, but he couldn't. I should not feel guilty. I had to do it. I had no choice.

Jill peered through the riflescope. She saw Juan-Carlos pulling the limp body of his brother into his arms. He clutched him tightly. She watched as his whole body convulsed and shuddered with emotion. He rocked back and forth as he held his brother tightly. Jill imagined the sounds of weeping that were coming from Juan-Carlos's mouth. For a moment, she thought about her brothers, and how they meant so much to her. Then Jill saw the sentries running toward the helicopter. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the sentries began searching the woods for Ramiro's killer. Jill and Jack had thirty or forty minutes to begin their egress. They planned to only take four or five minutes.

"Jill, it's me Jack."

"Jack, are you okay?"

"Yeah, no problem. Those three troublemakers will never make trouble again." Jack was out of breath. "I heard the two shots. How did it go?"

"Fine. Two more dead bad-boys," Jill responded. "Let's pack up."

"Yeah, our job is done; let's get to landing zone Alpha. By the way, here's your toy—I mean gun. It did come in handy after all," Jack said.

Jill began picking up the items from the pile of things that they were going to take. Water bottle, first aid kit, and spare ammo—do I need anything else?

Jack began packing Betsy into the carrying case. Then he helped Jill put on the backpack with the items she was going to carry. They looked at each other, and then they took one last glance at the makeshift camp that had been their home for the last three days.

"It is weird, but I am going to miss this camp. I don't know why, but I feel like a part of me wants to stay." Jill looked into Jack's face as she spoke.

"Jill, I know that we have to run, but I want to say that I have gotten to know you much better as a result of this mission. I think that you deserve a lot more credit than I have been giving you. I am sorry for the way I acted in the past."

"Jack, you are so cute when you apologize."

"I think we need to change the subject. Do you hear that sound?"

"Hmm, sounds like motors, lots of motors."

"Look over by the Zaragoza barn."

"Rats. There are a bunch of sentries coming out of the barn on four-wheelers."

"Yeah, I see them. I knew Ramiro had one, but now I see four. Each one has two sentries, and each sentry has a machine gun."

"Yeah, we've got problems, big problems. We have a lot less time to get to Alpha."

Jill hurried as she finished packing up her gear.

"Will we have to double-time to Alpha?" Jill asked.

"I think we should triple-time it." There was a sober sound to his answer.

Jill began running. "I'll lead the way. If you have trouble keeping up, give me a shout." Jill smiled as she joked. She started at a moderate pace. Her body was still sore from the bird strike, and more recently, the recoil from the first round she fired from Jack's 50-caliber rifle. She needed to follow the trail that they used to get to the camp. Then they would take a slight detour to get to the landing zone Alpha.

"What kind of machine guns are the sentries carrying?" Jill asked while jogging down the trail.

"They look like P90s. They are only 30-caliber, but the bullets have a lot of powder in them. Our bulletproof vests are not going to stop them. Sorry for the bad news, Jill."

"Sorry I asked . . ."

The sound of the four-wheeler was getting louder.

"Did our intel reports say anything about the sentries having access to four-wheelers?" Jack raised his voice just enough that Jill could hear him over the sound of the jungle foliage that was brushing against their camouflage suits.

"Not a word. It's news to both of us." Jill turned her head over her shoulder as she ran so Jack could hear her response. "Do you think we can make it to Alpha before the sentries catch up to us?"

"It is gonna be close. The four-wheelers give them a lot more speed than we were planning on. We may have to call and have the Black Hawk helicopter take them out before picking us up."

"I hope the Black Hawk doesn't hit us in the process." Jill knew the gunners were experts, and would do their best to only hit the sentries, so she tried not to worry.

"Jill, do you have the radio?"

"Yeah. You want to stop and make a call now?"

"Let's stop long enough to hand me the radio and punch in the scramble code. Then we can start running again."

Jill and Jack came to a stop. Jill was huffing and puffing. The fast speed that they were running was taking a toll on her.

"Here is the radio, Jack."

"Thanks." Jack flipped the power switch to the "on" position, and checked the signal strength. Then he punched in the scramble code. "Okay, the code is in. Let's start running." Jack carried the radio in one hand, and in the other hand he held the antenna. Jill wondered how he would keep the antenna pointed at the satellite while running full speed.

"Delta Bravo, this is Flap Jack Two. Do you read me?" Jack's voice huffed and puffed each word as he ran behind Jill.

"Flap Jack Two, this is Delta Bravo. Your signal strength is bouncing up and down. You sound like you are out of breath. Is everything okay?"

"Okay? No! Everything is not okay! We have eight sentries chasing us on four-wheelers. It looks like they are going to catch up to us about the time we get to Alpha."

"Oh no, sorry to hear that. What can we do?"

"Call the Black Hawk and let them know that we are being pursued. They will need to keep an eye out for the bad guys and take them out if they see them."

"Affirmative, Flap Jack Two. Stand by . . ."

Jill was heaving breaths as she struggled to get the air in their lungs that she needed to continue at the fast pace they were running.

"Flap Jack Two, we just confirmed the problem with the Black Hawk and they will be ready to take action. How is Flap Jack One?"

"She is bruised, but otherwise fine."

"Good. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"Just stand by. I am going to leave my radio on to keep the comms channel open in case anything else unexpected happens."

"Affirmative. Delta Bravo out."

"Flap Jack Two out."

"Thank goodness the signal strength was good," Jill yelled back to Jack.

Pow─pow─pow─pow─pow.

"What was that?" Jill yelled.

"The first two sentries are close enough to fire at us. Luckily, he is not close enough to get a good shot. But if he gets lucky . . . well, let's just pick up the pace a little more."

"A little more? Sure Jack, not a problem. Just a walk in the park!"

At the top of the next hill Jack yelled, "Jill, are you sure that you shot the pilot?"

"Absolutely. Why?"

"Because there is a tiny speck in the sky behind the four-wheelers and it is too big for an eagle."

"I saw his chest explode, Jack. Guts and blood went all over the instrument panel. I know he is dead!"

Jack pondered the situation, "Did the intel reports say anything about a second pilot?"

"Not a word. Helicopter pilots are extremely rare here in the jungle. If Juan-Carlos hired a second pilot, we would have known about it."

"For some reason, that just isn't reassuring right now," Jack yelled between huffs and puffs.

Pow─pow─pow─pow─pow.

"Look out, Jill!"

"They are getting closer. What do we do, Jack?"

"Keep running. If I have to, I will stop and return fire."

"Do you have enough ammo for all of them?"

"How many rounds did you use to kill Ramiro and the pilot?"

"Two."

"Two? Only two? That is pretty good for a girl—er, I mean a novice."

"Jack, stop complaining about how good I am. Just tell me how much ammo you got left."

"I started with eight rounds in my clip. Eight minus your two shots leaves six. If I use one round to stop each four-wheeler, then I will have two extra rounds. After that I have to reload."

"I've got one round in my .22, then I have to reload."

Womp─womp─womp─womp─womp.

"Jack, please tell me that is not the helicopter."

Jack looked over his shoulder. "I see two spinning rotor blades, a smashed rear window, and a big hole in the windshield. I think we have a problem. Where did Juan-Carlos get a pilot?"

"We can clear that up with intel when we get back to HQ—if we get back to HQ."

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom.

"That sounds like a really big gun. Evidently, that was a 50-caliber machine gun you saw under the helicopters belly," Jill screamed.

"I am sorry to say 'I told you so,'" Jack yelled back. "Keep running, faster!"

The helicopter came around for a second pass.

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. The 50-cal machine gun sprayed bullets along the path that Jill and Jack were running along.

"Jill, I got bad news."

"Yeah, like we don't have bad news already? What's going on?"

"The pilot is Juan-Carlos."

Jill stopped dead in the middle of the trail, turned and looked at Jack. "Juan-Carlos? The intel reports didn't say anything about Juan-Carlos being a pilot." Jill gritted her teeth. "Wait until I get back and get my hands on those guys at intel. They are going to pay for this!"

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. The helicopter made another pass and sprayed more 50-caliber bullets close to Jill and Jack.

"Jack, call HQ and tell them not to kill the helicopter pilot."

"Gotcha." Jack pressed the transmit button on the comms radio and tried to hold the antenna steady while he ran. "Delta Bravo, this is Flap Jack Two."

"Flap Jack Two, Delta Bravo, go ahead."

"This is an emergency. Tell the Black Hawk there is another helicopter in the air, and the pilot is Juan-Carlos."

"Flap Jack Two, could you say that again?"

"I said Juan-Carlos is flying another helicopter. He has a 50-caliber machine gun on it. The Black Hawk needs to know this immediately!"

"Uh, okay. Juan-Carlos is piloting another helicopter with a 50-cal machine gun. Anything else they need to know?"

"Yes, they can't kill Juan-Carlos. They can kill all the sentries they want to, but not the helicopter pilot!"

"Affirmative, Flap Jack Two . . . stand by."

Thirty seconds passed while Jill and Jack continued to run down the dusty trail toward landing zone Alpha.

"Flap Jack Two."

"Go ahead, Delta bravo."

"The Black Hawk has the latest info about the helicopter pilot, and is on his way to Alpha."

"Good. Stand by in case anything else develops. Flap Jack Two out."

Pow─pow─pow─pow─pow. A sentry's machine gun sprayed bullets at Jill and Jack. This time they struck dangerously close.

"Jack, that was too close. The Black Hawk needs to stop the sentries."

"They know our situation. If they can see the four-wheelers they will stop them!"

Jill and Jack were approaching the spot in the trail where they had to turn right to get to landing zone Alpha.

"Follow me!" yelled Jill.

The trail became much narrower. The vegetation was so close to the trail that it brushed against them and slowed them as they ran.

"It will be harder for the sentries to see us with this heavy vegetation," yelled Jack.

"Thank goodness for little things," Jill shouted.

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. The helicopter made another low pass and sprayed bullets close to Jill and Jack.

"I thought the heavy vegetation was supposed to help," Jill yelled.

"How far is it to Alpha?"

Jill turned her head over her shoulder to yell back to Jack. "It's only a short distance. It will be a big clearing on the left."

Jill was slowing down because she was out of breath. Her lungs were burning as she gulped breaths of air. She could feel her heart pounding in their chest.

"Jill, if those four-wheelers get any closer I am going to have to stop and fight. I will be out numbered eight to one, but I should be able to hold them off long enough for you to get to Alpha and be rescued safely."

"I'm not leaving without you. If we have to, we will both stop and fight."

Pow─pow─pow─pow─pow. One of the four-wheelers was close enough now that they could accurately shoot their bullets. The bullets were landing on the trail around Jack's feet.

"Jack, here is the landing zone on our left. Let's find a place to hide while we wait for the Black Hawk."

"There is no hiding now, the sentries clearly see us. We either fight, or keep running."

Jill looked back at the four-wheelers racing toward them. Eight men, each with a P90 machine gun. Those are not good odds. I don't want to have to fight them.

"Let's keep running. Maybe the Black Hawk will be here soon and they can kill the sentries. Meantime call them and tell them—"

"There is the Black Hawk, coming over the treetops," Jack yelled.

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. The 50-caliber machine gun on the Black Hawk fired on the four-wheeler that was closest to Jill and Jack. Jack glanced back and saw the four-wheeler explode in flames.

"He hit the fuel tank," Jack said. "That buys us a little time."

"Okay, we will have to keep running. Call HQ and tell them landing zone Alpha is hot. We need the Black Hawk to change the pick-up point. Tell them to meet us at landing zone Bravo." Jill was struggling to find the energy to yell between breaths.

"Delta Bravo, Flap Jack Two. Alpha is hot. I repeat, Alpha is hot. We need the evacuation changed to landing zone Bravo. Repeat, evac at Bravo," Jack yelled between breaths of air.

The Black Hawk was circling the landing zone Alpha and looking for more four-wheelers. Normally, this would not be a difficult problem. But now, the jungle foliage was blocking most of their view. That made it nearly impossible to see the four-wheelers so they could kill them. Worse, it made it impossible to see Jill and Jack. The Black Hawk had strict orders to not let any stray bullets hit Jill or Jack. The Army wanted them to get safely out from enemy territory.

Approximately thirty seconds later the Black Hawk helicopter stopped circling Alpha and headed toward landing zone Bravo.

"HQ must have gotten the message to the Black Hawk," Jack yelled.

The Black Hawk disappeared over the treetops on its way to Bravo.

"Jill, look at who is landing at Alpha."

The Hughes Little Bird helicopter with Juan-Carlos at the controls made a landing in the middle of the clearing that the Army had designated Alpha. The three remaining four-wheelers pulled up to the helicopter. The six sentries dismounted and ran to talk to Juan-Carlos.

"I wonder what they are talking about," Jill yelled as she continued running.

"I have a feeling we are going to find out soon."

Two of the sentries finished talking to Juan-Carlos and got back on their four-wheeler. They headed toward Jill and Jack. The other four removed the doors from the quick-release hinges of the helicopter and threw them on the ground. They climbed into the helicopter and fastened their seat belts. Immediately Juan-Carlos took off and headed toward Jill and Jack.

"Hey, Jack." Jill was huffing and puffing, and clearly struggling to keep up the rapid pace. "If my math is correct, that helicopter now has five machine guns instead of the original one."

"I'm afraid your math is correct." Jack was also huffing and puffing loudly.

To get to landing zone Bravo, Jill and Jack had to cross a long narrow clearing. It was sixty feet across, and it was too narrow for a landing zone. It was also wide, about a half mile. That meant they could not go around it. So, their only course of action was to cross it.

"Jack, I have an idea. Call HQ and have the Black Hawk hover on the far side of the next clearing. Tell them the last four-wheeler will be following us across."

"Gotcha. Delta Bravo, Flap Jack Two."

"Flap Jack Two, Delta Bravo, go ahead."

"Tell the Black Hawk that we will need air support at the next clearing. Bad boys will be following us on a four-wheeler. They have permission to engage."

"Understood. Stand by."

"Jill, how much farther to the clearing?"

"About half a mile."

"Flap Jack Two, this is Delta Bravo."

"Go ahead, Delta Bravo."

"The Black Hawk wanted me to tell you that they are looking forward to target practice."

"Thank you, Delta Bravo. Flap Jack Two out."

Jill and Jack were slowing down. They needed a break, but it was just not possible to stop; their speed was slowing at a time when it should be increasing.

Pow─pow─pow─pow─pow. The four-wheeler was getting closer, and the machine gun bullets were striking the vegetation next to Jill and Jack.

"There is the clearing," Jill hollered. "We will need to zigzag when we are crossing it so they can't set their sights on us."

"I will be right behind you!" Jack was barely able to get the words out since he was huffing and puffing so hard.

They didn't pause when they got to the clearing. They both glanced over their shoulder to see how close the four-wheeler was to them. Jill was thinking they needed enough room between them and the four-wheeler so the Black Hawk helicopter could get a clean shot and not have stray bullets hitting Jill or Jack.

"Jill, the zigzagging is going to slow us down too much. They'll catch up to us, and then the Black Hawk will have trouble hitting them and not us."

"What do you suggest?"

"We have no other option. We must run as fast as we can and hope the Black Hawk gets them before they get us."

"Not much of a choice, but I agree."

Jill and Jack suddenly broke into the clearing. If it weren't for the fear of death, aching muscles, and burning lungs, Jill thought this would have been a nice place to take a rest and hydrate. The grass was knee high. The sun was warm, and a gentle breeze was blowing in her face. Then suddenly, the four-wheeler broke into the clearing right behind her.

Pow─pow─pow─pow─pow. The sentry on the back of the four-wheeler fired a burst of gunfire at them.

"Jack, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Keep running!"

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. The Army helicopter made a low pass and sprayed 50-caliber bullets behind Jill and Jack. The four-wheeler exploded into flames just like the first one did. Jack raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up to the Black Hawk gunner.

"It sure is nice to have friends in high places when you need them," Jill shouted.

Jill and Jack slowed to a jog as they finished crossing the clearing. When they got on the other side they continued to jog into the woods far enough that they thought the vegetation would hide them from the Little Bird helicopter.

"So now all we have to worry about is the Little Bird helicopter," Jack said.

"I wish you would not remind me of that," Jill said. "If only that clearing had been a little bigger, the Black Hawk could have landed there and picked us up."

"How much farther to landing zone Bravo?"

"Another mile," Jill said.

"Let's take another minute or two to catch our breath, and then double-time it to Bravo."

"Good plan, Jack."

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. The Little Bird helicopter fired its 50-caliber machine gun. The bullets were landing on the ground in front of Jill and Jack.

"Do you think Zaragoza can see us in this thick vegetation?" Jill asked.

"I don't think so. I think that was a lucky shot, but I don't want to hang around and find out!"

They simultaneously jumped to their feet and ran as fast as they could down the narrow trail. The vegetation brushed against their sides.

"The Black Hawk is not going to fire on the Little Bird, right?" Jack said. "But the Little Bird is probably going to fire on us and the Black Hawk when we get to landing zone Bravo."

"What are you thinking Jack?"

"If Juan-Carlos is shooting at us and we don't shoot at him, we are not going to get out of here alive."

"You've got a good point." Jill pondered as she ran down the trail. "Have you got any good ideas?"

"Somehow we have to stop him, and not kill him."

"Yes, but isn't that easier said than done?"

"Give me a minute, maybe I can think of something."

A minute passed and Jack said nothing as he and Jill ran down the trail and dogged 50-caliber bullets.

"Jack, I think your minute is up. Have you got a plan yet?"

"Why don't I shoot his tail rotor when we get to Bravo?"

"What will that do?"

"The helicopter will begin to spin out of control. Juan-Carlos will have to land the helicopter in the treetops immediately or else the spinning will get so bad it will crash."

"Sounds like a good idea, but will he survive?"

"Probably. More importantly, it is the only way I can think we can get out of here alive."

"It doesn't leave us much choice." Jill pondered the pros and cons as she jogged down the trail toward landing zone Bravo. "How difficult will it be to hit the tail rotor?"

"For the average sniper or for me?" Jack said.

"Ha, I should have known what you would say, Jack. All right, go ahead and take the shot."

Jill continued huffing and puffing as they ran down the trail. She was wondering if deer like the one that visited their campsite ever used this trail. I am going to miss that deer. I feel like I made friends with it.

Jill's mind snapped back to the present. Jack will have to handhold a thirty-one-pound gun that is normally used with a tripod in the prone position on the ground. It will be VERY difficult to keep it steady while shooting from the standing position. He'll have to guess the compensation factors for the shot. Wind, elevation, temperature are all going to have to be estimated accurately and quickly. Thank goodness he has memorized the key factors.

Womp─womp─womp─womp─womp. The Little Bird helicopter was making a low pass.

"Do you think that Juan-Carlos can see us running through this thick vegetation?" Jill yelled.

"I don't think so, but keep running just to be on the safe side."

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. The Little Bird helicopter fired its 50-caliber machine gun. The bullets struck the ground only a few feet to the side of Jill and Jack.

"He is either able to see us, or he is getting lucky," Jack yelled. "When we get to Bravo, you wait just inside the vegetation. I'm going to have to step into the edge of the landing zone to shoot his tail rotor."

"Okay, Jack. Good hunting!"

Jill glanced back and saw Jack slide the rifle case from his shoulder that protected the 50-caliber sniper rifle. Then, while he was still running, he unzipped the edge of the case and grabbed the rifle. He tossed the case into the jungle vegetation and kept running. He then slapped his free hand against his chest where he stored his spare ammo.

Jill saw Jack slap his spare ammo magazines in his vest pockets. Jack's double-checking to be sure he has enough ammo. I hope he doesn't have to use that ammo. If he doesn't hit the tail rotor on the first or second shot, Juan-Carlos will have time to put his sights on Jack and kill him. Juan-Carlos is lucky the Black Hawk has been instructed not to shoot him. They'd kill him in an instant if they had permission. She realized that there was nothing she could do to help Jack take the difficult shot. She knew the M82 sniper rifle weighed thirty-one pounds without the scope and laser rangefinder, and Jack had both on the rifle. This will be a virtually impossible shot. How could Jack even think about hitting a small object like the tail rotor while the helicopter was moving? If Jack can pull this off, he deserves a medal.

As they approached the edge of the clearing that was landing zone Bravo, Jill looked for a place in the thick vegetation where she could duck out of the way, and let Jack run past her to the edge of the clearing. Finding that spot, she kept her eye on it. Then at the right moment, she planted her right foot firmly in the dirt and propelled herself to the left into the vegetation, and out of Jack's way. She landed on her back and watched Jack sprint past her. A moment later, he was at the edge of the clearing.

Womp─womp─womp─womp─womp. The Little Bird helicopter made a low pass, coming straight at Jack.

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. Juan-Carlos fired the Little Bird's 50-caliber machine gun. The bullets struck the ground all around Jack.

The helicopter swept over his head as it finished its pass. Now, a second volley of machine gun bullets rained down on him from the sentries' handheld machine guns. Pow─pow─pow─pow─pow.

Jill looked to see if Jack was injured. Two good legs, both arms still attached, and his head is still working. Okay, now he has about twenty seconds to get set up for this shot before the helicopter makes a second pass.

Jack flipped up the protective covers on the front and rear of his riflescope. Then he flipped the safety to the "off" position. He scanned the skies as he looked for the return of the Little Bird helicopter. His finger rested on the trigger. As Jack scanned the sky, Jill saw the Black Hawk helicopter hovering a hundred yards to the south. The machine gunners at the side door were peering at the Little Bird as it made a U-turn and headed back to fire another volley of machine gunfire at Jack.

Jack held his 50-caliber rifle at his side. He almost looked relaxed. Jill wondered if he were purposely calming his mind and body. Making this shot would be near impossible. He will have to raise the thirty-one-pound gun to his shoulder and hold it steady, very steady. It was not designed to be shoulder fired. It was much too heavy for that. It was meant to be fired from the prone position where its weight could rest on the ground.

Womp─womp─womp─womp─womp. The Little Bird helicopter came straight at Jack. It was still behind the trees. In a few seconds it would be in the exact spot Jack picked, and he would be able to fire his rifle at the tail rotor.

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom. Juan-Carlos began firing the machine gun before he cleared the treetops. Jack grunted as he lifted the heavy rifle to his shoulder. He pulled the butt of his rifle tightly into his shoulder. He took aim, and a second later squeezed the trigger. Kabooom. Because the helicopter was so close, it was almost instantaneous. The blades of the helicopter tail rotor exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces. A moment later the tail of the Little Bird began to rotate slowly to the left. With the tail rotor destroyed, Juan-Carlos was not able to keep the helicopter from spinning. The spinning motion was slow at first, but quickly increased. Jill could see the look of fear on Juan-Carlos's face as the Little Bird helicopter passed overhead. The Little Bird was now spinning faster. Juan-Carlos had no choice. He had to land immediately. He crash-landed the Little Bird Helicopter into the treetop about two hundred yards to the south of the clearing that Jack was standing in.

"Jill, come on out!" They needed to make their egress before Juan-Carlos or his sentries could regain their senses, climb down from the crashed helicopter, and make their way back to the clearing.

Jill ran out from hiding. "That was a fantastic shot, Jack!"

"Right now we've gotta get out of here!" Jack waved in the Black Hawk helicopter. It gently landed in the clearing in front of them.

Jill and Jack ran to the side door where the machine gunners kept lookout. They dove headfirst into the helicopter. A couple of soldiers grabbed Jill and Jack and steadied them as they flopped on their stomachs in the back of the helicopter.

A soldier held Jill pinned to the floor of the helicopter and yelled into her ear. "Ma'am, we need the password. We cannot lift off until we get it."

"The password is 'arm wrestle,'" Jill yelled back.

The soldier, upon hearing the correct password, gave the pilot a thumbs-up, and the Black Hawk began to rise into the bright sunny sky.

The soldier then helped Jill to an upright position, and she took a seat at the rear of the helicopter next to Jack. Looking out the open door of the Black Hawk helicopter, she gazed down at the landing zone where she saw a familiar sight. The deer with the ear torn by cougar teeth walked into the clearing. The deer looked up at Jill and tilted its head as if it were saying, "Will you be coming back?" Jill's mind immediately flashed back to the night that the deer licked chocolate pudding from her hand. Oh, I am going to miss you soooo much. Good-bye . . .

Jill watched the deer from the door of the helicopter until it was a small dot in the clearing. Then Jill looked at Jack. "Is it over?"

"It is over," Jack said.

She glanced back to the clearing for one last look at the deer, but they were too far away for her to see the friendly doe.

"Ma'am . . . ma'am."

Jill was not used to hearing Jack use the word "ma'am"; she'd grown accustomed to their first-name basis.

"Oh, Jack . . . er, Savage. What's up?" Jill was still thinking about the deer twenty minutes later.

Jack pointed at the aircraft carrier that was sitting in the middle of the wide-open sea.

"I never thought I would be so happy to see a flat-top," Jill said.

"I am looking to that shower and hot meal," Jack said.

"Yeah, me, too."

The Black Hawk helicopter gently settled on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Jill thanked the crew for the ride, and then they departed the aircraft.

There was a young sailor waiting for them on deck. "Welcome aboard, ma'am, and sir. I am Chief Petty Officer O'Brien. The captain has quarters ready for you below. I'll show you the way."

Jill and Jack followed the sailor down a maze of stairs to two adjoining rooms. "The captain insisted that you two get the VIP treatment. He kicked two naval officers out of these rooms this morning when he heard you were coming aboard. Evidently you had a profitable mission. We don't do this often."

Jill looked at Jack, and he smiled at her. She knew O'Brien was fishing for details, but he wasn't going to get any.

"Thank you, O'Brien," Jill replied with her deep smile that showed her dimples. "I want to make a phone call, and then we need to get hot showers, followed by some hot food."

"No problem, ma'am. Your rooms are on the left. There is a SAT phone in each room, and each room has a shower, too. There are fresh fatigues in the lockers. After that, you can walk down this hall about two hundred feet to the mess hall. You are free to roam the ship at your leisure. If you need anything, just tell anyone you see that you want to talk to O'Brien. Everyone knows me. I will check in on you guys—er, people later."

Jill and Jack exchanged a glance and smiled. Jill was getting used to the gender issues that kept surfacing.

As O'Brien left them and walked down the hall, Jill said, "This seems so weird."

"Yeah, it's weird being around people who don't want to kill us." Jack laughed.

"That's not what I meant." Jill also laughed. "Hey, I am going to get a shower. Why don't you get a shower and then I will treat you to dinner in the mess hall?"

"It's a date," Jack replied.

"See you in thirty minutes," Jill said. Jack's last words lingered in her mind. I wonder if we ever will go on a real date.

Jill entered her room and again considered how extraordinary it was to have electricity, hot water, a bunk, and most importantly a SAT phone that she could use for personal calls. Jill closed the door behind her and dialed her mother's home phone number.

Ring-ring, ring-ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Oh Jill, I am so glad to hear your voice. Are you okay? Where are you? Did you have any problems? Will you be home soon? You aren't in the hospital are you?"

"Mom, everything is fine. I am on a flat top in the middle of the ocean. My 'training mission' went fine, and I am fine."

"Oh, I am so glad you are all right. I worried about you the whole time you were gone. I never stopped praying for you and Jack. Is Jack all right?"

"Yes, mom, he's fine. Listen, I can't really talk now. I can call you later; I need to take care of some other things right now."

"Jill, you have told me everything I need to know . . . you are safe, and Jack is safe. Could you tell Jack something for me?"

"Sure, Mom. What?"

"Please tell him I said 'Thank you.'"

"Thank you? For what?"

"Jack will know."

"Oh—okay. Love you. Bye, Mom."

"Love you, Jill. Bye."

I wonder what the secret "thank you" for Jack is all about.

Jill ran the shower in her room and started to rummage through the mini bottles of soap and found one labeled 'Fresh Mountain Strawberry Moisturizing Shampoo.' Thank you O'Brien. This is going to smell so wonderful.

Jill hurried because she didn't want to keep Jack waiting. After her shower she quickly towel dried her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She put on a fresh set of fatigues, exited her room, and knocked on Jack's door.

Jack opened his door, smiled, and said, "Did you make reservations at Café Flat Top?"

"Yes, let's go. I'm starving."

Walking down the narrow hallway, Jill thought how wonderful it felt to be clean and wearing clean clothes.

The mess hall was empty. Jill checked her watch. They had just missed the lunch crowd. Their biological clocks had lost track of the time. Now, the smell of hot food was overwhelming Jill. She led the way to the entrance of the chow line.

"Do you have any steaks?" Jill asked the cook.

"No, ma'am, but I have some delicious Angus burgers that are hot off the grill."

Jill looked at Jack for his approval. He nodded.

"We will take two of the thickest and juiciest Angus burgers that you have."

The cook smiled and dished up the burgers. He added a large pile of fries to each plate. Sitting down, they simultaneously said, "This is so weird."

They were silent as they ate their burgers and fries.

"MREs just don't taste this good, even when I'm hungry," Jill said.

"Mmmm." Jack agreed.

"I talked to Mom on the SAT phone," Jill said.

"How is she?"

"She said to say 'Thank you.'"

"Mmm."

"What is she thanking you for?"

"It's—well—sort of a long story."

Jill frowned. What's going on? Why do Mom and Jack have secrets that I don't know about? "Well, anyhow, she said to tell you she is glad you are back safe and sound from our 'training mission.'"

"Mmm hmm," Jack responded.

After they finished eating, Jill and Jack leaned back in their chairs and looked at each other. Each was getting sleepy from the food digesting, and the past three days of physical and emotional stress.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the cook said as he walked toward Jill and Jack with two tall glasses filled with strawberry milkshakes.

"Jack, did you tell the cook how much I was looking forward to a strawberry milkshake?"

"I couldn't resist." Jack smiled.

"Thank you sooo much for remembering," Jill cooed.

"It's the least I can do for the second best shot in the Army," Jack said.

"You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

Jill and Jack drank their milk shakes in silence. When she was finished, Jill said, "I'm ready for some shuteye."

"Me, too," Jack replied.

"Jack. We need to talk. About me being the second best shot in the Army," Jill said.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know that you were looking forward to taking the kill shot. I am sorry that I had to take the shot. If there was any way you could have taken the shot I would have been glad for you to do it. It wasn't in my plan to take the shot. I wish I had not taken the shot. I know that it meant a lot to you to kill Ramiro. If I could have—"

"Jill, it is okay. In fact, I had not even thought about it until you just brought it up. I know black ops missions don't always go as planned. We do our best planning, and then sometimes things go sour. The most important thing is that we both survived. Besides that, we accomplished the mission, and I still got to kill three bad guys with your toy gun. That means we will probably be given lots of future missions that we can work on together. I am looking forward to that. Maybe next time I can take the kill shot."

"Savage, you are not only the best shot in the Army, but you also have the best attitude in the Army." Hmm, did I hear Jack say that he is looking forward to future missions with me? What a change in attitude. Wow. "So you'd consider working with me in the future?"

"I'll be glad to. In fact I hope I can. You've proven yourself time after time in tough situations. I was skeptical at first, but I now see that you're very special. I like your gutsy attitude, and you're fearlessness under fire. It seems we are the perfect match. I am glad that the Army picked us for this sniper team. I hope we continue working together."

"I am glad to hear that, Jack. I like working with you, too. I feel the same way about us being the perfect match." I wonder if Jack is thinking about us being "the perfect match" in other ways.

Jill and Jack got up from the table, thanked the cook, and walked the two hundred feet to their rooms. Purposely, Jill took the lead as they entered the long narrow hallway.

Jill stopped at her door and turned sideways. She knew that Jack would have to squeeze past her in the narrow hallway to get to his door. As he did he was almost nose to nose with her. Jill looked up at him. He paused and inhaled. I wonder if he can smell the strawberry scent from the shampoo. They were so close they almost touched. The slightest wave rocking the ship would nudge her into his muscular arms.

"I . . . I . . . am going to miss you." Jack struggled with his words.

"I am going to miss you too, Jack. The past three days went by so fast. I was never lonely. I expect we will see a lot of each other on future missions, but the past three days were very special."

"I think we make a good team," Jack said.

"I think so, too."

Jill and Jack continued gazing into each other's eyes.

"I suppose we should get some rest now," Jack said.

"I suppose so . . . Good night, Jack."

Jack finished sliding past Jill in the narrow hallway, entered his room, and closed the door.

Jill entered her room and closed her door. She quickly changed and climbed into her bunk to get some much needed sleep. Curling up in the bunk bed, Jill thought of the pine needle bed Jack made for her. Jack is sooo sweet. I wonder if he likes me.
Chapter 19

One Week Later . . .

Ring-ring. Jill held her breath as she waited for Jack to pick up.

"Savage."

"Jack, this is Jill."

"Jill, what's up?"

"I want to run two items past you. First, good news about Juan-Carlos. The latest intel report says he survived the helicopter crash and is doing fine."

"I am sorry to hear that. On the other hand, that was our mission, so that is good news."

"And the second item is really big news."

"Okay, don't keep me waiting. What is going on? Do we have another mission?"

"No, Jack, it's even bigger than that. This last mission went so well, and it was so important, we are going to get medals for it."

"Oh, I don't think that is such a big deal," Jack said. "I have gotten medals before for successful missions, and I guess now I will have another one to throw in my dresser drawer."

"Those medals in your dresser drawer . . . did any of those medals come from the president?"

"The president? You mean the president of the United States?"

"That's right, Jack, we are going to Washington!"

"Hmm, that is special. When do we go?"

"The ceremony is next Friday. Can you get off work?"

"I suppose."

"Good. Also, remember when we first met in Major Phelps's office?" Jill asked.

"How can I forget?"

"Remember how Major Phelps slipped and said we should do some 'male bonding'?"

"Yeah. He had a pretty embarrassed look on his face after he said that," Jack said.

"Well . . . I thought, if it is okay with you, we could take some time to finally do that 'male bonding' thing that he talked about." Jill held her breath as she waited for Jack's response. The silence that followed lasted much too long for Jill.

"Male bonding . . . What do you have in mind?" Jack asked in a neutral tone of voice.

"After the medal ceremony, we could take a Hummer Friday night to Dover Air Force Base. Then Saturday we could check out the Air Mobility Command Museum that's on the base. They have a Stearman, a C-7 Caribou, a C-130 Hercules, a flight simulator, a—"

"Yeah, I have heard about all the planes they have." Jacks voice was still a monotone. Jill wasn't sure if he was interested or not.

"After that, I thought we could go to Lewis, Delaware. There is an old World War II fort at the mouth of the bay that has been converted into a nice area to relax. We can take a swim, eat some burgers and fries on the beach, climb the observation tower, look at some cool artillery guns, and . . ." Jill's speech was speeding up the more nervous she became.

"That sounds like fun," Jack said.

"Oh . . . good . . . wonderful. Then it's a date . . . well, I mean... an appointment. Hmm, not an appointment. You know what I mean . . ." Jill knew she didn't word that quite right.

"It is 'male bonding.'" Jack's voice was not monotonic anymore.

"That's what I was trying to say." Jill breathed a sigh of relief. I was afraid Jack wouldn't want to go. I would have felt like an idiot if he said no.

"About clothes. We can wear fatigues most of the time, plus we need to take swimsuits for the beach of course, but bring a nice knit shirt and trousers."

"What for?"

"When we landed on the aircraft carrier, you had the cook make me a nice strawberry shake, remember?"

"Yes, I remember."

"That was so sweet of you. But you ended up getting a hamburger instead of the steak you wanted. So, I would like to take you out for a really nice steak dinner Saturday night."

"That would be wonderful, Jill."

"Okay then, it's a date." Jill purposely did not correct herself this time on her word choice. I hope Jack realizes this is more than just male bonding.
Chapter 20

The Oval Office

Jack scrutinized the muscular man in a black suit that was escorting Jill and him through the White House hallways. Jack noticed a slight bulge under his left arm. I wonder if the Secret Service still carries Uzi machine guns.

They were escorted to a small workstation just outside the Oval Office. An elderly lady sitting at a desk looked up at them. She had gray hair pulled into a tight bun, hunched shoulders, and thick wire-framed glasses that rested on the tip of her nose.

"Ms. Jackson, this is Lieutenant Jacobson, and Sergeant Savage. They are scheduled to see the president at eleven hundred hours."

"Thank you, Harry. I will take them from here." Ms. Jackson spoke in a polished and confident manner. "It is a pleasure to meet you two. I am honored to shake the hands of two people that have risked so much to make our country better a better place to live. Let's step across the hallway to the Roosevelt room. It's the waiting room for official delegations preparing to meet the president."

Jack looked at Jill. Are we an official delegation?

"Would you like anything to drink? Coffee, tea, iced tea, soda, wine, beer, mixed drink?" Their hostess smiled as she led them into a magnificent room full of historical paintings, fresh flowers, and a grand fireplace at one end. The center of the room was filled with a thick dark oak conference table. It was surrounded with sixteen deeply padded leather chairs. One chair, in the center of the table, was slightly taller than the others.

Jill looked at Jack. Jack shook his head, and then Jill looked at the hostess and said, "No, thank you."

"If you need anything, I will be right across the hall. We are waiting for General Morrison and General Hayes. They are currently en route from the Pentagon, and will be here in about seven minutes. In the meantime I will be at my workstation."

Jill and Jack nodded a thank you, and Ms. Jackson exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"General Morrison and Hayes?" Jack murmured.

"I think they are direct reports to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They evidently were in the loop about our mission. I wonder what they think about the outcome," Jill said.

"If I had known that the generals would be here I would have gotten dressed up," Jack chuckled as he looked at Jill's dress whites.

"Ha, good one. By the way, you look pretty spiffy in your dress whites, Savage."

"Likewise, ma'am." Jack was glad to be here at the White House, but he was really looking forward to spending time alone with Jill at the beach. Calling her "ma'am" just doesn't seem right. We are beyond that. I will be glad when we get away from all this formality and can call each other by our first names.

"Hey Savage, check out this painting of Teddy Roosevelt. He looks like he is having so much fun." Jill, standing in front of the large fireplace, was staring up at a painting of Roosevelt galloping on one of the Rough Rider horses.

"I wonder if he enjoyed his stint in the military as much as we do," Jack said.

"I doubt anyone could enjoy it as much as I am." Jill shot a cute smile at Jack.

The door opened and Ms. Jackson walked in followed by two well-decorated generals.

"General Morrison, General Hayes, this is Lieutenent Jacobson and Sergeant Savage."

Jill and Jack both came to attention.

"As you were," General Hayes said in a friendly manner. "We should be saluting you. You two have made quite a name for yourselves."

"Thank you, sir," Jill replied.

"Please take your seats so we can review the procedure for the award presentation." Ms. Jackson spoke in a commanding manner. "As you know, the purpose of this ceremony is to award Aegis medals to both Lieutenant Jacobson and Sergeant Savage. This medal is special, and few people know about it. It is only awarded to people that have served their country with daring actions and fearless bravery during top-secret operations. You may wear the medal, but you may never explain why it was given to you. Do you agree to this?"

Jill and Jack both replied, "Yes."

"By the power vested in me by the office of the president, and with the witness of General Morrison and General Hayes, I do hereby make the affirmative notation in White House records that you have agreed to the terms of the award." Ms. Jackson's voice was monotone and sounded official. "Oh, and by the way . . . Congratulations." Ms. Jackson's voice returned to normal, and a smile returned to her face. "The president will be receiving you in a few minutes. You may continue to wait here. I will return when he is ready to see you." Ms. Jackson left the room and the door closed behind her.

Lieutenant Jacobson, Sergeant Savage, General Morrison, and General Hayes sat in silence. Each wondered who would speak first.

"I think Ms. Jackson is in love with me," Jack said.

Everyone laughed.

"General Morrison and General Hayes, that is the first time I ever heard Savage tell a joke." Jill continued to laugh as she addressed the generals.

"From what I hear, Sergeant Savage can do a lot more than tell a funny joke," General Morrison said.

"And I understand that you are a very talented lieutenant," General Hayes chimed in.

"We are both proud to be serving our country," Jill responded.

Ms. Jackson returned to the Roosevelt room. "The president will see you now."

The four soldiers stood and followed Ms. Jackson to the Oval Office. The generals entered first, followed by Jill, and then Jack. After the four were in the president's office, Ms. Jackson said, "Please be seated. The president will be right in." Ms. Jackson then exited the Oval Office and closed the door behind her.

A moment later, a door on the other side of the room swung open, and the president entered. He was carrying two small boxes made from dark oak. The soldiers rose to their feet and stood at attention. "As you were," the president said.

The president walked over to them and began shaking hands. "General Morrison, nice to see you. How is your arthritis?"

"It is much better, sir."

"General Hayes, how is that new grandson of yours doing?"

"Very good, sir, thank you for asking."

"And these two soldiers must be the famous 'Jack and Jill' sniper team. You must be Lieutenant Jacobson."

"Yes, sir. I am pleased to meet you," Jill said.

The president paused and looked closely at Jill. He squinted as he looked up and down several times. Jill was concerned. "Is something wrong, sir?"

"As a matter of fact, something is very wrong," the president replied.

Jill began looking nervously at her uniform. She looked at her buttons and shoes. She used her hands to check to position of her hat. "Mr. President, I'm not sure what could be wrong."

"Lieutenant Jacobson, the problem is that when I was in the military, the soldiers were just not nearly as pretty as you are. In fact, there weren't any women in the military."

Jill started to breathe again. She looked at the three other soldiers and saw grins on all three faces. With a sheepish look on her own face she replied, "I will try to do better next time, sir."

"Lieutenant, you are doing just fine. I don't think you should change a thing. Now, let's see, I believe that you are Sergeant Savage?"

"Yes, sir. I am pleased to meet you."

"Sergeant, I understand that you were the key player in this little black ops mission."

"Sir?"

"I read the report that Lieutenant Jacobson wrote, and I understand that it was your initiative and daring that allowed Lieutenant Jacobson to take the shot that you otherwise were going to take."

Jack looked at Jill with surprise. He did not expect her to give him so much credit for a mission that was technically her responsibility. "Ah, well, yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"I wish that our military had more soldiers like you two. I am proud to meet both of you." The president smiled. "Now, let's get on with the ceremony."

The president stood in front of Jill and opened the first wooden case. Jill glanced down. She was shocked. There was a small blue ribbon with a bronze eagle at the top, a horizontal red stripe at the bottom, and a white star in the middle. Jill had only seen one of these before in her life. Shooter had one in a box with the rest of his medals. When I asked Shooter about his medal, he would not say anything about it. No wonder Dad never talked about that medal. He was sworn to secrecy. He received the medal as a result of a black ops mission.

"This medal represents the highest award that can be given to any soldier," the president said. "The red stripe represents the blood of United States citizens that would have been shed if you had not preformed this act of bravery. The white star represents all fifty states that you have protected. And the eagle is the part that I like the most. Most people don't know why eagles fly so high. They do this so they can look for food for their fledglings, and at the same time keep a watchful eye on their young that are still in the nest. That way, if any predators attempt to bring harm to their babies, they can swoop down and take the appropriate action to save their little ones. This is exactly what the two of you did. You literally swooped down from the sky to kill a very bad person, so that the flow of drugs into this country would stop, and thereby prevent the death of innocent young people here in the United States. It is with the utmost appreciation that I proudly present each of you with the Aegis medal."

The president removed the medal and pinned it to Lieutenant Jacobson's uniform. He shook Jill's hand, thanked her, and handed her the empty box.

The president then pinned the second medal on Jack's uniform, shook his hand, and handed him the empty box.

"In the course of a presidency, there are many memorable moments. This is by far the one that gives me the most pleasure, and makes me the most proud. Thank you both for all you've done for the United States."

Jack and Jill both responded with, "You're welcome, sir."

"I don't give out many of these," the president said. "On the rare occasion that I do, I remember it vividly. I will never forget this moment, or the two of you. I want you both to know that if you ever have a personal favor that can only be granted by someone in high places, consider me a friend, and please call me. I am greatly in debt to you for what you have done. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Jack was speechless. He sensed the sincerity of the president, and didn't know how to respond. Finally Jill said, "Thank you for that gracious offer, sir."

The president smiled and looked at Jack. "Could I give you some personal advice, Jack?"

"Certainly, sir."

The president leaned over and spoke quietly into Jack's ear so no one else could hear him speak. "If I were you, I would keep an eye on Jill. She makes a good sniping partner, but I am a pretty good judge of character, and I think she likes you."

"Er, ah . . . why, yes, sir. Thank you for the advice, sir." Jack was surprised that the president of the United States was making bold, romantic suggestions about his sniping partner, especially since the military had such strict rules on fraternization.

The president straightened up. "This has been a lot of fun for me, and I am so glad that I was able to meet you two. I wish I could stay and talk, but I must get off to a meeting with my boss—I mean, my wife. She has planned a special lunch for the two of us in the Rose Garden."

The president once again shook hands with each person as they exited the Oval Office.

Ms. Jackson stood and smiled as they approached her desk. She motioned with her hand toward the man next to her. "This is your escort. He will take you out to your vehicles. Have a wonderful day."

The escort led the four to the parking garage and said goodbye.

General Morrison spoke in a friendly but somber tone. "Jack and Jill, I want to reiterate what the president mentioned about how you two did a great service to your country. Your mission was very unusual, not to mention dangerous. The results will have a direct impact upon the safety of our nation's youth. But I want to mention also that it will have a secondary impact. Jill, you showed bravery that has never been seen in a female soldier before. The details of this mission will never reach the general public, but nonetheless, your valor is bound to open doors for other women in the military because of the respect you have earned through the success of this mission. I hope you understand and appreciate the contribution you have made to those women."

General Hayes nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for the kind words, sir," Jill said.

A Hummer pulled up next to the generals. "You two will have to excuse us," General Hayes said. "General Morrison is taking me out for a steak dinner tonight. It has been a pleasure to finally meet you two."

Jack and Jill both saluted the generals. They returned their salutes and climbed into the Hummer. Their driver drove them down the long driveway.

"Jill, let's get out of here. I have had enough formalities for one day."

"Good idea. I'm ready for a break, too."

***

An hour and a half later Jill woke as Jack pulled the Hummer into the gate at the Dover Air Base in southern Delaware. Jack flashed his military ID and asked for directions to the barracks. The guard told him which way to go, and then waved him on. They found the parking lot and Jill grabbed her duffel bag. Walking to the front of the barracks, they found their adjoining rooms. Standing by the two doors, Jill set her duffel down and looked up at Jack. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I have been—well—I want to say that my curiosity will not leave me alone. Ever since Mom told me to tell you 'thank you,' I keep wondering: what did she thank you for?"

"Hmm, I guessed sooner or later that would come up again. Your mom made me promise her something before we left for our mission. She loves you very much, and you're her youngest child, and the only daughter she has . . ."

"Right, but what does that have to do with any promises?"

"Your mom was concerned about the mission. She knew it wasn't a training mission, and she wanted me to promise that I would bring you back alive and well."

"She actually said that to you?" Jill frowned as her eyes widened. "Mom had just met you. She had no right to put that burden you. And besides, I am very capable of taking care of myself. And on top of that—"

"Jill, it's okay. I was glad to agree to her request. It was easy because I already had promised to myself that I would bring you back alive and safe. I had no intention of letting anything bad happen to you. I was ready to die to ensure your safety."

"Well, right, but we have to do that, because we are soldiers," Jill said.

"Yes, that's right. We have to do it because we are soldiers . . ." Jack paused in the middle of his sentence. Jill wondered what Jack was struggling to say. "I knew I had to protect you, but it was much more than that. I wanted to protect you. I have never felt this way before toward anyone. I am not sure how to describe my feelings. But I know that you are very special. Most importantly, you are very special to me."

"Jack, you are so sweet. I have always seen you as my partner, and sometimes more than that. But I never thought of you as my protector. I like that, I am—well—I just am not sure what to say." Jill took a half a step toward Jack. Then she reached up and placed her hands gently on Jack's chest. As she looked into his brown eyes, Jack put his hands on her narrow waist.

"Jill, I have never felt this way about anyone before. I could not bear the thought of anything bad happening to you." Jack's hands slid up Jill's back, and rested on her shoulders.

"All that time we were on the mission, I was burdened with the success of the mission, and I never realized that you were concerned for me." Jill's hands slid down Jack's chest and wrapped around his waist, resting on the muscles in his back. "I got caught up in the mission, and I couldn't see what was happening right in front of me. I am so sorry that you had to carry that burden alone."

"It was my promise, and I wanted to take care of you." Jack looked into her eyes and began caressing her cheek.

Jill drew closer to Jack; her lips brushed his cheek. "I don't think I have ever met anyone like you. You have such a protective spirit." Jill nuzzled into Jack's earlobe.

"You have no idea how glad I am that the Army put us together on the same sniper team." Jack squeezed Jill closer into his chest.

"Me, too. I am looking forward to our future together." Jill's lips grazed Jack's neck.

Jack and Jill stood there in front of the barracks for a long time. Neither of them moved.

"There is something we should talk about," Jack said.

"What's that, Jack?"

"Our future together."

"Are you referring to the Army regulations about relationships in the chain of command? I was hoping we wouldn't have to talk about that for a while," Jill said.

"I know, but it is something that we have to address. And at the rate things are going we need to talk about it soon," Jack said.

"Okay, we can talk about it, but let's not tonight. Please . . ." Jill lamented the issues that would arise if Jack and Jill began seeing each other. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Okay. As a matter of fact, I have something for you."

"Something for me?" Jill's eyes brightened as she took a half a step back from Jack.

"It's in my duffel. It should be near the top." Jack untied the knot and began rummaging through the duffel bag. "Here it is."

Jack produced a small flat package about four by six inches, and about half an inch thick, wrapped in a plain brown wrapper and tied with a coarse string. A simple tag said, "To: Jill, From: Jack." Jack handed it to her and said, "I know this will not rate as high as the Aegis award, but I couldn't resist giving this to you. I hope you like it."

Jill's fingers trembled as they grabbed the ends of the string. _Jack was giving her a gift._ He must like me. I wonder what it is. She eagerly, but gently removed the string and brown paper. As she removed the paper she saw the back of a brown wooden picture frame. Jill anxiously turned it over. It was a framed photo of the deer—the one that they had seen on their mission. "Oh, Jack, it's wonderful. How did you ever get this picture?"

"One time when you were taking a bathroom break during our mission, the deer wandered through the camp. So I pulled out my pocket camera and snapped a photo without the deer noticing me."

Jill's eyes watered as her finger stroked the ragged ear of the deer in the photo. She stepped toward Jack, reached her arms around him, and gave him a long hard hug followed by a firm kiss on his cheek. "You are so thoughtful. Thank you so much. I can't wait to show Mom." Jill wanted to show her mom the photo, and also explain to her how her relationship with her sniping partner was entering a new dimension.

Jack's arms wrapped around Jill's waist. "When you talk to your mom, tell her I said 'hello.' I am growing close to all of your family, but there is something unique about your mom. I don't know how to express it, but somehow she is very special to me."

Jill thought how Jack never had a mother or father. Maybe he is drawn to Mom because she is like a mother to him. Whatever the reason, I am glad the two of them get along so well.

"Jack."

"Yes, Jill."

"Could you hold me for a little while?"

"I would love to."

Jack tightened his embrace as Jill snuggled tightly into his arms.

Jill changed her clothes as soon as she entered her room, and then called her mom. "Hi, Mom."

"Jill, I am so glad to hear from you. Where are you?"

"I am at Dover Air Force base in Delaware. I just got back from Washington."

"Washington? As in Washington, D.C.?"

"Yes, Mom."

"What did you go to Washington for?"

"I had a meeting."

"Oh, I see. You can't talk about it, can you?"

"Mmm."

"I remember that Shooter went to Washington after one of his 'training missions.' He wouldn't talk about it either. Soon after that I noticed a new medal in his bureau drawer with his other medals. When I asked him about it, he said he couldn't talk about it. I understand the nature of what you do and how you can't say much. I just want you to know that I am proud of you."

"Thank you, Mom."

"How is Jack?"

"He is fine," Jill said. "I am glad that you asked. Jack is here in Dover with me, and we had a really nice time tonight."

"Is this another top secret situation, or can you talk about it?"

"Mom, Jack is very special."

"I know, Jill."

Jill remembered her last conversation with Jack. "He really likes our family, and he said that you are special to him."

"Oh . . . he is so sweet. Jill, don't let him get away."

"Aw, Mom, let's not put the cart before the horse." Jill hesitated. "Jack did give me a really nice present tonight."

"Don't keep me in suspense. What was it?"

"When we were on the last training mission I made friends with a deer. He was beautiful, and so friendly. He was eating food right out of my hand. I remember it as if it just happened. So anyhow, while I wasn't looking, Jack took a picture of the deer. After we got back he had a print made and put it in a pretty frame. He wrapped it up and gave it to me tonight. I am so excited."

"I like Jack more and more as time goes by," her mother said.

"Me, too." Jill paused. "Well, I've got to run. Tell Shooter I send him my love."

"Okay. Goodnight, Jill."

"Goodnight, Mom."

Jill set the phone down, then crawled under the bed covers and turned off the lights. I really do like Jack. I wonder if Jack likes me as much as I like him.
Chapter 21

Male Bonding

"Morning, ma'am." Jack saluted Jill, and she returned the salute with a flirtatious smile. She couldn't help it. Today was the day she'd been waiting forever for, or at least it seemed like forever. Today she would have Jack all to herself. No Army, no regulations, no worry about what others thought—just her and Jack. Jack and I will have to maintain a military appearance while we are in uniform, and while we are around other soldiers. I think Jack will enjoy the museum, but I am looking forward to our time at the beach. We will be able to get out of our military clothes, relax, and have a cozy time with each other.

"How did you sleep, Jack?"

"It took me a long time to get to sleep. But once I dozed off, I slept well."

"Me, too, except I woke with a headache. I think I might be getting a sinus infection."

"Sorry to hear that. Do you need any aspirin?"

"No, I just took one."

"What is on the schedule for today's male bonding?" Jack asked.

"I thought we would hit the museum on the base this morning, then go to the beach after that."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack said.

Like any good leader, Jill had planned even the smallest detail. And, because she liked Jack so much, she put forth an extra effort to impress him, and hopefully please him.

After finishing breakfast they walked back to their rooms.

Jill asked Jack, "Did you bring a swimsuit?"

"Yes, ma'am. Just like you ordered." Jack smiled as he responded with an official sounding tone. "I also brought the knit shirt and trousers like you ordered, ma'am."

Jill realized that Jack was kidding, and she returned the smile. I wish we could hold hands while we walk to our rooms. But if anyone ever found out that Jack and I liked each other, we would never be able to work together again.

"Let's throw our stuff in the Hummer and drive to the museum. After that we can head straight for the beach," Jill said.

It was a small museum by most standards. It consisted of one medium-size military hanger with a few airplanes and a helicopter inside. But outside the hanger, there were a lot of airplanes on the tarmac that they could climb into and explore.

"Let's look inside the hanger first," Jack said.

Jill was glad to hear Jack take the initiative. Inside Jack immediately noticed the bright yellow and blue Stearman hanging from the far corner of the museum. "There's a Stearman. Does your dad's look like that?" Jack asked.

"Wow, it looks just like his. I haven't flown in Dad's Stearman for several years. I still remember how much fun it was. He flies it from a grass field. I love the way the plane shakes as it goes over the bumpy grass, and then it becomes silky smooth when the wheels leave the ground." Jill looked up at Jack. I wish I could put my arm around your waist. I can't wait to get to the beach.

Jill noticed a group of soldiers setting up chairs and asked one of the museum workers what was going on.

"We are going to have a retirement party for one of the generals on this base. You are welcome to sit in the audience and have cake and ice cream afterwards, or you can continue looking at the displays. The party won't last long."

"Thank you. We will just look around," Jill said.

"Are either of you pilots?" the museum worker asked.

"Jack is," Jill responded.

"In that case, you might want to try the simulator. Your pilot friend can show you how to fly it, and I can show him where the reset button is."

"That sounds like fun. Are you up to it, Jill?"

"Okay, but only if you help me."

The museum employee led them to the simulator. It was made from the front of a large commercial airplane. The front ten feet of the cockpit had been cut off and mounted on the floor of the museum. It included the airplane's exterior, front windows, instrument panel with gauges, both seats, and a computer keyboard. The computer that simulated the flying was connected to a large TV screen that was mounted just outside the front window.

"Press this button to reset the flight," the employee said, "and here is the volume control. If you have any questions just ask."

"Thank you," Jack replied.

Jack motioned for Jill to sit in the left seat, and he sat in the right seat. Jack used the keyboard to flip through menus on the software.

"Let's set the simulator for a Stearman. That way you will be familiar with the way it flies." Jack found the Stearman option in the software menu. "You should have a functioning throttle now, Jill. Give it a push and then steer with your toe pedals."

Jill pushed the throttle slightly forward. The sound of the engine was a bit loud. Jack turned the volume down so it did not disturb the retirement party that was getting ready to start. Jill tried to keep the Stearman on the runway as she taxied into the takeoff position, but she was over controlling and zigzagging back and forth from one side of the runway to the other. She glanced toward Jack. He was grinning.

"Jack, I don't think this is a good idea. I never taxied Dad's Stearman. I only flew after he got it up in the air. I don't know anything about taking off or landing."

"But that's why simulators are so wonderful. If anything really bad happens, I press the reset button and we start over. I promise, you will not get hurt."

Jill was more concerned about being embarrassed, but Jack seemed insistent, so she continued to taxi the Stearman in hopes that she would get used to it. She wanted to impress Jack, so she focused with all her might.

"There you go. I see a big improvement already." Jack's voice was reassuring. "Now that you are at the end of the runway, turn the plane around, and give it full throttle. You will only have to pull back slightly on the joystick, and the plane will take off with little effort."

Jill did what Jack suggested, and sure enough in a few seconds she saw the runway drop away from the airplane as she focused her attention on the computer screen.

"Jack, this is so coooool. I have never done this before!"

Jack let her gain some altitude in the simulator. Then Jill began making turns to the left and right. Some turns were gradual, but others were steep.

"Your father taught you well. You seem to be a natural for flying,"

"I never landed Dad's plane. Can I try landing this plane?"

"Sure. Just point the nose at the end of the runway, and reduce the throttle to about one third."

When the airplane touched down on the simulator's runway, the wheels screeched like a real airplane. Then it bounced several times. Jill pulled the throttle back all the way and the plane came to a stop.

"Oh, that was so cool, Jack!"

"You are a natural. I think you should start taking lessons in a real plane."

Jill reached over, put her arm around Jack's shoulder, and gave him a one-armed hug. "Thanks, Jack," she whispered. Her lips were almost touching his cheek. Then she realized that she was physically touching a subordinate. She quickly removed her arm. They both became quiet as their demeanors changed. Jill whispered, "I should be more careful . . . I'm sorry."

Jack smiled a thin smile.

"Let's check out that helicopter." Jack changed the subject with a cheerful voice.

They climbed out of the simulator and walked over to a strange helicopter that Jill had never seen before. The placard in front of the helicopter said it was an HH-43 Huskie.

Jill asked, "Why does it have two big rotor blades instead of one big one and one small one?"

Jack began explaining the differences that made this helicopter unique. Jill was looking into his brown eyes, trying to concentrate on technical concepts, but wanting to go to the beach where she could be alone with him.

After explaining the helicopter to Jill, Jack said that he wanted to go outside and see the big airplanes. Outside, Jack headed straight for the C-130. Jill followed him up a stairway to the side entrance of the airplane. After entering the plane, he walked toward the back.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it?" Jack said.

"Almost creepy," Jill said as she looked at the ramp in the rear of the C-130. "I'll never forget taking that last step on the edge of the ramp before jumping out at thirty-three thousand feet."

"It seems like a long time ago," Jack said.

Jill looked up at Jack. Again, she wanted to put her arms around him and hug him. She felt drawn to him. The time they spent in the Colombia jungle had firmed her feelings in an unexpected way. Now she wanted to be physically close to him. But Jill knew that this was a public place, and they were in uniform. If someone walked inside the airplane and found them in an embrace or holding hands, they might never work together again.

"Jill, if it's okay with you, I think I have had enough airplanes for today. Let's go to the beach."

"Sounds good, Jack. Let's go." Jill breathed a deep sigh. I'm definitely ready.

Jack and Jill walked to the Hummer. Jack got in the driver's seat, started the engine, and looked at Jill. "Which way?"

Jill gave directions as they exited the air base and headed for the beach.

Jill had dozed off during the thirty-minute drive to Fort Miles State Park in Lewis, Delaware. She woke when Jack pulled the Hummer into the park entrance. He paid the fee, and then pulled away from the gate. Jill rubbed her temples, and blew her nose several times.

"How is your sinus infection?" Jack asked.

"It's not bad, just a bit annoying. If it's okay with you, I thought we could go to the observation tower first."

"Sure, Jill. You're in charge of this mission." Jack smiled.

They pulled into the parking lot for the observation tower and got out. Jill felt like a tour guide as she delivered a little speech she had practiced beforehand. "The tower is ninety feet tall and made from concrete. Inside there is a spiral staircase that leads to the observation platform on the top. Originally it was used during World War II to look for enemy ships and submarines that might try to enter the Delaware Bay, thus providing protection to Philadelphia and the oil refineries along the coast of the bay."

Jill was finally free from the presence of other military personnel, so she began to relax a little bit, but technically, they were still in their uniforms and had to be discrete.

Their freedom buoyed their spirits, and they began a child-like race up the stairs. Jill was ahead of Jack. As they got higher, Jill slowed and Jack slowed as well. Then Jill slowed even more. She began walking, and then started to wobble left and right.

"Jill, are you all right?"

"I'm a little dizzy. Going around in circles on these stairs shouldn't bother me, but I suppose the sinus infection has gotten into my inner ear. Let me pause a minute. I'm sure I will be okay."

Jill leaned her back against the cool concrete wall of the tower, and closed her eyes. She focused on relaxing and deep breathing.

"Okay, Jack, let's go the rest of the way."

As Jill began walking up the stairs Jack reached out and clasped his hand around hers. He held it gently, but firmly enough so she could steady herself.

Jill was glad to have a reason to hold Jack's hand. They continued slowly to the top of the tower, and when they emerged at the top she was still dizzy. Looking out over the railing, she became dizzier. Jill used her free hand to grab Jack's arm to steady herself. She felt his firm muscles under his fatigues and drew close to him. Jack put his arms around her. Jill was glad to have Jack steady her, but she was especially glad to feel his warmth and closeness.

The fresh breeze helped settle Jill's dizzy spell. She looked around at the view. The sky was clear with only a few puffy white clouds near the northern horizon. She could see the ocean and bay, and where they met. It was marked by white swirling foam. In the mouth of the bay were five large piles of rocks. Each must have been the size of a football field. They were spaced evenly across the bay.

"Jack, what do you suppose those piles of rocks are for?"

"I think they are used to break up the ice in the winter so the ships can still navigate the bay."

"Oh right, that makes sense."

"How are the dizzy spells?"

"I feel better up here in the breeze." Jill snuggled into Jack's arms and reached her arms around his waist. She felt solid muscles, wondering how many sit-ups he did every day. Looking to her right, Jill saw "The Great Dune," which rose almost as high as the observation tower. Further to the right was the city of Lewis, and the Lewis-Cape May ferry.

While Jack and Jill were in their embrace, Jill heard another couple walking up the spiral staircase. Their feet on the metal stairs loudly announced the approaching couple. Jill glanced to see if they were civilians or military personnel. As their shoulders rose out of the tower stairwell, she could see they were an elderly couple, both wearing tank tops and jeans. Jill relaxed and snuggled back into Jack's embrace. The other couple glanced at Jack and Jill, walked to the far side of the observation platform, and then began taking in the beautiful view. Jill was watching the couple and was able to hear some of their conversations. Like Jack and Jill, the other couple took in every detail they could see. Jill noticed the lady glance at them. Then Jill heard the lady make a comment to her partner about the "lovebirds." I wonder if Jack heard that comment, and I wonder what he thinks about us being referred to as a lovebird.

"Jill, do you feel up to going back down the stairs?"

"I am ready. I think that rushing up the spiral staircase was aggravating my sinus problem. When we go back down we should probably go slower."

Jack carefully held Jill's hand and steadied her as she navigated the circular pathway. I hope Jack doesn't think I am silly for getting dizzy. I don't want him to think that I am a weak woman, or even worse, a weak commander.

Upon arriving at the bottom of the winding stairs, they exited the observation tower and climbed into the Hummer.

"Jack, would you like to go to the great dune across the street where we can look at the artillery guns, or would you like to go straight to the beach?"

"Actually, I would love to get out of these military fatigues. Let's go to the beach."

Jack drove the Hummer to the beach parking lot. Jill said, "They have a changing station by the sand dunes. Let's take our bathing suits there and change. We can also take our clothes for tonight's dinner. That way we can change into our dressy cloths when we leave to go to get your steak dinner."

As they exited the Hummer, each grabbed their own duffel bag that carried the clothes they would need for the rest of the day. Walking a hundred yards to the changing station, Jill said, "After we change, let's meet here." She reached out and squeezed his calloused hand, not wanting to let go.

***

Jack went inside and found the men's changing area. He removed his Army fatigues and folded them neatly. Then he removed his swimsuit from the duffel, and put it on. Then he put his fatigues in the duffel. It was only half full, so he carefully folded the top and exited the building with his duffel bag tucked under his arm. Outside he looked around for Jill but didn't see her, so he waited for her to appear. He began looking at the people walking back and forth to the beach from their cars. Jill eventually came out of the ladies' changing area. She walked toward Jack, but he didn't notice her until she was directly in front of him.

"Hi, Jack."

"Oh . . . hi, Jill." Jack began looking at Jill's one-piece swimsuit with fervid interest. Her suit bore vertical rows of red and white stripes like an American flag. On the upper left quadrant there was a rectangular section that was blue and decorated with rows of white stars. It had the appearance of a flag that was tautly stretched around her slim, feminine body.

"Oh my. I don't know what to say," Jack said as he stared at Jill's swimsuit.

"You don't like my suit? I guess it is too gaudy, isn't it. Maybe it's too patriotic, that is to say that maybe I shouldn't wear clothes that look like our flag. Maybe it—"

"Jill, I mean that I absolutely love it. It's, well, to be honest, it's very . . . sexy."

"Oh, in that case, I am glad that I wore it. I was afraid you'd be ashamed of me wearing this today. I worried about it all night."

"Ha, you have nothing to be worried about. You look terrific."

Jack and Jill started walking to the beach. Jack noticed that Jill carried her duffel so that the US Army insignia was clearly visible, while he had carefully folded his duffel so that the insignia was on the inside of the folds and couldn't be seen.

"Is it all right with you if we pick a spot away from the crowd?" Jack pointed down the beach, suggesting a location about two hundred yards south.

"That looks good."

Jill took the lead as they walked down a narrow wooden ramp that lead down to the sandy beach. Jack looked at the back of Jill's bathing suit as he followed her. It was indeed a modest one-piece suit. But, it fit snugly and showed Jill's curves that he previously had only imagined. His gaze traveled up the back of Jill's slender figure, watching her slender legs navigate the ramp, how her patriotic swimsuit wrapped around her narrow waist, up to the nape of her slender neck. I am glad we changed into civilian clothes.

The spot they chose wasn't crowded. They set down their duffels, and Jill folded hers like Jack's so the Army insignia was not visible. She then spread a blanket on the sand so they could sit down.

"This is nice," Jack said, trying not to stare at Jill's bathing suit. "It is quiet, relaxing, and intimate."

***

Jill responded to Jack with a smile. He has never used the word "intimate" before. "It is nice to get away from the military occasionally," she said. "It is a good reminder that there is normalcy somewhere, even if we don't always see it."

"Normalcy—some days I wonder." Jack's gaze dropped to the sand.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I suppose you never had a normal life, being raised in orphanages and foster homes."

"No offense taken."

"Jack, I've wanted to mention something to you, but I have been hesitant."

"I don't think we should have any secrets."

"It is not really a secret, just an observation. I think you are a wonderful person, Jack."

"But?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"There are no 'buts.' In fact, I want to expand a little if I can." Jill took a deep breath. "You might be a bit sensitive talking about your childhood, so you can tell me to shut up at any point and I'll understand."

"That's a deal."

"I think that you are such a swell guy, and very talented. You are the best shot in the Army, not to mention hand-to-hand combat skills, pistol skills, light anti-tank weapon skills, navigation, and I could go on and on. I realize that any soldier should be pleased with a record like yours. But, and here is where I hesitate because I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I am not feeling sorry for you, I just am facing the fact that you had a difficult childhood being raised in orphanages and foster homes. Most people would not have been able to eke out a normal life after something like that, but you have not only achieved normalcy, you've excelled. I think that you should be proud of yourself."

"I have never thought of it in that sense. It has been challenging, and at times it was all that I could do to keep my temper under control. I got in a lot of fights as a result of the teasing, but when I enlisted in the Army, that all fell behind me. It seemed like the Army accepted me regardless of my background, and I liked that."

Jill watched the waves breaking. She pondered Jack's relationship with the Army. It's sad that he had to join the Army to find acceptance. I am so fortunate that I had a wonderful family that not only accepted me, but also loved me.

"Jack, can I say just one more thing?"

"Sure."

"First, I want you to know that I am telling you this because I think you are special, Jack, and you deserve to know that you are special."

"Okay. Where are you going with this?"

"Well, when the Army was putting together our sniper team, they picked me first. Then they gave me files for six different snipers in the Army. They said you were the best shooter of the six, but I could pick any of the six for my partner."

"Jill, I am not sure what you are saying."

"Here is the point that I wanted to make. The others were pretty normal soldiers. They had reasonable family lives and would have been good selections for this sniper team."

"So?"

"So when I read your file and found that you were an orphan, I realized that you had a lot going against you and yet you managed to somehow make the best of a bad situation. You excelled when others would have failed."

"Jill, I don't know how this relates to us."

"I needed to make a decision and select the person that I thought would work best with me. It was a rare privilege to select someone from a list of top-ranked soldiers. My decision ended up being made on the basis of compatibility. As it turned out, you were the sniper that was most compatible with me."

"I still don't see your point," Jack said.

"What I am trying to say is, I picked you because I wanted the perfect sniping partner, but now I realize that you are also the perfect friend for me. And, besides that, you're more than the perfect friend . . ."

Now it was Jack's turn to gaze at the waves crashing on the shore. "So we are a perfect match—in more ways than just sniping?"

"Yes. And I don't want to be pushy about our relationship, but I think that you have a right to know how I feel. You don't have to feel like I do, and maybe I should've been quiet, at least for now. You have a right to your privacy and I don't want to pry. You can feel however you want. I don't want to influence you, but I need to be honest. It is not—"

"Jill."

"Yes, Jack."

"Let's go swimming." Jack nodded toward the breaking waves.

Jill wondered why Jack changed the subject so quickly. Maybe Jack feels awkward talking about our relationship. I thought he liked me. He must be upset that I brought up this subject.

They stood and Jack took Jill's hand. Jack and Jill walked into the crashing surf. They continued to wade into deeper water. Jack was still holding Jill's hand when the water was chest deep on him.

"Jack . . ." Jill sounded distressed.

"What, Jill?"

"It's my water phobia. I am starting to get the creeps. I don't think we should go in any deeper. The waves are crashing and the water is almost over my head."

Jack smiled reassuringly and said nothing. He continued into the deepening water. Jill's body tensed. As the water rose to her chin, Jack took his free hand and placed it around Jill's waist. He continued walking into the deepening water.

"Jack! Please don't go any further."

Jack paused. He placed one of her hands on the side of his neck so she could hold onto him. Then Jack placed his free hand on the other side of her waist. Jill glanced toward the ocean and saw some large swells approaching. She took her free hand and put it on the other side of Jack's neck. As the swells approached, her grip on Jack's neck tightened.

"The waves usually come in sets of five. The first two are small, the third is the largest, and the last two each get smaller," Jack said, speaking calmly.

Jill wanted to be brave. If Jack sees me panic, he will never respect me as an officer. He will never want to be under my command again. I can't let my phobia get the best of me. I must be brave and not let my fear control me; I must control it.

"Hold on as tight as you want," Jack said.

Jill's body was so close to Jack's that they lightly brushed against each other as the waves roiled around them. She felt his muscles against her skin and wanted to look into his brown eyes, but she couldn't stop looking at the approaching waves.

"Jack, will this hurt?" Jill bit her lip as soon as she said these words. She had dropped her guard. She said something that made her look weak. She couldn't take back the words, but she wished she could.

"When the first swell hits us, hold on. I will do all the work. You can trust me," Jack whispered into Jill's ear. His calm voice was giving Jill a hint of reassurance.

Maybe this won't be too bad. Jill swallowed hard as the first wave approached.

Jack had slowly moved them further out into deeper water. Jill's feet were floating. She kicked them as she searched for someplace to brace for the impact. Her body tensed. The first wave picked up speed as it neared them.

"Jack, it's speeding up."

"It's okay; it just looks like it is getting faster because it is closer. It is like our HALO jumps. At first, when we were at thirty thousand feet, we felt like we were floating, but we were falling at two hundred miles an hour. We had no sense of falling until we got close to the ground."

"Hmm . . ." That made sense to Jill, but it was difficult to think logically when they were about to be crushed by the first of five huge waves. Jill slid both hands behind Jack's neck and intertwined her fingers so they were locked firmly together. If the approaching wave crushes and drowns me, I want my last memory to be hugging Jack as tightly as I can.

Jill could now feel their bodies begin to rise slightly as the front of the swell swept into them. Jill's body tensed even more. She squeezed Jack's neck close to her. Her body was so close to Jack that she could feel his leg muscles tense as he pushed on the sandy bottom. This, combined with the swell, lifted them about two feet. Jill buried her face into Jack's neck as she prepared for the worse. She could feel Jack pulling her waist close to him, pressing her body into his solid muscles. At the last second, she gulped as much air as she could. She didn't know how long they would be underwater. Jill was going to closed her eyes tightly, and take a deep breath, hoping she didn't drown. As the wave started to hit them, she changed her mind. If I have to die, I will at least get one kiss from the man I have fallen in love with. She pressed her lips firmly against Jack's lips, and then closed her eyes.

Jill heard the loud crash of the wave as it broke. Her body tensed. I don't want to die like this!

Jill waited. She waited some more. She continued holding her breath. Her lips still pressed against his. Soon her lungs would not be able to hold the air any longer. Then she heard a strange noise. It was quiet. She did not hear the crashing of the wave any longer. She could only hear the sound of seagulls honking at each other. She relaxed her death grip on Jack and their lips parted. So this is what it is like to die. Everything gets real quiet, and then you hear sea gulls.

Jill now heard a different sound. It was super-imposed on the sea gull's song. It had a staccato essence that was mixed with the sound of a man's voice. What is that strange sound?

Jill opened her eyes. She looked at Jack.

He was laughing.

"Wha . . . what is going on? Are we dead? Where are we? Why aren't our heads wet? What happened to the wave?"

"No, we're not dead." Jack continued laughing. "We are still in the ocean, and we are wet from the neck down, but from the neck up we are still dry because the wave broke after it went past us." Jack struggled to get these words out between laughs.

"We are not dead?" Jill said sheepishly as she lowered her gaze to the water that was still lapping at Jack's neck.

"No, of course not. I will never let anything bad happen to you."

"But the wave was huge." Jill glanced at the next wave that was now approaching.

"Yes, but I brought us out where the water was deep enough that the wave did not break until it passed us."

"Oh, yeah." Jill felt ashamed that she was so upset about something that was not a problem. Jack is going to think I am so stupid. Why didn't I trust him? I bet Jack really hates me now, especially after I forced myself on him.

"That was fun," Jack said.

"Fun? You may think it is fun to scare your sniping partner, but I don't think it was fun. In fact I think it was pretty mean!" Jill's voice went up half an octave as she reprimanded Jack.

"I wasn't referring to the part about scaring you."

"You weren't? What were you referring to?"

"I meant that I liked the way you drew close to me and squeezed tightly when you saw the swell approach." Jack smiled at Jill. "And by the way, you're quite a kisser."

"Hmm . . . yes, that was fun." Jill began to relax. She rested her cheek on Jack's neck as she thought about how the fear turned into a passionate experience. That was quite a first kiss. Jack tricked me, but I liked it.

Jill glanced up and again saw the second wave approaching. "Jack, the second wave will be bigger, won't it?"

"A little bit, but it will also be longer. As a result, it will not feel much different."

Jill heard Jack's comforting words, but her muscles still tensed as the front of the swell began to lift them. Jack drew close as their bodies floated over the top of the swell. His feet left contact with the bottom as the swell passed under them. Seconds later, his feet touched the sandy bottom again. Jack looked into Jill's blue eyes. He pulled slightly on her waist and leaned into her. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. Jill closed her eyes as they were immersed in the moment. Their lips lingered. Finally their lips parted just before the third swell lifted them. They both looked at the swell as it passed under them. Then they looked into each other's eyes as Jack's feet gently touched the ocean bottom. Again Jack gently pulled Jill close and leaned into her for another kiss. He gently nipped at her lips. They both closed their eyes again as their passions swept over them.

The up and down motion of the swells continued, and the kisses continued, but Jill's eyes remained closed as her interest in the waves waned.

"Jack . . ."

"Mmm?"

"How many waves have passed us?"

"I lost count. I would rather kiss you than count waves."

"Hmm . . . me, too."

***

Eventually the sun dropped lower in the sky and Jack felt the air beginning to cool. "Let's go in and get dried off."

"Okay," Jill replied. "I suppose the cooler air is driving the crowd away."

"So, there will be less people gawking," Jack said.

"Gawking at what?"

"I mean that there will be less people gawking at us 'lovebirds,'" Jack replied.

"Oh, so you did hear the lady at the observation tower talking to her husband."

"Let's just say that I thought she was observing more than just the sand dunes and waves."

Jack and Jill patted themselves dry with towels they had brought, and then lay down on the blanket. Jack noticed that the cooler air was giving Jill goose bumps.

"Come here." Jack reached out and wrapped his arm around Jill's waist and pulled her into him in a spooning fashion. "It seems like a long time ago that we spooned in Colombia."

"We did what in Colombia!" Jill sat upright and looked down at Jack through narrowed eyes.

"Oh, that's right. You were asleep at the time. I forgot." Jack sheepishly replied.

"Asleep? You spooned with me while I was asleep!" Jill's voice went up a full octave. "How could you? You took advantage of me while I was asleep on a mission in hostile territory?"

"Hey, calm down. It was you who spooned with me, and I just laid there listening to you mumble about Buzzy." Jack was a little irritated that Jill would use such a tone of voice toward him, but at the same time he was rather amused at the situation.

"I what?"

"Yeah. Remember how we talked about Buzzy and you were mumbling his name?"

"Yes, but you didn't say anything about spooning!"

"No, of course not. I didn't want to embarrass you. After all, you're my commanding officer. I thought you might not like it if you found out the next morning you were being so gregarious in your sleep."

"Hmm . . ." Jill was processing all of the information as quickly as possible. "So you were not trying to take advantage of me?"

"Jill, come on. Do you think I would ever do that?"

"Well, no."

"Good. Now that we have that settled, come over here so I can keep you warm." Jack again put his hand around Jill's waist and pulled her into a spooning position. Jill turned her head and tossed Jack a smile.

The sun continued to descend in the sky, and the air temperature dropped several more degrees. Jack relished the warmth of Jill's body next to his. She occasionally shivered. He reached over and pulled the far edge of the blanket over their bodies. They were now sandwiched inside the warm blanket with only their heads sticking out. Jill turned toward Jack and drew close to him.

***

Jill looked into Jack's brown eyes. She hesitated to speak. "Jack, can we talk?"

"About what?"

"Us."

"Sure . . . Are you still mad at me about the spooning issue?"

"No. I want to tell you something."

"I'm listening."

"I am thinking that we have a lot in common," Jill said. "And in some areas we are very different."

"I agree."

"Well, here is what I am thinking. I tend to be strategic in my thinking and you are more tactical in your thinking. That probably is true in relationships as well."

"Hmm. I am not sure how that applies to our relationship."

"I think that . . . maybe . . . it is possible that . . . in light of . . ."

"Just spit it out. What are you thinking?"

"Jack, I am thinking the most important thing in my mind right now is that I don't want to offend you. I could say some offensive things that you could hate me for, but at the same time I feel that we need to be honest with each other."

"Jill, you won't offend me if we talk about me being raised in an orphanage or foster homes."

"That is not what I am concerned about." Jill was looking into Jack's brown eyes and hoping that he would not bristle with the direction she wanted to go.

"Well, then, out with it. What is the problem?"

"It's how much . . . well . . . I am not sure how to tell you this." Jill continued to hesitate.

Jack stared at Jill in silence and waited for her to put her thoughts together.

"I like you very much, Jack." There, I said it. It was all I could do to keep it inside. Now I finally managed to speak my mind. Jack is going to hate me for saying something so intimate this early in our relationship.

"And?" Jack had an inquisitive look on his face.

"I just told you how I feel about you and all you can say is 'And?'"

"Jill, I think I am missing something. What you just said was not any surprise. I already had the impression that you liked me. You did kiss me, didn't you?"

Jill took a deep breath and then exhaled. "Well, yes. This is really hard to explain. You see, my strategic thinking is long term, and your tactical thinking is short term—"

"Ah, I think I am starting to see the problem," Jack said. "We became good sniping partners. Then we became friends. Then we became really good friends, and now we are starting down the romantic road. I suppose that your strategic mind is already starting to think about a serious relationship: dating, engagement, marriage, making babies . . ."

"I haven't thought about making babies yet." Jill's gaze drifted down toward the blanket.

"Now you are thinking that since I am a guy, and since I am a tactical thinker, I am only thinking in the short term. That implies that I haven't thought about a long-term relationship, and marriage."

Jill's gaze lifted and she looked directly into Jack's eyes. "I feel like I have to be honest with you about my feelings, but I don't want you to feel threatened. I know we think differently sometimes, and I need to tell you that it is okay if you don't like me as much as I like you. It is okay if you only think of me as a really good friend that you want to kiss once in a while. It is okay if you don't want to get married. It is okay if—"

"Jill, I like you very much, too."

Jill continued to look into Jack's brown eyes as she spoke. "Oh, well . . . that's . . . wonderful. But, I want you to know that you don't have to feel like I do. I know I am a long-term thinker and—"

"Jill."

"Yes, Jack?"

"Sometimes you talk too much. Our relationship is unique, Jill. I know what you are like, and I like the way you are. I also have had some long-term thoughts about our relationship, but I don't dwell on them like you do. Someday, we may need to talk openly about a long-term relationship if things continue going in that direction. For right now I want to focus on the present. I don't mind waiting to see what the future holds. It would be a shame to let the future interfere with our present relationship that's so special. We are at a wonderful point, and I think that we could have an incredible future together, but we need to be patient and see how our relationship develops."

Jill paused to absorb the things Jack just said. "So you are not mad at me for saying the things I just said?"

"Of course not," Jack said with a comforting smile.

Jill inched toward Jack's warm body. He wrapped his arms around her as they lay under the blanket.

"You don't mind that your commanding officer is 'sweet on you'?"

"Not at all."

"You don't mind that your commanding officer is yearning for you day and night?"

"Never."

"You don't mind that your commanding officer has a romantic interest in you?"

"No, Jill."

"You don't mind that your commanding officer is turned on by the sight of you in a bathing suit?"

"Jill, sometimes you talk too much."

Jack and Jill cuddled under the blanket as they stared into each other's eyes. Occasionally they looked up as people packed up their things and left the beach. Finally, as the sun's last glimmer of twilight shined on them, Jack said, "Jill, I have really enjoyed today."

"I am so glad. And we have dinner to look forward to. I picked out a nice restaurant in Lewis and that is supposed to have fantastic steaks."

"You're making me hungry. Let's pack up."

Jill didn't want to leave Jack's embrace, but the air was becoming chilly. They shook the sand from the blanket and folded it. Then they picked up their duffels and walked to the changing station, hand in hand.

***

Jack changed into his knit shirt and khaki pants. Putting these on, he felt different. It had been a long time since he had worn civilian clothes. He placed his bathing suit in the top of his duffel and folded it shut. Then he proceeded outside the changing room to wait for Jill. Now it was the end of the day and few people remained at the beach. Two people were cleaning the concession stand in preparation for closing. The sun had completely set so there was only light from the streetlights in the distant parking lot. There were only four vehicles in the lot, one of which was their Hummer. The door to the women's dressing room opened. In the dim light he saw a young, attractive lady with long hair that fell down around her shoulders. She was carrying a large purse, and wore a stunning black dress that fit snugly around her slender but sexy figure. It was cut just above the knee, with thin straps over her small alluring shoulders. The dress revealed her narrow waist. She wore two-inch heels, and that made her about Jack's height. The light from the parking lot was from her back, so her face was not visible. Is that Jill? Her black hair is down. I have always seen her with a ponytail. Oh my . . . look at her dress. It shows her slender figure, not risqué, but classy.

"Hi, Jack."

"You surprised me twice today," Jack said.

"How is that?"

"First, your gorgeous and patriotic bathing suit, and now this dress . . . wow!"

"I am glad you like it. I bought it just for tonight."

Jack's eyes traveled up and down her dress and sexy figure. "Who would have ever thought . . ."

"Thought what?" Jill asked.

"Thought that I would have a sniper partner that looked like this."

"Calm down, big boy. Let's go get some dinner." Jill smiled.

Jack and Jill walked to the Hummer and Jack opened Jill's door.

"Why thank you, Jack."

As Jill stepped into the high Hummer, he saw the back of the dress for the first time. It was cut low, very low. "Oh my," Jack murmured.

"I am sorry, Jack, I didn't hear what you said."

"Oh, never mind . . ."

Jack noticed that the item that he thought was a large purse was really her duffle, and on top of the duffle was a small black purse. Jack closed Jill's door, and then climbed in the driver's side, and started the engine. With Jill's navigation help they traveled the short distance to the restaurant. Jack parked the Hummer on a side street, exited the Hummer and opened Jill's door, and again he noticed her long slender legs.

Entering the restaurant, Jill spoke to the hostess. "We are a little late for our reservation. The name is Jacobson."

"Of course. We will soon have a nice table by the canal," the hostess said. "If you would like to wait a few minutes in the lobby, it should be ready soon."

Jack and Jill retraced their steps to the dim lobby. They were the only people waiting for a table. Jill was the first to speak. "Would you like to sit down?"

Jack looked at Jill's blue eyes, and then he looked at her long black flowing hair. His gaze drifted to her black dress.

"I think I will stand." Jack stepped close to Jill and slid both his hands around her narrow waist. He felt his fingers slide past her dress and onto her bare back. Jill glanced around. She did not see anyone, so she put slid both her hands up his arms until they rested on his shoulders. Jack began sliding his fingers slowly up and down Jill's bare back. He felt Jill shiver. "Are you okay?"

"I am wonderful," she said. "Don't stop."

Jack continued feathering Jill's back with his fingertips as he looked into her eyes. He pulled Jill close. Their lips brushed—

"Your table is ready!" the hostess called.

***

Jill flashed a frown at the hostess, then looked at Jack, and released her embrace.

"Follow me." The hostess led Jack and Jill to the table where they could have a nice view of boats traveling up and down the canal next to the restaurant.

"Will this be suitable?" the hostess asked. Jill nodded.

They took their seats opened the menus.

"They have lots of steak entrées, Jack, or you can order something else if you want," Jill said.

"Hmm, it is a nice menu."

Jill was having trouble focusing on the menu, and kept stealing glances of Jack over the top of the menu.

After a while the waitress arrived and took their orders for drinks.

"I'll have a diet cola," Jill said.

"Me, too," Jack responded.

Jill noticed that Jack was engrossed in the menu, and hoped that he would enjoy his special meal.

"What looks good to you, Jack?"

"I'm going to order the strip steak with vegetable medley and a baked potato."

"That does sound good. I think I will get the steak salad."

In a few minutes the waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders.

"So now we 'hurry up and wait.'" Jack smiled.

"You and your Army jokes."

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure, what is the problem? You sound so serious." Jill wondered what could be wrong.

"I am afraid that we are venturing down a road that I haven't traveled before."

"Hmm, you have fears, and want to turn back . . ."

"I definitely don't want to turn back. I do have some fears though," Jack said.

Jill cringed at the thought of something that might scare Jack off. "If you have any issues, I think we should talk about them."

"I agree. It is just that, well, I think that I sometimes I wonder if . . ."

"Just spit it out. That's what you told me."

"Right. Well, here goes. I like you very much. I never had a serious relationship before, and like you, I think we are on a new path. Our relationship is quickly developing into something that is far different from what I expected."

"I'm listening." I wonder what is bothering Jack so much. He seems to be struggling with words, and he never does that.

"I know that I am just a soldier, and a sergeant at that."

"Jack, I don't care about your rank."

"I know, but it is deeper than that. I sense that you have high standards for everything you are involved in. That's a wonderful quality, and I think that as a soldier I can meet all the qualifications I need to achieve. On the other hand . . ." Jack broke eye contact with Jill and looked at the tablecloth.

"Jack, it's okay. You can be honest. We are friends. We are more than friends."

After several seconds, Jack raised his eyes to make contact with Jill's eyes. "I think you are a wonderful person. You are tough but kind, soft but calloused, smart but gentle. On the other hand, I grew up in a calloused world. The only things I know are how to be insensitive and tough. I wish I could be everything that you will need, but I sense that I am going to let you down. In fact, I suppose that over the course of our lives I will probably let you down many times. It bothers me to think about hurting you, and I know that I don't want to. It's just that I come from a totally different background than you did, and as much as I wish I could be a better person, I'm concerned that my lifestyle will not easily adapt to your needs."

"Let me think about this for a second . . ." Did Jack actually use the phrase "over the course of our lives"? Am I imagining it or is Jack actually getting serious about our relationship? I wonder what Mom will think about this. I want to call her as soon as I get back to the barracks.

Jill took a deep breath and tried to sound calm. "So basically, you are afraid of somehow letting me down?"

Jack nodded, and again dropped his gaze to the tablecloth.

"If it is any consolation, I have the same fears. I am afraid that I might let you down, too."

Jack looked up from the tablecloth. "I can't imagine that you would ever let anyone down."

"Let's get real, Jack. It happens all the time. People are going to be people. No one is perfect. I have had a few talks with Mom about this and she pointed out that there is no such thing as a perfect mate, but there is such a thing as a perfect marriage—I mean, relationship." Now it was Jill's turn to drop her gaze to the tablecloth. After several seconds she looked up.

Jack was evidently pondering Jill's words. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that she had just used the "M" word. "But how can a relationship be perfect if the individuals aren't perfect?"

Jill took a deep breath as she thought about her mom's advice she had received. I hope I remember this correctly. It made so much sense when Mom shared it with me. "Jack, each person has their own strengths and weaknesses. In a perfect relationship each person's weaknesses are complemented by the other person's strengths. For instance, I know that I am weak on the tactical side of military planning, but strong on the strategic planning. You on the other hand are just the opposite. That is one reason that we work together so well as a sniper team."

"Okay, that makes sense. But I am still afraid that I will still fall short of your expectations."

"Jack, that is so cute of you to worry about something like that. But, I realize that we will both fall short of each other. And it will probably happen many times. If we realize this going into the relationship, it will be much easier when it happens. I expect that we will learn lots about each other, our strengths and shortcomings. It is a part of life. Please, don't worry about my expectations. We need to focus on how blessed we are that we have so much in common."

"Shooter and Hope seem happy in their relationship. Have they always been that way?"

"Mom and I have talked about their early days. She said they had some challenges to overcome. They had to work through some rough spots, but they were committed to the relationship and eventually they realized that their strengths and weaknesses complemented each other. At that point they were able to draw close to each other and form a strong bond. By the time they started having children, they were in a stable and loving relationship."

"That sounds so—"

"Romantic?" Jill said.

"Well . . . yes."

"My parents are the most fortunate couple I know. Many people would love to have the relationship that they have."

"Do you think Hope would mind if I talked to her about this?" Jack asked.

"Jack . . . you are so sweet. Mom thinks the world of you. I think she would be more than happy to discuss this with you."

The waitress arrived with the food. "Who gets the steak salad?"

Jill nodded and the waitress put her salad in front of her. Then the waitress placed the strip steak in front of Jack.

"This looks delicious, and I am starving." Jack's eyes widened as he looked at the large juicy steak that was sizzling on his plate.

"Bon appetite," Jill said.

Jack and Jill began eating their food in silence. Jill was intoxicated with thoughts about Jack. We have come so far so quickly. Just this morning we were looking at airplanes and I wished I could hold his hand. Since then we have had the most intimate talks. Jack seems like a wonderful person. I am so glad that he wants to talk to Mom. I can't wait to call her.

After Jack and Jill finished their main course, Jill asked, "How was your steak?"

"It was fantastic. Thank you."

"My pleasure. Would you like dessert?"

"No, I'm stuffed. Thanks."

Jill motioned for the waitress and asked for the bill and paid. Then Jack and Jill, hand in hand, exited the building.

***

Jack noticed goose bumps rising on Jill's arms, and then she shivered. He put his arm around her shoulder.

Jill looked up and smiled.

"This is nice, Jack."

Jack held the Hummer door open for Jill as she climbed in, and again noticed the low cut back on her dress.

The drive to Dover Air Base took twenty minutes. Jack stopped at the gate and held up his military identification. The guard walked over and looked at the ID. He seemed to be taking longer than usual to review the ID. Jack glanced at the guard's eyes, and saw that they were traveling up and down the length of Jill's black dress. Jack smiled and thought that it was a good thing he wasn't the jealous type.

Jack waited patiently. Finally the guard grinned at Jack, "Everything is fine. You may proceed."

Jack noticed the guard's ever so slight emphasis on the word "fine." He instinctively knew that it was a reference to Jill and her black dress and wondered if Jill caught the innuendo.

Jack parked the Hummer and opened the door for Jill. They began walking to the barracks. Jill intertwined her fingers into Jack's.

"Jill . . ." Jack looked at Jill through narrowed eyes.

"I know Jack, but we are not in uniform." Jill continued to hold Jack's hand.

"Yes, but if anyone sees us, and puts two and two together, we could end up in big trouble."

"Jack, they are not going to fire us."

"I know, but you understand there are rules about dating inside the chain of command."

"Mmm. I wish you hadn't brought that up." Jill squeezed Jacks hand tighter.

They arrived at the barracks and Jack and Jill walked to the two adjacent doors that marked the entrance to each other's rooms.

"Here we are." Jill looked into Jack's eyes as she released her grip on his hand and slid both hands up to his shoulders. Jack's muscles tensed with pleasure.

Jack glanced left and right. It was almost midnight and the air base was quiet. He couldn't see or hear anyone. He reached out and put his hands around Jill's waist. Pulling her close, he looked into her blue eyes.

"Jack," she said. "Would you like to come into my room?" Jill's intimation and bright smile tempted him, almost beyond resolve.

"I'd love to, but I don't think that we should take a chance on the three of us being by ourselves in a room at the same time."

"The three of us?" Jill cocked her head.

"You . . . me . . . and that sexy black dress of yours." Jack smiled.

"Hmm, I'm glad you like my dress. Well, if I can't tempt you to come inside, could I talk you into one more kiss?"

"That's an order I'm happy to obey." He leaned over and she drew close. Their lips met in a gentle kiss that lingered. Jacks hands slid past her waist and touched her bare back. He could feel her goose bumps from the cool night air. Jill's hands slid up to Jack's neck and then passed to the back of his head where her hands tightened their grip on Jack. She pulled her body closer to him and pressed into his kiss. Jack began gliding his fingertips up and down her bare back, softly and slowly. Jill shivered from his light touch and pressed tighter into his kiss.

"Oh Jack, this is awful."

"What's wrong?"

"I just hate to say goodnight. It has been such a wonderful day," she said.

"I am glad to hear that. It makes our parting that much sweeter."

Jill's hands released Jack and she took a half step back. Jack could see her feeling of rejection in her eyes. "Jill, there is one more thing that we need to talk about." Jack hesitated, then tried to speak. The words were not flowing. His throat felt dry, and the words were being choked back by his own fear of rejection. "I don't know . . . how to start."

"Start at the beginning."

"Jill, you are such a unique person. I can't imagine anyone else like you. We have so much in common and our few differences do complement each other." Jack reached out and gently grasped her hands with his. "My feelings are much more than friendship and romance. I have never felt this way before. I want to grow old with you."

"Grow old? That doesn't sound very romantic. Wait, did you say grow old with me?"

"Jill, I have to tell you more. I have to tell you something that I have never told anyone. I am . . . in love with you."

Jill froze. Her eyes stared deep into Jack's eyes. Jack waited. He knew this could be a tipping point in their relationship. He thought about how much he cared for Jill. He wanted to wait to use the L word until he felt more confident in their relationship. But, he couldn't wait—he had to do it. If he were going to lose Jill, it would be better now than later when he was deeper in love. Please, Jill, don't reject me because I want more than friendship and romance.

Jill paused. Her face bore the look of shock. Her mouth was half open, and she was trying to get a word out, "Lo . . . lo . . . love? Did you just use the L word?"

"I know I am pushing things, but I have to be honest. I realize now that I have been in love with you ever since I saw you floating in the VWT. I didn't realize it then. It finally hit me when you spooned with me in the night. It was then that I was able to put it all together. Jill, we were made for each other. I can't bear the thought of living without you. I have never felt this way about anyone. You may not feel this way yet, but give it some time. I know we like each other a lot, and I think that with time, you will love me, too."

"Jack. I'm shocked. I didn't think we would have a conversation like this for a long time, but it's just as well. We should put our cards on the table before it's too late. I think our relationship is becoming complicated rather quickly. My life has been spent living up to the expectations of Hope, Shooter, and my brothers. Now, I am adding another person to this mix."

"I know that and that's why I hesitate to—"

"Jack, I don't think you understand. The complications are a good thing. I want to continue our relationship, and fit it into my family relationships. It is just that, well, until this point there has never been anyone that was more important than my family. It was easy to think of you as a boyfriend, but now . . . well, like you, I just think there is more to our relationship than friendship and romance."

Jill paused, released Jack's hands, and stepped close and wrapped her hands around his neck. "Jack, I am falling in love with you, too. Like you, I first realized it at the VWT. After you talked the instructor into giving me another day off, I sensed that you were the one."

"Jill, you just used the L word."

Jill smiled. "I did, and I liked it."

Her smile filled Jack's heart and relief filled his soul as he realized that she cared for him as deeply as he did her.

"Are you sure you don't want to come into my room for a while?"

Jack let out a long sigh. "Jill, part of me says yes, and part of me says no. I think we need to be careful that we don't move too quickly. I have too much respect for you and your family, and I don't want to spoil our chance of making this work. We are both disciplined, and we need to be careful that our emotions don't get the better of us."

"You sound so logical, and you sound like you are taking the lead in our relationship. But, I think that since I have rank, you should do this my way." Jill smiled a coy grin.

"You may be the boss when we are on duty, but I am going to have some say the rest of the time."

"Jack, you can be stubborn, tough, headstrong, and bullheaded. But I think that is sort of sexy." Jill drew closer.

"Ha, you are not going to sweet talk me into your bedroom. I have just told you that I want to marry you, isn't that enough for now?" Jack leaned over and gave Jill another kiss on her lips.

"Oh, I guess it will have to do for now," Jill pouted.

"You look so cute when you are mad at me," Jack said.

"Hey, I'm not mad. I'm glad you love me and want to get married."

Jack watched Jill as she entered a pensive mood. "What are you thinking?"

"This could get a little sticky," Jill said.

"Sticky?"

"You know how I talk to my mom all the time?"

"Oh, right. You talk freely with her, don't you."

"Right, and she knows me pretty good. I don't know if I can keep this quiet."

"Do your best," Jack said. "If your mom figures out what is happening, we can claim that our relationship is top secret, ha."

"A lot of good that will do. If she senses we are getting serious, then she will drag it out of me. She can be very determined when it comes to relationships. Hey, why don't you come up for a weekend as soon as things slow down? Since we both have used the L word, you should get to know my family a little better."

"Hmm, I suppose. I would like to talk to Hope about becoming a Christian."

"Great idea. She would love to talk to you about spiritual things. And hey, if she starts asking too many questions about our relationship, then you can get her off track by asking questions about the Lord."

"Jill, it's late." Jack saw her pout again.

"Okay . . . I'll go to my room by myself. You have no idea how tempting you are."

With that, Jack gave Jill a long, passionate kiss.

"I love you, Savage."

"I love you, ma'am."

They parted, smiled, and went into their separate rooms.

The seed of love was planted during Jack and Jill's first mission.

Future missions will test the strength of that love.

End

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If you wish to read more books written by Ansley, try these:

Redhead Meets Redneck: First Date

 Destiny

