War is Hell [Flassche x Happy]

[KimiDoll]

[Lt. A. Parker]
(Sorry, it's a naked picture >w>)

Lt. A. Parker starred vacantly out over the harsh desert waste lands that surrounded base camp. Sweat rolling down the side of her face as the midday sun rose higher, literally baking her in her protective gear. If there was a hell she had definitely found it.
Alexis, or Parker as everyone called her, had been out in this mess for nearly three years, she was due to rotate back home, but a severe shortage in field medics had forced her to stay. Parker didn’t mind though, she had no one waiting for her to return home and the honor of being there for her brothers in arms was more than enough to convince her to stay.

She was a strong woman, but she wasn’t without her feminine charms, most women in the service found it hard to be surrounded by lonely, testosterone pumped men, but not Parker. After a year at the camp Parker was considered just one of the boys and she preferred it that way. Though the lonely nights got to her as well, Parker maintained a professional approach, but never slept with anyone from her platoon, a personal rule she had made for herself. If the other men began to suspect that she had urges just like them then her position as just ‘one of the boys’ would quickly be over.

Taking a long drink from her canteen, a soldier came up from behind and knocked on her helmet. “Shift change, you’re off for the night Parker. Go clean up and report to the mess for some food”
Parker nodded quickly before saluting and making her way to her tent, thankful that her shift was over. Guard duty had to be the easiest task in the camp, but it was almost the most painful.
“Hey Parker, watch out for the new commander tonight. Apparently some of the guys are going to take the mickey out of him at the officers club… It’s going to be fucking hilarious” The soldier shot Parker a wicked grin and Parker smiled in return, waving her hand pathetically, she mumbled a thank you before turning to walk away once more.

Two days ago the platoon had lost their commander in a bombing outside of the local village, they took it hard, he was a good man, a true honorable soldier and everyone in the platoon respected him. Though war, being the way it is, always seemed to take away the people you care about. That was not the hardest part of his loss though, no more than ten hours after his death had been reported did a new commander arrive and boy, did the men loath him. He was different and very strict, he needed some getting used to, but the men, as stubborn as they were, didn’t think it was necessary. The new commander was a replacement and in their eyes he was nothing compared to the great man they had just lost.

Parker dressed out of her protective gear, stripping down to a black singlet, her pants and boots she made her way to the officers club, wanting to get a drink before dinner and hopefully catch the boys squabble as pre dinner entertainment. Stuck in a barren waste land there was not much else to do.

 

[DamianRuyin]

Day one

The last thing Lance remembered was the light, the terrible, stabbing, insistent light that blurred everything in his vision. There had been smoke in it, and fire, and the terrible, terrible torn limbs and spewing human blood; but most of all there had been the light, and that was all he could remember for sure. Everything else was pain-tainted. Impossible to recall.

He rubbed his temples as he sat back up, his 6’2 tall frame pressing back at the seat. He could hear the plane engines roar to his right side. A vast metallic bird bringing him once again back to the embrace of war and death, home. He placed the notes he was reading earlier back in his backpack, glancing quickly once more at the names on the list. It had been three years since his last command. Three years since he had to juggle with the life of his comrades. He had once been a fine officer, committed and honorable. That all had changed since the… He shook his head again, shaking the thought from his mind. The doc told him the guilt would fade in time. Alcohol helped though, if briefly. He was to be stationed in Afghanistan, close to an urban settlement, yet small enough to be called a piss hole. He knew the type of terrain, feared it even.

Standing up straight he arched his back once more before grabbing his gear. As he stood up to walk to the door, he glanced at his left side. One of those paper pushers was watching him, like a hawk one might say. The nose had healed quite nicely since he last met him, incredible what today’s medical treatments could do. In the three years since the ‘incident’ he had been working AR missions. Advance Recon was typically a high risk low success situation. The men called it suicide tours. For three years he did those, until finally the higher-ups decided it was time to lead a team again. The doc’s even spoke of positive effect a team might have on one.

“Fucking paper pusher.”

He mumbled as he got out of the plane, quickly making his way towards the HQ. A few handshakes and a brief, not to mention horrible, speech later and he was standing in front of another pencil pusher. They must have grown them here or something. The man eyed him wearily, glancing at him and back at the paper several times as if he did not trust him. Twice he was asked to state his rank and full name, as if the idiot could not see the captain Insignia on his shoulders. Yet twice he had calmly stated his full name. “Captain, Lance Carther.” His doc would have been proud to see him cope with his anger so professionally. He even flashed the man a brief and warm smile, thought that probably would have been lost due to his hard gaze radiating ice and death at the man. Grabbing his bag once more, the twenty seven year old made his way towards the mess hall. Compared to airline food, the military mess hall was a 5 star French restaurant.

He dumped his bag next to his table and made his way towards the kitchen, running his long digits through his short dark brown hair. He smiled politely at the woman standing at the other side of the table. That was one rule he always kept; Don’t anger people who handle your food. He had seen tougher men than him cry pathetically on the toilets. If marines where tough, lunch ladies were tougher. Imagining the fat woman holding a machete whilst storming up a hill produced a small smile on his face, one she apparently mistook for flirting. Grabbing his plate and a can of milk, he moved towards his seat. He placed the items on the table carefully, only sitting down once he was sure the lunch lady stayed where she was. Stuffing the first bite in his mouth he savored the warm liquid. A bit salty, yet the soup was good. He was just about to bring the spoon to his mouth again when a pair of soldiers entered the room. His expression never changed, yet he eyed them wearily. They seemed to walk…. Stiffly.


The two of them laughed casually as they passed a small rugby ball. Closer and closer they got, apparently walking towards the kitchen. Lance sighed as he recognized one of them from the documents he had studied in the plane. A few more soldiers walked into the room, taking seats left en right. Some looked relax, yet one or two appeared to be watching the two ball throwing soldiers too intently.

Then it happened. The ball ‘accidently’ changed course and sped towards the table Lance was sitting at. He felt his right hand twitch as he almost reacted on impulse. Forcing his hand to stay where it was, he closed his eyes as the ball hit his trey and smashed the bowl that contained his soup. Part of him wanted to grab his knife, yet he inhaled calmly, faking shock even. The room quickly erupted in laughter whilst the two soldiers pretended to be shocked at the events that had transpired.

 

[KimiDoll]

Alexis took a seat further back in the mess hall, sitting with two other men they watched the new commanding officer, the two men glared as Alexis watched out of interest. It was unusual for the men to get so riled up over the one man, but war does crazy things to the mind, any one new to their territory was an enemy. Trust was earned through struggle and the men knew how to make anyone struggle, they had done the same to Alexis when she first joined the all-male ranks of this platoon and they would do it again to anyone who joined.

The men shifted in their seats as two of the privates entered with their ball, it was obvious that they were the entertainment for the night. Resting her head in her hand Alexis watched for a moment, she had secretly hoped it would be a little more dramatic than this, but at least it was something to pass the time. “I bet he won’t last a week” the man next to her announced to the soldier across the table from him. The other let out a low chuckle and shook his head “Oh yeah? Well I bet Rogers that he wouldn’t last until Tuesday” Both of the men sneered and threw criticizing looks to the captain before turning to Alexis “What do you think Parker? Does he look like a man who would wimp out by next week?”

Glancing over the soldier’s shoulder she watched the new commander for a moment, her eyes narrowed as she examined his form. Slumping back down into her seat, Alexis pulled out a pack of cigarettes and popped one into her mouth “I wouldn’t bet two dimes on that mule, he might be tougher then he looks” Alexis mumbled as she lit up her smoke, inhaling it calmly as the two men muttered about how wrong she was. A third man joined the table and snatched a cigarette from her packet, making her glare at him as she shoved the packet back into her pocket. “O’Reily and Andrews are doing a pretty lousy job at stirring him up compared to the big talk they were boasting in the men’s room” The third man muttered as he slipped the cigarette behind his ear “All this big talk of how they’re going to make him pay for replacing the commander, what a load of shit. The pair of ninnies wouldn’t know how to start a proper bar fight”.

Alexis smirked at him and nodded her head, for tonight’s entertainment was pretty lousy compared to their usual brawls. A wave of laughter filled the room and Alexis looked up to the new commander now covered in his own dinner. The other men at the table giggled and banged their fists on the table top as the two soldiers who threw the ball threw up their hands in triumph, pretending to feel remorse for their actions. “Miserable” Alexis muttered, resting her head against her hand again.

 

[DamianRuyin]

Lance kept his expression blank, his facial features not giving away anything. God was he pissed! He looked down at the plate in front of him and noticed the broken bowl. His shirt, hair, hell the entire table was completely covered in soup. He grabbed his spoon again, forcing his right hand to move the eating utensil to his mouth and back again. A small puddle of soup was still salvageable at the bottom of the bowl. He heard the laughter surrounding him, infuriating him further. He knew it was simple ‘probing’, trying to root out weakness and bad personality traits. The way those idiots where staring at him, this was probably the beginning.

He opened the lid on his milk bottle, pressing it to his mouth and drinking generously. He liked milk, a lot in fact. When he finished the milk he placed it down on the tray, carefully placing his spoon on there as well. He casually made his way over to the lunch lady, offering his thanks for the splendid meal. He made a polite comment about how clumsy he was in breaking the bowl. He would help her out tomorrow. He meant that. Again rule number one, don’t piss off the food people.
He let his gaze fall upon the room, searching for people from his own squad. “Five” He told himself over and over again as he made his way over to his bags. He grabbed his bags, leaning forwards as he did that. The chain holding his dog tag’s flipped out, revealing three pairs. He flicked the bag back on his shoulder and placed the chain back behind his shirt, almost delicately. Picking up the ball he slowly made his way over to the two men, now laughing hard. Try to smile more, his doctor had told him. He forced a soft smile, lacking any emotion, as he walked passed them. The second he passed them he rammed the tip of the ball in one of their chests, making sure he drove it hard against the man’s plexus. He heard the satisfying grunt and heaving for air as he walked passed them.

As soon as he was outside he began thinking about his action. He should have remained calm, not show emotion or rage. Grasping the chain around his neck without him realizing it, he made his way over to the barracks. He was going to need some new clothes if he was going to defend himself tonight. No doubt those thickheads would want some payback. God the army reminded him of a kindergarten.

 

[KimiDoll]

There was a hum of mindless chatter once the new commander left the mess hall, his calm disposition towards the event seem to make the men even angrier, they lusted for a good fight and god be damned if Alexis didn’t feel it in the air. Her brown hues spied the captain as he walked through the camp and out of sight, intrigued by him, his ability to handle the men’s shit would prove a worthy trait. Exhaling a puff of smoke, Alexis leaned back in her chair and pretended to listen as the men picked on O’Reily and Anderson for their lousy performance.

This continued for another hour and when the desert sun began to set in the distance Alexis knew she had had enough of the mindless jibber jabber for one night. Taking her leave she stood out in the evening air for a moment and lit up another cigarette, enjoying the peace for as long as she could. The sun was setting quickly, the flood lights were switched on and the camp was lit with dim florescent for the night, giving the camp and ere glow.

Giving out a low sigh, Alexis shoved her hands into her pockets and made her way to her tent, eager to get a good night’s sleep before another painful day of guard duty. Keeping her head low, Alexis rounded a corner and clumsily stumbled over the laces of her boots, staggering to keep her balance she fell against another person, knocking them both to the ground.

 

[DamianRuyin]

The tall soldier sighed as he gripped his shirt tightly, wringing out the water it contained. It had taken a while yet he had cleaned it up properly. Placing the wet clothing on a small ledge he turned around and looked at himself in the mirror. Even his own reflection looked grumpy. He sighed as he began brushing his teeth, hands moving the brush on autopilot as he closed his eyes. He pictured the faces of the people who were inside the mess hall today, memorizing their faces for the next day. He knew why he had been assigned to this squad, liking it himself even. The squad was well balanced and respected, a few wildcards yet everyone pulled their weight and was skilled at what they did. A squad like that was not meant for guard duty.

He cleaned the toothbrush as he splashed cold water on his face, basking in the coldness. Pulling on a fresh shirt to cover up his frame and grabbing the wet one as he went outside. He passed a few people, nodding his head when he recognized one or made eye contact. He was just about to turn around the corner, his mind already preparing for bed when something struck his chest. He dropped his shirt, hands immediately going up in self-defense as he fell down on the ground with something pressing down on him.

He peered downwards as he noticed the female on top of his frame. He knew it was his first day, yet the female soldier prank was getting old. Figuring it was probably best to react calm, he peered down at her, one eyebrow raised. “Lt Parker, making her first impression I see. I am surprised you do not carry a football with you. Was beginning to think it was a squad tradition within your group.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling the muscular frame she had, as he pushed her upwards, slowly. He knelt casually as he grabbed his wet clothing and toothbrush, hearing the comments of the woman in front of him. “Sure.” He simply commented, his frame erecting itself as he began moving past her. “I suggest you get some sleep. We are going to need it in the morning.” He glanced at her once more before moving to his own tent.

 

[KimiDoll]

Alexis couldn’t help but mutter a curse under her breath, shifting her weight she moved off the captain’s form as he gave her shoulders a slight shove. Her expression stern she moved to her feet and dusted off her clothes, cursing again as she looked at her half-finished cigarette crushed on the ground. Giving the captain an irritated look she shook her head and walked around him, her hands buried into her pockets once more “Whatever” She mumbled, her head down low as she sulked off towards her tent. Unsure of why, but what had just transpired irritated the hell out of Alexis, her upper lip curled as she thought back to it. Flopping down on to her military issued cot she lay with her face down, her arms covering her back of her head.

The sun was already unbelievably hot as the morning call rang through the camp, stirring Alexis from her less than peaceful sleep. She hadn’t even undressed that night, she had fallen asleep moments after she had crashed on to her bed. Groaning loudly she ran a hand over her face and rolled out of bed, her head pounding she was forced to squint as the bright light of the sun burned through the windows of her tent.

Soldiers passed outside, already dressed and on the go, Alexis stood in the door of her tent just as one of the men she was talking with last night passed by “Better get a shuffle on Parker, the new commander in chief has called everyone in for a briefing on the main ground” The soldier called out as he darted past her tent. “Thanks” She muttered as she moved back to her bed, quickly slipping on the rest of her uniform, she ran a hand through her hair and put a cap on her head before running out to join the others.

There was already a huge crowd assembled, standing to attention they waited quietly as the stragglers joined the ranks. It wasn’t long before the entire camp was out in the main area of the camp, silently waiting for the new commander to appear.

 

[DamianRuyin]

Lance was in the left corner, body leaning against a small pole. He had already been to the morning briefing, listening to HQ’s command. The new commander had been posted around the time of his arrival, apparently some young university lad. He sighed as he knew it would take a while before he realized what his ‘plans’ could mean for the people fighting in narrow streets. He stared at the woman that had ran into his chest a few hours ago, noticing her barely coming in at the correct time. His expression almost changed, as he counted back from ten again. He hated a lack of discipline, had seen firsthand what dangers it would bring. He push her hard the first mission, let her know that even females had to give all they had.

The new commander explained of a tactical recon mission in a nearby town. Alpha, bravo and Charlie teams would come in from the north, north-west and west in a tactical sweep aimed at speed and stealth. Engaging enemy hostiles was only advised in defective measures. The objective was; recon the area and locate a large weapon depot in one of the residential areas. The commander finished explaining as he peered at the captains, waiting for teams to volunteer. Lance glanced at the woman once more before leaving the crowd. He had already volunteered at the officer debriefing. The mission was low-medium risk and had enough support from the other teams. He could either spend a month on guard duty with his squad before he earned their respect or he could display his worth in one day.

He strode towards his bed as he began packing his gear.

 

[KimiDoll]

The news passed over Alexis like a breath of fresh air, this is what the men needed, an outlet for their aggression. The mission was something Alexis needed to, her skills as a field medic seemed to go to waste standing watch all day, it would be good to get back into the mess of it all. Her attention focused on the new commander she couldn’t help but notice the new captain starring at her from the corner of her eye. Adjusting her stance Alexis rolled her shoulders attempting to shrug off the man’s stare, but she could still feel his eyes on her, his glare making her uncomfortable.

Stealing a glance Alexis looked towards him, his eyes were focused to the front again, but she still felt uneasy. The group quickly lined up to volunteer for the mission, all of them anxious to see some action, Alexis crossed her arms over her chest and waited patiently, her eyes wandering she looked over to the captain again. Their eyes met briefly as he moved away, her stare firm she was not going to be intimidated by him, no matter how much intimidating vibes he gave her.

After receiving her orders, Alexis was sent to the medic bay with three other medics to be debriefed on their role in the mission. They were spread almost evenly amongst the teams, this mission was not going to be a blood bath, but their motto was “Shit Happens” and when it did they had to be ready to take it. Taking her medical pack Alexis headed for her tent, needing to change into her gear before moving out.

The teams for the mission spread out and stood clustered together, waiting for the team leaders to give a quick statement before moving out. Alexis stood with her team, listening to their murmurs and mindless chatter. Two of the men in her team were O’Reily and Anderson, the trouble makers from the night before, Alexis let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, being in charge of those nitwits would drive any one crazy.

 

[DamianRuyin]

Lance took his place in front of his team, back straight and head held high. The commander once again told the mission, this time short and compact. On his left and right he could hear foots scraping the ground and fingers cracking. All seven behind him were experienced soldiers, yet everyone felt at the beginning of a mission. A good thing because fear kept you sharp. Lance fingered the dog tags through his clothing as he reminded himself of that event. When he spun around he took them all in. On his left and right he heard the speeches the other captains held. One was blunt and the typical stereotype rally for adrenaline the other a long and tedious speech that shamed any theater.
He glanced from left to right, eying them all one at a time. He was glad to see their faces compact and controlled.

“Keep your eyes on the streets and the soldier next to you. Keep a leveled head and the chatter down. No trigger happy fingers or dropping the ball.” He eyed the two men on the left as he straightened. He nodded once, taking them all in as he stepped backwards. He himself was not much of a speaker, preferring calm and intellect above adrenaline and testosterone speeches.

He moved back from the team as he picked up his gear, fastening the remaining pieces of armor and pack he would take with him. His hands moved towards the rifle on the table, double checking it once more. He took his place next to the driver in the Humvee as he waited for the rest to enter the first and second car.

An hour later he found himself at the outskirts of a large town. He issued a command with his left hand, signaling the two ball throwers to cover a street. He was actually surprised at how quickly they reacted. He himself was sharp and alert. His first mission would be done by the book.