I wrote this snippet years ago based on a game I had played with some friends.  Not sure if I want to write more…

I couldn’t hear anything but the chopper on the way to the drop.  The 5-minute light had just come on, letting us know it was time for final checks on our equipment.  When the light went red, we were over the drop site and had 10 seconds to haul ass out of here or we would land off target.

I had checked my equipment and packed my chute on the ground and, since I’d had it with me since, I saw no cause to check it again.

“No sense second guessing myself,” I said aloud.

“What?” said Tony from across the bay.  We had just gone into silent mode and the endless drone had disappeared.  I guess I had tuned out the noise and didn’t notice it had stopped.

“Nuthin, just thinkin’ out loud,” I replied.

He shook his head and combed his hair one more time before carefully stuffing it in his hood and sliding on his goggles.  He had a straight short Air Force style cut, which he tended endlessly.

“One day I might hold you down and shave that head. ”  He looked at me for a moment.  Then, he stood up.

This 6’4″, broad shouldered titan had to duck to keep from hitting his head.  He paused for a moment and glared down at me.  The gesture clearly said go ahead, little man; try.  We stared at each other for a moment and I started laughing.

“Guess I’ll have to get you drunk, first,” I managed to get out between laughs.

He grunted and walked over to his gear to prep himself for the jump.

I turned my attention to Roxie, who was still sleeping near the back.  I didn’t know her story.  Tony and I had been on several missions before with the Squadron, but she was a new recruit.  I always hated working with the “new kid on the block” ’cause you never knew what would happen.  Like what happened next.

I slapped her on the back and shouted out, “Ready to plummet 10,000 feet, sweetie?”

I was suddenly and violently introduced to the floor of the chopper as she grabbed my hand and tossed me to it.  I had read her dossier and it said “above average” in hand to hand, but this was far above that.  Before I could recover, she was on me with a knife at my throat.  The steel was cold and rather chilling.  Still, I was a friend to knives and was above average myself, so I lay there and waited.  If she were going to kill me, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to get used to the feeling.

“Don’t you ever touch me again, or next time I will use this.”  Her voice was a whisper for only me to hear.

I snapped back, “I think you should lay off the coffee, lady!  And get the hell of your Captain, unless yer plannin’ pain or pleasure.”

As the anger welled up in her, she loosened her grip a touch.  I chose that moment to act.  I grabbed the hand with the knife with one hand and her hair with the other.  I then rolled very quickly over taking her to the deck with me on top of her.  As I rolled, I flipped the blade onto vibro and pressed it to her cheek, letting the motion jar her teeth.  The hum must have resounded in her head, although I could barely hear it even this close.

I looked in her eyes for a moment and saw no fear.  She was ready for whatever was going to happen next.  It was odd, but I was so familiar with that expression, it felt almost like looking in a mirror.

“You draw on me again and I’ll make ya use it, honey, got it?”

She nodded – real slow – her eyes still riveted on mine.  I might get to likin’ this lady, I thought to myself.  If I don’t have to kill her first.

I tossed the knife away, sticking it an inch or so into the metal bench we had been sitting on.  The hum slowly stopped and I quickly got up, in case she decided it wasn’t over.  I guess it was ’cause she just smiled and walked over to her pack and strapped it on.  I watched her for a moment and then did the same.

As I finished up the straps on my pack, I looked about the bay.  It was about time to jump.