Read Online The Minus Faction, Episode One: Breakout by Rick Wayne - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Rick Wayne
Ads: Link
made or how hard we've worked. But that ain't even half of it. Luck, environment, all that, comes first . Every single thing we do is built on top of what the world gave us. Some folks get lucky. Others . . ." John shrugged.
"Your dad. My stepmom. That's the kind of shit they don't teach you how to deal with as a kid. We all do the best we can. But I got lucky with my Moms. And my Granddad. I look at you and I see what woulda happened if they hadn't given me that little shove, ya know? That's how I started out. I got lucky. That's all. That's the only difference between you and me. I got a little shove in the right direction." And that's how it'll end, John thought, by giving one back .
"Besides," he tapped his friend's artificial knee, "last time I checked, you and me were still soldiers in the same army. It's just a different war here. That's all."
Corporal Gonzales glanced at the burnt and broken man in the wheelchair. He saw the captain's arm twitch, and his upper lip. The man was in pain. All the time. Gabriel turned away in shame.
John saw it. "The damned cool thing is, you don't gotta do any of this alone."
"Esme--"
"She told me." John stopped him before he could get started. "She didn't leave. All she said was that you fucked up and you gotta earn your way back. Just like pulling latrine, right?"
Gabe looked at the floor. He smiled and nodded.
"I'm sure it seems like a lot right now, but the doc, ya know, she cares, man. She really does. You're the one who's gotta do the hard work, but she'll help. You can trust her. And I don't say that about too many folks."
Gabriel Gonzales ran his fingers over the polished stock of his weapon. He saw his own dark and twisted reflection.
"Time to put that away."
The corporal stared at the gun. "Yes, sir." He said it instinctively, but his mind was elsewhere and his hand didn't move.
Thousand-yard stare, John thought. Gotta bring him back. Give him an order. A mission. "You're gonna do something for me."
"Yes, sir." Still Gabe didn't look up.
"No matter what happens, no matter how tough it gets, you're gonna stay alive long enough to give this back. One of these days, you're gonna meet a guy, someone like you. Maybe it's the same kind of thing. Maybe it's different. But he's gonna need some help. You understand?"
Gabriel looked John in the eye.
That did it.
"Yes, sir." He nodded.
"He's not gonna be perfect. Maybe he's got a temper or it's alcohol or just really bad B.O."
Both men smiled.
"Whatever. You wait around for someone perfect to help, you're never gonna give back to anyone in your whole damn life. Right?"
"Yes, sir."
"You're gonna do for that guy what I did for you. And you're gonna make him promise to pass it on, just like this. Got it?"
Gabe nodded again.
"Promise. On your honor."
"Yes, sir." Gabe sniffed and cleared his throat. He was calm. His head kept bobbing in tiny nods. "I promise. I won't ever forget this. Not me or Esme."
"All right." Regent sat back in his chair. He realized his heart was racing. He looked at the gun, then the picture. "You didn't tell me if babygurl has a name."
"Serenidad."
"That's beautiful, man. Beautiful." John lifted his right hand and held out an open palm.
Gabriel Gonzales lifted his sidearm, flipped the safety, cleared the chamber, removed the clip, and put the weapon in the captain's hand.
John held it in his lap. "Corporal Gonzales."
"Sir." Gabe put the picture of his unborn daughter in his shirt pocket.
"Dr. Zabora is your new commanding officer."
"Yes, sir." The stout man stood on two legs, one real and one artificial, the result of a surreal trauma.
"Report for duty."
Gabriel locked his eyes to the horizon and gave a stiff salute. "Yes, sir."
T Minus: 050 Days 13 Hours 12 Minutes 38 Seconds
John watched from the door of Exam Room 3 as the lieutenant's men took Gabriel Gonzales into custody. There'd be repercussions, but then John figured some time to think wouldn't be bad
"Your dad. My stepmom. That's the kind of shit they don't teach you how to deal with as a kid. We all do the best we can. But I got lucky with my Moms. And my Granddad. I look at you and I see what woulda happened if they hadn't given me that little shove, ya know? That's how I started out. I got lucky. That's all. That's the only difference between you and me. I got a little shove in the right direction." And that's how it'll end, John thought, by giving one back .
"Besides," he tapped his friend's artificial knee, "last time I checked, you and me were still soldiers in the same army. It's just a different war here. That's all."
Corporal Gonzales glanced at the burnt and broken man in the wheelchair. He saw the captain's arm twitch, and his upper lip. The man was in pain. All the time. Gabriel turned away in shame.
John saw it. "The damned cool thing is, you don't gotta do any of this alone."
"Esme--"
"She told me." John stopped him before he could get started. "She didn't leave. All she said was that you fucked up and you gotta earn your way back. Just like pulling latrine, right?"
Gabe looked at the floor. He smiled and nodded.
"I'm sure it seems like a lot right now, but the doc, ya know, she cares, man. She really does. You're the one who's gotta do the hard work, but she'll help. You can trust her. And I don't say that about too many folks."
Gabriel Gonzales ran his fingers over the polished stock of his weapon. He saw his own dark and twisted reflection.
"Time to put that away."
The corporal stared at the gun. "Yes, sir." He said it instinctively, but his mind was elsewhere and his hand didn't move.
Thousand-yard stare, John thought. Gotta bring him back. Give him an order. A mission. "You're gonna do something for me."
"Yes, sir." Still Gabe didn't look up.
"No matter what happens, no matter how tough it gets, you're gonna stay alive long enough to give this back. One of these days, you're gonna meet a guy, someone like you. Maybe it's the same kind of thing. Maybe it's different. But he's gonna need some help. You understand?"
Gabriel looked John in the eye.
That did it.
"Yes, sir." He nodded.
"He's not gonna be perfect. Maybe he's got a temper or it's alcohol or just really bad B.O."
Both men smiled.
"Whatever. You wait around for someone perfect to help, you're never gonna give back to anyone in your whole damn life. Right?"
"Yes, sir."
"You're gonna do for that guy what I did for you. And you're gonna make him promise to pass it on, just like this. Got it?"
Gabe nodded again.
"Promise. On your honor."
"Yes, sir." Gabe sniffed and cleared his throat. He was calm. His head kept bobbing in tiny nods. "I promise. I won't ever forget this. Not me or Esme."
"All right." Regent sat back in his chair. He realized his heart was racing. He looked at the gun, then the picture. "You didn't tell me if babygurl has a name."
"Serenidad."
"That's beautiful, man. Beautiful." John lifted his right hand and held out an open palm.
Gabriel Gonzales lifted his sidearm, flipped the safety, cleared the chamber, removed the clip, and put the weapon in the captain's hand.
John held it in his lap. "Corporal Gonzales."
"Sir." Gabe put the picture of his unborn daughter in his shirt pocket.
"Dr. Zabora is your new commanding officer."
"Yes, sir." The stout man stood on two legs, one real and one artificial, the result of a surreal trauma.
"Report for duty."
Gabriel locked his eyes to the horizon and gave a stiff salute. "Yes, sir."
T Minus: 050 Days 13 Hours 12 Minutes 38 Seconds
John watched from the door of Exam Room 3 as the lieutenant's men took Gabriel Gonzales into custody. There'd be repercussions, but then John figured some time to think wouldn't be bad
Similar Books
