Gasoline Cowboy

“You’re my new team lead?” Allison asked with a quizzical expression on her face.

“Well yeah, what did you expect?” Hideo’s face lit up as he gave a laugh. His English accent was impeccable.

“Sorry, sir. I didn’t realize that you’d been adopted.”

Hideo Sutton, though technically the biological son of Dr. Morgan Sutton, still belonged to the AEGIS task force since his birth. It was the same with all the demi-machina. Sometimes people could offer to adopt the demi-machinas to give them a sense of family like normal kids, but many were averse to such an idea. It was common knowledge that the demi-machina were, above all else, warriors. They would be in combat regularly and against some of the worst the world had to offer. It was like adopting a terminally ill animal, knowing full well that it would be gone sooner rather than later. Sure, there was the chance that they would live past the end of the war, but most people elected to have their own child rather than adopt some freak made in a test tube. For that reason, being adopted was more a pipe dream of a new generation demi-machina that died out as they got older. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t have their own family anyway. ARES teams, by contrast, were exceedingly tight-knit as a result. The blood of the covenant and all that.

“Don’t worry, I rarely get to even see my own mother and father. But you’re being transferred here? What unit were you with before this one?” Hideo asked, trying to play off his elevated status above her.

Something caught in Allison’s throat, but she swallowed it back down. There was no backing out of this. If she didn’t answer now, he’d just see her old unit patch. This was a pivotal point in making a first impression, and she couldn’t let it be squandered. She steeled her heart and spoke.

“The 28th ARES AT. Copperheads, sir.” She answered, fighting to keep her tone devoid of emotion.

Silence reigned. Her eyes searched around. His face. The faces of the others. She saw it written there plain as day. Their smiles were gone. The two women now had more hardened gazes, even if the younger looking one swiftly avoided eye contact with Allison. The other man had a sort of blank expression like a puppy dog that wasn’t sure what to do. She looked back to Hideo. He was a few inches taller than her in his stature, making her have to look up at him. His smile faltered the slightest bit. So, they had heard. Then again, word spreads fast among the ranks. This was what she was up against. Judgements handed down right at the start. She may not have been court-martialed, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t off the hook to others.

“I see.” Hideo said. It almost sounded like an accusation. They both knew what was to be expected in the coming days. “Have you ever been to this part of the front?”

“No, sir. I was stationed at Meiringen Air Base in Switzerland during my time with the 28th.”

“Ah, so you were a mountain climber, is that right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How are things in the Balkans?”

“Last time I was there, we were making efforts to clear out Budapest and also move into Croatia. We ran into some trouble.”

“Hideo…” One of the women spoke up behind him.

Allison looked at her as Hideo turned around and stepped to the side. She had long black hair that was a shade or two lighter than her own, and eyes that were steely gray. She looked at the Lieutenant with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, yes! Where are my manners? Allison, this is your new team.” He went down the line and introduced her to them.

The dark-haired woman was Charlotte. She also wore an American flag on her coveralls. Next to her was a woman named Franziska, who had the flag of Germany on hers. She had a head of dirty blonde hair and deep green eyes like emeralds that were currently looking at her very intensely. The other man had the same Union Jack flag patch that Hideo had on his uniform. Hideo introduced him as Carwyn. His hair was several shades of brown lighter than Hideo’s, and he smiled bright and big when his name was called. He even gave her a friendly wave, to which Allison returned it. She noticed their ranks sewn onto their coveralls, which were still that of their own home country’s military. It was standard NATO protocol for the alliance to help distinguish soldiers beyond just their flag patches, rather than adopt a totally new rank system across the board. Charlotte had enough chevrons and rockers to denote herself as a Sergeant First Class, which far outranked herself. Franziska’s coveralls had epaulettes holding her rank on which she recognized from her time learning the other NATO military ranks as an Oberstabsgefreiter in the German Bundeswehr. Carwyn had three upside down chevrons on his shoulders, making him a Sergeant. Everyone here outranked her, but that was to be expected of a unit like this.

”Are you hungry at all?” Hideo asked after he finished introductions.

“No, I ate before my flight,” she replied very matter-of-factly.

“Aye, she’s a tough one, ey sir?” Carwyn spoke up from behind his hand of cards. Allison noted his accent sounded almost Scottish but not quite. Was it Irish? No, not that either. She let it go for now.

“Good to know the new girl’s got the stomach for the drops.” Charlotte added.

“Drops were the only thing I did outta Switzerland.”

“Oh look at you, sunshine! You want to compare numbers later?” There was a thinly laced venom to Charlotte’s words.

“It’s kinda hard to do a land deployment when your base is in the Alps.” Allison said, once again in a matter-of-factly tone. She knew what Charlotte was trying to do, but she wasn’t going to let herself be walked all over just for being the new girl.

“That’s Sergeant First Class to you, Corporal.”

Allison merely stared. She could tell immediately that she was going to have problems here. But it couldn’t be helped. She had to earn her new place in a new unit that was already as tightly-knit as a family. She would be the black sheep for a good while. Nothing could be done until she proved herself to them. Charlotte and Hideo both looked older than herself. Easily approaching their thirties. Carwyn and Franziska seemed to be closer to her age. She wondered if they too had been replacements to the unit once upon a time.

“Right then. Well, Corporal, I suggest you pick a bunk and fast. Command said we were moving out as soon as you arrived and your ARES was ready for deployment.” Hideo told her, hoping to get the subject changed quickly.

“Already, sir?”

“Your war does not wait for you, fraulein. It comes knocking when you least expect it.” Franziska spoke finally, delivering a serious judgment in her words.

Tough crowd. Allison thought to herself. She looked to Hideo as a thought popped into her head.

“What’s the setup for the team?” She asked.

“Well, generally speaking, Miss Charlotte is our tank-killer. Her ARES has ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) launchers as well as a long-range cannon. Mister Carwyn is our frontman with a flamethrower and a grenade launcher. Miss Franziska is our EW (Electronic Warfare) specialist when we need her to be, but other than that she mainly stays in support. And I run the team and have a large chaingun for my weapon. What about you?”

“Oh, well I usually took up a pointman type of role, but I’ve got experience with multiple weapon systems. Mortars, cannons, miniguns, chainguns, but mostly the large-bore carbines.” Allison replied.

“Well, then I think that you’ll find a good niche here. Most everyone knows how to work off of each other so getting another front row operator is very nice. Means we don’t have to spend time going over your kit too much, isn’t that right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Well we shouldn’t keep the Colonel waiting. Find your bunk and stow your kit. We’re to be off as soon as you’re ready.”

“Right, sir.”

Allison looked down the line of bunks and found one that didn’t have a pack by it, to which she placed her duffle bag on top. The team got into their neural integration suits and prepared for their mission. The suit was a skin tight fabric meant for thermal regulation as well as minor protection in certain areas. It wasn’t bulletproof by any means, but it would withstand the elements along with the usual wear and tear. The coveralls were stored in the lockers and boots were donned. The suits were all they wore in the ARES as they performed their duties, but she still felt rather naked without any extra gear. She knew her survival kit was still stored in her unit, but getting to it was a challenge she didn’t want to be met with.

Without further ado, Allison fell in line behind the rest of the team and marched across the base towards the operations center. The Colonel was already there by the time they arrived. He stood at the center wearing a uniform from the French Army, and she could see that he was, in fact, a Colonel. The team stood in front of the chairs in the mostly empty briefing room, waiting to be seated.

“At ease.” The man said with a thick accent.

Allison looked at him from her seat next to Carwyn. He was older. Gray hair with a regulation mustache. A face like a hawk. Mean. He looked important to a point that Allison would’ve already guessed he was a high-ranking officer if she didn’t know any better. He had a hard stare like a man who’d been in the Army since he graduated school. A lifer. Someone who was no nonsense and didn’t accept any bucks to be passed to him. And, as fate would have it, her new Commanding Officer.

“For those of you who don’t know, my name is Colonel Duchamp. I oversee the command of all ARES Assault Teams in this region of the European Theater. You will be receiving all briefings from me from here on out. I will not tolerate excuses for failure, is that understood.” The man said, looking at and almost through Allison.

She nodded. “Yes sir.”

“Very good. Now let us begin.” He said, turning the lights off.

The screen behind him came to life with a map of the European continent. The borders were drawn in blue and red and a substantial gray area that covered the middle of the continent from the Balkans up to Poland and Germany. Parts of Scandinavia were also gray. Some small parts in Portugal and Spain, even Italy. But the red border was still ever present across large swaths of Russia.

“As you know, our mission here is to reclaim the areas of the German countryside and present a suitable location for us to create a new staging area. Cleaning out infected locals is only one part of that. Lately, groups of marauders have been popping up. Nothing more than highly equipped gangs set to wreak havoc on their neighbors. Most of humanity in the gray zones is gone, but those who are still left mostly find themselves under the yoke of these bandits. Reports from other NATO units say that they have captured MARS units and have no trouble putting them to use alongside other scavenged equipment. Most of you already know this, but you are new. Isn’t that right, Corporal Allison?”

“Yes, Colonel.”

“Where were you stationed before here?”

“Switzerland, sir. I operated mostly in the Balkans.”

“Well, here things are a bit more difficult. Soldiers have abandoned posts and gone off to live their new lives without any strings attached. Criminals have assembled loose alliances in order to prolong their existence. And yet, they are not interested in combating the infected. It seems they only want to pick a fight with us. To get yourself settled in, I saved you an easy mission. It is, what you Americans call…a ‘milk run,’ yes?”

“That is correct, sir.” Allison affirmed.

“It will let you get your bearings. Our teams have reported a settlement of civilians who have agreed to give us intel and recruits in exchange for supplies. All other teams are on sweep patrols looking for infected in the vicinity. You will escort the convoy to the designated position and protect if need be.”

“Expecting trouble, sir?” Charlotte asked.

“We are not sure, but there are no chances to be taken here. Agents of the enemy are everywhere, and if we send them an unprotected convoy, we very well may see it snatched out from under us by these marauders. Deterrence is the word of the day. Use your best judgement and follow through on the mission. If you do come into contact, you have grounds to fire to protect the cargo. Any other intel that we can glean will be most beneficial. That is all. Any other questions?”

Silence. They were taught never to answer in the negative. The silence was enough.

“You will follow the convoy out in your ARES units. No drop this time. Dismissed.”

Hideo called the room to attention as Colonel Duchamp left and took the team out of the briefing room. Allison sighed inwardly. A nice, easy mission. That would be a good way to get her bearings in the new team. An easy way in and the opportunity to show that she could be part of the team without having to put herself under a lot of stress. As the air hit her face when she stepped out into the cold, she almost felt like she was going to be okay. Almost.