Next were the loving couples who were constantly stopping in the middle of the floor to kiss and canoodle without care or thought for those around them, and the inevitable pile-up this created. And finally, there were the solo travelers who had their lives confined to a single bag and spent their time dodging and tripping over the mess caused by the other two.
As bad as this chaos may have been, it seemed to magnify itself in Ally's mind as she made her way through the throngs of people. She tripped over bags, bumped into loving couples and was nearly steamrolled by a solo traveler whose eyes were glued to the departure information displayed on one of the giant monitors. This magnification wasn't so much a result of the airport itself, but the state of mind that Ally was in.
"Are you sure about this?" Ally's best friend, Jane asked as she trailed behind Ally. Unlike Ally, Jane had no luggage to speak of, and was unconcerned about departures, arrivals or other travelers. As such she navigated the mess with ease.
"As sure as I can be," Ally said determinedly, without looking back. "I have no choice."
"No choice?" Jane blustered. "You have about a million other choices as far as I can tell? Two million, even. Really anything other than buying a one-way ticket out of ---"
"No, I don't," Ally said. She pulled up abruptly to turn and stare down her best friend. "I have no other choice." She fixed Jane with her stare for a moment longer before turning and making her way back toward the check-in counter.
Ally may have been exaggerating slightly when she said that she had no other choice. Indeed, Jane was right on the money in her analysis of the options. Where Ally had her mind set on purchasing a one-way ticket out of the country, regardless of where that ticket took her, Jane insisted that she needed to stay in the country and fight.
"He dumped you! So, what?" Jane said, keeping pace. Ally was making her way to the only available counter at the American Airlines check-in. There was a very friendly looking Flight Assistant waving her in and Jane seemed determined to make her point before they reached her. "He had no right to fire you. You know it, and so does everyone else. If you just speak to H.R. I know they will see it the same way."
"Hi, how can I help you?" the Flight Assistant asked as Ally pulled up to the counter. She heaved her suitcase up in one fluid motion, dropping it on the weight in belt. For someone as petite as Ally, she had packed one very heavy suit case. She only stood at a little over five feet in height and featured a very slim, petite body type. But she had managed to pack enough to clothe an obese family of ten.
"I would like the next available flight out of the country please," Ally said, ignoring her best friend.
"The next...?"
"Available flight out of the country," Ally finished determinedly. She maintained strong eye contact with the assistant, just to confirm that she wasn't kidding.
"Ok... let me just..." the Assistant began to type away on her computer, frowning as she did.
"I still think you should stay," Jane said stubbornly.
Ally let out a long sigh, turning back to face her best friend. The two had already been through this a million times and Ally didn't relish the idea of making it a million and one. The last time was on the car trip to the airport. The time before that was the previous night when she crashed at Jane's apartment. And the entire day leading up to that night was peppered with bits and pieces of this exact conversation. Each time, Ally had gone through in detail, why she was leaving the country. She thought by now the message would be clear.
"Any preferences?" the Flight Assistant asked pleasantly.
"Ahhh..." Ally said blankly. She had been so determined to leave the country, she hadn't actually considered that she might have a choice. Her bag contained everything she was able to pack on short notice -- and everything she thought she would need, regardless of the circumstances.
"Do you have a bikini with you?" the Flight Assistant chuckled, noting Ally's hesitance.
"I do," Ally responded immediately. The prospect of going somewhere that required a bikini instantly lifted her spirits.
"How about Bali, then?" she asked pleasantly. "They have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world there and the weather is sunny all year 'round."
"That actually sounds pretty perfect," Ally admitted. She had heard of Bali on a few occasions, and was aware of how spectacular it was meant to be. Unfortunately for Ally word had always come first and she had never had a chance to go... until now. "I'm in."
"Bali it is then." The Flight Assistant printed out the ticket, Ally paid and just like that, it was done. With the beginnings of a smile on her face, Ally made her way toward the security gate. Jane followed begrudgingly.
Ally was the recent victim of a very aggressive one-two punch to the face and kidneys. The first punch was her now ex-boyfriend, dumping her. The two had been seeing each other for over a year and were so far along in their relationship and so secure in its guaranteed success that they had even purchased an apartment together, no more than three months ago.
The second punch came in the form of a firing from her job. Ally was actually good at her job; it was one thing she took pride in. She worked in marketing and although that wasn't the career plan she had mapped out for herself, she took to it like a duck in the water. Always achieving her KPI's and always pushing herself to do more than was asked of her, there was really no reason for her to be fired in the first place... except for the fact that her now ex-boyfriend was also her boss.
That was what Jane meant when she insisted that Ally should go to H.R and complain. Surely, they would see that it was an unfair dismissal and cancel the firing? It would probably also hurt her now ex-boyfriend too. But that just wasn't Ally. She didn't want to fight. She didn't want to argue or beg. She wanted to be as far from the conflict as possible and, as she had just found out, Bali was the place to be.
"I don't know what you think is going to happen over there?" Jane blathered on, beginning to sound more like a mother figure than a friend. "It's not like you can just hit the restart button on your life and begin from scratch. You'll eventually have to come back and face the mu --"
"Jane!" Ally spun around, causing Jane to pull up on her heels, lest she run right into Ally. "I know that, OK. I know that this isn't healthy. And I know that it's running and not facing my problems. But I don't care. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to have to go to that stupid little apartment and face him. I don't even think I can. I need a break. I need... I need something else. I might not find it in Bali. But I'm not going to find it here."
Jane let off a long, forgiving sigh. She reached out and touched Ally on the arm, as a loving mother would do. "I understand. I do. And I'm sorry I've been so hard on you. Maybe I'm just jealous? And worried you won’t come back?"
"Oh, I'll be back," Ally smiled. It was perhaps the first real smile since the break-up. "With a tan and a new attitude. Let's see that pig of an ex deal with that?"
Jane smiled back and with that, Ally new that she had her best friend's blessing.
The two walked to the security gates in silence and when Ally lined up to pass through them, she gave her best friend one last, big hug. She was certain that the next time she saw her, she would be a totally different person.
As Ally made her way toward the metal scanner, she thought about what she hoped to find in Bali. In truth, she did have some remnants of a plan. Marketing wasn’t the career that Ally had initially intended to go down. Her passion lay in writing and she had always hoped that maybe one day she could do that as a career path.
Maybe Bali wouldn't be the life changing adventure that Ally sought. But it was a start. She would travel the country, see all that she could and maybe scribble a few words down while she was at it? Let Samson, her ex, have the job. Let him think that he had won. Ally had the entire world at her fingertips and the exciting part was that she had no idea where that would take her.
CHAPTER TWO – JASON
"OK boys, you know the drill? We've done
it one hundred times... soon to be number one hundred and one. Team Bravo will breach the hull from beneath the surface. Alpha will take it from the hatch. The first team to find their bomb and disarm it, wins. Simple as that."
"And if we do it at the same time?" Kurt asked with a cheeky grin.
"Then drinks are on me... and the girls are on Kurt." This was greeted with a round of applause and laughter as the team of six men got to it.
Jason stood back, arms crossed as he watched his team assemble. There were six of them all up, including himself, and collectively they were known as the SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team -- the single most effective marine corps in the world.
"Were you serious about the drinks being on you?" Kurt asked as he zipped up his wetsuit. Kurt was Jason's No 2 man, and also his best friend. Among the other members of the team he was known as a bit of an asshole, and Jason would be the first to agree with this assessment. But he was also one hell of a marine and the first guy Jason would want by his side in any situation.
"Do you really expect Bravo to beat us?" Jason asked back with a smirk. He was already in his wetsuit and watched as the remaining men, his men, put theirs on.
"Good point."
It was a pristine summers day in the Atlantic Ocean. Although the sun beat down on the six men with an unchecked, unhampered ferocity common to those parts of the country, the cool breeze drifting off the ocean surface countered it perfectly.
The six men were currently standing on the deck of a small naval rig, designed to transport a team of no more than ten men. It had been anchored less than a mile off the coast of Hawaii, where one of the U.S.' top Naval Base was located. Next to the rig was the capsized hull of an ancient looking submarine -- on closer inspection, an American flag could be seen painted on the side.
The submarine was actually a relic of a forgotten war, no longer practical in battle, but still able to serve a purpose. The purpose for the day was a training exercise. Two small explosives had been armed inside of the submarine. The goal was simple, find the explosives and disarm them. The first team to disarm theirs, was the winner.
"OK boys!" Jason let roar the moment that the six men were in their suits and ready to go. "Let's show the world who we are!" And he dove head first into the water, quickly followed by the other five men.
Jason was a part of Team Alpha for this exercise. It was a team that included himself, Kurt and the youngest member of the squad, Spencer. Spencer had only joined the SEAL corpse a few months previously and Jason had since taken him under his wing as a means of ensuring that he rose through the ranks as efficiently and effectively as possible. He was a protégée of sorts.
Team Bravo dove into the water behind Alpha. Their directive was to breach the submarine through the weakened hull below surface level. Alpha was to make their way to the top of the submarine and breach through the hatch -- the hatch was yet to be submerged.
As Bravo disappeared below the submarine, Spencer led the charge for Team Alpha. He streamlined through the water and toward the sinking vessel. Behind him was Kurt and on the tail, was Jason.
When they reached the hull, Kurt gave Spencer a leg up. The moment Spencer was on the hull, he reached down and hoisted Kurt up with him, followed by Jason. It was clockwork and the type of efficiency that only came from hundreds of hours of elite training.
"Spencer, the honor is yours," Jason said, indicating the closed hatch.
Spencer smiled as he hurried toward it. Spencer was almost as big as Kurt and Jason combined and relished the chance to show off his strength. It was a chance that he was about to get as he wrapped his arms around the hatch and pulled with all his might to open it. His biceps popped through his wetsuit and the veins on his neck bulged as if about to explode. His knees shook and his body quaked. But eventually, he managed to pop it open.
"Anything else?" he asked, a smug look on his face as he tried his hardest to look as if it were all too easy.
"Yeah, go and find some iron bars to bend," Kurt joked as he leaped feet first down the hatch. Jason, chuckling at the joke, was quick to follow and then, Spencer.
"The way I see it," Jason began as the three men huddled on the landing pad, "Bravo will be at least two minutes longer trying to weld through the hull. That gives us time to scope the explosive out. No rush. We do this quickly, but efficiently."
"There's always a rush," Kurt insisted. Then, without waiting for the order, he turned and fled down the hall of the submarine, toward the command deck.
"Kurt!" Jason hissed. As said, Kurt was a bit of an asshole and took joy in floating the rules. If it was anyone besides Jason in charge, that kind of behavior would not have been accepted. But Jason always had a hard time disciplining his best friend.
Spencer chuckled, slapping Jason on the arm as he hurried after Kurt. Jason, with no choice, followed suit, making his way down the dimly lit halls toward the command deck.
The explosive was the first thing that Jason saw when he entered the tiny room. All explosives looked different, as that was the point. This one resembled a small alarm clock, only with more exposed wiring. It was strapped to the periscope and blinking incessantly. Kurt and Spencer were already huddled around it, scoping the thing out.
"Who armed this thing?" Jason asked as he approached. There was something not quite right about the explosive.
"Beats me," Kurt shrugged. "I tried to find out but no one was speaking. Team Six insisted I was trying to cheat. You believe that?"
"Yeah, I do," Jason chuckled.
As he joked, he studied the explosive with intent. Jason had seen a million of these in his time. Most of them were harmless, dummy explosives, used for training modules. But not on this day. There was no 'red wire', 'blue wire' crap here either. This was an actual training exercise, using actual explosive material. So much as a single mistake made could see an arm, leg or even worse, blown off.
"I'll do the honors..." Kurt began, reaching into his explosive kit for a pair of wire cutters.
"Wait!" Jason reached out and grabbed Kurt by the arm, stopping him. "There's something not right..."
Jason was hesitant. He could disarm any explosive in his sleep if need be. But this one... there was something off about it. It was the wires that caused Jason to pause. They weren't neatly tucked in and assembled like usual. It was a messy job as they crisscrossed and tangled around one another.
"The wiring job?" Spencer asked, taking note of Jason's hesitation. "It's usually not so shoddy."
"Lazy asses," Kurt clicked his tongue. "I bet you anything the guy they sent in to do this hates confined spaces. Probably wanted to get out as soon as he could."
"So, what do we do?" Spencer asked, looking between Kurt and Jason.
Jason crossed his arms, thinking. He knew what he should do, he should abort the whole operation. If this were an actual real-life mission, then they would have no choice but to try and disarm the bomb --- that was their job after all. But this wasn't that. It was a training exercise. And considering how dodgy the explosive looked, it just wasn't worth the risk.
"I'm calling Bravo," Jason finally decided.
"What, why?" Kurt exclaimed.
"I want to see if they're dealing with the same thing as us. If they are we need to cancel this and --"
"No way. Uh-uh," Kurt said, shaking his head. "I bet a whole case on this... and my softest pillow. We pull out and we lose by default. I'll never live it down... or sleep comfortably again."
"I hear you Kurt, but the risk isn't worth --"
"What risk? So what if the wires are mangled? They still run to the same place. If anything, this is better training. We ain't gonna get the clean-cut type of bombs you want in the real world. This is the type of shit we're likely to come across."
Jason had no idea what to do. He looked from the determined face of Kurt to the eager face of Spencer. It was clear what Kurt wanted as he made that perfectly clear. The only way to settle this was to see what Spencer thought. A vote.
"Spe
ncer, what do you think?" Jason asked. "We'll vote and your vote can decide."
"Come on, young blood. Do the right thing," Kurt pressured.
Spencer bit the bottom of his lip as he looked from the bomb to Kurt. Jason didn't even know why he had asked, he knew what Spencer would say. Spencer was the kind of guy that hated disappointing people and Kurt was the kind of guy that hated being disappointed. He knew that Spencer would go with Kurt.
"I think Kurt is right," Spencer said slowly. "We need to learn on these kinds of bombs. For the real thing."
"That's what I'm talking about!" Kurt exclaimed clapping his hands together. "Now come on, let's get to it. Bravo are probably already balls deep in their own."
Kurt pulled out his wire cutters and was about to get to it when he paused.
"What?" Jason asked, hoping that Kurt had changed his mind. The silly thing was that Jason was in charge and could have very easily and resolutely demanded that they call it in. But, like Spencer, he hated saying no to Kurt. There was just something about the guy.
Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction: The Missing Ones: A Dystopian Adventure Page 13