Weapon cleaning didn't take long, and as shimmers of heat rose over the barbecue and Captain King and Tyrone Crews got food onto the heat, Major Kirk formed up the company again.
"Brutus Townsend, front and center!"
Brutus jogged around, limping slightly, but Linda didn't think anyone would connect that with his secret. After fifteen miles, many first-time marchers had blisters and sore feet.
"Brutus," Major Kirk said when Brutus got in front of him, "for the past week, you've been more than a guest of Cranked, you've been a hard-working member. Not perfect, but I never expect perfection from my new soldiers. But your time with us has reached its end, and as of the end of this barbecue, I can gladly say that you are honorably discharged from your time in Charlie Company, Three Three Infantry."
The company cheered, and Brutus shook the Major's hand. Linda felt proud, and knew it was the strangest temporary assignment she'd ever complete. But she'd done her job well... if not perfectly.
You crossed a line with him,she thought guiltily.But you pulled it back. And maybe that pull back is what got him to turn the corner. He certainly has been different since the arms room.
She nodded to herself, reminding herself of her mistakes. She'd learn from them.
"Thank you Major Kirk," Brutus said as the Major ceded the speaking position to him. "Uhm, I'm really, really hungry y'all, so I'm going to keep this short."
"Damn right you will!" someone called to general laughter.
Brutus grinned lightly.
"Yeah... yeah. Look guys, when I showed up last Sunday, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'll admit, I didn't think it'd be half as tough as it's been. And for about the first hour and a half on Monday, I thought I was cruising along. No offense to the PT test."
There was general laughter. Brutus joined in before sobering.
"I quickly learned my lesson. Or at least started to. Over the past few days though I've seen even more. I know that the fans, the sports writers... hell, even my other fellow football players, will say I'm a warrior. That we go out onto the field of battle. It's football culture, I guess. We feel a lot better about ourselves and our salaries when we say we're going to battle when we're really just going to play a kid's game. But the truth is Charlie Company, you're tougher, you're more dedicated, you're more warrior than I'll ever be. You've humbled me, but more importantly taught me a lot. Uhm, I'm not done with the Army, as you guys can guess I've got quite a few more league-mandated charity events and things like that to do. But this week? This means a lot to me, and I hope to carry the lessons of this week into the other events, and into my future. Ah, I'd like to give special thanks to Alpha Team, Second Squad, Second Platoon. You guys really have hand held me when necessary. So DJ, Keishi, Dawks... thank you. I wish I could meet Hollywood, because he's lucky to be working with you guys. And the same goes for the chain of command. Sergeant Castellanos, Sergeant Orkin, Lieutenant Parker... look, everyone in Charlie. I don't want to name you all because the burgers I can smell would burn, so just... thank you. And I plan on staying in touch if you guys would let me."
There were cheers at that, and the barbecue started. It was a typical infantry barbecue in Linda's eyes, with lots of meat, a decent amount of charred corn on the cob or other vegetables, and now that the firearms were locked away, a decent amount of beer for those who wanted it.
The smell of charcoal and sizzling meat filled the air, mingling with laughter and the clink of beer bottles. Linda savored the taste of a juicy rib, the sauce tangy on her tongue, as she watched soldiers relaxing after a hard week's work.
About halfway through, Lieutenant Colonel Remsburg came by in civilian clothes, shaking hands and checking on the troops. Eventually he made his way over to Linda, who was still gnawing on a rib.
"Sergeant Castellanos, how was it?" he asked, smiling. He was trim and dressed casually, his civilian jacket clean and neat on his compact body. "I'd say a bunch of the credit goes to you."
"The credit goes to the whole team, sir." Linda wiped her right hand clean on her pants before shaking the offered hand. "And to Brutus too. He worked hard."
She meant it. Listening to his speech to the company, she knew that a lot of the words were similar to the ones she'd heard in the armory. But this time there was no deception, no ulterior motive. She thought he'd been heartfelt, and meant every word.
"I'll be happy to report that up the chain then," Remsburg said. "One hint, though? Don't sell yourself short, Sergeant. You deserve your kudos for this, especially in this unit where official kudos are often hard to come by. This time, I think you and the rest of your team can expect at least a positive note in your files. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday."
The barbecue continued, some of the troops scattering as the food got eaten and seven straight days of work caught up with them. Linda helped out with cleanup though, taking a bag of garbage to the big dumpster behind the barracks. When she came back it was only Major Kirk and the other officers still outside, doing the last of the cleanup.
"Hey sir, you need a hand?" she asked Lieutenant Parker, who waved her off.
"This is on us now, Castellanos. You go catch up on rack or whatever you want to do. You've earned it. You'll have Hollywood back come Wednesday, so out with the new, in with the old."
Linda laughed, shaking her head. "After this past week, Hollywood's going to be nice and boring. See you Wednesday morning sir."
Linda went back to her room, but after changing out of her uniform and into some casual, warm sweats for comfort, she couldn't help but feel like things were just a bit off. She hadn't seen Brutus since about five minutes into the barbecue, and for him to leave without saying goodbye felt... weird.
She decided that if he wasn't going to come by to see her, she could go by to see him, if anything to make sure that he was okay. But just as she pulled the door open she almost ran into Brutus, who had his hand raised to knock on the wood.
"Oh!" he said, jerking his hand back to avoid rapping her in the forehead. "I was... uhm, are you going somewhere right now?"
"Actually... no." Linda stepped back. She looked him over, and saw that he'd changed into one of the Bluecats track suits he'd been wearing for PT. "Getting ready to leave?"
"In a bit, but... can I come in?" Brutus said quietly. "I'd like to talk with you for a minute or two if you'd let me."
Linda nodded, and allowed Brutus into her room. Going over to her small couch, she sat down, her eyes fixed on him as he stayed by the mostly closed door.
