Another couple of journalists in trouble. Linda sighed. This rescue mission was likely more about avoiding political embarrassment than genuine concern for the reporters. Still, she was glad they'd gotten in and out without complications.
"So how was your first action with the squad, Hollywood?" Linda asked her newest fire team member, Logan Goodman. 'Hollywood' Goodman had been with 'Cranked' company for a couple of months and would pin on Specialist soon. But he was a lateral transfer, having started off in Third Squad.
Linda usually approached lateral transfers with caution. They often signaled a soldier who'd struggled to find their footing. But Goodman was different—sharp, motivated, his reason for transferring had nothing to do with his performance.
"Good, Sergeant," Goodman replied, yawning. He hadn't slept much on the plane ride back, his body still processing his first time in action. Linda would have been worried, except that he'd managed to nap during the last two hours of the flight. "But remind me... I gotta work on my foreign language skills. I felt like a damned idiot with you translating for us all the time."
Linda smiled, her fingers unconsciously touching the small Puerto Rican flag pin she kept on the inside of her pocket. While she was proud of her bilingual abilities, she'd joined the infantry to be more than just a translator.
"We'll get you set up for classes tomorrow then," Linda replied. "Tranquilo, the Army's got some good programs, but there are apps you can use too."
The Spanish word slipped out naturally, a small reminder of the home and family she carried with her.
The squad reached the hangar where a large van awaited them. Linda relaxed, looking forward to some downtime before the weekend. Major Kirk usually took care of them after a mission like this.
"Hey Hollywood, is your girl ready?" Specialist Derrick Jackson asked, settling into his seat. With his close-cropped hair and sharp features, he caught the eye of many, though Linda had never seen him actually maintain a relationship longer than a month. "You don't have to push anything back, right?"
"Nope, we're all good," Goodman said. "I messaged Sabby when we were about to go wheels up, so she knows we're still on schedule. I mean, that was a hell of a bachelor party I just had, but I'll still make it Saturday morning."
Everyone laughed, and Orkin clapped Goodman on the shoulders. "Yeah well, you enjoy the two weeks off, got it? And we want a full video after the ceremony."
Linda smiled, thinking about the wedding. Goodman and Sabby were doing things their own way, a splash of color in a world of green. It made her own life feel... stark.
"If Sergeant Adams lets any video of her doing something as soft as a wedding ever even exist," Goodman joked, getting more laughs.
The care he took to maintain professional boundaries with his future sister-in-law was something Linda genuinely respected.
"Well, can you at least tell me what color hair Sabby's going to have?" Takeshi asked. "I've got bright pink and electric blue in the company pool."
"Sorry... mint green and platinum silver," Goodman revealed, causing another round of laughs. "It matches the decorations that she and my mom decided on."
"Can you bring in photos to prove it?" Takeshi asked. "So that somebody can win and we put all that behind us?"
"Sure. How much is the pool, anyway?" Goodman asked curiously. "Nobody told me about it."
"Well of course we didn't," Orkin said. "That'd ruin the whole thing. And three hundred dollars."
Goodman whistled. "How many people are in on this damn thing?"
"Too many, in multiple companies," Linda said with a little chuckle. She knew about it but had decided against the five dollar buy-in. "So where's the honeymoon going to be? Disney? Miami? The Keys?"
"Actually, Sabby found a metal concert in J-ville that she wants to go to," Goodman admitted. "So yeah, back home in the fourth greatest football city in Florida it is."
"Jacksonville," Simon Dawkins, the youngest member of the fire team and just out of high school, said in disbelief. "Of all the places you could go on your honeymoon, and you choose Jacksonville. I just... no words."
"And where would you go, Dawks?" Derrick asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know, on a PFC's salary?"
"Pssh, that's why I'm not getting married for a long while," Dawkins replied confidently, leaning back in his seat. "I figure I'm not even looking at settling down until I get to Sergeant at the very least. Until then, I'm playing the field and making sure my wild oats don't get sown in fertile soil."
Linda turned to look out the window, her reflection staring back with a knowing expression. She'd heard that same speech from at least a dozen soldiers who ended up married within the year. It always seemed to be the ones who protested the loudest who fell the hardest.
The van ride was short, less than two miles through Fort Pickett. As they pulled into the Charlie Company area, whistles erupted when a flash of metallic green and platinum hair bounded out of the company offices.
"Baby!" Sabby called, running over and hugging Goodman tightly.
Linda felt her chest tighten as she watched them. She looked away, busying herself with her gear. It wasn't Hollywood she envied, he wasn't her type at all, but that moment of pure joy when someone sees the person they love return safely. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had looked at her that way.
"What're you doing here, beautiful?" Hollywood asked, planting a kiss on Sabby's cheek. "I thought you had work today."
