Anomalous Trip (Part II)

[Dragnoxz]

You easily find it across the grass landing area. The island is in the river. It’s a simple base. Tents, lots of sandbags and support structure for tents (cuz choppers make lots of wind). A metal barrack looking building is being built and looks to be almost complete. You reach the chinook and notice it’s like a command center. There are no guards guarding it as only GPEO personnel are on the island. Enlisted personnel walk past, some are just chill and passing the time either cleaning rifles or doing checklist and inventory for weapons and fuel, and other things like paper and bags and clothing and other materials. There is a woman in the munitions section of the chopper. Name tag is “Rhibbs.”

Pvt. Rhibbs: “Can I help you with anything ?” She’s holding a metal clipboard that can store paper and writing utensils.

[slicsinatra]

“Hey how’s it going. I just need some 7.62
to refill these mags before I f**k around and find out.” I chuckle a bit and set my empties and 12 mag out. “Also, what other toys do you guys have around here. I want to beef up a bit considering I know what I’m dealing with a little better.”

[Dragnoxz]

Pvt. Rhibbs: “7.62 over there. It’s labeled. Only ammo refills are available.” You then notice a sign munitions dump. There is only ammo. You only have enough space for 88 bullets in all the empty mags you have left. You don’t see extra clips in the munitions area. “I see you have a nine, you need more, sir ?” She adds the sir, after realizing you are an officer and that you didn’t seem to notice the lack of a proper address initially.

[slicsinatra]

“You can drop the ‘sir’. I’m a prior enlisted, I will take a few. Let me grab like 3-4 more.” I laugh because officer greetings still baffle me.

[Dragnoxz]

Pvt. Rhibbs: “Oh, haha. Three or four bullets ? We gone have mags for s***. We brought ours from earth. If you’re fully stocked on nine rounds there’s plenty of 7.62 if you need them. Nobody uses them as much as the 5.56’s. We have a lot of guys using the 5.56’s with the M-249’s. More bullets for more bad guys.”

[slicsinatra]

“Ah you don’t have any mags? I should be fine with 9.” I start loading my mags up.

[Dragnoxz]

Pvt. Rhibbs: “Ok. If you don’t need me, I’ll continue my inventory duty.” She counts how many you take and writes it on the clipboard. You have eight full clips once done.

Captain Buck: “Wheels up in 20. Better take a leak and s*** while you can.”

[slicsinatra]

I get to the bathroom quick do my business, take a minute wash some water over my face from my bottle and use some of my tech to act as a mirror and look at my face. What do I see?

[Dragnoxz]

Another chopper lands while you are doing your business. It gets loud, almost as if it’s gonna land on top of you. The wind picks up and the porter-john seems to rock and rattle. Then it dies down. You have some minor cuts on your face from running through the woods. Eyes look red, you look muscular but almost as if you have lost some body mass. You can see your cheekbones and some stubble growing, which means you haven’t shaved in a few days. Face is kind of red. You are sweating for sure. You notice a gray hair, on your right side, close to your ear.

Captain Buck: “Wheels up in three.”

[slicsinatra]

“Gray hair. Jesus what am I? The president?” I chuckle and take off to the chopper.

[Dragnoxz]

Captain Buck: “Say what !?” You reach the chopper. It’s spooling up. You see Lakeland get out of the other chopper and go to the restroom area. The pilot gets out and checks the weapons pylons and pulls out a small branch before running to the fuel hose. She snatches it from the ground crew and says something to him. He walks back and waits at the pump control panel. Your chopper lifts up and rotates and leaves the island, heading toward the last waypoint.

[slicsinatra]

“I just looked at myself. I’m getting some gray in my hair. Does that make me look distinguished?”

[Dragnoxz]

Captain Buck: “It means you are well on your way to becoming a captain, haha.” He points at his head, the gray hair showing through the headgear. The copilot cracked up as well.

[slicsinatra]

“I’m just tryna be like you when I grow up Captain. Does the silver locks play well with the ladies or am I doomed?”

[Dragnoxz]

Captain Buck: “Who knows ?”

2nd Lt. Marx: “We are what we make ourselves.”

Captain Buck: “It’s the milage, not the years that gets us.” After a while the chopper reaches the waypoint. “Maybe we should leave the drone as a landmark.”