Against all odds (Reg Slivko - Thomas Mann Fic)

Scientific instruments

"I can't believe we are doing this. Are you guys kidding me? A day away," Mills complained while the Jeep stopped at the harbor. "One day away! And, no, now we gotta go to another island, with another jungle"

"Vietnam's not an island, dumbass," Cole corrected him.

"Well, Key West is" Mills defended himself. "And that's exactly where I need to be right now. With a drink in my hand"

"Key West ain't an island either. It's a key."

"You ain't funny, Cole."

They made their way through the crowd to the ship that leads them to the last-minute mission that Colonel, Packard, had accepted so gladly.

"You do understand me, right Slivko?" asks Mills, approaching the soldier. "Sure you feel like me, you would like to be at home, in your bed, with your girlfriend"

"Ex-girlfriend," corrected again Cole.

"I doubt that would have happened anyway..." said Slivko trying to play down the issue.

"What do you mean? She wrote you all those letters, she must be waiting for you."

"Slivko never answered her," said Cole.

"That ain't funny, Cole."

"But it's true."

"Yes, well... It's complicated" tried to explain, without success, Slivko.

"One worse than the other," Mills said, looking from Cole to Slivko. "Nuts! Come on Reles, let's look for a place away from these two, it can be contagious" He went up the ship dragging his mate.

Slivko smiled at Mills's comment but began to wonder if he had not screwed things up. At first, not answering her letters had seemed right. He had made it clear: she should go on with her life. But now that the letters stopped arriving and the war was over, he saw things from another angle. The truth was that he had never imagined he would come back. «When one enlists», his father used to say, «gives his life to the Nation.»

"Last mission soldier!" said Cole striking him on the shoulder and going on the ship.

Slivko adjusted the bag on his shoulder and followed him.

Meg was one of the first crew to board. First and foremost because she hated being late, and second because she wanted to avoid the temptation to back down. When leaving her house she had run into several groups of people celebrating the end of the war. Arriving at the airport was a tough task, tempted all the time to get off the taxi and join the festivities.

"There she is!" field supervisor Victor Nieves greeted when saw her enter the meeting room. "My new field assistant" Open his arms welcoming her.

"Hello sir," she replied amused by his excitement. "I wanted to thank you for this opportunity..."

"Nonsense" Nieves said shaking her hand "You were the most qualified; everyone at LANDSAT is impressed by your work."

"Thank you, sir,"

"Stop calling me sir, tell me, Victor," he said with a big smile.

"All right... Victor," she repeated.

"That is! Now let me introduce you to the team."

Megan follows him to a small adjoining room filled with transmission devices. There, a group of no more than five people was finalizing details for the meeting.

"Attention, I want to introduce you to Megan Fox, the new field assistant."

"Hello!" Megan greeted smiling.