Against all odds (Reg Slivko - Thomas Mann Fic)

On war

The group had left that cemetery of giant gorillas before any other creature appeared. Slivko had received a big blow to the head when got fired after one of the many explosions. However, despite a headache, he was conscious, and the disorientation was going away. His main wound was not in him but in Meg. The girl was standing next to him, arms crossed. Reg knew he was dwelling something; her eyes were lost and she bit her lower lip. He wanted to ask her if she was okay if he could do something for her, but he did not dare. Something told him that Meg was making a superhuman effort not to fall apart.

In fact, Meg knew that if she let herself fall, she could not get up. The images of the latest events were repeated again and again in her mind, in a torturing loop, accompanied by the sound of the flash of Randa's camera. She had no control over it. Images and sounds flooded her mind and she felt them as something that had happened to someone else, in another time and place.

As Conrad had anticipated, they had succeeded. But at a high price: not only Randa had fallen, but also several of the soldiers who accompanied them. Worst of all, the sacrifice had been in vain. Chapman, the soldier that Packard said he wanted to rescue, was dead. While the number of the expeditionaries decreased, the tensions among the survivors increased.

"I'm sorry, Colonel Packard," said Conrad "Chapman is dead". He took out of his pocket a pair of dog tags with Chapman's name on it.

Conrad's words took Megan out of her head. The girl looked at Mills and Reles. She knew how they must be feeling. And then looked at Packard, it was time for the truth.

"We're still going to that crash site," said the Colonel.

Meg felt anger crawling up her back. She wasn't at all surprised by Packard's attitude but his words and actions were taking away all of her patience. Like a glass that is getting fill up with water she was about to overflow.

"What's at that crash site that you want so badly?" Conrad asked.

"Weapons! Enough to kill it"

"You can't kill Kong, Colonel." Said Marlow "He's the only thing keeping them lizards things in the ground"

"And we'll end them too. After we bring this thing down"

"I can't let you do that, Colonel" Marlow took out his sable.

Immediately the soldiers pointed their M-16 at Marlow. The metallic sound of the weapons getting ready to shoot stressed Meg and she took some steps back. Even Mills had pointed his gun to Marlow. «Why?» she asked herself, they were on the same team, Mills was as upset as her -or worse than her- about Packard's attitude.

Slivko sensed her fear, he was about to point to Marlow to, but couldn't make his mind.

Finally, Packard was faster than all of them. He knocked Marlow down punching him in the stomach.

"This is one war we not gonna lose!" said the Colonel.

"We're not at war!" said Megan pointing out the obvious. If nobody was going to put the Colonel in his place, she will do it. "You have to look for another excuse to justify your misery"

A chill ran through Reg's body. Meg's words were so familiar.

"Like an expedition to an uncharted island?" Said Packard pointing his M-16 at her face. "Your father's lies got my men killed!"

Meg froze. Everybody's confused looks were on her. But she didn't look down or step back. She had also thought like Packard once, but it was different now. She wanted to say something to defend her father but couldn't came up with any clear idea.

Slivko took her by the wrist and got her away of Packard's sights. His Colonel gave him a bad look. Slivko knew that he probably was going to be punished for his behavior, but he couldn't let his Colonel just point a rifle to an unarmed civilian; less if the civilian was his girl.

"And you're gonna get us all killed" Weaver interrupted and Packard point at her.

"Not our fight," said Conrad, getting in between.

"Whose side are you on, Captain?" said Packard still with his rifle pointing at them.

"Okay, Colonel," said Conrad. "You'll find your Sea Stallion three klicks up that ridge. Now I'm gonna take these civilians back to the boat, and we'll wait for you there. All right?" and he raise his arms as if he was surrendering.

Meg looked at Reg. He was still grabbing her by the wrist. She could see by the agitation of his chest that he was breathing fast. She tried to read his face to guess what was he thinking, but she was clueless.

"Saddle up!" said Packard putting his gun down. "Let's go kill this thing!" Ordered then and the soldiers started moving.

Megan's heart raced. The very idea of being separated of Reg made her shiver.

Slivko didn't move. Lots of question nailed his brain like poisoned darts. «Stay with her» a part of him begs to himself. But he could not give himself that pleasure. If only he could make she understand.

Meg pulled Reg's shirt to make him look at her.

He saw her standing next to him, blessing him with her best smile, and he could not help but hold her.

That was her favorite place in the world. She hugged him back and enjoyed the moment. She would love to ask him to stay, but she knew that wasn't an option, not anymore.

"Slivko!" called him the Colonel.

Reg hugged her tighter.

"I'll be fine," she said after taking a long depth breath. "I'm a big tough girl, tie my sandals and everything".

He took her face with both hands, thinking that in his previous life he must have done something extraordinary, otherwise, he could not explain how fortunate he was in this life. He needed to get a clear picture of her, like a last long depth breath before getting down into water. That alone could give him enough strength to face what was to come. He looked at her bright and brown eyes, her cheeks always pink, her nose cover with a little dirt, and her lips. «Those lips» he thought, they always made him feel as if he were on the middle of a desert, so thirsty. He caressed her lower lip with his thumb and then put his lips on hers. That was his favorite place in the world.

"Slivko!" called him again the Colonel.

"Wait for me," he told her, moving fast, other way he wouldn't be able to let her.

Meg watched him go away not at all sure that she had made the right decision. In like an hour or two she had passed of being between two of the most important men in her life to be without them. It all seemed part of a chain of bad decisions that she could trace back to a long time ago. She hoped for things to be different since now.