At daybreak, David found himself still in his hammock, relieved to be breathing the crisp, fresh air. His men woke at about the same time, and he found that they used the same sleeping medicine as he had used.
Their pistols swaying from side to side, the AGF�s scouted the immediate area again, assuring security once more. The spot they had chosen was ideal; they were a mere 15 meters from a small gurgling stream whose sound was as welcoming as salami wrapped in bacon and fried in butter. That solved several of their problems, as the stream also provided an abundant supply of alien fish.
�Sir� shouted William Roxtren. �Sir I believe I found something that may� disturb you�. David rushed to see what seemed so important that it meant distracting him from his planning.
�What is it?�
�Sir, I found tracks under our little home-above-ground. They�re human. And it looks like they came around at about 0300� they know we�re alive sir.� The very thought that their little plan of elusion had failed worried him, though he could not show it. A leader with fear is never a good thing. It would have taken a single upward glance from their visitors to spell their doom, yet once again David�s luck was keeping up with him. Silently, he praised and thanked himself for suspending everyone and their equipment above the ground.
�Roxtren, I want you in charge of getting this slumber party cleaned up. We move out in 30 minutes. Clear?� demanded David.
�Sir, yes sir! This place will be packed so nice, sir, you can put it in a can. Sir.�
�I expect it to�, replied David. The twitch of a grin was only half of what he felt; he had the lurching feeling he would be the only one to survive this little ordeal. But until he could plan a victory dance he needed the victory first. His plan was flawless, but he could only hope that it would truly fall through. As he saw the looks of the faces on his AGF�s looking at him he knew they would follow him wherever he went, even to their very deaths. That was a quality he both admired and constantly desired from them. �Where�s our guest?� demanded David.
�Sir, I do not believe he has yet awoken,� answered Jean. �Shall I get sleeping beauty out of bed?�
�By any means necessary�, joked David. Jean�s method merely involved a live fish down Sam�s shirt, but it still humored the entire squad.
The group grabbed a bike each from a hidden, camouflaged hole in the ground they had dug the previous day. They were each carrying easily 40 kilos of materials minus Sam, but thanks to the extreme efficiency of the graceful bikes, it felt like carrying air.
�Why have you not found them yet?� shouted General Hanford into Corporal Jameson�s face. The General�s head appeared to be similar to that of an obsessively oversized cherry. The fact of the matter was a military squad lurked on their planet, and his finest scouts still had not found them. Tracks had been found, and a ship found at the bottom of a canyon filled with ripped corpses. The general had left Jameson solely in charge of the operation as he had been asking for such an opportunity for quite some time. However, he had failed. And the general despised failure more than the Allies. He pulled his .44 caliber pistol from his side and pressed it into Jameson�s forehead.
�Sir, please! We�re right on their tail sir� please just let me have another day at least! General! I can get the job done� but only if I�m alive!� The general thought it over some, and slowly lowered his sidearm. The grip on the corporal�s neck did not change though.
�Very well�� said the general. �You may have yet another chance.� The corporal showed signs of relief in his face. �In HELL!� The general pulled the trigger.
A white flash. �There�s no pain�, thought Jameson. �I got shot and I don�t feel anything. Am I dying? No! I can�t� I�m 27, that can�t happen yet. Why do I feel so dizzy? Oh god, I�m bleeding!�
The corporal fell to his knees, clutching his stomach with both hands, leaning against the wall on which he was held against only moments before. Tears rolled down his face.
�I told you, you do not EVER� fail General Hanford. And you had the guts to ask me for mercy� where are those �guts� now?!?� Screamed the general, who still stood inches from the corporal. The corporal looked into his eyes, looking like a man after a week�s sleep deprivation. �Damn straight, they�re on the floor. See, you�re WORTHLESS, Jameson. Now some private has to clean this mess up. You make me sick.�
As a strange, welcoming warm light surrounded Jameson�s vision, he suddenly felt some inner peace. As the general turned to leave, the corporal took a fragmentation grenade, pulled its pin, and slammed it on the floor in front of him, as he lost consciousness.
