Fly Chapter 18

Hans sat in a cushioned office chair and opened a water bottle. He took a sip and pulled out his phone. Nope, uh uh, I said, it’s not break time, put your phone away, there’s a lot of work to do and you can help.

Hans had his phone in his hand as he said, I wasn’t on my phone. What can I do to help? 

I said, grab that box of grenades. Hans bent his knees and lifted the heavy crate up by the handles. He set it on a small table and opened the top. Green grenades sat nestled inside like eggs in a carton. Cardboard dividers ran between the rows of explosives. I picked up a box that contained cylinders slightly larger than a double A battery. Each cylinder had two short strands of wires coming out of one end. 

I pulled a grenade out of the crate and showed the bottom to Hans. It had a cylindrical hole in the center like an apple with the core cut out. I explained, the timed detonators have been removed from all these. You’re going to replace them with these electric ignition detonators.

Hans looked up at me doubtfully, I won’t accidentally set it off? I said, only if you accidentally touch the two wires to a battery.

From the other side of the room Kurgan said, so don’t do that.

I set the grenade on the table and went back to the spot where I was working. I picked up another drone, but casually watched Hans make his first attempt. He picked up a grenade in one hand and a detonator in the other. He looked at each piece, then tried tentatively to insert the detonator. The detonators weren’t perfectly round, they had one flat edge that would line up with a flat in the bore of the grenade. I was curious if he would figure this out on his own.

Hans started pushing the detonator against the bore, then he pushed harder. Then he tried to wiggle the cylinder at an angle. Then he held the grenade upside down against the table and tried pushing the detonator with the palm of his hand. It popped off the grenade and landed on the table.

I shot a furtive glance past Hans and saw that Kurgan had stopped what he was doing and was also watching Hans with amusement. Hans again placed the grenade firmly in one hand on the table and tried to work the small tube into the hole.

Kurgan said, would it help if it had some hair around it? I gave a chuckle.

This broke the young pilot’s concentration. He gave a nervous laugh and said, what?

Kurgan explained, maybe you could put it in easier if the hole had a little hair around it.

 Hans said, I heard you, but what does that even mean?

Hans turned and saw that I Kurgan and I were both staring at him. He laughed again and said, I told you guys I don’t get your weird movie references. I said, he’s making a joke that the detonator is a dick and you are trying to slide it into a pussy. Hans got red and made a funny scoffing sound somewhere between a cough and a laugh. Ok, I get it, but what does hair have to do with it?

Kurgan said, because a pussy has hair around it. Hans made the sound again and got a little redder. Ha Ha, very funny, now I know you're lying. Kurgan and I locked eyes.

I had to continue this conversation, I cautiously asked. Have you ever seen a real vagina?

Again, Hans scoffed, pffft, yeah I’ve seen tons of vaginas.

 I mean... I hesitated, in real life have you ever seen one? Or just on your phone?

Hans’ expression changed, he looked a little hurt. Then he admitted, uhh, no I’ve never seen a naked girl in real life. I haven't had a chance to have sex yet. But I’d really like to some day.

I nodded, it’s ok man, we aren’t here to make fun of you. Kurgan said, hey yeah, I wasn’t calling you out, I was just making a joke.

We all dropped the subject, but it didn’t go away. It hung there just off to the side. Kurgan walked over to Hans. He held the grenade in one hand and a detonator in the other. He tipped them so Hans could see the flat spots. See, you gotta line up the flats, he said and he slid the detonator smoothly into the hole. Hans said, ohhhh. Then he picked up another grenade and inserted a detonator without difficulty. 

Each of us tried to go back to what we were doing, the room was quiet for ten more seconds. Then Hans asked, so is it a lot of hair? Like, all around?  Why don't the women in videos have any?

Kurgan stifled a laugh. I said, think of it this way, men and women have the same amount of pubic hair. The women in the videos shave it off.

Hans pondered this then asked, so if it isn't shaved is it, like, hard to find the hole?

Now I blushed a little, I said, Have you talked to anyone else about sex? Didn’t you have sex-ed in high school? He said, No, sex ed was banned from schools. 

You never asked your parents about it? Kurgan asked. Hans gave him a look like he was describing a flat earth.

Hans explained, one time we were playing Call of Duty and this girl got on and started saying all kinds of nasty sex stuff. I think she was just saying it to distract everyone. 

Kurgan said, so most of what you know about sex is from porn and a shit talker on a game platform? Hans deflected the question, no, I mean, I know how I would do it. I think I would do it doggy style and reverse cowgirl.

Kurgan said, hmm, anything to avoid eye contact huh? I get that.

I said, I think you might wanna save those moves until you’ve had a little bit of practice. Porn has set you up for unreasonable expectations. Hans cocked his head, what do you mean?

I said, you can’t throw a football like an NFL quarterback and you can’t drive a car like a Formula One racer. Don’t think you can just go out and lay pipe like a pornstar.

Kurgan said, you might just cream in your jeans the first time a girl touches your crotch. Hans covered his eyes and laughed. No way! Did that happen to you? Kurgan wasn’t embarrassed at all, he stated matter of fact. I did, but you gotta remember I was only thirteen at the time. Hans stopped laughing at the big man.

Hans asked, doesn’t it just slip right in? Kurgan said, sometimes you gotta spit on your hand and rub it around.

Now I scoffed with embaressment, Geez dude! You are a raw motherfucker. Kurgan gave a sly grin and said, usually.

I said, look if this conversation is gonna continue, you need to understand that Kurgan seeks out a very specific kind of woman. The techniques he uses may not apply in all situations.

Kurgan put his hand to his chest and  mocked being offended. What are you trying to say about the women I go out with? Hans was grinning. I said, I’m just saying you have a type. Maybe they’re not all biker chicks, maybe they’re not all bat shit crazy, but there’s a pattern. Kurgan shot back, I think you're generalizing. I said, what did your last girlfriend do after you broke up?

Kurgan frowned at Hans and said, she made a profile for me on Grindr. Hans laughed and asked, did you get any interest? Kurgan said, more than you might expect, I had to change my phone number.

Hans laughed again, I smiled just hearing him laugh. Then he said, ok tell me more, I want to know. I took a sip of water and looked at the kid, he was staring back at me waiting for an answer. I wondered if he would ever have a chance to have a girlfriend, would he even be alive in another week?

Ok, I said, If you’re going to get with a woman, you should take it slow. Trying to jam it in when she’s not ready won’t work for her and it won’t be a good experience for either of you. Your best bet is to follow the bases and do them in order. Hans was grinning, but asked, what are the bases? 

I said, it’s like baseball, you start at first base, then second then third and finally home. Hans and Kurgan had stopped any form of work and sat listening to me. I looked out the door of the vault and verified nothing serious was happening outside.

Hans asked, what’s first base? I leaned in closer as if I was divulging important secrets, this seemed both ridiculous and important at the same time. I cleared my throat and said. First base is when you start kissing, maybe if you’re smooth and she’s into it you can slip a hand up her shirt. 

Kurgan surprised me and joined in with some sage advice. If you’ve got your hands on some titties don’t squeeze ‘em or pull on ‘em. You’re better off just running your hands around them and give a little love to the nips. I added, yeah, you’ll know you’re on the right track if the nipples firm up.

Hans’ eyebrows climbed up his forehead. Really? The nipples get hard? Kurgan said, oh yeah, and pointy, if she’s feeling it, those puppies could cut glass. I laughed, I was glad Kurgan was helping with this conversation.

Hans’ face was flushed, he asked, then what’s second base? I held my hand up and wiggled my fingers. That’s when you get your hands on each other. Han’s asked, how do I do that?

I gave a nervous laugh and asked, are we really doing this? Kurgan said, you can’t stop now. Besides we’ve taught this kid how to kill people, is that the only lesson we should teach him?

I cleared my throat again. Ok, how to finger a woman, step one, make sure your nails are trimmed and your hands are clean. If you give her a yeast infection she’ll remember that. 

Hans asked, can you do it if her pants are still on? I said, good question, you can do a little bit, but it’s not great, even panties can get in the way until you slide them over. Although, you can still accomplish alot by rubbing over the top of panties. Basically you get your middle finger down there and explore a little bit. You can do plenty before you actually go in. Rub along the sides and the top. She’ll start getting wet if you’re doing it right. Use the wetness and spread it around. Talk to her, ask her if it feels good and if she wants more.

Hans was nodding, committing the information to memory, then he asked. If she says yes, you can put your finger in? How far? I shrugged, when she’s ready, go all the way. He asked, how many fingers? I said, stick to one or two. Kurgan coughed loudly, stifling a laugh. I said, do you have something to add? Kurgan was smiling wide as he waved his hand, no, no, I was just remembering something, Hans you just use one or two fingers.

Hans asked, and just go in and out? He held out his pointer finger and middle finger together and jabbed them back and forth. No, I said, well, maybe, if that’s working. But try curling them back like this, I made a gentle stroking motion.. And work the top end. Kurgan added, make a fishhook. He held out two fingers and his thumb curled into a C, and said, that will get her squirming. Then use your thumb to rub the clitty.

Kurgan was standing next to Hans with his hand outstretched making this obscene finger gesture when we realized someone was standing in the doorway watching. The three of us looked up at a soldier with a frizzy brown beard and a confused look. His eyes swept to each of us and landed on Kurgan’s hand with outstretched fingers. 

He said, uhh, are you guys ready to go? I’m Corporal Raines, chief wanted me to work with you guys. Kurgan snapped his hand into a salute, and said, thirty third air assault at your service. Raines wasn’t wearing armor or a helmet, he asked, you sure I’m not interrupting anything important? I said, We were discussing uhh, tactical insertions. I’m Shade, I fly overwatch, this is Hans our pilot and Kurgan our frontman. My team nodded to the newcomer. He eyed us with uncertainty.

Great, he said, let’s put some birds in the air. We have a mortar team that’s pinned down and needs some help. 

I asked, where’s the best place to launch from? Raines pointed up, we have roof access if you want to go from there. I’ll get someone to show you. Raines leaned out the door and yelled Shippee! A soldier in full battle dress with armor and a rifle appeared at the door. Raines ordered, show this drone guy the way up to the roof. Kurgan stood and pulled on his helmet and some dark wraparound sunglasses. Then he picked up an attack drone in one hand and a spotter drone in the other. You lead the way, he told the grunt. The two men marched into the stairwell and started climbing. Hans hit his vape pen while I made some notes. Raines was swiping his finger along the tablet reviewing the map. Then we heard Kurgan’s voice come over the comm. I’m hand launching this one, then I’ll build a cradle. So don’t blow me up. Hans said, ok Kurgan, here we go. 

Once both drones were in the air,  Raines helped guide us to the location.He held a tablet that mirrored the screen on my controller. That’s it, just stay on this road. He said. He sat down next to me and I caught a whiff of intense body odor. I knew that I stunk, but his funk was overpowering mine. You’re getting close, he said. Look, you can see those AFV’s, the Kalyanis. 

We looked down on the battlefield from above and it started to become clear what was happening. The Indian forces were approaching from three directions with all their fire aimed at one building in the center. I saw several Indian soldiers on foot moving between the bullet riddled shops and taking cover behind burned out cars. One of the Kalyanis moved down the center of the road, a gunner in the top turret layed down suppressive machine gun fire at the roofline of a Dollar Store. Another one of the squat and boxy armored vehicles was closing in from the opposite end of the street.

Hans was sitting in the tellers booth next to me and I said to him, let’s start with that Kal that’s firing. Hans said, got it. I watched from above as a small white blur flew straight into the driver’s door of the armored vehicle. The blast engulfed the vehicle and flames started jutting out around the turret gunner as he abandoned the machine gun and scrambled out of the hole in the roof. The armored truck stopped moving as black smoke rose into the air.

Raines was watching the tablet when the drone hit and yelled with excitement, Yeah bitches! Take that! Boo yah! 

I snuck a glance at Hans, the goggles covered his eyes, but a slight grin crept across his face. In the roof stairwell Kurgan and his helper had built a makeshift drone cradle and carried several more attack drones up. As soon as Hans asked for it, they launched another drone.

I swept over the top of the Dollar Store where the mortar team was making its last stand. I could see muzzle flashes from several windows while other soldiers fired from positions on the roof. On one corner of the rooftop a wounded soldier was laid out as two corpsmen worked frantically to save his life.

I called the unit on my headset, Able Two One. This is Shade with air assault, we are on site with overwatch assistance and attack drones. I waited, then my earphone came alive with the sounds of battle. A machine gun hammered in the background. Copy that Shade, a soldier yelled into the mic, are you the ones who took out the Kal on our right? Affirmative Able, but there is another Kal approaching from up the street on your left. Ok, thanks for the intel, how are we looking to the rear of the store? I have a very limited field of fire that way.

The drone rose up and flew behind the store. I looked down on a dumpster and a delivery dock. The roll up door at the dock had no windows in it. I pulled my drone back to a higher elevation over the store to see more of the terrain, and that’s when I saw the enemy attack drone go after the medics. The drone raced into frame and made a beeline for the two men stabilizing the wounded soldier. In a violent explosion it killed all three in one firey explosion. The other soldiers on the roof watched in horror.

I reported the enemy drone strike to the Able team. Hans flew his drone into the side of the second assault truck but it failed to pierce the armor. Then the situation got crazy. I became aware that other conversations were happening on closed channels, plans were in motion that we weren’t involved in. An MRAPS started coming through the neighborhood behind the Dollar Store. It looked like the one we had just ridden in that morning. The mortar team started pulling off the roof, dragging the bodies of their fallen with them. Hans asked if he should launch another drone. I said, just hang on. It looks like we’re trying an extraction. 

The enemy  Kalyani pulled in front of the store, pumping lead from the top turret gunner. Enemy soldiers on foot fanned out to cover both sides of the building. The MRAPS was only two blocks away. If it pulled in behind the store it would be overwhelmed with fire from the infantry men.

An unfamiliar voice spoke into my headset. 33rd air assault, this is Draco, we are approaching with a heavy attack drone, remain at that observation altitude, and do not engage. I said, copy that Draco.

The enemy soldiers covered three sides of the building with the armored truck centered in front. Hans wasn’t flying so he tipped up his goggles to watch the action on the tablet Raines held.

The enemy was pushing to capture the team trapped inside the building. Then a huge foreboding black drone crept over the top of them. Under it hung a large metal bucket. In the bucket was a precise mixture of powdered aluminum, iron oxide and other chemicals that could be ignited to form thermite. Sparks flew from the drone and streams of burning liquid metal started raining down onto the soldiers below. The thermite burned through helmets, armor and flesh.

The enemy soldiers surrounding the store broke cover to escape the thermite and several were gunned down by the team inside. Draco’s drone centered above the Kalyani armored truck and spewed burning droplets onto the roof. The turret gunner ducked inside the vehicle for cover and the white hot liquid splattered through the hole in the roof, setting the truck on fire.

I could see the stream of thermite was thinning out, but the drone still veered towards the soldiers covering the north side of the Dollar Store. Having seen what it was capable of, soldiers bolted and ran from the incindiary dropping drone. 

The massive octocopter drone pulled away from the scene and returned to its team. The MRAPS truck pushed through a wooden fence in the alley behind the store and prepared to rescue the mortar team inside. A trail of burning thermite continued to melt the asphalt in the parking lot. Some of the crew in the Kalyani climbed out of the burning truck and escaped as ammunition inside began to cook off.

The MRAPS pulled into the loading area behind the store where semi’s would back into the dock. The turret gunner swivelled the auto cannon side to side looking for danger. 

The team inside the building must have been gathering their gear and preparing to evacuate. My drone was still hovering above the store, I looked at the icons on my screen and saw the battery was at thirty percent. Then I saw a small dark shape zip past under my camera and in the front of the store. 

I didn’t have time to say anything or warn anyone. The flat roof of the store bulged skyward and then fell in on itself. Glass and smoke blew out of all the windows. Raines yelled out, Holy shit! Hans exclaimed, go to the back! I flew my drone back to the rear of the store and saw the MRAPS still intact. Burning pieces of debris were scattered on the roof, but the heavy armored truck was built to withstand explosions going off near it. The rear door opened and two soldiers ran out. They climbed through a blown out window to get inside the store. Flames started licking out of gashes in the collapsed roof. I lowered the drone for a closer view, the battery icon now said twenty five percent. I swept my view in all directions trying to spot any more incoming drones. The flames in the building increased. Raines pointed at the screen and said, there! As the heavy steel door at the back of the building opened up with a billow of smoke. One of the soldiers from the MRAPS came out with another soldier leaning heavy on their shoulder. The soldier was brought to the rear of the truck where two others came out to help load him in. The first soldier then ran back into the store. A moment passed, then two figures emerged from the smoking doorway dragging a limp body. The pair moved quickly pulling the injured soldier by his harness straps as his head lolled. One of the rescuers noticed my drone buzzing above them and looked up. It's her! Hans said. Hernandez looked up at the drone, soot was smeared across one cheek. Then she turned to the task of loading the injured soldier into the back of the truck. The doors slammed and the MRAPS drove off the way it had come in.

A low battery warning began to flash on my screen so I started to fly the drone back to the bank. A few times I stopped and panned around to make sure I wasn’t being followed. The enemy obviously had a heavy drone presence in this AO. The drone landed on the roof and Kurgan retrieved it. He carried it into the vault and said to me, the snipers upstairs see a vehicle approaching.