Welcome to Our Life -- Chapter 15: Becky (X6-405)
Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Jondy, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Elle/X5-164, etc.).
"Please let Kyle finish with his mission soon," Kevin whined as we marched back to our barracks.
"Relax, Kevin, he's scheduled to return in two days, remember?" I said. "Don't worry. It shouldn't be too long. Why are you so antsy for him to get back?"
"He owes me for a bet we made," Kevin said.
Suzanne snorted. "Owes you what? It's not like we're making money."
"Guys, please don't--" I stopped suddenly and held up my hand and we all paused in the hallway as a tech came running up to us. "Yes? Can we help you?"
"I'm sorry," he said. "X6-405? Colonel Lydecker wants to see you in his office immediately."
I nodded. "773, take the unit back to the barracks. I'll meet you there when I'm finished in Colonel Lydecker's office."
"Yes, ma'am," Kevin said. He saluted me and moved to the front of the line and continued to lead the rest of them back to our barracks.
I nodded to the tech and he led me over to Colonel Lydecker's office. When we got there, he went inside and let Colonel Lydecker know that I had arrived. He came back out and he nodded to me and I went inside and saluted Lydecker and stood at attention. "X6-405 reporting as ordered, sir."
"At ease, 405," Lydecker said. I took a good look at him. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. I've known the bastard my whole life and his expression was pretty much the same, but there was something in his eyes that had me on edge but not in the way that they usually did. "405, I'm afraid that I have some bad news for you. We received a transmission from the team over in Italy. The mission was a success, but they had exchanged some fire with the target as they got away and I'm afraid that 115 was shot in the fight. They got him back to their base and gave him medical attention, but the gunshot wound was in the head and they weren't able to revive him. 115 is officially listed as K.I.A. I'm very sorry, 405."
I was beyond shocked. Kyle was dead? That couldn't be right. I could almost feel everything inside of me go numb and I somehow managed to keep my face straight and my voice level in front of Lydecker. "Thank you for letting me know about this, sir."
Lydecker nodded. "115's body is already in the process of being sent back here. After we have completed the organ harvesting procedures, we will bury 115 in the graveyard. I will let your unit know when his body will be ready for burial so that all of you may attend."
A soldier always pays respects to those who didn't make it. It was one of those cardinal rules that Lydecker impressed upon us from day one and I absolutely agreed with that rule. "Thank you, sir."
"You may return to your barracks and inform the rest of your unit," Lydecker said. He nodded to me. "You are dismissed."
I saluted Lydecker and turned around and left the office. I was stunned and hurting. I couldn't believe that Kyle was gone. He'd been one of my best friends since we were babies. He and I were only three months apart in age and we'd always been close, as close as he and Kevin had been. I closed my eyes for a moment as another wave of pain hit. Oh my God. Kevin and the others were going to be crushed when I tell them this. How was I going to do this? How can I?
I reached the hallway where our barracks were located and I approached the door. Time seemed to slow down with every step that I took. By the time that I got to the door and was reaching for the handle, it seemed as if time had slowed to a crawl. I took a deep breath. You have to do this, Becky. You have to do this. I grabbed the handle and opened the door and stepped inside our barracks. The others had just finished getting ready for lights out and they all turned to me when they saw me come in. They looked happy, but that started to fade when they saw the look on my face.
"Becky? Is something wrong?" Karen asked.
I took a deep breath and nodded and I decided to go right out and say it. "Kyle was killed on his mission."
"No," Liesel whimpered. "He can't be dead."
"What happened?" Sandy asked.
"Colonel Lydecker told me that he and the rest of the team had completed the mission successfully, but that as they were getting away, they exchanged fire with the target and Kyle was shot," I said. "He took it in the head. They couldn't save him."
"That's impossible!" Kevin said. "Kyle's better than that! He knows how to dodge bullets just like the rest of us! There's no way that he could have taken a bullet and there's no way that he's dead! It's not possible."
"You know that sometimes even we can't avoid a bullet," I said gently. "There could have been a number of factors present. It could have been a matter of numbers. It could have been a bullet ricocheting off of a surface and catching Kyle by surprise. It could have even been something as simple as Kyle having a bad day at the worst possible time. I don't know. I don't think that we will know anything until the rest of that group gets back from Italy and is debriefed. All I know is what I was told by Lydecker. He did say that as soon as Kyle's body is ready to be buried, we'll be notified. We will at least be able to say good-bye to him."
Kevin nodded and then burst into tears. Several more of my brothers and sisters followed suit and I tried to hug as many of them as I could, all the while forcing my own grief underneath the surface. After while, they calmed down enough to climb into bed and they fell asleep almost immediately, even Karen. I just kicked off my boots and put them in their usual place underneath my bunk and climbed into it fully clothed and waited until the lights went out and the guard passed by the door. As soon as he had passed by and was out of earshot, I sat back up and swung my legs over the side of the bunk and just sat there with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. What was I going to do?
TBC