The Codetalkers (The Rebelutionaries Series: Book 2) Read online

Chapter 7

  Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself.

  When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

  -Jack Welch

  Maya tiredly watched Zac arrange a bed of pine needle branches on the rocks near the fire.

  “Why are you doing that?”

  “It’s bedding… If you insulate yourself from the ground with bushes or branches, you’ll stay warmer. And you’ll also have something dry to put on the fire the following morning.”

  “Why are you hitting the branches on the ground?” asked Jake.

  “To evict any bed bugs. Particularly ticks.”

  “Ticks are dangerous?”

  “They can carry Lyme’s disease. I got a bite about a year ago in similar country. Fortunately I knew what to look for.”

  “What do you look for?”

  “One tell-tale sign is a tick bite which clears from the middle and looks like a bulls eye... If you notice a bite like that let me know. It’s treatable with antibiotics in the early stages, but untreated it can leave you with achy joints and lots of other nasty complications.”

  “Maybe we should hold the branches over the fire as well then,” suggested Jake. “To bring any bugs out of hiding.”

  “Good thinking cob.”

  “You’re going to a lot of trouble. We haven’t been cold the other nights,” ventured Maya.

  “We’re at a higher altitude. It’s going to be much harder to stay warm tonight.”

  “I’d give anything for a hot bath. I don’t suppose there’s a secluded hot spring somewhere nearby?”

  “This stopover’s marked with the same symbol as the other places with the willow trees. But if there’s a secret hot spring here, it must be pretty small, because there’s only one struggling willow tree, way over there in the distance.”

  “There’s not much in the way of privacy either, now we’ve taken the branches off the pine tree.”

  “I’m sorry if you feel awkward.”

  “I feel awkward about something else actually.”

  “Is it a let’s-go-away-and-talk-in-private awkward or a wait-until-it’s-dark awkward?”

  “Maybe I’ll wait until it’s dark.”

  “Hmmm... That does sound awkward, coming from you,” said Zac, planting a gentle kiss on Maya’s hand.

  “Gag! Mushy scene!” groaned Jake. “Wait until it’s dark!”

  Zac’s laughter echoed across the canyon. Maya managed to smile.

  “Come on. Let’s have dinner together and watch the sun set together. The three of us, eh?”

  Ω

  Twilight. Zac spread out his sleeping bag and sprawled out close to Maya. Jake settled down beside them.

  “So is it dark enough to talk about that big, ominous, awkward thing yet?”

  Maya hugged her knees and shivered miserably.

  “I’ve changed my mind. I might talk about it tomorrow.”

  “Hmmm... How do you think we should coax this secret out of her Jake?”

  “My getting-secrets-out-of-girls skills aren’t very good Zac.”

  “Come on. The two of us built an E/M weapon together. How hard can getting a secret out of a girl be?”

  Jake looked thoughtful.

  “Well, this morning Maya said Hope sounds like a woman after her own heart. Maybe you should do whatever you do to get secrets out of your sister.”

  “Sounds like an excellent strategy little brother.”

  Jake laughed softly.

  “Should I stay?”

  “Course. Why?”

  “Well you said your sister talks about embarrassing stuff with you. Maybe Maya’s secret has to do with embarrassing stuff.”

  Maya took a deep breath and turned her head away, her eyes glistening with tears.

  “I think you hit the nail on the head Jake... Hmmm... Hope always makes me guess her secrets... The rule is you have to answer every question Maya... Let’s see... Is this embarrassing thing something to do with your body, your mind or your spirit?”

  “My body,” sighed Maya.

  “Okay... Is this embarrassing thing above my hand or below my hand?” said Zac, gently resting his hand on Maya’s stomach.

  “Below.”

  “Are you brave enough to put my hand on the place?”

  “If you’re brave enough to let me.”

  Zac cleared his throat softly.

  “Okay... Let’s be brave together... 1,2,3...”

  Jake groaned and buried his face in his hands.

  Silence. Maya flinched as Zac’s fingertips explored around the area.

  “Hmmm... Pretty tender, eh?”

  Maya nodded but said nothing.

  “Are her legs chafe like mine?” asked Jake, peering through the gate of his fingers.

  “No. But the pain is in a similar region though.”

  “Oh.”

  Zac eyed Maya in the fading light.

  “This morning... when you diverted the focus off yourself. Is this something you should have told me about?”

  “It was a pre-existing condition Zac. But I didn’t mention it when you asked about pre-existing conditions because... because I was too embarrassed to mention it. And I didn’t expect it to flare up.”

  “Maya... this trek is designed to show the elite soldiers who take it, what their physical, emotional and mental limitations are. We can’t expect the trek not to expose our weaknesses as well... Including the ones we don’t want to tell our friends about.”

  Maya looked around as Zac started pulling things out of his pack.

  “Hey Zac. I’ve been thinking. You know that willow tree off in the distance? Maybe we should take a torch and go explore behind the branches?”

  “Why?”

  “Well there was a fantastic hot spring behind the other willow trees down in the bottom of the other gorge. Maybe there really is a hot spring over there near the willow tree.”

  “Ah ha.”

  “It’d be so nice to have a bath. Let’s go explore!” said Maya, reaching for the torch.

  Zac gently grabbed her wrist and moved the torch out of reach.

  “Nice try but I’m learning just how conniving women can be, thanks to Maya school.”

  “What?” said Maya innocently.

  “You’re trying to divert the focus off yourself again. Like you did this morning. Come on. Off with the cargo pants Maya...”

  Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.

  -Helen Keller

  Maya sighed noisily. A rustle of clothing.

  “That’s it. I’m outta here!” groaned Jake.

  “Not so fast Jake... I need you to distract Maya while I try and do something about this.”

  “But she’s taking off her pants.”

  “She’s keeping her undies on Jake. And she was wearing less when we were bathing together in the hot springs this morning.”

  “But I couldn’t see her legs this morning!”

  “Well you can hardly see them now either. It’s practically dark.”

  “But it’s embarrassing Zac!”

  “Look. It’s embarrassing for all of us. Life’s just like that sometimes. Let’s all be embarrassed together and come through this together, eh?”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t transparent with you Zac. And you Jake. You both wouldn’t be embarrassed if I’d been honest.”

  “Apology accepted. Hmmm... This must be very painful... What I think we need to do right now is try to help you feel more comfortable... Except I’ve only got a basic medical kit with me, so we’re gonna have to improvise.”

  “W...What are you doing to me?”

  “Just putting some Leucopore on the area. It contains Lignocaine. It’s the closest thing I’ve got to a local anaesthetic.”

  Silence.

  “It’s sticky... But it is feeling better. Thanks Zac.”

  “Hang on a jiffy... I can do something else that might help too. Jake... Are you okay?”

&nbs
p; “”S’pose.”

  “Hey listen mate. Point out some star constellations to Maya and tell her all about them will you? Orion’s pretty clear at the moment...”

  “Um... Maya... Orion’s that group over there... They also call it the Hunter... See that bright star that’s part of Orion - it’s called Rigel - it’s the seventh brightest star in the entire night sky... and Betelgeuse is also called the Hunter’s shoulder - its diameter is 1200 times greater than the sun... and it gives off 120,000 times as much light energy as the sun...”

  “I didn’t know that... What about that yellow-reddish star? That one over there?”

  “That’s called Arcturus. It’s only 20 times larger than the sun... But do you know light from Arcturus was used to trigger the opening of the Chicago Exposition in 1933?”

  “How’d they manage that?”

  “As the star moved in front of a carefully placed telescope, it triggered a light-sensitive switch.”

  “You sure know lots of obscure facts about astronomy Jake... How about that really bright star over there? Ouch... That’s stinging Zac...”

  “Sorry... You’re being very brave. What bright star were you talking about? Point it out to Jake again.”

  “That one... Over there.”

  “That’s not a star. It’s Jupiter!” laughed Jake. “What are you doing to her anyway Zac?”

  “Sit tight mate. Nearly finished.”

  “Why do you want me to sit tight?” asked Jake, wriggling over closer to Zac.

  “Oh.”

  Silence.

  “You’ve got it stuck in her... her...”

  “The medical term is labium...”

  “I... I couldn’t do that.”

  “I didn’t know I could until tonight, either... You never know what you can do until you try... There we go. All finished.”

  “What did you do?” asked Maya, pushing herself up into sitting position.

  “I drained about 20 ml of fluid out of the cyst sac. You still might need penicillin to clear up the infection but we’ll see how we go, eh?”

  “The lump! I can’t even feel it now Zac. The pain’s gone. And it’s been hurting all day.”

  “Hear that Jake? Maya’s gonna be able to get a comfortable sleep tonight. And you’re gonna have more courage in this area, as a result of what happened tonight. That was worth the discomfort of all-round embarrassment for five minutes wasn’t it?”

  “S’pose... I might sit over there for a bit... And think.”

  “Take your sleeping bag then. If you get cold it’ll be hard to get warm again...”

  Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

  -William James.

  “Here... Try these... They’re easier on the eyes after dusk,” said John, holding out a pair of night vision binoculars.

  Ryan looked surprised.

  “Aren’t those the latest satellite-assisted NVGs Sir?”

  “Ah ha. Go ahead and test drive them for the rest of your watch. Until 21:00 isn’t it?”

  Ryan nodded and carefully took the night vision binoculars out of their case.

  “Gee thanks... I’ve always wanted to try out a pair of these. I’ve read all about them!”

  John smiled at his enthusiasm.

  “What’s the update on our civilians anyway?”

  “They’ve set up camp for the night. The team leader had the first aid out. Treating the girl for something. She seems alright now though. They’ve just been sitting around the fire chatting... I can’t work it out actually.”

  “Work out what?”

  “Why he’s not coming onto her. I mean she’s good looking.”

  “A leader finds credibility by being an example to the rest of his team. And that means having higher standards than the rest of his team.”

  “But there’s no one to see him, except the scrawny kid.”

  “You’re someone Ryan. And you’ve been watching him like a hawk all day. Assessing his integrity as a leader...”

  John paused.

  “A leader always leads by example - whether he intends to or not. And you never know who might be watching and learning from your example, eh?”

  Nobody can go back and start a new beginning,

  but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

  –Maria Robinson

  Zac eased himself into reclining position by the fire. Maya returned, dressed in her PJ’s.

  Silence.

  “Hey come on. Let’s not get awkward around each other... Our friendship is too precious, eh?”

  “I don’t know how to get past this awkwardness Zac.”

  “How about a mutual foot rub? It worked last time.”

  A fragile smile.

  “Thanks.”

  Silence. Maya drew a deep breath as Zac started rubbing her feet.

  “Have you ever peeked at a girl there before?” she asked cautiously.

  “I didn’t really peek. I just felt a bit. Just long enough to find the cyst and drain it.”

  “Have you ever felt a girl there before?”

  “Not a grown up woman... I used to put nappy cream on Hope there. When she was a baby.”

  “You mean you’ve always held the abstinence until marriage ideal?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even when you were a teenager?”

  “Ah ha.”

  “That’s rare in a guy. Especially one as sexy as you.”

  Zac blushed.

  “Thanks for the compliment. I’ll treasure it.”

  Maya moistened her lips.

  “So are you gonna ask me if I’m a virgin?”

  “No. That would be invading your privacy.”

  “I guess a guy that’s saved himself wouldn’t be interested a woman who hasn’t.”

  Zac paused.

  “I believe God’s ideal is for a couple to go into a marriage with no previous sexual experiences to mar their intimacy. But we don’t always make the right choices. And sometimes life dishes out lemons. Even when it does though, I believe we can still choose what we do with the lemons. We can choose to live in regret all our lives. Or choose to turn the lemons into lemonade.”

  “And lemon meringue pie?”

  “Ah ha.”

  “And lemon butter if you’ve got lots of lemons?”

  Zac stopped rubbing Maya’s feet and wriggled closer to her.

  “You’re crying. Are you in pain?”

  “No. I’ve just never felt so unconditionally accepted and loved before... It feels so... wholesome. You’re just loving me for who I am... when you could be taking advantage of me... out here... when I’m vulnerable.”

  “You’re a baby Christian Maya, so this might go over your head... But God expects unmarried Christians like us to have a Philippians 4:8 attitude towards each other...”

  “What’s Philippians 4:8 say?”

  Zac pulled out a Gideon New Testament and brushed his arm against Maya’s.

  “It says - Whatever things are true... noble... just... pure... lovely... of good report, if there is any virtue... anything praiseworthy... then meditate on these things...”

  “So it’s saying, if you think right you behave right?”

  “Exactly. Hope and I were talking about this one time actually. She used to go to youth groups to meet guys, ‘coz she felt she needed a guy to feel good about herself... But she ended up confused…One pastor talked about what not to do and Hope came home with a head full of legalistic ideas about not dressing provocatively and talking impurely. Then she went off to another youth group and it was the opposite extreme. They told the girls to dress hot and wear makeup, so it’d draw other young people to church. And they said that dating, dirty dancing and defacto relationships were acceptable.”

  “I can’t blame her for being confused.”

  “Dad ended up telling Hope to think with her heart. The Bible says ‘As a man thinks in his heart so is he’. And Philippians explains what to think about...”

  �
��So it’s like your code of conduct?”

  “Ah ha… Pure, honest, praiseworthy thoughts lead to pure, honest, praiseworthy actions, behaviour and dress codes.”

  Silence.

  Zac breathed gently on Maya’s cheek and nuzzled her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Stretching my boundaries...”

  “It feels different to anything I’ve ever experienced before... Romantic... But pure at the same time.”

  “I learnt it off my dad... Are you dying of embarrassment over there Jake?”

  “H...How’d you know I was awake, when I was pretending to be asleep?” asked Jake out of the darkness.

  “When you’re really asleep you snore! Direct order. Bring your bag over here now. The mist is starting to descend. We’re gonna need to keep each other warm tonight. Whether you like it or not.”

  Zac unzipped his and Maya’s sleeping bags and rejoin the zips.

  “I didn’t know you can join two sleeping bags together into a double bag.”

  “I learnt that off my dad too. We always joined our bags together when we went camping as a family. Dad would joke it kept away the drop bears... In you hop girl.”

  Jake frowned as Zac started adding his bag.

  “Hang on... You want me to sleep in the same bag as you and Maya?”

  “You told your dad you were my chaperon the other day, didn’t you?”

  “But she’s got her periods. Some might get on me!” protested Jake.

  “What was all that you said this morning about being sympathetic towards a girl if you found out she had her periods?” retorted Maya huffily.

  “It’s a bloke’s prerogative to change his mind.”

  “In you get chaperon.”

  “Well I’m not sleeping near her!”

  “Alright. I’ll sleep in the middle. Just get in the sleeping bag before you get any colder.”

  Jake wrinkled up his nose. Maya poked out her tongue in response.

  “Do you two realize you’re behaving like a typical brother and sister?” chuckled Zac, climbing into the sleeping bag between them. “Now I know how my parents felt when Hope and I squabbled.”

  “Well I’m glad I never had a sister!” groused Jake.

  “And I’m glad I never had a brother!” retorted Maya, raising her fist and aiming for Jake.

  Zac caught the clenched fist and rubbed it soothingly.

  “Come on. We’ve all had a tough day. Time to get some rest.”

  Ω

  “I’ve just about run out of best behaviour!” griped Charlie, as he let the water trickle down his sweaty body.

  “Patience Charlie!” said Rod and Jed in unison.

  “Don’t you both play anger management games with me! He’s been here four days and Hannibal’s still telling us to soft pedal... Look at these pathetic privacy walls! Anyone would think he’s some delicate little sheila with breasts!”

  Charlie thumped the shower wall with a clenched fist hard enough to make it shake. Someone thumped it back from the other side. The dividing partition wall between the two men collapsed. Eyes met eyes.

  “Er... sorry,” murmured Mike. “The shrink reckons I’ve got anger management issues too. Although I didn’t think I hit it that hard. Where do they keep the tools around here? I’ll fix it...”

  “Oh no you won’t!” grinned Charlie, leaning the pieces of partition against the wall. “Actually... that gives me an idea! Hey Jed... bash on the wall on your side mate.”

  All round laughter. Charlie sobered up.

  “Sorry Mike... I didn’t realize you were in here as well... I thought I was just belly-aching to Rod and Jed.”

  Mike paused.

  “Did I overhear something I shouldn’t have?”

  “Course not. We ain’t secretive. We just encourage guests to discover the secrets around here themselves, rather than divulge them to uninterested parties.”

  “Is that right? I might team up with Paul and see what other secrets we can find out between us while we’re here.”

  Raucous laughter.

  “So who’s Hannibal?” ventured Mike.

  “It’s John’s nickname when we’re out and about.”

  “Hannibal as in the A-Team? I remember watching that show when I was a kid. How’d he get the nick-name?”

  Charlie grinned warmly.

  “We were doing some interesting things together back when that series was first aired and the name kinda stuck.”

  “And your nickname was B.A ‘coz you had the brawn and attitude, right?”

  “This whipper-snapper’s worked me out already boys,” complained Charlie light-heartedly, feigning a swipe at Mike.

  All round laughter.

  “So you don’t normally have the privacy panels up?” pried Mike.

  “Only when women and children are visiting... Or coy fellas. Like the Romanian ISRA recruits.”

  “So why are the panels up then?”

  “No idea. John put them up in person the day before Ryan arrived.”

  “Ryan must be special then. Like the Romanian blokes...” ventured Mike.

  Charlie eye-rolled.

  “There’s nothing special about the Captain. He ain’t even got chest hair to hide!”

  Mike looked thoughtful.

  “Has he got pubic hair?”

  “Dunno... Haven’t seen him starkers... He’s always wearing underwear. And a singlet and T-shirt to hide his hairless chest.”

  “A singlet and a T-shirt? That’s... different. My kids are still rugrats. Any of you guys got teenagers?” called out Mike.

  “I’ve got a teenage daughter,” said Jed, joining Charlie and Mike in the shower.

  “And I’ve got two boys... They’re sixteen and eighteen...” added Rod, joining the others.

  Mike glanced at Rod.

  “You’d be the best bet I reckon... Charlie needs a break from Ryan. Is it okay with you if we swap rooms? I’ll move in with Charlie and you room in with Ryan.”

  “Okay with me,” shrugged Rod. “I wonder if we should check with Hannibal about the swap though?”

  “Nah... If he asks, we’ll tell him Mike has anger management issues, so we put him in with B.A. to sort him out!” chortled Jed.

  Mike cleared his throat softly. Charlie draped a huge arm over Mike’s shoulders.

  “Hey, Jed was only kidding!” grinned Charlie. “And John won’t mind us swapping... The only directive he dished out was for us to be well-behaved around the Captain... Hey, hang on a minute... The Captain’s not around! He’s in the ops room... and we’re in the bathroom.... Are you thinking what I’m thinking?!” said Charlie, wriggling his eyebrows expressively.

  Exuberant hollering from the three men, as they started slapping each other’s derrières.

  “Charlie’s turned our mourning into dancing!” sang Rod, grabbing Jed around the waist and dancing skin on skin with him. Charlie doubled over with laughter. Mike watched them all without showing any emotion.

  “Come on Mike... Misbehave with us!” boomed Charlie.

  Charlie tugged Mike closer and started waltzing around in the shower with him.

  “I’ve got a new roommate... And he’s got pubic hair,” he sang tunelessly.

  Mike tolerated Charlie’s behaviour for as long as he could, then wriggled out of his contact.

  “Here. Dance with Jed instead. I’m waterlogged. I might get out now.”

  Mike wrapped a towel around his torso and strode out of the bathroom. And into John’s arms.

  “Gidday there Mike. You’re in a hurry,” said John, casually clapping him on the back.

  “Er... Sorry... Wasn’t looking where I was going...” mumbled Mike.

  A friendly smile. John intentionally stepped back out of Mike’s personal space.

  “There’s quite a din in there... I was trying to strike up a conversation with Paul here and couldn’t hear myself think. What’s going on anyway?”

  Mike paused.

  “They
don’t like yer bathroom décor... Might pay to go in there and rip down the privy walls...Then dance with ‘em butt naked ‘til they forget their disgruntlement.”

  John broke into an amused grin. Paul gasped audibly.

  “Mike! You can’t tell him to do that!”

  “Why not?”

  “’Coz he’s a g... I mean... He might be someone important... Someone that you shouldn’t say stuff like that to!”

  Paul’s shoulders sagged. Mike sank down next to Paul and adjusted his towel.

  “Hey, for a fella who was excited about his holiday, you’ve gone mighty sad-sack,” ventured Mike. “What’s weighing you down anyway?”

  Paul glanced at John for a millisecond then back at Mike.

  “I can’t say. It’s a secret.”

  “Sounds like a heavy duty secret...”

  Paul rubbed his forehead with both his palms.

  “It’s not one secret. It’s four. At least!”

  John eyed Paul thoughtfully. He casually started undressing and piling his clothes on a chair.

  “Sounds like a secretive burden,” returned Mike. “You know, they say a burden shared is a burden halved... Wanna tell me about it?”

  “Yes. But I can’t!”

  Mike moved closer to Paul in a gesture of support.

  “Hmmm... Let’s strike up a deal... A secret for a secret... I’ll tell you a secret about Charlie... And when you’re ready, you can tell me about your secretive burden.”

  “What about Charlie?” piped up John with twinkling eyes.

  “This is our secret!” retorted Mike. “You go rub groins with B.A.”

  John laughed and casually opened the bathroom door. The din level reduced to hear-a-pin-drop instantly. John eyed the collapsed panel with raised eyebrows as he stepped into the shower.

  “Er... Mike and I had a small accident,” said Charlie repentantly.

  “Well it’s about time!” grinned John. “I deliberately put up those panels without screws. Four days ago. You were s’posed to accidentally knock them down the first night Ryan showered with you... What’s got into you lot lately anyway? Karla’s anger management programme is working too well. As of now, it’s cancelled! And replaced with lark classes...”

  “As of now?” asked Jed hopefully.

  John laughed warmly.

  “Who feels like a top to toe workout?”

  “Me!” boomed Charlie.

  John grinned and draped his arms around Charlie’s neck. They started slowly dancing around in a circle under the shower.

  “What if the pup catches us?”

  “I gave him the sat NVGs and told him to watch the civilians until 21:00 hours. I doubt he’ll leave his post...”

  “You mean we’ve got a whole hour to misbehave?!”

  “Yes B.A!” laughed John, intentionally pressing Charlie’s body into contact with his.

  Wolf whistling and raucous laughter. Charlie and John kept dancing.

  “How are things going with Mike anyway?” asked John.

  “I tried dancing with him after we knocked down the panel... Except our groins accidentally brushed and I think he’s a bit worried I might be queer.”

  John laughed warmly.

  “Ah... that explains why he was in flight mode.”

  “He was in flight mode?” echoed Charlie soberly.

  “Yeah. Accidentally ran straight into my arms. So I gave him a little cuddle. Chest on chest. And noticed his ticker was in tachycardia... Actually, that’s a point... Chest on chest from me, after groin on groin from you... He might make something interesting of that.”

  “Actually, I think we’ve all blown it,” mumbled Rod contritely.

  “Why?”

  “Jed and I were letting off steam around him too.”

  “Jed, maybe... But you misbehaving, Reserved Rod? You have more moral rectitude than the rest of us put together! What’d ya do anyway?”

  A silent shake of the head.

  “Alright. I’ll pull rank on you. Do whatever you were doing to me General...That’s an order!”

  All round laughter as Rod smacked John’s derrière and started dancing with him skin on skin.

  “No wonder he fled the scene!” grinned John.

  Charlie cleared his throat.

  “I didn’t realize we’d overstepped the mark around Mike. I’ll go patch things up.”

  “Make it another time. Mike’s mentoring Paul at the moment.”

  “The deskie that’s here on holidays? What’s with him anyway?”

  John looked reflective.

  “Highly strung maybe. Although I’ve got a hunch it might be a bit more than that...”

  Ω

  “Hey Zac. Who do you think left the stew and the wood here?” asked Maya.

  “Well the cans all had ration numbers on them so I’d say they were military issue.”

  “Military issue?” frowned Jake. “You mean they know we’re here?”

  “Well the FREE! Enjoy! sign is a pretty strong hint that someone retrieved our cans and left us these in exchange. Either someone from the Airforce outpost we’re heading for... Or Special Forces soldiers training in the area.”

  “Do the Special Forces soldiers carry real guns?”

  “I’d say so. Why?”

  “Am I allowed to say I’m a bit scared?”

  “Course you are.”

  Zac draped a fatherly arm under Jake’s neck and drew him closer.

  “I remember my dad doing this to me one time when we were out camping together and I told him I felt a bit afraid.”

  “Can you hug me too?” asked Maya.

  “Why? Are you scared too?”

  “No. I’m just jealous that you’re hugging Jake and not me.”

  Zac chuckled and draped the other arm around Maya.

  “Have you ever slept in a family bag like this with Dad?” ventured Jake.

  “Nah. Your Dad doesn’t come out in the field much... And when he does, he usually brings creature comforts. Like a fully decked out RV.”

  Jake and Maya laughed.

  Silence. Zac inhaled noisily.

  “Hey Zac. You’ve gone quiet. Are you worried about something?” asked Maya.

  “Nah. I was just thinking... Something unusual’s happening on this hike with you two. The boundaries which previously separated work, leisure and family seem to have blurred.”

  “Family are more than just DNA,” said Maya softly.

  “And if this is work, I want to join the workforce fulltime!” added Jake.

  All round laughter.

  Silence.

  “Hey Zac. How old’s Hope?”

  “Nineteen.”

  “So I’m not too young to be your little brother?”

  “Ah ha.”

  “And I’m the same age as you, so I could be your twin sister!”

  “Ah ha,” yawned Zac.

  “Is Hope scared of bears?”

  “Only Father Bear, when he growls at her for keeping him awake. Now go to sleep. Both of you!”

  Ω

  Ryan lowered the night vision binoculars and stiffened to attention as John walked into the command post.

  “As you were Ryan.”

  Silence.

  “Nothing juicy to report eh?” smiled John.

  “The girl and the younger guy are asleep. Either side of the Professor... He made a large sleeping bag out of their three bags... and they’re all in it together... And he cuddled them both to sleep. Like a... like a protective father.”

  “You sound unnerved.”

  Ryan made cautious eye contact.

  “Have you ever come across someone that’s left a lasting impression on you?”

  “Yes... Have you?”

  “Maybe.”

  John’s eyes twinkled with amusement.

  “I’d be careful Captain. Young Zac Canney may only be a civilian, but if you keep watching him long enough, you might learn some things about leadership that the Academy didn’t teac
h you.”

  Ryan moistened his lips.

  “Should I modify my roster since they’ve settled for the night, Sir?”

  “Keep monitoring the HF, but drop visual surveillance until daybreak.”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “See you in the morning pup,” said John informally.

  Ryan nodded at John nervously, then tore out the door. John sighed faintly.

  “Lord give me patience. Right NOW!” he prayed, rubbing his tired eyelids with his fingertips.