Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Ghosts

“Think god damn it, what did you hear, what did you see”  “I, I don’t remember!  I’m trying; don’t you think I’d tell you if I could remember anything?” James! She just can’t remember anything, she’s traumatized by the whole thing; she’s the only one that made it back, they’re all dead”! Nicole said with tears in her eyes.  “She’s doing the best she can” Sgt. Nicole Benson had been placed in charge of the only survivor of last week’s mission and all missions had been cancelled since.

PFC Simons had come staggering into the compound in the hours after midnight.  She’d ignored the sentry’s commands to halt; walking with head down stumbling, kicking up dust into a cloud around her.  She’d been tackled by the secondary line and taken down in a pile by five large men.  Surprised by no resistance they stood her up and realized that she was covered in blood; her uniform markings showed her to be from the fifth ranger group, third battalion, group seven scouts.  She’d either dumped her gear or it had been taken from her.  They treated her gently but she was transported in full restraints and constantly guarded.

It was determined she’d been taken by the ghosts and extensive testing was ordered.

She was patched up by medical and escorted back to her group.  Her paperwork said she had sustained a bad concussion, numerous contusions and an injury “sprain” to her left ankle and foot. 

James had grilled her for hours.  He was furious that she couldn’t remember more than just a few details of the battle and her final capture.  “Tell me what happened when they took you” James asked as gently and with as much compassion as he could muster. 

Female medical orderlies had searched every inch of her body; they’d scanned every orifice for hidden incisions or surgical marks.  She had none.  She’d been run through numerous physiological tests and results ran against previous tests.  The entire complex of tests came up negative with no disparately from previous testing.  She was clean.

“Tell me from the beginning what happened on the patrol” said James.  “I want to know every detail from the time you left the wire to the point you ended up in medical”

“Ummm, we left the wire about 4am and headed due south as our mission plan stated.  We moved along with about five meters between us for about an hour and a half when a break was called and we had rations and water.  We didn’t talk much, we had been told to keep as quiet as possible.  I spoke with Johnson for a second about my left foot bothering me, but it was just a short conversation.”  “What happened after that” James asked.  Hesitantly, head down staring at her hands PFC Simon continued “We again headed south; the travel was slowed by the heavy under brush.  We had to cut our way through it.  The front man would hack it down for about thirty minutes and then we’d rotate back along the line, everyone taking a turn at the front.  We moved south for about five hours; I don’t think we made more than about three miles.  We were making a lot of noise just hacking our way through the brush.  I was kind of surprised that we didn’t hear any wild life as we moved along.  It was kind a creepy, the only thing you could hear was the chop, chopping of the brush at the front of the line.” 

“I had just taken my turn at the front with a machete hacking the brush back so we could walk through.  I’d rotated back to the rear guard position and was waiting for the patrol to start moving forward again.” 
“It happened really fast; I heard a blast from one of the saw guys, the squad automatic weapon is very distinct; then all hell broke loose.”  “Do you know where in line the first shooting started” James asked.  “I’m not sure, there were only ten of us in the patrol, but it was up in the front.  I dropped to the ground at the first burst and froze; listening for any return fire.  I hadn’t heard a thing before the saw’s opened up.”  “What did you hear?” “Did they keep shooting?”

“There was about thirty seconds of firing and then it stopped, my ears were ringing.  I couldn’t see anyone in front of me.  Jones must have moved forward when the shooting started, he was about ten meters in front of me when I hit the ground.  I’d just made the rear of the patrol and was waiting for the patrol to begin moving again; I was close to Jones’s rear when the shooting started.  I crawled forward to where I’d passed Jones; he wasn’t there, so I continued forward.  I kept moving forward as quietly as I could, I found an empty saw magazine but I couldn’t find anyone.  It was so quiet; one minute the saw’s opened up breaking my ear drums and a minute later all I could hear was my ears ringing and nothing else.  I couldn’t find anyone from the patrol; so I froze in place and listened for any sound.  “Did you hear anything?” James asked in near silence.  “All I could hear was the soft wind through the jungle.  The noise the leaves make when the wind gently moves them in the wind.  It was hard to hear anything my ears where still ringing from the shooting.”  “Where’d the rest of your patrol go” Nicole whispered.  “I don’t know.  I sat down and kept quiet and listened for anyone for at least a half hour, I didn’t hear anything and I didn’t see anyone.”  PFC Sara Simons said with tears streaming down her face.  She’d wrapped her arms around her legs and lowered her head to the top of her knees.  “Let’s take a short break” James said and motioned for Sgt. Benson to follow him out of the room.

Lt. James Mack and Sgt. Nicole Benson walked down a tight hallway and into a small office; sitting on one side of the minuscule desk Nicole sat on the other.  “It just doesn’t make sense; one minute there’s ten very heavily armed squad members and the next everyone’s gone, just a few shots fired.”  “It just doesn’t add up; and she’s the first we’ve got back“James said as he ran a hand down his face.

Lt. Mach had immediately sent out a rescue team to search for the missing squad after they didn’t return at the planned hour.  It had been a simple plan for the team; work south for six to eight hours looking for sign of ghosts then swing east for three hours and then straight back to camp, round trip 24hrs with a sun up return into the camps area.  When noon came with no radio contact or sign from the squad a rescue mission was formed.  The rescue team quickly followed the hacked trail. Moving with ease having a ready trail to follow through the jungle, they radioed in as soon as the found the end of the trail and reported what had the look of a quick fight but no sign of any of the mission squad.  They returned following the trail.

A small knock came at the door.  Sgt. Benson swung the door open and there stood PFC Simons, hands wringing each other at the door.  She said “There was a whirling sound.”

Three days later;

Under deep hypnosis PFC Simons revealed the whirling sound came from small cylinder shaped craft.  She told investigators her squad members where carried away by what appeared to be meat hooks strung under the craft.  They made a whirling sound, but no other.  She was unable to give any further details.

Lt. Mach laid out what they knew to the scout squads.  “We have unknown ghosts in nearly soundless machines.  Our squads have put up small amounts of defensive fire before being over run.  We have one survivor that tells us the craft make a whirling sound when approaching.  It is unclear at this time how our teams are being defeated.”  A murmur went through the men and women; eyes met eyes and signs of disbelief went though the squads.  “From now on we will have listening devises front, middle and rear of the scout squads.  Also each squad will be equipped with multiphase disrupters to foil electronics of any craft that uses normal electronics when it approaches our teams.”  “Each team will carry numerous short range surface to air missiles; these are fire and forget.  They will track and hit any airborne target within a half mile of our teams.”  Questions?  There were none.  “We will begin normal patrols at zero three thirty hours.”  “Dismissed”

The first team went out the wire at zero four hundred hours.  They were in constant radio contact; following the cut trail from the earlier team they made good time through the jungle.  The second team left the wire at zero four thirty hours and cut brush in a south west direction putting them about five miles from team one in an expanding arc.

Team one announced contact at 1330 hours coming in fast from the east.  Both teams were told to build defensive positions as fast as possible.

“Scout five, scout five we have contact, bearing east at approximately five miles closing fast on our position over.” 
“Base, scout five; defensive positions, repeat defensive positions.  Fire ground air at ½ mile; ½ mile no sooner over.” 
“Copy; closing two miles.” 
“Base Scout six.” 
“Scout six we copy; defensive positions; we are six miles from Scout five over.”
 “Copy; hold for further, over.”
“Copy”
“Scout five we hear them; closing at ½ mile, ground air away.”  “Scout five, multiple hits; their coming in, their coming in……… sound of heavy gun fire over the radio….”Scout five their…inaudible… on the left, on the left… inaudible... get that one get that one…inaudible…loud gun fire over radio no voice audible”
“Base Scout five do you copy?"  Base to Scout five do you copy?”  Loud gun fire over the radio no voice audible… 
“Scout five we got one, we got one… loud gun fire over radio no voice audible… inaudible… inaudible…loud gun fire over radio… inaudible…inaudible…“Get the hooks, get the hooks they’ve got Williams”… inaudible… inaudible…
“Base Scout five do you copy over, Scout five do you copy”
“Scout six we hear them coming; one mile coming fast over” 
“Base, six give them everything you got over.” 
“Scout six, ground air away”
“Base Scout five over.” 
“Scout five, scout five…inaudible; they got Williams, grappling hooks like a side of beef, they took him.” 
“Base fire disrupters, fire disrupters over.” 
“Scout five…inaudible…loud gun fire over radio no voice inaudible… inaudible…inaudible…
“Scout six their coming through, their coming through.” 
“Base fire disrupters, fire disrupters over.” 
“Scout six firing, firing… inaudible…inaudible… screaming…no audible voices…inaudible… get that fucker… inaudible…loud gun fire…inaudible…
“Scout five, we got em’ we got em’…inaudible… “
“Base to Scout five over, base to Scout five over.”
“Scout five we got one it’s got, it’s got little fuckers inside…inaudible…loud gun fire… ““inaudible…inaudible”
_______________________________________________________________

This report has been censored by the national security agency; this report has been classified as top secret…if you have received this correspondence by error you are required by the national security agency to notify the closest FBI office. Distributing this report is forbidden by the nsa and disclosure will result in severe penalties under u.s.d.f 105/1203.125

From the Ramblings

 t

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Match.com

He met her on the internet, it was one of those numerous date sites; He can’t even remember which site it was, does it really matter.

His spiel; his profile was total bull shit.  He’d give them what they wanted to hear; oh I’m so sweet, so smart and so fun to be around.  I love exercise and travel; love to dance.  Oh that was a big one with the silly bitches; love to dance hahahahah yeah love to dance.  Whatever you want I’ve got, just believe me when I say so; my dance card is wide open and I’m everything you ever wanted.

“I’ve had the same job for twenty three years; kind of boring but it pays well and I’m vested.  I have vacation time built up to the point I can take time off whenever I want; I’m at the top of the seniority list in my department so I can take off any time it’s right; two years out from full retirement and looking for fun.”
“I like to travel but not alone; looking for a soul mate that has the time to be out there in the world of sun and fun; I’m not rich, but I can afford a second on adventures.  Are you my travel soul mate?”

Hook, line and sinker!  The bitches were all over it.  Who could pass up a middle aged; probably fat, sex starved man who couldn’t get it up half the time that is looking for a woman that can fill his fantasy.  There must be a thousand women in any Metro area to choose from, maybe tens of thousands who are looking for Mr. Right, day and night.

Yep he was set; he had his net, he’d throw it to the waves; a net that was soon to be full to capacity; the problem was to catch just the right one. 

He was looking for one that was filled with just enough longing; wanting to find the perfect man after all the wrong choices; the one that would fix all the wrongs of a life of picking the wrong man time and time again.  This one would be; “Mr. Perfect for me; he’s my Mr. Everything that I ever wanted in a man.”  He sounded too good to be true; no not at all!  I told all my female friends online every detail, every nuance of our internet relationship. How he’d made himself; a real self made man.  He loved to travel; but not alone, he was looking for a travel mate.  He’d been on a single boring job for years waiting for the chance to have a soul mate to share the discoveries of the world with; “he’s perfect for me.”  How could you say anything bad about this perfect man? 

No one did.  What the hell, he was perfect?  Who could deny that she’d found the perfect man at the perfect time in her life?  No one is who; … no one was going to rain on her parade, sneeze on her cake.  She was the perfect victim. With friends like you, she was served up on a platter; hell you, her friends shoved her along all happy, singing the praises of new found love.  Who knew she’d be dead in a couple months, she was the perfect victim at the perfect time; she was everything he’d been looking for too.  Yep, dead as a cucumber in just six weeks; you all acted surprised?

It made the Web headlines:  U.S woman found dead after the perfect holiday.  CNN headline news…

Yep you’re all to blame; you sent her off with your blessings and smiles; those little face book “smiley thingy’s” that you can just press a button and send your “blessings” saying that you are “all in” with the crazy decision that she’d made.  None of you really talked to her about it; you were so sure in your logic that this was the right thing for her at the time.  “No one can blame me; I just thought it was a good deal” Gosh the way she preached how good it was for her over and over, who was I to think of raining on her perfect party.  Not one soul asked if she was sure about “his facts” no one asked “did you do a back ground on this guy” Nope not one of you took the time to give a damn and think this through; you knew she sure wasn’t!   You didn’t care enough to take a single minute out of your busy day and be a real friend and ask the hard question; the questions that would have kept her alive.

Oh in your silence you gave the ok; your silence aided her demise.  You knew deep in your heart this guy was too good to be true; but you kept your silence; you held your thoughts, just so damn busy.
 
Maybe, just maybe you wanted to believe deep in your heart that you too could find Mr. Perfect; maybe if you finally decided to dump the lousy dead beat you’d married you too could find a Mr. Perfect like she had. You’ve complained to your girlfriends for years about your husband, how he never did this, never did that. 
You sat on the side line watching, reading, sending those little words of encouragement; maybe you were hoping that even you could change your life and live the dream.  You’d made a simple mistake and married the wrong man; if you’d do what she was doing you could live the life you always wanted too.

Yes, yes you and you’re little sunny day friends killed her.  Killed her with your facebook friendships and little smiley faces; you’ve walked away from being real friends with caring thoughts taking the time to sit down and really talk. 

It’s time to power down.

From the Ramblings

t