R. Ruggiero - Reckoning

Dranko stepped in so he could put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Look, Cooper. Try not to think about it. There’s nothing more you can do right now. He knows you love him. You keep trying to talk to him. What more can you do?”

It was as if Dranko had said nothing, “And, what are those bastards doing to him right now? I swear to God, if he’s been harmed I will put a goddamned bullet into the brain of every last man involved in this!” Cooper’s voice shook and thundered as rage overtook him. His fists were tight balls by the time he had finished.

Dranko’s words were stern, “If they have harmed a hair on his body, you’ll have to beat me to it, brother.”

Despite his feverish wish to the contrary, Dranko’s words were not helpful to Cooper. He just nodded to his friend’s sympathy, then shook his head and returned to topping off one of the magazines with fresh rounds. The two men continued their work in silence. Cooper’s thoughts continued in torment as circular thoughts of worry, rage, and desperation went unabated for hours.

The first rays of sunlight drifted into the room where Cooper slept, waking him. He was instantly alert and tense. He had slept fitfully, worrying about where Jake was and whether he was all right. He had doubted his decision to wait until morning to attack. The advantage of a surprise night attack versus the advantage of having more men to even the odds battled in his head all night. But, the risk of having Jake accidentally shot in the darkness was too much for him to bear.

He dressed quickly, slipping into the same camouflage clothing he had worn on the night that they had attacked Ethan Mitchell’s compound. It had only been weeks since that day, but it felt like a lifetime ago. He crept downstairs and worked his way outside, carefully closing the cabin door behind him.

The brisk air assaulted his lungs when he stepped outside. They stung as he inhaled deeply, the scent of the pine heavy in the air. He strode across the open ground, walking toward the tree line. The ground was saturated from an overnight rain. His ears heard each ‘squish’ as he tromped toward the trees. When he reached the trees, he surveyed the area looking for a suitable spot for privacy.

He spied a copse of four pine trees clustered in a tight circle and made his way there, about fifteen yards into the forest. He cloistered himself in their cover and knelt, one knee on the ground. He fished a photograph out of his breast pocket and looked at it intently.

Elena looked back at him, cradling a newborn Jake in her arms. It was taken a week or so after his birth. Her face was radiant, the glow of newfound motherhood emanating from her. Jake’s face was scrunched into a grimace that looked like an evil smile, but Cooper smiled to himself every time he looked at this picture.

“I need your help today,” he said to the photograph. His voice was quiet, barely making it to the edge of the trees that surrounded him.

“I have to succeed in bringing our son home.”

Cooper’s throat tightened as he thought about the alternative, which wasn’t something he thought he’d survive. He’d known too much loss already. If not for Jake, he thought he would have laid down beside Elena when she had died and willed himself to die with her. Without Jake, he there would be no reason to struggle onward in this world turned upside down.

Tears did not come to his eyes. His heart stayed just shy of that. Maybe this is all making me harder, Cooper thought when he recalled how easily the tears had flowed when he had knelt beside Elena’s grave before his last mission.

He looked into Elena’s eyes, “I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back safely. I promise you that. Or, I’ll die trying.” His words were firm, stronger. They rang out into the forest, but went unanswered by the trees and animals that scurried about. He felt her answer in his heart, though. Warmth rushed in. The love they had shared came back. Her confidence in him had never wavered that he would do what was needed for their son. Now, it came back to him from her grave. His nerves vanished.

Cooper stood up. He gave a last look at Elena and Jake in the photograph and nodded to it. No words were needed now. He put it back into his chest pocket and began walking back towards the cabin. He was peaceful, relaxed.

He made it about ten yards past the trees before a plaintive wail ripped all of that away from him.

“Oh my God! Oh my God!” Angela wailed as she came flying outside. She was running in haphazard fits and starts, changing direction constantly. Her arms flopped up and down unevenly, akimbo. Her eyes were unfocused, wild.

Cooper raced towards her, just as she collapsed into a heap on the ground. The others came rushing out from the cabin and clustered about her. Everyone else was confused.

Cooper slid down beside her, grabbing her shoulders, and tried to make eye contact with her, “What, Angela? What?”

His eyes caught hers. Terror owned them. Her words came out jumbled.

“Nuked. They. So many dead!”

Cooper looked at the others, but received nothing for his trouble except blank stares.

“Okay. Slow down. What are you talking about?” Cooper responded.

Angela took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then looked up at him again, “I was listening to the Ham radio. Honolulu. It was nuked. It’s gone!” She began sobbing again.

The air whooshed out of his lungs and he immediately felt dizzy. He fell backwards and landed in an awkward seated position.

He shook his head in disbelief, “Honolulu? What? Who?”

Seconds ticked by before Angela could respond. “Early this morning.” She shook her head slowly, “No one knows.”

Dranko recovered fastest, “Could be the Russians or the Chinese.”

“Why Honolulu?” Cooper asked, looking up at him.

“If it was the Russians, it’s a good warning shot to the U.S. Limited fallout to the rest of the country. If it’s the Chinese, it’s good for weakening our power in the Pacific,” Dranko’s tone was analytical.

Angela climbed to her feet, “Oh my God. I can’t believe it.”

“What’s gonna happen now?” Freddie asked.

Cooper shook his head, “Who knows?”

They all stood in shocked silence for a long while. Freddie fell to his knees. Calvin paced around, wordless. Cooper remained on the ground shaking his head in disbelief.

Freddie finally spoke, “The world needs this like we need a hole in the head.”

Suddenly, Dranko’s face alighted, “Is there any news of a retaliation?”

She shook her head, confused, “No. Why?”

“There will be a hue and cry for one. And, it could lead to an escalation.”

“My lord,” Cooper exhaled.

His father’s words returned to him: in a crisis give people a shared challenge to rally them. Then, he shook himself out of it, “There’s one upside here. At least for our little tiny corner of the world.”

“What’s that?” Dranko asked.

“This might have Hodges and his men distracted. If we can stay focused.”

He received a series of mumbles for the response.

He looked at each of them sharply in turn, “ Can we stay more focused than Hodges’ men and bring Jake home safely today?”

Calvin squinted his eyes to look at him intently, “Yes, we can.”

Freddie nodded vigorously. Angela fell into his arms and gave him a firm, confident, hug. She stepped away, drying her tears. Dranko simply nodded at his old friend.

The butcher’s bill for the truth I told just keeps growing. Cooper brushed his tormented thoughts aside as he went back inside to grab his gear and weapons for the work that lay before them today.