A Soldier in Love
Authors: A. Petrov
A Soldier in Love
By A.
Petrov
Copyright © 2014 A.
Petrov
Kindle Edition
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Table of Contents
The sirens blared from
the hallway. Their flashing lights began to fade in and out.
“Alert, alert,
alert.
This is not a drill.
Alert, alert, alert.
This is not a drill,” the recorded
voice began to boom; its mechanical tone taunting whoever listened as it echoed
down the hallways.
Michelle took a deep
breath in. Earth was under attack. It was no test this time.
The past few months had
been intense. Between the
terror
that was displayed on
the news each day and the endless training after work and on the weekend, she
knew it was time.
“OK, children get your
coats,” she said loudly as she tried to pretend everything was alright. She held
her head high and stood tall in an illusion of bravery. She looked to the
innocent faces of the young children she taught. They seemed confused, some
looked as if they were going to cry, and a few already were. They knew, they
could tell, it was time.
As the children got
their coats, Michelle grabbed hers as well and they made their way outside. It
wasn’t cold in Utah but it was cold on the space shuttles. The coats had hung
in the back of the classroom untouched for weeks.
“Single file, do not
get out of line,” Michelle said authoritatively. She wished she could be warmer.
She wanted to take those who were crying into her arms and comfort them.
That’s how it used to be, not how it is now
she reminded herself.
I have to help them to be strong. It may not seem like it but it is the
kindest thing I can ever do for them.
Her heart sank. She
wished it was within protocol to be warmer to the children. She wished she
could tell them not to worry but she knew she couldn’t. She had spent the past
few months with them, getting to know them, tying their shoes, reading them
stories, teaching them, caring for them, but she would have to let them go now.
She would be one of many fighting for them, fighting for everyone.
Earth was being invaded
by the Cabaka, an alien species seeking a climate similar to that of Earth. The
United Nations had tried relentlessly to work out some sort of negotiation with
them but alas it never came to be. It was unknown what had happened to their
own planet or why they had come from so far away. They were almost like pirates
coming to steal and fight for what was never truly theirs to begin with. Their
reasoning made no sense and they were filled with threats and terrorism. They
wanted Earth and they wanted all of it, but Earth wasn’t going to give up
without a fight. They were preparing for a war, a bloody and vicious one at
that.
One without set rules.
One
without alliances.
They were fighting the unknown.
Michelle’s mind flashed
to the Cabaka. She thought back to the images displayed on various news
networks before the cable had gone out. They were tall, dark haired, and wiry.
Their eyes were the deepest shade of black. Their skin was pale, so incredibly
pale, they looked almost translucent. Michelle had never seen one up close but
she remembered someone once said you could see clearly see their veins under
their skin.
Every healthy person in
the United States over the age of 18 was now drafted into the military.
I’m a soldier not an elementary school teacher any
longer,
she reminded herself.
Other countries were
doing the same at the guidance of the United Nations. Ironically, the fighting
between most countries had ceased to prepare for the Cabaka attacks. Most
countries allotted their soldiers to form a greater alliance, the Earth Army.
Michelle had been on
reserve, but she knew she would have to report to duty immediately after
getting the children to safety.
“Ma’am?” a loud voice
questioned breaking her thoughts.
“Yes, sir?
I’m sorry,” Michelle said looking up to the older
uniformed man who stood in front of her. He looked weary.
“Your orders are to
escort the children to the launch pad then go to the base and report to duty.
Directly to base, as fast as you can,” the man stated.
She nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
There was an intense
urgency surrounding her, but all Michelle could think of were getting the
children to safety. They seemed to be the only thing that mattered.
A wave of relief washed
over her when the craft landed. She watched as another teacher, who was an
exception to the draft, took the children aboard. She knew she had been allowed
to opt of the Earth Army but Michelle never knew why. Not that it really
mattered now. Soldier or not, everyone’s life was in danger. Better to fight
for something than to just die for nothing, she had figured.
God, be with them
Michelle prayed to herself silently as she watched them disappear into the
atmosphere.
Ignoring the loud
sirens and alarms, she made her way back into the school. She retrieved her
pack from beneath her desk and made her way to the bathroom to change into her
army uniform and boots.
She looked into the
mirror. She straightened out her back and stood tall. Her frame was tall but
not outrageously tall for a woman. It seemed to give her a slight edge in the
military training. She was becoming muscular but not in an overbearing sense;
she was more thin than muscular. Her auburn hair hung past the middle of her
back and her green eyes were framed by a thick coat of mascara.
This is no more. I am a soldier now.
She tied her hair in a
tight bun and washed the mascara off in the small sink cursing herself for her
stupidity.
Why did I put on mascara today? I must be some sort
of idiot. Mascara isn’t going to do me any good for where I’m going. Now it
looks like I’ve been crying. Soldiers don’t fucking wear mascara. They sure as
Hell don’t cry.
She stooped down and
laced her black boots, tying the shoestrings tightly.
She stared into the
mirror back at what seemed to be an empty shell of a person.
She turned away and
made her way out of the school. She slowly began to run to the base. The usual
streets, sights, and sounds around her were blurred. She quickened her pace as
her muscles loosened up. She was used to running. Even before the fuel
conservation, when she had a vehicle, she would run for exercise. There were
countless nights spent on a track or on a treadmill. Now, as she faced an
almost certain death she wondered if those nights had been wasted.
Maybe
it wasn’t. Running was something to concentrate on; it was something to be good
at. She had never really felt like she was good at anything before she had
started running.
Ever since the fuel
shortage most people walked or biked in her small town. It had worsened when many
people were forced to surrender their cars for the metal to be melted so that
more supplies and space fleets could be created.
Now running was
mandatory, in the military. In training it seemed like they did nothing but run
for weeks. She never questioned why, she just ran.
Cool air invaded her
lungs and thoughts of everything she wish she could have done filled her head. She
was certain she would face death; it was just a matter of when. To kill or be
killed would be what was in front of her. She mustered all of the courage she
could and kept onward. At that moment, she decided her death was not to be in
vain that she would find some meaning in it. If she died for a cause, well, at
least it would be something.
Michelle sucked in air
as she came to a stop at the front of the base. There was a line of others in
front of her. She panted and waited patiently as her heart rate slowed and her
breathing became normal.
She looked over the
line to see the others in front of her. They were all muscular but thin, part
of the chaos that was ensuing was the lack of food. The United States imported
a lot of food from other countries and that had been put to a stop. Most
everyone was conserving food for the unknown. Michelle was lucky enough to have
what seemed like a lifetime supply of tuna and sliced peaches; although she had
nearly been sick of it, she knew she had to eat. There was no telling how much
longer the canned food supplies would last. Most families had dropped down to
only two meals a day. She knew of poorer families that just had one. She didn’t
want to think about the displaced. She knew they starved.
The line moved quickly
and she stepped into place. Angry brown eyes met her forest green ones.
“ID chip, where is your
ID chip?” the man snapped angrily. He was a few inches taller than her with
broad shoulders and a buzz cut. He was older with brown hair streaked with
gray.
Michelle put her left
wrist forward as he waved the chip reader over it. It let out a beep letting
the man know it had collected the data.
He seems like he was in the military before the
attacks started. That’s probably why he has such an angry look on his face.
“Soldier, your code is
A3343Z. Hold out your left wrist, we have to mark you as property of the Earth
Army,” The Commander bellowed.
In case I die so they can identify the body, I’m
sure. So much for dog tags…
Michelle held out her
wrist and a younger, slim man about her height grabbed her arm. He applied a
disinfectant. She heard a buzzing sound and felt the small pricks of pain as he
began to etch the sequence into her wrist.
“You’ve had your injections?” the older man
asked as he pulled her file.
“Sir, yes, sir,” she
replied.
“All of them?” he
questioned not looking up for the file.
“Yes,” she said.
Chipped, tattooed, and injected,
she thought to herself.
“No reactions?” he said
with slightly raised eyebrows.
“No, I didn’t get
sick,” she replied.
“If you say so, those
injections make everyone as sick as a dog,” he said as he input her code into
the computer.
“You are scheduled to
go to the compound on First World II,” he said more sternly.
She nodded.
“You leave in an hour,
take nourishment, and make your way to the shuttle,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” she replied
robotically. She knew not to cause problems or ask questions. It was best to
just keep the line moving when it came to the Earth Army.
She made her way into
the building. She had wanted to desperately ask why she was not chosen to stay
here and fight but she knew the man would scoff at her questions. She would
only hold up the line and there were others who need to get through.
For whatever reason, it
was extremely easy for her to adapt to the role of soldier. In fact, it was
almost natural despite it being a far cry from elementary school teacher. Maybe
it was because she had been one of the first drafted. The draft involved every
healthy person over 18 but the first round always called out for those who were
physically fit, single, and with no family.
Michelle had met all
three of those requirements. She had grown up with her mother and father and
sister, then foster care. She looked down at the cigarette burn on her left
arm.
The system was overrun
and understaffed. The system did their best to provide a room over the sudden
influx of orphans but there were too many children and not enough willing
adults to take them. She wasn’t the only one, she knew. There had been a lot of
abuse.
It could have been worse,
she
reminded herself,
it could have been rape
or worse yet,
I
could have died.
They had lost many soldiers and many others had
lost their families as well. She was lucky because in the end she still had
Amy. That was much more than what others had and that’s what she told herself
in order to be strong.
She thought back to
those six horrible months and the burns and the beatings inflicted upon her.
She could still see the old woman’s cruel sneer and hear her evil laughter in
her head.
Everything always on the left side…
she thought as she traced over the thick burn scar
on the top of her left arm.
Michelle suddenly
thought of her parents. They were loving, caring, and kind. Their memory was
how she had gotten through it all
.
They were proud; they didn’t even mind being
drafted. They felt it was their duty. They wanted to protect and serve. How can
I even feel sorry for myself when so many others lost their parents as well? I
have to honor them. I have to be the best soldier I can be.
She looked down once
more at the scarred remnant of a burn on her arm. Although it had been years
ago and the burn hard scarred over forming a light pink circle. It stood out
against the paleness of the rest of her skin.
I haven’t thought about the abuse in years… I guess
facing death makes you think. Surely, I might perish facing this unknown.
She lightly
traced
over the scars with her fingertips.
Amy came and got me as soon as she heard.
Amy was Michelle’s
older sister. She was small and extraordinarily beautiful. She was petite like
their mother. She had long blonde hair and wide blue eyes just like both of
their parents. Her skin was like flawless porcelain and her features were doll
like.
How I ended up with red hair and green eyes… I would
think I was adopted if I didn’t look exactly like mom and dad otherwise.
Michelle had always
felt awkward in public with her parents and sister. She always felt so
different. As a child she had always wished to be light and beautiful like Amy
but she was dark. She stood out from the rest of her family.
When their parents died,
Amy had secured her future by marrying a much older man who just so happened to
be a high ranking Earth Army official. He was a large and imposing man. He towered
over her; he even towered over Michelle at her height. He was the typical Earth
Army officer, loud and demanding.
Amy flew in from half a world away in New Shanghai
when she found out I had been in care.
Eric had been stationed
abroad there. Michelle shuddered at the thought of having to sleep next to
someone like Eric every night. She wondered how Amy slept at night beside him.
She probably goes to bed full every night is how she
sleeps
…
Michelle thought back
to living with them before going off to college. Amy was always kind and warm;
she reminded Michelle of mom. She loved any holiday, any excuse to cook a meal
or decorate.
Eric was extremely authoritarian.
He expected nothing but respect. Michelle never gave him any trouble when she
was under his room but wasn’t particularly fond of him or his booming voice and
strict rules. She knew the trouble wasn’t worth it, so she just played by his
strict rules. She just wished he hadn’t been so loud it frightened her at
times.
I will always be forever in debt to him…
Being on his good side
paid off, when he heard about the abuse he made sure the abuser was caught and
imprisoned. Michelle remembered the look of rage on his face after Amy told him
and he saw her disfigured arm.
I don’t even think there was a trial; the police
just took his word for it.
“I’m going to teach you
how to fight, Michelle,” his words were sharp as though he thought she wouldn’t
accept the challenge.
She had agreed. He knew
she had to defend herself; she had to have an outlet for her anger, and most of
all she had to prepare for the Earth Army. He taught her body combat and self
defense. The lessons had started slow with basic moves and punches. They slowly
progressed over time into extremely advanced moves.
He had years of
training, the most excellent training. He trained with her for countless hours.
When he was busy or when he had to travel for meetings, he always arranged for
her to take martial arts classes with the best instructors he knew.
For his kindness Michelle
was thankful. She was never sure if he did it just to appease Amy, he really
loved her, or if he did it for the sake of structure, rules, and right versus
wrong. Regardless, she could stand her ground and much of the anger dissipated
from her soul.
Although, not all of it.
She thought back to the
training, the sore muscles, the bruises, the sweat, and Eric’s angry voice.
“Are you angry?” Eric
had asked her.
Michelle hadn’t
answered him. She glared back at him.
“I know that look, use
your anger. Don’t let it use you, you use it,” he had instilled those words
into her forever.
He lunged towards hers
and she ducked back.
“Get pissed off
Michelle. Get angry or you will always be a victim.”
Despite Eric’s kindness,
Michelle couldn’t be like Amy. She couldn’t submit to a man like him. Although,
Amy tried and tried again to get her married off on her visits home from
college. It seemed like Amy was always inviting one of Eric’s single army
friends over. It was clear to Michelle that Amy, who used her youth and beauty
to her advantage, agreed to marry Eric for money and safety. The wives of
captains and other high ranking military officials were exempt from the draft. Michelle
didn’t blame her for it, no, it was the smart thing to do but Michelle’s calling
was different, she was a fighter. Michelle knew that Eric had realized that or
he would have never put her through the rigorous combat training.
I could never be like that, I can’t just hide while
the world we know it is under siege. I have to fight or everything my parents
did would be useless.
Michelle remembered
Amy’s tears when she told her she had been drafted. Her and Eric immediately
excused themselves from the room and went to the kitchen. Michelle remembered
the hushed whispering. They wanted to control her and keep her near but she
wouldn’t let them. She had to go.
“Are you sure you won’t
stay?” Amy had begged.
Michelle shook her
head. “You know I have to go.”
“No, I mean, Eric could
pull some strings…” Amy’s eyes were red and puffy from crying, her voice
fragile. Michelle was taken aback. She wasn’t used to seeing Amy in such a way.
Amy was the one who always had it together.
“I have to. It’s my
duty,” Michelle had repeated not meaning to sound as stern as her voice came
out.
“But you just started
your teaching career not long ago,” Amy began in protest.
Michelle shook her
head. “Are you serious?” Michelle tried not to laugh at her petty excuses. “That’s
not as important as this. I mean the world could come under attack.
The world, Amy.
Our planet could succumb to war. Don’t you
think that’s just a little more important than teaching?”
“We’ve already lost mom
and dad. I can’t lose you,” she sobbed. Her blue eyes were clouded with tears
and her small body shook.
Eric scooped her up and
gave her a gentle hug.
“Michelle has to do
what she believes is right,” he murmured trying to soothe her.
“We’re going to lose
everyone including me if we don’t do something, I’m sorry Amy. I have to go,”
she replied quietly.
“You could have married
Boris. He wanted you. You could have stayed with me,” Amy snapped.