UCAC Ch. 03

"How the fuck do I approach him?" Liam asked, almost frantically.

"I don't know," I said thinking about it, "Maybe the same way you just attacked my face... I just have this feeling, that you two will be brought really close really soon!"

"I hope your intuition is correct." Liam laughed.

"It tends to be." I smiled.

"About others here who are in the closet..."

"Man, it is so under the rug it's not even funny..." I said, "It's a can of worms I hope I never dive back into. I had my fun...for the rest of my life..."

"It's that bad?" Liam asked, astounded.

"Even if you slept with someone, if word gets out that you're gay, everyone gangs up on you! I've seen it done before... You know our boy Chance? He was gay but died before he could earn everyone's respect. I admired him for his courage, but damn... it has me scared." I sighed.

"So do they don't know that the man standing next to them is gay or...?"

"Some do, some don't, but most don't. Not everyone here is gay but there are quite a few people who are and... The people who aren't gay really don't care about anyone's sexuality but the one's who lay down with the dogs, try to hide the fleas... It's sad really..." I explained.

"Why would they do that to each other?" Liam asked.

"It's a show of masculinity here and I guess two men having sex with each other doesn't cut the quota." I laughed.

"That's funny..." Liam sighed.

"It sadly is..."

"You think America will be different?" Liam asked.

"I hope so. Oh my god... What if it's awesome and I don't want to come back?" I asked, truly sounding worried.

"Shit, what if it is! Shit, dude! You may have fucked up! What if you have the best time of your life?" Liam asked.

"Oh god, I'm not ready..." I said clenching my head.

"You gotta come back dude..." Liam said.

"What if like... I belong over there and shit! What if I find complete and utter happiness!"

"STOP!" Liam demanded. It made me laugh so hard.

"I'm only fucking with you man..." I said.

"There they are!" Someone shouted from up the hall. Armed men came rushing towards us from every angle. We were grabbed, thrown to the ground and handcuffed. Bags were pulled over our heads so we couldn't see where we were being totted off to. I had no idea what was going on and was utterly terrified. We were brought to somewhere dark, dark enough that light couldn't pass through the bag. Suddenly, the bags came off and the lights were on. A huge crowd of people stood before us.

"SURPRISE!!" They all screamed. Looking around, I could see the entire team was here, Liam, Everette, Jarvis, Marcell and Milan. They all looked startled, not to pleased to be abruptly dragged the dining hall. I know I had no desire to be here.

"Oh my god! Why?" I groaned.

"This party is in honor of your team's excellent work on the field and rate of success! It will usher in a new era for our forces! We will put our forces through more vigors to get more results of the like... I want to say thank you for all who were apart of planning this and for you all to know that your hard work is appreciated. We seldom get a chance to let loose like this so cherish it but wake up tomorrow prepared for work! " General Aquil said, standing in the middle of the crowd. We were each uncuffed, allowed to stand.

It left me wowed. This man literally stood in the midst of all these people and said that this is a party where we force our 'failures' to celebrate the only team capable of success, despite being the second smallest team on the force with some of the smallest and least threatening members... He pretty much was telling them that they were pathetic excuses for cyber wings and should pity themselves. This shit was crazy!

"This was... sudden..." Marcell laughed.

"Oh my God, where's the booze..." Milan, sighed, going over to the punch bowls. Milan hated being startled and this was no exception. Plus, alcohol was his favorite thing. He poured a cup of what looked like apple ale, only to be disappointed upon learning it was alcohol. He tried what was in the tall glass bottles, pissed that it was sparkling grape juice. He marched back over to us, trying to keep a straight face.

"What the fuck is this? How are they going to throw a party of this scale with no alcohol?" He asked.

"It might be better this way... Trust me Milan..." I laughed.

Marcell and Milan looked back and forth between one another, then to me.

"What do you know?" Marcell asked, arms folded.

"I'm not at liberty to say, this time. Just know tomorrow we have one hell of a mission..." I sighed, walking over to a seat.

"Eh," Marcell sighed, following me, "In typical UCAC fashion, party hard one night then wake up for the call of duty the next morning..."

"Details?" Milan insisted.

"I already told you I can't say much more." I said back.

"Come on!!" He prodded.

"OK, we're supposed to be getting a computer component that recently went online, from this greenhouse in Western England." I whispered.

"What kind of mission is that?" Milan asked, disappointed.

"Look man, I was told there was some dangerous shit in this greenhouse! I heard it was a labyrinth, one you can easily get turned around in! But that's all I know. I don't quite know what makes this place dangerous... We'll be briefed in the morning. I just doubt this mission will be as easy as getting in and getting out..." I sighed.

"Hi guys..." Liam smiled, sitting at the table with us.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Not much... Some party, huh? I thought we were in trouble when we got snatched up like that..." He laughed.

"Stuff like this is far more common than you might think..." Marcell laughed.

"So what do we do?" Liam asked, obviously never having a party before.

"Just have fun!" I laughed.

"I mean..." He said, still unsure about what he should do.

"UGH, come one kid!" I said, grabbing him by the hand. I dragged the innocent boy out to the dance floor. The DJ played some new and old dance music, all of them having infectious rhythms.

Liam looked around daunted, the booming bass of the subwoofers, the flashing lights and the grunts losing their minds dancing just inches away from him, proving overwhelming. The boy was beyond adorable, a truly awkward mess.

"Just groove to the beat, Liam..." I said. He shrugged, unsure what that meant. I was left demonstrating it to him, simple body and arm rolls, with some fist bangs and steps back and forth could fool anyone into believing you were suave and had finesse on your feet.

The boy simply didn't have a rhythmic bone in his body. He twitched and jolted across the dance floor, making everyone laugh. However, it was all in light heart and high spirits. I looked back over to Marcell and Milan. They simply sat bobbing their heads to the deafening bass. It was starting to become fun. Shit, it was up to the individual to make the most out of it in this place and this was no exception.

At an isolated table, Jarvis and Everette sat, snickering and pointing fingers at people. It was clear Jarvis was back to his harsh judgement games and Everette was along for the ride. The two, at this point, could become inseparable for all I cared. It was what Jarvis wanted... However, if anything happened to Everette, it'd turn everyone on the team truly against Jarvis and he would have to go. I just hoped it wouldn't have to get to that point.

But that was too much festering over their relationship. It was time to join Liam in doing embarrassingly awkward dance moves in the center of the dance floor. Not long after, everyone shared their most cringe worthy dance move on the banquet hall floor. One of the engineers, a girl from the United States, brought back dance moves from hundreds of years ago, krumping and swinging her hair while she screamed and roared aggressively. She got into the face of one of the soldiers who returned the same favor, with equally hilarious krump dance moves.

The two then kissed, laughing hard at one another, revealing they were a couple. Then came the Soca music... I lost my mind, truly I did. The subdued and playful dance moves were cast aside, time to get serious. I was not the only one here with a Caribbean heritage. A few other engineers a Harrier grunt and a Roc Class grunt met at the center of the dance floor, all doing some serious footwork. We all got cheered on by the party goers, despite the provocative dance moves. It was beginning to get physical, the dances becoming very close contact and very sexual. However, this was dancehall... nothing out of the norm...

"WOOOOO!!" A cheering girl said.

"MALCOLM!!" Another one shouted.

"DENVER!!" Someone else screamed. I really didn't expect my name to be screamed.

Not long after, I got tired...having to take a seat. I went back to the table where Liam, Marcell and Milan sat. All had hanging jaws.

"What?" I asked.

"You're a fucking slut!" Marcell said, truly shocked.

"That's how people would dance back home!" I laughed.

"The people back home are sluts!" Marcell laughed.

"How can you make your body move like that...those little ticks, pops and rolls?" Liam asked.

"It's called whining. It's for grown folks," I said roughing up his hair, "You'll learn when you're grown!"

"I'm twenty!" He laughed.

"Such a baby..." I continued to tease.

"Nice dance moves..." Someone said from behind. I turned and it was Ghost, still hadn't learned the kid's name yet, "They really warrant your reputation..."

"I haven't caught your name yet..." I smiled, not bothering to acknowledge his shady remark.

"Call me Philip..." He said, standing their arms folded, expecting this to turn into verbal exchange of snide words.

"Well nice to finally call you something other than Ghost," I grinned, before turning back to my table, "Well anyways, there's whining, stepping, grinding, rolling and popping. It all begins with using your core and your thighs... It tends to be a party showstopper..."

"What is this music called? The rhythm is infectious but the singing is so throaty and punchy..." Liam asked.

"It's called Soca. There's quite a bit more than this from the Caribbean." I laughed. Marcell's eyes wondered, following what was presumed to be Philip. A smile came across his face.

"Did you fuck his girl?" Marcell asked.

"He's just mad because I fucked him on the field and put a pillow under his head..." I laughed. Milan burst out laughing.

"OK, because I thought he was going to snap you in half. He's one big ass bloke..." Milan laughed.

"I know...he'd destroy me with one thump..." I chuckled. It was more so funny because, the two brothers didn't know the entirety to this story.

"So like where exactly in Murica are you from?" Liam asked.

"I was all over the place. Mainly between the swamps of the east and plains of the central plateau. Then we moved to the islands but still were back and forth a lot. It's kind of a blur. We didn't stay in one spot for longer than a year." I smiled.

"That's crazy!" Liam said back.

"You never told anyone that before..." Marcell noted.

"Eh, why not?" I shrugged with a grin.

"You're becoming..." Milan said with a gulp, "Compassionate..."

"Ya'll my lil babies and I must take care of ya'll because ya'll might die and shit!" I teased.

"I'll be alright if I don't get smacked out the sky by a giant metal goshawk..." Marcell joked. It warranted laughter from us all.

"Why didn't you save me when I fell?" A familiarly sickening voice asked. I turned, Jarvis and Everette making their way over to the table. Jarvis sat next to me, smiling. It left Everette awkwardly scrounging for a seat on the other side of the table. He sat next to Liam, sighing, making it quite clear he didn't like the divided attention between him and I. He seemed perplexed as to why Jarvis was so adamant on holding a conversation with me.

"You just insist on violating my personal space, don't you?" I asked.

"Damn, no one can be nice to you!" Jarvis laughed.

"OK, Jarvis..." I sighed, not wanting to engage in anything more than what was stated.

"So," Jarvis began, "About those dance moves... Everyone's going crazy over you..." I felt a hand creep up my leg under the table. It startled me but went unseen by anyone else.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What do you think I'm doing... I like the way you move and I wanna learn how..." He smiled...devilishly.

"You're not even social... no one likes you... Who'd want to dance with you?" I asked plainly. He sighed, leaning back into his seat.

"Eh, there's a start for everything, right?" He asked. I scooted up as far forward as I could, supporting my throbbing head in the palms of my hand. Jarvis took his games to an entirely new level, one that I wasn't expecting. My fear for him was intensified, knowing he'd stoop to such a level to get what he wanted. Should it be called stooping though? Jarvis was the least known of us all, the most private and the most...alluring. Despite his wicked ways, I couldn't deny that Jarvis had a way he carried himself that made him appeal to so many. He was appealing to me too but I could never go to any depths with him. Jarvis was simply a danger...

Everette sat there, boiling in his skin. He knew what was happening on this side of the table because it happened to him. Jarvis probably made the boy feel special, like he was the only one he'd do that to. I knew how berating it was and I did not want to be caught in the middle of it. If it was confusing to me, I knew it had to be very confusing to Everette. However, I couldn't feel sorry for Everette right about now. I just wanted Jarvis to get the fuck away from me.

Jarvis was smart though... At a big social event like this, everything had to look good between us all. Considering General Aquil was here, making a scene would be a very bad move. I had to sit here and tough it out. It was just crazy how the people in this room were oblivious to what Jarvis was doing to me! It felt so blatant, so...good, but it was under the table where no one could see. I just wondered why he did this...

The music began to wane as General Aquil walked up to the podium. He cleared his throat, gearing to speak.

"All my Long Wingers come to the stage." He smiled. I didn't know why we had to come up on stage but I was beyond glad we did. I didn't know how much more of Jarvis's touches I could bear. We then lined up in height order, Liam, me, Marcell, Everette, Milan and Jarvis. One by one, a medal was placed around our necks.

"This is for outstanding teamwork and diligence on the front." General Aquil said. It was truly a cringeworthy statement and prize. It was now clear that General Aquil knew very little of how we actually functioned, or maybe there was some deeper motive behind this. Maybe if we looked unified and polished enough, everyone would think we truly were and wanted to function the same way.

General Aquil handed the microphone to Liam. The boy nearly shut down on stage, looking out that crowd him simply smiled warmly at him.

"I don't know what to say! I've only been on two missions... It's been tough but I've learned a lot about my team and I've been taught that not everything is going to come out like a page in a book. Sometimes you have to write your own plan as you go and Denver was the person to teach me this." Liam smiled, handing the microphone over to me.

"I just want to say that you all are successes and wonderful works of art! I would like to encourage you to build relationships with your team because these relationships will keep you alive in times of need. We may seem perfect on the exterior but inside we do have our quarrels. However, we put these issues aside and work as a unified front when the time calls! Everything we do is for each other and we make sacrifices for one another to push the next man forward. Even though this is for us, I must applaud you all for your hard work and perseverance because each one of your roles is just as significant as the next man!" I smiled, passing the microphone to Marcell. I began clapping, urging everyone on the banquet hall floor to do so. They did, cheering and hooting wildly. When the clapping died down, Marcell began to speak.

"I um... God I don't know what to say," Marcell chuckled, "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the heroics of Denver, Milan and First Wing. I often am the one hovering or kiting in mid air, getting detailed scans of surroundings and enemies. I'm put in harms way so the true heroes which are all these guys standing up here, can get the job done. I must say thank you to them because things would be very different without them." He gave the microphone to Everette. Applause erupted after his acceptance speech. Everette looked on, having the most nervous smile. The crowd fell silent.

"I'm the newest member of the team. I still have a lot to learn and it's definitely has been tough. I've only had one mission so far and I'm thankful for teammates like Jarvis, Milan and Denver because they are not afraid to get their talons dirty and fight for what they believe in! I look up to them all and aspire to be great a great Cyber Winger just like them." He smiled. He gave the microphone to Milan. The crowd clapped for him, making the boy blush. They became quiet again as Milan geared to say his piece.

"Speaking of getting talons dirty, I've yet to meet a Winger more fit for the job than Denver! He'll dive in headfirst and will be the last to leave. He's often the first to break through with the mission, paving the way for us to complete the mission. Marcell, my older brother, often is in harms way. In order to get data you got to seek data and that is what he does. So I cover him will all my might because without him, this team is crippled. If we lose any man, the team is crippled! It's why I'm thankful for new winger, Everette. He's some new talent with a great instinct and I want to see how he grows. Not only him, but Liam. Liam is also a new recruit and his flight potential is unparalleled by any of us and he's the one who asks the questions no one wants to ask! He makes us thorough and efficient and his position on the team can't be filled by any other soul. Then there's Jarvis, our most regal member. When anyone see's him and his white plume flying by, they know he's something heavy duty. He and I are the brawn of the team. The gist of what I'm saying is that, we're all different but come together to make one formidable unified force. Differences make the best unity!" Milan said, giving the mic to Jarvis. The crowd roared out at his speech. Milan always had a talent for speech. The roaring crowd made Jarvis even more confident. He stood there with that cocky grin, that grin that made me want to hit him...

"Well, well, well," Jarvis smiled, making my stomach churn, "I am the Second Wing of the Long Winger Platoon. I am charged with the duty of keeping all of these guys kicking and thriving. I am responsible for each and everyone of them coming back home at the end of each mission. Denver is right... we make sacrifices for each other and I make the big sacrifices as a whole. After losing Chance, the former Second Wing, it's become my serial duty to make sure no one else on this team becomes a casualty on the battlefield. As you can see, it's been a big success..." He handed the microphone back over to General Aquil. Somehow, the crowd roared over his narcissistic statement. It truly boggled my mind.

Hell, we all had to applaud Jarvis's bullshit this time. He was the only one of us all who made the speech about himself and not about the team. Not only that but he was lying... He cared not for any one of us, only about how he could rise in rank the quickest way possible. Jarvis seemed to be running away from something, fleeing from some deeply repressed fears. What was he harboring on the inside that sent him on this run for security? Why did he feel the need to so desperately run over others to get what he wanted? What was his true end game?