A Soldier in Love Read online

  “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.

  Michelle shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Amy, I don’t exist like that. I’m a soldier, I’m a fighter, I’m no one’s wife.”

  Her words were true. Michelle wasn’t like Amy she wasn’t delicate and feminine. She didn’t need someone to take care of her; she could take care of herself. She would rather fight for herself than lie beneath some man every night as he took for himself what was between her legs.

  That night after dinner, Amy excused herself to go to bed early.

  Dinner had been eerily quiet and Amy’s tone had faded from sad and disappointed to angry. Michelle remembered when she asked Amy to pass the beans she had just glared at her, like how dare she ask for the beans. Eric ended up handing them over to her.

  When Amy left the table Eric whispered quietly to her, “Now, that Amy isn’t here I want to tell you something.”

  “What’s that?” Michelle replied trying to hide the surprised tone in her voice. Eric had been notorious for his stern personality and rigid demeanor, what could he possibly want to tell her? She wasn’t sure he had ever spoken to her in such a soft tone. It all seemed quite novel to her.

  “You are a strong fighter, you are a smart girl, and you’ve learned a lot,” he began.

  “I learned from the best,” she pointed out. She was astonished at his unusual demeanor. She kept quiet so that he would continue.

  “You have to take nourishment when you can, extra if you can get it. Food rations are getting more difficult to come by. You are already on the thin side, Michelle,” he said with an unforgettable seriousness in his voice. “Also, you have to try and get an IS chip.”

  “What is an IS chip?” Michelle questioned.

  “IS stands for information system. It’s like a tiny computer you can take with you. It works by getting information from surrounding satellites. It’s the size of a small earring. You’ll get it and pierce your ear with it,” he said as he turned towards her to reveal his. “Maybe you can get away with hiding it in with your hair. If you meet someone you trust have them implant it in your cartilage. It will hurt like Hell but do it anyway,” he said as he demonstrated with his own ear thumbing over the top part.

  Michelle could see a small bump she had never noticed before.

  “They don’t like to give soldiers this because they misuse them for their ability to stream music. It will sync from most any planet, if you get stationed off world. You may be asked to stay here and fight, no one really knows yet. If for some reason it can’t sync from a satellite it will still contain back information. Try to get close to a shuttle dock, for some reason with all the radios and satellites those contain they always seem to sync there.”

  He took a deep breath.

  “Get one at all costs, whatever you have to do, even if you have to steal it. This is a war we don’t know much about. We are sending people to other planets we don’t know much about,” he paused to clear his throat. “There is something else I think is important. If you want, I have a shot that will help you adapt to a different climate, fight harder, endure more, and rebuild muscle tissues more rapidly. It will allow your lungs to take more oxygen and slow your heart rate giving you stronger athletic abilities. It also has antibodies in it that will develop within your body over the next few weeks,” he explained.

  “Give me the shot,” Michelle said without hesitation as she began to roll up her sleeve.

  “I must warn you, I don’t know what all the effects will be long term but I’ve had it myself. If I didn’t think it was important I wouldn’t ask you to take it,”

  “I understand.”

  “I’m not a medic but I can give you the shot here. It isn’t required to be intravenous just intramuscular,” he said as she nodded in agreement.

  He swiftly reached for his briefcase and pulled out a small bag. He unzipped and spilled the contents out onto the kitchen table. Michelle studied the vial that held a pale gold liquid, a small syringe, and antiseptic wipes. He was quick and deliberate about his task. He moved in close and began to spread the antiseptic on her upper arm. He disinfected
the top of the vial before filling the syringe with the liquid.

  Michelle gritted her teeth as she felt the needle pierce her skin. It hurt but it was nothing compared to other pain she had faced in her life; in fact it was more uncomfortable than painful. She could feel the coolness of the liquid enter her body. It was a strange sensation.

  “You’ll be tired, I’ll let you sleep in tomorrow before you leave tomorrow evening. Even then you will want to sleep on the train,” he said as he pulled the syringe out of her arm.

  Michelle nodded.

  “Lastly, please come back home. I don’t think Amy will be the same if she loses you too,” he said solemnly.

  “I will do my best,” Michelle promised, knowing her words were weak. She knew that there might not be any sort of home to come back to. They were preparing for a war of all wars. They were fighting the unknown. She would pretend along with the rest of them and hope for the best.

  Chapter Three

  Michelle’s stomach dropped as all the thoughts of her older sister ran through her head.

  Ugh, I wish I could have at least talked to her once more before I was deployed. I know we had been through a lot but she was always there when I needed her; even when she was hurting herself, she put it aside to make sure I was OK. She and Eric were always good to me and I just left. I didn’t even tell her goodbye, I was just too angry.

  Michelle sharply jolted herself from her memories. She couldn’t help but think back to the past as she sat alone in the dining hall. Being alone was all she had known since she had left their household.

  She looked down at her tray of food. It was a gray oatmeal like substance and a protein shake.

  “Bottoms up,” Michelle mumbled softly to herself.

  Just like freshmen year of college sitting alone in the dining hall, a snide little voice from the back of her mind hissed.

  College was difficult, not so much the subject matter, but she missed her parents. She always felt alone. The loneliness was a deep nagging feeling that wouldn’t stop. She had guessed it was difficult for anyone to feel normal when there was an imminent invasion of your planet approaching. Sometimes she would see Amy during the holidays although she tried not to bother her and Eric too much since they had been trying for a baby.

  She had decided to go to college and be a teacher. She wanted to make a difference in a child’s life. She wanted to protect them. She didn’t want them to endure what she had gone through. It had been a teacher who noticed her own wounds, a teacher who had helped her to get in contact with Amy.

  She thought back to how gentle she used to be just a short time ago.

  I am protecting them now. I am protecting everyone. That’s why I’m here. Why am I even thinking about all this? She shook her head, probably because I will be dead soon.

  She looked around the dining hall. Most everyone else had barely touched their food.

  Probably too nervous to eat. Don’t they know this may be their last meal for days?

  She heard gasps as the lights flickered off and then came back on. They went down again then came back on in a dimmed manner.

  The generator must be running this place now. Things are getting serious. Something must have hit a power line.

  She scooped up another unattended shake on the table. Someone had undoubtedly left it, probably not used to the taste.

  Ignoring the lumpy texture and bitter taste, she chugged it.

  Clinging to the dim light, she decided to make her move. She began to make her way to the medical supply branch. Carefully, she scanned her ID chip over the reader.

  Maybe, this can work with the power going on and off. Maybe it will give me access because it thinks we are already under siege.

  To her surprise her ID chip caused the reader to turn green. She turned the handle and opened the door. The lights were off and it was dark.

  I have to get a portable information system. I need to know what’s going on.

  She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It wasn’t completely dark but very dim. She quietly made her way to a case that showcased the different systems. She had eyed them during a routine checkup. She knew what she was doing and where they would be. She made clear mental notes and devised a plan, she just needed a chance which was what she was just given. Without hesitation she took one from the case. She examined the small gray dot; it was no larger than earring as she made sure it was one that could be recharged with her own body heat. She stooped down on the floor to ensure no one would be able to see her. She was fairly certain with the urgency of matters outside she would be unseen, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

  She carefully expanded the small needle and winced as she enclosed it onto her ear. She took an alcohol wipe from the tray and wiped the blood drops away as she disinfected the area.

  She lightly tapped the system.

  “IS activate,” she whispered quietly.

  She heard it beep and begin to sync.

  I hope this damn thing hurries up, I can’t get caught here.

  She knew it would take only three minutes to complete but the minutes felt like hours. Her heart raced as she stooped close to the hard, cold ground.

  Finally, she heard it beep again noting that the sync was complete. She quickly tapped the small silver chip on her ear, turning it off. She made her way out of the branch quietly and began to walk down the hall as if nothing had ever happened.

  I hope this little chip can make it past the atmosphere of wherever we are going. I hope I don’t get caught with this thing.

  Chapter Four

  “Left wrist, soldier,” the stern uniformed woman demanded as she approached the gate.

  Michelle uncovered her left wrist and the woman scanned her chip in with her handheld device. It was all beginning to feel normal to her. The training, the reading, Eric’s instructions were all coming together.

  “On, get in back and strap in,” the woman pointed.

  Michelle got in the back of the shuttle and began to adjust her seatbelt and straps. It wasn’t a large shuttle; she figured there was room for about thirty others. It was windowless except for the captain’s area. The whole ship had a plastic smell to it.

  She looked at the seat beside her. Next to her was a frightened young woman. Her brown hair was disheveled and her brown eyes were red from crying. She had delicate features that screamed innocence. She looked almost pure, untainted from the perils of the impending war. She was yet to be a hardened soldier.

  “Have you been to the space compound before?” the young woman asked holding her left wrist in her right hand as though she were in pain.

  Must be from her ID tattoo. She must not be used to army pain yet, Michelle thought.

  Michelle shook her head and tried to ignore the terror in the girl’s large brown eyes. Michelle realized that the girl beside her hadn’t had the comprehension she would have kill or be killed as she herself had.

  “What’s your name?” the young woman asked.

  Michelle sighed. She didn’t feel much like conversation but she replied anyway, “A3343Z.”

  The young woman gave her a shocked look. “No, your real name. Mine’s Kate.”

  “We won’t need those where we are going,” Michelle answered and closed her eyes to avoid her gaze and her foolish questions. She knew about military life.

  I hate to be mean, but she isn’t going to make it if she keeps up the frightened damsel in distress act. We are going to fight a war, a bloody, vicious war. A war against some freak aliens we don’t know shit about.

  Michelle had thought about it over and over again in her mind. Would she be able to kill someone or something else?

  The answer was yes, she had decided. Although she had never really killed anything before, she figured she could when it came down to it. She would have to. It would be kill or be killed. She had lay awake a few nights playing the different situations that might arise in her mind. It wasn’t something that she wanted to do, but it was something
that would have to be done.

  “We are lucky,” Michelle said trying to muster up some sympathy as she opened one eye.

  “Why?” Kate asked in a small voice.

  “I’m not sure why but they saw enough in us to send us somewhere else to form a colony,” Michelle replied with a small shrug of her shoulders.

  “A colony where?” Kate inquired. Her voice was hushed and almost desperate in comparison to Michelle’s confident tone.

  Michelle shrugged her shoulders again. “Not sure but I heard it is called First World II.”

  “Preparing for takeoff,” a voice boomed over the intercom.