A Dragon's Tale-Chapter 2-The Procedure
#2 of A Dragon's Tale
The year is 1999. Retried Marines John Alex Mason,friend Hudson James Weaver and brother Issac Tyler Mason,have stepped back into the Corps to rescue their fellow Marine and brother in arms Wyatt Nolan Clarke. The friends are overjoyed to get the team back together. Little do they know that this is 30 year old John's last mission.....as a human anyway....
Location:Cheyenne Mountain Time:1800 Hours 6 Hours After John's Death Issac Mason has assumed control of Task Force:Raven Hudson's POV
John's words jerked me. "Marines don't die" he said just as the agent took over.
Wyatt stood in the corner,pistol clutched in his hand,thumb feeling the safety selector,flipping from auto to burst. I was doing the same. I felt a combination of rage and sadness,angry at the man who had fired the Carl-G at our heli,sadness for Issac,who was losing his younger brother,and for me,because I was losing my best friend and a great CO,one who cared about his team. The doctor walked in with another needle.
"What's that",I asked,still angry.
"This is the agent that will actually fuse his mind with the new body."
"If it works",Wyatt said,now feeling his pistol's safety faster. A look of fear covered the doctor's face.
"Yes,he stuttered,If it works,and I am sure that it will."
I stood there as the doctor stuck the needle into John's motionless body. The monitors still registered brain waves and a heart beat,but John,as much as I hate myself for this,he was gone. I shoved my pistol back into it's holster,the doctor looked relived that at least one of us was not going to kill him.
'I don't need a gun to kill you,I said angrily,I crushed a steel padlock this morning,I'll have no trouble breaking your thin little neck."
Turning as not to let my friends see my tears,I left the lab.
~~~~2 Hours Later~~~~
I sat staring at my plate,my fish half finished,John's words still heavily weighing on my mind, "Marines don't die","They regroup",I said to no one in particular.
Issac sat beside me. "Alcohol and handguns are a bad combination brother,he said,I'd think you of all people would know that."
In front of me sat John's custom B32R and a half full bottle of Jack D. My father had been killed by a drunken man who showed up at our house,and I swore I'd never drink,but here I was,breaking the promise I'd made to my dad. "How the hell do they plan on turning him into a dragon",I asked.
"The doctor said they were going to replace a stem cell or something with John's DNA and inject it into a host. If it works,John should hatch as a dragon."
"That's all kinds of fucked up",I said swigging the whiskey.
Issac took the jar from me,"You are not going to become a drunk over this,John said he wanted a combat ready team when he got back and I intend to honer my dying brother's wish."
Issac and I sat in the silence for some time,and then he placed John's tags on the table. They were custom jobs made specifically for Task Force Raven,they held John's cobalt tags,a gold cross and a picture of us posing as a team was rubber banded to the chain. I held John in a head lock,his gun dangled just out of his reach,and Wyatt and Issac were posing as sniper and spotter.
"We decided you should keep John's tags,you were his second in command.
"Did they say how long it would be?",i asked.
"How long what would be,Issac asked.
"How long before we get our brother back?"
"No,Issac said,they said they can't even begin to estimate."
My heart stopped and sank to the sole of my boot. "Damn",I whispered. "What do we do,I asked.
"We soldier on",Issac replied.