- Arthur! Goddammit, open the door!
- What the fuck, Mike?! Do ya know what time it is?
- Have grown old? Mike said and laughed. - Take your stuff! Hurry! I have booked us flight to New York.
-New York... What the fuck you are talkin', man?
- I called them. They take us both. So start packing, you idiot.
- I have to tell my boss...
- You can email him from port. You have a new boss now. So, are you coming or not?
- Yeah, of course... I email my sister. She can take care of my stuff here. Wait a sec.
---
Arthur raised M16 and gave a double-tap.
- Good! Now, Mozambique Drill!
He turned at the same time with the target. Two to chest, one to head.
- Next post!
Arthur ran. He had been lazying after the army. In everyday life, he hadn't noticed. But here, doing stuff again, he felt extra pounds and extra years under his belt. The instructor was former British paratrooper, in his 40s but still made of steel. He hadn't taken his days off boozing around and eating cheap pizzas, like Arthur.
At the end of the course, instructor, Jake, laughed.
- Very well for a Yankee. Bit more morning jogs and you will do fine.
- Thanks. Too much civilian stuff. Beers and shit.
- I know. But don't worry. You should see what kind of horizontally challenged personnel we time by time get here. They sweat already when getting off the bench.
Arthur enjoyed informal atmosphere. Something else compared to army. No saluting and standing in attention when drill sergeant crushes your toes. No pretty boys balling around like peacocks thinking they were end all, be all. They all were doing important things as they should, but all that cockniness he had hated was away. They were professionals, not babysitters.
- Have you any idea where we are gonna deploy? Arthur asked from Jake.
- Hah, I'm not dealing with that shit. I just use whip here, he said and plinked eye. - But I heard in the news that there are increasing international pressure to calm the pirates in Somalia. Too bloody many ship nappings and ransoms per year.
- You reckon we're gonna go there?
- I've my itch. There's a good business opportunity, and I think our bosses are pretty good at that stuff. Smelling the whale carcass.
They laughed.
- I haven't been in Somalia before, Arthur continued. - I met some guys who'd served with those who were there but... It was too long time ago.
- Were you even born then?
- Around that time.
- We attended in one cooperation training with some guys... who had been there. Tough guys, and even then... it ended to shitstorm.
- How about now?
- Hah. Don't think too much. We are not a superpower. We can't afford losing guys like flies. It's not gonna happen again.
Arthur regretted he had mentioned it.
- Yeah, you're right. I just have to get this blubber off my guts.
- That's the talking! Jake cheered.
*
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