Chapter 6
“And one more detail, Corporal,” Hayes added, her expression shifting slightly into something resembling restrained curiosity. “Your four companions from yesterday’s lunch table will assist you with this complete inventory from start to finish.”
Chapter 4
Jake met her eyes and nodded solemnly. “They will be on the tarmac ready to work before sunset today, ma’am. I will ensure our entire team understands the exact standard required of us.”
“Dismissed,” she said simply, picking up a pen and returning her attention to the mountain of paperwork on her desk. She did not offer a closing platitude, nor did she soften the weight of her mandate.
Jake and Vance executed crisp about-faces and marched out of the administration building into the bright California sun. The coastal air was sharp, smelling faintly of salt water, diesel exhaust, and burned jet fuel.
“You walked into a hornet’s nest, Miller,” Vance remarked quietly as they crossed the asphalt parking lot toward the maintenance bays. “You are exceptionally fortunate she is a mentor rather than a ruthless executioner.”
“I know, Staff Sergeant,” Jake muttered, clutching the heavy binders tightly against his ribs. “She could have had my stripes stripped before morning colors if she had wanted to push the matter to the colonel.”
“Stripes can be replaced, Jake,” Vance said, stopping by the chain-link perimeter fence. “Integrity cannot. If she exposes those maintenance oversights during the formal evaluation next month, our entire squadron faces immediate decertification.”
Jake looked toward the distant runway where a pair of transport helicopters hovered in low ground effect. The realization that his careless habits had endangered those flight crews made his stomach knot with acute dread.
Ten minutes later, Jake entered the break room behind Hangar Four, where his four squad mates were huddled around a metal table. Lance Corporals Davis, Torres, Evans, and Henderson immediately jumped up from their chairs.
“What happened, Jake?” Davis asked nervously, searching Miller’s expression for signs of disaster. “Did she take your rank? Are we getting written up under Article Ninety-Two for conduct unbecoming?”
“No,” Jake replied, dropping the heavy binders onto the center of the wooden table with a loud thud that startled everyone. “She gave us an opportunity to fix what we broke before the inspectors arrive.”
Torres leaned forward, squinting at the thick red manuals. “What does ground turbine maintenance have to do with an apology for an idiot joke in the mess hall? That doesn’t make any sense.”