The characters in this story are all mine and the story is all mine. The characters may look like two of our favorite actresses that are not mine, but that's where the similarity ends.
Love/Sex/Language:
Yes to all of the above. This story depicts an explicit loving relationship between adult women. If you're under-aged or live in a place that this isn't allowed or this isn't your cup of tea, I suggest you move along and look for something else to occupy your free time.
Violence:
This story deals with war hence it will have scenes that depict violence, sometimes quite explicitly. I'll try my best to make them as tasteful as possible but if this offends you, I suggest you skip them.
Thanks:
To my beta-reader AC D'amato for everything. For reading, correcting my stories and doing a great job of it and for coming to my rescue just in the nick of time! AC, you rule babe!
To my wonderful, amazing friend, Stormy. Thank you for everything. I hope you know how much I care and appreciate you.
To all the readers that took the time to write to me and tell me what they thought, you encouraged me to keep on writing.
And to all the great bards around and their amazing stories that I loved reading and gave me the inspiration to start writing my own.
Author's comments and Feedback: This is an uber novel, much the same as my previous ones and I hope you'll like it. Unfortunately, the story is yet to be finished because I'm quite busy in my day to day life at the moment so I apologize ahead for the delays in my posting of the parts. I promise to try and write as fast as I possibly can. I hope you decide on reading it anyhow...
The same as my other stories, everything in this story is meant purely for fun and I hope you find it funny (in places it was meant to be funny), dramatic (the same) and so on. I would really appreciate knowing what you think of my stories. Tell me if I'm doin' alright or if I royally suck. Some plot ideas would be very much appreciated also. Actually, come to think of it, any comment would be very much appreciated :) mailto:Dimples_2000_fr@yahoo.com
Copyright © Dimples Jan 2003. All rights reserved.
Part Three
Ch. 7
"Blue Hawk" base was buzzing with silent excitement as the knowledge of the upcoming reinforcements spread like wildfire. Lieut. Sorenson and Sgt. Hudson made sure the base was in perfect order for the arrival of their new commander. They had heard many things about Captain Watkins and couldn't wait to see the truth for themselves.
Seven polished army jeeps awaited the arrival of the large "Hercules", which brought Riley's company. As the plane touched ground at Pointe-Noire airport, all seven drivers immediately stood to attention next to their respective vehicles. The belly of the plane gaped open and two rows of immaculately organized soldiers began their march off the plane.
The Congo authorities welcomed the new arrivals with a somewhat masked enthusiasm. Some were truly happy and relived to greet the American soldiers while some still considered their interference a nuisance. With a stern, no-nonsense look on her face, Riley exchanged a few words of greeting with the authorities and quickly led her company through the congested airport and into the humid air of the outside. The temperature was high, the humidity even higher as Riley wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. The city of Pointe-Noir was one of the larger cities in Congo. Many of its residents dealt in trade and the streets were filled with all sorts of vendors trying to sell their merchandise to the passing customers.
Riley called her company to a halt and saluted the drivers. She then turned to her soldiers and told them to fill the jeeps. In less than a minute, they were on their way to the camp. The drive wasn't eventful. It was more or less a very bumpy road through thick brushes and small forests. They had to travel for three hours straight to reach the small town of Kayes. Half an hour later, through less congested areas and flatter ground, they reached the camp.
The scenery is truly breathtaking once the millions of mosquito bites stopped bothering you, thought Riley as she looked around. Congo was a very beautiful country, with grand canyons, thick forests and marvelous waterfalls. Since most of its planes were unsettled and nature was the sole ruler, the beauty of it all remained untouched.
Riley stepped off the jeep and rounded her soldiers. She turned to saluting officers at the mouth of the camp and returned the salute. "At ease." Both officers relaxed their stance and smiled. Lieut. Rick Sorenson stepped forward and greeted the captain, "Welcome to "Blue Hawk", ma'am. We are so very glad to see you." He said sincerely. Riley quirked half a smile and nodded, "Thank you, lieutenant. I see the rest of the troops are waiting," she said and motioned to the soldiers on the camp grounds. Rick smiled and nodded, "We've been waiting your arrival."
Riley turned to her company and said, "You have ten minutes to get organized, relieve yourselves of your equipment and join the other troops in formation. Dismissed."
The company quickly scrambled to do their captain's bidding and left the officers alone. "Captain, let us introduce ourselves and show you around camp. I'm Rick Sorenson and this is Dean Hudson." Said the lieut. and took Riley's hand in a firm shake.
"I'm Riley Watkins."
"We know, captain." Said Rick.
Riley smiled slightly and nodded as she followed the two men into camp. They led her to one of the larger personal tents and showed her in, "This will be your quarters. Anything you might need, I'll be bunking in with Sgt. Hudson in the opposite tent."
Riley nodded and put her things on her cot. Leading her around camp, Rick explained where everything else was, "On the other side of camp is where the soldiers would be sleeping. To your right is our fancy dining room tent and the infirmary and to your left are the showers, the toilets, supply tents and weaponry. This about concludes our tour, it's nothing much..."
"I'm used to much less, don't worry." Said Riley, gruffly.
"Of course, ma'am."
"After I get aquatinted with the rest of the troops here, I'd like a briefing of everything that's happened up until now."
"Of course, captain. They are ready for you and we will be waiting right over there," They pointed to a lone tent on the far side of the camp, "that's the "situation room" as we call it."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
The officers went in the direction of the "situation room" and left Riley behind with the awaiting troops. Riley turned to the soldiers and walked from one to the other, passing by slowly, watching their faces, their stance, getting familiar with them. After she finished her inspection, she took to the front. "Ten hut!" She shouted the order and delighted at the quick and sharp reaction. Each and every one of the soldiers stood straight and proud with their heads held high and their chests puffed out in front of their commander. "At ease, soldiers." the soldiers' stance relaxed and they spread their legs to an easy "V".
"I'm captain Riley Watkins, the new commander of this base. I was sent here in order to finish this war and bring you back home. I made a promise to quite a few people that I would get you back home safe and sound and I'm not known for breaking my promises. But in order to do that, I need all of you to help me. Not much is going to change here in the next few days, weeks perhaps, but one thing I do not tolerate is disobedience. If you listen to what I say my promise will be kept, and in a short time you'll all be home, eating a hearty meal in the presence of your loving family. There is no if not in this situation. It's either you listen to me and let me do my job or you tell me now and it's over. Do I have everyone's agreement?"
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" They shouted in union.
Riley quirked half a smile and said, "Good. I'm glad you all see things my way. You have an hour to get aquatinted with each other. By the end of that hour, we'll start a small series of training before the next time we go out on a mission. Dismissed."
Riley watched for a few moments as her company began making friends with the rest of the troops and started walking towards the "situation tent".
***
Ashley reached the airport just in time to board her flight. Pulling her luggage through customs and leaving the larger one to be put in the plane's storage, she quickly managed to find the correct gate and board the plane. Once she found her seat, she positioned her remaining bag in the upper compartment above her seat and sat down. She breathed a small sigh of relief as she found herself over the first part of her journey. Ashley looked at her watch and closed her eyes tiredly. After spending most of the night tossing and turning, thinking about the road ahead of her, she was weary. Relaxing into the first class seat, she took a deep breath and soon after fell asleep.
The weather was clear and so the trip to Brussels from NY city took around 9 hours with no stop in between. Ashley slept for most of the flight, except when taking a minute to stretch her muscles, go to the bathroom and eat. By the time she reached Brussels' airport, she was well rested and ready to face the next phase.
She claimed her bag and passed through customs. She had to find the airline she had read about on the internet. Dragging her suitcase after her, she started looking around the airport for any sign of the airline she was looking for, "Hewa Bora Airways". She knew that this was the only airline that reached Kinshasa from Brussels and might give her a modicum of secrecy.
She stopped one of the airport workers and asked for the airline, only to be answered in French that he didn't speak English. Sighing in frustration, she tried asking another one of the workers only to be answered in the same fashion. She threw her hands in the air and started looking around, trying to find the airline on her own.
Within 10 minutes, she found what she had been looking for at the far end of the airport. A lone man was handling the airline booth, which looked too small to contain him as well. Ashley approached the man with a small smile and said, "Hey there, I was wondering if there's any flight leaving for Kinshasa soon?"
The man raised bored eyes at the intruding woman, looking her up and down carefully. He then shook his head brusquely, saying , "No" and returned to shuffling the few papers he had strewn all over the small booth's top.
Ashley blinked dumbly for a few moments, her eyebrows rising to touch her hairline. Frowning, she shook her head and asked, "Excuse me?" She was momentarily shocked mute.
The man blew out a frustrated breath and threw the papers he was shuffling down on the table top. "What is it that you don't understand? I said 'no', don't you know English?" He said with a thick French accent.
Ashley bit the inside of her cheek to keep from lashing out at the man and said in a barely controlled voice, "Look, sir, I inquired about this airline and I know for certain that it reaches Kinshasa. I'd like to buy a ticket and be on the next plane over. Please." She bit out.
The man looked at his watch in boredom and then turned to focus on Ashley's blazing eyes, "Look, miss, unless you are cargo I do not have a plane for you to take to Kinshasa."
Ashley knew that this airline didn't have commercial flights. She also knew that her only possibilities would be either charter or cargo flights. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. More so, since she figured this was her only chance to outplay her father if he did try to trace her in the next few days. She had hoped for the former of the two though. "What about your charter flights?"
The man mumbled something in French about Americans and said, "Sold out. We only have one cargo plane left going to Kinshasa."
Ashley breathed in annoyance, "Fine then, I'll pay my way for the cargo plane. When is it leaving?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am but I can't sell you a ticket for the cargo plane."
The salesperson was getting on Ashley's last nerves, "Why is that?"
The man smirked as he said, "Well, since you are not exactly cargo."
Ashley was seething. She rested her palms on the booth and inched her way towards the man's face, trying to get as close to him as possible without actually moving the booth out of the way. "Now look here, mister, I need to get to Kinshasa and soon. I didn't get to where I am by giving up so fast. Now, you either sell me a damn ticket or I'll make sure you feel very, very sorry you decided to come to work today. Your choice." She finished with an evil, little smile.
The man gulped loudly and the remains of his earlier smirk quickly died from his lips. He glanced around and said, "Fine. What is the cargo's weight?" He internally delighted at the obvious distress he was causing the small woman in front of him.
Ashley's nostrils flared and it seemed as though she was about to blow smoke, "What?"
"Since you want a cargo ticket, I'll need to know the weight." He said sarcastically.
"Are you deliberately trying to piss me off because if you are, you're doing a great job of it. What the hell kind of question is that? You know I don't have any cargo!"
The man shrugged, "I know, ma'am but in order to sell you a ticket, I need to know the weight so I could put a price on it."
Ashley looked at her watch and sighed loudly, "Alright, 110 pounds. Happy now?"
He began typing on the small computer in front of him as he said, "It has nothing to do with my happiness, ma'am."
Ashley glared at him but continued to fume inside.
"That'll be 52 dollars and 50 cents."
"52 dollars?!" She said incredulously. Shaking her head at his continued indifference, she took out her wallet and paid the man, grabbing the ticket in her other hand. "I won't have any trouble with the pilot, would I?"
He shook his head and said, "No, just show him the ticket and he'll take you. He's a professional, as long as you pay it doesn't matter to him what the cargo is. The plane leaves in 15 minutes from gate 10. Have a good flight."
Ashley shook her head at the strange yet entirely infuriating man. She tucked the ticket into her back pocket and walked to gate 10, where her flight was supposed to leave from. She wanted to take a glance at the plane she would be flying in for over 4 hours. 'God, I hope not all people in Congo have the same attitude...' she thought to herself as she stepped outside into the chilly mid-morning air. Her eyes widened comically when they landed on the small, rusty looking airplane. 'If I could even call it that...'
"Oh God, please don't let that be my plane." She whispered under her breath, gasping in surprise when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned around to look into the salesperson's dark, amused eyes. "That's exactly the plane you practically begged me for a ticket."
Ashley's lip curled in a snarl and the man's smirk quickly fell from his lips along with his hand from her shoulder. She smiled happily when she noticed him backing away from her as quickly as his legs could carry him. She turned her gaze back to the small aircraft and sighed tiredly as she started heading towards the pilot.
It seemed the pilot was giving the small plane a final check up. His head was burrowed underneath the front hood of the plane, checking the engine. With a final grunt, he stepped off the short ladder he'd been standing on and dropped the hood back in place, smiling almost affectionately at the rusty sound of hinges bending under the pressure. Ashley stepped towards him, her ticket thrust out for him to take. The pilot frowned but took the ticket. He quickly glanced at Ashley and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Umm, I need to get to Kinshasa. The man from the airline booth said it'd be okay. I bought a ticket, see?" She said and pointed at the ticket in his hands. The pilot nodded and said in a broken English, "Ok, get in."
Ashley sighed in relief and walked to the small hatch at the side of the plane. When she got close enough to the door, she jumped back so fast as though she'd been bitten by a snake. The pilot looked around and asked, "Wha's the matter?"
Ashley was covering her nose and mouth with her hand as she spoke, "What is that smell?"
The pilot frowned and looked at the interior of his plane in question. Finally, he raised his head and nodded in understanding, saying, "Oh. That chickens." He smiled as if the problem was solved.
Ashley groaned and closed her eyes, "Chickens, of course." She took a deep breath and pushed her way inside the plane, trying her damnedest not to breath too much or choke. The pilot smiled at her once more and put her luggage inside as well. He then closed the hatch tightly and went to his seat. Looking behind her, she noticed the plane's window was slightly ajar. Pushing with all her strength, she succeeded in cracking the window open, enough for her to stick her nose through. She rolled her eyes and mentally scolded herself, 'You've been in tougher situations, you can handle a bit of chickens' droppings...'
Sighing with difficulty, she thought, 'Yeah, I've been in harder situations than this, but not by much...'
Ch. 8
Rick and Dean were waiting in the "situation tent" for Riley to show up. They had dreaded this part most of all. The situation was rough and they had a feeling the top brass hadn't exactly told Riley what she was in for. Riley raised the tent flap and ducked underneath to get in. Both Dean and Rick stood to attention and smiled when Riley waved them off. "At ease, gentleman. When it's among us, we're one and the same."
Rick motioned for Riley to sit on the small wooden stool in front of them. "Well, I know there's a reason I've been sent here and I can even imagine what that reason is but I'd like to know more explicit details. What happened?"
Rick took the lead and began explaining, "About three weeks ago, we received some information about the whereabouts of this underground militia's HQ. We figured if we defeat their HQ, they will all fall in no time. So, we assembled a task force of 50 of our best soldiers and with exact plans in hand, we sent them out. They ran into an ambush, not far from their destination. They didn't even have the time to raise their weapons to shoot." Rick took a deep breath and continued solemnly, "Only one survived and came back to tell the tale."
"Who was the one that survived?" Asked Riley, her jaw muscles clenching and unclenching periodically with tension.
"Private Bradley Benson. He wasn't seriously injured, physically wise but mentally...He's not the same person who went out on that mission." Provided Dean.
"What do you mean?"
"He's young and very impressionable. He claims that he's fine but there's this haunted look in his eyes that speaks of revenge. He wants to get back out there and avenge his friends' deaths."
"I don't know how he was before but it seems pretty normal to me that a guy that went through something like that would feel a need for revenge. I'll have to speak to him and see what more I can find out and if he is in actuality, capable of going back out there. You said you know of the exact whereabouts of their HQ, right?"
"Yes, we do." Said Rick.
"Good. Would you be able to draw for me some kind of map?"
"Yes, of course." Both officers answered determinably.
"Alright then. I'll take the same course of action you two took and believe that if we take out their HQ, it would only be a matter of time until they all surrender. We have quite a bit of work ahead of us. Rick, I'd like you to try and draw the map for me and Dean, I need to speak to Bradley ASAP. I'll check on the troops and then be back here to talk to the private. Alright?"
"Yes ma'am." They answered in union before scrambling to do their captain's bidding.
***
The plane ride was the bumpiest, most awful experience Ashley had ever had to endure in her whole life. The smell, she eventually got used to, which was a good thing since after an hour or so with her nose stuck out of the window in the cold air, it felt about ready to fall off. However, it seemed the pilot was intent on flying through every single air pocket he could possibly find. With each bump, the various packages and boxes got closer and closer to her, almost suffocating her. When the plane finally touched ground, cramped up, hungry and extremely dirty, Ashley blew a breath of relief. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes and pushed the chicken that had settled on her lap during the flight, off of her.
Half standing, half crawling, she pushed her way out of the small aircraft and nearly crumbled to the floor when he legs finally touched solid ground. She felt the urge to drop to her knees and kiss the asphalt but thought better of it. The pilot got out of the plane as well, "Good?" he asked with a smile.
Ashley cracked a small smile and nodded, "Yes, thank you." He dropped her small suitcase at her feet and went to begin the job of unloading the plane. She waved him goodbye and turned around to look at Kinshasa's airport. It was hot and clammy outside even in this time of day. It had gone dark by now and she couldn't see much past the runway. Grabbing her suitcase in one hand and pulling her backpack more securely with the other, she walked the short distance to the entrance of the airport. Considering what little she had learned about this country, the airport looked very much well kept. It was overly big but modern enough. Noticing a small caf» in the corner near the exit, she headed that way.
A young looking girl was standing behind the counter, looking pretty bored. Ashley tried to keep some distance from the counter since she knew she didn't smell her best. "Excuse me?"
The young girl looked up and smiled, "Yes?" she asked, a bit of a French accent lacing the word.
"I'd like a cup of coffee."
"Of course. One moment, please."
Ashley smiled her thanks and waited. When the girl returned, she handed Ashley the coffee. "That'll be 20 XAF." She requested, meaning the national currency of The Democratic Republic of Congo.
"I'm sorry but I only have dollars."
The girl bit her lip in thought for a moment, then nodded, "Okay. But I can't pay you back in dollars. I'll have to give you your change in our currency."
Ashley smiled her thanks, "Alright."
While the girl was calculating the amount of change she owed the American, Ashley couldn't help but wonder at her almost perfect English, "Excuse me for asking but how is that you speak such fluent English?"
The girl smiled, "I have a teacher that is British and she taught the kids from our village. Because of her, I can work here."
Ashley smiled in return and took the change, pocketing it in her jeans. She picked up the Styrofoam cup and took a large gulp of the smoldering liquid, burning her whole mouth in the process, "Shit!"
The girl behind the counter giggled in amusement and said matter-of-factly, "It's hot."
Ashley looked at her with a raised brow, "You people have a way with stating the obvious, don't you?" at the blank look she received from the girl, she just waved her comment off.
Ashley went and took a seat, now drinking the coffee in small, careful sips. "I'm Ashley, by the way."
"I'm Sassona. Nice to meet you."
"Same here. Say, maybe you could help me."
Sassona shrugged and said, "I could try."
Ashley smiled gratefully and said, "I like your attitude. I need to get to Brazzaville."
"Brazzaville? Okay..."
"How do I get there?"
"Oh well, it is pretty easy from here. You only have to go about 20 kilometers south west, to the Congo river and traverse it to the other side. That's where Brazzaville is."
"I have to traverse the Congo river?" Asked Ashley, a bit of apprehension starting to show on her face.
Sassona patted Ashley's hand in reassurance, "Yes, but it's okay. There are people there providing commercially navigable water transport and it doesn't even cost that much. But I suggest you exchange some of your dollars into our currency. They may not take dollars."
"Oh, phew, that's a relief. With what I have been through up until now, I thought I would have to traverse the river swimming or something."
Sassona laughed heartily, "No, no. No need for swimming."
"Well, I better get going but thanks so much for your help."
"No problem, it was my pleasure."
"Sassona? You wouldn't perhaps know of an exchange office around here, would you?"
"Yes, there is one right on the opposite side of the airport. Have a good trip, Ashley."
"Thank you, Sassona. Good night."
Changing 500 dollars worth of money into the national Congo currency, she left the airport and looked around for a cab. Spotting an empty cab with a driver leaning tiredly on its hood, she walked over, "Hello. I need a ride to the Congo river?"
The man frowned and shook his head, "Je ne parle pas Anglais."
"Oh. Umm...Congo river?" Ashley tried again.
"River?" The man asked confusedly.
"Brazzaville." Ashley said, hoping that the man would understand her meaning.
"Ah, Brazzaville, oui, oui. Entr»e, mademoiselle." He motioned with his hand to his car.
"Thank you. Merci."
The driver smiled, closed Ashley's door and took her luggage and placed it in the trunk of his car. He got behind the wheel and started the car. The scenery was beautiful. Ashley had been in many places around the world because of her job but rarely did she find the time to actually sit back and enjoy the view. The planes of the country were mostly flat but with much green covering them. Large forests could be seen in the horizon, covering most of the land. The sounds of nightly creatures surrounded the roar of the car, a slight breeze ruffled her hair as she gazed through her open window. The air was damp yet hot and she could almost taste the sweet flavor of oncoming rain.
Fifteen minutes later, Ashley was almost asleep when the taxi stopped in a large, nature-made parking lot. "Brazzaville, ce'st l…." He said as he pointed toward a small wooden cabin, near the river. She gazed outside her window and smiled at the relaxing sound of the river's water. She turned her gaze back to the driver and thanked him, "How much do I owe you?" Suddenly remembering he didn't understand a word she said, she tried a different tactic. She took out her wallet and showed him on of the bills.
"Quarante sept." He said.
Narrowing her eyes in question, she shrugged.
He showed her with his fingers what he meant and she smiled, giving him 5 bills of ten. When he tried to give her the change, she waved him off and got out of the car. He smiled and went to help her with her luggage. Ashley picked up her things and walked to the small cabin, which held a sign saying both in French and English, "Water transportation."
A young boy of no more than 15 greeted her. "Hey there. I'd like a one way ticket to Brazzaville."
"Okay. That'll be 40 XAF. The boat is leaving in ten minutes."
"Thank you. Here you go." She paid the boy and took the ticket, heading for the dock. 'A boat, how fun...' She thought dryly. She hated boats ever since she was ten years old. She remembered that time way too vividly and still to this day, they made her heart clench and her stomach rebel. She had been on a seven day cruise with her parents, when one night there was a terrible storm. It was so terrible that the ship almost overturned. She could remember lying in bed, clutching the covers tightly in her hands and looking outside the small rounded window of her room. Their cabin was on the seventh deck and still the waves managed to reach them there. She felt so small and scared as she shut her eyes tightly, willing herself to fall asleep but to no avail. She had spent the night of the storm losing the contents of her stomach over and over again.
Ashley shuddered at her thoughts and concentrated on her mission ahead. "It's a short ride, probably no more than an hour." She reassured herself as she boarded the small, two-story boat.
Ch. 9
Going through two days with less than five hours of sleep were taking their toll on the young reporter. As soon as she boarded the ship she fell asleep. Almost two hours later, a voice rang through the ship saying something in French and then in their apparently, native tongue. Ashley quickly detected the name 'Brazzaville' among the rest of the sentence and raised to her feet, trailing the suitcase after her.
Rubbing her hands on her tired face, she stood in line to get off the boat. She was glad that part of her trip was over. She had finally reached Brazzaville, her city of destination. Now what? She wondered to herself. Up until that moment, most of her trip had been pretty much pre-planned, however, from here on out, it was more or less touch and go. Ashley looked at her watch and noticed she had forgotten to change it to the local time. Doing a quick math, she figured it must be close to sunrise. Grabbing her suitcase, she moved towards the lights of the city, away from the river. The city was fairly silent at this early hour, most people being tucked away in bed. Ashley could feel fat beads of sweat forming on her brow as she walked deeper into the city. The slight breeze from the river almost gone altogether. She stopped near a small restaurant and rolled her sleeves up as high as they could reach. Fanning herself, she hoped to find some place to put down her suitcase and wait for the sunrise.
Looking around, she found everything to be closed down. As she walked along the closed stores, she noticed a small booth selling all kinds of sandwiches and beverages. She sighed in relief as she walked closer. The woman of about fifty that appeared to be the vendor looked up from her work. "Oui?" She asked.
"Umm, Hi. I just need a place to sit until sunrise. Would it be okay if I sit here?" Asked Ashley, pointing at one of the chairs in front of the vendor's booth.
The woman smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, okay."
Ashley smiled her thanks and took a seat. Before she realized, she had fallen asleep on the small, uncomfortable chair. A small hand suddenly shook her awake, "What?" Ashley blinked tired eyes open and was surprised to see that it was morning. She looked at the woman that woke her and smiled, "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Do you want anything to eat?" The woman asked kindly, with a thick French accent.
"You speak English." Said Ashley in surprise.
The woman chuckled, "Yes, I have to for the strangers that come visit, non?"
"Yeah, I guess so. You know, a sandwich would be great." She said sheepishly, blushing profusely when her stomach growled loudly.
The vendor grinned and chuckled heartily, "Of course, child." She said before fetching the food.
When the woman returned, Ashley asked, "What is the time?"
The woman looked at the clock on the wall near her booth and said, "8:30."
"Thanks and thank you for the sandwich, how much do I owe you?" She asked as she took a healthy bite out of her meal. Ashley moaned as the taste spread through her mouth. It must have been the best sandwich she had ever eaten. either that or she just hadn't eaten in a long time.
The woman shook her head, "No need, child."
Ashley stopped in mid-chew and said, "No, please, let me pay. You've been so kind to me..."
The woman seemed to think for a moment and said, "Okay, how about 5XAF?"
Ashley smiled affectionately, "From what I gathered, that's not much, is it?"
"It's enough. What is your name, child?"
"I'm Ashley." She said as she paid the woman.
"Nynesso. Nice to meet you."
"Same here."
Nynesso then went to tend to a few other customers, leaving Ashley to her thoughts. Ashley gazed at the now illuminated streets. The city was slowly starting to bustle with activity as early risers started milling about in the street and street vendors started running their respective booths. She looked up at one of the buildings closer to her and noticed the opening of windows, the sounds of greetings between neighbors and the tired sounds of small children being woken up to face the upcoming day. The city was coming to life in front of her eyes and it was beautiful. She couldn't understand who would want to ruin this serene picture. To her, an outsider, it looked as though people were happy, going about their lives. Maybe she was wrong, maybe it was all an illusion. People that had to live beside the fear, beside the devastation became adapted to it. They normalized it.
A small girl, her hand held in her mother's crossed the street in front of Ashley. The girl stopped suddenly and her mother seemed to somehow tense for a moment. When the girl raised from her bent position, she held a small butterfly between her tiny hands and with a shiny smile plastered on her face, she gazed at her mother. Her mother sighed and smiled lovingly at her daughter. Letting the girl enjoy the beauty of the small butterfly for a while longer, she then pulled the girl on their way.
Ashley looked on and smiled sadly. That child should live in safety. Her sweet innocence shouldn't be marred by the cruelties of the world, of mankind. As she gazed at the passing duo, she got reminded of why she had become the reporter she was today, of why she continuously sacrificed her life for a story or another. She was doing it for that child and for every other child living under the same circumstances. She wasn't being conceited, far from it, she knew that the actual action of bringing the peace to these people's lives was done by the hard working soldiers. They were fighting to stop the hurting of the innocents. However, she was fighting for them as well. Revealing the truth, helping to see the story behind the cold, hard facts made a difference in her eyes as well.
Breathing the fresh, if humid air in, Ashley changed the time on her watch to match the clock on the wall of the building. Now what? How am I supposed to get to the base? I don't think anyone around here might know or want to know where it is. Sigh. She gazed at Nynesso as she tended to the other patrons. When Nynesso gazed back, they smiled at each other and Nynesso motioned to her that she'd be there in a moment. Several minutes later, Nynesso joined her at her small table. Maybe I should ask Nynesso, maybe she knows something that could help...It's worth a try. She mentally shrugged.
"Nynesso, do you know anything about the American base around here?"
Nynesso frowned and said, "You don't look like a soldier."
Ashley chuckled and said, "That's cause I'm not. I'm a reporter and I have to get there." She decided to put her trust in Nynesso, hoping that her gut instinct wouldn't fail her.
Nynesso smiled reassuringly, as though she sensed the direction Ashley's thoughts had taken, "A reporter, eh? Nice. I'm sorry, child but I don't know where it is located." She paused for a moment and then as an afterthought, she said, "Wait, but as I recall, from time to time, they come into town to get supplies. I'm sorry but I don't know when."
Ashley's eyes lit up with the new information, "Thanks, Nynesso. That helps a lot."
Nynesso smiled happily and patted Ashley's shoulder, "I'm glad I could help, child."
Before Nynesso turned to leave, she said, "When they come, they usually go to Diusu's market, on the other side of town. Just follow the road for about 1 kilometer and you'll get there."
"Thank you, Nynesso, for everything."
"My pleasure, child." With a final smile, the woman disappeared behind her booth and Ashley turned to the road. Fifteen minutes later, she reached the other side of town and what she figured to be Diusu's market. People were milling about on both sides of the market, the combined smells of different kinds of food wafted in the air and tickled her senses. People were tasting, touching, examining and buying while exchanging words with other frequenters. The only thing left to do now was to wait, since she had no idea if and when the soldiers might be coming again for supplies.
She picked herself a spot behind some empty crates and boxes that were used for packaging and delivery and sat down on the floor, trying to be as conspicuous as possible in the bustling environment.
It was already noon and nothing seemed to change other than the fact that if Ashley had thought the market was busy in the early morning, it was now positively over-flowing. She had managed to catch a few more hours of sleep in her cramped position but now was wide awake. The loud roar of engines seemed strange and out of place. Ashley glanced up from her position and looked around, searching for the source of the sound. To the left of the market, close to where it ended, two large military trucks stopped and parked. Two uniformed men stepped down and began looking around. Ashley could see that two others were standing guard next to the parked trucks.
She tried her best to contain her glee as she watched the men heading away from the trucks. This is my chance...She said to herself and with no further thought, she stepped out of her 'hiding' place and crouched low behind the market's booths. Crawling a few feet forward while taking short glances at the unsuspecting soldiers, she inched her way closer and closer to the trucks. A few minutes later, she finally reached the back of the vehicles. Looking around and making sure no one was paying attention to her, she threw her suitcase inside and climbed in the back. There were some covered crates in the back of the truck which she used for cover. Curling into as small a ball as possible, she closed her eyes. The adrenaline was rushing through her veins and she was almost positive anyone standing close might be able to hear her wildly beating heart. Resting her head on the wall of the truck, she let the rush slowly seep out as she tried to relax.
No more than twenty minutes later, she heard and saw the trucks being loaded with supplies, and then there was nothing but the faint sounds of the market and the loud roar of the engines resounding in her ears.
The road was bumpy but not any rougher than the plane ride she had to endure no more than a day ago. Two hours later of seeing nothing but darkness and masses of trees out of the opening in the back of the truck, they stopped. She felt her heart start beating faster and her eyes grew wide. She tried to back as far away inside the truck as she could, when she saw the men opening the hatch and start unloading the supplies. A small whimper escaped her lips when two of the soldiers climbed inside and started uncovering the crates Ashley was hiding behind. She closed her eyes tightly but when all movement ceased, she slowly cracked them open, gazing straight into the eyes of the soldiers. "What do we have here?" One of them asked.
Ashley gulped loudly and gave a small lopsided smile saying, "Uh-oh."