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2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 01

By: Spartan22



Book Two -- "Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart: The Diary of an Underdog" -- will continue with the main characters from Book One.

However I cannot emphasize enough how different Book Two will be from Book One. With exception of a flashback or two, be warned that the high school phase is over, so if that's why you started reading, you may want to end your reading experience with Book One. Please consider carefully if you are willing to continue reading about where Luke and Kaylee go from here.

This story is about our protagonists growing up, their journey in life, overcoming hardship and discovering how to live. Some of the most intense adrenaline-filled moments I have ever written are contained in the story. There will be violence, sadness, and tragedy (so be warned), but also humor, romance, and triumph. There will be some absolutely horrific moments, but I believe it will also contain some of the most romantic moments I have ever penned as well.

Thank you for reading my stories, and I truly hope you enjoyed Book One and will also enjoy Book Two just as much if not more. Please continue to thank Random Librarian for his excellent editing job. Book Three will wrap up the entire "Diary" Trilogy and will hopefully be out by Fall of this year.

BOOK TWO: The Diary of an Underdog - Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart

Life was strange outside of California; at least that's what Luke thought. Maybe he was too sheltered, but he missed the little things his home State had to offer like driving his Challenger down the coastline along Highway 101, taking in the scenic view of beautiful green trees and the endless blue ocean that seemed to go on forever.

His entire life -- really, the world as he knew it -- had changed the moment he signed his name on the paperwork at the Air Force recruiter's office. He remembered his dad patting him on the back the moment he put the black pen down on the desk before the ink had a chance to dry, telling him, "Son, I never thought you'd follow in my steps. I'm not sure I like the idea of you joining the Air Force, but I know you'll do great. I have complete faith in you."

Ryan wouldn't realize those simple words would stick with Luke all the way through training. Now that Luke was getting ready to head out into the wild blue yonder, every lesson his dad had ever taught him that he had initially ignored, or best case took for granted, was now beginning to make sense.

Somehow Luke managed to survive the Basic Training course. Talk about a wakeup call. The hardest part of basic, better known as the "we'll tear you down to nothing and build you back up the Air Force way" course, wasn't the strict regimen of making the beds with hospital corners or following a schedule so strict he barely had time to shave or shower. He really didn't mind that. It was the senseless yelling from the MTI's, or Military Training Instructors, that took some getting used to.

Every night as he lay in his bed, typically the first time all day he had a chance to think, he questioned if joining was the right thing. Did he really know what he was getting into? He had always been confident in himself and his abilities in high school, but he couldn't help the seeds of doubt taking root in his mind.

Once basic was finally over -- halleluiah -- his next goal was finishing Tech School. Air Force blue was beginning to soak into his veins, but then again most of the new Airmen felt the same way. They all joined for different reasons -- some wanted the military to pay for school, some wanted to travel the world -- but the one common reason on everyone's list was serving their country.

Still, despite accepting his new life, he couldn't get past the drastic differences between the training base in Texas and where he grew up in Northern California. The weather was different, the species of trees were completely different, and the way Texans spoke... well, it was like another language. The words were the same, but trying to comprehend what was spoken through those thick southern accents took some getting used to. On more than one occasion, Luke found himself politely asking the locals to repeat themselves.

To say he felt like a fish out of water was an understatement. It was especially strange without his parents, his sister Faith, or his buddy Aaron, but he knew he'd get used to it. He'd eventually make new friends and teammates; it would just take time to get there.

But then there was Kaylee.

It was beyond strange, not having Kaylee around. In fact it was downright painful. Luke wasn't so sure he would get used to her absence.

More importantly, he didn't want to.

I -- The Reaper Cometh

One Year, Nine Months Later

"BREAK RIGHT! BREAK RIGHT! DROP FLARES," Airman Luke Patton yelled as several bullets impacted the helicopter just feet away from his station behind the pilot and by the side door. Swinging his 7.62 millimeter minigun to the origin of attack he instinctively pulled the trigger, spraying hundreds of rounds in a matter of seconds.

As the bullets rained down, most of the insurgents bolted from their hiding holes and scattered like bugs, but a few stood their ground and continued to fire at the American helicopter. Patton nailed at least two of them before the HH-60 Pave Hawk, callsign Reaper 31, dispensed chaff and snapped hard right. He was too busy to see if the trailing helicopter, Reaper 32, was taking fire or not.

Major Johnny Westwood slammed the stick aggressively to the right, banking hard and away from enemy fire. "Hold on," he told the crew over the radio.

Frickin' ambush, the young aerial gunner thought to himself. Despite the gravitational forces on his body, Luke Patton held on to his gun tightly during the steep turn, scanning for more targets.

"Fucking insurgents. Pilot, looks like small arms fire, a few machine guns, not sure if they have MANPADS or not. Those surface-to-airs are the last thing we need," Sergeant Chuck Cash, the Flight Engineer and Right Gunner opposite Patton's position, relayed to the Major with a strong Tennessee accent, also returning fire. "Patton got two kills at least, but we're still taking fire from the south."

"Copy, breaking north," Westwood grunted, taking evasive action by swinging the Air Force helicopter back and forth to avoid enemy fire while pushing up the power as far as it would go. "Keep them off our ass, Patton. Wayne, relay our position over secure radio. We have to reposition and get more attack power. Intel obviously didn't know about this, so we don't know what's down there."

"Roger, I still have a few in sight. Left side continuing fire, but you're evasive flying isn't helping my aim," Patton grunted as the G-forces intensified, his body straining under physical pressure.

"Right side, no targets, scanning," Cash reported.

First Lieutenant Clint Wayne, the copilot, also replied to the pilot, "Copy, I'm already on the radio trying to get a hold of Watcher. So far our Airborne Command Center isn't responding, but I'll keep trying."

Out of the corner of his eye, Patton saw the trailing Pave Hawk being fired upon. Most of the flashes on the ground indicated small arms and machine gun fire. It looked like most if not all rounds had missed, but he couldn't be certain. Before he could blink, two smoke trails appeared from the ground to the sky, narrowly missing the flying iron machine, their trajectory carrying them well past the trailing helo. Patton watched as Reaper 32 fired off flares just in time; a third smoke trail bit off on them, changing its flight path and causing a massive explosion. "Shit! They have MANPADS, boss," Patton told Westwood.

"How is Reaper 32 looking," Westwood asked his crew based on Patton's new information, concerned about their formation partners.

"Two missiles fired and missed, a third one bit off on the flares," Patton grunted, wiping his visor with his uniform sleeve. "Fire stopped. I don't see any insurgents. Still scanning, but we're probably out of their range unless they have another ambush up ahead. They popped up quickly from their hiding place; I never even saw them until they fired."

"Alright," Westwood said, "Keep scanning, just in case. Everyone ok so far? Check yourselves, check your equipment."

"Check your pants, you mean," Wayne responded sarcastically.

"We're good over here," Cash replied. "Thanks to your flying, I think I'm sober now."

Patton chimed in, taking the opportunity to reload ammunition, "I'm ok, but we took a lot of rounds on this side. It's amazing I didn't get hit. I've got a few bullet holes less than a foot from my station."

"I'm good too," Wayne also responded, scanning the engines. "Wait... no. Actually our hydraulics are down a little, I think we might be slowly losing fluid."

"Thought as much. It feels like we lost the hydraulics, too," Westwood said with a clear irritation to his voice. "The controls are sluggish. We're gonna have to turn around and head back to base."

Keying the microphone, Westwood tried to establish communications with the trailing helicopter. "Two, this is lead. What's your status?"

The pilot of the second helicopter responded, "Two's good. Those fuckers almost nailed us. Looks like you guys are leaking; we can see a small trail of fluid coming out underneath you. I'm guessing it's hydraulic fluid based on where it's pissing out."

"Copy, we're turning around. Two, you have the lead, we're splitting off and..."

BOOM!

Before Westwood could finish, an enormous explosion went off, shaking the Pave Hawk and initially causing a sharp roll. The impact was on the opposite side of the helicopter by Sergeant Cash's station; the force of the blast would have thrown Patton out of the helicopter if it were not for his safety harness. Violently thrown against the straps, Patton felt himself on the verge of slipping out; some of his straps had been severed in the explosion. All he could do was hold on for his life.

Patton immediately knew they had been hit by either a MANPAD or a rocket propelled grenade; the force was tremendous and the powerful impact was enough to knock the helicopter off of its flight path. The noise was deafening and his head was ringing. Alarms were screaming repetitively and horns blared deafeningly. The Pave Hawk was spinning out of control; Patton tried to grab something and hold on as tightly as he could. The centrifugal force was so strong he couldn't pull himself back into the fiery helicopter but his death grip was enough to keep him from being ejected, as long as he could find a way to hold on. Through the smoke he could see Sergeant Cash, still strapped in and slumped over like a rag doll. His torso was nothing but a big, empty hole. If he had time to form a rational thought and comprehend what had just happened, Patton would have thrown up.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK," Westwood shouted angrily, fighting the controls. He was struggling for control of the helicopter, resigned to gain control at all cost, but was losing the battle. "BRACE FOR IMPACT, WE'RE GOING DOWN!"

Patton held on for dear life. Everything seemed to move at a blinding speed as the spinning helicopter blurred his vision. He closed his eyes, taking what he thought to be his final breath. The only thing he could think of was what he considered the most precious thing in his life -- Kaylee. As the flaming metal fell from the sky, his only thoughts were how much he would miss her.

He could practically see her gorgeous blue eyes, recalling the loving way she looked at him, not to mention that wide beautiful smile she always flashed whenever she saw him, her golden mane of hair gently dancing in the soft wind's breeze.

The helicopter slammed into the ground.

---

Five Months Earlier

"Seriously, you're telling me the Air Force... I mean, the frickin' United States Air Force, can't even afford Tabasco sauce," Sergeant Cash asked his crew, holding up a bottle of Texas Pete, sneering at the annoying cowboy on the label.

"Dude, I don't know why you're bitching. Texas Pete is better than Tabasco anyway," Lieutenant Wayne, the Seattle native, countered.

"First of all, sir," Cash said sarcastically, embellishing his words, "No it's not. Second of all, you're missin' the point." The sergeant retorted with his southern drawl, "Everyone but you likes Tabasco. Yet every table in the entire dining facility has Texas Pete."

Airman Patton snickered, sitting down next to his crew and setting down his tray. Normally the quiet one in the group, he couldn't help but ask, "Guys, is there really a difference?"

The Major shook his head subtly enough for only the young Airman to see, as if to warn him against getting caught in the middle, before taking a bite of his burger. Patton smiled, accepting his mentor's words of wisdom.

"Of course there is! Tabasco is more authentic. The taste is much better; it's all about the peppers," Cash said, defending his stance.

"Whatever," Wayne said, giving in. "If I wanted to complain about something, I'd complain about the way you've been following that desert queen around like a puppy dog... what's-her-name."

"Staff Sergeant Wilkins. Carrie, I think," Patton said, trying not to grin. "She works in finance."

"Yeah. Carrie. That's right," Wayne recalled, looking at Patton. Turning back to Cash, Wayne continued, "That's really sad, bro, the way you sniff around her. We already suspended your man card for that Adam Lambert song you just had to sing over intercom our last flight, but groveling at this chick's heels is gonna get your man card completely revoked. You gotta sac up, man!"

Westwood and Patton almost choked, trying their hardest not to laugh, while Cash flipped Wayne the bird. "Eat me, 'sir'," he smirked, chewing his food with a wry smile and adding, "And it was Adam Levine."

Wayne laughed, "That bunker lovin' isn't gonna get you very far; all it's gonna get you is a bad case of sand and crabs. Take our FNG, for instance," he said, slapping Patton on the shoulder.

Patton's eyes opened wide. He didn't want to get involved, but couldn't help asking, "What... what's FNG?"

"Fucking New Guy," Westwood, Wayne, and Cash all exclaimed at once, followed by a round of laughter.

Patton sheepishly shook his head.

"So anyway, our FNG has a smoking hot hoochie back at home and I bet you my per diem -- all three dollars and fifty cents -- he's waiting for her and staying away from the desert queens. What was her name again, Luke?"

Patton cringed, just waiting to see where the lieutenant was going with this one. Hopefully the LT would put his focus back on Cash. "K-Kaylee," he said quietly.

"Right. Kaylee. So," he continued, taking a bite of potatoes while still trying to talk, "you've seen pictures of her in his locker at Life Support. Hottie, right?"

"Hey," Patton exclaimed, raising his arms; he didn't know until now that they had been rifling through his possessions, which obviously included a few pictures he had of Kaylee.

Ignoring him, Wayne continued, "You could probably have one of her friends, or a girl like her, if you didn't bring them a home a disease. I give it a week; before you know it, Carrie's gonna give you something that makes you feel like you're pissing out Tabasco. Then we'll see what you think about ol' Texas Pete."

Cash laughed, grabbing his tray. "Screw all y'all. I'm goin' to the gym." He added defiantly, "Then I might even stop by finance and say howdy to Sergeant Wilkins. I'll see ya guys tomorrow mornin' before we fly."

Talking about Kaylee reminded Luke that he was seriously overdue keeping in touch with her. Despite his inattentiveness, she continued writing him faithfully, at least every other day, since his time in the desert. Even if she were so busy that she only had time to type out a sentence or two, he'd still find an email in his inbox.

Luke, on the other hand... he felt distant. He could count on both hands the number of times he had written to her.

It wasn't that he didn't care for her; in fact, it was quite the opposite. There was no doubt in his mind that he was crazy about Kaylee, but there was always that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something might happen to him. What if he didn't make it home in one piece? That would absolutely destroy Kaylee.

Besides, it was easier to focus on his job when he didn't have Kaylee on his mind. Maybe it wasn't fair, but any aircrew member of any airframe would tell you the number one rule of flying a combat mission was to never ever talk to your wife or girlfriend moments before heading out on a flying mission. This simple rule ensured fewer distractions, better focus, and less worrying about their significant loved one -- especially when conversations ended in arguing.

Still, he regretted his lack of interaction with her. Kaylee was just so special that she deserved so much more than he could ever give her.

Maybe that was what bothered him the most.

---

Tapping his fingers next to the keyboard, trying to think of what to say, he stared helplessly at the empty email draft for Kaylee as the words refused to come to him.

Except for the sound of fingers pranging on the keyboards and whispered conversations of Airmen talking to their loved ones on the telephone, it was relatively quiet in the Morale Tent. Frustration set in as Luke, after only five minutes of staring at the computer, his focus shot, wasn't even sure how to even begin to address the email to Kaylee. All he was doing was wasting his allotted computer time, but the guilt from his last couple of rushed and generic emails weighed heavily on his conscience. Luke had to make this one count.

Dearest Kaylee...

No; too stuffy.

My darling Kaylee...

Nope; too prim and proper.

Kaylee-girl...

Luke laughed. No; way too high school.

What about just Kaylee?

No way; too informal and plain.

Luke sighed. All he wanted to do was show her how much he loved and cared for her, but opening up with words and emotions was never an easy task for him. He could feel his shoulders tensing up and his splitting headache was getting worse with the passing of each second.

He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying his hardest to type what felt natural; maybe then she would see how much he really did care. It wasn't easy for him to communicate his feelings. Whenever he tried to compliment a girl, it always came out all wrong -- sometimes it even sounded demeaning, even though he never meant it to.

On the contrary, Kaylee explained to him before he left that when he acted natural and didn't actually try to think about what he was saying, the most beautiful, poetic things would come out of his mouth. It was simply his nature, she would tell him. It was instinct.

Let's not think too hard, he thought to himself, relaxing his shoulders and closing his eyes.

My sweetest Kaylee, he typed without looking at the screen.

"There," he said quietly under his breath with tremendous relief, daring to open his eyes and read the three simple words, realizing he was able to say how he felt about her without overdoing it.

"That wasn't so hard," he said calmly, although he wasn't completely sure he was convinced.

I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to write you more often.

Luke grimaced at his admission. He really felt bad, but at least his fingers were beginning to flow.

I've been much busier over here than I expected to be. Before I left, the veterans (we have one guy on his fifth deployment) told me it was nothing but eating, sleeping, flying, and going to the gym, but lately we've been flying combat missions nonstop so there isn't really much time for anything else.


2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 01



You'll still be happy to know that I'm hitting the gym, with the little time I have. It actually helps keep my stress levels down, but I still hate those one-leg wall squats you showed me. My quadriceps hate you for that.

I know it is easier said than done, but please don't worry about me. My training was excellent, and my crew is absolutely amazing. Our pilot has been doing this for a very long time; he has almost seven hundred combat hours. Our Lieutenant is new, but he's like a sponge. His capacity to learn and retain is even better than mine, and I cannot say that about many people. I do not say that to brag, I think you know that. I hope you know that. Maybe I didn't phrase that right. Anyway, I'm rambling. Our flight engineer also has a lot of flying experience; in fact, he used to be a C-130 loadmaster so he has been all over the globe in a past life. I'll be ok out here.

I know I have been awful at writing you, and I feel guilty for my lack of correspondence. Despite my shortage of words or phone calls, please know how special you are to me. You hold a piece of my heart, and no matter what happens, you always will. No one could ever replace you, and no one could ever make me feel the way that you do.

By the way, I still have the pictures you sent me. You are an absolutely gorgeous woman, Kaylee, and those beautiful pictures serve to remind me of that. Sometimes I still wonder why you allow me to be a part of your life. I think my favorite is the one with you sitting on my Challenger, wearing your white tank top, tight blue jeans and brown leather boots, your head tilted to the side. You looked every part the country girl, which was fitting since we took that picture out in the countryside. Your smile was absolutely adorable. No, it's more than that. I can't explain it, but every time I see that smile in the picture, it's like a spark that keeps my heart beating. It's what gives me life and keeps me motivated.

I pull all of those pictures out of my locker before every flight just so I can look at you and remember why I'm doing what I'm doing. Your picture reminds me about what we are fighting for, and whom I am protecting back home. When I look at you, everything seems to make sense again. You pull me out of the combat environment, even if only for a few seconds.

There is a tremendous force of evil out here, and if they had their way, they'd stop at nothing to cripple the United States and destroy everyone and everything within her borders. So, in a way, I hope you think of me as your protector. Maybe even your knight in shining armor?

Luke took a deep breath again, surprised at how easily the words flowed off of his fingertips. For a brief moment, he almost forgot he was in the middle of a war zone in the Middle East. It was more like being stranded on a deserted island, knowing Kaylee was somewhere out there, marooned on a different island. And there was nothing else between them except the bright blue sky and the boundless ocean; nobody else existed. He would find her some day, but for now he would have to wait.

But there was a nagging feeling deep in the back of his mind, and it was beginning to resurface. It was a nagging guilt for the way he left Kaylee. Sure, she had blown up on him almost two years ago and had since begged for forgiveness, but despite his immense love for her, he had never forgiven her.

Running his hands through his short hair, bowing his head, he stared back intently at the computer screen. He swallowed hard, remembering the amazingly wonderful times he had with Kaylee, as well as the moments of incredible pain she had caused because of her lack of trust and unrestrained temper. It was a combination of the two that caused him to become so distant. He didn't want her any less, but his pain manifested into a protecting wall, isolating the one he loved.

Kaylee, I am so, so sorry that I never forgave you. I find it ironic that I waited so long that now it is I who must beg for forgiveness. I want you to know that of course I forgive you, and in turn, I pray that you would accept my humble apology. I regret so much that it took me almost two years and twelve thousand miles to tell you this.

I don't know why I couldn't tell you in person. Maybe it was because I was hurt so badly. It hurt that you didn't trust me. It hurt that you couldn't restrain your temper, not even for me. It hurt that you thought I would put someone else above you and knowingly miss your play, the play that you practiced so hard for. By the way, just so you know, I snuck in the last night of the play so I could watch you even though you originally told me not to go (before you knew about the car accident). So sue me. You were the most elegant, graceful fairy queen to ever take the stage, and you had me lost in the moment of the play. I enjoyed every moment. But I'm getting a little off track here.

What I'm trying to say is that you hurt me so much that I didn't want to risk exposing myself just to be hurt again. I think that is why I avoided you. I really believe that if you were to hurt me a second time, you would destroy me; you have that kind of power over me. Well, a third time I guess, if you include the Bradley incident. That seems like ages ago.

Ok, so now I am rambling. Again. Let me get to what I really wanted to say.

Luke shook his head, thinking about the words he was prepared to type, potentially setting up the biggest mistake of his life. "You're going to regret this," he warned himself with a quiet whisper, fully aware his fingers were already typing.

Kaylee, I love you. You are still my radiant angel. Am I still your cowboy, I wonder? Again I apologize in advance that my first confession of love to you has to be written down, but I think it is important for you to know. I do not know if you are seeing anyone or if you even still care about me, but I had to tell you how I feel about you. Even if you do not feel the same way, you are my best friend, and I would never in a million years risk jeopardizing any kind of relationship -- friendship or otherwise -- that we have with each other. So please, do not let me scare you off with those three small but powerful words. You will always be my best friend, and hopefully I will always stay yours.

No matter what.

Your cowboy, your Luke

For some reason, Luke breathed easier, having released an enormous weight off of his shoulders by forgiving Kaylee and confessing his feelings to her, but he also felt a great deal of sadness. He wished he had chosen to handle it differently before he left, but the past was the past and he couldn't change it.

A thought occurred to Luke just as he was preparing to hit the send button. Instead of sending it electronically, he decided to print out the draft message of the unsent email. Luke quickly logged out, grabbed the paper off of the printer and walked to the help desk.

"What can I do for you, Airman Patton," the Sergeant behind the desk asked him, reading the nametag on his uniform.

"I was hoping you might have a pencil, paper, envelope and a stamp? I need to send a letter to someone back home in California."

II -- Letters from the Homefront

It was almost physically painful for Kaylee to be without Luke -- or at least that's what she convinced herself. And that was before graduation. She had no idea what she was going to do when he left to join the Air Force.

She made it a point to spend every remaining moment with Luke, even though she wanted to turn and run. Whenever Luke was near, the thought of his inevitable departure loomed over her head and it hurt; it hurt a lot.

As each day passed by, the sting of reality pierced her a little deeper, knowing they were running out of time together.

But despite the ache she felt, Kaylee wasn't willing to waste a single minute without her cowboy. Not if she could help it. Each night Kaylee dreaded going to bed, and often made Luke stay out late with her, even if she was too tired to talk. More than once she laid her head on his shoulder, holding his hand while the swaying rhythm of the porch swing gently rocked the young couple to sleep.

All it took was one blink and before she knew it, prom and graduation sailed on by and Luke was out the door, catching an airplane to somewhere in Texas for Basic Training.

Kaylee had seen enough movies about Basic Training to understand Luke was going to be too busy to write or call her, but the moment he finished training and arrived at his Squadron, she opened up all forms of communication from letters to phone calls to video chat. She had even planned to fly out there and visit him, but his unit was ramping up in preparation to deploy to the Middle East.

Their video chats were awkward, for some reason. She looked forward to each and every one, and knew Luke did too, but she could tell he was still processing his life outside of California. Kaylee wasn't sure how to handle that. Most of their face-to-face conversations involved everyday conversation like which classes she was taking or what he did at training; basically the generic stuff one might tell a distant friend.

To make up for it, the letters she sent were more intimate and personal. While she couldn't seem to open up and tell him the pain and heartache she felt to his face, she was at least more comfortable pouring out her emotions on paper, working through her feelings and daring to risk revealing her heart to him.

On more than one occasion, Kaylee put on her makeup and dressed up as nice as she could, showing off new outfits, favorite shoes, and best smile while Audrey took a countless number of pictures. Audrey swore her finger was developing a blister from constantly snapping away.

A couple times Kaylee was brave enough to pose for what Audrey called "PG-13" pictures. The first time, she wore a brand new white string bikini she recently purchased at the mall. Then there was the time she put on a little black dress she knew would drive Luke crazy; it was so short that all of her secrets were revealed when she simply bent over. Even without bending over, her garters were easy to spot in the picture, subtly sticking out an inch or two underneath her dress, clinging to her black stockings. It wasn't exactly the kind of dress you wore out of the house, at least not without earning a certain reputation.

Kaylee smiled, thinking of how fast Luke's heart would race as she printed out the pictures, and wrote "I love you, cowboy" on the back before sticking them in the envelope along with the letter. No way she was sending these through email where anyone could intercept them.

Sure, she was flirty in the letters, but Kaylee wanted to convey to Luke that more than anything she was still his girl and would wait for him as long as it took. She'd wait forever if she had to. Her body was in California, her head was somewhere between her college classes and the clouds, but her heart was with Luke in Texas, and then to the Middle East, and wherever else Luke might be sent.

---

Kaylee had been waiting by her apartment door, watching through the window, just waiting for Audrey to show up. Holding Luke's letter in her hand, she was absolutely ecstatic and couldn't wait to tell Audrey what he wrote. Before Audrey could open the door, Kaylee flung it open and greeted her best friend with a leaping hug, almost knocking her over. She held Luke's letter in her hand and began jumping up and down.

"Luke wrote me! Luke wrote me," she exclaimed excitedly, loud enough to hurt Audrey's ears.

"Not just one of his blah-boring emotionless emails -- don't get me wrong even those I look forward to -- but this one he wrote one by hand and sent it through snail mail," she cried out with tremendous exhilaration.

Audrey just looked at her, peeling her clingy friend off of her. "Uh, that's great Kaylee. Hate to break it to you, but most guys write to the girls they love."

Kaylee looked at Audrey the way she might have a toddler that didn't understand a word she was saying. "You don't get it. We never really got back together, and he never really forgave me for what I did... you know, back when," she bashfully said, unable to verbally address her embarrassing moment of uncontrolled anger, accusing Luke of missing her high school play on purpose.

Kaylee spouted rapidly, "But get this. Not only did he forgive me, but he actually opened up to me, which you know Luke is incapable of unless he lets his feelings accidentally leak out in a normal conversation."

Clearing her throat, she continued, "H-he... he said he LOVES me!" Kaylee stomped her feet and let out a squeal of excitement. "Do you know how rare it is for Luke to drop the L-bomb? It's the first time he said it since he left. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever hear him say it again."

Kaylee could tell that her best friend was slowly processing the significance of the letter. "Plus," she added, "he's staying safe, and it sounds like he's flying with a bunch of good guys."

Kaylee shuddered, "I just can't believe he's flying military helicopters in a combat zone. He told me this was his purpose in life, but I still can't help feel like I drove him away. If I never went off on him, maybe he never would have joined the Air Force and left and he would have had a nice job as a banker or an accountant, wearing a nice suit and tie, and we could have had like twenty babies like you said and..."

"Stop," Audrey said, interrupting her rambling speech. "Luke's a big boy. We won't know what would have happened, but I think all of us expected great things from him." Audrey shrugged, "I think most of us expected him to do some kind of computer thing at USC that would change the world of technology as we know it, but he surprised us all by taking a much different, but much nobler route. If he wrote you a letter as touching as you say he did, then that means he cares a great deal about you."

Audrey added with a haughty smile, "I know you two love each other, even if both of you are too blind to see it."

Kaylee started to say something, but Audrey silenced her and continued, "My point is, I'm glad he's finally starting to open up to you. You can take advantage of it, too; if you want to help out G.I. Joe, he will listen to whatever you have to tell him. You can't close the distance between you two, but you can still reach his heart despite the thousands of miles between you two. He won't be over there forever, you know. And while he is, you can be there to support him."

It was obvious that Kaylee listened to Audrey intently, transfixing her eyes on her, soaking up every word.

"You can make a difference to your hero, Kaylee, even while he's over there and you're over here."

Kaylee gave her a nervous smile, not sure if she was ready for that kind of pressure.

"And look on the bright side. When you Skype with him, all you have to do is put on a little makeup and do your hair. He'll never know you're wearing your ugly, dirty old sweats!"

Kaylee laughed, "Maybe there is an advantage to dating over Skype. Uh, if you call whatever we are doing dating, anyway."

Rolling her eyes, Audrey pushed her way through the open door and said, "Oh, please. Let's go inside so you can write him a letter and so I can raid your fridge. Do you have anything today other than your nasty health food? I miss the days when you had cold pizza in boxes just lying around your bedroom. Whatever happened to that girl, anyway?"

"Hey! That girl grew up. Just so you know I had Ezekiel bread, a banana, and Greek yogurt this morning for breakfast. It tasted great, and it was uber-healthy. Lay off," Kaylee laughed. "Besides, I'm doing it for Luke, too. I plan on knocking him out when he comes off of the airplane in that military uniform of his."

As Kaylee started to daydream, off in her own little world, she faintly heard Audrey sigh from the kitchen, saying, "What's a girl have to do to get a chocolate chip cookie around here?"

---

My darling, amazing, wonderful Luke, Kaylee began from her desk, letting her thoughts and emotions flow out through the tip of her pen.

You have no idea how excited I was to get your letter! At first, I was a little hurt that you hadn't been replying very much to my emails. But your letter showed up in the mail, completely surprising me. It was like getting the best present in the world for Christmas! I felt like a kid all over again. Sometimes I forget how busy you are over there, but then I remember you don't always have a chance to write me which makes this letter all the more special.

Luke, I am so glad you opened up to me in your letter. And I am so grateful you forgave me! You said in your letter that you should be asking for my forgiveness since you waited so long to accept my apology, but the fact is I deserved to wait that long. In fact, you don't even owe me an apology. You never have. What I did was terrible and rotten. I cried nonstop for days, and only had myself to blame. You are the one person in my life that has never hurt me out of selfish motivation, and I know you never will. I don't think you are even capable. I can never thank you enough for that.

You've always treated me like a princess, even though I've never deserved it. You see something in me that I'm not so sure is really there, but I'm trying to believe you.

Luke, thank you again for your forgiveness. A huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I still feel awful about that horrible, horrible night. I'm not sure what I feel worse about; the way I treated you, or the fact that I wasn't there for you when you were injured. I still remember naively thinking everything would be all right once I showed up at your house; I thought your phone had been lost or destroyed in the crash. My stomach turns whenever I think about that repulsive voice mail I left you.

I know I had a dreadful temper, but when you left me, it snapped me back into reality and even drove me to see an anger management counselor. I still have my moments, but I'd like to think I'm much better. Even Audrey has noticed I don't get as angry as I used to. The counselor thinks I internalize all of my issues, like my crappy relationship with my parents, and bottle it up. And then when I'm ready to blow, I completely explode and take it out on those I love the most -- you, Luke. I am so, so sorry for that, and pray I have the chance to make it up to you. You will never see me lose my temper with you again.

Anyway, I know I'm being long-winded and the last thing you need to worry about is my problems. Just know that no matter what, even oceans apart, I'll be there for you.

And how dare you think that I am seeing anyone right now, Luke Adam Patton! I am not, and I literally consider myself your girl. So get used to it!

Kaylee felt silly misting up as she neared the end of her love letter, writing the final sentences to her Airman. She paused to grab a tissue, dabbing at her eyes.

Picking her pen up once more, she tapped it against the desk, trying to think of the best way to close out her letter. It had to be special; she had to communicate how she truly felt about him. Kaylee decided she would accomplish that by responding to the lines in his letter that she cherished the most.

Luke, you will ALWAYS be my knight in shining armor, my cowboy, and my best friend. Not many girls can say they have someone like that in their lives. And just so you know I love you too, and no matter what happens, I always will.

Love,

Your radiant angel, Kaylee



2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 02







2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 02



Audrey smiled, "We all did. He might not be making six figures a year, but he definitely chose a much more noble path."

"Yeah, sounds like it. Well anyway, we have to grab our food and go. Oh, and we're having a party this Saturday night. If you girls are interested in going, here's my number. We'd love to see you there," Mick smiled, looking at Kaylee and handing her his business card from the automotive shop. "Obviously the main office line is on there, but call my cell. I hope to see you girls this weekend. It was great catching up with you!"

Kaylee and Audrey waved as the two men left.

Audrey raised her eyebrow. "Thinking of going," she asked.

Kaylee shrugged, "Not really interested."

"Well," Audrey pondered, "I thought Steve was kind of cute. Would you mind going with me and being my wingman?"

She didn't even try to hide her sigh. Kaylee stammered, clearly far from interested in the party, trying to think of an excuse not to go but coming up with nothing. "Girls don't have 'wingmen'," was the best Kaylee could come up with.

Seeing her friend floundering with a weak attempt at changing the subject, Audrey offered, "Don't worry; I'll make sure everyone knows you're with Luke so you don't get hit on. We don't have to drink much and we can leave early. Just think of it as you and I, two good friends, having a chance to wind down. When's the last time we've had a break from our agonizing college classes, anyway?"

"Alright, fine. Heaven help you if I get hit on, though. I'm doing this for you. Oh, and before I forget, me and Faith are hanging out at the mall on Saturday, so I can't go until after we get back. Do you want to come with us?"

Audrey smiled, "Sure, why not? I should probably get to know your future sister."

It was impossible for Kaylee to resist blushing, and Audrey knew it. Kaylee told her sternly, "No more jokes, or I won't let you come with us!"

"We'll see," Audrey winked.

---

It was already in the Squadron mailbox waiting for pickup when Luke and his crew arrived for mission planning. Getting a letter or a care package from Kaylee was always the highlight of his day. He was genuinely excited but did his best to contain it and keep it to himself. He grabbed the letter before he stepped out to the helicopter, adoring her familiar penmanship and feminine designs of flowers on the envelope before quickly tucking it inside his uniform. Mustering every ounce of patience he had, he'd wait to read it until he made it back to his tent after a long day of flying.

After the mission and debriefing ended, Luke headed back to the tent as quickly as he could with great anticipation for Kaylee's letter.

Luke sat on the cot and carefully opened the envelope, slowly taking in the sweet fragrance of her perfume before he unfolded the letter.

Baby,

Your letter arrived at the perfect time; I was having the worst day. Now I feel ten times better! It feels like I've gotten stupider since you haven't been around to tutor me for my college classes. You don't suppose they would allow you to come home for a while so you can help me with my homework? Just for a couple of months? I suppose the military doesn't exactly work like that.

Luke smiled while reading the letter, enjoying every word but also knowing that he was making her day just a little brighter. It was unfortunate that he was no longer able to help her with her homework like he did in high school, but given the distance between the two he had no choice other than letting her sink or swim. 

I'm trying to stay sane. Believe it or not I've been hanging out with Faith and your parents a lot lately. For me, it keeps me in your world, the one you temporarily left behind. I think it's the same for them, too. Your mom and I have become a lot closer; I think we both have come to an understanding over you. She loves you to death like a mother bear loves her cub. I try as hard as possible to not get on her bad side. 

Oh, did you know Faith finally brought a boy home that your mom and dad didn't like? I didn't like him either; she's since dumped him, thankfully. He was a punk, and I told her that.

I don't think she liked what I said, but I could tell she considered my words. It was funny, though. I was at the house helping Faith getting ready for her date. Before they left the house, I was also getting ready to leave but I heard your dad pull the boy aside and tell him, "Don't do anything you wouldn't do if I was there, or I'll do something to you I wouldn't do in front of a witness." I thought the boy was going to shit himself. Your dad was FRIGHTENING! I guess when it comes to Faith, your dad is the 'Enforcer', just like your mom is with you. For Faith's sake, be thankful he can smell out a boy up to no good. 

Luke smiled. That sounded just like his dad. He could count on one hand the number of times he saw his father truly angry while growing up, but those few moments of anger were explosive. He was grateful that not only were his parents there, guiding his sister through one of her rare questionable decisions, but Kaylee was also present to positively influence her.

Despite being a gorgeous yet self-absorbed brat in high school, Luke knew Kaylee had done a lot of growing up and turned into an amazing role model for his little sister. Even though Faith was seventeen years old she still looked up to Kaylee, always listening intently to whatever her 'adopted' big sister had to say. Just like she did from day one. 

Luke continued reading. 

Still, despite being far away, I can't help but feel so close to you, even if it is only through writing letters and the occasional phone call. Part of me thinks that things would be so much better if we could just Skype or Facetime or whatever. But I know they tightened up on that stuff since you moved to a classified location; I suppose I should just be grateful we can still talk on the phone or email, or even send you mail. It's been amazing reconnecting with you; I really don't deserve your forgiveness or a second chance. Or third chance, or whatever I'm on.

I feel so much closer to you than I ever have and it's frightening, but in a good way. It's a scary kind of good. I love how our relationship is flourishing even though we are thousands of miles away. It reminds me how strong you and I are together. 

I've turned into the biggest crybaby lately. Remember that song 'Shimmer' from Fuel? I heard it on satellite radio the other day. When they got to the "Too far away to hold" part, all I could think of was how far away you are from me, how I can't hold you, and then I just started bawling. I was inconsolable for hours; I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Audrey and Faith to help me get through this. Even your mom and dad have been incredibly supportive. Luke, you're too far away for me to hold, and it's not fair. 

Right after that on, the station played that Our Lady Peace song 'Somewhere Out There'. (I was on a 90's kick that day, don't make fun). The lyrics went, "You're falling back to me, you're a star that I can see; I know you're out there, you're somewhere out there." It scares me that you're so far away, facing danger every day, and so far out of my reach. 

You're 'somewhere out there', on the other side of the planet, separated by a gigantic blue ocean, and there's not a thing I can do about it. No amount of money will bring you back home to me, and I don't know what to do. I'm even tearing up as I write this. 

Luke, I just want you to come back to me, safe and in one piece. I'm waiting for you, Luke Patton. Being apart is just so difficult; I don't think I can live without you.

Bowing his head, Luke sighed. He could feel Kaylee's love radiating throughout the entire letter, but it was hard to take everything in. The last sentence in particular stood out and weighed heavily on his mind, bothering him greatly. 

He didn't know what he would do without her either, but what if she did have to live without him? What if something happened to him; what would happen to Kaylee? He couldn't imagine the pain and suffering she would face if he died out here in the middle of nowhere. Initially he was amazed at how quickly their relationship strengthened, enduring separation from opposite sides of the world, but now his feelings of hope were turning into worry. The closer she became to him, the more pain she could potentially suffer.

I'm still putting together another care package; I need to get a few more things for it but you can expect it to arrive in another few days. All I will say is it contains your favorite jerky (hopefully you aren't getting sick of it), a bunch of cookies for you and your squadron courtesy of your mom and Faith, and a big old box of Clif bars but I won't tell you what kind since I already spoiled the secret – you should at least have something to look forward too! Speaking of something to look forward to, I also have a few pictures of me that you might enjoy, for your eyes only. Let's just say one of them involves me dressed in brand new leopard attire, while another one involves a lot of lace, see through nylon, and your favorite color purple!

I love you Luke Patton, and like I said before, I always will.

Your Kaylee

Carefully folding up the letter, Luke placed it back in the envelope and placed it tenderly in his backpack, as if it was a comic book that cost thousands of dollars. "What have I done to her," he quietly asked himself. "I shouldn't have let her fall for me; I didn't think it was possible. And now look at what I've done." 

All he could think about was the moment in time when everything had changed, back during their senior year in high school. How Kaylee one day approached him, asking for his help to tutor her in math and chemistry. 

If he could go back in time, as painful as it would have been he would have told her no.



2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 03







2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 03



Cash laughed, pulling out a dip, "Yeah, except the Ghosts have it easier. They get to sit on alert while us Reapers get ta stick our necks out in Boogieman country. Besides, we're not even the pawns. We're the chessboard that gets walked on."

Westwood gave a subtle smile and told his crew, "Pawns or not, the Colonel's right. The bombing run should be simple enough, but Special Ops have to be there just in case, exposing all of us to danger. That's just the way it is. Get some rest, fellas. Tonight is going to be a big night, and I'm going to need all of you with fresh and rested eyes."

"Anyone want some snuff? How about you, Patton," Cash smiled, knowing Luke wouldn't touch his tobacco with a ten-foot pole.

"Um, pass," Patton said, unsure if Cash was joking or not.

"Have it your way. Looks like I'm the only one that gets a Scooby-snack," he grinned, loading it up in his mouth.

"Hey Chuck," Wayne asked Cash as the four-man crew left the briefing tent. "If you die," he said in a faux-serious voice, "I just want you to know that I'll take your Camaro off your hands and give it a good home."

Cash laughed, "Fuck no; I'm not gonna be buried in a coffin. I'm gonna be buried in my Camaro. I'll drive it right on down and they can throw the dirt on top. Who says I can't take it with me when I go?"

"Well, I'd give you my car," Wayne countered.

"That piece of crap foreign lemon that's like ten years old? It gets how much rice per gallon? No, thank ya. That's your fault for smashing up your own ride."

Wayne looked at Patton. Luke immediately knew what was coming even before Wayne asked.

"Forget it, sir," he told Wayne, heading him off at the pass. "My parents gave me that Challenger; if anything happens to me they'd repossess it."

Cash said, "Tell you what. If I die, you can have my old World War 1/World War 2 era French rifle. It's in great shape; never been fired and only dropped twice."

Westwood and Cash broke out in laughter; it took Patton a moment to realize Cash wasn't serious, he was really telling a joke.

Wayne muttered, "You guys suck."

---

Patton showed up early for mission planning. He hadn't been able to sleep; because he was wide-awake, he decided to show up early to prepare for the next mission. For the first time on his deployment, he genuinely wondered if he and his crew would return from the mission in one piece.

The hardest part was always waiting when you were ready to go; it was the anticipation of flying the mission that took the most patience. He'd be ok once he stepped aboard the HH-60; he always was. Training and instinct would take over, just like it always did. The moment he put his gloved hands at the controls of the fully loaded minigun, he'd be ready.

Still, Kaylee had been infiltrating his mind at the most inconvenient times, and a little too frequently as of late. Luke was having a difficult time focusing on his duties as an aerial gunner in the middle of a combat zone as thoughts of sitting next to Kaylee on his parent's porch swing incessantly invaded his mind. And to make things more complex, he didn't want to push those thoughts away. He wanted to embrace those daydreams of rekindling their relationship, thinking about cherishing her and adoring her if he had a second chance, if he were home.

Intensifying the distraction that clouded his mind was his worry about what would happen to Kaylee if anything happened to him. He couldn't even begin to imagine how distraught Kaylee would become and how she would suffer if, heaven forbid, Luke were killed in action.

The letters she wrote him were powerful. He could feel her emotion and love through every last written word and letter gracefully penned on the stationary. He caused her enough pain by closing off his feelings to her the last few years, and now all he was doing was opening the door for pain and misery to come flooding back into her life. But this time the pain would be unbearable. His timing couldn't have been worse.

Luke couldn't shake the Colonel's haunting words, soberly reminding him about the dangers of their next major operation. Operation Eagle Rage was tough enough, but that was just the calm before the storm. Things were about to get intense.

He could hear the Colonel's voice in his head: Remember why we are doing this and who we are protecting back home.

Those words stuck with him; he couldn't shake them and he couldn't ignore them.

Many of you won't be going home.

Luke took a deep breath. Looking at his watch, he had a few minutes. He sat down at the computer terminal and brought up his email. Trying to form the words in his mind before typing them out, Luke decided it would be best to open up his heart and tell her how he felt, despite how painful it might be.

Kaylee, there is no easy way to say this, he typed.

"I'm so sorry Kaylee," he whispered quietly to himself. This would be the hardest letter he's ever written.

I love you so much, but we can't do this anymore. I may have misled you earlier; no, I lied to you, and I am so sorry for that. Things have not been easy like I led you to believe; it's been awful. I've seen things that I can't even begin to describe, things that give me nightmares. And soon, it's about to get worse. If something happens to me, I refuse to leave you heartbroken and desolate. Even if nothing happens to me, I will not be the same Luke you knew when I come home, and I refuse to disappoint you.

I am so sorry, but I have to let you go.

Luke gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table, drawing a few stares from surrounding service members. He knew Kaylee; she would try to talk him out of it, and he would probably cave. He'd want to cave. But he refused to string her along; Kaylee deserved much better than that, much better than him. He couldn't do that to her.

Luke deleted the entire paragraph, leaving only the first line of: Kaylee, there is no easy way to say this.

He was racking his brain, trying to think of what to say, how he could minimize the pain he was about to cause. There was no way to avoid hurting her, but he had to soften the blow as much as possible. How could he let her go when he didn't even want to let her go? Even if it was for her own good, it hurt like crazy to even consider as a possibility.

Remember why we are doing this and who we are protecting back home.

The Colonel's words arose to the forefront of his mind once again, reminding him whom he was protecting back home.

Suddenly, it made sense. Everything was put into perspective.

It wasn't just that he was protecting her from the evil of the world, but he had to protect her from himself. Luke realized that he himself was the key. Either he could let her go now and cause her temporary pain, or he could let her get close to him and have her find out he'd never be the same person that she once knew -- or worse yet, die overseas -- either of which would cause her permanent wounds she may never recover from.

Reluctantly, Luke grimaced as he typed the next line:

I'm sorry, but I found someone else. I have to let you go.

His finger hovered over the send button for what seemed like an eternity. Contrary to his nature, he was prepared to lie to the girl he loved -- a lie he convinced himself she needed to hear so he could protect her. Protect her from the pain he would bring her. Protect her at all costs, even if she hated him for it and could never find it in her heart to forgive him.

His entire arm flexed and he reached down, but he couldn't hit send. He took a breath, closed his eyes, and made another attempt.

He just couldn't do it. With a defeated sigh, his head dropped and his shoulders sagged. He looked over the words again, knowing he had to protect Kaylee, even if a lie was the only way to do it, but he couldn't send her the email. Not like this.  

Luke didn't even notice Sergeant Cash as he hurriedly entered the room. Without so much as looking at either Luke or the screen, Cash hit the send button for him.

Staring at the screen with disbelief, Luke's eyes opened wide. The young Airmen was stunned... and angry. He leaped up and started to say, "What the f...,"

"We have to go NOW," Cash cut him off. Luke realized the Sergeant wasn't playing around; his face indicated he was all business and something serious was going on.

"We're being taken off of Burning Rain; the other Reapers can handle it. We're taking Pararescue out instead. A massive IED went off and there are conflicting reports of how many Army guys were injured, but it's a lot. To make it worse, it was part of an ambush and they're still under attack so you better get your trigger-finger ready. You get Wayne; Major Westwood is already at the helicopter, and I've gotta get my ass out there and crank it up. I'll meet you there."

Luke grabbed his gear and followed the Sergeant out the door as fast as he could, heading for Wayne's tent.

If I survive, Kaylee is going to kill me, Luke thought, hustling as fast as he could. What did Cash just do... what did I just do?

---

Kaylee was inconsolable. It took Audrey at least five minutes of listening intently to Kaylee's sobbing over the phone to understand that Kaylee wanted her to come to her apartment. Even though she had no idea what was going on, Audrey broke multiple land speed records to get there as fast as she could. She'd seen Kaylee hysterical before -- after all one of the many categories she'd won by her high school class was Biggest Drama Queen -- but Audrey could tell this time it was serious.

Just as Audrey stepped through the door Kaylee grabbed her hand and without saying a word, still fighting against her flood of tears, showed her the email. It didn't take long to figure out why Kaylee was so upset.

Audrey covered her hand with her mouth; she couldn't believe what Luke said. Three simple sentences were all he typed, but those short words were enough to dramatically devastate her best friend. She had to re-read the lines a couple of times, making sure she wasn't missing something:

But I found someone else. I have to let you go... But I found someone else. I have to let you go...

Found someone else.

Let you go...

Audrey was floored. It didn't make any sense; this didn't sound like Luke at all!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kaylee sitting on the couch facing away from the computer with her legs tucked in and her hands wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth. Her face was heavily stained with tears, but Kaylee was trying her absolute hardest not to cry, sniffing and wiping them off her face. She rested her head on top of her knees; it reminded Audrey of an ostrich trying to bury its head in the sand.

After the shock wore off of Audrey, she exclaimed, "T-that... that asshole!"

He didn't even bother telling her over the phone, or at least send her a personal letter. He had to do it over email. Email! The thoughtless bastard!

As quickly as she could, Audrey ran over to Kaylee and sat on the couch, holding her friend. Kaylee lost it, and the tears started pouring again. "Oh honey, I am sorry! I can't believe that jerk would do something like that!"

For the first time, Kaylee managed to get out a few words Audrey could understand.

"W-w-wh-why? W-we were so, so..." Kaylee blubbered before sobbing all over again.

"Shhh, it's ok, hun. You don't need to say anything," Audrey said, trying to get her to relax.

Kaylee ignored her. It was clear she had something on her mind and desperately wanted to get her thoughts out. She told Audrey, "We were s-so, we were doing so much better. I-I can't believe... I mean, he poured his heart out," she bellowed.

Audrey stroked her hair, holding her tightly. Much to her surprise, Audrey realized a few stray tears of her own had escaped, running down her cheek. She really did like Luke; after realizing how crazy Luke was about Kaylee, she thought he completed her. They were like the perfect couple; she taught him how to have fun and enjoy life, and he kept her grounded whenever she tried to drift away and escape from reality.

"I-I just can't believe he found some Air Force slut that quickly that he'd be willing to leave me for," Kaylee cried out in exasperation. "I mean, I don't get it! No warning or nothing. How could... could," her lip quivered. Taking a breath of air, she finished, "How could he leave me like this? I mean, I knew he was being a little distant at first, but he started writing me the sweetest letters. And then, out of the blue, this!"

"This has to be some kind of mistake! Did you write him back or call him and try to get to the bottom of this?"

"Yeah," Kaylee exclaimed patronizingly as if Audrey should have already known the answer to that question. "Like only thirty times! So far, nothing! I don't think he's going to... going to write me back..."

Kaylee broke out crying once more.

Her best friend was falling apart, and Audrey didn't know what to do. "Come on, hun, let's get you cleaned up and get you outside so we can get some fresh air. I'll take you to dinner."

Kaylee shook her head, pouting, "I don't want to."

The more she thought about the email, the angrier Audrey became. "Are you sure? It'll be good for you, hun; you can't just stay in here mourning. You don't need him, anyway. Luke can go screw himself. If he really were a good guy like we all thought, that bastard wouldn't have done that to you. We just need to take your mind off of him," Audrey said, trying to convince her.

"Not tonight," Kaylee whimpered, finally getting her crying under control. "I don't feel like going out."

"Ok," Audrey said quietly, still trying to think of the best way to help her friend. "Well, do you want company tonight, or do you want me to leave?"

Kaylee thought about it. "You can stay," she said.

"I'll go back to my apartment and grab my stuff. You stay here, ok? Don't do anything stupid. I'll be right back," Audrey told her, waiting for Kaylee to nod before she ran to her car.

Audrey just couldn't believe it; she was still in shock. And as bad as she felt, Kaylee had to feel a hundred times worse.

That wasn't in Luke's nature. Maybe he changed, she thought to herself as she slid into her car. After going from high school nerd to a normal guy (with Kaylee's help!) to a hotshot Air Force gunner, maybe he became too big for his britches and all of a sudden thought Kaylee was beneath him. Maybe he thought if he could score Kaylee, one of the most beautiful girls in the world, then he could have any girl he wanted.

Well, no matter what the explanation, he was an asshole for treating her best friend like that. Oddly enough, Kaylee was normally the angry one, but this time it was Audrey. It was like Kaylee was hurt so badly that she couldn't find the strength to become angry.

So Audrey had to do it for her. Which was fine, because Audrey hoped Kaylee would never see his ugly face again.



2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 04







2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 04



The answer was obvious; it wasn't just a small handful of insurgents the two of them stumbled upon. The mountains were crawling with insurgents like an infestation, looking for the downed Airmen.

He could also hear the intense fire of the Pave Hawks, but he didn't have to turn around to know that they were also under fire. He knew at least one of the Pave Hawks would attempt to break free and come for him, but if the gunfire proved to be too concentrated it wouldn't be possible.

One of the insurgents Patton drew a bead on was closing in at only twenty yards away, but somehow he managed to duck out of sight. Two others tried to flank him; one climbed up to a ledge while the other hugged the edge of the cliff. Patton squatted down, using a large boulder for cover, firing at the insurgent near the cliff. His aim struck true as several bullets hit him in the chest, one to the head, knocking his lifeless body off the ledge and down to the rocky ground below. 

The hiding insurgent popped back into view. Patton's eyes widened as he realized he was holding an RPG and pointing it straight at him. The boulder wouldn't be enough to offer him full protection. Other heat signatures were beginning to come into view as if they were multiplying; it was like they were coming from nowhere. He was running out of time.

There was only one solution, and it would likely end up killing him. But if he stayed another second, he'd be dead.

Without hesitation, Patton ran as fast as he could towards the cliff and jumped off.

---

"Are you sure you're ok going to the party with me," Audrey asked Kaylee while looking in the mirror, carefully adding the final touches with her makeup brush to her face.

Kaylee sighed, noticeably less enthused about the party than Audrey was. "No, I'm not sure I'm ok going, but I'm going anyway. For you." 

"Oh, come on. You have it backwards; I'm doing this for you," Audrey said.

Kaylee stopped applying her makeup just long enough to give a dirty look to her friend. 

Audrey confessed, "Ok, ok. My reason for going is two-fold; Steve and I hit it off during his last party, but more importantly, you need to get out and forget about that asshole Luke. You've been moping around your apartment for too long."

"Please don't call him that. Even if he is one. This is the last party I'm going to for a while. No more wingman for me. Girls don't use a wingman anyway. Besides, if we did it would be 'wing-woman'. And don't expect me to stay there long; you might have to get your own ride home," Kaylee told her.

Audrey giggled, "I swear, Kaylee, you need to lighten up. I'm going to get you laid if it's the last thing I do."

Kaylee rolled her eyes, but couldn't stifle her own giggle. 

---

Audrey couldn't help notice the tears welling up in Kaylee's eyes as they pulled up to Mick's house. She heard her sniffing in an attempt to get rid of the tears. "Oh, hon," Audrey said, "Don't even think of that jerk. The weather's beautiful, there's a pool out in the back, and Mick and Steve have more alcohol stocked up than a liquor store. Today's about you, so enjoy yourself."

With a devious grin, Audrey added, "Besides, you look hot. You're gonna kill everyone in your sexy new swimsuit; I think they had your boobs in mind when they designed it. That sexy plunge line... rawrrrr! You're turning even me on!"

Kaylee blushed, "Gross, you're disgusting," adjusting her shirt over her snakeskin pattern one-piece swimsuit. Audrey laughed.

Having given up hiding her tears, Kaylee carefully dabbed at her eyes, trying her hardest not to smear her mascara. She even momentarily let a genuine smile show. "I know, I promise I'll try. It's just... harder than I thought." She took a deep breath and said, "Alright, let's go do this." Kaylee bit her lip and exited the car; Audrey was right behind her.

Mick, holding a beer in each hand, gave the girls an excited welcome as he met them at the door. Audrey looked over and gave Kaylee a knowing smile; it was obvious Mick was already feeling the effects of the alcohol. He embraced both girls with a hug, trying not to spill. Kaylee looked at Audrey with wide-open eyes, trying not to giggle. Audrey smiled back; secretly she was relieved to witness Kaylee kicking off the party with an actual smile.

Both girls walked through the house, following Mick to the backyard, looking at each other in amazement. They couldn't believe how many people were already there, and by the looks of things the party was already in full force. 

There were several people they hadn't seen before, but there were also a lot of familiar faces from high school. And most of them neither Kaylee nor Audrey had seen since graduation. Kaylee and Audrey saw Bradley across the yard but fortunately he didn't see either of them; he was distracted talking to two other girls that, through some mystery, seemed to actually be listening to him. 

Kaylee rolled her eyes; they had to have been hammered to be talking to that snake. 

Both girls also noticed Cindy swimming in the pool with a bunch of other guys and girls; it had been months since either of them had last seen her. After high school, and especially after the whole 'Luke incident' their senior year, both Kaylee and Audrey ended up going in completely different directions than Cindy. 

Even Aaron, Luke's friend, was there. Except for sporting longer hair he looked pretty much the same, but instead of hanging out alone in a corner like he she would have expected him to in high school he actually seemed to be having a great time laughing it up with a couple other people she didn't recognize.

It was nice to be surrounded by old classmates and friends from Remmington High School; both girls were thinking how nice it would be to catch up with some of them, maybe even make a few new friends along the way. 

The two beers Mick held in his hands earlier had been replaced with a pair of margaritas; he offered one to each of the girls. Audrey looked over at Kaylee, stifling a laugh when she saw her friend take it and promptly chug half of it down. She was glad that Kaylee seemed to so far be enjoying the party. 

"Kaylee! Steve is over there, I'm going to go say hi," Audrey squealed, trying to contain her excitement. Kaylee started to protest, but Audrey told her, "You're doing fine. I'll catch up with you later, ok?"

Kaylee started to pout, but Audrey put her hands on her shoulders, looked her in the eye, and said, "I promise. You'll be fine, ok?"

Reluctantly, Kaylee nodded. 

---

Kaylee often found herself resentful of Audrey's mother-hen attitude, but now that Audrey had ditched her Kaylee realized she missed her already. She also couldn't help but think that the whole wingman – or wingwoman – role was reversed; it was her that needed Audrey, not the other way around.

"Are you ok," Mick asked her, breaking Kaylee's concentration.

"Oh, I... yeah, I'm great. Thanks for the margarita, Mick."

"Brought you another," he said with an inebriated smile on his face, holding the drink out. "Don't tell anyone," he whispered, "but this time it's strawberry!"

Kaylee giggled, "Thanks. I might need the entire pitcher by the time the night's done, though." 

Mick asked, "Rough night or something?"

"Rough night? Try a rough last few years. You have no idea," she said, rolling her eyes again.

Mick winced, "Ah, the Luke thing, right? You two were like legendary. I thought you guys were..."

Kaylee interrupted him, snapping, "We're done. He found someone else."

Even in his intoxicated stupor, her sharp tongue caused Mick to jump. 

"Oh shit, I'm sorry to hear that. He must be crazy if he left you, I mean, why would he leave someone as sexy as you? Is he still over..."

Again, Kaylee didn't give him a chance to finish, saying, "Yes, he's still deployed. Can we not talk about Luke?"

"Talk about who," Mick said with a lit up smile. "Girl, you sound like you definitely need a little more tequila in that. Let me hook you up," he said, taking her drink and escorting her to the outside bar.

Kaylee giggled, "A LOT more tequila. This is a nice place you have, by the way. I love your outdoor bar." She ran her hand over the sturdy oaken wood.

"Built it by hand," Mick winked. "Of course, I had a bunch of my buddies help."

Kaylee caught Mick trying to steal a glance at her swimsuit underneath her loose white t-shirt. At first she felt awkward, but the more she thought about it, she was flattered. And she would have been flattered, she told herself, even if she wasn't tipsy right now.

"Like what you see," she asked playfully.

Mick coyly said, "I like what I see, even though you sure aren't showing much of it. Am I going to have to settle for looking at your sexy swimsuit through your t-shirt all day?"

Kaylee giggled, not saying a word.

Mick continued, warning her in a joking manner, "If you're not careful, someone might throw you in the pool just to see your white shirt get drenched. Then maybe all of us will be able to see the rest of that sexy tight snakeskin thing on your body, little Miss Tease!" Mick puffed up his chest, stepping forward to Kaylee.

With wide eyes, Kaylee took a few steps back, laughing, "Oh, no you don't! This swimsuit is off limits!"

Mick kept walking forward, taking the drink from her hand and setting it on one of the outdoor tables. Kaylee carefully walked backwards. "I said no, Mick," she giggled, her hands up protectively.

Wearing a wicked smile but simultaneously pretending to be a genuinely concerned, Mick told her, "I would never dream of taking your t-shirt off! That's up to you. And if you happen to fall in the pool accidentally instead, while that would be tragic..." He deliberately left his statement hanging just to make Kaylee sweat.

He finally had her cornered; one more step backwards and she would have fallen into the pool. 

"Ok, ok," Kaylee said, holding her arms up to stop him. With an angry yet playful look, Kaylee took her t-shirt off. 

Looking up and down over Kaylee's body with his elevator eyes, taking in every inch of the tight swimsuit as it hugged the curves of her body, Mick couldn't hold back a soft moan. Slightly embarrassed, she turned her body to the side trying to cover up the best she could thinking that, in hindsight, she should have worn a much more conservative swimsuit. 

Still, maybe it was the alcohol talking but she did enjoy the attention.

"Hmm, I wonder what that swimsuit would look like wet," Mick asked inquisitively. "Would the water roll off those scales?"

"It's not real snakeskin, Mick! Of course it wouldn't. It would just get wet," Kaylee said, leery and fully aware he already knew that but was looking for an excuse to throw her into the pool. 

"You better not... you be..." Kaylee said, unable to finish her sentence as Mick swept her off her feet and tossed her into the water.

"Miiiiick," she exclaimed as she hit the water. Laughing, Mick jumped in after her. 

Splashing water all over him, Kaylee tried not to laugh, "You jerk, I told you not to!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. Should I get the tequila bottle to make up for it?"

"Ugh, so much for tanning before swimming," Kaylee said, adjusting her swimsuit.

---

Unaware of exactly how much she already had to drink, Kaylee knew she was going to be hurting the next morning. Still, it was nice hanging out with her old friends and making a few new friends along the way. Mick was even kind enough to throw a veggie burger on the grill for her instead of the unappetizing greasy hamburgers and hotdogs. 

The sun went down but the pool party was starting to heat up, even though it had already been going on for hours. Kaylee smiled as she watched Audrey and Steve horse-playing in the pool, happy for her best friend. If anyone deserved to end up with a good guy, it was her. Bradley was nowhere to be found, which was a huge relief. He was probably passed out somewhere inside the house. Cindy already left, but much to Kaylee's surprise, she was actually pleasant and cordial when they talked earlier. It was kind of nice considering they drifted apart on the not-so-best of terms. Aaron was still around; Kaylee talked to him earlier also, but just like high school he couldn't really hold a conversation. Besides, he kept looking at her funny and it creeped her out. Nice guy and all, but still.

Mick, on the other hand, she was with almost the entire time. "I'm going to be hurting in the morning, thanks to you," she told him with a giggle. "I can't remember the last time I've had this much to drink." Despite the consequences of her future prediction, Kaylee reached over to the small table by her beach lounge chair and grabbed the Mai Tai, courtesy of Mick, taking a small sip through the straw. 

She looked up into his eyes. He looked back with a confident smile, holding her gaze while sitting down in a chair next to her. Kaylee thought it was strange; she couldn't remember the last time someone showed enough confidence to lock eyes with her, but she found it extremely sexy. It was rare when Luke did it, and on those few occasions she practically had to hold his head still and force him to look into her eyes. Whenever she lustfully stared at him he would always blush and look away, even at the height of their dating. Her lip curved upwards in a sneer, thinking of how pitiful it was when he did that.

And yet, it was also adorable and made her feel like a beautiful princess, and she missed it. 

She broke eye contact with Mick, secretly cursing Luke for entering her mind and breaking her concentration.

Even on the other side of the world he's screwing with me, that bastard! He's probably fucking his new skanky girlfriend right now. I hope she gets sand inside her rotten crotch, that little slut.

Almost as if she was possessed, Kaylee stood up and adjusted the bottom of her swimsuit. With a few short steps, she ended up on Mick's lap.

He was caught off guard, as evidenced by the way he sharply drew in his breath, but gladly embraced her and placed his arms around her waist.

Even Kaylee was surprised with her own actions, but she didn't regret them one bit. 

Grinning, Mick told her half-jokingly, but mostly not, "If you sat any closer to me, I might have impaled you."

Kaylee cocked her head to the side letting her hair fall over her shoulder and said seductively, "Maybe I'm not done scooting."

As Mick's jaw dropped, Kaylee internally laughed, thinking, I guess I still have the touch. Luke can eat his heart out. Instantly she became angry at her mental slip, accidentally allowing Luke to crawl his way back into her mind. 

Not her heart, she insisted, but her mind. Only her mind. Even then, she tried to push him back out.

She leaned down to Mick, her lips inches away from his. Mick seemed to take a reactive position, waiting for Kaylee to kiss him. As she leaned in closer, Mick pressed his lips against hers. She couldn't remember the last time she felt warm lips touching hers; it felt nice. Really nice. He tried to kiss her, but instead of kissing him back Kaylee remained motionless. 

She was toying with him. Slowly, she dragged her lips along the side of his face, her cheek against his as if she was lightly nuzzling him; his groan told her he was begging for her mouth to open so he could kiss her back. Her face remained neutral but she was giggling inside; part of her wasn't really sure why she was teasing him so badly. Maybe it was just because she was a mean drunk. 

Mick caught her off guard, diving down to her neck, kissing passionately. Kaylee gasped sharply and closed her eyes; she wasn't ready. But she wasn't about to push him off, either. Kaylee impatiently straddled him; she knew she was losing control and she didn't care. He kept kissing her neck and she moaned; she didn't care who heard. She threw her head back and looked up, allowing him more skin to kiss up and down her neck. She opened her eyes, daring to look at the stars above in the endless night sky as Mick kissed her passionately. 

It was amazing how bright the stars were. It was like she was in her own private paradise with her and her potential new man; all noise in the background seemed to fade away. She looked up to find the wishing star. She couldn't even remember which star to wish on... was it the first one she saw? No, it the brightest. Wait; maybe it was the North Star? She tried to remember as she wrapped her arms around him. She desperately needed to make a wish. If she only had one wish, what would it be, she wondered? Would it involve Mick?

Three stars in particular seemed to line up with each other. She giggled at first, wondering if she was so drunk that it was really one star blurred out into a display of three. But then an overwhelming feeling overcame her upon the realization that it was the belt of the constellation Orion. 

Orion was the constellation Luke showed her, or at least it was the only one that she remembered, when they had their midnight picnics, stargazing in the countryside. She couldn't remember a word he said, but she could never forget how amazing it was simply being with Luke while he explained the details of each and every star in the universe. It seemed like ages ago. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked up at Orion. It was so bright, but so far away. Just like Luke. She wondered if Luke was also beneath Orion, despite being worlds apart. She didn't know what time of day or night it was over there, but maybe he was, right now, looking up at Orion at the same exact moment in time.

Just like she was.

She pushed Mick back as the tears cascaded down her face. Briefly she looked at him, trying to form the words to apologize, but all she could squeak out was, "Damn you, Luke." 

Mick was dumbstruck, discernibly trying to figure out what had just happened. Kaylee leaped up and stormed off, wanting to leave as quickly as possible, nearly tripping several times along the way. She thought she heard Mick calling after her, but she wasn't sure and even if he did, she didn't care. 

Luke Patton; she just couldn't get him out of her head. She couldn't move on. Somehow Kaylee had made it from Kindergarten through High School graduation without ever being dumped; she'd been on the other side of that coin a million times, but this was a first. If that wasn't bad enough, Luke was the only man she ever loved. And to have been let go like this... it was just too much for her to take. 

It wasn't fair. She wanted to hate him with every fiber in her being. She tried to hate him. 

She just couldn't. 

As she hustled through the house, she heard someone else calling for her; this time it sounded like Audrey. She tried to walk faster, but she caught up with her.

"Kaylee, wait," she said, lightly grabbing her arm.

Kaylee recognized the voice; it wasn't Audrey. It was Faith Patton, Luke's little sister.

Turning around, Kaylee burst into tears and hugged Faith. 

"I wish I never met Luke," she burst out, sobbing. 

---

At first Faith didn't say anything; she simply let her brother's ex-girlfriend cry, holding and comforting her the best she could. She arrived at the party only an hour ago because her brother's friend Aaron asked her to come; he was ominous and didn't exactly say why, even though he insisted. Putting two and two together, Faith realized he must have seen Kaylee acting out of place and called as a concerned friend.

Kaylee had her wild streak, Faith knew, but she had never seen her drunk before. When Faith first arrived at the party, she saw her clinging to Mick. At first, she was furious. She wanted to go up to her and slap her, and after that ask how she could throw herself at another guy while Luke was overseas, but the more she thought about it she realized Kaylee would never cheat on Luke. On more than one occasion, Faith witnessed Kaylee glowing when Luke was around. She absolutely adored him. 




2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 04



That's when she suspected, even if it was greatly out of character, Luke was the one who did something stupid.

When Kaylee stopped sniffing, apparently out of tears, Faith asked her, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kaylee sniffed, "Tell you what?"

"Whatever it was my brother did to you."

For a moment, Kaylee became silent. Releasing Faith from her bear hug, Kaylee told her, sniffing, "He... Luke broke up with me. A few weeks ago. I'm surprised he didn't tell you. He found someone else over there, another girl, he... he told me."

Faith, dumbfounded, exclaimed, "Luke what? Are you sure we're not talking about a different Luke? He worships the ground you walk on!" She was hardly able to believe it. "He's crazy about you, there's no way. He wouldn't... he just..." Faith wasn't sure what else to say, so she hugged Kaylee again. She was practically in shock herself; that just didn't sound like her brother.

"Well," Faith whispered in her ear, "If my brother really dumped you, he deserves whatever trashy girl he's with. I just can't believe he'd do that; that doesn't sound like him at all! Hey, I hope you don't let that change anything between you and me. You're like the best big sister I never had."

A weak smile came over her face. "Thank you Faith," she said meekly. "That means a lot to me."

"Why don't you come over to our house? I know it might not be pleasant, but mom and dad would love to see you, and at least you and I can hang out."

At first Kaylee was hesitant, but she really did consider the Patton's her family. Even if Luke wasn't in her life anymore. She said, "Sure, Faith, I'd love that. Let me text Audrey and make sure she can get a ride home. I'm sure Steve would love nothing more than to drive her home."

As Kaylee followed her out of the house, Faith tried to figure out why – or how – Luke could do such a horrible thing to Kaylee. Luke might as well have stabbed Kaylee with a knife as badly as she was hurting. 

Still, the entire concept of what he had done to Kaylee didn't make any sense, and it was driving her crazy.



2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 05



IX -- In Foxholes

The force of the explosion behind him threw him out even further as he hurtled down towards the rocks below. During the fall his training kicked in; Patton tried to line up his body and evenly distribute the impact just as if he fell out of a helicopter or parachuted rapidly towards the ground.

He expected a tremendous amount of pain knowing his body would most likely tear apart along the jagged rocks. And that was best-case scenario; there was a high probability he wouldn't feel a thing because he could die on impact.

Surprisingly, neither of those things happened -- at least not exactly. Luke did feel pain as he landed along his side -- his right thigh and right elbow were screaming -- but for the most part the dry bush he landed in softened the majority of the blow. He suppressed his screams of pain, gritting his teeth.

Luke instinctively patted down his entire body, checking for injuries from head to toe, making sure he was still alive and ok. His heart skipped a beat and he held his breath, recalling a story told by his instructors during Survival Training. Back in Vietnam, an Air Force aviator ejected over enemy territory and upon hitting the ground, he ran from the crash site initially unaware that he lost both of his legs and had been running on nothing but stumps.

That story played over and over in the back of his mind as he checked a second and third time, making sure he was still in one piece. Fortunately nothing was broken, but his thigh would have a black and blue bruise the size of Texas.

Trying to stand, Luke managed to pick himself up and shake off the pain, heading down the mountain and doing the best he could to put the enemy behind him. For all he knew they were standing in the dark and on the ledge looking down at him, their weapons trained on him. Time was of the essence.

His rescue ride was busy in combat but at least he now knew there was a large American force in the area with the single purpose of finding and bringing him home.

Besides, he knew the enemies weren't about to jump off the cliff after him, so he at least had a head start. He evaded them once; he could do it again. Most importantly, at least Wayne was safe. He was tough, too; even though he didn't know how severely he'd been shot, Luke knew he'd pull through. He just knew it.

As Luke awkwardly ran attempting to put as much distance between him and enemy as possible, bearing through the pain in his leg, he couldn't help but wonder what percentage of the current geographical area actually had trees or bushes. Easily less than one percent, yet the one that just happened to cushion his landing was fairly big. Before his leap of faith, Luke actually thought they were above the timberline, meaning zero vegetation. Given the obvious, they must have been just below it.

His mother and father had always taken him and his little sister to church, and he always supposed there was a God but he never really dwelled on it. It wasn't a matter of deliberate neglect; Luke was just always too busy with homework or computers or school to really give it much of a thought. The revelation of what had just happened was not only earth shattering to him, but it seemed to defy logic.

It was like the old adage, 'There are no atheists in foxholes.' He was injured, he had no method of communication since he gave his radio to the Lieutenant, Search and Rescue couldn't get to him in time, and he didn't even know where he was.

He was alone.

Never before had that saying rang out so clearly and meant as much to him as it did now.

---

Eventually he was far enough away that the gunfire faded off in the distance. The intense noise was replaced with an eerie quietness, but it was just as disturbing. He was far from the enemy, but he was also far from help.

He kept running.

The rescue zone was too hot; Luke never had a chance and he knew it. He was glad that the Lieutenant made it out, but that was also bittersweet. Trying to survive and stay alive without a leader's guidance, let alone a partner, felt like an impossible task.

In fact, being alone in enemy territory was absolutely frightening.

Luke was worn down and tired, and he wanted to give up. His body had been long exhausted, and his mind and spirit finally caught up. Two of the other three crewmembers were dead, and he didn't even know if the third would survive. He wanted him to, but he just didn't know.

Westwood was the team leader, the patient and calm vet that kept them together and enabled them to focus on their mission. But now he was dead. Cash had an incredible amount of experience; he would've known what to do if he was in Luke's situation, but he was dead, too. And Wayne; he kept Patton sane, cracking jokes through the toughest of situations, but he was gone now too. Luke at least had motivation when the Lieutenant was with him; in fact they both motivated each other. They were much more effective as a two-man team.

Luke was by himself, surrounded only by his hopeless thoughts and tormenting demons. He just wanted to stop and let the monster come and kill him.

A huge part of him cursed the fact that he didn't die when they were shot down out of the sky, and that he even survived when he landed on the rocks. Why couldn't he have snapped his neck when he fell? It would have been easier. But it seemed like he cheated death only to prolong his inevitable fate, as if the devil himself was toying with him.

He tried to be strong -- he wanted to be strong, but defeat was working its way into his mind and planting its roots.

God, please just kill me, he thought, half praying to God. I can't take this; I can't do this alone. I'm tired.

Luke was operating on minimal sleep. He had to convince himself to keep running and push through the exhaustion, as much as it hurt. Every muscle in his legs ached as if he crossed the finish line of a marathon, only to find out it was also the starting line of a second marathon. It took everything he had, both mentally and physically, to run as far as he could, but he kept running.

He knew he had to stop and rest; hopefully he would soon find a place to hole up, somewhere far from enemy insurgents. There was a tremendous evil out there and it would stop at nothing to hunt him down and murder him. That frightening thought made Luke want to give up.

The moment he stopped running to take a breather, the pain returned in his right leg, surging from his thigh down to his calf. While his elbow seemed to be getting better -- he could at least move it around in a circle and seemed to have full range of motion -- his shoulder injury from the helicopter crash felt like it was getting worse, despite the Lieutenant's best efforts at first aid. The longer he stayed out here, the greater the chance his shoulder would get infected.

The sun was beginning to crack the darkness along the horizon. It would be morning soon, and Luke had to stay hidden. He quickly made his way further down the mountain to a field of rocks and boulders; there were even a few areas with sparse patches of dry vegetation. Luke found a small depression in the ground surrounded by two large brown rocks, each one about six or seven feet tall. A small but thick broom bush rested in-between the giant stones and across from Luke, making a perfect U-shape area. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but the area looked like it might be inconspicuous enough.

Luke grabbed a small branch lying on the ground and carefully slid down in the depression, quickly sweeping with the stick to make sure there were no snakes or uninvited guests in his temporary resting facility.

Laying his back against one of the boulders, he took a deep breath and tried to relax. He straightened his legs; they immediately radiated a dull throb as if he could feel his heart beating through them. If an army of insurgents stumbled upon him at this very moment, he wasn't so sure his legs would let him stand up and run.

At least this looked like a good hiding spot; Luke would hole up here for a little while. At least long enough to get some sleep. Assuming he could actually sleep. He didn't exactly feel safe, but this is as good as it would get. Maybe he would have a chance to get his mind right and find an ounce of peace.

God, just get me out of this. One way or another, dead or alive; I don't even care. Just get me out of this.

Eventually he lay down on his back, using a small stone for a pillow, and looked up at the stars. There was hardly any moonlight, but the stars were incredibly bright. He had never seen the stars so brilliant before. Luke recalled a time when he was back in his hometown in California, back when he was in high school. He vividly remembered looking up at the stars out in the sticks, about an hour outside of the city, one arm around his girlfriend as she snuggled up against his chest. In that single moment, the world was perfect. The stars in the sky; he would have bet they couldn't get any brighter.

It was so serene; the stars, the crisp air, the quiet of the night. Luke almost imagined himself in some kind of place where he couldn't be touched or harmed, as if it was a safe zone. He couldn't explain how, but much of his fear seemed to go away. He wasn't naïve enough to think he was in the clear, and he certainly wasn't sure if he would make it out alive, but it was as if a sense of peace was slowly descending upon him. It was as if, while he was looking up into the serenity of the world, God was looking down on him, offering His peace and His solace.

A slight smile crept up on his face as he looked up into the sky; it looked like God had heard him after all. Live or die, God had heard him, and God was with him.

Maybe it was because of the lack of residual city lights, but those stars back home didn't seem nearly as radiant as they were now. Just looking up at them was peaceful. It gave him a chance to recover; his heart rate slowly went down, his adrenaline was wearing off, and at least for now his brain no longer had to think ten steps ahead.

While his field of vision was narrow, thanks to the two large boulders, Luke immediately noticed the three stars making up the belt of Orion hanging in the night sky far above him. The way they twinkled against the dark contrast of the night sky was absolutely beautiful. As wonderful as it was to look up at the constellation, it was becoming hard to keep his eyes open. Luke blinked a couple of times. He tried as hard as he could to keep his eyes open, not wanting this rare moment of peace to slip through his fingers.

As exhausted as he was, he didn't want to fall asleep just yet; the stars were the most beautiful thing he had seen since... well, Kaylee herself.

Kaylee, another true blessing from God. Luke was just worried that he may have realized that a little too late.

In fact, Luke wondered if Kaylee was also looking at Orion at that exact moment in time, even though they were worlds apart.

Probably not, but given the time difference, the sun probably just went down in California. Still, Luke was hopeful. Maybe Kaylee was out in the countryside, and maybe it was just dark enough for the stars to come out. She was probably with her friends -- probably had a new boyfriend because girls that gorgeous were never single for very long -- but maybe she just might happen to look up at the same constellation.

He closed his eyes for just a few seconds, fully intending to open them so he could look at Orion a little longer. Luke figured he had another hour, maybe two, before the night turned into daylight. If Kaylee was also stargazing, he didn't want to miss it. He would look up, too, and they would at least have that connection even if he could never again have her for his own.

If Orion was the last link to keep even the tiniest part of them together, especially if he should he die in this Godforsaken land, he didn't want to miss this moment. He couldn't miss this moment.

His eyes fluttered for a second, but it was easier to keep them closed. Just for a few more seconds.

As Luke opened his eyes again Orion had already disappeared, faded away into the bright blue sky. At first, he was confused; he didn't even remember falling asleep.

When Luke realized Orion was gone, he knew any connection he could've made with Kaylee was gone, too. He missed it.

It was like he lost her all over again, and just like last time, it was all his fault.

The pain in his heart was too much; he couldn't keep it together any longer. Tears spilled from his eyes, trickling down his face as he realized he lost Kaylee forever.

---

It was going to be hot. Every drop of water counted. As he held the flex pack up to his lips, he was careful to make sure he didn't spill a single drop. Luke pulled out and ate the last of his rations for what little good it did; there wasn't much to eat and his stomach was still rumbling.

If nothing else, he was fairly confident in his hiding place so he didn't mind resting up a little longer. Even though he had already slept, his exhausted and broken-down body needed a little more rest and healing.

As quietly as he could, he did another inventory check of his equipment to see what he had left, also hoping to find a candy bar or a piece of gum or anything to eat, but he came up empty. Luke also made sure all of his gear was working properly. Lastly, he pulled antiseptic out of his personal medical kit, trying his best to apply it to his back injury and other miscellaneous cuts and scrapes. It stung, but given his situation he had no problem biting his lip and withholding cries of pain.

Lying down, he tried to mentally form some kind of a plan of escape, but he didn't have much to work with. There was still a lingering fear he had to overcome; he had to tell himself over and over that he wasn't going to roll over and die, that he'd figure out something.

As he lay there contemplating his best strategy, he felt something small crawling on his shin just above his sock and the top part of his boot. Quietly sitting up, Luke was perplexed to find a few black ants on the sleeve of his uniform. Pulling up his pant leg, he saw more than a few ants on his boot and sock, aimlessly wandering without purpose. His knee jerk reaction was to kick them off and smash them, but he remembered where he was. The last thing he needed was attracting attention and getting himself shot because of a few lousy ants.

Looking around to see where the ants came from he noticed a small anthill only a few feet away from him; the ants crawling on his uniform must have been a couple of strays. For some reason they left him alone when he fell asleep.

Luke reached down to his leg, initially deciding to smash them with his thumb. At the last minute he elected to hold his finger out, forming a bridge for the ants. Five of the ants crawled up his finger, spreading across his hand, each one traveling in a different direction. Luke made a game of it; by twisting and tilting his hand, he tried to see how many he could keep from crawling up his wrist.

While it wouldn't necessarily be classified as relaxing, it at least distracted him from reality. He wasn't sure how long he played with the ants; it could have been hours, it could have been minutes. It was hard to keep track of time, but judging by the position of the sun it was probably midday. Eventually he blew the ants off of his hand and watched them scatter in all directions as they landed.

As Luke gently flicked another ant off of his chest, he realized it was crawling over pocket on his uniform holding the small pocket-sized Bible his dad gave him before he deployed. Reaching inside, he pulled out the Bible. Luke randomly opened it, thinking it would be a good way to kill time and focus on something else.

Luke was in 1 Kings. Chapter 18, verse 16 began with a story that looked familiar, about the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel.

It was as if Luke was transported back to Sunday school. Before he even read it, he recalled how Elijah was called by God to go and present himself to Ahab. Up on Mount Carmel, Elijah -- the only prophet of the Lord -- challenged four-hundred and fifty prophets of Baal to see who the real God was. According to the Bible verse, Baal never answered. But the Lord did.

And not quietly, either. According to the story he threw down burning fire that was so hot it burned up the soil, the stones, and even the water in the trench.

Luke marveled as he read the story for the first time in years, recalling every detail as if he read it only yesterday. Completely engrossed in the story, Luke continued on to Chapter 19. He read the third verse:

3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He stood up taller, hovering over his Bible.

Ok, God, you have my attention, he said in his head, confident he could relate to how Elijah must have felt in that situation.

He continued reading:

5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

Luke glanced over at the pile of ants. Luke silently laughed and shook his head, drawing another correlation between him and Elijah.

God, I think I would have preferred the baked bread over the chocolate covered ants, sans chocolate. At least you have a sense of humor.

Holding the Bible in one hand while grabbing an ant with the other, he looked at the small morsel with reservation, although his hesitation quickly morphed into determination to survive. Cringing, Luke stuck the ant in his mouth; every muscle in his body tensed up as he gulped, swallowing it whole. As the ant went down, he tried his hardest not to gag, picturing the poor insect trying desperately to crawl its way back up his throat.

Yum. Well, it's official. Even if I live to see Kaylee, she'll never kiss me again knowing I sucked down an ant like a raisin.

He sighed, telling himself, One down, fifteen thousand more to go...

---

5 You will not fear the terror of night,nor the arrow that flies by day,6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,nor the plague that destroys at midday.7 A thousand may fall at your side,ten thousand at your right hand,but it will not come near you.

Folding the top corner of the page, he closed the small Bible and carefully placed it in the right breast pocket of his uniform. Luke had read the verse over and over, but he planned to reread Psalm 91 later on.

Night was just around the corner. Luke decided he would rest up one last time, but he finally felt mentally prepared and ready to go.

It was dark when Luke awoke. After stretching his arms, trying to carefully rotate his shoulder but avoid any sharp feelings of pain, he grabbed his gear and rifle, ready to leave the dugout. Pulling out his NVGs, he briefly fired them up just long enough to scan the boulder field for signs of life. He turned them off to conserve battery power after confirming there were no threats. Carefully he stepped out of the trench ready to continue his journey.




2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 05



---

It felt like he had been walking for several hours. Each step was cautious and deliberate. Luke heavily relied on his ears due to the darkness, using his NVGs only when necessary. Any time he heard the slightest noise, he immediately crouched and froze in position regardless of how far away it sounded. He wouldn't move a single muscle for what seemed like hours, almost to the degree of cramping; each time he prayed that the noise was only a far away nocturnal animal. Eventually he pressed forward.  

Off on the horizon an orange glow radiated dimly, outlining what could only be a small village. Luke was fairly certain this was Gomasad, one of the most inhospitable places across the forlorn country -- if you could call it a country. In fact, according to Intel, it was less of a stable country and more of a chaotic terrorist breeding ground. Luke took a deep breath. This was also the town where Operation Burning Rain first began, not long ago when precision bombing rained down on an enemy compound just outside of town, but the town was populated enough that it was exactly what he was looking for.

His mind flashed to 1 Kings 18. He thought of the lone prophet of God who stood up against the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Despite being alone, he believed the Lord was with him, which gave him the confidence to challenge every last one of them. Miraculously, the prophet came out on top.

He wouldn't dare compare himself to Elijah, but Luke was fairly certain he could relate to the prophets feeling of isolation. There was no doubt Luke was about to enter the mouth of the lion and, just like the prophet from thousands of years ago, he too would walk alone but with God by his side. If there was any other way to avoid the unwelcoming town, he would have taken it, but he didn't have a choice.

What he needed would be in that village.

Walking towards Gomasad with his rifle in hand, he remained confident knowing God would have his back, but the lingering feeling in the back of his mind told him that didn't necessarily guarantee that he would come out of there alive.

---

Three Days Later

His patience had paid off. The crystal oscillator he held in the palm of his hand was the last part he was looking for, and right now, he wouldn't have traded it for a million dollars. Luke held his breath, trying to contain his excitement. For the first time in as long as he could remember, things were finally going his way.

Still, he had to be careful. The last thing he wanted was for someone to hear him make a noise as he snuck around inside a third world equivalent of a pawnshop. After several nights of working his way through the village without being detected, dodging and hiding from a swarm of unsuspecting enemies, he finally located the last and most important part he needed to build a transmitter radio. Hope was slowly returning; he was beginning to believe that he might actually have a chance at making it out alive.

Luke remembered seeing a soldering iron in the storeowner's workroom in the back of the shop. Patiently low crawling through an aisle of junk between two large plywood shelves, he slowly and quietly made his way to the back room. He felt his heart rate elevating; once he soldered the radio pieces together, he could finally leave this forsaken town, head for higher ground, and try once again to contact U.S. or Allied Forces. The closer he came to freedom, the harder it was to remain patient and move slowly. All he wanted to do was build the radio and bolt out of town as fast as he could.

Luke had almost finished soldering the components, working slow and meticulously knowing he'd only have one chance, when he heard the door to the shop open. Silently cursing, he unplugged the soldering iron. He'd have to go with what he had and could only hope his handiwork was good enough.

Two men engaged in conversation entered the shop, speaking in a foreign language. Luke was pretty good at speaking and understanding both French and Spanish and not surprisingly these two were speaking anything but.

Quietly clutching the radio and ducking down underneath the table, Luke remained cautious and quiet, staying out sight.

For now, the two men didn't seem to notice Luke. He didn't know if one of the men was the shop owner or not, but both were heading towards the back room where he hid.

In his heightened state of awareness, the slightest of sounds were magnified. He tried to control his breathing, remaining as still and silent as possible. No matter how hard he tried Luke could hear himself inhaling and exhaling despite his closed mouth, his heartbeat loudly echoing through his eardrums. Removing his finger from the trigger of his rifle, not wanting to risk alerting the entire town to his presence, Luke instead elected to go for a quieter weapon. Slowly moving his hand to the knife sheath on his survival vest, he silently unbuttoned the strap holding the knife in place and wrapped his fingers one by one around the hilt, firmly grasping the weapon. Even slower Luke patiently drew the knife out, careful not to make a sound.

Looking underneath the table, Luke could see the feet of the two approaching men, but fortunately they were still oblivious to the American hiding in the room. He could also tell they were carrying rifles of their own, but weren't wearing organized military uniforms. He grimaced. As he suspected, they were insurgents. From his angle, he couldn't tell if they were holding their weapons or if they were simply hanging over their shoulders.

He prayed they would grab whatever they needed, turn around, and just go away. The last thing he needed was a firefight in the middle of the village. If anyone heard the blast from the rifles, it would be all over for him, even if he could get past these two.

They didn't turn around. They came closer, step by step, walking around the table.

Luke had already tucked underneath the table as much as he could even though he didn't fit all the way underneath because of all the clutter. Thanks to the shadows and lack of lighting in the room, the man in the lead initially didn't notice Luke.

It was the trailing man that caught Luke out of the corner of his eye; Luke cursed, realizing he must have seen his reflection in a small dirty mirror on the bench behind him.

Shouting something in a foreign language, the insurgent swung his rifle towards Luke, but Luke was ready.

Leaping forward, Luke blocked the AK-47 with his left arm and plunged his knife into the enemy's chest. Gasping, the man fell down; his rifle slipped from his hands, never having fired a shot.

The other enemy, startled and unprepared, fumbled with the rifle he had slung over his shoulder. As Luke moved forward with the falling body, pulling the knife out, he gave a quick, powerful sidekick. His boot forcefully connected with his chest, pushing the insurgent into a pile of junk behind him. Luke's heart skipped a beat, extremely concerned with the noise and racket, but at least no shots had been fired.

Luke quickly pounced on the man while he was down, trying to stab him just as he had done to the other man only moments ago, but as his arm went forward the insurgent blocked his wrist with his rifle, causing the knife to fling out of Luke's hand. With the butt of the rifle, he hit Luke in the jaw, knocking him off.

As the knife fell next to the insurgent, he reached for it knowing it would be much quicker to grab with a single hand instead of fumbling with his rifle. He still wasn't quick enough; Luke jumped back on him in a flash. Throwing two strong right hooks, Luke hit the man in the face with two glancing blows, both partially blocked since the insurgent went on the defense. Reaching up with one hand in desperation, the insurgent tried to choke Luke, or at least roll him off; Luke wasn't sure which but it was clear he was becoming desperate. Of course, they were both desperate, both fighting for their very lives.

Both men grappled on the floor, each one trying to gain the edge. Luke tried to push the arm around his neck away with one hand, while his other hand was balled up in a fist, trying to beat him into submission. He couldn't get a good shot in, and his face was turning red. With a quick change in tactics, Luke gave up the punch and instead threw his elbow down on the insurgent's ribs, as hard as he could. A loud cracking sound told Luke his shot was effective.

The insurgent screamed, bringing his arms in to defend his chest, unknowingly ripping off the dog tags around Luke's neck.

A surge of fear overcame Luke knowing others outside had probably heard the scream, serving to even further spike his adrenaline. Instinctively, Luke covered the man's mouth and nose, continuing to beat him with every ounce of strength he had. The man became weaker and Luke became stronger. Luke was oblivious to his prior injuries; he no longer felt any pain. Blow after blow, Luke savagely hammered him harder with each strike, unaware of the blood on his knuckles -- both men's blood. At one point, Luke grabbed his head with both hands and slammed it against the hard wooden floor. He lost count of how many times. It was as if he became possessed.

Luke heard more voices outside. Immediately he stood up and made a break for it. Dashing towards the closest window, he quickly looked outside to make sure the coast was clear. Fortunately he didn't see anyone; whoever was outside must have been on the other side of the building. With one swift motion he opened the window and rolled right through, making sure to close it carefully behind him. Just as he lowered the window, he heard more people entering the store behind him.

It was frightening; he knew what he had done, but it didn't seem real. He just killed a man with his bare hands. He turned into something he didn't recognize; something savage and primal. It was kill or be killed, but the monster within him broke loose and went overboard. Luke wasn't even sure if he suffocated him or if he beat him to death, but there was no mistaking he was dead.

Trying to push that agonizing thought aside, he tried to remember his objective. Adrenaline still pulsed through his veins, so he had to deliberately stop and think in order to maintain his focus. The important thing was he now had a custom-built radio, and all he had to do was make it out of town alive.

Luke already had the town mapped out and an escape route planned which would take him to the mountains; his patience in surveying the small village for the last several days would finally pay off. All he had to do was stay patient, disguise himself and avoid the locals.

The only thing he didn't count on was his missing dog tags.

---

X -- Taps

"I swear, that girl is never on time," Kaylee vented to Faith while sitting in the living room of the Patton household. "Can you believe she's half an hour late, and still counting?"

Faith giggled, "Kaylee, you just got here not even five minutes ago yourself. I was ready to go at eight o'clock on the dot, but two someones were absent."

Kaylee blushed, "Ok, so I was late too, but I wasn't as late as her!" It sounded better in her head, but it came out a little too childish. Kaylee shook her head in embarrassment. Faith laughed. Kaylee gave a weak smile and sighed, "Ok, maybe I'm not the princess I once thought I was. Sorry for making you wait, Faith."

Shrugging, Faith smiled and said, "It's really not a big deal to me. You don't need to apologize. Besides, the movie really doesn't start until nine-thirty. I already accounted for Audrey being thirty minutes late."

"Smart girl," Kaylee told her, somewhat bewildered. "How come I never thought of that over the years?"

"Probably because you've always been nearly as late as she typically is, meaning your concept of time has always been a little off," Faith said, trying to stifle her laugh.

Kaylee threw a pillow from the couch at her. Faith raised her arms just in time, giggling as the pillow bounced off and harmlessly fell to the ground.

After the doorbell rang, Kaylee popped up from the couch and walked to the door. "I don't know how you've been so patient with us," she laughed as Faith stood up, following her to the door.

Swinging the door open, Kaylee started to say, "Finally, Aud..." but was unable to finish her sentence.

She froze.

A wave of fear instantly swept over her. Her legs felt weak; she didn't think she could continue standing.

Standing in front of her were two Air Force officers standing at attention in their service dress uniforms. The somber, serious looks on their faces told Kaylee why they were there.

"Excuse me, miss, we are looking for Mr. Ryan and Mrs. Jessica Patton," one of the officers calmly and deliberately asked; he sounded compassionate, but it was almost as if his opening line was rehearsed.

Kaylee could barely stand; she took two steps back and braced herself against the wall so she wouldn't fall over. She swallowed hard, almost choking; she knew why they were there.

Faith gave a panicked shout down the hall, squeaking like a young teenager as her voice cracked out, "MOM!!"

Jessica shouted back, asking what Faith wanted, but Faith didn't reply. Eventually she came down the hall to see what Faith was shouting about when she saw the two men.

Kaylee's stomach turned when she saw Jessica's normal everyday smile instantly turn into a look of unfathomable pain. Tears streamed down Kaylee's face as she realized she had just witnessed the exact moment in time when Jessica's world would be turned upside-down forever.

"No, no, no no no no," Jessica cried as she started to fall apart. Faith ran up to her mother as she sunk to the floor. Kaylee couldn't breathe.

"The officer continued, "I... we regret to inform you, Luke Adam Patton has been listed as Killed In Action..."

Jessica screamed hysterically, tears falling to the floor, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BABY??"

"Ma'am, we're so sorry," the officer remorsefully said.

Kaylee had no idea what he said after 'Killed In Action/We're so sorry'. The words resonated in her head but everything else was a blur.

Her concept of time had vanished. The two military officers were now in the house, but she didn't remember them ever coming in. At some point Ryan had stepped into the room. Or, most likely he ran into the room; Ryan must have heard Jessica wailing and responded as fast as he could.

Tears streamed down Kaylee's face. She felt paralyzed; she couldn't speak, she couldn't even blubber. The drops just fell from her eyes, and her body wouldn't even allow her to sniff them up. She didn't remember how, but she ended up on the floor with Jessica, Faith, and Ryan, all holding each other in one giant hug.

All Kaylee could think about was Luke -- he was gone. Just like that.

It felt like her life was over; it was that sudden. Her reason for living was gone. Even though she and Luke were no longer together, even though he had found someone else, the pain was excruciating. After everything the two of them had been through, he was no more. There was no more Luke, which meant there was no 'Kaylee and Luke'.

Her hero had been killed; she didn't know how she could go on. Breaking up was hard enough on her, but knowing he was gone was just too much. Everything in her world reminded Kaylee of Luke. Looking up in the starry sky, driving by the restaurants Luke took her to -- some how he always knew her favorite places, or even walking past the men's clothing section at the mall. It was hard enough knowing Luke had dumped her for another girl, but at least he was alive and walking around on this planet.

But now, he was gone. Just gone.

Audrey was also there; Kaylee didn't remember her coming in. Somehow Audrey also ended up on the floor with everyone else, crying her eyes out, too.

The agony was such an overwhelming, painful force. All she wanted to do was lie on the floor and die.

---

"Back up, you're going too fast. What do you mean the rescue operation failed? What do you mean he was shot down," Ryan asked, trying to process the Major's words.

"Specific details are classified, sir, but what we can say is they were ambushed," the officer exhaled. "When their helicopter went down, two of the four men survived, one of which was your son. The other helicopters in the area couldn't get to them because they were taking too much fire; they were also caught in the ambush and had to fight their way out."

Ryan pulled out a chair and took a seat, trying as hard as he could to focus on the man's words.

"When they relayed back to Command Post what had happened, the Four-Star General himself ordered the largest Search and Rescue operation the United States Air Force has ever conducted. They scoured the mountains, leaving no stone unturned. Eventually they made radio contact. Your son and the other surviving crewmember were taking fire. They were able to get the other crewmember to safety, but..." he choked. Even the Major was having a hard time relaying what had happened, "They couldn't grab Luke."

Lashing out, Ryan growled, "Then why didn't they do a second rescue operation? Did they just fucking give up on him?"

The other officer, a young Captain who had been quiet until now, calmly interjected, "Sir, it wasn't like that. They did try a second operation. There was only one problem." He looked at the higher-ranking Major, letting him take over.

The Major surveyed the room. He glanced at Jessica who had been sitting on the floor and holding Faith and Kaylee tightly. Audrey lay up against Kaylee, but Jessica's hand had reached Audrey's shoulder, including her. All four women were in immense pain, and they ran out of tears.

Shaking his head, the Major quietly turned his focus back to Ryan and whispered, "They... had a video. They had his dog tags and were celebrating. Look, I'm not supposed to be telling you this. Our experts analyzed the video footage, and the tags were genuine down to his serial number and blood type. They belonged to Luke."

Ryan wiped the tears from his eyes, trying to grasp what had happened. He angrily asked, "So Luke's body hasn't even been recovered?"

Both the Major and the Captain shook their heads no.

"Are they going to find him? We want him home."

The look of doubt on the Major's face shook Ryan, but he honestly admitted, "We're not sure. We are still looking for him, but as you can understand it's turned into more of a Recovery Mission than Search and Rescue."

Ryan was silent for a moment, taking everything in. He finally said, "So, when the brass saw that video, that's when they called off the search?"

The Major reluctantly nodded, "They were already putting numerous other lives at risk to find him... sons and daughters with their own parents, wives, and husbands waiting for them at home. They had to scale back. That doesn't mean they gave up searching for him, to still bring him home."

Ryan noticed the Major carefully avoided saying 'Bringing home his remains'. Ryan had already lost one son, his firstborn, a long time ago. The pain was tremendous, and he still carried scars from the day he first found out about his death.

Now he had to take in the fact that he just lost his only other son.

"I want to see the video."

The Major held up his hand and started to protest.

"I didn't stutter. If you can't even bring my son home, I at least want to see it," Ryan said again forcefully.

"I can't approve that, sir, but I can talk to my boss. I wouldn't recommend it; at least, I would ask you to take a few days to think about it."

"I don't need a few days to think about it. Talk to your boss, please," he said. Turning around and looking at the disheveled, disheartened women, Ryan felt lost and hopeless.




2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 05



He hadn't felt despair like this in years; the last time he felt this way was just before he met his future wife, Jessica, who had literally saved him and turned his life around. Ryan wasn't sure how he would get through this, but he had to be strong for Jessica and Faith. Even for Kaylee. It would take a lot of time and a lot of prayers to heal, if one could actually heal through something this devastating. All he could think about was his boy, who had just turned into a man, but would never have a chance to fully experience adulthood. It wasn't fair how his son's life was tragically cut short.

Remembering how young and innocent he once was, all Ryan wanted to do was hold his boy on his lap one last time, running his fingers through his tousled hair, hugging him so close that he could take in his scent. He remembered his irrepressible laugh every time he tickled his chest, or pried his arms apart to tickle him under the armpits.

He looked over at Jessica who returned his forlorn glance. He could see it in her eyes; she was feeling the same thing too, missing her boy in the same way.

"Again, we are so sorry for your loss," the Major said, sensing it was time for them to go. "But please, remember we will call you tomorrow and follow up. We can't even begin to imagine the pain you are feeling, but we will support you and your family the best we can. We know some of the best counselors in the area that can help all of you overcome and deal with the loss." He handed Ryan a card and said, "If you need anything, call this number, night or day. We will be there to assist you in any way possible."

Ryan reluctantly nodded and escorted them out.

As the two officers stepped outside, they both turned around and snapped to attention. Both solemnly raised their right arm, saluting Ryan and his family. "Your son gave the ultimate sacrifice, and he died a hero. Airman Luke Patton will never be forgotten." Gravely retracting their salute, they left the premises.

---

The emptiness refused to go away. For the next week, Ryan, Jessica, Faith, Kaylee, and even Audrey all slept together in the living room under various piles of blankets, pillows and sleeping bags. Nobody said anything, but they didn't need to. It was unspoken but obvious that no one could bear the thought of being alone. Ryan made it a point to read a Bible verse or two every night, lighting the candle on the coffee table so he could read in the dark before everyone went to sleep. Afterwards he would close with a quick prayer.

Jessica and Audrey cried softly, every single time, as he read the passages and prayed aloud.

Faith sat quietly, somewhat stoic, focusing deeply on every single word uttered by her father. Her eyes watered and she sniffed profusely.

Kaylee, on the other hand, grew mad every time she heard a Bible verse. She didn't say anything, but the look of intense anger on her face said plenty. Kaylee caught Ryan observing her scowl more than once; she thought he was going to say something to her, or at least pull her to the side, but he never did.

---

The three girls broke the news to Aaron over at his apartment. None of them wanted to, but they knew he had to know. They didn't do a very good job; all of them cried while trying to form a single sentence between the three of them, attempting to tell him about Luke's death. By their crying alone he figured out what had happened. Ironically, it was Aaron that ended up comforting the girls.

Kaylee didn't feel good leaving Aaron; he never even cried. His eyes watered, but not a single drop fell. Maybe he was in shock, or maybe he was handling his best friend's death in his own way. Heck, maybe it was just because he was a guy; she didn't know.

Things would never be the same, Kaylee just knew. How could any of them return to a normal life? She was tired of walking around like a shell of a person, like a lifeless zombie. But she didn't know any other way. Maybe Aaron had rubbed off on her, but eventually over the next few days she stopped crying. Was it possible she was out of tears?

Faith was holding out much better than she was, God bless her. Kaylee had no idea how, but that girl was strong; she admired the simple fact that Faith was able to, at a minimum, simply function.

Kaylee on the other hand hadn't showered in several days or bothered to change her clothes, let alone touch her face or hair. It didn't even occur to her until she one day looked in the mirror and saw a decaying, lifeless girl with matted hair and huge bags under her eyes staring back at her. Worse yet, she didn't care.

It took a serious pep talk from Jessica, Faith, and Audrey to get her to stand on her own two feet and attempt to take care of herself.

Faith escorted her into the shower as if she were a child that had never taken one before. Faith turned the water on, checking the temperature, and finally closed the curtain leaving Kaylee in the shower.

Kaylee stood still as the cold water splashed her face, cascading down her naked body, stirring something inside her and awakening her very soul. After going days and days without crying, all kinds of emotions rapidly surfaced, overwhelming her to the point of dropping to her knees.

It was as if each drop of water fell like rain against her soft skin, teaching her how to cry all over again. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to hold back the tears, but she couldn't.

They spilled out. Kaylee sobbed, blubbering uncontrollably. Her body trembled. Gently placing her head in her hands, she wailed at the top of her lungs, releasing all of her anger, sadness, frustration and rage with a single scream. She was angry with Luke for dying, and she was angry with God for refusing to protect him. She just wanted to wake up from this nightmare, but the nightmare was real.

---

Word of Luke's death spread through town like wildfire. Even when they all finally left the Patton household, trying their hardest to brave the world and momentarily forget the tragedy that befell their family -- pretending life was actually normal for a moment -- they couldn't seem to find a moment of peace.

More than once while trying to shop at the mall or relax at a coffeehouse they ran into people they knew who intentionally avoided eye contact, as if they didn't see them. But then there were complete strangers who would come up to them and express their condolences. Which was nice, of course, but it served as a reminder of a pain they couldn't forget or escape.

All Kaylee wanted was to stop hurting, and it was hard enough to forget about Luke on her own. The last thing she needed was constant reminders of Luke's sacrifice, how much of a hero he was and how his memory would live on.

That was bullshit. She just wanted Luke back, and that was never going to happen! At least she wanted him alive. Even if he came back and -- Heaven forbid -- he was still hooking up with that desert tramp, she'd be happy for him. He could keep that silly little slut if he wanted to. She might be miserable for the rest of her life if he was with another girl, but it would be easier to manage; that kind of misery she could handle.

At least he would be alive.

How pathetic was that?

---

The dirt road off in the distance appeared to serve as a major highway. From Luke's view several hundred feet above and about a quarter-mile out, the road would have blended into the colorless brown landscape if it were not for the dust clouds kicked up by a couple vehicles. Straining his eyes, he guessed that two of them were local decrepit automobiles, but the third might have been a contracted transport tanker truck, judging by its outline.

Back at his deployed Air Base Luke had seen similar looking vehicles, often hauling in fuel for their helicopters, fighters and Warthogs. He didn't know how long the highway was, but he took it as a good sign of an American presence. Climbing a little further up the mountain for better radio reception, Luke pulled out the radio. He monitored several frequencies, but no chatter was heard.

Luke dialed up the most likely frequency he thought the Americans might be on. It was an old frequency -- a lot had happened since his radio was lost -- but he crossed his fingers.

Luke took a deep breath before he keyed the radio, and said a quick prayer.

"Watcher, Reaper 31, come in."

No response. He knew he was unlikely to get a hold of Watcher, but he tried again with the same results.

At this point, he would have been happy getting a hold of any Allied forces over the radio, no matter what the nationality.

"Any station, any station, Reaper 31."

Luke tried a few more times, but remained unsuccessful. Luke thought back to the mission briefing. He remembered one or two other frequencies the Army used. He dialed one of them up.

He spoke slowly, "Any station, any station, this is Reaper 31."

Again there was no reply. Luke made a second radio call.

He heard back, "Reaper 31, Reaper 31 this is FOB Spartan. We have you loud and clear, state your position."

Luke's heart skipped a beat.

Finally! Another American voice... it seemed like an eternity since he last heard one. Luke could hardly believe his own ears.

Luke relayed his position to Forward Operating Base Spartan the best he could based on distinct terrain points, although he didn't have much to work with other than the mountain range and the highway.

The soldier on the radio told Luke to hang tight, confirming he passed Luke's approximate location through secure channels and help would be on the way.

Time seemed to stand still. It was only a matter of minutes, Luke knew, but it felt like several hours.

Eventually Luke's radio came back to life, "Reaper 31, Phantom 10, we are inbound and searching, do you copy."

Phantom... that was the callsign of one of the rescue helicopters.

Luke responded, trying to contain his excitement, his heart leaping, "Phantom 10, Reaper 31 has you loud and clear." He pulled a flare out of his survival vest and added, "Flares readied upon visual"

The voice through the radio responded, "Copy, we are inbound and searching." Breaking standard radio protocol, Phantom added, "We'll get you out of there. Be careful and keep lookout."

Luke gave them an invisible smile, acknowledging, "Copy, I'm definitely ready."

He heard the rotary blades slicing through the air well before he saw the metal birds; it sounded like they were on the South side of the mountain, opposite Luke. Three helicopters materialized as they passed over the ridge, as if they were angels of God Himself. Luke had never felt so relieved in his entire life.

"Thank you, God," Luke quietly prayed as he spotted them, popping the flare and waving it back and forth. Hope was finally returning; he could practically see himself at home with his parents, his sister, and of course with Kaylee, but he had to contain his excitement until he actually made it out of this forsaken land. He wasn't out of the woods yet.

One of the helicopters hovered above Luke while the other two flanked out, taking up defensive positions. Just as he had seen before when Lieutenant Wayne was rescued, a cable lowered down towards Luke -- it was his ride home. He quickly grabbed it and buckled in, signaling to the flight crew above he was ready to be hoisted up. As the cable reeled in and lifted Luke upwards, he held on tight, still giving prayers of thanks.

The Pararescue Jumper pulled Luke into the helicopter and gave a thumbs-up to the pilot. Before Luke knew it, the pilot pushed up the power and just like that they were on their way home. The PJ pulled out a medical kit while inspecting Luke for injuries. Shouting above the noise of the rotors, he yelled, "You have no idea how good it is to see you. You've had pretty much all of CENTCOM looking for you; everyone thought you were dead."

Luke smiled weakly, shouting back, "I thought I was, too." As he thought about what the PJ had said, he thought about Lazarus, the man that Jesus had raised from the dead. Maybe he should pull his Bible out again. After all, it kind of seemed like they had a lot in common.

---



2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 06







2: Beneath Orion, Worlds Apart 06



Luke's alive; she could hardly believe the sight as he emerged from the jet – emerged as a hero. Audrey was right; he really was a hero. 

He looked worn down and his arm was in a sling, but he stepped out with such resolve. He had a quiet air of confidence about him as he stood tall in his uniform. He looked handsome, so incredibly handsome!

With a crooked smile, Luke paused for a moment and waved to the crowd before walking down the stairs; everyone cheered wildly. Kaylee giggled; she knew Luke well enough recognize an uncomfortable, forced smile and an awkward wave. Maybe he looked like G.I. Joe – a far cry from the silly nerd she knew in high school – but it was good to know he was the same old Luke, still uncomfortable in public. That alone would have made her light up.

Her eyes began to mist over as Ryan, Jessica, and Faith ran up the red carpet to meet him at the bottom of the stairs. Kaylee couldn't hold back; her hands went up to her face, trying to contain the falling tears. 

"Told you not to wear your mascara," Audrey lectured playfully, yelling above the crowd, wiping away her own tears. Kaylee even noticed out of the corner of her eye that Aaron was tearing up while rapidly snapping away pictures on his oversized camera.

Leaning in to Kaylee, trying to sniff through his own tears, Aaron yelled, "I always knew he'd be doing great things, but I always thought it would be as a CEO of some computer company, or at least something white collar. I never would have guessed this."

Watching Luke embrace his family was beyond heartwarming. She was jealous of his parents and sister; she wanted to hold him close like that, more than anything. But she was incredibly happy for them and couldn't contain her smile. 

She could have watched the Patton family hug each other all day long now that they were finally reunited, even though she could barely wait for her own turn. Luke lifted his head, still holding his family, looking into the crowd. Despite the enormous wall of people spaning out from left to right, he looked directly at Kaylee.

Kaylee gasped; there was something about his penetrating piercing eyes that made her freeze. She wanted to jump over the velvet rope, but her legs wouldn't move. She found that his gaze was overwhelming; she could barely lock her eyes with his. 

His family must have felt him relax his grip because they finally, although with great reluctance, let him go. 

Luke walked forward and deliberately towards Kaylee. Kaylee tried to look at him – she really wanted to – but she couldn't manage to raise her eyes. Instead she watched his boots march forward, step by step, until he was directly in front of her, her eyes staring at his chest.

Everything was moving too fast. Her ex-boyfriend, her ex-best friend and her current hero stood directly in front of her alive and in the flesh, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath. 

Two soft fingers gently touched her chin, lightly tilting it until her eyes were forced to meet his. Her body trembled as Luke lowered his lips towards hers, his thumb moving across her cheek and fingers sliding to the back of her neck. The moment his lips connected with hers, there was a spark that surged throughout her entire body from her head to her toes. It was electric and unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was almost their first kiss all over again. Actually, it was more like her first kiss ever. The slightest simple touch from his lips to hers was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced in her life. There was a passion there that she never realized before, not even through the wonderful times they already experienced before he left for the military. 

She even managed to suppress Audrey's giggles and Aaron's photo taking. Kaylee now had no doubts that Luke was real, that he was alive. She half expected some kind of Hollywood illusion when Luke stepped off the jet, like his stunt double. 

So she was a cynic, a doubting Thomas. She knew it. But once his lips connected with hers... that was the moment she knew she wasn't dreaming.

Or, if it was a dream, she was at least there with him, in his own little dream world. 

It all began to make sense again. She just knew. This was real. Luke was back, and he was alive.

Her mind was racing, spinning out of control. For the millionth time, Luke made her cry; tears streamed down her face as she leaped towards him, ignoring the velvet rope between them. Kaylee threw her arms around his shoulders, bawling uncontrollably and kissing his face all over. Luke caught her with his one good arm, embracing her and kissing her back passionately. She didn't want to let go of Luke, not ever. She didn't want him to let go of her, either. 

Her heart fluttered and her legs grew weak. The warmth she felt from Luke was simply incredible. It felt like she belonged in his arms. Kaylee wanted to tell him how much she had missed him, how overjoyed she was to see him. She wanted to tell him how thankful she was that he was alive. How she loved him. The words she desired were elusive, escaping from her lips before she could utter those words. It was almost as if, subconsciously, she didn't trust her self to say those powerful words.

Even though she and Luke had broken up, Luke's kiss was so passionate, so breathtaking; it was as if she was his soul mate. They had a connection she couldn't explain. If Luke was still seeing this other girl, she knew she could easily win him back if she wanted to – not that Luke deserved it. Besides, the way he was kissing her right now told her the other girl was probably history. She was still pissed off at him for the way he broke up with her, and there were no guarantees she would take him back even if he crawled back to her on his hands and knees, but there would be time to deal with that later. Right now, she was caught up in the moment, celebrating Luke's return along with everyone else. 

She didn't want to let him go. His shoulder was soaked from her tears, but she held him tighter and tighter, refusing to let go. For now Luke returned her embrace; she bit her lip, hoping he would continue holding her tightly.

There was no way she would take him for granted this time. This was the second time he came back to her. A few years back, just before they graduated high school, she was told he nearly died in a car accident. Recently, she was told he had died overseas. Kaylee didn't know if she could take much more. 

She loved him, more than she could imagine loving anyone, but she was scared. Now that Luke had her in his arms, she was terrified. Kaylee was torn between letting herself go, melding into his arms and staying there for eternity, versus keeping her guard up and protecting herself. 

It wasn't that she didn't feel safe and peaceful when he held her in his arms; she did, more than she could ever have imagined. But at the same time, all of her fears were surfacing. Why now of all moments in time, she didn't know, but the thought of losing him a third time petrified her. 

She wanted him so badly, but at the same time she was too afraid to take him. The pain of nearly losing him was too much for her to process. She wanted to squeeze him tighter, but at the same time she wanted to push him away and run; run as far away from him as she could and not look back. 

Leaning back and placing her hands on his face, she stared at Luke with huge tears in her eyes. The expression on her face almost immediately turned from an incredible joy to a devastating sadness, as if she suddenly experienced an unimaginable loss.

"I... I'm sorry," she quietly squeaked out, her bottom lip quivering, looking at him with eyes of remorse that begged for forgiveness.

Kaylee turned around and broke out of Luke's grasp. She ran away as fast as she could, pushing people in the crowd out of her way. Luke, completely caught off guard, tried to step over the velvet rope to chase her but his reaction was too slow; within moments she was gone, she had vanished into the crowd.

Luke was still in shock but he didn't give up; he was determined to stop Kaylee despite whatever reason she had for running. He tried pushing his way through the wall of admiring fans, but he couldn't find a way through, especially with his bad shoulder.

Kaylee hesitated, stopping and turning her head over her shoulder when she heard Luke shouting her name. He was desperate; he called out to her over and over again, barely audible through the noise of the crowd. She almost broke down and fell to her knees. He called out to her frantically, looking all over for her, but she noticed he didn't see her. 

Kaylee turned around and kept running.

---

Epilogue

Luke couldn't believe what had just happened. One moment he had Kaylee in his arms; everything felt so right, just like it had so long ago. And then before he knew it, she turned and ran away. He felt his jaw tightening as he tried to process what had just happened. He wasn't sure whether to be dejected or furious.

Audrey and Aaron, who had both just witnessed the event, were equally stunned.

Luke tried pushing through the crowd, but with only one good arm against all of the cheering people surrounding him it was like going up against a brick wall. He didn't make it more than ten feet. 

Running his fingers through his hair, fighting his frustration, Luke was ready to charge through one last time until he felt an arm on his shoulder. Luke turned around as Audrey embraced him. She told him, "I can't believe you're back! You had us all scared, you know. Welcome home!"

Luke tried to smile, "Thanks, Audrey, it's good to be back."

Aaron took a moment to step out from behind the camera to shake Luke's hand, still filming the entire event. "You have balls, my friend," he told him dryly. "I never thought I'd ever even have to say this, since we've always been together, pretty much since Kindergarten, but it's really good to see you." 

Luke said, with mixed emotions, "Thanks, it's good to be back. I'm glad to see you both." He stole another glance into the crowd, hoping to see Kaylee.

Audrey sadly told Luke, "Just give her some time; this was a lot for her to process. You know how she feels about you."

Shaking his head, trying to comprehend what had just happened, he muttered, "But why would she... I mean it's not like we're... but still..."

"Luke, it isn't like her to run from anything, especially from you. She's probably just scared. As you know better than anyone, all of this is a lot to take. Kaylee is probably just having a hard time letting it all soak in."

"Maybe," Luke said, and he wasn't smiling. "I probably deserved that after what I did... but I just thought..."

He quickly shifted gears. Looking back towards his friends, he said, "We'll have to catch up. I have a lot of fanfare I have to deal with, thanks to Uncle Sam, but my fifteen minutes of fame won't last forever, thank goodness." 

"We can wait, Luke. Just enjoy your family for now and your new status as a hero," Audrey grinned as her face turned red. "Just don't give up on Kaylee, ok? You might be everyone's hero now, but you've always been Kaylee's hero." 

Luke nodded in agreement, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead Luke was looking past Audrey through the crowd, hoping Kaylee might have stopped to at least turn around, but she was nowhere to be found. 

---

Thank you for reading; look for Book Three coming in a month or two as we continue the saga of Luke and Kaylee, to once and for all determine their fate. Luke is home, but has he changed? Will Kaylee come back? Hope you enjoyed the story, and see you for Book Three!