While wise men talk (482 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1 on 7 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Hookhand (View user info) at 2007-04-24 04:29:37 EDT
For reference
http://www.ubersite.com/m/100966
http://www.ubersite.com/m/100978
"I wish you'd at least let me take a look at that wound." Sawbones said, pointing at the red-ringed wound on Jensen's arm which looked as if it wanted to develop a nasty infection any minute.
"That's not how we do it, and you know that, 'bones." Jensen tucked his arm (gingerly, Sawbones noticed) back into his coat. "And it's not a 'wound.' And you know that too."
"Fair enough. So what brings you to my humble abode?"
"I've been seeing a.....flutter at the corner of my vision. I turn to look, and nothing's there. Am I going to end up like the others?"
"There's no reason to think that's the case." Sawbones glanced down at Jensen's file and tried to stifle the frown. All of the early warning signs were there. Trouble sleeping, heart palpitations, and now, hallucinations. He wouldn't let on, but Jensen would most likely be Section 8 within the month.
"So we're done?" Jensen stood, zipped up his coat and Sawbones caught his arm. 'bones was pushing 70 years old, but Jensen was shocked at how easily a tug that 'bones made look effortless found his ass right back on the folding chair.
Sawbones took out a penlight, and shined it in both of Jensen's pupils, and wrote something Jensen couldn't see ('bones made sure; turning on his stool and shielding the chart with his body) on his chart. "NOW you can go."
Jensen stood again, saluted (he wasn't just the Chief surgeon, he was also a Lance Corporal) and left the tent, the icy air hitting him in the face and causing him to adjust his thermal face shield standing in the doorway.
"Shut the Goddamned d-" the door slamming shut cutting off the last syllable.
Jensen stowed his thick parka (One of thousands which had arrived during year 10 of the occupation and year 3 of Jensen's tour) on his hook and looked down to admire what 'bones had called a "wound." The magnesium ice-cutter had heated up the tip of a standard-issue survival knife to hot enough that it instantly cauterized as it had cut into Jensen's arm. The work seemed to take hours; in reality it was completed in just under a minute. The crooked letters ("You SQUIRMED too fucking much!" Trotter had ribbed Jensen in defense of his penmanship) spelled out the motto; "iiharu." The phoenetical spelling of a Martian colloquialism ("We don't have a word for what this shit even means, like, in our fucking LANGUAGE, man!" Stenn had said, excitedly when he had first shown off his new brand to Jensen a year ago) iiharu was a word none of the men could utter until it had been carved into their arm by the last man in the unit to receive the brand. iiharu was something you earned.
"It's why we fight, while good men die..." Jensen mumbled under his breath; helping him commit to memory what the other men chanted while he received his brand (that was the only time anyone ever uttered the chant), stopping short when another figure appeared at the mouth of the tent.
"It's Stenn," the shadowy figure related without identifying itself. "Section fucking 8. They shipped him off back to Earth 15 minutes ago. I figured you'd want to say goodbye yourself, but you were with 'bones. I'm sorry, man." The figure turned and left before Jensen could even process what he'd just heard.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Known as 'Crater fever' or 'Bugging out,' Enlisted Dysphoria Disorder, or EDD, is the number two killer of stationed soldiers. Characterized by mild hallucinations at the onset and resulting in severe dementia, suicidal tendencies and homicidal rage, EDD should be addressed as early as possible. There is no known cure or cause for EDD, but it is known that if left unchecked, one enlisted man displaying the symptoms can cause the onset of the syndrome in the other men in his bunk house. The reason for this is still being researched.
- Medical Unit briefing 122R7-Q
Sawbones had a MEAN drunk on by the time Jensen knocked on the door to his tent. "Comein!" he slurred, gesturing to no one and spilling a trickle of liquid out of the mouth of the bottle he'd been nursing (he didn't nurse the first one; it lay upended in the trash can next to his desk empty with even the drops that had clung to the inside of the neck licked clean).
"OOOOOOOOOo ISHYOU!" 'bones said when he saw Jensen. "You..YOU are the guy'vebeen WAITING for!" He laughed to himself and sucked back another shot from the bottle. "You hear 'bout Stenn? He's fuggin session 8!"
Jensen sat, saying nothing. "I heard he got sent back to earth a few hours ago, yes." Jensen managed.
"Earth!? EARTH?! Sawbones laughed, pulling down an even bigger plug this time. "He's not gonna fuggin' EARTH, man. Not that guy!"
Jensen, finally aware that 'bones was in violation of the code section 27 which strictly forbade the men to drink alcoholic beverages (smuggled booze was worth a fortune; 'bones must have paid an arm and a leg for the one he was drinking out of and just as much for the empty in his trash) and Jensen quickly shut the door. "Keep your voice down!"
"The sun! He's taking a liddle trip to the sun! WEEEEE!" And before he could react, 'bones' clammy hand was locked on his wrist, and he was pulling Jensen's face to within inches of his. Jensen could smell the stench of smuggled moonshine on his breath. 'bones voice was suddenly calm, unwavering, and firm. He looked into Jensen's eyes. "All the men with EDD are separated from the unit so they don't panic the other men. We can't send them back to earth, that would cause a panic." All of a sudden, 'bones hand tightened on Jensen's wrist. "We can't send them back to earth and we can't leave them here what are we going to do with them I'll tell you we'll make them disappear we'll send the family a nice note about how he died a hero that they won't read for 7 more years and we'll shoot the poor fucker into the fucking sun POOF." The last word spraying Jensen in the face with what he thought might be spit except it stung his eyes, which he rubbed with the backs of his hands. "You're fucking NEXT."
With Sawbones' cackling at his back and the icy cold at his front, Jensen strode away from the tent. When the M.O. tried to hand him a square of paper telling him to report to the wellness center in Quadrant SE for "observation" Jensen shoved the man, hard, into a drift of black snow. When the report of Sawbones' sidearm echoed across the camp and the stunned men remembered themselves and ran to see what had happened, Jensen strode to his bunkhouse to retrieve his rifle.
His rifle slung over his shoulder, Jensen marched across the frozen tundra toward the unexplored cave at the edge of the sector. With a 48 round magazine locked and loaded and 3 spare magazines in his belt, he could do a lot of damage before he took a lethal shot of alkali spit to the face or a barbed mandible to the midsection.
"It's why we fight, while good men die..." he chanted under his breath, the tears over Stenn and his other breathren dry, the ache from his brand no longer making it hard to hold his rifle steady and the wind no longer howling in his ears. "While wise men talk..." he charged the rifle, sliding the bolt into firing position and flicking the switch for the optic sighting reticle to the ON position so it would be charged by the time he reached the cave. iiharu was about taking a few of them with you.
User Reviews
Submitted by bruzwuld (user info) at 2007-11-14 12:12:00 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by sweetcheebs (user info) at 2007-04-24 12:07:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is getting better and better. Keep em coming.
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2007-04-24 10:02:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Ace.
Submitted by Bubba2341 (user info) at 2007-04-24 09:17:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2007-04-24 05:32:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
No you won't.
Submitted by Hookhand (user info) at 2007-04-24 04:39:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
No you won't. I'll be funny eventually.
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2007-04-24 04:34:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'll read these eventually.