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A Soldier's Grace (Chapter 4)Chapter Four:
It was night. Or morning? I haven't seen the sun for, I don't know how many days. I think 12 or more. But the guard's name is Grace.
Her name is Grace Richardson, and she is from a place called Chicago in America on Earth. I know what America and Earth are, but the word Chicago means nothing to me. Grace says it is the second-largest supercity on the planet and it is beautiful. I saw a picture of New York once, but it was from 2099 and Grace says it doesn't look a thing like that anymore except for Central Park. Or something. I was actually concentrating more on her auburn hair and big, brown eyes. Who needs the sun? I've got Grace, who is probably one of the few Marines to live through prison more than once. They can train you to shoot and kill, they can train you to get treated like shit and not blow an aggression inhibitor, and they can train you to survive when left behind, but they forget one thing – how to survive without your artificial immune system, your combat suit. Once you get to depending on that thing, the smallest thing can kill you – a cold, a fever, stimpack, and even an infection of a cut. If – no, when you die – nobody cares. But I had Grace, and she saved my life.
I had that dream again last night. The one about the time when that bastard Jim Raynor left me, Pete O'Hanelon, Zachariah Perry, and the rest of my battalion behind. I could kill him for that. If I ever meet him again, and his girlfriend, the Queen of Blades (yeah, he knew Kerrigan) hasn't nixed him already, I will. He went to meet Zeratul, which is where I need to go to find him, and he had to leave some of us behind. I was voted as the new commander, and we, Matrix's Mavericks, the pirate faction, have wandered ever since. I had a few friends who were Protoss Zealots, but they left to defend Aiur, some ‘glory of the Khala' thing. So now, at merely 28, but with plenty of experience under my belt, I am commander of an army and a small, mobile base. Maybe I should thank the SOB... right before I extinguish him. So far, I have survived being abandoned, I have survived the dreams, and I have survived almost becoming like him. I will survive prison (again) and find him.
If that was a speech, I could win awards.
-Journal of Jim Matrix
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I woke up feeling like this was the perfect day, that nothing could go wrong. That is why I knew something bad would happen. But I was in prison, what could happen? Plenty.
I think Grace saw that I was edgy and nervous. I was disoriented, I didn't have any clue what the day was and the whole day just didn't sit right with me.
"Calm down, will ya?" Grace said for the millionth time. "What have you been into? Caffeine tabs?"
I keep thinking of Grace as a Medic or a friend of mine, but she is still a guard, and if the other prisoners think she is getting soft, they might get unruly or not obey orders or get too friendly, like me, not to mention the reaction out of her superiors. AND don't forget about the possibility that something bad might happen to you, too, Jim.
"What time is it?" I asked, not knowing why I needed to know.
"24:36 of 25." she answered. "We're over Braxis."
"Yeah, but – " I started.
"Shut up, Jim!" she whispered softly. "I've got a reputation to live up to, I'm a guard, remember? This is my job."
An hour or so later, I was awakened to a soft, half-squeak of surprise. It sounded like Grace. What would surprise her? I got up off the cot and walked to the door, bored, and peeked through the small, barred window.
There were two men pinning Grace to the wall with a hand over her mouth. Grace. My Grace. Mine. And suddenly, for some reason, I was mad, REALLY mad.
"Don't move. If you scream, you're dead. If you move, you're dead. If you talk above a whisper, you're dead. If anybody else comes, you and them are dead." one of the men whispered in a deep, husky voice. Grace she was scared. She nodded quickly. She accidentally hit the "Release" buttons for cell doors F1-F5 and F16-F20. Lucky me. Not that this would help – she still needed to stick in her ID, type in her access code, state her full name and rank, press "Cell F7" and I'd be out of here. I haven't sat around the whole time I've been here. Security. Doesn't anybody trust anyone anymore? I already had a little trick up my sleeve, but I had to hurry.
"Come on, girly, I want to see who's in these cells." said the other man, shoving Grace. She was still a little scared, but she was handling the situation pretty well. Not the fainting type. Just touch the wire from the top clasp to the bottom... there was a barely audible click and I was free! Well, sort of. Tsk, tsk, tsk, Grace, leaving your gun hanging on the chair. Armed with the small machine gun, two clips, and a knife, I made my way slowly towards Grace, who was looking through cell records in the computer. The other prisoners were asleep. Grunts, probably. While one soldier constantly poked Grace with his gun, the other watched her open files and when he looked around to check for UED, I seized my chance. I darted behind the soldier poking Grace, hooked my arm under his chin, and put my knife to his throat, pointing the gun at the other soldier.
"Picking on little girls, are we?" I said in a sinister voice to the surprised marine. Soldier #2 whirled around and Soldier #1 pleaded,
"Don't shoot, man! It's UED!" I knew that voice!
"Aw, you don't think your own commander would turn traitor and work for the UED, now would you?" I said.
"Jim?!" said Soldier #2, incredulously, trying to see me in the shadows. "You're alive!"
"Hey, Pete!" I said, lowering the knife. "Hi, Zach!"
"Jeez, didja have to do that?" complained Zach, rubbing his neck. "I didn't need a shave."
"Yup." I said, nodding.
"We were just about to get you out – assuming you were alive, of course – only, this bitch was taking her sweet, damn time and – "
Immediately, I raised my gun to his throat and growled,
"Call her that again and I'll pump you full of lead, Pete."
Pete gulped and started,
"But I – " I jerked the gun farther into his neck, unprotected by the open helmet.
"Don't give me that bull, Pete, I swear I'll do it." He nodded, sweating.
I was breathing hard now, and that tipped my off that I was overreacting and I lowered the gun. What the hell was wrong with me?
"I'm sorry, man, didn't mean to scare ya." I punched his arm. He rolled his eyes and sighed in relief.
"You son of a bitch." he breathed, smiling. I turned to Grace, my expression serious.
"Are you alright?" I asked. She nodded, her face pale.
"Are you leaving now?" she asked in a small voice. Then I had a wild idea.
"Will you come with me?" I asked quickly, silencing the ‘Waaait a minute' s and ‘Whoa, Jim' s with my hand. Grace blinked. "I know it's dangerous, but it's safer than this place."
"Come with you?" she asked.
"Yeah." I nodded.
"Really?" she asked. "You want me to?"
"Uh..." started Pete.
"Shut up, Pete." I told him. I turned back to Grace. "Yes!"
"Why?" She looked at me confused. I finally knew what that strange feeling was.
"Hmm... well, I don't know... maybe because I love you, you saved my life, I love you, you're not safe here with that telepath around, I love you, and oh," I knelt down at her feet and looked up into her face, holding her small hands in mine. "I also happen to love you." The guys smiled and pretended to be interested in some scratches in the wall.
Grace's eyes were misty with happiness and I thought I would die from the two-second suspense when she said,
"Alright, I'll go."
I whooped and hugged her fiercely, whirling her around. She laughed her oh-so-beautiful happy laugh.
"Now all we have to do is get out." I said to Pete and Zach. –More from the Journals of Jim Ma
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