office.
“Le Beau, do you have a distance limitation on your human radar?”
“Yes, Sir. I have experienced that ten miles is the maximum distance I can sense.”
“I need an area twenty miles east evaluated.” He rubbed his baldhead absentmindedly. As if mumbling to himself, “I need to make sure you ’re out of harm’s way.” His scalp was turning red from the scrubbing he was giving it. “Can you sense through metal?” He eyed Simon like a bug again.
Simon cupped his chin and rubbed his fingers across his lips to hide the fact he was trying not to smile. “I can sense through anything, distance is my only limit.”
“You will stay inside a tank for maximum coverage. That, or God forbid you might be hit. A squad I can replace, you I can’t. Your squad will move out at twenty hundred hours. I want stealth, you will only go twelve mile east and sense the situation from a distance.”
Oh man! I tried to protect my squad and I ’ve put them in even more danger. They are going to be on the frontline every time I’m sent out .
“Be at the staging area at nineteen thirty. I will brief your squad leader. I expect to debrief you the moment you return from the operation.”
Simon found it a bit embarrassing that he was required to ride inside a tank, but his Major wouldn’t take the chance that he’d meet a bullet up close and personal. Inside the armored tank it was almost impossible for him to incur an injury.
He sig hed as he walked with the squad to load up. His friends didn’t understand why he was relegated to the inside of a tank and ribbed him incessantly.
“Hey , Le Beau, do you need help getting into your booster seat?” one of them jabbed.
“Sure, I could use a diaper change too ,” he shot back. If you can’t beat them, join them. He hoped the ribbing would end quickly.
An hour later Simon joined Mark in Major Patterson’s office. “Sir, there is a small band of fighters eighteen miles east. The aggression level is medium to low. I would guess they are forced enlisted who are trying to avoid combat.”
The Major was silent as he processed the intel. “Good work, Le Beau. The squad will be off duty tomorrow. Anderson, I want you here at ten hundred. Dismissed.”
The squad fell into a routine, night excursions to gather intel followed by a duty free day. Within a week the ribbing about his tank rides ended. They appreciated the intel he provided. The men knew many of them would have been injured or dead without Simon’s unique ability.
A month later
Simon and his team were on a recon mission to an area twenty miles west of base. “Halt!” he yelled over the roar of the engine. Everyone stood silent, awaiting orders. Simon may not be the squad leader but he ran the show when they were on a mission.
Something is very off in this area , he couldn’t quite place what it was but it was not friendly. The men were on high alert. Utilizing hand signals he sent scouts out under the cover of darkness.
The enemy was hunkered down in a pile of rocks west of their string of vehicles. Simon studied the situation thoroughly to verify the aggression level. If he ordered a sloppy hit on civilians, his gift of empathy would make him suffer horribly. Satisfied, he guided his men in. On his signal the small hive of fighters were hit with mortars. Once the debris cleared, Simon took a minute to scan the area.
Exhaling a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, he called all clear. He gave a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess. Another mission completed without injury or casualty to his men. It was a heavy burden to bear for one man, but he felt he had to do what he could to keep his friends safe. He never considered the cost he was paying with his control and his wolf.
Simon tapped his pencil on the desk, I need skin contact, as quickly as possible. The spasms and anxiety were coming more often. After several months of ops, he noticed the more missions he went