Weathering the storm

about a half an hour on the road, i got a text from Commander Benson saying "Vandenberg AFB". I know well enough that Vandenberg is home to the Air Forces 30th Space Wing. The real question is why would we be launching from Vandenberg? High Command had told the operating SEALs that a C-17 Globemaster would be waiting for us on the airfield, and would be ready to leave early tomorrow morning. Nobody really pays much attention to High Command because of all the bullshit they throw our way, but they have some slightly useful information once in a while...more like once in a blue moon.

"Call from, Paul" said the Bluetooth device into my car.

"Answer" i reply.

"Pauls voice then flooded the car about five or six seconds later. "did you get Bensons text?" he asks.

"yeah, we're launching from Vandenberg tomorrow." i reply.

"why would we be launching from there? its not the type of Airfield you see SEALs using on regular rotations."

i thought about it for a second. i asked the GPS, "how far away are we from Vandenberg Air Force Base?"

the GPS must not have heard me over the sound of the still-violent rain smacking on my windshield, because it couldnt make out what i said to it. "please try again." it said.

Ugh. "How far are we away from VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE!" I practically yell

"We are approximately 114.7 miles from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Due to the current traffic situation, we will get there in 2 hours and 24 minutes." the GPS replies.

"what is the time span to driving from here to Beale Air Force Base?" i ask.

"Approximately 7 hours and 44 minutes due to the current traffic situation."

"because Vandenberg is the closest base we could get to, Paul." i said.

"oh, well that makes sense." Paul replies.

yeah, it kinda did. none of us SEALs liked driving long distances, and High Command knew that. we tend to get a little fidgety if we sit in one spot for too long. even if none of us went on ops yet, we still know what we signed up for and cant wait to do whatever it is that we're gonna do.

"set our final destination to Vandenberg Air Force Base." i say to the GPS.

right away, the GPS set its course to Vandenberg AFB, even still i was surprised it heard me the first time over the sounds of downpour. Paul really does keep you occupied, because the ride to Vandenberg felt like a half an hour rather than 2 and a half. by the time we got to Vandenberg, we had already seen a team member of team One working with the Air Force crew on the Globemaster. It looked like LTJG O'Hara, but i couldnt exactly tell. I flashed my ID to the guard at the base and waved me through. once we got inside the base and parked, Paul and I busted through the front door to see Airmen wandering around aimlessly through the halls and corridors...or it at least looked like it anyway. we couldnt tell one apart from the other, they all looked exactly the same with a few black guys and latinos here and there. that was the only difference to the clones of Airmen so-to-speak.

one of them greeted us at the front entrance. he wasnt way up in rank, but i could tell he dedicated some time into the Air Force. mustve been a Sergeant of a sort. "Are you guys..." he looked into the file he was holding for a second...a very long and very awkward second. "...Petty Officers David Locke and Paul O'Reiley?"

"David would be me, and thats Paul" i said to the young Airman, pointing towards Paul as well.

"Alright, could i just see your ID's for a second?" the young Airman asked.

we gave him our ID cards as he compared them to the information on his file. in that time span we looked around the interior of one of the buildings of the base. if you ever heard the phrase "no two people are physically alike" you would seriously think that whoever told you that was bullshitting you.

The Airman looked up at us and gave us our IDs back. "Alright, cool. right this way, sirs. I will direct you to the CO's office." he said, with a slight look of absolute terror on his face. I couldn't help but think why we was so frightened. we felt so out of place in our Navy BDUs as we walked through the halls and corridors, and we had to bump into a few Air Force guys, almost losing sight of the Airman who greeted us. only way to tell him apart was from the long scar coursing the back of his head. was he dropped as a child? we will never know.

He knocked three times on a door, must have been the CO's office. When the officer yelled "ENTER!" i swear to god the Airman flinched at the voice. "the door slowly opened as the young Airman poked his head through. "sir, the SEALs are here for you." it sounded like he almost stuttered.

"send them in." the officer said.

right away he nodded and opened the door, we followed through to the officers room, and the young Airman followed us in. the officer stood and saluted the Airman. we looked back to see the Airman who had already been saluting. we looked back toward the officer, i looked at his rank, Lieutenant Colonel. Silver oak leaves stitched to both collars of his ABUs. the Colonel dropped his salute and said, "you are dismissed, Staff Sergeant."

so that was his rank. the Airman dropped the salute and said "Yes sir" as he booked it out of the office. I could see why he was ready to bolt out the door at any given moment. This guy was ripped, with veins clearly visible along his arms and extending into the rolled up sleeves of his ABUs. why he had them rolled, i have no idea. they looked as though they were about to rip due to his immense muscle mass. with me being a SEAL i tried to look more intimidating, but to no avail. he scared the living s**t out of me just standing there.

"Sit." the Colonel ordered.

"yes sir" we both replied as we rushed to take our seats. this man was not to be fucked with.

"i know why you two are here, i got word form your Commander Benson that you guys are taking off in that Globemaster over there to Africa." he said. "well im gonna tell you that a direct flight on a Globemaster to Africa is impossible due to the current jet streams in the air, directly flying to Africa wont be happening. your Globemaster will be taking you to Germany, where youll land in Ramstein Air Force base, and board a C-130 on your way to Africa. the whole trip should be about 12-13 hours."

"Yes sir, understood sir." i said, knowing full well that this is exactly what we didnt want, but was happening anyway whether we like it or not.

"okay, as long as you got that part down, that's all you'll need to know. the Air Force personnel have graciously donated some of their staterooms for the day to you and your SEAL buddies. your staterooms are shared for two, and are located in 26L and the code is 77364. we clear?" the Colonel bellowed.

"yes sir." we both reply. we walked out of the office after saluting the Colonel and walked to our staterooms. trying to walk through the hallways and corridors flooded with Airmen seemingly walking aimlessly to wherever it is that they were going. as we kept walking for what seemed like an hour but was really 5 minutes, we passed by the chow hall, or a mess hall that the Air Force calls it, which was the biggest son of a b***h ive ever seen, which was also flooded with Airmen, some looking out the window watching the storm as it completely covers the sky with a few strikes of lightning here and there, and sometimes streaking through the clouds. talk about weathering the storm, this was the best f*****g way to do it. we could hear the sound of the violent rain drops hitting the roof of the base over the constant clacking of Air Force boots hitting the floor and running on the stairs. we finally got to the stateroom, and entered the pass code. it was a small little room with a standard bunk bed, twin sized mattresses, a sink, and a very small bathroom across the room. the whole room was about the size of two average household bathrooms. we threw our dufflebags on the floor and threw ourselves on our respective beds. me on the bottom, Paul on the top.

"yo, bro. im feeling kind of comfortable about this mission" Paul stated.

"how so?" i reply.

"well, i've had time to think it over, and it finally occurred to me that we have Rangers and Marines watching our back, not to mention 11 SEALs going into one building. ill bet money that we wont have any casualties." Paul implies

"youre speaking kind of big bud, maybe we'll have one or two casualties, not that im wishing for it. but you know how that works out." i reply

"yeah man, i guess youre right. im gonna try and catch up on some sleep, ill see ya on the flip side, yo." Paul said as he shifts positions to enter a comfortable sleeping position. i knew it would be a while before i could sleep, so i whipped out my iPod and threw in my earbuds. i cant sleep without music. Saving me by Nickleback, good song to listen to, anywhere. i just listened to the song while staring at the frame of Pauls bed. i checked the time on my iPod, and it read 2037. all i could do was listen to music before falling asleep. the rain still pouring, and thunder still clapping. i liked the stormy weather anyway. about the 3rd loop into the song i started to fall asleep, with the luggage on my eyes getting heavier and heavier, i knew i was also on the brink of a deep sleep. I knew i was gonna sleep within minutes, but my mind was just flooded with thoughts about the upcoming mission. I didnt have a good feeling about it, nor could i stop thinking the worst of it. we'll just have to see how we play our cards when the time comes.

Author's Note

What does everyone think of the imagery in this chapter? if you have anything for it, take a minute or two to slap a review! all criticism is welcome!
cheers! :)