Mutually Assured Destruction

0400, December 14th 1984 at US Army Base 14-N located one hour outside of Augsburg, Germany. The nuclear warning alarm goes off waking up Minute Man Group 24 as they prepare for retaliation. 

“God, do they have to run these drills so fucking early? Don’t the damn Soviets sleep?”

“You don’t know this is a drill Roswell'' Another soldier nervously whines tying his boots “We've never run one before 0600 this doesn’t make sense”

Pulling on his fatigues Roswell starts reassuring his fellow Minute Men though his sincerity is questionable. “Come on B.At. don’t shit yourself. They are signing the denuclearization accords next month and we can’t be reassigned for 2 years. We’re gonna be living it up with no assignment and an easy paycheck. Think about all the german babes we will…” Before Roswell could finish his perverse dreams about german soaked in beer a third soldier storms into the Barracks.

“What the fuck is taking you two special eds so long! The alarm has been going for 5 minutes. We should be en route right now!” 

Fully dressed now both Roswell and B.At. start for the barracks exit. “Calm down Naga it’s not like Major is ever on time anyway.” 

Naga’s face morphed with visible anger as creases appears along his forehead “Roswell I will remind you again that I am your superior” 

With his trademark smart assery Roswell starts mocking his ‘superior’ “RoSwElL i WiLl rEmInD yOu AgAiN tHaT i Am yOuR sUpErIoR, just because you push the button 1st doesn't make you my superior. You’re only first in the order because you finish first prep first, if the order mattered B.At. would be first.” 

With visible anxiety at hearing this B.At. stutters out “Wh- What, Why?” 

“You’re the only one of us who has been engaged in combat. Following field promotion protocol you would be first in line” Strangely Roswell genuinely appears to respect his crew mens accolades. 

“I was in a liquor store during a robbery. I wasn’t in combat! I don’t know how many times I have to tell you.” B.At now a mix of nerves and anger aggressively marches out of the barracks and to ‘The Easter Basket’ a trailer housing the 2 nuclear warheads that Minutemen G-24 have prepped hundreds of times. In order to stop mutiny Minutemen periodically prep their warheads for launch, however only the Major knows if the launch is real. Before the launch sequence can be completed the Major must install a harddrive with the location and guidance system password. 

As the trio finally arrive at the basket they notice the Major’s truck already present and Roswell starts to panic “Shit, why is Major already here? He’s never here on time, we're screwed.” 

“Just get to work and don’t say anything…” Before Naga could finish his statement B.At. is stammering out an explanation to the Major. 

“Sorry Major we were… you see… it’s…” 

“It’s okay just to get to work, we have a job to do.” Expecting fury and beratement, the Major's icy tone left an uneasy feeling in the crew. Despite his constant lateness Major carried a rock solid hard on for punctionaly for him to be so sombre wasn’t right. Roswell started thinking back to what B.At. was saying earlier but those thoughts went away once the crew started working. Though the trio have varying levels of commitment to the Minutemen assignment once they start prepping the ‘Easter Basket’ they work with almost robotic precision. Of course having done the procedure hundreds of times all three knew the trailer better than their own wives (or in Roswell's case the various german bachelorettes of the town outside base). In a little more than five minutes the basket was ready to deliver its payload. Major hands the harddrive too B.At. as Naga heads to the launch base. 

“Guidance installed payload ready for launch.” Being so absorbed in the strangely comforting routine B.At. announced the final verbal confirmation with pride, but once the checklist was over his mind began to wonder once again. ‘This is too early… Why is Major so taut…  this can’t be real it can’t” 

“Permission to launch Major?”  Naga, still absorbed in the checklist, has yet to see B.At. losing his composure

“Granted!” 

“Standby, launching in five!”  As Naga starts the count B.At’s mind starts racing and these five seconds seem to stretch for an hour

“Wasn’t there a warning of troop movements near the border shit this can’t be real.” 

“4…” 

“We wouldn’t strike first would we?” 

“3” 

“Could I reach my family in time before everything goes?”

“2” 

“Shit, shit, shit, shit this is it man, this is it!” 

“1”

The whole world seemed still and undisturbed as Naga turned the key. A second passed, then two, then five. Finally Major broke the silence. “Oh my god, you should have seen y’all’s faces. B.At. over here was about to shit himself inside out! Oh I got y’all good.” 

“What are you talking about Major? I wasn’t worried at all.” Roswell said attempting to keep his indifferent and sarcastic appearance, but he still held his breath during the countdown. B.At. meanwhile couldn’t hold onto his chow from the night before.

“Damnit B.At. I got these boots issued and now last night's sloppy joes are in the laces!” Naga said.

“I’m sorry Naga I must have a stomach bug or…. *bauw*” Before B.At. could finish his sentence another round of chow hall tater tots violently spews from his mouth and onto the grass. 

“Holy shit I might have gotten him too good. The drill is complete, you three space cadets go back to the barracks and find him some aspirin.” Major, despite his menacing exterior, genuinely cares for the crew. They are the sons he never had. The army specifically targets young recruits with low leadership potential for the Minute Men, as they will be less likely to stand against orders. Lastly Minute Men despite the existential doom they represent the Army doesn’t want to waste good recruits on projects which would never be used. Because of this Major almost feels pity for G-24 the Army has basically labeled them expendable, but he sees them as good men. Even with the stick up his ass Naga has a wife and child with another on the way, military children are usually tiny bastards but his little one is alright. B.At doesn’t have any children but his wife is a professor at the local university and you don’t get someone like that without having a book brain yourself. And Roswell shouldn’t even be a Minute Man, if he cut the joking down he would make a fine superior one day. Somehow during this reflection Major ended up back at his cabin. “Shit how did I drive all the way? It's only 0500, time for more shut eye.” 

Back at the barracks G-24 get back into their bunks but can’t go back to sleep. B.At.’s stomach bug mysteriously disappeared even before the 3 aspirin he chewed, but he took them regardless. Couldn't let his friends know the truth after all. “Did I just call them my friends?” He thought. “Well I guess they are. I mean we’ve been training the same 15 minutes for 4 months  now. Even if they are a pain in my ass It wouldn’t be the same without them.” 

“Can they just sign those damn papers already? I’m getting fucking tired of this shit!” Roswell finally says to break the silence 

“Would you shut up, I’m trying to sleep here!” Naga responds secretly agreeing with the disturbance. 

Out of character Roswell doesn’t make a comeback, instead he turns on his side and tries again to fall asleep. This time all three men manage to get some resemblance of rest but are interrupted by almost identical nightmares. In the square of an unknown city the group sees people going about their day. A man walks his dog with a paper tuck into his arm. An old lady is throwing bread crumbs to birds. A mother eating an ice cream cone with her child is what grabs the man's attention. They start to slowly walk over when the child screams and attempts to run away. 

“Mommy, Mommy it’s them. Mommy it’s the bad men. Mommy please Mommy... “ 

“Hey there’s nothing to be scared about” The soldier says slowly walking towards the child “I’m here to help.” 

“Mommy let go Mommy!” 

Suddenly the man realizes the woman hasn’t moved, in fact her hand appears to be melting and fusing into the childs. 

“Oww Mommy stop. Mommy that hurts, stop it.” 

Trying to free the child from the hot mush that was his mothers hand the soldier goes to grab it when the mothers head shoots up and stares at the man and shouts in a demonic voice.

“There’s nothing to be scared about! I'm Here to help!” 

As she says this her melting face begins to fall in large globs onto the ground until just her skull is repeating back the soldiers words. A bright flash blinds the man and burning hot wind floods his face. In the background he hears buildings falling “The child” he thinks “I have to help him” he tries to move but he can’t. Somehow his feet and legs have sunken into the ground, suddenly his vision comes back and where the lively city stood is now a pile of rubble and bodies. Birds are pecking at the old woman and one flies off with her remaining eyeball as he feels the child's hand on his. “At least he is safe…” the man screams as he sees the hand isn’t connected to a body.  Panicking he frantically looks around him but can’t distinguish the child's body from the red mush around him. Suddenly the dog earlier on a walk with his owner comes over to the soldier and begins munching at the hand. “No stop it! Bad dog! Get away!” 

The dogs then opens his mouth and begins talking with Presidents Reagens voice.

“The United States does not start fights.” 

The soldier is frozen in fear and panic all he can do is listen.

“We will never be an aggressor.” 

Screams begin bellowing from the soldier in an attempt to drown out the dog but it’s no use as the dog just gets louder and louder 

“We maintain our strength in order to deter and defend against aggression-to preserve freedom and peace.”   

Now dog begins to slowly approach the soldier still growing louder and more aggressive 

“This strategy of deterrence has not changed… It still works.” 

They stand face to face with almost visible emotion and fear between. Then without warning the dog attacks but right before being torn to pieces  all three wake up in a cold sweat and with small helpless screams. The men sit in intense silence, their blank eyes meeting, reliving each traumatic detail all over again. It wasn’t until meeting at the chow hall that the silence would break, but the conversation of the nightmare was avoided. Business continued as normal from then on until the alarm sounded again three days later right before noon.

“What the hell? We just ran a drill the other day!” Roswell yelled with a mix of anger and fear.

“Some private probably accidentally hit the alarm, whatever it doesn’t matter we still have to run it.” Naga himself didn’t believe his excuse but began the march out anyway.

Already en route to PT, G-24 reached the Easter Basket in record time and began prepping the payload. Making an unusual circumstance even stranger B.At. broke the silence with a joke. 

“At this point I kinda hope this bitch actually launches so we never have to run another drill.” 

“I don’t know man that’s a little far even for a joke I mean this thing could flatten a city.” Roswell said 

“Did y’all swap bodies or something? Let's just finish this up. I hear Major’s truck coming.” Naga quipped as he completed his prep and began activating the launch mechanism. As G-24 completed the checklist Major finally arrived with the harddrive as B.At. installed the final component and an almost jovial mood settled on the crew. 

“They must be trying to get their money’s worth out of y’all.” Said Major “Shit’s annoying I was about to beat the GC in poker too.” 

“Yeah right Major, we all know the GC is a shark you were probably getting your ass handed to you.” Roswell finally back to himself started 

“Permission to launch Major!” Naga sounded off 

“Sure, let's just get this done.” Major off handley said 

“Standby, launching in five!” Naga once again began to count as B.At.’s head wandered off 

“5” 

“It really is a nice day today” 

“4” 

“Might take Denise out for a picnic later.” 

“3” 

“2” 

“She’s been acting weird lately. I wonder if she's pregnant?” 

“1” 

As Naga turned the Key Roswell was already airing out a joke when the two missiles flew out and left G-24 with a hot and putrid wind from their exhaust. Pure terror consumes the men as they stand frozen in fear of what they just did.

“Fuck! Major, we have to call the air crew those are hot! Do you hear me those are fucking hot their gonna level a city if we don’t intercept them!” Roswell yelled 

“I’m sorry but I can’t do that Roswell.” Major says with a long and heavy pause as he attempts to compose himself. “Naga you should go see your family while you can, that’s an order okay don’t argue or I’ll court marshall you.” 

“Understood sir…” Between shaken breaths Naga begins to walk when Major throws the keys to his truck. Looking up at Major’s face Naga understands the severity of the situation as he starts the truck two jets fly by overhead. 

“See Major there stopping them, it's alright… we’re alright. God damnit Major tell me they are intercepting them! Tell me! Tell me!” The screams coming out of Roswell echoing into B.At.’s ears remind him of the dog.  

“We will never be an aggressor.” it says

The world seems to freeze Major stands attempting to be unphased by Roswell’s mania for both of their sakes. B.At. is staring at the burnt ground left by the missiles and can only imagine New York as a flat pile of ash and fire. Looking up it seems Major is trying to talk to him but he can only hear the dog. 

“This strategy of deterrence has not changed… It still works.” 

Roswell falls to the ground in the fetal position trying to hold back tears. “I wonder what Denise is doing right now?” B.At. thinks as Roswell violently vomits. “Should I tell her? No it’s better if I don’t… better for her last moments to not be filled with fear. I’ll just leave her be, hell she’s probably reading at home right now… she’ll die happy.” B.At slowly starts to regain his hearing and begins to move.  Major picks Roswell up and says 

“Come on guys,  I have some whiskey in my cabin, no reason to die sober.” 

“I’m sorry Major… but I can’t… save me a shot in hell please.” B.At unstraps his issued 9 millimeter. Placing the barrel on his tongue and before he can cringe at the dirty metallic taste the bullet exits his brain. His corpse falls to the ground landing in the still warm puke courtesy of Roswell.