Five Units of Critical Supply

At 1536 hours, the sirens blared. They were warped and slightly melodic, halfway between a warning and a jingle. It reminded me of a song I’d hear every summer, echoing throughout our neighborhood.

So far, things were going just as the commander had written out. Now, it was about execution. By 1537 hours, we were in motion. We had less than three minutes before Mobile Unit 79 passed sector L.

The stakes had never been higher. A failure in the mission could compromise our entire squad. The objective was simple: infiltrate enemy territory, retrieve the critical supply, and make contact with Mobile Unit 79 before it moved out of range.

At 1538 hours we entered the enemy compound. It was a maze of narrow corridors, some were carpeted, others tiled. The walls were plastered with enemy propaganda: grinning faces and stick figure portraits. This didn’t slow us down. We kept moving.

As we advanced closer to the key room, I noticed something was wrong. There was a miscalculation in the plan. A new guard had been posted right beside the supply chest the mission depended on. She just stood there, arms crossed, staring with a piercing gaze. It looked like she was wearing pink rubber gloves.

I looked at the commander, we both knew time was running down but he had gotten us out of situations much worse than this. My trust in him was absolute.

Instantly I could tell the gears were turning. He turned around and called an audible on our plan. He would self-sacrifice, allowing himself to be captured by the guard. I expected nothing less from the commander, putting himself on the line. This would then create enough of a diversion to allow me to retrieve the critical intel. As he turned towards the guard, I noticed a tear fall from his cheek. The melodic sound of sirens grew louder, each note more distorted than the last. Mobile Unit 79 was getting close. We had to hurry.

At 1539 hours the commander rushed towards the guard. I turned away. I couldn’t bear to look at what would happen to him. From the day I enlisted the commander had been there for me. He had trained me to crawl without making a sound. For weeks we’d drill the correct hand signals, one finger meant move, two fingers meant stop. He was my commanding officer but our connection ran deeper, like something forged long before any missions had ever started. My fists clenched and something cold traced down my cheek. The sirens kept growing closer.

Mobile Unit 79 was going to pass in the next 90 seconds. I turned back towards the chest, witnessing that the plan had worked. I’m not sure what happened to the commander but there was no trace of the guard.

An electric shock shot through my body and I was off. Heart pounding, breathing heavily. I ran towards the chest and cracked the lock open. A rush of cool air hit my face, the kind of cold that only comes from an AC-blessed living room in mid-July.

Panic began to set in. Where was the critical supply? Time was running out. Seconds felt like hours as I dug through the chest. I was pushing around old wrappers, batteries, and many other miscellaneous things that felt like they had just been thrown in there.

Finally, my hand felt something that seemed to match the description of the critical supply. A crumpled papery feel with a green hue. I reached in deeper and felt five units of the critical supply. Success! But not too fast, I still had to escape. I quickly put the supply in my pocket and turned towards the exit. There were 45 seconds left to drop this off or the commander’s sacrifice would be for naught.

I bolted for the exit hoping, praying that everything would run smoothly. But as I turned the corner, I saw that wouldn’t be the case.

A guard dog had made its way towards the door. It was staring me down, snarling. Its barks pierced through the air. If this dog got a hold of me, I knew that I stood no chance of getting free in time. It lunged. I ran; I had no other option but to run. Its barking drew the attention of the guard who’d captured the commander. I didn’t look back. I just kept moving. The dog leaped at me and I sidestepped, causing it to go crashing onto the floor behind me. The guard began yelling and chasing after me. As I approached the door, I jumped out of the compound. Instantly blasted by the hot summer sun. I quickly closed the door behind me to prevent the pursuit. In the distance, I saw Mobile Unit 79 making its way to the drop-off point. I had ten seconds to get there.

Its melodic siren grew louder. Every muscle fiber in me was burning, and I couldn’t breathe. But rest was not an option, only victory.

9 seconds.

I ran and I didn’t stop for anything.

8 seconds.

The door of the compound opened behind me but I paid no attention.

7 seconds.

Barks of the ferocious guard dog filled the air.

6 seconds.

“Don’t you dare stop running soldier!” A voice boomed. “This mission must be a complete success!”

5 seconds

My heart nearly stopped. That voice… Everything in me wanted to turn and see his face but I couldn’t, I had to complete the mission.

4 seconds.

I heard the dog being unleashed towards me.

3 seconds.

I reached the drop point but the mobile unit had not yet arrived. Those final two seconds were some of the most psychologically brutal I had ever gone through.

2 seconds.

I turned and saw the commander standing next to the guard.

“If you don’t return what you took this will be the last you ever hear of your friend.” The guard called. “But if you return it, we’ll let him go!”

At that moment my heart fluttered. I should go save my commander.

1 second.

As if he could read my mind he called, “Don’t worry about me soldier! The mission is more important!”

0 seconds.

The mobile unit approached me, its warped jingle played louder competing with the buzzing sound of cicadas. I reached into my pocket, pulled out all 5 units of the critical supply, and held them out. The driver reached and grabbed it from me. At that moment, the dog lunged at me but it was too late. The mission was a sweet success!

I got tackled to the floor by the guard dog. At that moment, I didn’t care. I was filled with a sense of happiness and accomplishment. The dog kept barking, but it no longer seemed threatening. His tail wagged wildly, golden fur glowing in the sun. Then came the barrage of licks, knocking me into a burst of hysterical laughter.

“Who’s a good boy?” I said as I got back up. I turned back to Mobile Unit 79, looking at the driver with a smile.

“Can I get a Choco Taco and a Tweety Popsicle?” I said to the ice cream man.

I turned around and saw my brother, the commander, standing beside my mom on the porch, grinning. He got his Choco Taco.

My mom laughed, “Congratulations soldiers, you may have beaten me today but we’ll see if you’ll have another successful mission tomorrow.”

I watched as my mom made her way over to me. She handed the ice cream man another dollar. “And add an ice cream sandwich to that, please.”

My brother looked at me with a grin and a salute. “Great job on your first solo mission, soldier. Tomorrow won’t be so easy.”