Private Jackson up from the bombs and the ashes
Safely beyond the flaming and then exploding building, Jackson took a moment to reflect that the President’s identity had gone up in smoke. She looked at her missing hand.
An awful lot going up in smoke these days.
Not long ago Private Jackson learned that the invasion had been based on lies, trumped up claims, phony evidence, utter deceit.
She didn’t learn it from the Army. Or the corporate media. Or even in school, and not church. Not any too early. Or do you, smart reader, know that – who knew what when and why? Private Jackson damn well wished some smart people had been smart enough to let her know earlier. She’d had to dig, scratch, and claw to find out. With one hand.
Yes, it had cost her hand. It had cost her lover’s foot. It had cost many lives from many countries – mainly Iraqi lives. It was like a mission to burn as much money and blood and bones as possible. Well – Private Jackson thought looking around at the base in Iraq gone up in flames – Mission Accomplished.
Thank God, she felt just about done with it all now. Goodbye to all that, baby. Sure this personal business with the President could claim her own life at any moment. So what – she might be blown up any day out on patrol. Had already been blown up once. How many lives did she have? She had felt dread before but now thinking of the President as hostage, she would swear to any available God that she had never felt more alive than she did in this moment with the illicit President himself at her very command.
Goddamn, thought Jackson. Goddamn, I am! Goddamned.
Onward. There was much to do. She had to find her unit, her officer. She would have to get back later to Jones and the President and the silent room. She could be their link to the world. Their uplink, she figured. Get a wireless computer into the silent room. The wireless network of the base would go easily through the foam padding. And who could know? Goddamn! She would uplink the President and Jackson to the world. One way or another. Covertly. If it could be done. As hostage. The President hostage, now, for peace. And Private Jackson with Private Jones moving on in a big way by way of little steps, now, on the move.
