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The silence hung thick in the air as the assembly of people waited in a crowded, auditorium for someone to take the stage. Lance and Jamie sat together in the middle of the crowd, her hands wrapped tightly by his. Justin was sitting at Lance's left, and Joey and Chris were sitting in the row in front of them, a few seats down. No one was speaking, and the tension of the room weighed down heavily on them.
Then the sound of boots echoing from somewhere backstage signaled the imminent arrival of a man long before most people in that room saw him. A man dressed in brown fatigues crossed onto the stage and stopped upon reaching the middle. He walked slowly and deliberately, as he had been trained to do, but even from her vantage point, Jamie could see the tell-tale signs of fatigue in the man's face and demeanor.
The man took a moment to compose himself, look out into the crowd of people before him, the sea of faces of those individuals who had been brought into this war without a choice. He ignored the podium and the microphone just to his right and addressed the crowd as he was. "You are here today because of other people's choices. Now, it is not my position to say whether or not such a choice was right. It is not my position to explain why you were asked to leave your work, your family and friends, your homes to come here while others are left behind. It is not my position to tell you that you should or shouldn't be scared, should or shouldn't be angry, should or shouldn't be unhappy with this situation. It is not my position to say whether or not this war is justified in the first place. I am here, however, for the same reason you are here, to serve this country of ours and protect the loved ones we leave behind."
He paused for a a little bit, gauging the emotions running across the faces in front of him. There was some curiosity, some wariness, some sadness, and a lot of fear. He gave a mental sigh before his mouth opened to speak again. "I am Major Harper and I will be in command during your time here in training. Now the training you will be undertaking here will be unlike anything most of you have ever been through. Our goal is simple, to get you as prepared as possible in one month's time so that we can get you down to where you are needed most. Immediately following this meeting, you will be split up to start your training. Most of you will be following Sergeant Doneza to get started with basic training," he announced, pointing to the man on his right. "I understand there are individuals here too who have been trained to serve in other ways. Those doctors, nurses, aides, etc. will follow Sergeant Timmes," he indicated to the man on his left. "To get up to speed on the types of situations you will be faced with down in Central America."
Major Harper glanced again over the crowd and noticed the increase in worry he saw on the faces. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a strange time we're living in right now. I don't think I need to remind you of that fact, but what we are undertaking here will go on to influence the lives of everyone in this world. It would serve you best to remember that, that even in war, there is some good to attain to and that we are attempting to make the world a better place for everyone in the long run. Sergeant Doneza, Sergeant Timmes, if you will gather your respective groups please."
The silence of the hall vanished as everyone stood up, metal scraping on the floor as chairs were pushed aside. Jamie clutched tight to Lance's hand, even as he started to move away towards his left to join the others for basic training. Lance was squeezing her hand just as hard, but turning back to her, he gave her hand a pat with his left hand, smiling and radiating his love for her through his eyes. Words weren't necessary and Jamie just gave a nod. They eased the tension in their hands and let the other's hand slip away. "I'll see you tonight," he said as he moved again, away from her.
"Tonight," she echoed with one last glance to her husband before joining the small group of people over to the right of the stage.