One Year, Fourteen Days: Chapter Three

The boat ride to western Washington took about a week and a half, and Liam learned something new about himself: he was severely motion sick. The waters were calm the entire trip, and he decided to take that as a sign of God showing mercy. He spent most of the trip laying on his bed attempting to not throw up and sneaking to the bathroom to throw up when he couldn't hold it anymore. The only reason he snuck to the bathrooms was to avoid the wrath of the Navy soldiers, who had taken a liking to teasing him whenever he did poke his head onto the top of the boat. It was nothing personal, they didn't know of his history, and it was all in good fun, but it was rather annoying. 

Finally arriving to Washington was supposed to be nerve-wracking and terrifying, but Liam felt more relieved. Really, he was just eager to stand up without feeling nauseous. The beach the ship landed on was beautiful, with clear water, soft sand, and a hilly environment that reminded him of tiny mountains. His boots sunk into the sand a bit as the group walked further into some grass. 

Kennedy handed Liam a black backpack with pockets covering seemingly every inch of the surface. "This is filled to the brim with food. MRE's, canned food, nonperishable items, similar stuff you got on smaller missions. We're giving you more because we don't know how long you'll be gone. There's a small compartment on the side with lighters, matches, basic equipment."

"What if I eat it all while I'm still here?" Liam asked. 

"The animals can't catch the mutation disease we humans can get. Learn to be stealthy." 

"Very helpful..." Liam muttered to himself. He was never one to gorge on food, but the prospect of running out scared him a bit. 

"And this," Kennedy said, handing over a vest brought to him by one of the soldiers, "is for you to wear." 

"That is a bulletproof vest," Liam said while grabbing it. 

"Good observation." 

One of the Navy soldiers, never turning down an opportunity to make fun of Liam, butted in, "Spoken like a true veteran!"

Kennedy waved his hand to calm the laughter from behind him. "Is there a problem with that?" 

"Well, it kind of implies that they can shoot guns, if I need something bulletproof." Liam scanned his eyes around the soldiers who looked like they were about to pass out from holding in their laughter. "I don't care if this makes me sound stupid, if those damn things can shoot guns, you can just go and take me back home-"

"Oh, for fuck's sake Liam, they can't shoot guns! Would you rather have no protection at all? Because I can arrange that," Kennedy growled while reaching for the vest. Liam yanked it back out of reach. "That's what I thought. Boys, make your way back to the boat." 

While seeing Kennedy fill out the role of Chief of Operations was scary to say the least, it was nice to see it again. Kennedy always made sure to be gentle and easy on Liam, especially right after Diana lost all communication with home base. It was nice for the first few weeks, but then it just made him feel like he wasn't capable, like he could fall apart at the slightest thing. Maybe this meant he was toughening up again, proving himself worthy for the second time. 

Just to apparently disprove the theory Liam came up with in his head, Kennedy reached in for a hug that lasted way longer than it needed to from a man like him. "Everyone back at home base has been calling me stupid for this. Prove them wrong, or I might come back here and beat your ass for it, mutated or not." 

"I make no promises, sir," Liam said, pulling away from the hug. Kennedy handed one last thing over before he started to walk away: a walkie-talkie. 

"At least once a day, check in with us." Kennedy had his back towards Liam now, struggling a bit with walking once stepping into the sand again but eventually gaining his footing. "If we go one month without any form of communication, or some kind of attempt, we assume the worst. I'm sure the signal can get shitty out there, so even some static will work for us." 

Those were the same exact rules given to Diana. However, he noticed the time without communication was dropped from three months to one. Did that mean they were willing to give up on him easier, like they weren't expecting better results this time? 

What the hell did he just allow himself to get dropped into? 

Regardless of the answer, it was too late for Liam to change his mind. The boat had already begun its way back to home base in North Carolina. The water close to the shore finally calmed down and went still, and Liam took the chance to look at himself. 

The bulletproof vest was a solid black with the initials N.E.B. on the front. It was very simple, but it sure was tough. His black, long-sleeve shirt was strapped to the brim with knives of various shapes and sizes for different ranged combat. The black cargo pants were equipped with pistols on either side to complete the weapon ensemble. Liam couldn't lie to himself; he looked like a true badass. The way his face reflected back truly showed what he went through in combat. 

It was hardened, toughened up, and scarred, just like everyone else he worked with. The scar going up and down his left cheek from a too close encounter on his first mission still brought some insecurities, even though it was something Diana practically swooned over. His right eyebrow had a split in it, and he still swears up and down his nose wasn't as crooked when he first started. The water reflection made his hair look blonder than it actually was, and when he pulled it back out of his face, his eyes were fully revealed. They perfectly showed what two years of working against a plague with no cure does to a person: exhaustion.

"Well, hello there handsome," Liam joked, flashing a smirk followed by a wink. He let the hair fall back in place as he gripped the bridge of his nose, groaning. "This place is already driving me insane."

Liam turned his back to the water and he could see the clearing to a forest in the distance. This would be his destination for now. Seattle was hundreds of miles away from him, and he had lots of walking to do. Taking out a small blade from its pouch, he began twirling it around in his hand as he began his trail to his unknown destination to achieve his unknown goal.