Page 61 of Zero
They laughed.
“See?” I grinned. “Anyway, before I go, I’d like to give you guys callsigns that I believe you’ve earned. If you don’t mind.”
Justice smiled. “We’ll take them.”
“Justice Smith—for not breaking under pressure.” I cleared my throat. “For remaining loyal to those who needed it the most, I’d like to give you the callsign of Prime. It’s short for Optimus Prime, a protector.”
He stepped forward to salute me and shake my hand.
“Eton Garrison—for asking onlyhow can I help?And for your advice over the last few days—Guru.”
Eton grinned widely. He rose and offered me a salute. “I’ll wear that nickname proudly.”
I nodded. “And Patrick Woods, your nose for details and your nose for finding things—Sparrow.”
“For the heat-seeking missile?” Patrick asked as he stood.
“Precisely.” I replied, returning his salute.
“And Jasmine Caine.” I walked over to where she was seated, tears in her eyes. “Congratulations. How does it feel to be the first female Special Operations soldier on the entire island?”
“Good.” Her voice cracked. “A lot of pressure.”
“You can do it.” I told her. “I wouldn’t have chosen you if I didn’t believe in you. Remember what I said.”
“Protect my team and my team will protect me.” She replied, lifting her chin proudly.
“Precisely.” I touched her cheek gently. “Your call sign is Wasp.”
“I like.” Jasmine giggled. “I like it a lot.”
I hugged her then stepped back to look up to where Nitro and Crash were seated.
“I already have a nickname.” She smiled, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m usually tougher than this.”
“You guys should get back to change.” I told the soldiers.
They asked Crash to stand with me at the front of the room, then lined up and saluted us. Though my eyes burned, I returned the sign of respect then watched as they all left, Jasmine with an arm around Crash’s hip.
I was then alone with Nitro. She hopped off the desk she’d been sitting on and climbed onto one in front of me, setting her clutch by her ass.
“Are you going to tell her you’re leaving?” Nitro asked.
“No.” I replied. “We’ve tried calling her, remember? At this point, it’s best that I handle it like removing a band aide.”
Nitro exhaled loudly. “I’m sorry, Zero. I know you have feelings for her.”
“Well.” I picked up my hat and carefully slipped it beneath my arm. “I don’t suppose that’s enough. And her lack of an effort is loud enough to speak for itself without her actually telling me to fuck all the way off.”
“For what it’s worth.” Nitro sighed. “She’s my best friend. I love her dearly. But she’s an idiot. I don’t think she understand what she’s giving up.”
“I should head back to finish packing.” I didn’t answer her comment. “I have less than eight hours before I need to be at the airport.”
“I know.” Nitro climbed down and picked up her purse. “I’m going to miss you, Rei Hakama. It would have been nice having you as a part of this family.”
I offered her my arm. She hooked her hand at my elbow. “Just because Bailey and I aren’t an item doesn’t mean you can disown me.”
She laughed. “Right.”
