Logan's Salute

Chapter 7

Logan's POV

"When are you seeing Kristin?" His mother asks Logan, when she and Gabriella, dropped the last of his belongings, the Saturday before he had to leave for Pretoria. She waited for Gabriella to be at lease out of earshot before speaking. Logan looks up at her and glances around at his sister. 

"See her, I did," he says, "Talk to her, I did not." He says taking the last bag from her car. 

"Do you love this girl?" She asks him, in her stern mommy voice. He turns back to look at her. "You go to her, and you make her listen. Both of you need some sort of closure. Do you hear me?" She bangs the door closed. 

"Are you guys talking about Kristin?" Gabriella asks, appearing out of nowhere. Logan and his mother eyes her suspiciously. 

"Go wait in the car, Gabs," her mother instructs her. 

"She got sick yesterday, ma," Gabriella says. "She hit her head pretty hard as she fell, too." Logan stares at his sister as his interest is peaked. 

"What?" Mrs. Logan asks. 

"Yes! She fainted outside the school and they took her away," Gabriella says, blowing a bubble with her bubble-gum in between. "Melanie helped Matthew to get her into his car. I think he might have taken her to the hospital." 

"Matthew and Melanie?" Logan asks her.

"Yes," Gabriella says, twirling the gum in her forefinger. "Melanie was screaming at her before she fainted. I think she felt bad afterwards and that is why she helped Matthew get her in the car." Gabriella shrugs and walks to the car. Logan and his mother look at each other. 

"You better take the time to go see that girl. Today!" Mrs. Logan instructs her son. 

"It does not sound like she needs me, ma," he says and turns to walk away.  Entering the barracks he shares with twenty other recruits, Logan feels heavy all over. It was empty, as the others all went home to their families one last time before spending six months away from all they know. Logan preferred to stay on the base. He places his bag beside his neatly made up bed and slides it under. He stays on his hands and knees, as tears stings his eyes.

"Hey, Logan," Samantha Jardien, a trainee like him, walks in. "Ready for that drink, now?" She was a dark haired, skinny little girl, grounded by her heavy standard issue army boots. She can hardly walk in them, so she drags them slightly as she walks towards him. She has bright, sparkling brown eyes, short hair, like a man, and she was an over all short person. Sam, as she preferred to be called, joined as her father was once in the army as well, in the a*******d era. He died fighting on the South African Borders, keeping foreigners out. She and Logan immediately made a connection and became good friends earlier that week. She stops at the foot of his bed and notices his silence.

"What happened?" She asks, kneeling down beside him. "Is it Kristin?" She asks, as Logan has told his love story to her as well. She, just like him, had women problems. Samantha is gay.

"I will be fine," he says and fakes a smile at her. He places his bottom on the immaculately cleaned floor, with his back up against the wall and she does the same. 

"You don't look fine," she says. "Did she finally realize what a fool you are?" Logan drops his head at her words. "I mean, I have place in my heart for another honey. Just say the word." Logan grabs Samantha around her neck, in a choke hold for seconds and she places her hands in the air. "I'm joking, bruh!" Logan releases her and they chuckle. "There's that smile," she says and Logan makes eye contact with her. "What's wrong?" She asks him softly.

"She is sick," Logan says. "And Matthew Gabriels is taking care of her, when it should be me." 

"Then go to her," She says, effortlessly.

"She won't talk to me," Logan says with a shrug. "Not after what I did."

"Then apologize," She says. "Apologize your sexy ass off." Logan chuckles at her words.

"I don't think it will be that easy," he says. "I aimed to hurt her and I know I did." 

"This is why I prefer women," She says and gets up from the floor. "Guys are too complicated." Samantha extends her hand towards him. Logan eyes her hand, knowing full well that his weight will pull her down, should he accept it. She smiles and says, "I am stronger than you think." With that he takes her hand and she pulls him up successfully. He smiles down at her and she pulls him closer, inches away from her face. He could smell her cherry lip-gloss. "And so is she," Samantha says. "Go see her. Apologize and make nice. You owe her that." She releases his hand and she straightens up as she walks to the door. "Now," she says and stops at the door to look back at him. "I am very thirsty. Buy me a drink?" Logan nods and follows her to the bar on the base. 

Logan and Samantha had a few drinks before sergeant-major Wesso walked in with the captain and the lieutenant. That was when Logan approached the sergeant-major with regards to going home the next day to see Kristin, before leaving for Pretoria. He agreed to send Logan off the bas with an Military Police escort.

When they came to Kristin's house, she was still in Hospital. Paula was very vague and gave him strange looks. Even her father could not look him in the eye. After getting the details of the hospital from them, Logan went back to the base and requested a drop-in when they leave for the airport, as the hospital was en-route. The sergeant-major  agreed, after Samantha and Logan bought him a bottle of his favourite Irish whiskey. That was how he ended up there early the next morning. 

In the aeroplane, now, Logan sat in a far corner, with his gear, avoiding all the guys and Samantha. She has been eyeing him since he shouted at her on the bus to 'leave him alone'. It was an army carrier, so the noise was in abundance, making it in any case difficult to hear anyone, should they speak. Once on the ground Logan approaches Samantha as he exits the aeroplane.

"Hey, Sam," he says and she stops for him to catch up to her. "Sorry about the bus, and whatever."

"Did you apologize to her like that, as well?" She asks him, sounding irritated. Her gear looked ten times her weight, but she carried it by herself like a professional. 

"Hurry up, lovebirds!" the Sergeant-major shouts at them, when he turns back to look at his crew. "Our chariot awaits." He points to an army truck-like vehicle used to move troops from one point to another. Samantha does as the petty officer says and Logan follows. 

Another two hours pass and they reach their destination. Divided up into bunkers and settled in, they are all called to lunch, where the women were separated from the men, so Logan was unable to speak to Samantha again, until after. After lunch, Logan finds Samantha smoking and joking with the ladies, in the back of the mess hall. 

"Sam, can we please talk?" he says and all the women eye her enviously. Samantha gives him a look of contempt and silently turns her back on him. "Sam, please," he says. "I don't want these nice young ladies to hear our private s****l problems that we face." The women gasp. Samantha turns around and faces him with anger in her eyes.

"You twisted piece of s**t," she says and he shrugs. "Okay, let's talk." 

Logan and Samantha walk to the far side of the base, before he finally speaks. "Look," he says, lighting another cigarette. "I messed up and I am very sorry. You are the only person I really like here, so please do not ignore me." Samantha looks at him for seconds, dragging her cigarette.

"You are an ass," she says and kills her cigarette. "That is your apology?" Logan looks at her with confusion. "No wonder that girl won't take you back. You are too selfish and stupid to realize what you did wrong." Logan opens his mouth to speak and she raises her hand in his face, adding, "And I would prefer it if you stay away from me as of now!" Samantha eyes him for a few seconds and then walks off. 

Samantha did avoid him for the first month of their training. She excelled in the weapons training and was soon approached by the instructor for more intense training. Logan watched as the guys became jealous of her progress and soon they planned to 'put her in her place', as the one guy candidly said. Logan knew that she could hold her own, but was concerned and kept a close eye on them. 

One day, after another training session on the shooting range, Logan hears a few guys mumbling as they pass him and asks them what was happening. The one they called "automatic", spoke and said, "That girl, Sam, is being taught a lesson in who wears the pants around here." Automatic snarls, causing his top lip to curl up. Logan takes one step to close the gap between them and grabs the man's collar aggressively.

"Where the hell are they?" Logan demands from him, anger eminent in his eyes. 

"Behind the tokens," he says, fearful. "They volunteered to help her pick up the bullet shells." Logan releases the man and runs to back to the shooting range. He hears her scream as he runs closer. When he reaches her, she was on her hands and knees, topless and bleeding, surrounded by four men. She had a bite mark on her back and under her one breast. Rage makes Logan go blind as he throws down his weapons and starts punching the guys one-by-one. As he beats the last guy down to the ground, he hears a gun being c****d. Logan stops and looks up. Logan reads his name tag and sees Kramer. Pointed at Logan's head was his own rifle.

"You shouldn't have done that," he says, staring down the barrel at Logan. "now you are going to die." He squeezes the trigger and the gun does not fire. He looks down at his gun, when another shot is fired, and Kramer drops to the ground. Logan turns around and sees, Samantha holding her sidearm up. 

"Take off your safety, i***t!" she says and eyes the other guys. They run off and she drops her hand to her side, breathless. Logan stands up from the other unconscious man and walks to her slowly. 

"Are you okay?" he asks and she nods. 

She points to the floor and says, "They broke my uniform." Logan unbuttons his shirt and gives it to her. She nods at him and takes it, placing her sidearm back into its holster. 

"What the hell happened here?" sergeant-major Wesso asks as he and the shooting instructor make their way onto the scene. Logan looked at them and then back at Samantha, while the petty officers stood in awe. 

An hour later, after Samantha was patched up, both Logan and her were summoned to the officer on duty's office. Samantha had a blue eye and swollen jaw, but still smiled at Logan as she entered the room. Logan smiled back as she whispered, "You should see the other guy." 

"Right," The colonel says, after calling them into his office for a hearing. "Can someone please tell me what has happened on my shooting range today?" Logan and Samantha look at ahead, standing at ease in front of the officer. The sergeant-major speaks first.

"Sir, it has been brought to my attention that, troop member Jardien has fired her sidearm upon troop member Kramer, causing his gunshot injury, Sir!" the sergeant-major says. 

"Is that true, Jardien?" He asks looking at Samantha. She comes onto attention and speaks. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Why?" the colonel asks. 

"They were assaulting me, sir!" she answers truthfully. 

"Were they not perhaps just playing with you?" the colonel asks, leaning forward onto his desk. "I am sure they were just teasing you, because you are a beautiful woman." The man's tone infuriates Logan and he comes onto an attention. 

"Permission to speak, sir," Logan says. and the colonel's eyes fall on Logan. He looks irritated as he nods at him. "When I came onto the scene, sir, troop member Jardien was on her hands and knees, sir. Bleeding with bite marks on her back and under her left breast. She was being assaulted, sir!" The colonel pulls a face as he speaks and then looks at the sergeant-major for awhile before looking back at Samantha. 

"Is this true?" the colonel asks.

"Sir, yes, sir," she says. "The doctor has my report. sir." 

"Fine," the colonel says, "I will read it and we will have a follow-up hearing for this incident." Both Logan and Samantha come to an attention, getting ready to leave, when the colonel speaks again. "I am not done talking," The colonel says, sounding agitated, and they stand at ease once again. "Never, as long as I have been serving this government, has such an incident occurred. We are training you to fight the enemy out there, not each other in here. So, should I find that there is any unnecessary prejudice or that anything said here was untrue, I will personally take you down. Do I make myself clear?" 

Both Logan and Samantha say simultaneously, "Sir, yes, sir!" The colonel waved them out and they leave. Samantha, the sergeant-major and Logan walk out and to talk outside.

"This is very bad," sergeant-major Wesso says softly. "You heard what the colonel said. You better have your facts straight with the next hearing, or you both will be terminated. Understand?" Logan and Samantha nod simultaneously. "Good, go back to your respective bunkers." 

Samantha struggled to walk, as they kicked her leg to get her onto her knees. "I am so sorry," Logan says as he helps her to her bunker. "I knew what they were planning, but said nothing to you." Samantha stops to look at him. "I didn't think they would actually go this far. Sorry, Sam." 

"I knew they hated my progress," she says as she begins to walk again. "I am not stupid, I saw it. My s****l orientation also made them uneasy, I knew that too." She chuckles and says, "Maybe they were afraid that I would steal all the girls." Logan smiles at her comment. "There is nothing you could have done to stop this," she adds, as she reaches the outside of her bunker. "They were going to do what wanted, whether you told me or not. Kramer pulling a gun on you, proved that." Logan nods.

"Rest your leg," Logan says and turns to walk away.

"Logan!" she calls after him and he turns back to look at her. Samantha smiles painfully and says, "Thank you. You saved me today. I owe you." Logan smiles and nods, then turns to walk to his bunker. 

The next five months fly by after the second hearing. The guy they called Automatic, revealed Kramer's plan in 'teaching troop member Jardien a lesson', causing the termination of Kramer and the other guys. The government laid a case against them in a civil court, after Samantha refused to do so herself. The colonel believed that they needed to make an example of Kramer and his cronies, in order to prevent future problems. Kramer was not happy at all, but nonetheless, they were never seen or heard of again. Samantha and Logan became inseparable after that, teaming-up for everything, creating a remarkable partnership and a solid bond. No-one messed with either of them, as individuals or as a team

As Samantha excelled in weaponry and explosives, Logan excelled in hand-to-hand combat and military intelligence. Soon they were noticed beyond the South African borders and it was a matter of time before they were approached.

Logan is called into the colonel's office, the Friday before they are to return home, concluding the six months of training. Logan finds the reception area empty, which was odd and allows himself into the colonel's office. There he finds a man dressed in a black suit and tie, with a crisp white shirt. He was tall, clean shaven with dark green eyes, light brown hair and a build similar to Logan's. Logan eyes him as he enters the room. He also holds Logan's gaze. 

"Where is the colonel?" Logan asks the man. 

"He went home for the weekend," the man drawls with his American accent. 

"Then who summoned me?" Logan asks, even though he knew the answer.

"Is that the question you want to ask me?" The American asks him, sitting down on the one corner of colonel's desk. Logan watches him carefully as he moves.

"What do you want?" Logan asks, placing his hands behind his back, making his improved upper body muscles flex and relax at the same time. The American smiles.

"Relax," he says and gestures to s chair. "Please, do sit." Logan remains standing.

"Suit yourself," The man says, and lights himself a cigarette. He offers one to Logan, still he watches the American silently. "We want you, John Logan. I want you. I know what you can do. I have seen your test results, which is off the charts and perfect for what we are looking for in our agents." Logan watches the American, as he walks around the room. "You just need to take one more test and you could be part of an elite team of individuals." Logan still looks at him in silence. "The money is excellent as well."

"Who are you?" Logan asks him. 

"That is not important," the man says and sits down on the same spot he sat before. "What is important, is that you come work for us."

"I just finished my basic training here, with the South African National Defence Force, "Logan says. "What makes you think, that I want to leave my country and work for the American's?" 

"You won't be working for the American's," the man says. "You will be working as an international agent. You will have more than just one citizenship." 

"And where is the training?" Logan asks. The man looks back at Logan silently. "Then it is an American company."

"What do you have against the, Americans," the man asks. "Most people would jump at this opportunity." 

"I am not most people," Logan says and comes onto an attention. "You won't even tell me your name. How am I supposed to trust you." Logan turns around and begins to walk out.

"My name is Steve," Logan hears the man say and he stops at the door. "Well, I was known as Steve Morgan once. A long, long time ago." Logan slowly turns back to face the man. His green eyes twinkling. "I have had so many other names, I hardly ever use that name anymore. See, you belong to everyone and no one all at once." Steve stands up and takes a step towards him. "Join us, and your life will be extraordinary. You will travel all over the world and see things some people only dream of." 

"Sounds too good to be true," Logan says. Steve pulls a face and moves his head from side to side. "What is the catch, exactly," Logan asks.

"You can't have any ties," Steve says. "Your family can never know about this. You cannot tell anyone what you do for a living." Logan eyes him curiously as he thinks about Kristin. 

"So what do I say to my family?" Logan asks.

"You will be provided with cover stories," Steve says. "each time we send you out on a mission. We have been doing this for almost fifty years now, we know what we are doing." He eyes Logan's and says, "Relax, it just means we are very thorough."

"I tell you what," Steve says, walking over to Logan. "Go home and think about what I said. You will find me here till this coming Monday, should you change your mind." He passes Logan a match box with the hotel's name printed on it and walks out of the office. 

Logan does exactly that, knowing that his mother and sister could use the money, should he choose to take Steve up on his offer. His mind drifts off to Kristin once again. He has not made any contact with her since that morning before he left, mostly because he did not want to be rejected once again, but she was on his mind each time he was left alone with his thoughts. His plan is to win her heart back, at any cost. He decided this when Samantha won her case against Kramer and his gang and Samantha encouraged him that it was the best idea he has ever had. 

He smiles subconsciously, as he sits and polishes his boots for his departure the next day. 

"Did your boots make a funny?" Justin Manuel, known as 'Automatic', asks and Logan looks up at him. He and a few of his friends were watching Logan, amused by his smiling face. Logan looks back down, still smiling.

"I am not you, Automatic," Logan retorts humorously. "Conversing with equipment is your thing, not mine." Automatic's crew laughs at Logan's comment.

"Attention!" Samantha shouts and all of them, except Logan, comes onto attention. She immediately begins to laugh as she walks towards Logan. 

"That is not funny, Sam!" Automatic says.

"Not for you, yes," She says. "For me it is hilarious." The other men walk off mumbling.

"You need to stop doing that," Logan says, placing the one boot down and reaching for the other. 

"They are simpletons," she says and sits beside him on his bed. "Besides, I am never seeing them again. I am starting my next level of training in a week." Logan looks up at her in shock.

"What training?" He asks.

"Explosives and armoury," she says with a smile. Logan smiles at her happily and fist bumps her.

"Nice," he says and she nods.

"What about you?" she asks. "Are you coming back?"

"I haven't decided yet," he says, placing his finished boot down. "I need to see Kristin first."

"Yeah, I know," she says, "You need to sort that out. I will be here, should you change your mind."

Logan shoots her a look as she gets up to leave, but she does not notice. 

"I will see you later," She says walking out. "I need to register for my new course before seventeen hundred hours." she turns back to look at Logan and smiles, saying, "It was a good six months, troop member Logan. I am going to miss you." 

"Me too," Logan says with smile. She walks out. 

Kristin's POV

Six months flew by and Kristin feels like she is ready to pop. Paula and Jacques are married and expecting a baby of their own, living in Paris, France now. Matthew and Kristin have become very good friends and even asked her to marry him. Her pregnancy has somehow changed him as he looked after her the whole six months. Even though Matthew was so sweet and loving, Kristin could not stop thinking about Logan, so she sat him down and made him understand that Logan will learn about his baby and that she will tell him, herself. That she and Matthew will never be married, as she still loves Logan. Matthew was not happy.

The closer they came to her due date, the more Logan ruled her thoughts. She ran into Logan's mother once and heard that he was excelling and might even study to become a special soldier. This made the baby excited as she was unable to sleep that night, she remembers. Mrs. Logan noticed her swollen belly, but did not ask or say anything to Kristin. Nor did Kristin tell her, as she wanted to speak to Logan first. Kristin anxiously awaited Logan’s return. 

Winter was gone and Spring was ending, while in Kristin-ville it was summer all the time. She stayed in a stretch shorts with oversized tops to cover her rear and belly. Her mother eventually spoke to her, but made it very clear that what Kristin did was wrong. Her father however just wanted his daughter to be healthy and drove her wherever she wanted to go. He began speaking to her when she told him that she was carrying Logan's child and not Matthew's. 

"But you need to keep it quiet," Kristin asked her father. "Matthew says that he only stood up for me, because he didn't want anyone to think badly of me." 

"I don't like this, princess," her father said. Kristin smiled, as it was the first time that her father called her that in months. "That boy has brought so much sorrow into your life and now he lies about being the father of your child. I just do not trust him as I know he is doing this for himself." Kristin understood her father's concern and convinced him to keep it quiet. 

Kristin had a very difficult pregnancy, falling sick all the time due to her anaemia, thus her father has taken her sisters bed, after Paula left for Paris. When he came home, he looked after Kristin. When she is at school, Matthew looks after her. She was never alone. After her placenta detached itself, the doctor has prescribed bed rest and she had to do all her classes at home. Matthew helped her with getting the work from school to her and back. He dedicated himself to assisting her in getting her matric. They studied together and went to the gynaecologist together, as he never missed a visit. Matthew was there every step of the way. Kristin is now seven and a half months pregnant, and it showed. They just finished their mock tests and were preparing for the finals, despite the doctors request to finish her matric the next year. 

She was expecting Matthew to come and study with her later that day, so she has just finished making snacks and was cleaning up her mess. She baked up a storm today. She made, death-by-chocolate cake, chocolate chic chip cookies, and chocolate brownies. She has this insane addiction to chocolate since she got pregnant. 

Just as she finishes up, she hears the knock at the door. She takes and cookie and waddles over to open the door. 

"You are early," she says as she makes her way to the door. "You are going to love this. It is a new recipe..." She opens the door and standing there was John Logan. Shocked by how handsome Logan looked, dressed up in his uniform and his duffel bag over his shoulder, she drops the cookie. She was wearing a black body hugging dress, knee length and French sleeves. A gift from her sister. He has grown. He was more muscular and it was visible through his clothes. His outfit was immaculate. His gaze flashed over her as well. His eyes looked so humble and they were smiling. His gaze stops at her belly, his eyes change. Kristin grabs her swollen belly defensively. His gaze moves back to her eyes, shocked at first, then confused and finally anger was visible. 

"Kris?" he spoke. It sounded like a question. 

"Okay! Sorry I am late, but I had to stop at the nearest KFC..." Matthew appears behind Logan, holding a bucket of chicken. "Logan?" Matthew says. Logan glances at him and then back at her, with a mixture of pain and disgust. Kristin reaches for him and he takes a step back. He shakes his head, still holding her gaze and she witnesses as his beautiful brown eyes become filled with tears. 

"Logan, wait," Kristin calls after him but he turns around without looking at Matthew and walks away.

"Kris! Where are you going?" Matthew says, as she waddles after Logan and grabs her arm. 

"I need to talk with him." She says and he releases her. When she eventually came to the gate, Logan was not even in the road. Kristin clutches at her belly as she looks down the road for Logan.

"Come inside! He is gone," Matthew says, as he follows her to the gate. When Matthew helps her back into the house, Kristin was out of breath. Kristin sits down and Matthew get her some water. "Did you know he was back?" He asks her and she shakes her head. "It looked like this was his first stop," Matthew adds. He then sits on the coffee table in front of her and takes her left foot. He then gently rubs her foot. 

"His mother did tell me he would come back after six months, but thought he would be back next week." Kristin says, enjoying the foot rub. 

"So, do you want me to talk to him?" Matthew asks her. 

"No," she says. "I told you, I will talk to him." Matthew nods in agreement as he finishes his foot rub.