Search and Retrieval Operation

"Why you haven't conducted the search and retrieval operation outright the bomb attacks?" Magee curiously asked as she arranged his uniform and put some packed food in his bag ready for pick up from the wooden chair.

" The enemies usually left to man the area to execute full extraction so we better extend a little while to ensure safety. Calculatingly, most of the locals gets back to their places after the loss and hiding so we might find some of them to bring in here.

" Hmm...I see. Take good care. She smiled at him waving her hand.

He bowed smilingly, shook his head and bite his lips then returned to seeing her lovely smile that glued his heart.

However, he remembered something.

"The flowers and trees, I need to water them first before leaving." Then he quickly grabbed a coconut shell dipper and a bucket filled with spring water before proceeding to his angel fruits and daisies. After watering, he then again moved up the soil around the daisies so to create a drainage around. Magee saw her doing it but someone approached George.

" Its that woman again, huh! She has a bag too and seems going with him in the operation." Her heart beats faster so do with her pulses.

In a minute, George returned inside the house and Guida just waited outside together with the rest of the soldiers and guerillas.

" Mag, Magee..." He whispered.

" She's inside and moved closer to the door.

" Y...yes."

" I'm leaving, we're leaving bound to Gabok. Can I see you before I go."

Then she opened the door slowly. When they looked at each other face-to-face and after a minute or two, he spoke.

" Stay beautiful in my heart." Then he winked an eye on her and moved out. But she had been chased by her pulse rates and called him.

" George...who's that woman." She whispered softly.

" A guerilla from Gabok, she'll help us on our way there." George explained.

" Ah, really, careful." She waved her hand towards him while smiling and he finally left with the troop while climbing the mountain, going out.

" Hah! I'm free. My brothers are with him so I can go back to station one and solely proceed to my mission."

She hurriedly wore his well-suited army uniform given to her by Baldur that she repaired, packed her things and brought her dagger. The two soldiers guarding her were busy chatting in front of the main door so she took her exit at the back of the comfort room. Gradually, she was moving a little farther then eventually skulking beside the rocky wall going east. She could not pass through the secret rocky door due to the two soldiers manning it so she decided to camouflage to the lanzones tree nearby the wall. When she looked up she smirked and thought that one of its branches was just next to the rocky wall that if she could just reach that exact branch, it would just be approximately 21 meters high climb in order to get out. To slither going down was not anymore a problem because she brought along with her a rope.

"God! help me with this one. This is for my country, please send me there with your mercy and forgiveness. She was teary eyed while started climbing the lanzones tree. She had climbed approximately 30 feet high and almost going to reach the branch she wad eyeing below. She breathe deeply and continued to walk on a branch nearing the wall like a flying trappeeze performer; balancing both hands sideways and finally reached the edge of the wall. Her sweats were all around her when she continued climbing again on the wall by just grasping the bulging rocks. Some of it fell so she made sure that she could deal with it till the mountain top. When she reached there, it was breathtaking and gasped repeatedly.

"Wow! how beautiful the scenic aerial view is. Oh, that's exactly my house!" Then she smiled.

After being rested for a couple of minutes, she tied the rope on a semi bonsai tree; put her hands to it and started to slink down. Done with her gliding adventure so she hide the tip of the rope on some tree roots leaning on the rocky wall. The sun was high and the chirping of birds brought her like pieces of beautiful songs.

She paused for a while and tried to retrieve from her memory the safest way going to station one. She ended up climbing under the cliff beside the path above. Its really the safest route. If someone who is afraid of heights could see her that way, picking one tree root to draw the next root would really vomit because below it were the hellish river. She was a bit scared but determined to attack the barracks at night so her climbing and trekking helped her to arrive at the waterfalls safe. It was past 3 o'clock when she got inside and decided to proceed to her place and changed. She hanged her things in the clothesline and leaned her body for a while.

" Thank God! I arrived here safe. At 6 o'clock I'll bring them the light they won't ever forget. One of the ghosts will attack them." She smiled and closed her eyes.

She woke up with full of energy and ate her dinner of breadfruit which she tightly packed within the banana leaves and doubly wrapped with a cloth.

After getting ready to climb out of the Mabolo tree exit, she made sure the match and the 'sulo' ( a knotted coconut tree leaves tightly arranged to form a torch) had she decided to throw to the Japanese connecting bunkhouse, which roofs and gables were made of 'kugon' (stiff hairy grasses usually found in the highlands). She was barefooted, hair on ponytail and have finished tying 2 torches ready for the attack. With darkness, crickets and fireflies around she freely moved on the plateau straight from the Mabolo tree located on to the upper part of their house and few meters next to it was the bunkhouse. She tried to check her surrounding and its safe. Interestingly, the bunkhouse was just below her. She sensed that the occupants were already sleeping so she started the fire on the two torches, threw the first torch in the center and the other one was on the spot beside the three vehicles. Dreadfully she ran as fast as she could, tracking a different path going down a little then goes up towards the next hill and then eventually reached the edge of the cliff, sashaying her body on the rocky cliff heading to the waterfalls and hurriedly went inside. With her deepest breathe she went to the nook beside the comfort room and hastily changed while wheezing and breathless.

" Hah! Good Lord, forgive me. Please end this war early. She knelt on the ground in front of the waterfalls and teary eyed.

Unexpectedly, a big hand full of warmth fondled her hair to and fro as she moved backward.

"Its George, don't stab me again." He talked calmly.

" George?"

" Its so dim inside, why you did not light an oil lamp." Then he took his match and lighted the lamp in the long table.

" Boom!" a huge blast coming from the barracks.

George looked at her horribly and bowed his head, pressed it with his hands. Speechless. He speedily ran at the Mabolo door and saw a big fire at the barracks. He unbelievably quivered and got back in front of her who innocently sitting down like an angel.

" Boom!" Another blast followed by more blasts that lasted for 15 minutes.

She stood up heading to her place bringing the lamp but he followed her.

"George, let me get rested. Just stay there by my door. Don't worry about me, I'm alright. Magee smiled.

" Mag, are you jealous?"

" Haha! and why you're asking me that?" While she was rubbing her wet hair with a towel, smiling.

" Hmm...I felt it." He smilingly said it while leaning his chin on her cubicle-type door.

" So better not feel it. Why should I." She smiled back and jokily threw to him the towel by which he quickly clasped it.

" Hmm...Guida, that woman I told you. I know you saw us together going out. When I was about to get out this morning you questioned me about her."

" Ah, its nothing. I just asked about her, there's nothing attached to it." She coolly clarified.

" But I did not continue with the troop going Gabok, I decided to return to catch you here and my guess was right."

She was just silent while combing her hair when the light was off.

" George, don't move. Please." Her voice was so intense.

" Yeah. I will never move, even an inch. Do you have a match, you light the lamp right away, I'm scared, this cave has a lot of bad stories, there's a white lady here."

" You can't buy me with those stories." She had reached the match but it only had one stick and when she slid it on its edge, it didn't work.

" Aha. So you don't have any match sticks. By the way, I can't go back to Kabang right now its way too dangerous out there. I'm scared. I'll just stay here in the cave tonight."

" Haha...you naughty boy, you go to your room now, leave that door close. Go, go, haha!" But she felt his feet was moving slowly inside her door so she climbed quickly in the other room opposite to George's place.

" Hey! hey! careful. Okay, fine, I'll sleep in my room now, careful! I'm not a wolf! go back now. We don't have a light anymore so calm down. I want to eat, I'm hungry."

" There's a breadfruit on the table."

" I'm scared."

" Haha...you can't buy me with that again."

" I can't see which way will I go."

" The more its a trap. You walk going there alone, haha. But seriously, I need to take my rest. So just keep quiet and don't ever attempt to open my door, get it?"

After a couple of minutes, he got back to his place and lighted her lamp without her knowing. When he was still arranging his pillow, he heard her calling his name so smoothly.

"George..." She murmured while sleeping.

"Haha...she dreamt of me again. Great heavens, I didn't wish to be a celebrity but here we go." He thought then he slept on his hands while looking up on the rocky ceiling with full of pride.