Mysterious Foes

We arrived at the drop-zone at 8 a.m.

The captain laid out the plan: We’d split into teams—Sane, Yukio, and I with her on the south; Dmitry, Loid, and Zack on the east; William with the twins on the west; and Drake, Diego, and Wardak on the north.

“Only attack on my signal. Is that understood?” The captain emphasized.

“Crystal clear Captain!” Billy quickly assured her. And then he turned to William, “Relax—you’re with pros.” He clapped William’s shoulder. “Bill-Board and I have run ops like this a hundred times. Just stick with us.”

And then, suddenly and without warning, Bill-Board hurled himself from the chopper, plunging toward the ocean below.

“Stop!” the captain barked, but he was gone. “What’s he thinking goddam-it!”

I leaned out, bewildered. “He does know the difference between a kilometer and a meter, right? The island’s still far off.”

“That’s Bill-Board for you! Always goes with the flow!” Billy revealed, a smile swept over his face