Well it finally happened. I met a girl. I should clarify. I met a woman my age, and not just one that was assigned to my squad or who happens to cross my path while I'm walking to the mess hall. I mean a genuine one of a kind lady that's all but run off with my heart and held it for ransom. Hard to believe coming from me, the committed bachelor, I know. But I think I honestly like her more than I like machines, and you know how much I prefer the company of robots to people. I guess I should tell you about her now seeing how I've already built up so much expectation.
Her name is Daisy, which is fitting because she's possibly the only person I've met who's more sunshine and rainbows than Cole, which is saying a lot. Daisy is a field medic like me, so we already had something in common before we met. Besides both being Gears and living through the worst hell humanity has experienced since the dark ages. But that's everybody now. Just living each day one at a time hoping to wake up alive in the morning. I'm getting distracted. Anyway, back to Daisy.
Daisy might be all sunshine and rainbows, but the way we met was not. I was working under my APC when Marcus picked up some strange radio activity. One of the privates, Rower, had gone AWOL after encountering a berserker and losing half his squad. I think I've already told you about them, but in case you forgot, they're basically tanks on legs. Almost impossible to kill. They're also how the locust reproduce. But that's another can of worms I won't open now. Anyway. The private had changed to channel zero, the one that isn't monitored by command. He was speaking nonsense about his squad being dead and one of them being trapped. He refused to offer any other information until Dom finally got on the line and convinced the guy to give us his last location. We tried to get more out of him but he closed the line and left. More on that later.
It was the worst kind of night to try to rescue another squad. The ground was soaking wet from a thunder storm and was far too wet for any APC to make it through without digging itself into three feet of mud. As such, nobody was cleared to leave the garrison. So we did what any sane group of soldiers would do, and asked Anya to find us a working vehicle and cover for us while we went to hunt for a deserter and rescue a medic.
I know, after my charges, going after anyone for desertion is a little hypocritical of me. But I think you'd agree with me that my reasons were more justified seeing as I wasn't leaving any soldier behind. Plus I don't think it counts as disobeying orders if you don't have any orders to follow that day. Back to the story. We came up with a plan, Daisy was pinned under some rubble in an old school yard, not any one I'd ever attended by the way. We knew the berserker would still be close and probably pissed off it had humans anywhere near her territory. The plan was to draw out the berserker and distract it while we planted charges on the nearby tower. Once the charges were set we'd get clear and drop the building between the school yard and the berserker so it couldn't kill any of us while we rescued Daisy.
If that sounds like a solid plan to you, it would be one of the few times we agreed on something. It would also make us both wrong. As much as I like to consider myself the smartest guy in the room I also need to admit I'm not always right and sometimes my plans don't work perfectly. I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Once we arrived we put Marcus and Dom up high looking over the open courtyard and had them ready to distract the berserker. Cole was going to set the charges and run back thanks to his experience being the fastest runner in thrashball, when it was still a thing. I had already rigged the explosives to their fuses and I was going to detonate the charges once Cole was in the clear. All we had to do was have Daisy lure out the berserker so we could piss it off while setting the trap.
Well she did and it left Dom in stitches, I have to admit it put a smile on my face too. So that made two things we had in common, a sense of humor and being medics. Too bad the berserker didn't see it that way. Dom and Marcus must have spent at least two clips each trying to make the berserker pissed off enough that she didn't notice Cole was right behind her plotting her downfall and demise. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and the berserker started to pick up on Cole's scent. Luckily Cole still had his old thrashball legs with him that night and he managed to stay out of reach of the berserker. But it almost ended in disaster.
Remember how I said I was in charge of pushing the button to detonate the explosives? Well I screwed up, big time. The berserker started chasing Cole and was going to get past the tower we decided to use for her playpen. So I had to push the button sooner than I had planned. That was partially my mistake partially piss poor luck, and it nearly cost me my best friend. Cole got hit by the blast radius as the tower came down. It knocked him out and stopped his heart. I think it may have been the only time I felt like crying over another human being. I was also too focused on what I wanted to do with Rower once I got my hands on him to think to bring my full field kit. If I'm being totally honest, being in delta has me spoiled. I've never had to patch up any of the guys since Cole and I were paired with Dom and Marcus. I assumed none of us were going to need resuscitating and left my paddles in my locker.
Well that proved to be a mistake. Or the decision that changed my life, depending on how you want to look at it. While I was trying to revive Cole, and panicking so much I'd all but forgotten how the heart works, Marcus ran to get Daisy from under the rubble. That part was supposed to be a four man job. But somehow Marcus managed to do it on his own. The man truly is unreal. But you already knew that. What I bet you didn't know is just how incredibly small and fast Daisy is, especially when she's under pressure. Once she was free, Daisy sprinted over and had her paddles out faster than I could get Cole out of his armor. I need you to understand, when I say she's fast I mean she could outpace some of the machines we keep in the infirmary. Which is a good thing because her fast thinking managed to bring Cole back to us for another season of grub killing. Naturally I was relieved, grateful and instantly a fan of our new medic companion. The only thing left to do was find and arrest Rower then go home.
Now by this time I wasn't in my best mindset. I just nearly lost the one person in my life who never gave up on me, (let's face it mom and dad you weren't the greatest), and there was a deserter on the loose trying to escape his sentence. Dad, as a judge I think you understand why this rubbed me the wrong way. But as luck would have it, Anya managed to find Rower through his vitals pack and we set out to find him in a minefield of collapsed emergence holes. If you're wondering what this has to do with how I met Daisy, I'm getting there.
We finally found Rower as Dom predicted, soaking wet and trapped in the closed remains of the giant e hole he fell into. Needless to say none of us were pleased to see him. Except Daisy who was more sad than angry. Something about seeing her like that just made us that much more pissed off, excluding Rower of course. I'm not joking when I say that listening to this guy say he's never cared about his squad and telling Daisy to get fucked, was enough to put the nails in his coffin. No judge or chairman would tolerate that level of selfish abandonment. Even Cole, who was ready to forgive the guy until then, decided he wasn't worth the rations to keep him around. But through it all Daisy just looked disappointed and betrayed but still somehow found it in her not to lose her temper and kill the guy. That's just the kind of woman she is, sunshine and rainbows even in the darkest gloomy of nights. Since she was Rower's last living victim, we thought it just to allow her to decide how to handle his treason. We were all but Cole ready to execute him on the spot and wouldn't have suffered much consequence for taking immediate action. Even Rower seemed to have no regard if he lived or died until we started debating if we were going to shoot him or just leave him there to succumb to the elements. As you might imagine, I was true to who I am and that's someone who doesn't let things go until he's got the answers to his questions or until he's finished what he's set out to do. In this case it was making sure Rower paid a price for running away and forsaking his team to save himself. That's when Daisy asked me to speak with her alone. Well as alone as you can get in a field of dead emergence holes.
As you know, I'm not very sentimental about most things. My feelings about Rower were purely from a place of classic Damon Baird holier than thou self righteousness. Still- Daisy who is very sentimental, told me about why she chose the medic position and then gave me something that reminded me why I signed up to fight the locust. It was just a little token with an inscription about what determines who we are as people, but it was enough to make me remember I'm here to face the enemy head on and find a way to end this war. My business isn't with soldiers who abandon their duty, no matter how much I want to administer the righteous fury of justice.
I think it was then that I realized I could feel something for somebody other than myself. Because the way she looked at me as she spoke left me feeling like I was a different man, or the man I need to become. She left the decision of what to do with Rower up to me. I could have easily put a bullet in his head, but I chose not to after thinking about you, dad. My choice naturally left the rest of the guys in shock as I had spent the better part of the night talking about the ways I wanted to let him die slowly. There was using him as bait, turning him into a lightning bolt, leaving him stranded in the school yard- you get the point. I was ready to kill the man myself but Daisy had somehow talked me out of it in just a few short minutes. Cole was quick to give me a hard time but I know bringing in Rower to face the consequences of his actions in Hoffman's and Prescott's office is the one you'd approve of the most, dad. We did however decide that since the rat truck was as full as it could be that Rower could let tied up and restrained in the back. Dom wanted to tie him to the bumper. We almost did.
You could say it was a bonding experience for everyone. Daisy became quick friends with Cole, naturally, and the rest of us were more than willing to keep her under guard until she made it back to the barracks. As exhausted as we all felt, we still had drinks afterwords, except Dom. He was sicker than a dog by the time we returned. Daisy who is not only a medic and trained practitioner, also raises bees in the atrium for the eco restoration effort. (That's makes three things we have in common, being field medics with big brains and a since of humor.) She brought us all honey in the only containers she could find in the infirmary, sample vials. She promised they were unused. I have no reason to believe that wasn't the truth. Most Gears never get sick enough to need to surrender any bodily fluids over to medical. (The ones that do are usually dead by the time they arrive.) The honey came in handy, Marcus managed to catch Dom's cold and eventually I did too but not until later.
All things aside it was a good night. Even though the bar tender was a complete asshole who refused to serve me more drinks. Not like the beer here had any sort of effect anyway. Where was I? Right, the honey.
Marcus turned in early and Daisy wanted to make sure Cole wasn't going to drop dead again in his sleep so the three of us headed to the infirmary. Daisy ran tests to monitor his vitals for the all clear. As you'd expect they don't call him Cole train for nothing. There was nothing to suggest his heart wasn't going to do anything but keep on pumping so Daisy let him go to bed. However she kept me behind just to make sure I wasn't getting sick. Though if you ask me it was more about us having alone time, because it did result in us almost full on kissing. This is where my lack of experience having girlfriends worked against me, or to my advantage I guess, since we're together now. Daisy was listening to my heart and breathing trying to find signs of infection. But at her height she had to get so close to my chest I was entirely helpless to hide the affect it was having on my physiological state. I don't think it bothered her because she thanked me for saving her with a kiss then asked to see me in the morning so I could come up with a plan for some honey extractors. Again I suspect this was another excuse for us to spend time together alone. But I wasn't about to argue with the first girl... woman to catch my eye.
We had breakfast together and unfortunately met one of her new squad mates, Eames. Between you and me I think she was better off with the berserker. Eames turned out to be alright eventually, but he's lousy at first impressions and even worse than I am at public relations. So you know he's very popular around the garrison. He mouthed off and said some unbecoming things about Daisy right to her face. Well none of us were having any part of that. I might not care for people but I've never suggested that I was going to treat them like a piece of meat or use them like a play thing. But here this guy was acting like he was going to make off with Daisy and bring her back when he was done with her.
I don't know exactly why hearing him talk like that set me off into a rage. I just know at that moment I wanted to teach him a lesson in etiquette and manners. I don't think I've ever hit anyone or anything that hard since the time chompers tried to attack me on the playground. Well everyone in the mess hall enjoyed that one and for once people were applauding me instead of cheering for whoever made me shut my mouth. Everyone but Marcus and Cole, who both seemed to be more concerned for Eames not getting the bottom end of my boot than bothered with my blatant violation of the code of conduct. Dom just seemed entertained by three display judging by the grin on his face. Eames spent the next two weeks with his jaw wired shut on one side. It didn't shut him up forever but it gave us all piece for some time. I think if I wasn't part of Delta, my stunt would have gotten me dragged off to the brig for a day. I guess is good to know Marcus Fenix.
Daisy was the only one who seemed relieved over being elated or concerned. Frankly that's all that matters to me. There's a deep unexplainable feeling I get when I'm with her. I'm filled with a constant urge to put myself between her and danger. And you know just how much I hate putting myself in any sort of mortal danger. But I'd trade my life for hers without a second thought. Back to the story, I'm almost done taking up your time.
So after Eames was knocked out on the floor and everyone was looking at me, Daisy suggested getting out of the mess hall and going to the atrium. At this point I was ready to get out there so I didn't argue. Not to mention I wanted to be alone with Daisy as much as I could before Hoffman gave us some impossible mission to complete. The atrium here at the garrison is different than the one we used to have at home. There's no sprawling display of rare and unique plants from around the world. It's filled with the last surviving species of plants that Daisy has managed to rescue since her enlistment. It's the embodiment of the fight against extinction. A living testament to the effect one person can have over the world. She's as determined to bring back as many food sources and natural fauna into the ecosystem as I am to finding a way to kill the locust for good. I believe that raises the tally of things we have in common to four. I'm sure you can understand now why I've taken such a liking to her so quickly... And why when she asked to kiss me in the middle of our own little ecosystem surrounded by busy little bees, I couldn't bring myself to say anything but 'yes'.
I'm no expert, as you know, but as far as a first kiss goes, I don't think I could've planned it better myself. There's something truly profound about starting a romance while being in the presence of new growth and blossoming flowers. A weird sort of symbolism that's like a living metaphor of our lives. I should stop before I get too carried away.
One last thing. Back to when I said I eventually got sick. You know I've never been able to handle the cold or flu very well. There's nothing I hate more than not being able to work un-bothered. Well this one hit me harder than the time we had to end our day out because I couldn't stop sneezing. It was so bad Marcus dragged me away to the infirmary and practically shoved me into Daisy's arms begging her to do something about my whining and complaining. Well maybe not begging but angrily asking for relief. I can't blame the guy, nobody wants to take care of someone who's sick while they're also sick.
Daisy was quick to get me into a bed and put me to rights, which apparently isn't standard regulation. I guess I made a good impression. She spent the day taking care of me until Marcus and Anya decided they were going to go trouncing around the old Stroud family cabins above Jacinto's sunken ruins. Oh yeah we had to sink Jacinto to stop the locust. I'll write about that in another letter. Anyway. Marcus asked me to go because there was a radio tower Prescott wanted installed on the peak, and I'm the resident genius and all around handy man in the garrison. My reputation proceeds me, just like you wanted. He asked if I wanted to bring Daisy and I tried to decline. I guess I was still too self conscious and egotistical to admit I liked her so much. But Dom wouldn't tolerate it from me very long. He yelled at me for not appreciating a good thing and told me to get over myself.
Well it worked because I'm here in one of the fancy cabins Anya's parents had built during the pendulum wars, with Daisy asleep by my side. I'm sure by now with your deductive reasoning, you can guess why we're sharing a bed... Besides that she's been nursing my cold and hasn't left my side since we've arrived. Which if you remember, is a golden ticket to getting my favor, because you know just how much I like and crave attention. I guess my luck is finally turning around. Best not to jinx things with bold assumptions. I'm just grateful I've found someone who doesn't want to change a thing about me and enjoys my company as much as I enjoy theirs.
So there you have it, mom and dad. That's how your son finally met someone special. It's not exactly the story you have in movies with the magical happy ending that resolves everyone's problems, but I'm officially spoken for and committed to a lady. I know she's not the pedigreed aristocrat you were hoping I would settle down with, but seeing as you're both busy being dead, I figure that means I don't have to listen to your objections. Daisy is the only person so far that's made me consider breaking my promise to never get married. If she's still around when we make it out of this I just might. I hope you understand.
Well it's late and I should really get some sleep before it's sunrise. I've been trying not to go days at a time without seeing my bunk. I have a feeling Daisy is going to help with that. I'll write again if anything truly noteworthy happens.
And Daisy, if by some chance you're reading this for whatever reason, I know it's only been a few days but... I love you. I hope that's okay.
