Choices

Here's this week's Write On Edge prompt:

For this week’s prompt, you were asked to write a story or memoir which relates to choices and/or consequences. Because of the 400 word limit, you may choose to focus just on the choice, or just on the consequence, if you like.

Once again, this brought me back to the same character, Shawn, and some of his back story.  I figure I'd better write his story pretty soon.  If anyone is interested other pieces to his back story are here and here and here.

Any feedback on Shawn's character would be great.  I'm not sure if any of these pieces will actually make it into the story but they do help define how he ends up the person you meet in his story.

Shawn looked up from studying the burn scars on his hands.  Her eyes, glistening with unshed tears, reflected the wild pounding of his heart.  She was screwed, and they knew it.  The only question left was whether or not they could do anything about it.

“I’m so sorry,” her voice broke.

“Rachel.  Enough.  I get it.  We need to figure out what the hell to do.  Command is gonna get wind of this.  You’ll be lucky to get the brig and not the firing squad.”

Any last vestige of color drained from Rachel’s already ghostly face, “You think they’ll shoot me?”

“They could consider this treason, Rachel.  What do you think?”

Shawn paced the length of the cockpit.  He knew they were two of the best drop pilots Command had which might buy her a slim chance.  Running with her wasn’t an option.  They’d send Black Ops specialists after them.  He’d never heard of anyone ever surviving a hunt order once it was issued.  He just couldn’t find another option.

“Can’t we explain to them what happened?  That it was a mistake and won’t happen again?” her quavering voice intruded.

“Command don’t work that way and you know it.  They’ll want someone’s ass.  This is too big to overlook.”

“I can’t face a court martial,” Rachel whispered into the leaden silence.

Each word pierced him like thorns.  Not only would Rachel’s screw up cause her a world of hurt, their relationship would come out in the process.  That would end up crucifying them both.  Fraternization was forbidden.  If all Command did was kick them out, which they would be insanely lucky to get off that easy, he had other options.  She had nothing, and he didn’t have the option to help her on the outside.

It was that last thought that forced his decision.  It wasn’t smart and he knew it, but it was the only option he could live with.

“Leave the cockpit.”

His terse words pummeled her, “What?  Why?  What are you doing?”

“I’m solving the problem.  Now go.”

“Shawn.  Are you sure about this?”

“It’s the only way to keep the fallout from spreading further than it needs to.”

She looked back as the hatch slid closed, “Thank you.”

“Let’s hope they don’t decide to shoot me,” he whispered to the emptiness.  He didn’t miss that all she showed was relief at his words as she left.