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Soldier Boy and Hughie Campbell walk through the big city park at night. They notice a few people in the distance, some sitting on benches, throwing pieces of bread to the ducks, others doing nighttime exercises under the moonlight, and still others, like them, simply strolling. All of these are small stories unfolding simultaneously, each with its own sorrows, worries, and small joys.
Finally, they find a spot on a small, empty bench and sit down to contemplate the starry sky and watch how the lake becomes a mirror, reflecting the surrounding trees, as well as the moon, which gives the water a unique glow.
"Do you know why you and I clashed so much at first, Hughie?"
Soldier Boy took out a cigarette and, with an old lighter, managed to light a flame. He held it to the tip of the cigarette, which soon glowed orange, and smoke quickly billowed out.
"No, I have no idea, Ben. Why do you ask?"
Hughie was wrapped in a green leather jacket his partner had lent him, as the temperature had dropped considerably that autumn night.
"Just a memory came to me. In the past... I knew someone like you. His name was Bombsight. We never really knew each other by name because we had this dynamic, you know? At Vought, there was no room for names, no place to reveal who we were before V."
"Bombsight? I remember in my dad's comics, which my grandfather gave him, there was mention of a group of superheroes... including you. They all represented a force, right? You represented the army... there was a guy who represented the navy..."
"That's right. Bombsight was a pilot, a very good one, and there was also Private Angel, who was included as a propaganda tool specifically to attract women back then. Thanks to her, many women joined the war in the medical field. We're that bad, aren't we?"
Soldier Boy smiled contemptuously.
"We forced boys to carry weapons twice their size, weapons they could barely lift, and we sent girls to stitch up open wounds and get their hands covered in blood using instruments they didn't even know what they were for."
"But... they enlisted... didn't they?"
Ben looked Hughie straight in the eye and didn't blink. His expression was blank, and that scared Hughie because it meant he was speaking literally.
"What part of 'we forced them' didn't you understand? Vought has done a lot of horrible things. But anyway... Bombsight was like you. A guy who didn't hold back when it came to telling me the truth, he didn't care about exposing my shit in front of others, and... that's why I respected him. He never backed down, he was never intimidated, he was the only one who..."
Soldier Boy smiled wistfully as he looked up at the sky, not because he believed Bombsight was there, but as a mechanical action to remember what they had experienced, to use the sky as his canvas for thoughts.
"He... he was the best lover I could have ever had. He knew how to put me in my place and made me believe in God every time he got aggressive, showing me where I belonged. I might have been the team leader, but he'd make me his bitch for talking back, for saying inappropriate things, or even for mistreating the recruits or the people under our command."
"Could you say he knew how to calm you down?"
"Better than that, he used his cock to shut my hole when I was crossing his lines. He was one of the few people who didn't get carried away by a life of luxury and excess. He invested his money and owned properties, businesses, and land. He preferred to stay in the public eye just enough not to be considered a celebrity like me, but important enough not to be forgotten. Unlike me... he was always a hero."
Ben sighed heavily, bringing the cigarette back to his lips to exhale all the smoke, as if his sorrow would leave with him and disappear forever, forever, forever.
"He went to war, he REALLY went to war. He used his powers to help pilots who lost control and precisely caught all those who abandoned a burning unit mid-air. He shot down enemy planes like they were paper, and... he got to do everything I couldn't. Medals, honors, everything he had was genuine, it was real, and me... I only got the scraps, because that's what I deserved."
"So... why do I remind you of him?"
Hughie had an idea, but he didn't want to say it too soon until he could confirm it directly with Soldier Boy.
"Because of your kindness. Bombsight and you are kind, heroes in your own way. You never let people, or life itself, take away your values. You are the ultimate proof that there is goodness in the evil that the world represent, that there's something to fight for. Besides, you both know how to fuck me good, so, bonus points for that."
"Damn it, Ben! Can you make a comment that doesn't involve sex, please? Anyway... thanks? I bet he was a good guy. You don't know what happened to him, do you?"
Ben shook his head, disappointed.
"I have no idea. I stopped seeing him after we were assigned to different units, and then after my time in Russia... I lost all trace of him. But if I ever saw him again, beyond wanting to have a threesome with you two, I'd like to know what happened to him, have some quality time with him, you know? He was my ultimate opposite, and that's why we got along so damn well."
Ben threw his cigarette butt on the floor, spat on it, and then crushed it underfoot.
"Well, I'm tired of talking about my sad, shitty life. Shall we go get something to eat? I'm starving."
Hughie nodded and accompanied Ben to a nearby restaurant by the park, a cheap place that served the best steak.
Little did they know that, on the other side of the park, sitting on a bench, was a man.
One who was watching their every move with keen interest.