The cab drove off in a cloud of dust and smoke as I walked up to the gate and presented my drivers license to the gate guard. He looked at it and wrote my name down on the visitor's log.
"What are you going to be doing here on base, miss?" the guard asked, handing me back my ID.
"I'm here to see a soldier. Sergeant Anthony Frontera." I put the card back in my pocket. "Do you know where I might find him?"
"What unit is he a part of?"
"The 101st Airborne Division." I smiled my best flirtatious smile and was rewarded with a smile from the guard.
"There's a lot of guys from the one-oh-one here, miss, but I think I've seen this guy. Jet black hair, really buff?"
"That's the one," I confirmed.
He laughed. "Lucky guy, that one. They're in building 2B." He leaned out of his booth and pointed. "Go left at the sign, and you can't miss it. If you hurry, you just might catch them getting back from lunch."
"Thank you so much," I replied and resettled the bag on my shoulders. I could feel his eyes on my backside as I walked away, but I didn't care. It had been a long time since someone that young had checked out my behind, but I had no time to show off. I was on base and on my way to save Tony.
The building was right where the guard had said it would be. I stood in front of the sand-colored building and bit my lip. Soldiers in uniform hurried between the buildings trying to stay out of the heat. Now that I was actually here, I was nervous. My palms were dripping with sweat and it wasn't just from the heat. My stomach was threatening to be sick with all the butterflies dancing around inside of me. I swallowed hard, forcing my stomach to behave. This was my last chance.
"Kimberly?" A voice called out from my side. I turned to see Tony making his way up the sidewalk. He looked so handsome in his uniform. Dean and Matt were with him.
"Hi," I said, giving them a timid wave hello. I was shaking with nerves now. "Can I talk to you?"
"Yeah, sure," Tony said with a grin. His eyes were bright with excitement at seeing me. I took it as a good sign. I must not have screwed up the timeline too badly if he was still happy to see me. "Can we do it inside? I'm dying out here."
I nodded. Tony put his hand on my back to guide me inside the door. His fingertips seemed to send electricity down my spine, and I shivered with delight. Dean held open the door for us all to walk inside. The air conditioning hit me like a gift from God. I wiped my hands on my shorts, trying to rub away my nervousness. If I didn't do this right, I could lose him.
"I'll see you guys upstairs," Tony told Dean and Matt. They nodded and gave me a wave as they went up the stairs to wherever they were going. I watched them leave us in the empty entrance. I was glad there weren't other people around. This was going to be weird enough without an audience.
I turned back to face Tony and was happily surprised when he kissed me. I relaxed into his kiss, letting my body respond to his touch. He felt so good, so strong, and so wonderful. I could taste the salty sweat from being outside, and I loved it. He tasted real. Alive.
He pulled back, keeping his hands on my neck and shoulders. I loved being this close to him. When he smiled, I felt my heart melt into a puddle.
"I'm really happy to see you, Ladybug," he said softly, the smile never leaving his eyes. "But what are you doing here?"
I took a deep breath. I had rehearsed this speech a thousand times on the flight here, but now that it was time to actually say it, my voice wavered. He had to believe me. As insane as what I was going to say was, at least this time I had a plan. I just needed to make sure he actually heard it before dismissing me as a needy, crazy story he told his friends.
"I'm going to tell you something crazy," I said. "I wouldn't believe it myself, except it's true."
Tony's face darkened with worry. "Are you pregnant? I thought I was careful enough..."
"No, no," I answered, a nervous laugh bubbling in my throat. If only that were the problem. That I could handle. "I'm not pregnant."
"Okay. I mean..." he shrugged. "It wouldn't be a bad thing if you were, but I'm glad that's not it."
I bit my lip. This next part was the most dangerous part. This was the part I was afraid of. I was terrified he was going to leave without letting me finish.
"You can't leave for the Middle East. You're going to die over there."
Tony's face fell and he dropped his hands from me. "Kimberly..."
"Before you write me off as a super psycho chick, just listen to what I have to say," I begged, grabbing onto his sleeve. He pulled back slightly, but he didn't try to escape. "I've been to the future. You die on this tour. You're supposed to guard some VIP and something goes wrong. I wait for you and you never come home."
Tony took a step backward, moving his arm to dislodge my fingers. My throat tightened. I needed to get a hold of myself. I needed to stick to the facts that would convince him, not the emotional part that had haunted me for the past twenty years. My emotions didn't matter now.
"But, to prove to you that I'm not crazy and that I actually am from the future, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen tomorrow." I took a deep breath and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Events that I shouldn't know. Couldn't know, unless what I'm saying is true."
"Kimberly..." Pity filled Tony's eyes. He thought I was nuts.
"You don't have to believe me today." I pressed my palms together and gave him a weak grin. "Hell, I wouldn't believe me today, but if tomorrow, you do believe me, then meet me at the gate tomorrow evening."
Tony's face told me he wasn't even thinking of showing up. I couldn't blame him. If our roles were reversed, I would have looked exactly the same. At least he was still listening, though.
"Tomorrow is August 2nd." I looked him in the eye to make sure he heard my every word. This was the important part. "Iraq is going to invade and occupy Kuwait at two am. The Emir will flee to Saudi Arabia. There will be two days of fighting. In response, President Bush will announce a defensive mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia called Operation Desert Shield."
"What did you call it?" Tony asked, interrupting me. His expression shifted slightly, turning more into an interested frown from a disbelieving one.
"Operation Desert Shield," I repeated. I knew this all as history that had affected my life. I had read every article I could get my hands on during this time because I had been worried about Tony. Even after his death, I had almost a gruesome fascination with the time period. "American soldiers will be in country August 7th. The entire conflict will eventually be called Operation Desert Storm, or the Gulf War."