Traitors (Damned of the 2/19th - Book Five) - Finished

Rescue Mission

2/19th Special Weapons Group Barracks
Restricted Area - Western Germany
Early Winter - 1986
Day: Seventeen

"You've got to do something." Clifton yelled, looking at all of us. Kebble flushed and looked away, her eyes dropping to the floor. Marks looked at Clifton, then turned back to Hendricks, reaching out and taking his friend's hand, hunching his shoulders.

"I'm staying with my boy." He said. He looked at me, almost as if he was pleading with me to understand. "We joined up together, man. He wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me."

I nodded and looked at Jefferson at Marks went back to looking at his friend.

Jefferson looked at Kebble and put an arm around her. "Sorry, Stillwater, but Kebble needs someone to look after her." I nodded as he continued. "No offense, but she's afraid of you and Bomber, she's afraid you're going to hurt her some more for what the LT made her do."

"Just keep her safe, man." I smiled, and Kebble flinched. "No hard feelings, Kebble, not even for having my ass kicked."

It was time to pull together. The only way we'd make it is if we all worked together, the building was out to kill us, and only God knew how long the generator would keep going since nobody had checked on it in days.

"I'll go." Taggart said in a small voice.

"No." Nagle said. "Absolutely not. The building's gone for you once, I'm not giving it another shot at you. Sit back down." She turned to Logan. "Keep her here, keep her calm, Logan." Logan nodded.

I moved Raleigh away and stood up, rolling my shoulders. "I'll go." I told Clifton. I looked around, trying to catch everyone's eyes. "Nancy?"

Bomber and Nancy stood up, and I smiled at them both before turning back to Clifton. "What happened?"

"We couldn't use Oakes' room because the lock wouldn't work, so we went up to Nelson's room. I went to go get my sweats and when I was out in the hall, I heard Oakes scream. When I ran back, there was nobody in the room and blood on the floor." His words tumbled out over one another, and I nodded along as I walked up to Bomber.

"You stay here with the wounded, in case we don't come back." I told him, then pulled him into a hug, the M-16 between us, whispering to him real quick. I felt him nod and we broke apart. "Be careful, brother."

"You too." He told me. Nagle was grabbed her field jacket and pulled it on, and I copied her, getting dressed quickly.

"Are all three of you going?" He asked.

"No, Bomber's going to stay back with the wounded, just in case, to help out Raleigh in case Hendricks gets worse while we're gone." Nancy said.

"Why are you going after them?" Logan asked. "Oakes wouldn't go after you."

"Because I'm not leaving anyone for this building that I might be able to save." I told him. "I don't wanna live with what Tandy might do to them." Nancy and Bomber nodded. I pulled on my LBE belt and clipped a knife and another braid of 550 cord to it, then grabbed a flashlight. "Let's go."

The Game Room was still warm, so the transition from the Game Room to the CQ Area was almost shocking. The snow was almost six inches out there, and looking at the "airlock" glass door I saw that something had given. The snow was packed against the inner doors.

"Which stairwell did you use?" I asked, thinking quickly. I'd had to kick open the doors, but if I remembered right the middle stairwell was still accessible.

"The middle one." He told us, and I nodded.

My flashlight illuminated the area where I'd killed the LT, the was the snow was broken up and only a few streaks of pink snow gave any hint that for a few endless seconds we'd fought. My shoulder throbbed, but I ignored it.