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

Born to Fight

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

I snapped the retainer onto the magazine, put my thumb over the top round, and pressed down sharply, the bullets snapping quickly into the magazine. I handed it to Bomber, who slid it into the magazine pouch, and picked up another magazine while Taggart handed me another clip of 10 bullets. Nagle mimicked my actions, handing the magazine to Bomber, who put it away, and Taggart handed him another clip, reaching down and picking up another box to open it with her teeth.

"How did you know that the you'd find the keys to the armory?" She asked. It was warm in the QRF armory, the heavy heaters keeping the entire open bay warm. We'd slept in the back of a 5-ton that had its engine scattered all over the bay after preparing, and I felt better than I had in days.

"Sergeant Austins served in Vietnam." I told her, taking her offered bullets. She gave me a curious look and I went on. "During the Tet Offensive, he had a CO who didn't let anyone carry around loaded weapons, only the guys on guard duty, and they only got to carry one magazine."

"Why?" She interrupted.

"Because he was a cock." Bomber answered.

"Anyway. When the Tet Offensive happened, they got overrun, and the CO got killed in first couple minutes. They ended up using knives and enemy weapons and a shitload of his buddies got killed. The VC cut his throat and left him for dead." I told her.

"Wait, he's the one with that bad scar on his neck." Taggart asked.

"The very same. Because of that, I knew he'd have the arms room keys in his desk somewhere." I told her.

"How did you know about it?" She asked.

"You know how there's that little group at the back of the NCO club?" Nagle asked, handing a full magazine to Bomber.

"Yeah. I tried to sit with them once, but they just glared at me until I left." She looked kind of sad at that. I took the bullets she was offering.

"You aren't old enough to sit back there." I told her.

"I'm older than you." She said, sounding confused.

"It ain't the years, it's the miles, baby." Nagle answered, reaching up and running a black fingernail down the scar on her face. "Ant's one of the old men."

"Gimme another one." I told her after I stuck my tongue out at Nancy, then handed Bomber the magazine and picked up another.

"The magazine pouches are full." Taggart said.

"Silly boys carry extra ones in their back pockets." Nagle told her, smiling. She held up a full twenty round magazine. "Girls carry them too."

I finished loading up the magazine and handing it to Bomber, who put it in his back pocket. Nagle had stood up and strapped on her LBE over a kevlar vest, before picking up the rifle. Taggart was busy trying to fill her 20 round magazine, and I put my magazine in my back pocket and pulled on my Kevlar and LBE. Nagle strapped on her gas mask, and we all copied her, waiting while Taggart caught up. While Taggart was tying on her mask, the three of us slid cot ends into the cravats we'd tied earlier.

"Do we need to do it this way?" Taggart asked.

I opened my mouth just an an explosion went off. Someone began screaming, and a weapon fired full auto.

"Looks like someone else had the same idea." I grinned. The weapon fired again, this time creating bright spots in the heavy steel as rounds punched into it.