Cold Hatred (Book 2 & 3 of the Damned of the 2/19th) -Updated and Rewritten

Cold Hatred Part: 14

"Echo Five Actual, The First Twenty, the Atlas Crew.

Such little words to define such a large part of me.

Labels may not define us, but the deeds I committed

while wearing those labels were written in blood.

And on Alfenwehr, blood defined you."

2/19th Special Weapons Group

Restricted Area, Alfenwehr West Germany

Late Winter- January, 1986

Day 11 of Repairs

Day 3 of the Second Incident

Night

"What do you see, Stillwater?" King asked me. I could hear everyone else moving back as he came up near me.

"I can see four charges total," I told him, "Middle and upper hinge, center and upper locks. Blasting caps, one per charge, looks like they're wired together in sequence. I don't see which charge is the primary ignition."

"Any sign of a pressure or prox detonator?" he asked. A flashlight beam hit the door by my head and moved over to the hinges.

"No. I don't see one."

"Hold still," he told me, moving up to me. "Don't shift, don't let go, don't turn the key, don't press on the cage."

"Roger that," I told him. I regulated my breathing. Nice and slow. Relaxed my muscles so I wouldn't cramp up or start shaking.

King kept up a running commentary. "Standard multi-charge breaching setup, straight out of the Soviet handbook. NATO wires different, these guys wired at the base charge, except for the bottom charge isn't completed. I don't see any pressure triggers, the charges aren't placed right for antipersonnel booby trap or area denial, they aren't heavy enough to blow in the inner door, and barely heavy enough to crack the cage door. Lower hinge and bottom door charge to lift the door don't have caps in them." He paused for a second. "Stillwater, I want you to open your hands and take one step back. Don't let go, just open your hands."

I opened my hands and took a step back, my hands cramping suddenly. I rubbed them together as King traced the wiring with the flashlight.

"No apparent detonators, the rigs isn't finished." King was still talking, standing up and shining the flashlight on the locks.

"We're in trouble," I told Bomber, waving him over to the door of the Secure Items Locker and looking at the door.

"Yeah," Bomber agreed. "I noticed." He waved at the Arm's Room door. "That wasn't here when we were down here about twenty minutes ago."

"I think I know what's going down," I told him. I unlocked Secure Items storage and turned to the others. "Grab your NVG's out of there, leave your card on the hook, grab fresh batteries and at least two spares." I handed the keys off to Nancy as she moved past. "Nagle will open the locker. If your NVG's are deadlined grab a spare. They'll be any numbered over 250."

The others moved past me.

"I'll grab yours and Bombers, fill me in," Nancy said, moving past me.

We moved to the side, into the shadows. "This is looking nasty," Bomber said.

I nodded. "Fuck yeah," I told him, looking around. "We've got a lot more to take on than we thought."

"You think so?" Bomber asked. "What do you think we're facing?"