End of Winter (Rewrite & Expansions into Book Four)

Crazed Plans

2/19th Secure Area - Barracks
Alfenwehr, West Germany
Second Long Night
3 Hours In

"I don't like the way your chest sounds, your lungs sound bad," Doc Woolworth said, starting to frown then wincing as it pulled on the stitches covering her face.

"You should hear him sing, it's fucking terrible," Nagle shot.

Woolworth started to grin then winced.

"Am I cleared or not?" I growled, staring at the J-Suit. I felt weird, standing out in front of everyone in my boxers.

"You're clear," she said, stepping back. She turned to Bomber. "I need to check your breathing."

Bomber just stood there as I garbaged down the rest of the MRE and tore open another one. I'd need fuel, and a lot of it. Bomber stepped up next to me, grabbing an MRE, and tearing into it.

"This is gonna be bad, Ant," he said. He shook his head and looked at his watch. "Where do you think Monkey is right now?"

I shrugged. "Depends on how much of her venom he ran off. He might be down at five-two-five MI kicking down the wall to get at that big tittied Captain they've got," I said.

"Or using his cock as a battering ram to knock down the doors," he chuckled. He shook his head. "God damn, he's like a fucking human cartoon. You and him both."

"I'm not as bad as him," I protested.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Dude, I've fucking lived with you. I've known you for two goddamn years and you're going to say 'oh, I'm not that bad' to me of all fucking people?"

I snorted around the peanut-butter I was squeezing into my mouth from the package and tried to smile. He gave me a grin back as Nancy walked up, shifting the aid bag on her hip.

"You guys know this isn't going to be a good time," she said.

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "I'm in the Army, nothing's a good time," I mumbled around my mouth full of chocolate chip bread kind of thingy.

"Break net, break net, this is Echo-Five-Actual, does anyone read me, over?" The former Marine turned Secret Service, Sergeant Ross, spoke into the mic of the PRC-77 with the strap-on signal booster. He repeated it and looked up at Lieutenant Wright. "Too much static, sir. Probably the building."

"Can't be helped," Lieutenant Wright said, rubbing his cheek. I could hear the whisper of bristles in need of shaving. He turned to me. "Corporal, without going outside, what's the best place to transmit from in the building?"

I thought. "Foster got results in three places: Second floor Mag Offices, my room, and the Middle Stairwell."

He nodded and looked at Sergeant/Agent Ross. "Try in the Middle Stairwell before you enter the War Fighter Tunnels, Agent."

Sergeant Ross nodded, standing up. One of the females had grabbed him a set of BDU's out of her room and removed the unit patch and nametag. They fit him pretty good, and he was wearing body armor and an LBE she'd taken from her room-mates TA-50. He slung the radio onto his back, squirming into the carrying frame, then picked up his rifle.

"I'm ready," he said.

I just nodded, tilting my head to where Doc Woolworth was checking out Kidman.

"Oh," he said, moving behind the CQ counter. He looked at the MRE box that was half-empty and then at me. "What's with the gluttony?"

"Gonna be cold, gonna be burning through the calories," Bomber said.