"Aine and Alfenwehr had things in common.

They both belonged to ancient gods, and

both were old dark things.

And both demanded tribute in blood."

2/19th Special Weapons Group
Restricted Area, Alfenwehr West Germany
Late Winter- January, 1986
Day 12 of Repairs
Day 4 of the Second Incident
Morning

"Let me go, goddammit!" I shouted as the echo rolled through the tunnel.

"Not until you calm down," Stokes said.

"Behave, boy," Aine said. She put her hand on my forehead and petted it. "Breathe, boy, breathe. Let the blood cool."

"I'm fine, let go. Goddammit, Aine, stop touching me." I got my feet under me, pulling against the two women. Aine let go from around my throat as I stood up straight and rolled my shoulders. Stokes and Dobbs both let me go and I turned around.

Bomber was leaning against the wall, the M-60 at his feet, breathing heavy with his head hanging down. Lanks and Nancy were staggering forward, down the tunnel, but Lanks went to her knees, almost spilling Artain out of the blanket. I was on my feet, but barely. Dobbs leaned against me, her hand grabbing the back of my LBE belt. Stokes took two stumbling steps forward and leaned against the wall, gasping. Aine skipped forward and did a pirouette, humming to herself and smiling.

Bitch didn't even have her boots on. Her toenails were bright red as she spun in place, that knife still in her hands.

"That was so much fun!" she crowed, throwing back her head and spreading out her arms. The sound echoed down the tunnel and back, and she laughed.

She turned around and faced us, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"We're wounded, bitch," Dobbs snarled, pulling my right arm around her shoulders and then moving forward. I stumbled along next to the smaller woman.

"Why aren't you dead?" Bomber asked, raising his head. His face was bruised looking and puffy. "I saw you get shot. Hell, I saw that Vympel guy bayonet you."

"He missed me, silly," Aine said, skipping forward and kissing him. "It was confusing, Johnny." John straightened up, shaking his head.

"I saw it too, Aine," I said.

She turned and looked at me, her eyes narrowing. "It was confusing, Annie, you must be mistaken."

I shook my head. "No, Aine, I saw it. You should be gutted."

She stepped forward, raising her hand. "Annie, you're covered in blood, you must not have..."

I brushed her arm to the side, glaring at her. "I didn't see shit wrong, Aine."

Something ugly flashed in her eyes, and she licked her rosy red lips.

"Touch me again, lose your hair," I told her.

...the feel of her lips pressed against mine, her tongue squirming as she pushed it into my mouth...

She glared at me, but stepped aside as Dobbs and I moved further in.

"I'll be back, Artain, I need a stretcher," Nancy said, petting Artain's head. I glanced down, and saw he had bandages around his stomach that were red in the center.

"I'll be waiting." He smiled. "God, that morphine is good."

"I'm still with you," Stokes said, pushing off the wall. She smacked Bomber as she passed. "Let's go, Bomber. Grab Artain, we can carry him." Bomber groaned, but bent down and grabbed the edges of the quilt, lifting it up.

"Walk it off, pussy," I told him. He gave me the finger, but still started coming with us.

Nancy threw her arm over my shoulders, leaning on me. Stokes and Bomber staggered down the hallway behind us, Bomber softly calling a marching cadence to himself and Stokes copying him. I started doing the same thing, then Dobbs, then Nancy. The volume slowly grew, Artain joining us, until we were calling it out like we were marching to the chow hall in Basic Training.

The tune of "They say that in the Army..." floated through the corridor as we slowly straightened up, letting go of one another, our strides stretching out, our footsteps moving in synch. Nancy and Dobbs gave the little stutter-step you did when you were out of synch, and the volume picked up.

"...look like Phyllis Diller and walk like Frankenstien!" we called out, and for some reason I was feeling better. My chest still felt tight, but when we started a new line there was a popping feeling and it eased up.

We came around the last corner, still singing cadence, and the command center came into sight. The LT was sitting behind one of the consoles, staring at us. Mellins and Melkin were at another set of chairs, but what floored me was my cousin running toward us, calling my name.

I came to a dead stop, staring at him.

...one of the Vympel got into the Day Room where everyone was sleeping. Private James Stillwater jumped forward to engage him before he could kill another member and in the brief struggle had his neck broken...

He slid to stop. "Holy shit, what happened to you guys?"

"Attacked by wolves," Dobbs said, waving at where Bomber and Stokes carrying Artain on the quilt.

"How are you fucking alive? The LT told me you were dead," I told James.

"No clue. I think he mistook me for someone else, it got a little confused," James admitted, shrugging. "I was taking a dump when Cass got stabbed, I guess I missed the whole thing."

I shook my head. "Fuck, that's a piece of good news I wasn't expecting."

The LT jumped up, waving at the others, and everyone moved forward. Lancer stood up, took two steps, and ran into the console. "Goddammit!" He carefully moved around it as James went to grab my arm and I pushed him off.

"Don't touch me," I told him.

"Dude, what the fuck, man?" James asked.

I shrugged. "Too much adrenaline, I'm not used to you being here."

"He doesn't like being touched," Dobbs said. "I fucking understand it now."

The LT moved up, keeping a step away. James backed off, looking a little hurt.

"Are you capable of giving me a casualty report, Corporal?" the LT asked me.

"We're busted up pretty bad," I told him. I could see the medical bay and headed for it. "We lost Sherry, Artain's got a bad belly wound, and we lost King."

"Did you destroy the secure items?" he asked me.

"Wrecked that shit up," Bomber said.

"Destroyed, along with all the records," I told him. "How's it going back here?"

"We still have no communications with any outside elements, Specialist Nagle's patients are still stable, and we have hot food available if that is what required," the LT told me.

"I need a goddamn shower and a ten inch dick, that's what's required," Nagle said.

"You're gonna look funny swinging around a ten inch dick between your legs at your next medical checkup," I snickered.

"Eat me," she shot back, then coughed. The LT glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Ten minutes of privacy, baby," I told her, weaving around the consoles. The LT just shook his head.

"Short stroker." Dobbs got in her shot.

"Like you'd know, virgin." I grinned at her. She gave me the finger.

The LT had dropped back to Artain. "How are you feeling, soldier?"

"Like someone split my stomach open," he said. "Thank God for morphine."

The LT chuckled. "Indeed, soldier, indeed. I have had the occasion to agree with you during my military career." He gently patted Artain's shoulder. "You're in excellent hands with Specialist Nagle, I have nothing but the utmost confidence in her medical skills, however untrained and rough they may be."

Nancy made us all lie on the beds, staggering from one of us to the next, putting in an IV before checking the data card and giving us injections. The LT hovered next to her, checking our dogtags against his notebook.

Even though I fought against it, I got pulled under as Nancy started cutting my uniform off, cutting around the cloth that was stuck to me.

Innie and William were waiting for me in the darkness.