Lewis lifted up the jeans from the box, putting them over her front and grinning at Wizzy. Stokes and Heather were sitting in chairs, helping Lewis unbox and put away the personal effects that the Army shippers had picked up at Lewis's aunt's house and taken to Germany.

The room was dim, stacked with boxes that the movers had brought in. Stokes had mainly sat in the chair drinking beer and quietly watching everything. Heather and Wizzy had been more excited about helping Lewis unpack and put away the remnants of her civilian life.

"Can you believe I used to fit in these?" Lewis asked.

Wizzy shook her head. "You were a big girl before you joined the Army, huh?"

"Not all of us were built like Tinker-Bell, WASP scum," Stokes laughed.

Lewis nodded. "Yeah. Little fat girl," She giggled, then threw the jeans on the pile of clothing that she couldn't fit in any more. Heather tossed the panties that were way too big for Lewis into the same pile, while Stokes cracked open a beer and leaned back in her chair, staring at Lewis with shadowed eyes.

Wizzy sipped at her drink, staring at Lewis over the rim of the glass. Heather picked up a shirt, squinting at it, looking at Wizzy, then tossing it into the pile. Wizzy just stared and after a moment she lowered the glass and licked her lips.

"What?" Lewis asked, looking at the t-shirt she was holding. Wizzy's intent look was bugging her.

"You think your friends actually buy that bullshit, Bobbi?" Wizzy asked.

Lewis frowned. "What bullshit?"

"That you were just fat," Wizzy grunted. "You think we buy that shit? Stokes, Cromwell and me? You think we're stupid, Berserker?"

Lewis swallowed thickly. Wizzy had seemed a little darker since she'd opened that box of paperwork that had been shipped from her aunt's house along with the rest of her personal effects.

"No. Why do you say that, Wizzy?" Lewis asked, tossing the T-shirt to the side.

Wizzy lunged forward, grabbing a bra out of the box. Stokes noticed Cromwell's uncovered eyes began glowing brighter as Wizzy pulled the bra away from Lewis. Wizzy held it up and Lewis felt herself go pale.

"Cromwell's a fucking surgeon. Stokes used to be a 91B, a fucking medic. I have six yunger brothers and sisters," Wizzy said. She held up the bra, tapping the unsnappable flap on the cup with one finger. "And I know a maternity bra when I see one, Berserker."

Lewis flushed.

"We've seen the stretch marks, Berserker," Stokes said, sipping at her beer.

"Stretch marks from being fat," Lewis tried.

"Yeah. Those too. But we know preggo stretches when we see them," Wizzy snorted. "My tits got them big marks I rub Vitamin E into to try to mitigate them, so we know what kind of stretch marks milk-bags get when they plump up right quick."

"You've seen Stokes, right?" Cromwell snorted. "She's a fucking Amazon."

"And Heather's built like a Soviet tank," Stokes said softly. "You're in a room with three big girls and you're trying the 'I used to be fat' on us?"

Lewis sat down on Stokes's bed, staring at Wizzy. "I... I..."

Wizzy waved her hand in a dismissing motion. "Hell, Bobbi, we all got our reasons to hide our pasts. Hell, if anything, Special Weapons Training erases who you were in a way that's almost impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't gone through it."

Stokes sighed, taking another drink off her beer. "This place, it changes you more."

Lewis shrugged. "I haven't noticed. How so?"

Wizzy laughed. "Take on look at Cromwell and say this place doesn't change you."

Lewis felt herself blush. She went to answer when there was a knock at the door.

Heather sighed, standing up. She stepped over two boxes and went into the hallway. Lewis accepted the maternity bra from Wizzy and tossed it into the pile of the clothing, listening closely.

"What?" Heather asked.

"Private Lewis in?" A voice asked.

"Yeah, who wants her, Smitty?" Heather growled.

"Colonel Henry and Major Tran want to see her in the CO's office," The man's voice lowered slightly. "MP's came in, along with that fucking CID asshole that's been lurking around the unit all summer."

"I'll tell her," Heather said. She moved back into the room. "CO wants you."

Lewis had already stood up, dropping the pair of jeans she was holding. "OK."

Wizzy looked at Stokes. "I'll get Sergeant Battle and Lieutenant Doawson," She said.

"I'll get Stillwater," Stokes said.

"Cowards. I'll get Henley," Cromwell said.

Lewis walked into the hallway, seeing one of the several Specialist Smiths that were in the unit. They were silent as they walked down to the Near Stairwell and headed down to the Orderly Room. Smith walked up to Specialist Shaft and grinned. After a minute the stunningly beautiful young blonde woman looked up, lifting her hands up from the typewriter.

"What, you grinning weirdo," Shaft asked.

"Here's Lewis," He shrugged.

"Yeah, thanks," Shaft said. She stood up as Smith moved by Lewis and headed back to the CQ Area. Shaft moved over to the CO's door, knocking three times. At the answered call, she opened the door, motioning Lewis to go in.

Lewis almost stopped when she stepped in. Two men with MP armbands, a Major, a Captain, the XO, the Sergeant Major, and Colonel John Henry (No Relation) all staring at her. Lewis straightened her back and marched up to the desk, stopping three feet from it  and saluting.

"Private Roberta Lewis, reporting as ordered," Lewis stated.

Colonel Henry returned the salute, allowing Lewis to drop hers and stand at attention.

"Stand at ease," The big black Colonel rumbled with his deep bass voice. Lewis switched from Attention to Stand at Ease with a smooth practiced movement that had been hammered into her in Basic Training until it was almost unconscious instinct.

"You are facing a serious charge, Private," The big Colonel said, his face dead and expressionless. It looked much different from the approval she'd seen in his face and eyes when he had pinned her promotion and her medals onto her the day before.

Lewis didn't answer, just stared over the officer's shaved head.

"Major Tran, our esteemed S-2 OIC, has brought my attention that you lied on several sworn statements," The Colonel said. "He has also notified the MP's and post-CID, who have insisted on this meeting."

The Colonel sighed. "At this time, do you have anything to say?"

"I invoke my Article-31 rights," Lewis stated, still staring.

Colonel Henry gave a huge heaving sigh. He looked past Lewis. "The Private has invoked her Article-31 rights. I presume you have a JAG representative for her as well as the one present for yourselves?"

"Her right to Article-31 is overriden by National Security issues," Major Tran said coldly.

"On what basis?" Colonel Henry said mildly.

Lewis felt more than saw Major Tran get up and move up to slightly behind her. She could see the cold malice glittering in the eyes of the lean and evil Major Miner, the Group XO, as he leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, pressing his hands together, and resting his chin on his fingertips.

"She lied on her entry forms, on forms in Basic Training and AIT, and during inprocessing right here in this very unit," Major Tran said.

There was a heavy banging on the door. Three hand impacts against the door.

"I thought we left word to be undisturbed?" Major Miner said, a slight smile at the corners of his mouth.

"I'll handle it," The Staff Sergeant said, standing up and moving over to the door as three more hard impacts made it shudder in the frame.

Lewis opened her mouth, but shut it when she saw Colonel Henry shake his head almost imperceptibly as well raise his left index finger slightly as if to warn her to be still.

"What?" Staff Sergeant Hammond asked, pulling open the door. "What do you want, Sergeant?"

"You're interrogating one of my soldiers without her chain of command present," Came Stillwater's growling voice.

"I do believe the good Sergeant is here on your behalf," Colonel Henry said softly.

One of the MP's got up, moving up next to Hammond as the other man spoke.

"Look, Maggot, don't you have an artillery shell to hump or something?" The disdain from the S-2 NCO dripped off of every word.

"This isn't going to go the way you think it is," Stillwater growled again.

Lewis noticed that Major Miner was smiling. A narrow lipped slash upturned at the edges rather than a proper smile and his dark eyes glittered with malice. Colonel Henry looked unconcerned and above what was happened. The Sergeant Major looked distantly interested, as if he was watching a television program he'd seen a thousand times before.

The whole thing put Lewis off balance, and she desperately wanted to look behind her, but kept her eyes locked on the bucolic scene on the other side of the window behind Colonel Henry. She couldn't see that the MP had moved in between SSG Hammond and SGT Stillwater, trying to stare down the taller and bulkier man.

"This isn't any concern of yours, Sergeant," Hammond said. "Don't you have a war-crime somewhere to commit, or do you think anyone cares what a jumped up little punk like you has to say?"

"That's my troop in there," Stillwater growled. "If you think I'm going to let you..."

"We're done here, asshole," The MP said, slamming the door. The other MP's eyes widened and he started to stand up, his mouth open.

The corner of Colonel Henry's mouth twitched with amusement. Major Miner leaned forward even more, his eyes getting more intent. The Sergeant Major made a disgusted sound.

"About time someone showed those dumbass Maggots their place," SSG Hammond said, turning back toward the room. The other MP shut his mouth and sat down, clenching his jaw.

The MP had turned around when the door flew open and Stillwater stepped into the room. The door hit the MP, throwing him forward into SSG Hammond's back.

"Don't you slam that door on me, Hammond," Stillwater snapped. Before either of the other men could regain their balance Stillwater stepped forward, shouldering them, forcing both of them to stumble to side. "Private, have you said anything?"

Lewis shook her head. "I invoked my Article-31, Sergeant."

"That's it. Say nothing else," Stillwater snarled, thumping toward the desk.

SSG Hammond recovered, stepping forward and grabbing Stillwater's right arm and yanking on it.

"Look, you little punk," He started. Stillwater turned, grabbing Hammond's hand, behind it backwards, twisting Hammond's arm so his elbow drove into his own stomach. He forced Hammond to lean forward.

"Don't put your dick skinners on me. Not now, not ever," Stillwater growled.

The sitting MP shook his head as the other one regained his balance. The MP's hand started to move toward his pistol as he narrowed his eyes.

"Gentlemen!" Colonel Henry's voice wasn't so much loud as it penetrated through the sudden stillness filling the room.

Major Miner let out a slight sigh that sounded almost sexual to Lewis.

"Sergeant Ulfsteader, keep your hand away from your sidearm and sit with your NCOIC," Colonel Henry said, his voice commanding obediance. "Sergeant Stillwater, release Staff Sergeant Hammond and stand next to your soldier."

"He touches me again, or that hopped up gibbon goes for his sidearm, this'll get real ugly real fast," Stillwater growled, shoving Hammond away and thumping toward Lewis.

Stillwater came to a stop. "I had Major Tran's assurances that if she came clean about her reasonings for what she did, there would be no repercussions."

"I'm allowed to deceive a suspect," Major Tran said, standing up.

"Law enforcement are allowed to, Major, not S-2 officers," Stillwater snapped back. "You're in charge of security, you aren't fucking Magnum PI."

Major Tran took a step forward, balling his fists. "Look, Stillwater..." he started.

"I would advise against your next course of action, Major Tran," Colonel Henry rumbled.

"After what happened last winter under his watch, I'm all for what he wants to do," Stillwater growled.

Unable to help herself, Lewis turned around just in time to see the pot-bellied barrel chested warrant officer barge into the room.

"Get your slope ass away from that knuckle dragging Irish neandrathal before he pulls your rice paddy tugging arms off and beats your chink ass to death with them," The fat warrant snapped. His coal dark face was twisted in fury and raw hatred blazed from his eyes with enough venom that Lewis took a half step back. "Stillwater, you unhung mass murdering low rent trailer park Jack the Ripper ripoff, put away your goddamn homicidal impulses till you go back to Crystal Lake to kill retarded teenagers and dope smoking hippies, you one eyed thug."

Lewis watched as the aggression seemed to drain out of Stillwater and his shoulders relaxed, his right shoulder dropping a good two inches below the left.

"Henry, you brain damaged moon cricket, what the fuck do you think you're doing allowing that jumping up Chink to try to lay his greasy dog eating dick polishers on my troops?" The Warrant stopped next to Lewis and she could almost feel the hatred rolling off the man.

"I'm glad you could make it, Chief Henley," Colonel Henry stated.

"That's Chief Warrant Officer Three Henley to you, you coconut cracking sugar cane sucking parole board dodging floating trash island nigger," The man snarled. He turned to Lewis. "You. Get your stretch mark covered white trash runaway mouth breathing low rent out ass out of here, you're stinking up the place with the stench of stupidity, failure, semen, and unwashed fuck trench, and try not to trip and get any herpes covered cocks jammed into that sloppy stink ditch between your legs."

Lewis looked at Henry then jumped when Henley barked. "NOW, PRIVATE!"

Lewis hustled toward the door, stepping to the side when Sergeant First Class Battle, her dark face darker with anger, and First Lieutenant Dawson, a flush of anger reddening her cheeks, marched into the room.

"Tran, you lying cocksucker," Battle snarled.

"I'm handling it, you walking talking chimney brush. Don't you have a Grace Jones look-a-like contest to suck dick at?" Henley snarled.

Lewis closed the door behind her, staring at Shaft with wide eyes. Shaft smiled and shook her head.

"Sit over there while Mommy and Daddy fight, Private. You'll be all right," Shaft smiled, pointing at the chair beside her desk. As Lewis sat down Shaft reached out and pressed a button on the speaker on her desk, putting her finger against her lip with a smile.

"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE A PUNCH IN  YOUR FUCKING MOUTH?" Lewis heard Stillwater roar through the intercom.

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOUR CRACKER ASS TRY, YOU FUCKING REDNECK!" Hammond yelled back.

"GET UP OFF YOUR FAT ASS AND LETS SEE WHO GOES TO FORMATION TOMORROW, YOU CHICKENSHIT WEASEL!" Stillwater bellowed back.

"Goddamn, hearing him like that makes me wet," The Asian woman at the desk by the window chuckled.

"Do you need to take a personal moment in the bathroom, Specialist?" Shaft asked.

The Asian woman smiled widely. "Maybe in bit."

Despite her fear, Lewis caught herself snickering with the rest of the Orderly Room clerks.