Texas Nights - Book 13 of the Damned of the 2/19th

Real World Opening

Room 275
15th FSB Barracks
Fort Hood, Texas
CONUS
Friday
27 September, 1991
0300

The knocking on my door woke me up, my hand sliding under my pillow even as I threw my legs to the side to swing up into the sitting position. The dream shattered, leaving behind the merry-go-round and my grammy's voice telling me that one is never too old to ride the merry-go-round.

I grabbed my sweat pants, pulling them on. I grabbed my green notebook with the Skilcraft pen hooked to it.

"Just a moment," I called out.

The knocking stopped.

I pulled on the shirt moving to the door, unlocking it and opening it.

SPC Quill, O-Neg, born 11 March 1972, Protestant, sickle-cell anemia ran in his family, looked at me, his face nervous.

"You have a weird call, Ma'am," He said. "Sounds like it's overseas."

I nodded, hurry down the hallway to the CQ Desk. The Assistant CQ, PV2 Walker, A-Pos, born 24 October 1971, allergic to sulpha, was holding out the phone.

"Chief Cromwell, Charlie Company, speaking in the clear," I snapped.

The phone warbled and hissed for a second.

"Real World CONUS Mass-Cal Incident Alert. Repeat, Real World CONUS Mass-Cal Incident Alert," The voice was female, clipped, professional. The kind of voice that would have gotten her hired as a telephone operator at one point. "Isolated desert location with limited support. Ionized radiation hazard. Radiation casualties. Assemble a team and report to West Fort Hood by zero-four-hundred. Repeat. Assemble a team and report to West Fort Hood Charlie Company, 2nd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment by zero-four-hundred."

"I have no trained personnel for radiation hazard," I snapped.

"Assemble a team for ionized radiation hazard and radiation casualties," The voice repeated. "Report by zero-four-hundred."

"I have no team, you bloodless Blackbriar bitch," I snapped.

"Report by zero-four-hundred, out."

The line went dead.

"Lugus stab their eyes," I snapped, slamming down the cradle. I turned to the desk, opening my green notebook and grabbing the pen. I jotted down six names and a few notes.

SPC Donovan
SPC Peel
SPC Kidman
PFC Neflim
PFC Michaels
PFC West
PFC Cherry
PV2 Gross
PVT Hamilton
Uniform: Full Battle Rattle, Desert BDU's if in possession, field jackets with liner, gloves with liners, cold weather cap and softcap, helmet
Equipment: rucksack with full deployment pack
Location: meet at Arms Room in 15m

I tore the page off and handed it the ACQ. "Go wake them up, tell them to follow this and hurry up. Don't make me come looking for them, they won't like it."

I turned to the CQ, "Call Captain Jane and tell her I'm opening the NBC Room and Secure Items Storage, wake up Harrison or Johnson, tell them I need the Arms Room opened and don't bother to wear more than just their PT's, this is time sensitive. Afterwards, call Battalion SDO and let them know I'm assembling a Rapid Deployment Team and to meet me at the Arms Room."

He nodded, turning to the phone. I hurried back to my room, opening my wall lockers and getting dressed. I pulled on a set of chocolate chip desert BDU's, grabbing my boonie hat and dropping the strap under my chin before pushing the hat so it sat at my neck. I grabbed two extra pairs of Ray-Bans, shoving one in my hip pocket and tucking the other into my rucksack. Grabbed the ruck and the desert camo cover for it, then strapped on my Kevlar vest and LBE.