Log Base Delta
Sarajevo International Airport
Sarajevo, Bosnia (Contested Zone)
10 June, 1992
0300 Hours Local - Wednesday
Operation Shield Strike - Day 13
CW2 Cromwell, Heather - 15th FSB, Task Force Hatchet
A tap on the wall of my GP small woke me up, my hand wrapped around the grip of my M-3 before I was even all the way awake. I rolled out of my sleeping bag, sitting up in my cot. I was wearing panties and a T-shirt, no bra or socks. I pulled my sunglasses on, yawning.
"Enter," I said, still yawning.
PFC West pushed his way in, looking around with his NVG's on. "You need to come to the gate, ma'am, there's a problem."
"Isn't there always," I yawned, rubbing my eyes with my fingertips. I reached down afterward and pulled my socks out of my boots, where I'd tucked them to keep rats or spider or Democrats from hiding in my boots.
"This one's name is Stillwater," West said.
I looked up, still pulling on my socks. "Told you he was alive," I smiled. I stood up, grabbing my pants from where they were hanging. West nodded silently, his eyes moving to my crotch for a moment.
That was OK, he'd always checked out my crotch whenever I was naked or changing. It wasn't anything new, he never tried anything, it just looked like a natural response he had.
I pulled my pants on, then grabbed my top.
"Yeah, he's alive, but there's a problem," West told me.
"Amplify," I said, buttoning my top.
"He's on the radio, close enough that we're picking up his headset. He sounds like a crazy person. Says he'll only talk to you," West told me. I pulled on and closed my Kevlar right before I buckled my LBE as he continued. "He's pretty pissed off, from the sound of it. Kept asking what we know. He wants to know where the rest of Viper is."
"Any idea why?" I asked.
"He's coughing a lot. Not sure why," He said.
crap
"He's infected," I told West, picking up my helmet and M-3. I hung my Kevlar helmet off my canteen and looked at him. "Let's go see what's up."
I followed him out into the darkness. Well, darkness to him, with the light pollution from the city, it was brightly lit to me. People were hustling around but I could tell that it was all with a purpose. No panic, no wasted movement, just work.
We moved into the TOC, where Colonel Krait, Captain Arthur, Captain Hiddle, and Captain Jane were all sitting.
"Chief Cromwell," Colonel Krait nodded. "It appears that presumption of Staff Sergeant Stillwater's death was premature."
I chuckled. "I've told people, unless you have a body and it's laid in state for three days, he ain't dead."
"Seeker-Seven-Actual, this is Echo-Five-Actual," Came Stillwater's voice. He coughed several times during his transmission. "Did you know, Seeker? Did you know?"
"He sounds bad," Captain Arthur said as I moved up and picked up the mic.
"Echo-Five-Actual, this is Lima-Six-Actual, do you read, over?" I keyed the mic.
"Lima-Six-Actual, this is Echo-Five-Actual, I read you. Did you know, over?" Stillwater asked.
"Know what, Echo? Over." I asked.
"Did you know Viper's mission, Lima? Over," Stillwater coughed.
"What are you talking about, Echo? Over," I asked.
"Goddamn it, Cromwell, did you fucking know?" Stillwater barked. "Last time: Did. You. Fucking. Know?"
"No, Echo, I didn't, over," I said, keeping my voice calm. "Where are you? over."
"No. No. I'm not sure if I should come in, over," Stillwater coughed. "Christ, I'm burning up, Lima. Guts are twisting."
"I'll arrange pickup, Echo, personally, over," I said.
Stillwater coughed again for a moment. When he spoke again his voice was pained. "You, Captain Arthur, Sergeant Trunez from Alpha. That's it."
I waited a moment. "Where are you, Echo? over," I asked.
"Ten blocks due south of your south gate, three blocks west. Blue electronics store with Russian writing," Stillwater said, coughing. "Jesus, I'm fucking burning up," he coughed more. "I think my left leg's infected. Can barely walk."
I frowned, staring at the mic.
"Coughing up blood and phlegm, Lima," Stillwater was still saying. "Goddamn it, wish I'd stayed with Belinda instead of volunteering for this shit. Nice to find a woman taller than me."
"Echo, give me a symptom," I started when he began coughing again.
Squealing broke across the channel before it went dead.
"All Seeker elements, hold position," A voice came across the channel. "Switch to frequency India."
"Move," the PFC next to me said. I moved and they changed the channel, entering in the proper cryptography code.
"This is Seeker-Seven, radio check, over," The PFC said.
"Seeker-Seven elements," the radio said. "Hold position. Do not leave perimeter. Recall all patrols. Out."
I leaned back in the chair, looking over at Captain Arthur and Colonel Krait.
"Anything about this stink to anyone else?" Captain Arthur asked.
I nodded. "Stinks to high hell," I told him. I waved in the general direction of the isolation tent. "Notice they pulled all of Viper but Peel back to the Saratoga for isolation?" The other three soldiers nodded. "They recovered everyone but Stillwater and one other person."
"What do we know about that other person?" Colonel Krait asked me.
I shrugged. "Don't know. I think I'm going to go talk to Peel. See if she knows anything."
"Be careful, she's still unstable," Captain Arthur said. "She's still highly aggressive."
"Still has BZ in her system," I said, moving to the tent door. "It's OK. Her and I, we get along well."
I pushed out the tent door and headed to the isolation tent. The two Marine guards nodded to me right before I went inside.
Peel, Kidman, Donovan, and Cherry were sitting inside. Everyone was asleep but Peel, who waved at me with one hand. She was naked, her scrubs tossed on the floor, her other hand busy between her legs.
"Hi!" She squeaked. She looked down. "Oops. That's kind of rude. I should stop."
"You don't have to, as long as you talk to me," I told her, grabbing a chair and sitting down. "Momma needs to ask you a question."
She smiled, one hand still rubbing her crotch, her fingers busy.
"Was there anyone but the JSOC guys with you?" I asked her. She nodded. "Who, baby?"
Peel leaned back, rolling her hips forward to give herself better access. "Heard one of them talking, Momma," she moaned, her fingers busy. "Two of them weren't like us. Didn't move right. Didn't run right. They were slow. Ran slooooooow -oh that's nice- slooow slooow slooow."
"What else, baby?" I asked, waiting till she stopped shuddering.
"Stillwater didn't like them. Told me not to trust them," she giggled then moaned as her fingers started squirming again. "Told me tell you something if you ever asked, Momma," she giggled for a moment then moaned again. "Stillwater gave me secrets, Momma. Put some in my butt, wrote some on my back, whispered the rest in my ear while he gave me BZ."
She shivered again and I waited for her orgasm to subside.
"Tell Momma the secret he whispered in your ear, baby," I said gently, moving forward and putting my hand on the plastic wall. "Momma wants to hear the secret."
Peel stared at me, fingers inside herself, other hand cupping one of her breasts so she could pinch her nipple. Her fingers were still as she stared at me.
"Who am I, Momma?" She asked.
"Peel. The Winter Queen," I smiled.
She nodded, her fingers moving again. "I'm hot, Momma. My skin's hot. Tingles. I tingle inside."
"It's the influenza, the vaccinations, and the BZ, sweety," I told her.
"Stillwater told me a secret. Whispered it in my head through my ear," She giggled. "Gave me a code word, Momma. Told me it was a cold secret, one of ice and snow, dark and hate. Said you'd know the answer to my riddle, Momma. Said only you'd know the answer."
I nodded. "Tell Momma the riddle."
She moved her hands in front of her, waving them around. "He said: it was dark and cold in the barracks, someone let the winter in, and with it came something. Left ice and cold in you and him. Big smile and claws," Peel leaned forward. "Name him, Momma. Name him and I'll tell you the secret he put in my head."
She giggled as I stared, feeling goosebumps rise up on my skin. "Tandy."
Peel nodded. She hopped off the table, moving up to the glass, putting her open hand against mine, separated only by a quarter inch of coated Lexan. "He said the secret comes after the axe. That's who the two who didn't fit were. After the axe."
I inhaled sharply. "Lugus stab their eyes," I snarled.
Peel turned away. "I let him put secrets in me, Momma. Told him to do it. Nobody would look at me but you. Told him that," She suddenly turned around and faced me, her eyes wild, foam at the corners of her mouth, "His red eye, Momma. It doesn't sleep. When he found out the secret, he took off his eyepatch. His red eye doesn't sleep, Momma."
"I know, baby," I told her. "I've seen it," I smiled at her. "I've gotta go, sweety."
"I know, Momma," she said.
As I left the tent she shouted. "I love you, Mommy!"
I know you do, baby. Momma's sorry.
I'd remade her in my image. She'd been as shiny and bright as a new penny when they had given her to me.
And I broke her.
The two Marines watched as I went by them, heading back to the TOC.
I was looking right at it when it happened.
A mushroom cloud, small, red. The bright flash made my eyes water, and I instinctively counted the seconds.
One one thou-
The boom rolled over us.
tactical weapon - subkiloton range - air to surface - estimated NEW 4.5 tons
I moved and headed right for the communications tent, hustling as I moved.
I'd almost reached the tent when the Marines and members of 15th came streaming out of the tents, yelling and running to the edges of the compound. I ran for the commo tent as Hamilton ran by, carrying the M-240 with him.
The explosion had sent everyone out on stand-to. This might be the time one side or the other might make a push on us. We were unpopular to put it mildly.
I barged into the tent, looking at PFC Carter. I jerked a thumb behind me. "You, get out," I snapped. "Tell the Marines to move five paces away, don't let anyone within five paces of the tent," I told him.
Carter nodded, moving out of the tent. I counted ten second and looked at the three men left.
"What's going on, Chief?" Colonel Krait asked mildly.
"We're in trouble," I told him, plain and simple. I stared at them. "Stillwater left a message with Peel. Made her memorize it. Gave her a code."
Colonel Krait gave me an odd look. "A code?"
I nodded. "I know, it sounds stupid, but with what's going on? What I think just happened? I don't think I blame him," I told them. Outside we could still hear people yelling as they went to stand-to, manning the perimeter.
"What do you think is going on?" Captain Arthur asked.
My hands nervously went to my M-3 as I looked around, as if someone might be hiding in the tent. Stupid, I know, but those nervous reflexes had saved my life before.
"Task Force Hatchet declared Stillwater missing and presumed dead," I told them. "They stopped doing SAR over a week ago. Now Stillwater tells us his location, Saratoga shuts down our commo and has us change channels, and twenty minutes later a building in that location suddenly explodes?"
"Could have been a bombing," Captain Jane said.
I shook my head. "Yeah. Just a coincidence, I'm sure."
"Do you think someone tried to kill Stillwater?" Colonel Krait asked. "Why?"
"Because Stillwater knows something. Got into something. I don't know," I said. I looked around "I'm pretty something bad happened. Stillwater gave Peel information that changes this whole thing."
"Is PFC Peel trustworthy?" Colonel Krait asked.
I nodded. "She's suffering from BZ exposure, multiple vaccinations, and a weaponized influenza infection," I told him. "Once I gave Peel the proper response to her challenge she was a lot more talkative."
"She seems to have an odd attachment to you," Colonel Krait mused.
I shrugged. "BZ produces an altered mental state. That's not the issue, the issue is the information that Peel gave me."
"And what is that, Chief?" Captain Hiddle said, his voice half-sneering.
I opened my mouth to tell him when I heard it.
Whistling.
"INCOMING!" I yelled out. I heard other people pick it up.
There were sharp cracks in the air. My brain told me sixteen. Bursting charges. Electrical fuses from the rippling sound. Barely audible, but my brain picked them up immediately. I couldn't be sure. Four separate detonations of four each, separated by almost a full second in between.
FASCAM or something worse?
That's when I heard the ripple cracks. Bomblets. Fifty meters up.
shit shit shit
Eyes shut. Hold my breath. My mask came out of my carrier before the rippling had even finished, going over my head and fitting into place perfectly. I yanked the straps at the back of my head, put my palms over the exhalation filters. Exhale sharply, clear the mask.
"GAS GAS GAS!" I shouted.
Nobody else even had their masks on.
"GAS GAS GAS!" I shouted again, bursting out of the tent and looking up. It was dark but I could see clearly. Nothing visible.
Chemical alarms, that I'd insisted be put up, began howling.
"GAS GAS GAS!" The cries began to pick up.
I gritted my teeth, staring at the hills in the distance.
I didn't know how it was done, but I knew who had done it.
Peel's riddle had told me exactly who.
I checked my gear, turning on the detector and holding it out to get a good reading. After a minute it chirped and I looked at the digital readout.
Blister agent.
I know knew what.
It was goddamn obvious, and standing in the darkness, watching everyone move around, masking up, putting on their MOPP4 suits, I knew why.
It was so obvious.