18
“Squatch, this is Ripcord, what’s your twenty?”
“Echo Two, what’s up?”
“We got a little situation at the Birdhouse, think you could roll down here right quick?”
“On my way. Better not make me miss dinner though, Chef’s making frybread pizza tonight.”
“Aho, better bring Scrapyard with you too then.”
“Copy that, be there in five.”
“What do you think that was all about?” asked Jordan, as he lowered the volume of his walkie.
“Who the hell knows,” snickered Tiana. “Probably just another four-forty-one or something.”
“Or a four-twenty,” he supposed.
“Maybe that too. That whole rig’s a POS though, we gotta do something about it soon, before somebody gets hurt.”
“Since when did you start caring about getting hurt?”
“Not me, I’d be more worried about one of these weekend warriors busting their ass and suing us for not warning them that water is wet. I got no problem getting hurt, but if I do, it’s going to happen out there, not lollygagging around camp.”
“I feel ya,” he commiserated. “Looks like another vanful of part-timers pulling in up there, it’s your turn, itn’t?”
“Nice try. I did the last two, but I’ll come grab a load of wood in case they give you any trouble.”
“Ha, you know trouble’s my middle name.”
“Really? I thought it was Robert.”
“You better watch it, you sass me another eight or nine times and you’re gonna wish the fossils got ahold of you.”
“Yeah right,” she dismissed. “Who, you and the armies in your sleevies? Maybe you should go practice falling and bleeding, and I’ll be out there in a little while. Or better yet, how about you go do your job before I have to write you up.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he challenged, as he got up from his seat by the fire of the Echo One security post.
“I did just get a new push pencil I’ve been itching to use,” she emptily threatened, as she followed him to the gate.
“You know they make a cream for that, don’t you.”
“Shut up,” she commanded, as she hoped to have the last laugh on the matter.
“Probably even have some down at medical, I can buzz them on the radio if you want.” He shot her a self-satisfied smirk as he ignored the expression she returned, he’d definitely won that one, and without missing a beat he moved on to contestant number two. “Good evening folks, how’s everybody doing tonight?”
“Good,” they responded in triplicate.
“You guys haven’t been here before, have you?”
“Nope, been driving all day, real excited that we finally made it though.”
“And just in time for dinner, I hear we’re having frybread pizza tonight.”
“Sweet, that sounds amazing right about now. You got a spot we can park this thing?”
“Yeah man, just head down this road until you see two big army tents on the right. The first one’s the kitchen and the other’s the mess hall. You can park in that field back behind them.”
“Sounds good.”
“Now, I do have to let you fellas know that this camp doesn’t allow alcohol, drugs or firearms. You guys aren’t packing, are you?”
“No sir,” they complied. “Unless a boomerang counts.”
Jordan laughed, “Welcome to camp boys, now go get some dinner before it’s gone, I’ll be down there as soon as I get relieved.”
The unmarked van creeped down main street as the night watch speculated on their backstory.
“Infiltrators?”
“Probably.”
“Did you see the goob in the back?”
“I think he said something about a boomerang.”
“Fucking hippies.”