Protocol 1337 (9 page)

“A nap sounds really good, now that you mention it.” Cox stumbles like a zombie over to his desk. He hesitates for a moment, and then passes out in a coma for several hours. He snores like a freight train, but I don’t want to wake him. Poor guy is working himself to death. I have never been that dedicated to anything in my life, and I can't understand why he would do it. Shortly after six, I poke him with a stick.

“Hey, DOC!” I yell.

“I’m up, What time is it?” cox replies.

“Dude, it is seven pm and I am starving. Let's get out of here.” I reply. Doc was resistive at first, but I could hear his stomach growling. The mess hall was long closed down so we hopped in his car and headed off base.

“Where are we heading doc?” I ask.

“Spearfish. That’s where my apartment is and I know a nice steakhouse there.” Cox replies. Steak, now that sounds like an excellent idea. We drive for about twenty minutes and pull into the parking lot of a western themed steakhouse. The green neon sign out front makes me giggle. Ringneck Roost, Biggest Cock in Town. The wording surrounds a large Ringneck pheasant, its wings animated to simulate flapping wings. The name is so cheesy I can't help but laugh out loud.

“What's so funny, Haus?” Cox asks.

“Nothing, just reminds me of a gay bar.” I reply.“The name is silly but the onion rings are all hand-made and the service is nice.” We walk inside and sit down in a booth near the bar. It is dimly lit inside. There is a candle burning in the middle of our table, and I am starting to wonder if Cox meant this to be a date. An attractive twenty something comes to take our order. “The house special with onion rings again tonight, Dr. Cox?”

“Skip the sides, just want the steak please.” I reply. Angela hops along to get our food ready. A minute later she comes back with my drinks. I slam one and motion her for another round. I slide one over to doc and wait for his reaction.

“I don’t drink, Haus.” Doc says.

“You do now. You are on the verge of the most important scientific discovery of all time. I think you deserve to get a little tipsy. You see all those hicks out there on the dance floor? Most are half drunk and dancing around like idiots. They will never go down in history like you, but they don’t care because tonight they are having fun.” I do my best to bring on the peer pressure.

It works perfectly, plenty of drinks, and hours later, Cox was out there dancing like an idiot with the rest. For once in his life, he looks like he is really enjoying life. Once he drops the scientist mentality, he comes off as very funny. He was even flirting with women. People were gathering around him to listen to his stories from his travels in other countries. The people, the different cultures, and, of course, the strange traditions they practice. Last call, brings our celebrations to an early halt.

We stagger out into the crisp night air, and I look down at my Dlink. It is close to two am, people are sliding into their vehicles to go sleep it off. Cox is rambling off some half-drunk nonsense when I hear the sound of moaning from the alley. I walk around the building towards the dumpster. I see a shadowy figure leaning up against it waving a bottle of whiskey. “Are you alright?” I ask.

“You don’t know....don’t judge me... *hic” A severely drunken female voice answers back. I have seen this before at parties and it's never a good sign. You always hear the horror stories of someone left behind that later drown in a puddle of their own vomit. I decide to investigate. I pull out my Zippo to get a better look. It's Commander Trixie! One thing is for certain, I need to get her back to base, hopefully, without anyone noticing. “Trixie, you need to get up. I will give you a ride home.” I say sternly.

“I don’t need your help...Oh wait... maybe I do. Here hold this, I need to piss.” She replies. Trixie stumbles up to her feet, takes two drunken steps, pauses, then vomits all over my boots. I throw the bottle of whiskey into the dumpster. Trixie lunges forward and I scoop down to catch her. I lift her back up to her feet, and I realize how differently she looks in civilian clothing.

She looks to be in her late forties, with long brown hair, brown eyes, and large lips. She has a few freckles dotted across her face, and the subtle appearance of wrinkles starting to form. “Aren’t you just a knight in shining armor!” Trixie says with slurred speech.

“Hey doc! I need your help over here.” I yell. Cox rushes over to me and lends me a hand to support Trixie.

“Good god, where did you find her?” Cox asks.

“Leaning next to the dumpster, and watch out for the puke pile there.” I reply. Cox tries to tell me she needs to go to a hospital, but I convince him she will be fine, just needs to sleep it off. I will take her back to the base driving her Jeep, and see to it that she finds her bed safe. He helps me load her into the Jeep and now to find her keys. I try to wake her, but it's no use, she's out cold. I slip into the driver's seat and check the visor. Sure enough, one set of keys and we are one step closer to getting out of here.

“Are you coming, doctor?” A female voice yells from the passenger window of Cox's car.

“Is that Angela?” I ask. Cox shoots me a million dollar smile. I start the engine of the Jeep and close the door. I yell to Cox to have a good time as he walks away. The drive back to the base went surprisingly well, and I was even surprised I made it back without getting lost. As I approach the guard gates, I realize I don’t have a cover story. The guard isn’t going to recognize me, but he will recognize her. I need a plan, and I need it fast.

I roll down the window of the jeep, and the guard leans in to inspect. The smell of booze almost overwhelmed the guard as he shields his nose. Right as the guard goes to ask for my ID, Trixie jumps up and projectile vomits in my lap. The guard steps back and covers his mouth with his clipboard.

“Just get her the hell out of here!” He lifts the gate and waves us on through. I park the jeep in her parking spot and go to the passenger door. Trixie's last vomit seems to have sobered her up a bit, and she is able to walk into her apartment with a little support from me. I ease her down onto the floor and grab a trash can for her.

“I am so sorry. I don’t usually drink like this.” She says.

“Hey, It's OK, we have all been there.” I reply.

“No, it's not just that. It's my daughter's birthday today and it just so happens she died on the same day as well.” Trixie starts to cry.

“Hey there, I am so sorry to hear that.” I say as I wrap an arm around her for a hug.

“On top of all that, you are nice enough to help me, and what do I do? I puke all over you for being nice.” Trixie squeezes out the words in between sobs. I can't even imagine what she is going through. I want to ask more about how her daughter died, but I think that might just upset her more.

“I have been so lonely all these years. My daughter was all I had left. I lost my husband many years ago. Once she died, I have been so empty inside.” Trixie says.

“It will get better, time heals, it just takes a while. Do you mind if I use your shower to clean myself up?” I ask as I remove my shirt.

“Go right ahead, it's the least I can do. I like your necklace... I gave one just like that to my daughter.” She says as she bursts back into tears. I head off to the bathroom and get out of my vomit covered clothes. The hot water feels great as I scrub the filth from my body. I lean my head against the wall and just let the water run down my back. I feel a cold set of nipples press up against my back. A set of cold hands rests on my shoulders, and I hear the voice of Trixie whisper into my ear. “The worst part about life is that women hit their peak later in life, men have already hit it earlier in their prime. Sounds kinda mismatched to me....”

I have my boots on but untied. One hand is holding a plastic sack containing my clothes, and the other hand is holding a towel over my naked body. I am ducking in and out of the shadows of the base doing my best not to be seen. I can't help but try to justify the crazy events of this night. Maybe it was the booze or maybe the situation was out of control to start with. I slam the door behind me. Grab a first aid kit from the shelf and start putting salve onto the bleeding scratch marks. I hit my Dlink and dial up Reese.

“What's the good word, Haus?” Reese says.

“Nothing new to report today, sir.” I say.

“Well, no news is often good news. You missed out on a party tonight. Rednek made up some crazy Cajun dish for Eve's birthday. It smelt terrible, but it was actually edible. I already told her you said happy birthday. I figured I would cover for you.” Reese says.

“Reese, I know it's frowned upon, but can I ask what Eve's mom's name is?” I ask.

“Trixie Evans. Why would you ask that?” Reese asks.

“No reason sir, call it morbid curiosity if you want. Anyhow good night sir.” I reply. I disconnect my Dlink and fall onto my bed. I wonder what I did in my former life? I must have been a serial killer, or worse a member of congress. That’s the only way I can understand this level of Karma. Every time something starts to go right, I find a way to screw it up. How can I ever look Eve in the eye? How can I even start to apologize? Wait a minute, who said anything about telling her. She's technically dead, and her mother would have no way to tell her. As long as there were no witnesses, I can toss this skeleton into my closet and move on.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Up A Creek

The morning comes fast and I drag my exhausted self to Cox's office. I grab some coffee along the way and then open the door. I see doc is already busy for the day, dressed in his white lab coat, and safety glasses. He is wearing a green turtle neck sweater underneath his lab coat. I walk over to him and peel the neck of it back. A few dark purple marks adorn his neck. “Looks like both of us had an interesting night.” I say.

Cox's face turns bright red in embarrassment. He tries to play it off by pretending to work faster. I chuckle a little and give myself an imaginary pat on the back. Operation Nerd Outreach was a true success. The phone rings and Cox answers it. “Haus, General Stratton wants to see you in his office.”

I walk across the base giving a wink to Shirley to let her know I am here. I sit down outside the Generals office and think to myself what this might be about. I know darn good and well what it is about. Someone saw me last night, and I am about to get a one way ticket out of here. General Stratton opens his door and invites me inside. As he closes the door behind him, he motions for me to take a seat.

“I’m going to get right to the point. We both know why you are here. It goes without saying that the military doesn’t take kindly to soldiers who engage in dangerous behavior.” Stratton explains. As the sweat begins to bead up on my forehead, I digest each word that comes out of his moth. I shift around in my chair nervously and wish he would just get on with it.

“You sure did a hell of a job last night. Luckily for Trixie, you happen to find her. Just imagine what would have happened had she tried to drive home. The town isn’t very happy to have us in town and a DUI by a commanding officer would have created a PR nightmare for me. I would like to personally thank you, soldier, for a job well done. Then again, from the breeding stock you come from, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Stratton says as he offers a congratulatory handshake.

“Yes, I am afraid he passed away quite a few years ago. Reese sent me your file before you transferred, and, I gotta admit, I didn’t read it till this morning. You showed some real character last night so I decided to read into you. Your dad fought with Reese back in Nam, and they were good buds if I recall correctly. You feeling alright son?” Stratton asks.

The whole world starts spinning and then everything goes black. My brain drifts in a sleep like fog, ideas race around my head like small streaking wisps of color. Each little thought prancing around, stopping every so often, and then bursting forward into the darkness. I see myself naked and sitting in a fetal position. I am in an endless darkness and everything is alien to me. A small orb of light flies just inches from my face and I can see Eve's face. The smokey image is hazy and slightly blurred. My eyes focus on the ghostly images, and I feel that my heart is not beating. I reach out for her, and she vanishes into the dark air.

My head falls down into my knees, and I begin to cry. I can hear my mother's voice talking to a very young me. I look up to see a memory from my childhood. It is like watching an old family movie just in black and white. “We have been through this before, Antone. I know he its hard on you, but you need to understand that your father left us. He isn’t going to come back no matter how much you want him to.” Mother says.

More tears well up in my eyes, and I watch the images disappear again. Each painful memory spends their time with me, and each time I am reminded of how little value my life has. Everything one holds dear in their life has been taken from me. My father, the few friends I lost too soon, my mother, my former life of freedom, and now, the love I have for Eve, can't be. For once, I felt like I had something to live for and now it has been sidelined. I lost all of that and gained a sister. Reese knew, and never bothered to tell me. What other secrets is he holding back?