Garen and Kara had no difficulties finding the construction site/subdivision. It was just now being built and had yet to have any tenants, which was a big bonus. They found a way across some grass to get into the area. They didn’t want to attract any attention to their presence and, like the old nature saying, leave only footprints. Except they didn’t even want to do that. A spot towards the back was ideal, but not possible. They had to settle for one in the second row. The garage door wasn’t locked so they slid inside and pulled it shut. Once inside, they slid the crossbar, preventing it from being opened from the outside. This should give them enough warning of visitors. A quick sweep of the house showed it to be about 70% complete. The water was turned on but not the electricity. That was good all around.

A single cylume provided enough light in the garage for most of what they were going to do this evening. Kara claimed cooking duties since Garen had to clean his weapon and reset the gear. He also got the duty of pulling the fuses for the lights on both bikes. Their initial run would be in the dark of night using their night vision goggles. This would help reduce the chance of them being seen and or tracked to virtually nothing. The bikes were quiet, the bikes were also dark gray and the bags strapped onto them as well as their own clothes were a mix of earth tones. There was a quarter moon out that would provide enough illumination for their goggles to work.

Garen hadn’t paid attention to what Kara was cooking until he smelled it. It was a familiar smell, from back through time. One of the favorite meals he had during a trip to Bosnia when they were working with the Brits was a version of a Loco Moco with Spam instead of hamburger that one of the Warrant Officers kept making when they were in the field. It got him and the rest of the team hooked on it. It had enough energy and calories to carry most of the day, after you woke up from the food coma. He hadn’t thought of this version in years. She was frying up the Spam in a frying pan she had brought from the convenience store set over a couple cans of Sterno. Next to it was a thing of rice, a half carton of eggs, bottle of hot sauce, and a jar of brown gray.

The aroma set off his hunger, and his stomach answered with lots of noise and growling. Kara chuckled at hearing it. The room was quiet except for the sizzling in the pan, and an occasional metallic click or clack, so the growling sound was quite evident.

The rice and meat were dished into two plastic bowels, followed by three fried eggs with still runny yokes, topped with hot sauce, the whole thing smothered in the brown gravy. This meal would stick with them most of tomorrow. Also, by eating just before they went to sleep, they would boost their core temp as their body processed the food.

They sat and talked a little as they ate, Garen trying to keep it light, and Kara getting deep and philosophical.

Garen pointed a spoon at Kara, a serious expression on his face. “You better have brought an alarm clock, otherwise, feeding me this, we won’t be leaving till noon!”

“Don’t worry, the cell phone will take care of that. Besides, I know it might be the only way to get you some sleep after this evenings activities.”

“It’s not what I wanted to go back to.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry about? You didn’t go in and shoot the clerk.”

“I know, but if I wasn’t so focused on peeing, I might have gotten into the fray earlier and no one would have been shot. Instead, I blundered along and you had to kill two people.”

“You were where you needed to be to make sure both you and I made it out without any holes in us. Those punks were up to no good, and you said yourself they were going to do much more to Angelique than a hole in the leg.”

“Yeah, but to quote one of your recent favorite movie characters ‘I got red in my ledger’”

“Speaking of red-heads, I’m glad Allyson made it. What do you think of her?”

“I think she has skills and heart, but it will be a rough transition to make from being a cop to thinking like downrange. She would have tried to arrest those guys tonight.”

“I agree, but maybe that isn’t too bad of a thing. We don’t know how badly for how long this is going to be. It might be just a couple of months and such like Katrina or Sandy.”

“I don’t know, but I have a really bad feeling it is going to get real bad for a long time, as in recovery not possible as we know it.”

“Are you thinking 10 to 20 years like Bosnia?”

“No, I’m thinking Somalia.”

“I hope not. Let’s get back to cheerier thoughts, so what else do you think about Allyson? Do you think she is a real red-head?”

“You have a one track mind. If I didn’t know better, and that you were beyond happily married, I would think you were shopping for a girlfriend.”

“My wife knows how to use a knife far too well for me to ever think of it. Besides, it’s just one of those things. I would rather look at pretty girls than old sweaty guys, all day long, every day of the week. And you didn’t answer my question; do you think she is a real red head or bottle born?”

“Alright, I’ll play. She’s a real red head.”

“You think, or you know?”

“I know. She isn’t enough of a primp and polish to go to the extent of dyeing both ends of the ‘push-me, pull-me’ to match, her eyes and eyebrows also match up.”

“Oh really? And you know this how?”

“Locker room and showers at work. She’s built nice. She actually has curves, not like me.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. Your body is great. I know, I’ve seen it.”

“Right! The most curves I have are my biceps. Bony hips and a chest size rated like good eggs at the supermarket do not an appealing shape make. No woman in her late 30’s should have to go to the girls dept. to buy training bras because that’s the only place you can find them that fit! Hell, my nipples get hard, I double my cup size. And they aren’t that big.”

“I think you are too hard on yourself.”

“At least I have come to accept it. I’ve had a few partners try to talk me into getting a boob job. That didn’t end well. I’ve done so many things to my body and with my body trying to get people to like me or be attractive for them. That was one of the things about Christian. He loved me for me. He didn’t see me as something that needed to be modified to become liked.” At this, she seemed to fold in on herself and grow silent.

“Kara, Bekka and I have told you a thousand time, you are beautiful and need to stop looking at some imaginary template for what pretty is.”

“Yeah, a skeleton covered in scarred jerky”

“Not at all. You need to see you through our eyes, not how you think everyone sees you.” He stood up, setting aside his plate, and pulled her to her feet. Their embrace lasted until her sobs subsided. When she finally settled down, Garen sat across from her again and looked at her again across the dish in his hands.

“So, you have been checking Allyson out in the shower, huh?”

“Garen, you have a one track mind…and yes.” She blushed.

“I knew it!”

“Well what do you expect, a fiery Irish red head. Now if I could teach her to speak in that soft brogue, it would compound the catnip effect.”

“Well, she isn’t married. And she DID play softball….”

“That is a stereotype! Besides, I didn’t get any vibe or her checking me out in the locker room. Besides, I don’t know if I would feel right anymore being with someone else. After you guys came and got me, I put most of those sort of things behind me. I don’t want to backslide and become what I was after I got out.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. You are here with us. Bekka and I will keep you squared away. I’m not saying you should capture her and turn her into your love slave. All I’m saying is you can find her attractive without feeling bad or that you are betraying anything.”

“You think you are being funny, but I did that for a while.”

“What?”

“Love Slave.”

“Really?

“Yeah, I did a lot of things, just trying to feel something again. Hell, anything again.”

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry for bringing all of this up. I was trying to just be distracting, and now we are down the rabbit hole.”

“Speaking of rabbit holes, I dressed up as a Slutty Alice in Wonderland one time”

“Now you are just messing with me.”

“Yes and no, it was before I came into the military”

“Kara, I’m sorry for all the horrible things that have happened to you, but they made you the wonderful person you are now. We should get some rest, 0200 comes early. I’ll be back down in a moment. I’ m going up to do my E.T. thing.”

“I’ll wait here.” After Garen left the room, Kara wiped her tears and dirt from her face with her ranger rag, She then cleared her mind and thought of Christian. She wanted to know what he thought. She wished she could talk with him. She already knew Garen and Bekka’s opinion but she needed to know herself. She repeated her vow in her head.

“I will be without fear in the face of my enemies

I will stand brave and upright that the Lord may love me

I will speak the truth always even if it means my death

I will protect the helpless and do no wrong”

Garen went to the second floor of the house to call Bekka on the radio, and to give Kara a chance to compose herself. On the radio, he told Bekka that they should be there by dark tomorrow. When he got back to the garage, Kara was curled in her blanket, her pack for a pillow. He covered the cylume with its wrapper except for the very end and lay down for some needed sleep.