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Poker Night Keeper: Doug Iannelli Saturday, December 20th, 1997. 1730 hours . . . |
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| Galloway: | “What the hell are you talking about?” |
| Keeper: | You stand, clad only in a towel. The hazy condensation that pervades the lavatory dissipates in the whirring action of the ventilator turned on by Marlon during one of his multiple trips into and out of the bathroom. Returning with your boots and a pair of socks and underwear, he notices that you are nowhere near ready. |
| Boudreaux: | “Never mind . . . just something I heard about. Lets go eat!” |
| Galloway: | “Well then, hurry it up!” |
| Boudreaux: | “I’m hurryin’, I’m hurryin’ . . .” |
| Keeper: | Quickly applying deodorant, you throw on the fresh uniform and, with still-damp hair, don your parka and gloves. Marlon waits for you near the front door. |
| Boudreaux: | “Sorry, Marlon. I’m ready.” |
| Keeper: | Following Galloway outside, you find that darkness has already begun to settle over the Station. Silhouetted against the dusk of the setting sun, the San Juans appear as if they are a huge black tidal wave looming on the western horizon. Nearer and to the east, the craggy Sangres jut forth above the pale Sand Dunes, only their highest peaks still touched by the light of the fading day. The valley about you is bathed in a premature nightfall, sandwiched as it is between these two great tendrils of the southern Rockies. The Cut-V is parked out front, lights on and motor running. With a last gesture to pick up the pace, Marlon climbs inside. |
| Boudreaux: | “Ah. What a night.” |
| Keeper: | Thankful for Marlon’s forethought in leaving the engine idling and the heater on, you get in. The sudden re-warming of your ears stings momentarily, but the chill from your wet head is alleviated. With a quick U-turn, Marlon drives you both over to the Exchange and parks in the small alley between it and the CQ. |
| Boudreaux: | “It’s going to be a bad night for those guys on guard duty.” |
| Galloway: | “Oh well. You win some, you lose some . . .” |
| Keeper: | Passing the parked van, you note that the two guards have already brought their nightvision apparatus down, obscuring the eye slots in their balaclavas that were, a short while ago, the only concrete indicators of their humanity. |
| Boudreaux: | “You oughta flash em’ your high beams - give em’ something to see with those goggles.” |
| Galloway: | (seriously) “Let’s not push our luck, Chance . . .” |
| Boudreaux: | “Relax, Marlon.” |
| Keeper: | Except for the amber-hued streetlights and the illumination at the North Gate (which is on a timer system), only the luminance carving onto Comstock from the windows of the Exchange and CQ and the single halogen bulbs mounted near their respective doorsteps stand out in the growing darkness. |
| Keeper: | Entering the sanctuary of the small Exchange, you find most of the men already eating. The air is thick with the aroma of garlic and, in the corner, Dan Rather recounts the national news on the large screen TV. Removing his jacket, Marlon hangs in on a peg near the door and immediately moves to the serving line to fill a plate. |
| Boudreaux: | I follow his example. |
| Keeper: | Tailing Galloway to the food, you glance around the dining area. Everyone is present and clustered around several small tables near the television, with the exception of Spacek, Fuller, and the CO. Filling your plate with a mound of pasta and sauce, you grab a few pieces of garlic bread before moving behind Marlon to the beverage dispensers. |
| Keeper: | Full cup of coffee and tray, Galloway moves toward the crowd of dining men. |
| Boudreaux: | I grab a large glass of water and join him. |
| Keeper: | Taking a seat beside Marlon across from Pleasant and Doty, you enjoy the hot meal. There is little conversation among the others, most of whom are too busy ravaging their portions and rising to get seconds and thirds. Galloway, always uncomfortable in silence, calls out to Degrassi, a few tables down. |
| Galloway: | “Hey, Degrassi. How’s the pasta, paisan?” |
| Keeper: | Twirling a mouthful of spaghetti onto his fork with the aid of a spoon, the Italian Marine pops it in with an emotive expression of enjoyment. |
| Degrassi: | “Extreeeemly mediocre, LT.” |
| Keeper: | Everyone chuckles. |
| Boudreaux: | “Sure hits the spot, though!” |
| Keeper: | Galloway nods and looks at Doty across the table. As usual, the man is working on at least his third helping. Marlon smiles. |
| Galloway: | “I see Ronald isn’t complaining anymore.” |
| Boudreaux: | How does the mood of the men seem to be? |
| Keeper: | It’s a fairly normal Saturday night dinner with the exception of the men who are sullen over having to go out and stand watch during the poker game. |
| Boudreaux: | Understandable. |
| Keeper: | Upon filling their bellies, the men sit back and let it digest, watching TV for a while. Dan Rather introduces a segment concerning the growing impatience among citizens and community activists with federal and New York authorities attempting to track down a serial killer dubbed the “Subway Butcher”. Varied commentary rings out from the crowd, like “sick motherfucker” and “Hah! New Yawk? Dey’ll never catch dat bastard dere.” The door opens and Tauch enters, shaking off the cold. |
| Keeper: | He looks over the relaxing men for a moment before removing his parka. Then, without a word, he moves to the serving line and prepares a plate and a cup of coffee for himself. Carefully crossing the dining area with is tray; he takes his customary spot at the table in the corner. As the hour approaches 1815, the men begin rising to clean up. |
| Keeper: | Tradition holds that the cook, commissioned officers, and men assigned guard duty are exempt from KP duties so, handing your plates to the passing McDermott, you and Galloway remain seated as the clean-up takes place. Marlon eyes Tauch inconspicuously over his cup of coffee. |
| Galloway: | “CO still looks pissed.” |
| Boudreaux: | “Yeah. I noticed that. Not good. You ever seen him this mad before?” |
| Galloway: | (shrugging) “Nope.” |
| Keeper: | Marlon stands, looking about the room. |
| Galloway: | “I’ve got to make sure the guard detail get their weapons issued - it’s already dark out there. What’re your plans for keeping tabs on Fuller tonight?” |
| Boudreaux: | “Well, since we have some extra help on the guard detail tonight, I figured they could rotate shifts keeping an eye on him. They can call me if anything happens.” |
| Galloway: | “Sounds good. (to the rest of the collected men) Doty, Gonzo, Pavliska, Degrassi - let’s get the show on the road! Arms Room in five minutes! (to McDermott) Dave, get the keys from the CO and meet ‘em over there.” |
| Keeper: | The men emit a collective grumble, but do as they’re told. McDermott retrieves the keys that Tauch has slid to the edge of his table. |
| Galloway: | (to the remaining KP detail - Sparks and Pleasant) “You guys save a plate for Spacek. (to the guard detail) John and Vince, you’ve got the gate first shift; Gonzo, you’re rover - you can use my Cut-V; Doty, as soon as you’re issued-out, get over to the infirmary and relieve Spacek. I’ll figure out a rotation so each of you gets some rack time at the gate.” |
| Boudreaux: | “You need any help with that?” |
| Galloway: | “You got any special instructions for the guys keepin’ an eye on Fuller?” |
| Boudreaux: | “If Fuller makes any noises or anything ‘beeps’, just call me. I’ll be by to check on him periodically, so things should be fine.” |
| Galloway: | “Alright then, you all have your orders. Everyone should be squared away.” |
| Boudreaux: | “Good.” I get up and go over to the CO. |
| Keeper: | The guard detail dons their gear and files out the door behind McDermott. Marlon grabs one of the duty rosters and tears a piece of paper from it. Withdrawing a pen from his BDU blouse, he follows you over to Capt. Tauch. The CO, wiping his mouth with a napkin, looks up at your approach. |
| Boudreaux: | “How’s it going, Captain?” |
| Tauch: | (disinterested) “Fine, Boudreaux. Just fine.” |
| Keeper: | Galloway, standing next to you, places the piece of paper on the table and begins penning in duties to be covered and the personnel that will be assigned to them. |
| Galloway: | “You and Spacek want the whole night off? We’ve got the manpower to cover you.” |
| Boudreaux: | “Sure. But I’ll stop by and check on Fuller every few hours. His IV’ll need to be replaced and I’ll feel better if I look in on him occasionally. Actually, I’m on my way over there now. Anything you guys need me to do while I’m out?” |
| Keeper: | Nodding, Galloway designates four-hour rotations between gate duty, roving, and pulling watch at the MTF. Normally, the men working the gate alternate two-hour periods of sleep in the guard shacks. Although this would probably cause some raised eyebrows among the Navy’s upper echelons, it is a necessity if the staff at Liberty wants to avoid having to pull guard duty every other night, so no one really complains. |
| Galloway: | “Nope. I’ll post this at the gate.” |
| Tauch: | “Yeah, you can let me win a hand once in a while tonight.” |
| Boudreaux: | (laughing) “I’ll see what I can do, sir.” I come to attention and salute, then get geared up for the cold walk to the MTF. |
| Keeper: | Tauch smiles and returns the salute. With a cessation of clanking dishware, Pleasant and Sparks emerge from the kitchen. Pleasant retrieves the CO’s plate while Sparks plops down with a cup of coffee in front of the TV to await Baywatch. Galloway is already heading for the door when Gonzales peeks his head in. |
| Gonzales: | “I’m takin’ the Cut-V now, LT.” |
| Galloway: | “Yeah, alright. Be careful out there and don’t forget to check in at the gate once in a while.” |
| Keeper: | The private nods and disappears behind the closing door. As Galloway moves out, you follow, and bump into Spacek on the steps. |
| Spacek: | “Yo, Doc!” |
| Boudreaux: | “Hey, Spacek. How’s our patient?” |
| Spacek: | “Sleepin’ like a baby. (shivering and nodding for you let him inside) Getting cold as shit out here, doh. Doty’s wit ‘em now. Dat’s okay, right?” |
| Boudreaux: | (stepping aside) “Yeah, they’ll call if something happens. It’ll be alright.” |
| Keeper: | Spacek enters the Exchange and removes his coat, hanging it near the door, then moves to get his supper. Down the road, you see Galloway conversing with Pavliska and Degrassi at the gate. |
| Boudreaux: | How cold is it now? |
| Keeper: | Pushing mid- to low-20s. But it’s dry, no precipitation. |
| Boudreaux: | (thinking about the men on guard duty) “Damn! Better them than me!” Time to move on and check on Fuller. |
| Keeper: | The familiar walk is, as usual, uncomfortable yet uneventful. Moving down Comstock toward the dim light emitted from the streetlight at the corner in front of the MTF, you reach the old building. As you enter the reception area, you hear the redneck twang of Doty from down the hall. |
| Doty: | “Helloooo?” |
| Boudreaux: | “Just me, Doty. I though I’d check on Fuller and see if you had any questions.” |
| Doty: | “Oh. Okay. I’m down here with ‘em.” |
| Boudreaux: | I move down the hall to the emergency bays. |
| Keeper: | You find Doty parked in a chair near Fuller, more like a guard than a half-assed nurse. His rifle leans against the wall beside him. |
| Doty: | “He ain’t moved an inch since I got here and ain’t nothin’ beeped. I’m s’posed to just call yew if anythin’ happens, raight?” |
| Boudreaux: | “Yep, that’s about it. I’m not expecting any major changes in his condition, so you might want to make yourself comfortable.” |
| Doty: | “Nah, that’s okay, Doc. I don’t wanna fall asleep or nothin’ an’ not hear somethin’ if it happens. Thanks, though.” |
| Boudreaux: | I begin checking his fluids and dressing to see if either needs replacing. “There’s some books and magazines up front in the lobby. Trust me, if something happens, you’ll hear the alarms. They’re hard to ignore.” |
| Doty: | “Yeah. Okay. I think I got it.” |
| Keeper: | Both items look fine. Glancing at his chart on a nearby tray table, you see that Spacek changed the bag and dressing shortly before being relieved. |
| Boudreaux: | (under his breath) “Thatta boy . . .shaping up well. (to Doty) All right. Well, have yourself an uneventful night - and stay warm out there.” |
| Doty: | “Take it easy, Doc.” |
| Boudreaux: | With a nod, I leave the emergency bay and swing by my office to see if there’s anything I’ve forgotten to take care of. |
| Keeper: | Nothing jumps out as requiring your immediate attention. |
| Boudreaux: | What time does the poker game start again? And where? |
| Keeper: | 2000 hours, give or take a few minutes, at the Exchange. You’ve got about 45 minutes. |
| Boudreaux: | I’m going to head over to my quarters and have another look at the bathroom for a few minutes. I’m still a bit confused about that whole thing . . . |
| Keeper: | It’s a quick jaunt across the street to the darkened officer’s billet. |
| Boudreaux: | I quietly move through my domicile, seeing if anything unusual catches my attention. |
| Keeper: | It appears as if nothing’s amiss. The place looks the same as you remember leaving it, albeit a little messy what with the damp towel strewn on the bed and the pile of dirty laundry on the floor before one of the wall lockers. The large room is silent, save for the normal noises of the wind over the rickety structure. |
| Boudreaux: | I take the towel and move to hang it up in the bathroom, then take a look around in there, too. |
| Keeper: | (whispered) Are you doing all of this sans lighting? |
| Boudreaux: | (whispered) Sorry . . . no. I turn those on. I need all the help I can get in finding things, although it all seems to find me easy enough. |
| Keeper: | Flipping on the light switch to the washroom area, you peer inside with towel in hand. There is a faint dripping sound from within the dimly-lit shower stalls, but nothing overtly stands out as abnormal. |
| Boudreaux: | I look for a place to hang the towel and give the place a quick once-over. Something’s playing with my head and I don’t like it. |