Rat pushed himself up. He took the tried the helipad first, then the mess hall and flashlight, muttered something, and moved supply hootches, then they walked the entire down to the far end of the hootch. For privacy, six hundred meters of perimeter. the men had rigged up curtained walls around "Okay," Rat finally said. "We got a problem." their cots, small makeshift bedrooms, and in the dark Rat went quickly from room to room, using the flashlight to pluck out the faces. Eddie Diamond slept a hard deep sleep—the When he first told the story, Rat stopped others, too. To be sure, though, Rat checked there and looked at Mitchell Sanders for a time. once more, very carefully, then he reported "So what's your vote? Where was she?" back to Fossie. "The Greenies," Sanders said. "All accounted for. No extras." "Yeah?" "Eddie?" Sanders smiled. "No other option. That stuff "Darvon dreams." Rat switched off the about the Special Forces—how they used the flashlight and tried to think it out. "Maybe she place as a base of operations, how they'd glide just—I don't know—maybe she camped out in and out—all that had to be there for a tonight. Under the stars or something. You reason. That's how stories work, man." search the compound?" Rat thought about it, then shrugged. "Sure I did." "All right, sure, the Greenies. But it's not "Well, come on," Rat said. "One more time." what Fossie thought. She wasn't sleeping with Outside, a soft violet light was spreading out any of them. At least not exactly. I mean, in a across the eastern hillsides. Two or three ARVN way she was sleeping with all of them, more or soldiers had built their breakfast fires, but the less, except it wasn't sex or anything. They was place was mostly quiet and unmoving. They
Rat pushed himself up. He took the flashlight, muttered something, and moved down to the far end of the hootch. For privacy, the men had rigged up curtained walls around their cots, small makeshift bedrooms, and in the dark Rat went quickly from room to room, using the flashlight to pluck out the faces. Eddie Diamond slept a hard deep sleep—the others, too. To be sure, though, Rat checked once more, very carefully, then he reported back to Fossie. "All accounted for. No extras." "Eddie?" "Darvon dreams." Rat switched off the flashlight and tried to think it out. "Maybe she just—I don't know—maybe she camped out tonight. Under the stars or something. You search the compound?" "Sure I did." "Well, come on," Rat said. "One more time." Outside, a soft violet light was spreading out across the eastern hillsides. Two or three ARVN soldiers had built their breakfast fires, but the place was mostly quiet and unmoving. They tried the helipad first, then the mess hall and supply hootches, then they walked the entire six hundred meters of perimeter. "Okay," Rat finally said. "We got a problem." When he first told the story, Rat stopped there and looked at Mitchell Sanders for a time. "So what's your vote? Where was she?" "The Greenies," Sanders said. "Yeah?" Sanders smiled. "No other option. That stuff about the Special Forces—how they used the place as a base of operations, how they'd glide in and out—all that had to be there for a reason. That's how stories work, man." Rat thought about it, then shrugged. "All right, sure, the Greenies. But it's not what Fossie thought. She wasn't sleeping with any of them. At least not exactly. I mean, in a way she was sleeping with all of them, more or less, except it wasn't sex or anything. They was
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