Chapter 3

Traff saw Cade standing waist deep in water at the mouth of the tube and shot forward. 'What're ya waiting for soldier?' he yelled.

'My hands are numb. I can't get out' the blond whined as he held his hands up for help.

Two of the other guys took hold of him and pulled him from the hole as Traff yelled at him. 'Where's Curly?'

Cade flopped down onto the ground like a stranded fish. 'He was right behind me. I don't think he can swim too well. He's probably still back at the beginning of the pipe. Some loser he turned out to be'.

Traff looked back but couldn't see anybody still at the mouth to the tube. It didn't sound like his friend. So far as Traff was aware, the only thing Starsky was afraid of was heights, and even that fear didn't stop him tackling the obstacles on the course. He bent down by the murky pool and stared into its depths. He saw nothing and was about to stand up again when he caught sight of the flash of something shiny and metallic floating in the depths. Swiftly, he plunged his arm into the water, his fingers questing and grasping hold of some sodden material.

'Over here. Help needed' he grunted out loud as other hands snaked down into the water next to him. They hauled as if their lives depended on it and finally the sodden limp body of the brunet broke the surface. Traff heaved it out of the water and rolled Starsky over onto his back, noting the pale face and the waterlogged appearance, the brunet's lips and the area around his eyes having a blue tinge. He pushed his fingers against Starsky's neck feeling for a pulse but came up empty. Swiftly, he unbuckled the brunet's helmet and loosened his collar.

'Help me get him breathing' he muttered as Cade looked away. Alan Merryweather knelt by Traff's side. The younger man looked on in horror, but he swiftly shook himself and stooped down to help.

'Merry, you do the compressions an' I'll breathe ok?'

At a nod, they commenced the resuscitation, working hard over their fallen friend as the rest of the unit looked on, hushed. Despite the fact that they were all wet and cold, sweat started to drip into Traff's eyes as he concentrated on getting life back into the limp form before him. Even the simulated sound of the battle seemed to recede into the background as seven of the nine men in the unit concentrated on the drowned soldier, willing him to take another breath.

Curious at what was going on and wondering why the whole unit had come to a sudden halt, O'Malley trotted over to the group and bent down just as the two first aiders were commencing the third round of compressions. As Merry started to press down rhythmically on the brunet's chest again, Traff searched the young handsome face for signs of life, urging his friend to breathe. At last relief flooded through Traff's body as Starsky's eyes fluttered open and he coughed a mouthful of dirty tepid water out onto his uniform. He groaned and rolled onto his side, quietly vomiting the murky water out of his body as the drill sergeant looked around.

'What the hell happened here?' he thundered once he'd established that the young soldier would be ok. He watched as two of the soldiers helped Starsky to his feet and led him away to the hospital tent to be checked out fully.

Traff stood and looked directly at Cade. 'Yeah JC. What the hell happened?' he asked coldly.

The blond backed up but was quickly stopped by the rest of the men closing ranks.

'It wasn't my fault. He couldn't swim'

O'Malley stared at him in disbelief as the blond blustered on. 'He was right behind me. He said he couldn't do it. I tried to encourage him but he just froze. In the end I said I'd show him how it was done, and got into the water. I thought he was gonna follow me'.

'Well he did, but it looked to me like you weren't for letting him up' Traff spat out. 'An' he could swim just fine. You knew that. What's this all about JC? What's your little game huh?'

James Cade's face fell. He knew he's been rumbled and now the blood boiled in his veins. 'He deserved it' he shouted defensively. 'He deserved everything. He's always there, top of the class like some fucking machine. He needed someone to give him a shock – take him down a peg or two. He had it coming to him'.

'And you thought drowning him would be the answer wise guy? You could'a fuckin' killed him, an' what the hell's he ever done at you? You were the one who sabotaged his rifle. You were the one who played all those tricks on him' Without pause for thought about the consequences, Traff took one step closer, pulled his fist back and brought it crushing down onto the blond's jaw. Cade took a step back and Traff delivered another telling blow to his stomach, bending Cade over so that he gasped and lost his breakfast on the ground in front of him. Traff was warming to his task but as he wound himself up for another punch, his fist was caught from behind. O'Malley held it in a strong grasp.

'There's only so much I can overlook, son' he said gently. 'Go see to your man, then be back on the parade ground with the rest of the unit in an hour'.

'But what about him?' Traff ground out, looking at the gasping blond in front of him.

'He's my problem. Now go' O'Malley said.

oOo

An hour later, and against the advice of the medical officer, Starsky was back in the line up with his unit on the parade ground, as O'Malley had ordered. He was still pale and he wheezed some when he breathed, but once he'd learned that Cade had wilfully stopped him from surfacing, the brunet wanted to face the blond soldier and show him he wasn't afraid.

The unit fell in to attention, more comfortable now that they'd had chance to change out of the wet clothes and into snug dry uniforms. They stood shoulder to shoulder, proud to have lasted the course as O'Malley and the camp commandant, one Major Sharpe walked down their line, inspecting them. The surly drill sergeant had a half smile on his face. This was one unit he wouldn't forget in a hurry, and although he was proud of nine out of the ten men, he was also sorry that probably half of them would never make it back from Vietnam, such was the ferocity of the fighting.

The Commandant stood back and appraised the men, then muttered something to O'Malley. The drill sergeant nodded, smiled then ordered the men to fall out. He followed them back to the small barracks and waited till they'd all sat down expectantly.

'Despite you being the worst, most unprofessional, slovenly, sloppy unit I've ever had the misfortune to take through this training, I'm here to tell you that almost all of you have passed this training phase. Only two of you will be returning to normal duty at the end of today'.

The faces looked back at him expectantly and O'Malley felt a surge of pride at these young men who were ready, willing and able to go to a foreign land and put their lives on the line for their country.

'Stevenson'.

'Sir, yes sir' the young ginger headed man stood up at full attention, knocking over the chair in his rush.

'Stevenson, you will return to your previous unit. I think you realise that you didn't make the grade as a marksman. In fact I'd go so far as to say that you couldn't hit a barn door if you were sat on the hinges! I'll be having words with your CO about who put your name forward for this training. It was unfair of them to raise your expectations. But in every other area of training, you can be assured that you have passed with flying colours. Dismissed' He saluted the young soldier who nodded curtly and marched from the room, determined not to let his fellow soldiers see the tears in his eyes.

O'Malley continued. 'The other failure, and this time I use the term I its full glory is you Cade. Stand up when I address you!'

The blond man stood rigidly to attention, but he had a look of disbelief on his face as though the drill sergeant had called the wrong man.

'Never in all my years of training have I seen such an out and out display of cowardice and jealousy. If I had it in my power, I'd dismiss you from the Army right now. But that is not something open to me. Instead, you will report back to your previous unit where you will be placed in the stockade for 1 month while you contemplate your behaviour'.

Cade's face coloured to the shade of a tomato and he was about to challenge O'Malley, but then thought better of it. Instead he looked sullenly ahead.

'Dismissed soldier. The MPs are waiting for your outside'.

Cade jumped at the mention of the tough police, but turned smartly on his heel to leave. Finding that his way took him past Starsky, he paused, but then decided that he was more afraid of O'Malley than he was conscious of the brunet. As he marched in front of the young man, Starsky kept his eyes front and managed to keep the grin off his face.

The drill sergeant continued.

'For the rest of you, you have all passed this phase of the course and from now on, you will all carry the rank of SPC. You will behave in a manner which befits your new rank at work and also when you are off duty. You have one days R&R tomorrow before returning here for further instructions. You will be shipping out the day after tomorrow. Is that clear?'

The young men in front of him glowed with pride. 'Sir, yes sir' they chorused smartly.

'Stand at ease' the sergeant said almost affectionately. 'And rest. Now, get out of my sight before I change my mind and boot you all back to basic training!'

The unit reeled out into the open air where there was a general whoop of victory and much backslapping. They made their way back to the bunk house they'd been assigned for the night and picked their respective bunks.

'So what're we gonna do to celebrate?' Merry asked as they all lounged on their bunks relaxing. They were all sore, tired and sore some more. But each of them was full of pride at having made it through the course and come out the other side relatively unscathed

'Drink, get laid and drink some more' one of the others piped up.

'Well its um….its my birthday if we need any more reason to celebrate' Starsky said quietly. He'd never really been one to celebrate his birthday too much, but now he had the urge to spend time with his new friends. They'd been through a lot together and he was eternally grateful both to Merry and Traff for dragging him out of the water.

'Yeah? Well that's settled. Tomorrow night we're out on the town, if this place even has a town to go out on'