Rooster, Phoenix, and Hangman sat down in the mess of the USS George Washington. They were a day away from porting in Guam for a couple of weeks before heading back out to sea.
"I'm not saying that I don't like it here," said Rooster, "but I won't be unhappy to set foot on solid ground for a couple of days."
Hangman swallowed the forkful of meatloaf he had in his mouth.
"I agree. Besides, there's no real action going on at sea or in the air for the moment and I'm getting restless. I need the action man, I really do. I'm going soft."
Phoenix raised an interested brow. "OK and what kind of action do you plan on having in a Naval Base?"
"Who said it would be on base?" said Hangman with a side smile.
Rooster shook his head. "Well, if that's the kind of action you were looking for, no wonder you couldn't find it on this ship."
"Oh, come on Bradshaw, you're not going to tell me that you're not yearning for the same thing."
Rooster cocked his head to the side and smiled a bit.
Phoenix raised her eyes up to the ceiling and rolled them. "You two are incorrigible."
"He's incorrigible, I'm irresistible," replied Hangman beaming.
"Why do I even sit with you guys?"
"Because we say exactly what is going around in that mind of yours that you won't admit out loud."
Natasha nudged Jake in the side with her elbow upon hearing his answer.
Coyote who was sitting at the table behind them, rose and sat down next to Rooster.
"Why would you even want to go off base, when there are plenty of beautiful naval officers to pick from?"
Jake pushed his plate aside, placed his forearms on the table and leaned over to Coyote.
"Because fooling around with a peer gets complicated. You're always bound to run into them afterwards and it can get messy."
Seeing he was grabbing Coyote's full attention on the matter he continued.
"Now, meet someone off base, who has nothing to do with the Navy, that is a good plan. You sweep her off her feet, spend quality time dancing in the sheets and then you leave for another mission, aircraft carrier or base⦠No strings attached my friend."
"You've got it all figured out, have you now?" said Natasha.
"I always do, Phoenix. I always am one step ahead of the game."
She narrowed her eyes. "But it's not a game. I honestly feel sorry for any woman who has or will cross paths with you."
Bradley looked at her, he could tell she wasn't happy. He agreed with her, but this was Jake and unless either one of them had planned on being in a relationship with him, what Jake did was his own business.
"Now, don't go all mushy and feely on me, Natasha," replied Jake as he leaned back into his chair.
She looked at him with a heavy stare. "One of these days, you're going to want to build something with someone."
Jake laughed whole-heartedly. "That will never happen. I'm an eternal bachelor."
Coyote nodded. "Yeah, same here."
Natasha stood and grabbed her platter. "Like I said, you are incorrigible, all of you."
Bradley raised his hands up in protest. "What did I say?"
Natasha said nothing as she walked away.
"What's wrong with her?" asked Coyote.
"I don't know," replied Rooster. "But we obviously hit a sensitive cord."
Jake waved a hand at Rooster to dismiss what was happening.
"Look, if she wants the fairytale romance, that's her right, but just because some of us don't want the same thing, doesn't mean she can get all angry and emotional."
Bradley stood and grabbed his things. "I'm going to go talk to her."
Coyote and Hangman exchanged glances.
"I think she wants more than talk," replied Coyote with a side smile.
Bradley frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You and she are close friends, but I think it's obvious she wants out of the friend-zone situation," replied Coyote.
"We are so not talking about this," answered Bradley as he started to walk away.
"If you need advice," stated Hangman, "you know where to find us."
Bradley kept going without even giving an answer or his attention.
Jake took a sip from his water bottle, then looked back to where Rooster had disappeared.
"I wish they'd get on with it already. She can be mad at me for taking all of this being like a game, but in the end, who's kidding who here? They are both playing games with one another instead of being honest and getting down to business."
"Agreed," replied Javy. "You can feel the sexual tension between them even. She's a bit of a hypocrite."
Jake sighed. "Enough talk about Bradshaw and Trace. Let's focus on our action plan for when we port."
Javy leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in front of his chest. "I don't know about your action plan, but mine is going to be booze, women and sex!"
Jake grinned. "Every chance we get, brother. No rest for the warriors!"
