Henry hardly remembered vacating the chair, hardly recalled moving over to
the corner of his old office. He vaguely thought that Radar had said
something to him, and then had left. He didn't remember Hawkeye leaving.
He thought that Irene appeared at one point and had asked him a question to
which he had nodded in reply, but he couldn't quite remember what it was.
He was stunned beyond much reason. When he came back to the conscious
world, Irene was sitting in his -- that is to say, Colonel Potter's --
chair.
When Henry looked at her, she looked back, and the edge of his vest fluttered in a cold gust of wind. She smiled supportively and then spoke into that dreadful telephone, "Yes, Sparky, please, put me through to the Prince."
Things were going back to normal, Henry couldn't help thinking. Normal? This is normal? The phones were working again, but Camarilla business was being taken care of over them. Soon the ambulances would come, the blood would flow, and the vampires would feed easily from the carnage of war.
"Sir? Irene Traveneau. I'm sorry, my husband is busy at the moment-- yes, yes we've nearly got things wrapped up here at the M*A*S*H unit, mild Masq breach, nothing that couldn't be easily salvaged."
Henry grew more attentive. He had never before heard a lie so convincingly told that he almost believed it even though he was in on it being a falsehood.
"Yes, thank you, sir. A couple of things, sir-- Maggie's gone and run off somewhere. No, I don't know. You know the Gangrel, sir... my husband DID try to te-- yes, well, anyway, we needn't go into it here, I would look into a replacement scourge. Have you had any luck in finding Hilson? No? Well, that's the second thing, sir, we've picked up traces of what could be another kindred in the area. Perhaps Hilson and his followers, yes, sir. The childe? Yes, we've got him." She glanced up at Henry and smiled. "No, no sir, he's just fine. A few, but we can't really blame him, after what the poor fellow's been through."
Henry blushed, the blood still rushing through his system from the terror of the phone call home. Oh, yes. The young woman... a mystery.
"Yes, well, sir, I think we should find a new scourge to come investigate. The Sheriff's still off checking Hilson's usual haunts, yes? Alright. We're nearly done here, and then we'll take Henry -- the childe -- and go back to HQ. Probably tomorrow, barring further incident."
Probably tomorrow, barring further incident. Henry was leaving. One more time. He could only hope this trip would be a bit smoother.
Pushing open the office doors, he stepped into the outer office as he'd done so many times before. But instead of the normal sight of Radar leaning over the desk with a comic book propped up on the typewriter, he saw Sparky perched on the desk's edge, listening quietly in on the conversation between the Seneschal's wife and the prince. On the far side of the room, Majors Burns and Houlihan sat on Radar's bunk, faced by Joles, who was sitting on the desk chair, his hands folded seriously.
It had come out of the woodwork that the two majors had leaked to the LIPs about the Kindred presence here at the camp, and had whipped them up into a group ready to destroy the unit entirely with a few choice tales of what was going on within the 4077th's walls. Joles had volunteered to put in some extra hours of a kind of selective surgery he was more accustomed to, nowadays.
"Now Major Burns, why did you bring the locals to the camp?"
"What locals?"
"Very good. Now, Major Houlihan, is there any such thing as a vampire?"
"Of course not."
"Wonderful."
Henry shivered a bit and quickly headed out the main doors of the office complex, into the compound. As he walked outside there was something final about his pace, some feeling like he was leaving something behind forever. When he'd left the 4077th the first time, on the occasion of his transfer to Tokyo, he was ready to go, ready to get out of this hellhole and away from the people in it. It was only after he'd gone did he realize how much some of the folks her meant to him. The second time he'd left, he knew he'd be leaving a part of himself with each and every person in this camp, even those two boneheads who were currently getting their brains expertly carved by the Seneschal. Now-- now he was leaving more than he could say. Not only was he leaving the last remnants of his mortal existence, he was leaving the people who'd taken him in and helped him through the change more than Irene or Joles could ever have done. His heart still beat faintly, though he didn't force it any further, the use of the blood wearying him a bit in conjunction with the late, nearly early, hour.
He paused after walking a few steps into the compound, and smiled. A familiar feeling hounded at his heels, and it cheered him. For the heck of it, he didn't turn around, instead simply tucking his hands casually behind his back and lightly calling, "Rad--"
"Yes sir?" the familiar face was there waiting for him when the Brujah turned his head to the side.
Henry continued to smile, his voice faint, faraway, and dream-like, as though repeating something he'd repeated half a million times out of pure fondness for its sound. "You needed something, Radar?"
"I heard you were leaving tonight, Colonel...." Radar trailed off.
Henry started to walk, Radar keeping at his elbow the whole time. "Tomorrow, probably," he said.
As one their heads tilted up to the horizon, which was turning grey.
"Sun's gonna be up soon, sir." Radar offered, managing to sound informative and helpless at the same time.
"We've got time, Radar," Henry replied huskily. He leaned down and picked up a fistful of pebbles, tossing them short distances as they continued to walk along the compound.
"What's new, Radar?" Henry sighed.
"Oh, you know, sir. Same old, same old." Radar lied. Henry smiled.
"I seem to remember," Henry started thoughtfully, turning his shoulders toward the Pooka clerk and tilting his head downward, "That we were making some plans for a reunion... you know... when this whole thing's over."
Radar grinned, beaming. "I think we'd decided on the third Sunday, the month after the war ends."
Henry turned his eyes back to the horizon. He nodded slowly. "Sounds good, Radar."
Radar's eyes widened. "You mean it, sir?"
Henry grinned, "Yeah, Radar, I mean it."
Radar's smile turned slightly impish; unable to hold back his Pookine instincts, he queried, "Can you still come to lunch?"
Henry laughed, and clapped Radar's shoulder lightly, giving him a slight hug.
"You crazy monkey!"
~
When Henry looked at her, she looked back, and the edge of his vest fluttered in a cold gust of wind. She smiled supportively and then spoke into that dreadful telephone, "Yes, Sparky, please, put me through to the Prince."
Things were going back to normal, Henry couldn't help thinking. Normal? This is normal? The phones were working again, but Camarilla business was being taken care of over them. Soon the ambulances would come, the blood would flow, and the vampires would feed easily from the carnage of war.
"Sir? Irene Traveneau. I'm sorry, my husband is busy at the moment-- yes, yes we've nearly got things wrapped up here at the M*A*S*H unit, mild Masq breach, nothing that couldn't be easily salvaged."
Henry grew more attentive. He had never before heard a lie so convincingly told that he almost believed it even though he was in on it being a falsehood.
"Yes, thank you, sir. A couple of things, sir-- Maggie's gone and run off somewhere. No, I don't know. You know the Gangrel, sir... my husband DID try to te-- yes, well, anyway, we needn't go into it here, I would look into a replacement scourge. Have you had any luck in finding Hilson? No? Well, that's the second thing, sir, we've picked up traces of what could be another kindred in the area. Perhaps Hilson and his followers, yes, sir. The childe? Yes, we've got him." She glanced up at Henry and smiled. "No, no sir, he's just fine. A few, but we can't really blame him, after what the poor fellow's been through."
Henry blushed, the blood still rushing through his system from the terror of the phone call home. Oh, yes. The young woman... a mystery.
"Yes, well, sir, I think we should find a new scourge to come investigate. The Sheriff's still off checking Hilson's usual haunts, yes? Alright. We're nearly done here, and then we'll take Henry -- the childe -- and go back to HQ. Probably tomorrow, barring further incident."
Probably tomorrow, barring further incident. Henry was leaving. One more time. He could only hope this trip would be a bit smoother.
Pushing open the office doors, he stepped into the outer office as he'd done so many times before. But instead of the normal sight of Radar leaning over the desk with a comic book propped up on the typewriter, he saw Sparky perched on the desk's edge, listening quietly in on the conversation between the Seneschal's wife and the prince. On the far side of the room, Majors Burns and Houlihan sat on Radar's bunk, faced by Joles, who was sitting on the desk chair, his hands folded seriously.
It had come out of the woodwork that the two majors had leaked to the LIPs about the Kindred presence here at the camp, and had whipped them up into a group ready to destroy the unit entirely with a few choice tales of what was going on within the 4077th's walls. Joles had volunteered to put in some extra hours of a kind of selective surgery he was more accustomed to, nowadays.
"Now Major Burns, why did you bring the locals to the camp?"
"What locals?"
"Very good. Now, Major Houlihan, is there any such thing as a vampire?"
"Of course not."
"Wonderful."
Henry shivered a bit and quickly headed out the main doors of the office complex, into the compound. As he walked outside there was something final about his pace, some feeling like he was leaving something behind forever. When he'd left the 4077th the first time, on the occasion of his transfer to Tokyo, he was ready to go, ready to get out of this hellhole and away from the people in it. It was only after he'd gone did he realize how much some of the folks her meant to him. The second time he'd left, he knew he'd be leaving a part of himself with each and every person in this camp, even those two boneheads who were currently getting their brains expertly carved by the Seneschal. Now-- now he was leaving more than he could say. Not only was he leaving the last remnants of his mortal existence, he was leaving the people who'd taken him in and helped him through the change more than Irene or Joles could ever have done. His heart still beat faintly, though he didn't force it any further, the use of the blood wearying him a bit in conjunction with the late, nearly early, hour.
He paused after walking a few steps into the compound, and smiled. A familiar feeling hounded at his heels, and it cheered him. For the heck of it, he didn't turn around, instead simply tucking his hands casually behind his back and lightly calling, "Rad--"
"Yes sir?" the familiar face was there waiting for him when the Brujah turned his head to the side.
Henry continued to smile, his voice faint, faraway, and dream-like, as though repeating something he'd repeated half a million times out of pure fondness for its sound. "You needed something, Radar?"
"I heard you were leaving tonight, Colonel...." Radar trailed off.
Henry started to walk, Radar keeping at his elbow the whole time. "Tomorrow, probably," he said.
As one their heads tilted up to the horizon, which was turning grey.
"Sun's gonna be up soon, sir." Radar offered, managing to sound informative and helpless at the same time.
"We've got time, Radar," Henry replied huskily. He leaned down and picked up a fistful of pebbles, tossing them short distances as they continued to walk along the compound.
"What's new, Radar?" Henry sighed.
"Oh, you know, sir. Same old, same old." Radar lied. Henry smiled.
"I seem to remember," Henry started thoughtfully, turning his shoulders toward the Pooka clerk and tilting his head downward, "That we were making some plans for a reunion... you know... when this whole thing's over."
Radar grinned, beaming. "I think we'd decided on the third Sunday, the month after the war ends."
Henry turned his eyes back to the horizon. He nodded slowly. "Sounds good, Radar."
Radar's eyes widened. "You mean it, sir?"
Henry grinned, "Yeah, Radar, I mean it."
Radar's smile turned slightly impish; unable to hold back his Pookine instincts, he queried, "Can you still come to lunch?"
Henry laughed, and clapped Radar's shoulder lightly, giving him a slight hug.
"You crazy monkey!"
~