Chapter 3: Breaking News

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ! The alarm clock announced itself loudly before Spinelli's fist landed hard on. It BUZZED one more time before it shut off. "It's too early to get up." Spinelli mumbled to herself as she shifted around to get comfortable again.

"Why did you hit your alarm clock?" Gretchen asked from the other side of the bed. Even though they were in college they share the same bed since they were best of friends and had no qualms about it.

"It was mine that went off." Gretchen said throwing off the blankets much to Spinelli's annoyance. "Time to get up sleeping beauty."

Sleeping dragon was closer to the truth. Spinelli had never been a morning person and very few people could force to wake up without gaining at least a black eye. Gretchen was one of that very tiny group of "safe" people because she had Vince to hide behind. Fortunately for Gretchen Vince's room was across the hall.

"What time is it?" Spinelli said with an edge in her voice.

"6 a.m. You said u would help me do the cooking for today's little party and plus there are all the regular things we need to do like breakfast and get dressed." Gretchen pointed out eyeing Spinelli who sat on the edge of the bed in a large white t-shirt, her choice of bed wear. Spinelli's hair resembled something closer to a crow's nest then a pile of disorganized black locks.

"What?" Spinelli asked Gretchen who was just looking at her. Unknown to Spinelli Gretchen was fighting back the urge to laugh at her.

"I'm gonna go and shower." Gretchen said exiting the room and headed down the hall to the bathroom the girls had claimed as theirs.

Spinelli sighed. She was too awake now to go back to bed but she didn't feel like doing much of anything at the moment. She got up and sat in front of the large vanity mirror she shared with Gretchen and took a look at her hair. Maybe she should start braiding her hair before bed like Gretchen did. Less mess and fuss in the morning. Wearily Spinelli glanced at the clock before picking up her comb and started the long process of combing out all the tangles and snarls from her long black hair. The clock read 6:05.

The eerie silence was only broken by the sounds made by a wounded private next to him and his watch. TJ stole a glance at it. '2:06 now, where in the hell are the reinforcements. The call went out over an hours ago.'

Over the course of an hour TJ had fought tooth and nail against a wave of some 50 men who had come at his unit. TJ had watched as his unit had been sliced down to just him and the man next to him who was slowly bleeding to death. TJ was sure he was gonna soon joy the man if back up didn't come soon. He had taken a shot in the arm and at one point two men had somehow made it all the way to him. One he got immediately but the other had managed to slash TJ across his right cheek with his knife.

TJ sat back and closed his eyes for a moment but just for a moment. He couldn't fall asleep even though he hadn't had any sleep in over 40 hours. 10 of those hours had been spent hiding in a hole until that mad charge the enemy had made at them. Then the carnage had begun. Men had fallen on both sides. Still 10 hours on it wasn't over. TJ was sure there were two other men nearby.

So he sat and waited waging a war of attrition with his foes.

6:45 read the clock in the kitchen. Spinelli was now fully awake though still grouchy after her shower and was helping Gretchen get breakfast ready. Any meal was a big choir for the cooks because there were 5 of them to feed.

"Spin, turn on the news please." Gretchen asked Spinelli.

"Sure." Spinelli replied as she turned on the TV they had in the kitchen in an effort to bring some noise other then the same dull sounds of the kitchen. The girls could have been talking but both just wanted to concentrate on making breakfast since both were still a bit unsure of themselves since it was really too early on a Saturday to be multitasking.

2:37 now and still neither TJ nor the two men had moved. They had to move soon, they didn't have the military training or discipline not to be restless or TJ hoped.

The hands on his watch crawled to 2:39. The man next to him had now been dead for 10 minutes adding his stench to the heavily laden air.

2:40... TJ heard the tell tale sounds of movement. He had been right; the men didn't have the patience to out wait him. One of them was being careless; TJ could hear the man just charging at his position.

TJ popped up and gave a burst with his MP5-K scoring a number of hits to the now dead man's chest.

2:41... TJ felt something hit him hard in the chest before he heard the familiar sound of an AK-47 going off. TJ staggered back a step and dropped to one knee. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the dead man that had once been his communications officer.

TJ mustered his strength and gave a loud yell; "FOR THE FALLEN!" TJ willed himself up to his feet and charged at the stunned lone survivor of the extremists pumping him full of lead before they both fell to the ground with their wounds straining the brown earth red with blood.

6:46... Spinelli was mechanically stirring the pancake batter as she listened to the news.

"This just in. Reports have just come in that a long running gun battle in the Iraqi city of Takrit has come to an end. Witnesses say that the battle had begun early yesterday morning and continued until the afternoon with casualties running very high on both side. We'll give you more details as we get them." The news anchor told the viewers.

"Sounds like things are heating up again in Iraq." Spinelli told Gretchen.

"That can't lead to any good. The public won't like to hear the death toll and then they get mad and make the government nervous. Then the government reacts too strongly and the Iraqis get mad and they react in force..." Gretchen started.

"And the cycle continues." Spinelli finished for Gretchen who just nodded.

Both of them turned their attention back to the TV.

"New information has told us that the US Army's 504th Infantry were on patrol in the area early yesterday morning. Our military sources say that the gunfight was prolonged by the lack of reinforcement of the 504th unit that was wipe out. Among the casualties was Sergeant Theodore J. Detwieller..."

Spinelli dropped the bowl she was mixing the pancake mix in which hit the floor with a loud crash. Spinelli soon followed the bowl sinking to the floor in disbelief. Gretchen was immediately by her side comforting Spinelli the best she could. Spinelli just let Gretch put her arms around her and openly cried. Of the five she was the closest to TJ and now he was really gone.