Author's Note: this is not all of chapter 11 - this is just a small sample part. Or a prelude. The rest of the chapter will come later. Soon. Soon.
Many apologies.
Suppressing a shiver, the Texan zipped his coat up and threw more kindling on the firepit. In winter, the cold desert nights normally kept him inside, but cabin fever had begun to set in. Besides, staying inside tonight seemed just wrong. He glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes to midnight. Fifteen minutes till the new year. Odds were this one would be better than the current year. Then again he was hard pressed to think how it could have been worse.
Leaning closer to the fire, he checked the bacon sizzling in the pan and was satisfied. After dumping the hot greasy slices onto the metal camp plate he paused, hesitated, and threw a few more slices of bacon in the pan to cook. He pulled a beer out of the small cooler by his feet and opened it, tossing the bottle cap into the flames. The first mouthful was bitter and crisp, but not unpleasant and he let the cold drink rest on his tongue for a moment before swallowing. The Engineer glanced at his watch again. Ten minutes to midnight.
He popped a piece of bacon in his mouth, crunching it noisily between his teeth, and pulled a remote out of his pocket. Looking over his shoulder, Engineer flicked a switch and the sentry set up behind him chirped to life. The stocky man craned his neck, glancing around the fire and the space behind the RED base. There was not much out here; just the firepit, some crates that had been converted to seating, rocks, dust and scraps and odds and ends from decades of private wars. Turning back to the fire, the Texan reached with a pair of tongs and pulled the can of black eyed peas off the flames. He examined the can, unsure if they were done. There was steam coming out of the vent holes, that was usually a good sign…. With a shrug he set it down to cool for a bit.
The fire crackled and popped, spit out motes of cinders into the blue-black sky while the Engineer sat, alone but at ease. "Should old acquaintance be forgot…and never come to mind…." Engineer began to sing quietly to himself. He had been humming for a good half a minute before he realized he didn't know the rest of the words. With a frown he looked back down at his watch. Four minutes until midnight. He took a swig of beer before setting it aside and removed the frying pan from the fire, dumping the bacon onto the tin plate.
The plate rested warmly on his lap as he leaned back. He took a breath of cold air and looked up at the stars, mentally naming all the constellations he recognized. He had few good things to say about the desert, but he had to admit that the view of the night sky was beautiful out here. He'd never really liked cities with all the hustle and bustle and lights that blotted out the beauty of the night sky.
There was a beep, jerking him from his stargazing. He looked at his watch. Less than a minute to the new year. The sentry beeped again, marking off ten seconds. It lifted its barrels up to the sky. Nine seconds. Eight seconds. The sentry locked into position. Seven seconds. Six seconds. Five seconds. Four. Three. Two.
Midnight.
There was one last beep as the rockets shot off into the air. They screeched like hawks as they flew, before finally exploding - the sound bouncing and echoing off the walls of the base - into a torrent of sparks and colors. Engineer raised his beer in toast as the second round of rockets whistled into the sky before bursting, adding their colors and sparks to the fading display.
Finally, the last rocket fired, leaving the smell of gun powder heavy in the air. Soon the smoke began to clear and the spots began to fade from his eyes. The Texan smiled to himself, sure people had seen and heard the show for miles around. He chuckled, reaching for the cooling can of black eyed peas. Took an experimental bite and seared the roof of his mouth.
Swearing loudly, his curses probably heard from miles around as well, he grabbed his beer and took a cooling sip. Oddly he remembered these tasting better.
Engineer took one last look at his watch. Three minutes past midnight. If anyone, who was going to remain nameless, was going to show up tonight they would have done it by now. Not that he had been expecting the man to show up.
Ah, well. He took another drink of his beer. More bacon for him then.
