Page 32 of Alpha Awakened
Chapter 12
September 7, 1982
21:00
Barley Barber swamp
East Florida
“My ass is fucking wet.”
“Practicing for your next sex chat, Corporal Mitchell?”
Hazard choked on a laugh. Never in a million years would he have expected a comment alluding to an omega’s slick to come out of the captain’s mouth. He responded on the comm link connecting him to his squadmate. “Not that kind of wet. Wet from this cursed swamp water I’m squatting in. Although if you want to hear some dirty talk I’d be happy to oblige.”
“I don’t.”
“Shame. Because I’ve been told I could have a career as a phone sex operator if this military thing doesn’t work out.”
Ice only snorted a dry laugh to that.
Hazard adjusted his position where he squatted on the swamp’s shoreline. Unfortunately, the minute movement didn’t do anything to get away from the water that occasionally rolled past him in a gentle wave. He knew by now that comfort wasn’t a priority on missions. This one just happened to be one of the more unpleasant.
Top secret plans and sensitive information had been stolen from a US weapons manufacturer. The stolen info wasscheduled to go on sale on the black market in seventy-two hours. He and Ice had been sent to recover it before that could happen. It was only the two of them on comms until they were ready for ex-fil. According to their intel, the mercenaries who stole the documents were bringing them here to the dilapidated cabin in Florida that Hazard currently had his eye on. This is where the mercs planned to hide out until it was time to meet up with their potential buyers.
Hazard looked back over his shoulder to the hilly, tree-covered area where Ice was posted up with his sniper rifle. He couldn’t see him of course, but he knew the alpha was there, watching.
“At least you get to be up high and dry on overwatch and not stuck down here in this disgusting, muddy water.”
“I’ve been in worse.”
“Really? When?”
“Solo mission two years ago. The target was holed up in a shack on the other side of a tar pit. It took an entire day for the guy to show his face so I could take him out. The stench of rotten eggs from the pit was so fucking terrible I nearly threw up several times while I waited.”
Hazard made a noise of disgusted sympathy. He continued listening to the captain’s deep voice in his ear, surprised that he was talking this much.
“Never been so glad to wrap up a kill and head to extraction. I smelled so bad the pilot didn’t even want to let me on the helo.”
Hazard quietly chuckled as he imagined a smelly captain arguing with the pilot to be allowed on the helicopter. “Well, I’ll for sure be glad to get out of this swamp. And hopefully I’ll never have to experience waiting out by a tar pit.”
“You should be so lucky.”
They went quiet. Hazard scanned his surroundings once more. The moon glinted off the swamp’s murky surface. Gnarledtrees rose at the edge of the water, moss hanging down like dark, tattered curtains. Occasionally a frog poked its head above the surface to let out aribbit. A few feet in front of him, the water rippled as something swam past. He caught a glimpse of a ridged tail.
“Think I saw a gator,” he whispered.
“You got Snausages in your pack?” Ice asked in an equally low voice.
“Why would I have dog treats on me?”
“If you did, you could throw ‘em to the gator so he’d eat them instead of you.”
Hazard breathed an amused laugh before he answered. “Negative on the Snausages. Maybe he’ll like the protein pack rations I’m carrying.”
“Don’t be silly, Hazard. Nobody likes those.”
“True. But I’ll have made my escape by the time he realizes they’re shit.”