From: dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com   
      
   CHAPTER EIGHT   
      
      
   Walter stood looking out the front window of his barracks as darkness   
   fell.  Dinner was over with and it was getting too cold to hang around   
   outside.  Some of the men were playing cards; a few were at the chess   
   board, others in the back talking.  Some had already taken to their   
   bunks.  He saw Krycek walking towards the river and cross over the   
   bridge.  He could barely make out his outline but he was sitting on   
   some boulders on the opposite side of the river – just sitting there.   
    He had seen him do this many times before and always wondered why.    
   Tonight he decided he'd go and ask him.   
      
   He put on his coat and knit cap that the women had knitted for   
   everybody and went out.  The night was crisp and clear, somewhere in   
   the thirties, he'd guess.  He could see his breath in front of him and   
   Alex's as well as he neared him.   
      
   "What are you doing out here?"  Alex asked.  "Is everything all right?"   
      
   "Uh huh." Walter said as he took a seat on a boulder slightly below   
   the one Alex was sitting on.   "I've seen you come out here alone   
   before.  Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to come out and   
   ask this time."   
      
   "Oh.  I like to come out here and think.  I like to sit here and look   
   back across the river at all we've accomplished in two and a half   
   years.  It's amazing, considering there was absolutely nothing when we   
   got here."   
      
   "You've done a lot."  Walter agreed, looking back at the lights of   
   their little community.  "More than anyone would have believed possible."   
      
   "I never imagined we could accomplish so much.  I never imagined we'd   
   have electricity or indoor plumbing.  When we first got here it was   
   two flat rocks placed over a hole out in the woods.  And believe it or   
   not, no one complained."   
      
   "They didn't?  Not even Harry?"  Walter asked with a chuckle.   
      
   "Oh Harry did all right.  We made him do the digging."   
      
   "How did you get him to do that?  I'm shocked."   
      
   "We gave him a choice.  He could bicycle into town with the rest of us   
   for supplies or he could dig the latrines."   
      
   Walter laughed.  "I'll bet he complained long and loud."   
      
   "He probably did but most of the rest of us were gone and didn't have   
   to listen to it."   
      
   "You know, he's not half bad to talk to.  He has lots of interesting   
   stories to tell, being a Taxi driver in NYC."  Walter said.   
      
   "He's not a bad guy.  In fact, I like him a lot.  He's just never had   
   to do anything in his life before except drive a cab.  He's friendly,   
   he's interesting and he gets along well with the others.  And he's   
   gotten much better these last few years.  He helps unload every time   
   we go in for supplies and he still brings in firewood.  You know,   
   that's amazing.  In the beginning, he was afraid of the woods.  Now he   
   takes pride in the fact that he's been all through them gathering wood   
   in that old supermarket shopping cart we brought in for him to use."   
      
   "He plays a good game of cards too," Walter added.  "And he's a good   
   sport if he looses.  He doesn't seem to really care just as long as he   
   gets to play."   
      
   They were silent for a while then Alex spoke.  "I've been thinking,   
   maybe we need to make another run into town."   
      
   "I thought you said we had plenty of everything.  The store room is   
   full as well as the freezers."     
      
   "I haven't got it all worked out yet, but this is what I've been   
   thinking."  Alex turned and faced Walter as he spoke.  "The first   
   Christmas we were here, we were all happy to just be inside a building   
   and out of the cold.  We had no children here at all and just kind of   
   let it pass.  Oh we sang a few Christmas Carols but that was about it.   
    Last Christmas, we only had a few little girls and the women made   
   them some rag dolls and stuff.  This Christmas we have nineteen   
   children here.  I want to do something special for them."   
      
   "What do you have in mind, toys?"  Walter asked and tucked his hands   
   in his jacket pockets against the cold.   
      
   "Well, that was my first thought.  I thought I'd just take one truck   
   in and pile it full of toys.  The more I got to thinking about it, the   
   more the plan snowballed.  If we took two trucks, we could load up on   
   some sports equipment for the older kids.  Maybe some foot ball and   
   baseball gear.  You know there are plenty of nice flat open areas over   
   here on this side of the river.  We could even put in a basketball court."   
      
   "That would be great!  Even the men would love that, most of them anyway."   
      
   "And the women too, probably; at least some of them."  Alex was   
   getting excited about his idea as he told it.  "And if we took the   
   third truck with us, we could bring back some exercise equipment.    
   After sitting around all winter, it's always hard to get started again   
   in the spring."   
      
   "That all sounds great but where would you put all the stuff so no one   
   would see it?"   
      
   "I figured the mine.  We could unload the stuff there and leave it   
   until Christmas Eve."   
      
   "That's a good idea.  Were you planning on doing this without anyone   
   knowing about it?  I could drive one of the trucks but how would you   
   get them out of the valley without anyone else hearing?"   
      
   "With all that loading and unloading, we're going to need some bodies.   
    I figured three trucks, three two-man teams.  That's six of us.  With   
   the trucks now being garaged in the mechanic's hut on this side of the   
   river, they're out of sight so no one will notice they're gone."   
      
   "They'll hear them though when they start up and pull out."  Walter   
   warned.   
      
   "Not if we do it during meal time.  There is always so much commotion   
   going on in the cafeteria at meal time, not many will be paying any   
   attention.  I'm thinking we'll pick our team from the soldiers.  They   
   have stayed in the best physical shape with all their calisthenics   
   every morning and they all know how to work the doors to the tunnel.    
   We could sneak the trucks out during the evening meal and the next   
   morning a few of us could slip out at a time.  I figured we'd get back   
   in the same way.  Do you think that would work?"   
      
   "Sounds good."  Walter agreed.  "It just might work.  What about   
   taking along a woman or two with us?  Could we manage that without   
   arousing too much suspicion?  It would be great to have them along and   
   they could come up with ideas for gifts for the women.  Stuff we'd   
   never think of."   
      
   "There would be room in the trucks for them.  I don't know why we   
   couldn't slip a few out.  I'm thinking we'd only be gone for the   
   morning.  We'd leave right after breakfast, an hour there, take maybe   
   two hours there to load up and an hour back.  We'd be back in plenty   
   of time for lunch.  We could leave the trucks in the mine and unload   
   them after dark."   
      
   "Then get them back to the garage during the next dinner.  I like it.   
    I think it will work."  Walter said.   
      
   "I'll speak with Peterson tomorrow and let him pick the teams.  I   
   think the women should be Marcia and Maddie.  I'll get with them   
   tomorrow too."  Alex said as he hopped down from the boulder and   
   brushed his jeans off.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)