The Desert Wolf, Chapter 8

												---------- The Desert Wolf ----------
															  Chapter 8
														Rest and Recuperation
May 28, 2013
F.O.B. Old Glory
Ninewah Province, Iraq

	The sun climbed into the clear blue sky, shining bright and warm to signal the start of another day in the sandbox. The rays of light raced across the landscape illuminating the military base known as Old Glory. Soldiers were and doing their morning routine; showers, breakfast, gear check, the usual. Two older men in uniform looking were walking together towards the base's hospital while talking in a casual tone.

	"So this man Private Winters is out on patrol, gets into an ambush by the Islamic State where he's the sole survivor. Then gets taken captive but then manages to escape and make it back alive all on his own?"

	"Yes sir, that seems to be the intel we have so far. We haven't had the opportunity to question him further; medical said he needed to rest." The younger of the two waved a folder with a few papers in it to show he had read the information on file.

	"That seems a bit odd don't you think Roberts?" replied the older officer, taking off his cap to scratch his close cropped hair. "Sounds like something out of an eighties action movie."

	"Yes sir, either he had some sort of help, or he's damn lucky. If it's the former, we need to pry the information out of him," agreed Robert. "If he had someone to aid him in his escape we can use them to locate this stronghold and finally snuff out the threat. We may not get better a better chance than this." Robert looked over to his superior to gauge his response. "Wouldn't you agree McKinley sir?"

	"Mhmm," McKinley responded taking another drag on his cigarette before flicking it to the ground. No smoking in hospitals, even on military bases was such a pain for the older officer. "Well, let's go see what he has to say about this whole situation. I hope medical doesn't have him doped up on pain killers. We need him all there if we want to get anything coherent out of him."

	Walking into the lobby, the receptionist was again at his computer drinking a hot mug of black coffee. Mid-sip he notices the two officers walking up. He sets his mug down and jumps up to salute them before speaking.

	"McKinley sir, Roberts sir," the receptionist spake as he stood and saluted the officers. "How can I help you two today?"

	McKinley spoke up as he saluted his subordinate. "We're here to see a Private Jason Winters." The receptionist told them where they could find him and saluted once more as they left him to his work.

	"That guy sure is popular..." the desk jockey sighed as he sifted through a few medical files on his desk.

	Across the base, Rick walked drowsy eyed and disheveled to the armory with his rifle Emily slung across his back. Fishing in his pocket for the keys to the large double doors he unlocks them with a metallic click before pushing them open. The familiar scent of oil and cleaning solvents hits him with comfort.

	"Better than a cup of coffee." Rick inhaled as the mixed smells invigorated him. Across the room of the low flat building Ashah watched through the grate in the armory cabinets as Rick set Emily down to let her change form while he flicked on the bright fluorescent lights. Then walking over to the cabinets, he unlocked the one holding Ashah and swung the door open, stepping to the side. Ashah burst from the rack, changing into her geist form and landing on her hands and knees on the hard cement floor. She kept her eyes closed and breathed for a minute before collecting herself. She hated confined spaces. Rick noted she had her typical black robes on. Upon checking the drawer in the desk where she had hidden her clothes last night he found they had disappeared. He'd never understand how geists work.

	Ashah stood up and dusted off her clothes tightening her makeshift shemagh belt before turning to face the pair of Americans. They had already set themselves to tidying up the armory and getting prepared for a long day. They had plenty of broken and malfunctioning rifles that needed some tender love and care. She stood in a corner of the room and watched them for a short time while mulling over some thoughts in her head. What to talk about with Jason. Plus the fact that she hadn't formally thanked Emily and Rick for not immediately turning her to scrap metal when she appeared the previous night. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

	"I just want to say thank you, for your help and kindness," Ashah began. "And thank you for not turning me into scrap after what I did the previous night. I don't mean you any harm."

	"And trust us, we're grateful for that," Emily replied. "Besides, if I thought you were any danger to my honey, I'd have shattered your bolt by now." Emily gave Ashah a wide smile as she spoke to lighten the tone but it didn't help much. Ashah knew that the M4A1 meant what she had said. "But we don't have to worry about that do we? So no big deal."

	"Right...anyway I'd like to go see Jason again. Where did you put the clothes from yesterday?" Ashah began to dig through the duffel bag that Rick has pulled the clothes from yesterday.

	"I think it's better to wait awhile, it's still early and he might be asleep." Emily finished sweeping up the floor of solvent soaked patches and oily paper towels and emptied the dust pan into the trash. "Besides, wouldn't you like a good deep cleaning before going to see your lover boy? It must have been decades since you were last cleaned, Rick or I can give you a thorough scrub down if you'd like?"

	"I don't need you or him to clean me!" Ashah protested with a red face, pointing to the pair. "I can clean myself thank you." Emily grinned wide at her companion's sudden embarrassment.

	"A self cleaning rifle? I didn't know you were an M16!" Emily burst into laughter. Rick just shook his head at the corny joke before going back to replacing the broken firing pin with a new one into the bolt carrier group of an M16 rifle. "Seriously though," Emily continued, "Rick can give you a good cleaning before you go off on your date, think of him as a doctor."

	Rick didn't seem to be comfortable with the idea either, speaking up to voice his opinion. "Emi, I don't think I should go and do something like that to geist we just met."

	"You practically tried to rape her last night Rick, remember?" replied Emily bringing up their initial encounter with the Polish AKM. Rick covered his face with his grease stained hands, smearing it on himself.

	"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" he questioned the M4A1

	"No, not anytime soon hon," Emily answered with a smile. Rick pulled his hands away from his face to realize that he had rubbed grease all over himself when he had an idea.

	"Hey! Why not take her to the showers?" he said with a snap of his fingers. "She can take a shower and wash herself clean, it worked for you so it should work for Ashah too right?"

	"That's a good idea hon!" Emily turned to their guest to get her opinion. "Does that work for you?"

	"I suppose so. I've never been allowed to shower before...it sounds refreshing," Ashah acknowledged. The thought of warm water flowing around her sounded great. And it would be nice to wash off the make up from last night. She had left it on her face due to not having time to remove it and she didn't like the feeling of in on her skin.

	"Great, get dressed and tuck your tail away and we'll head off to the showers! I might take one myself," Emily cheered.

	"Just be sure not to get caught guys, two people walking around with no rank or name on their uniforms is odd," Rick warned them as he finished up reassembling the rifle he was working on and moving on to the next one on his list..

	"No worries honey, we'll be safe!" Emily assured him grabbing the make-up kit and a little bag of shampoo and body wash with tooth paste and a spare tooth brush. Ashah acquired the clothes from last night and changed in a corner of the room away from the couple. Tucking her tail into the pants leg she buttoned them up and put on the multicam combat shirt and cap. With everything ready they made their way out of the armory and towards the base's showers to freshen up for the day.

	Arriving at the showers after weaving through the base to avoid the majority of people Ashah and Emily took the last two stalls at the far end . There were a few other people in the women's showers but they seemed like they were wrapping up. The Polish and American rifles made small talk about nothing in particular until the occupants had all left. The shower hall was a long narrow building with stalls on both sides of the walls running down it's length. It was nothing to look at, cement walls and floors with opaque shower doors for the occupants privacy. A few sinks and mirrors lined the small space on the wall between the rows of showers. There was a hook on the outside of the door to hang clothes on for changing after getting out of the bath.
Emily opened up her shower stall door and set her body wash and shampoo down on the small shelf before turning on the water. As the last of the other patrons left the showers she stripped down to the nude and motioned for Ashah to do the same.

	"Hurry and get in the shower before someone else shows up," Emily insisted. "You know how to work a shower right? Just turn the knobs 'til you get the temperature you like." With that Emily slipped into the shower stall and began to hum as the warm water cascaded over her pale white skin.

	"I know that, I'm not helpless," Ashah answered in a huff. Checking to make sure no one was about to enter, Ashah quickly pulled off the American uniform and hung them up on the hook before moving into her own stall. Closing the door behind her, she turned to the knobs in front of her.

	She had never been allowed to do anything before except stand, sit, or lay on a rifle rack silently. But now she was able to bathe for the first time in her life; the freedom to do as she pleased was a bit overwhelming. She turned both knobs at the same time and felt the sensation of the warm water flowing over her body. She stood there under the shower head as the warm calming stream rinsed away her worries. The water flowed down her shapely curves through her soft tail, and finally pooling at her feet before emptying down the drain.

	This feeling was bliss. It felt amazing, the warm water splashing against her soft skin and kissing her face. Even the quiet gurgling of the drain sounded sweet to her ears. She would stay here all day if she was able to, but she wanted to visit Jason again and see how his recovery was going. Strange to get so attached to a human she barely knew so quickly she thought to herself. Though his kindness was part of that. Emily paused her humming long enough to yell catch before tossing the shampoo and body wash over the stall walls for Ashah to use.

	"Hope you like lavender scent!" she called as she went about rinsing the foam and suds from her hair and body.

	Ashah popped open the shampoo bottle and sniffed the contents, finding the aroma pleasant. Squeezing some into her hand she began to work the lather into her rich black hair. It felt so good to massage the liquid into her scalp and ears as she ran her fingers through her locks. Rinsing off the shampoo she moved to the body wash. She lathered herself up and rinsed the make-up off and washed her face before bathing her soft tan skin. The soft soap suds and steam from the hot water caressing her body seemed to wash away the hardship of past years. It was like her own personal heaven. She reluctantly turned the water off with a squeak of the knobs after rinsing her body clean.

	With both of them finished Emily grabbed a couple of towels and tossed one over the stall door for Ashah. The Polish AKM redressed in the shower to avoid being seen. Emily brushed her hair and tied it into a bun and dressed herself. A few brief minutes at the sinks to brush their teeth and they were nearly finished. Emily applied the make-up to Ashah's face to her protest. She hated the way it felt. Once done they set off toward the hospital.

	On the way there Ashah stopped and sniffed the air. Her mouth watered as the scent of food wafted through the air. Warm bread, fruit, meat, and the rich smell of coffee filled her nostrils. Her stomach gave an audible growl. Emily noticed her companion's demeanor and smiled.

	"Something smell good haji? I guess they never gave you anything to eat either while over there in terrorist country huh?" Emily joked with Ashah.

	"No...never," Ashah answered back quietly as she stared in the direction the scent of food was drifting from. Emily went stiff with shame. She should have figured with the way geists get treated in this part of the world. Talk about putting your foot in your mouth.

	"Then let's remedy that shall we? Follow me to the food!" Emily turned and made a bee line to the mess hall.

	"What about the other people in there?" questioned Ashah. "What if one of your superiors sees us?"

	"Don't sweat it Ash, just bat your eyes and shake your chest a little and they won't even notice your rank and name tape are missing," explained Emily. "Most everyone will be too occupied with their morning coffee to notice or care anyway."

	"As if I would act so indecent..." Ashah protested.

	The pair walked to the mess hall and pushed through the doors. Following Emily's lead, Ashah picked up a tray and utensils as she moved through the food line. She had her pick of several delicious breakfast items and she began to drool. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve she began to pick and fill her tray with food. Following Emily over to an empty corner of the mess hall Ashah sat down to enjoy her first real meal.

	Emily had a couple boiled eggs a slice of toast and an apple with a carton of orange juice on her tray. In stark contrast to hers, Ashah's tray was laden down with a mountain of food. A pile of scrambled eggs, several slices of toast, a mound of bacon and sausage, an orange and apple, and a side of biscuits smothered in a moat of gravy. Complimented with a piping hot mug of black coffee. The cooks and other soldiers gave her a look of bewilderment. Her hoard of food rivaled that of the biggest men at the tables.

	"Wow...you were serious about the food huh?" Emily said through a mouthful of egg. She watched her companion eat with noisy fervor as she sipped her orange juice.

	Ashah paid her no mind as she shoveled one forkful after another into her mouth, only taking a break to breath. Despite the difference in their food amounts, Ashah wolfed her food down and finished a moment before Emily. Savoring the last bit of the greasy bacon on her plate, Ashah let herself smile. Food was amazing! She couldn't believe that she had missed out on this her whole life.

	"If you think this is good, wait till you actually get some real food and not this quick heat and serve stuff," Emily said. "And don't get me started on MREs, bleh." With stomachs full and content they put their trays in the wash bins and exited the mess hall.

	"I've never met another rifle with an appetite like yours!" exclaimed Emily. "Where did you put it all?" The M4A1 teased the Polish AKM as they walked aimlessly around the base.

	"I have no idea," Ashah replied happily as she rubbed her full stomach. They walked in silence for a moment before Ashah worked up the nerve to ask Emily something personal. "Hey Emily, how do you...you know...show affection to someone you care about?"

	Emily looked over to her companion out of the corner of her eye as they meandered about. "Wanting some dating advice for your next rendezvous?" She replied with a grin. Then she thought to herself about what Ashah had told her of her life with the Islamic State and how terrible she was treated. It's no wonder she didn't know how to act.

	"I am not sure what to do when I'm around Jason, I want to show him that I care for him. But I'm worried I'll do or say something wrong." Ashah was so nervous about the idea she felt she might pop a rivet.

	"Do what you did last night Ash. Comfort him, hold him close and tell him that you'll be there for him no matter what," Emily advised. "Let him know how you feel and everything will go smooth from there. Don't be so worried about it." Ashah nodded as she listened to her companion.

	The warmth of the sun mixed with the calm of the shower and her full stomach made Ashah drowsy and she found herself having trouble staying alert. She hadn't slept well being locked up in the safe last night either. She didn't want to see Jason while barely being able to stay awake and decided it would be better to rest first. She told Emily her plans and they walked back to the armory as Ashah thought over Emily's words of wisdom.

	Once there Ashah sat at one of the desks free from rifle parts and gunsmith tools and laid her head down to rest. She was faintly conscious of Rick and Emily coming and going about the armory. She soon drifted off to a food induced slumber.

	Back at Jason's hospital room, his two superiors were wrapping up their questioning of his account on the events. The two older officers shook their heads in disgust.

	"All the more reason to wipe these bastards out..." McKinley mumbled to himself.

	"So you're telling me that you managed to knock out the guard in your cell, take his rifle, sneak through almost the entire camp, and then fight your way down the side of a mountain. All by yourself?" McKinley questioned Jason with a raised eyebrow. This story sounded ridiculous, but yet here the man lay in front of him.

	"Yes sir, like I said, it was nothing short of a miracle." Jason rubbed his thigh and he spoke. He didn't want to get Ashah involved and thought it best to lie about how he escaped.

	"And this elderly man you mentioned, you're certain he said his name was Ahmed Almasi?" McKinley questioned Jason.

	"Yes sir, I'm positive. Why do you ask?"

	"We've been tracking him for some years now," stated McKinley as he fished for a photograph of the alleged leader in another file. "He's taken credit for a few bombings and raids on smaller bases and outposts and the big wigs want him taken care of before he gets to be too big of a problem. Is this the man you saw during your captivity?" McKinley handed over an old photo of Almasi to Jason for a better look. The photo was of a younger Almasi but Jason was sure it was him. The look of hatred on his face was unmistakable, and the eyes too. Cold and hard without any mercy in them.

	"Yes sir," answered Jason flatly, "that's him, no doubt about it."

	"Do you think if we could find the place again, we would be able to send in a task force to eliminate the threat? Maybe hit them with a bomb and just drop the whole mountain on top of them?" Roberts cut in as Jason handed back the photograph.

	"I'm not sure sir, it was tucked away pretty well. And there was only a small trail winding around the mountain to their hideout in the valley. Landing a bird would be suicide, the men would be shot up before they got boots on the ground." Jason thought back to his internment in the camp. "Not to mention I was blindfolded the majority of the time, so I don't know the layout of the tunnel network." The two older men shared a look and a sigh between them before Roberts continued.

	"Do you know how many insurgents were at the camp? Roberts questioned Jason once more. "Even a rough estimate is better than nothing."

	"I'm not sure sir...maybe twenty five or thirty at most," Jason answered.

	"Hmm, well thank you for the intel young man. Hopefully we can get a plan together and get something in motion to wipe these pukes out. Get some payback for your friends eh Private Winters?" McKinley replied with an upbeat tone.

	"Hooah, sir," Jason agreed with the older officer. With a salute and handshake the two older men left Jason to his own devices. "I'd kill for a book right about now."

	Across the base the shadows of buildings were starting to lengthen as the sun sank lower in the sky bringing an end to another day. Ashah had looked so peaceful in her sleep that Emily and Rick didn't have the heart to wake her up. But as the American pair finished up their present duties Emily was feeling a bit lively. While Rick had his back turned putting the gunsmith tools back into their respective areas she snuck up behind him. With one quick motion she  wrapped one arm around his chest and the other around his waist letting her hand cup his groin.

	"Hey, let's fool around a little while the others are asleep," prompted Emily as she began to rub her ample chest into Rick's back. They had fooled around in the armory before a few times when they had a moment to spare but never tried to go all out. They usually saved that for late night trips to the showers. Rick's peers always questioned why he carried his rifle to the showers so often. At least the ones who didn't know about geists anyway. He just told them so he could be prepared in case someone attacked the base.

	"Are you crazy? Ashah is asleep right over there!" Rick replied in a hushed tone trying to get his manhood to calm down before it took over his logic. This pushed Emily to try all the harder. She nipped his ear while whispering into it.

	"Ah, c'mon hon you know you wanna!" Emily moved in front of him while unzipping her combat shirt to expose a healthy amount of soft white cleavage, giving her breasts a little shake. Rick's eyes locked onto her chest like a hawk.  But as he reached out to cup his rifle's perky assets a voice cut through the air.

	"Ahem...sorry to interrupt your session of debauchery," Ashah said with a yawn as she stretched from her well rested nap. "If you want to be intimate, at least wake me so I can leave first."

	"Right, sorry haji." Emily re-zipped her shirt with an embarrassed expression while Rick turned his back to the AKM to adjust his privates. Ashah rolled her eyes at the pair.

	"You American rifles are such perverts," Ashah replied with a shake of her head. She stood and stretched a bit more to rouse herself from the last holds of slumber.

	"Don't be so quick to judge missy," Emily mused with a grin, "Once you and lover boy get serious you'll be going at it whenever you get a chance. It feels as good as getting fired!" The M4A1 geist stated the last with no care given to her lewd topic of conversation. Ashah's ears flattened against her head out of embarrassment and she turned her gaze away from Emily and Rick to a spot on the ceiling.

	"I would never be that indecent!" Ashah replied with a huff. "I have more self control than that.

	"Let's see how much self control you have when this man of yours has his fingers buried in your-"

	"Oookay Emily that's enough. We don't want Ashah to think we're perverts," Rick cut in as he saw where the talk was headed. Man, redheads were something else.

	"A little late for that..." Ashah muttered under her breath. As she turned her gaze out the window in the front of the armory she saw that the once bright day had turned to a deep orange. She had slept much longer than intended. "I should have woken up sooner, I didn't realize it was so late."

	"Can you find your way back to the base hospital Ashah?" Emily asked the AKM geist as she made plans to show her man a good time once the two of them were alone.

	"Yes, I believe I can manage on my own this time." Ashah made sure the make-up hiding her tattoos was still intact. Placing the hat over her wolf ears she made made for the door leaving the two love birds alone. With each step she grew more and more worried about what to say to Jason. Or if she even should tell him how she felt.

	"Now then," cooed Emily turning back to Rick as she began lifting her shirt to expose her ample chest, " Where were we?"

	Jason laid back in his bed and thought about how much longer he would be cooped up in his room. His leg had healed enough to where he could put some weight on it and the wound had closed up nicely. Surely they wouldn't hold him much longer and let him return to duty, or at least light duty. His thoughts were interrupted by a light knock at the door.

	"Yes? Come in, I'm decent." Jason pushed himself up into a sitting position in his bed leaving his legs stretched out for comfort. Thinking it was another one of his superiors here to get a debriefing about recent events he sighed heavily. Ashah opened the door and poked her head into the small room.

	"Jason, are you feeling well? Should I come back another time?" Ashah asked nervously. Jason went from annoyed to smiling like an idiot in half a second.

	"No! I mean yes. I'm feeling fine, just thinking over some things." Jason hurried to reassure the cute geist standing in the doorway. Remembering his manners he invited her in. "Grab a seat!" he said as he moved to make some room on the small bed. Ashah smiled and made her way over and sat at the foot of the bed tucking one leg under her as she faced Jason.

	"I'm glad to see you are doing well. I meant to come sooner but I went back to the armory for a nap and ended up oversleeping." Ashah explained the rest of the mornings happenings to Jason who listened intently.

	"Well sounds like a good morning to me," Jason replied cheerily. "I'm happy for you, getting to finally have the freedom to do what you want is a nice right?"

	"It's odd after so many years of being more or less a slave, but I believe I will learn to like it," Ashah said with a smile. Jason ate it up. He could stare at her for hours and never get tired of her beautiful expression or her sapphire blue eyes. She was gorgeous.

	"Jason...Jason, are you alright?" Ashah said as she lightly placed her hand on his leg to get his attention. He snapped out of his daze and grinned while averting his gaze.

	"Yeah sorry about that. Just...thinking." A moment of silence passed between the two with neither knowing how to continue. Jason stole a glance here and there at the lovely woman next to him as she looked around the room. Ashah thought of the M4A1 and her shooter Rick and what obscene deeds they were probably doing back at the armory. She'd have to wipe down her desk to be safe before she napped there again. Then Emily's teasing came to her mind about getting frisky with Jason when they got serious. But would they even cross that line to begin with? After all, Jason had made no mention about it, and Ashah was too nervous and uncertain to know how to go about asking. She did feel something for Jason. Something unlike anything she had ever felt toward another human. She thought about the advice Emily had given her  earlier today after their trip to the mess hall. With those words echoing in her head Ashah turned to look at Jason. The motion caught his eye and he looked up to see Ashah give a shy grin in his direction. She almost lost her nerve, but replaying Emily's words in her head she steeled her resolve and opened her mouth to speak.

	"Jason...can I ask you something?" she started not knowing how to word what she wanted to ask. "It's a bit random but I'm curious about something and I wanted to know what you thought." Oh yes, Ashah thought to herself sarcastically, this is going well.

	"Sure Ashah what's up?" Jason replied as he raised in eyebrow in curiosity. The sudden change in Ashah's mood had caught him off guard. She seemed nervous, but more serious than when she had entered the room earlier.

	"Well, you see, Emily and Rick are pretty close to one another," Ashah stated matter of fact like.

	"The two at the armory right?" Jason nodded his head as he thought back to what the Polish AKM had told him about the pair that had helped her out after he was put in the hospital. "Makes sense, she is his issued rifle after all."

	"I mean...they are VERY close, you understand?" Ashah tried to get her point across without blurting out that they were probably half naked on one of the work benches at the armory right now. Jason seemed to pick up on the hint.

	"Oh..OH...well I guess when you serve with someone like that in a dangerous place you tend to form strong eh...bonds with one another." Jason wasn't sure how to reply. "What makes you bring that up out of the blue?"

	"I umm...well... to put it in so many words..." Ashah kept stumbling over herself in an attempt to get to the core of the matter before she lost her confidence. She stopped and took a shallow breath before starting over. "To get to the point...I...I care for you. On a level that I have never cared for any other human in my existence. In fact before meeting you I never cared for anyone or anything. I was hurt for being stolen and abandoned by my country and being torn from my sisters. And then to make it worse I was sold to a bunch of brutish terrorists." Ashah was getting worked up remembering her past and Jason didn't know what to do other than sit there and let her talk it out.

	"I saw nothing but darkness and bloodshed as I was lugged around for decades. And when I accepted my fate and tried to win their favor I was marked as an outcast and treated worse than scum. I served no purpose at all and I just wanted my bolt to shatter and cease to exist." Ashah continued to speak a mile a minute while her heart beat like a pounding drum in her chest. "And then one day you show up out of nowhere and I capture you to try and finally get some recognition from the one who carried me. But I was still despised." Ashah looked to Jason timidly as tears began to pool up and streak down her cheeks. "But despite what you went through because of me, you were the first person to ever treat me like I was worth something. More than just a heap of metal and laminated wood." She moved to wipe her eyes free of tears.

	"Ashah...I-" Jason began to speak only to be cut off by Ashah once more.

	"And even after I freed you, and we managed to get down from the mountains you trusted me to protect you after barely knowing me. I was finally used for the purpose I was intended for the first time in forty years by someone I was told to be my enemy." Ashah broke down and hid her face in her hands as she sobbed quietly for a moment. Jason sat speechless on his side of the bed, mouth hanging open with no clue how to comfort her.

	"What I'm trying to say is thank you for everything. Thank you, and...and...I love you and I want so badly for you to love me because I've never felt this way before and I don't know what to do about it!" Ashah looked down at the floor out of embarrassment and fear as more tears trickled down her cheeks. She hadn't meant to go on a rant about everything. Jason probably wasn't interested in her to begin with and she was wasting his time. She stood up to make her way to the door. "I should go, I'm sorry for bothering-" A firm grasp on her left elbow stopped her in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder to see Jason bolt out of his bed and brace himself as he put pressure on his still recovering leg.

	"Jason I-" Ashah was silenced with Jason pressing his lips to hers. He released her elbow and wrapped his left arm around her waist as he held her head lightly with his free hand. Ashah was alarmed at the sudden action. She tilted her head upward to compensate for Jason's taller height. Her ears stood up straight against her hat causing it to fall off. But then she seemed to melt into his arms placing her hands on his chest and pushing back against his lips with her own. His stubble poked her face a bit, but she didn't care the slightest right now. She could only focus on the feeling of Jason's heartbeat in his chest. The rhythmic  bum-bump bum-bump matching her own. The taste of their lips mixing. The light flicking of their tongues across each others as they explored their mouths in this moment of uninhibited affection. The smooth feeling of her teeth and the softness of her tongue against his was incredible. Jason took a fleeting note of Ashah's slightly longer than normal canines. Finally with the pair being out of breath they reluctantly broke the kiss.

	Ashah hid her face in Jason's chest being too shy and embarrassed to look him in the eye. He wrapped her in a warm hug and they stood in silence for a short while with the only sound being their heartbeats and slow steady breathing. After a moment Ashah finally got up the nerve to speak again, moving to gaze up at Jason.

	"I...love you Jason. With all of my being." She wrapped her arms around his back and rested her chin on his chest. She was no longer worried that he didn't share her feelings and it was like a mountain was lifted off her chest. If it wasn't trapped in her pants leg she would have wagged her tail off.

	"You know how to make a guy fall in love, huh?" Jason responded with a massive grin. He lovingly stroked her hair and ran his fingers through her rich, dark locks. She could get used to this, Ashah thought.

	"I was worried you wouldn't feel the same way towards me since I am a rifle and you're human." Ashah explained in a blissful daze.

	"I told you before, you're more than a rifle." Jason stepped back and pulled Ashah along with him as he fell onto the bed with her atop him. He stared into the deep blue pools of her eyes and made a promise to himself that he would do everything in his power to give her a good life. Better than she ever thought she would have no matter what it cost him.

	"I have one more question." Ashah pushed herself up off of Jason to look him in the eyes. "My name, Ashah, what does it mean? Why did you pick it out of all the choices you had?"

	"Well, I thought it fit you perfectly, it means 'she who lives'. Just like you are now. A living breathing person, not just an inanimate object. You're special to me and I wanted your name to reflect that."  And with that he touched her cheek and brought his face closer to hers and kissed her again. This time slower and more passionately than the last to savor every second and sensation.

	They stayed like this for a long while as the world around them carried on. Kissing slowly, taking a break to breathe, kissing again with each time getting more drawn out and passionate. Finally with a sinking feeling in their hearts they sat up in the bed and said their goodbyes. It was late and they both needed to get some rest. Not that either one thought they could sleep tonight  at all though. Ashah moved to the door and looked back at Jason and his soft loving smile. This was heaven, right here in this little room with him she thought sweetly. Her smile could have spanned the entire continent.

	"Try to get some sleep, I'll be back tomorrow night as soon as I can." Ashah called to Jason as he eased himself down to the pillow still grinning.

	"I don't think that's going to happen, but I'll try. Goodnight Ashah." Jason settled down into the bed to get comfortable.

	"Goodnight...my love." With that Ashah gently closed the door and made her way down the hall pulling the hat back over her head. She felt like she was floating on air as she practically skipped down the hall and past the receptionist's desk.

	"Can I help you?" he called out to Ashah.

	"No, you can't," Ashah responded cheerily, not bothering to hide her strong mix of Arabic and Polish accents as she pushed through the doors and out to the humid night air. As she made her way back to the armory she found herself humming to herself. She hadn't felt like this since she rolled off the assembly line back at FB Radom. Arriving back at the armory she saw that the pervy couple had taken their intimacy to the showers. They left her a note on one of the desks and were nowhere to be seen.

	'Ash,
     	Went to shower, be back soon. Don't wait up.
                                                 	- Emi'

	She took some cleaner from the cabinet and sprayed it on her desk to wipe it down before making herself comfortable. It wasn't long before the pair returned for the night to check the weapons racks and lock everything up. The American rifle immediately noticed Ashah's radiant mood.

	"Well, looks like someone had a good time. Put the moves on your man did you?" Emily pushed Ashah for the story. "C'mon haji, give me the details! Just between us girls you know?"

	"It didn't start out how I had planned but in the end everything worked out great..." Ashah began to explain to the M4A1 before becoming embarrassed and blushing at the nights events. She hid her face in her hands as her mouth formed a smile wide enough to fit a C-130 in.

	"See, like I said, he had feelings for you too. You worry too much." Emily stifled a yawn then looked over to Rick as he moved to turn off the lights. "Well, looks like it's lights out. You feel like going back in the cabinet till morning?"

	"Yeah, I'll be fine I think." Ashah disrobed and donned her typical black robes and makeshift sling for her belt. She allowed Rick to place her in her slot inside of the rack. With a soft metallic click the doors to the armory shut and locked. But this time she didn't feel claustrophobic or tense. Ashah relaxed and within minutes she was off to sleep.

	Across the way, in the valley of the mountains under the light of the pale moon, evil men plotted and stirred as they stoked the flames of their hatred. Almasi and the other men of the group sat around a table looking at a large map of the province. Several spots on the map had crudely drawn buildings indicating bases or checkpoints and small notes scribbled here and there.

	"Brother Almasi, we can't allow the American to live. He has shamed us and you know we cannot live with ourselves until we exact our vengeance. We must make him and all his people suffer." The old leader of the ambush group said during a lull in the conversation.

	"Yes Hakim, we will have our time. Soon, very soon." Almasi stroked his long grey beard as he gazed at the map. F.O.B. Old Glory marked by red outlines drew his focus in. How should they take the fight to the Americans? The base was miles away from the mountains and they would be spotted long before they arrived. They would need a large force to be able to overrun the base easily since there was nowhere to hide in the open area around the base. They had chosen the location well. Flat barren land and unobstructed fields of view made the base easy to attack. But it also made it easy to spot potential threats a long ways off. He didn't want to run the risk of having to few men and failing the raid. The best course of action was to get a large force and assault the Americans head on. He pondered this for a moment before speaking again. "Hakim, contact our brothers in the province and tell them to make ready for an attack on the American invaders. We will slaughter them and stamp them out of our homeland. One more victory for our people!

	"As you say brother," Hakim replied with a wicked grin.