Marshal Book 3: Out of the Cold Revised and Illustrated

By Harvey Minnick

MARSHAL BOOK 3 is in a series of science fiction adventure stories with a superhero twist that is guaranteed not to insult your intelligence and keep you entertained from start to finish. If you can believe in aliens, you can believe in Marshal. The lives of humans and aliens have become intertwined in this fast paced adventure story. The heroes are sent to check out a Earthly mystery this time and have a number of misadventures along the way. Life on Earth will never be the same after the COMING OF MARSHAL I try to put the reader in the middle of the action and some times the action gets intense, as it should in any good adventure story. The book is self censoring. More sensitive readers are advised when reader discretion is needed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Apr 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781490775029

Harvey Minnick

Harvey Minnick is an artist, author, aviator, and a buck-skinning nuclear medicine technologist. Harvey is also a failed entrepreneur and a veteran. Being creative can be a curse as there are too many things to concentrate on.

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Copyright 2017 Harvey O. Minnick Jr.

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ISBN: 978-1-4907-7501-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-7502-9 (e)

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MARSHAL BOOK 3

OUT OF THE COLD

Revise and illustrated

CHAPTER ONE           BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

CHAPTER TWO          BABY, IT’S COLD IN HERE

CHAPTER THREE       IT ALL STARTED WITH AN ACCIDENT

CHAPTER FOUR         SAVED BY THE BELL

CHAPTER FIVE           GOING THERE IS ALL THE FUN OR YOU EARNED YOUR PAY TODAY

CHAPTER SIX           A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

CHAPTER SEVEN        A SLIGHT VAMPIRE INFESTATION

CHAPTER EIGHT         NO MORE PARCHEESI

CHAPTER NINE          OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

CHAPTER TEN           THE VAMPIRE HUNT

CHAPTER ELEVEN         FROM BAD TO WORSE

CHAPTER TWELVE         BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON

CHAPTER THIRTEEN         THE DEVIL WEARS A RED SPACESUIT

CHAPTER FOURTEEN         SLIP SLIDING AWAY

CHAPTER FIFTEEN         ALL FALL DOWN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN         SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

BOOKS IN THE SERIES

MARSHAL BOOK ONE

The Coming of Marshal, revised; First contact goes horribly wrong.

MARSHAL BOOK 2

Superstar the Harbinger, revised; Alien bugs try to take over the Earth.

MARSHAL BOOK 3

Out of the Cold revised; The heroes fight exploding penguins and a volcano.

MARSHAL BOOK 4

Rocket Girl, Mind control and super villains.

MARSHAL BOOK 5

The Waterloo Incident, Zombies in the corn fields!

MARSHAL BOOK 6

Femme Fatales, Chinese super soldiers run amuck in Chicago.

MARSHAL BOOK 7

Doctor Cooly and the Little Green Man. They travel to another time and dimension.

MARSHAL BOOK 8

Epoch, Evil aliens come to Earth and want their ship back.

MARSHAL BOOK 9

We are HERO, Heroes fall as HERO fights the criminal clones.

MARSHAL BOOK 10

Abductors, HERO regroups after the loss of two of their own.

MARSHAL BOOK 11

Dauntless lives, dauntless kills, Brandy is back from the dead or is she?

MARSHAL BOOK 12

The hunt for Marshal. The girls search the universe to find a way to save Marshal.

Dedicated to my family and friends who have stuck by me. And especially to Kathie and Trena, without their help Marshal would be an unreadable pile of gibberish.

CHAPTER ONE

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

The cold Arctic air reverberated with the sound of the newborn volcano. Three weeks ago, this had been empty frozen wasteland, and is now a thousand foot tall volcano spewing forth smoke and ash, blocking out the eastern horizon. The ground, mostly rock and ice, went snap, crackle, pop; not unlike the famous breakfast cereal, but a million times more alarming.

The international research station three miles from the base of the volcano was abandoned; its temporary buildings were shattered and burnt.

Off to the northwest, the ice crystals in the sky sparkled, heralding the coming of another storm.

Fifty miles in from the coast and 150 miles from the volcano, a second, much smaller plume of black smoke billowed up from the snow and ice. On the ice, an Arctic Cat and it’s sledge were burning.

The Arctic Cat had a body like a full sized van suspended from two sets of overly wide tracks. The cat had been ripped open by an explosion and there was a small fire flickering in back. The sledge it was towing was completely engulfed in fire. The life sustaining supplies were burning, giving off the black pungent smoke that would be visible for miles.

There was nothing but snow and ice in all directions from the cat and it’s burning sledge. A ten foot wide crater in the snow was directly in front of the cat. Bits and pieces of shrapnel were scattered all about and imbedded in the aluminum skin of the cat. Fifty feet off to the side of the cat laid the body of a man dressed in a US Army parka. He did not move.

Inside the cat there was movement. At first, it looked to be just the flickering light of the flames playing tricks with you, but then you saw it. A large dark figure was moving about inside the cat. The driver’s side door swung open and back shut. Seconds later, it flew off it’s hinges and landed twenty feet away.

A man carrying a woman stepped out of the door and straightened up. He was massive, nearly seven feet tall and broad shouldered, very broad shouldered. He stepped down onto the tracks and jumped down to the snow.

He broke through the crust of ice on top of the snow and sank in half way up to his thighs. The hood of his parka fell back revealing that he was not human. He had blue skin and black wavy hair. His face had a slightly devilish look to it. He was Marshal, the alien lawman who recently came to Earth.

He started to make his way through the snow, when the hood of the woman’s parka also dropped away, revealing a pretty face and long, flowing, platinum locks. After slogging along for a few steps, he gently put her down on the ice and gave her a push. She slid across the ice, coming to a stop when she bumped into a man’s body.

He turned and headed back to the cat, climbing up the tracks and in through the open doorway. Inside, the bench seats were empty. The small fire in back was growing in intensity. He turned to the dash and picked up the mic which barely filled the palm of his hand. He tried to send a distress call. But he was unfamiliar with the primitive alien technology. He fiddled with the control knobs and the radio crackled to life. He tried to make the call but all he could say was alien gibberish.

A voice crackled back from the radio. Is that you HERO rescue? This is HERO control, over.

Marshal replied with more gibberish. The urgency was evident in his booming voice but, gibberish was still gibberish.

Outside, Heather came to and rolled over to see Tex lying unconscious next to her. She brushed her long hair back and adjusted her hood and tried to jostle Tex awake. He did not respond. She turned her attention to the flickering light, and saw Marshal inside the cat bent over the radio trying to get it to work.

She saw that the back of Marshal’s parka was on fire and that he did not know it. She scrambled to her feet and dashed off to the cat and it’s burning occupant. She ran so fast that she didn’t break through the crust of ice.

She raced up the tracks and into the burning cat. Her sudden appearance surprised the hulking alien. Revived, you are. Contact established I have.

There’s no time for that! You’re on fire, she announced, as she beat the fire on his backside out with her gloved hand.

He looked both surprised and confused as he handed her the microphone. HERO control, this is Superstar, come in. She did not get to finish her call. The fire in back had spread to the fuel supply for the cook stove. There was a thunderous explosion. Both of them made a graceful flaming arc as they sailed through the air. The explosion had propelled them out of the cat through the roof. The living fireballs made a less than graceful landing on the ice.

Their landing knocked the wind out of them. Their moves were slow and labored as they lay there catching their breaths for a few seconds before realizing that they were on fire. Then their movements became much more frantic.

With their fires extinguished, they sat on the ice looking back at the smoldering remains of the cat. The explosion had ripped it to bits. Burning and smoldering debris was scattered in every direction.

Marshal said something in his native gibberish and Heather scooted over closer to him so his translator would work. What’s that you were saying, big guy?

Someone said this to me once, and I heard this spoken in one of your entertainment broadcasts. And it seems appropriate.

What’s that?

Baby, it’s cold outside.

She broke out laughing. Baby, you got that right!

It is ironic, he said as he started to shiver.

Yeah, it’s funny all right, Heather answered as she too started to shiver.

What’s ironic? He looked at her and seeing her parka was torn and burnt he reached around, wrapping his massive arm around her, to keep her warm.

The rescuers are now in need of rescuing. With her head resting on his chest and all wrapped around him she said, I don’t want to freeze to death out here.

We must endeavor to survive. Perhaps they received my carrier wave transmission.

She looked up, confused at first, and then came to life. Huh? Oh, you mean the radio, why didn’t I think of that! The com link!

She opened the collar of her parka and slid her hand in and pushed on the badge on her chest. This is Superstar calling anyone at HERO. Can you hear me? There was no answer.

Fifty miles to the west at the coastal fishing village, a soldier sat at a radio set up in a small shack. He feverishly worked the controls of the radio. Captain Reynolds, a short man with thinning hair stood behind him. Tell me again just what you heard.

The soldier stopped working and turned to face the officer. I picked up a transmission on HERO’s rescue frequency, but I couldn’t understand any of it. It may have been Marshal, but I can’t say for sure. And a minute later there was some static on the com link. It sounded like Superstar. But I can’t get them to answer.

Have you hard anything new from Dauntless?

No sir, nothing new to report.

Keep after it Gram. Report to me if you do make contact. I’ve got to report this to the Colonel.

Back at the cat, Marshal, Heather and the unconscious Tex, were gathered around some of the burning debris. This isn’t going to last too long and then what are we going to do? She asked.

Marshal answered in gibberish and Heather got annoyed. Get back here! You know that thing doesn’t work if you get too far away.

She motioned for him to come closer and he sat down next to her. We are in need of shelter.

Shelter! We’re going to freeze to death before we can find any shelter! She was starting to panic.

Marshal took hold of her by both arms and pressed his forehead against hers. Enhance your calm, we are going to survive. We can use the plasma in my pistol to make a fire and they will find us.

How?

Just visualize the tower of smoke. It is visible from a protracted distance.

They’ll just find us frozen to death. Our parkas are ruined. Even with a fire we’re going to freeze!

Not if we find shelter.

Don’t you get it? There is no shelter out here, she chided through gritted teeth.

Then, I must construct some. And with that, the giant alien with the indomitable personality turned to start. He took off the remains of his parka and wrapped it around Heather and Tex. He wrapped his cape around his body. It was doing him no good blowing in the wind.

Finding the door of the cat, he used it to pack snow against it, making a section of wall. He repeated this over and over, forming an igloo out of the packed snow.

As he worked, the blowing snow clung to him and started to slow his movements; his exposed arms, legs and head getting the worst of it. He got the three windward sides done, but could not finish the last side. He was trembling uncontrollably and just slumped over inside the wind break.

After a minute, Heather realized that something was amiss, and crawled over to investigate. Seeing Marshal inactive, she immediately started rubbing his face and arms trying to revive him. They made eye contact.

She went out and came back with a piece of foam seating out of the cat that had been burning and still held an ember. Next, she took Marshal’s pistol and tried to shoot it at the foam. Fortunately, the massive sidearm would not go off.

He reached over and took the weapon from her saying, No, only some of the plasma. He struggled with the weapon and finally removed the magazine from the pistol grip and handed the clip to her. She took it. The plasma resembled a bar of soap. Turning to her friend from another world she asked, What, do you want me to put this in the fire?

Only a small amount, he cautioned.

She pondered this for a second and then opened her parka further down and reached in to her utility belt underneath and brought out a utility knife which she used to shave some of the plasma off the bar and put it on the embers. With a little huffing and puffing she had a fire going. What do you know? That’s a first for me, she proudly announced.

As Marshal moved closer to the fire she zipped up her parka and went out. She dragged Tex back with one hand and laid him next to the fire.

As the foam burned, it gave off toxic smoke which billowed up and out of the wind break. Good thing you didn’t finish the roof. We’ll have to find something else to burn.

Superstar stood up, using her superhuman speed, raced over to the still burning sledge. Reaching the sledge, she started to rifle through the unburned supplies looking for anything useful. She found some provisions and a canvas bag to carry them in. When she returned, to the wind break she found Marshal working on putting a roof on by angling the walls in towards each other, forming a vaulted roof.

Together they finished the roof and she used the door to close off most of the leeward end of their igloo.

After making enough plasma shavings to keep the small fire going for a while, they settled in. She put the remains of Marshal’s parka around the unconscious Tex. Do you think he’s going to make it?

Marshal looked puzzled and responded, He is unable to manufacture anything in his present condition.

Huh? That’s not what I meant.

Heather started to shiver. It was not as cold as it was outside, but it was far from warm. Looking over at Marshal she proposed, Why don’t we try sharing a little body warmth. She almost started to giggle as she said it.

Being in close body contact would be agreeable to me.

She rose up on her knees and opened her parka, revealing her formfitting Superstar uniform underneath. Her physique was that of female perfection, full and round in places and thin and muscular elsewhere. I bet it would, just don’t get any funny ideas. This is strictly for our survival.

He opened up his cape exposing his uniform and powerful build. She snuggled up against him as he covered them up with his cape. It felt good to both of them. I fail to see anything humorous about our present situation.

That’s not what I meant, you just behave yourself, she playfully warned him, as she scooted in closer.

It is you who must be reminded to behave yourself. Do not allow my pheromones to influence you. This is not the time or place.

She put a stop to his lecture saying, Oh, will you just be quiet. After a few minutes they were both asleep.

Sometime later, Marshal was awakened by movement outside. He got up to investigate, leaving Heather sleeping in the igloo. The blast of cold air when he opened the door temporarily awoke her, but she rolled over and was back to sleep in no time.

Outside in the failing light, Marshal was confronted by a bird standing erect. It was a penguin, or at least it looked like one. Its movements seem almost mechanical to him. As the bird waddled closer he noticed that there was a package strapped to its body.

Marshal knew that some primitive cultures employ animals to carry messages or even supplies to stranded travelers. That must be what this is. This strange large artic bird must be well suited to carry emergency provisions or even communication devices.

Marshal approached the flightless bird trying not to alarm it. He spoke in a soothing tone, gibberish only another alien could understand. That is, assuming he didn’t know how to speak penguin.

As he got to within a few feet of the four foot tall bird, it became apparent that it was not truly a bird. Not a bird at all, but a mechanical recreation of one. But why? Why would the humans make a mechanical rescue animal?

The package strapped to the bird’s body had a blinking light on it and a red LCD display that Marshal could not read. He couldn’t read Terran. Too bad, it might have helped. He didn’t like the look of the constantly changing display.

He was right. The bird flapped its wings once and quacked. The readout read three, two, one. BOOM!

The explosion knocked down one of the igloo walls and Heather came clawing her way out into the cold arctic air. She was ready for a fight, but there was none to be had. She looked around and found Marshal laying face up in the snow at the edge of a smoking crater.

She rushed to him and slipped and fell landing against him. He was splattered with bits of shrapnel and was bleeding all over. She delicately removed the bits of metal sticking out of his body. The bleeding quickly stopped and the wounds closed. As did the damage to his uniform.

He started to convulse and spit up blue blood. Heather didn’t know what to do. Don’t you go and die on me big guy!

More pieces of metal were pushed out of his body and he coughed up a big piece. After a few seconds, the bleeding and convulsions had stopped, and he was lying quietly in her arms.

They looked into each other’s eyes. As she stroked his hair he tried, but was unable to speak. Take it easy big boy.

She looked over to the center of the crater and noticed the burnt and shattered remains of something with duck-like feet. What the hell happened here?

Once again, their gaze met and he responded weakly, The devil bird exploded.

Devil bird? What devil bird? She asked, as she wiped the blood off of his face.

That is what the primitive natives called it.

This confused her at first but then she got it. You mean the Eskimos and penguins, don’t you?

That is what I said.

How do you feel?

With my hands and sensory nerve endings.

AUGHT! NO! How are you feeling?

I am in need of time to recuperate.

Maybe Doctor Cooly was right. You stay here and I’ll fix the igloo. She got up and went over to the partially collapsed igloo and started muttering to herself. We have got to get that thing fixed.

A few minutes later, they were back in the repaired igloo with the last of the plasma on the fire. Marshal was still shivering and barely conscious. He was laying with his head in her lap, and she was checking his scalp for head wounds. After running her fingers through his full wavy hair, she declared, No head wounds, but it must have been something for you to think a penguin exploded.

Looking up at her he defensively said, The bird did explode.

She nestled down and fully embraced him. We’ve got to get you warmed up. She vigorously rubbed his arms and chest before draping the cape over them and settled in for the cavalry to come.

She gave him a peck on the cheek and he looked at her in confusion. It’s for good luck, she explained, and they settled into each other’s arms.

Later, a polar bear seeking shelter from the oncoming storm, found the igloo and tore the door down only to find Heather’s foot. The bear, ever an opportunistic feeder, took her foot and pulled her out of the igloo.

Superstar awoke to find she was being dragged out of the igloo by the white bear. She did the only thing any girl would do in the same situation. She freaked out and started shouting and kicking wildly.

Now Superstar is super strong, but fighting a polar bear by herself without weapons might be asking a lot, even for her. Fortunately she didn’t have to. The bear dropped her and she summoned all of her super speed to scramble out of its reach.

Marshal came dashing out of the igloo to confront the bear. He immediately broke through the crust on the snow and sank in to his hips. The bear rushed him. The bear slashed at him with its right paw, but Marshal caught it in mid swing and held it there while he wound up and landed a right upper cut on the bear’s snout, which sent it summersaulting head over tail twenty feet back. The bear staggered back to its feet and scampered away, yelping all the way like a little frightened puppy.

Marshal stood there hip deep in snow looking around and saw no one. He called out, HEATHER, SUPERSTAR" and some other unintelligible alien gibberish.

Superstar was racing around in the blinding snow at something over 300 MPH She could go faster, but the footing wasn’t the best. She took a corner a little to fast and slipped and slid for a hundred feet before regaining her footing. She stopped and thought, Hey, wait a minute, I’m a superhero. I can’t just run away from a bear and leave my friends with no help against it.

She doubled back, darting around nasty blocks of ice and across deep crevasses in the ice. She took another turn too fast and slammed into a block of ice, dislodging it. She found herself standing on the block of ice as it slid along the surface of the ice covered snow field.

She rode the block like a surfboard until she collided with the fleeing polar bear. The collision knocked the bear sideways and she was sent tumbling across the surface of the ice.

The wayward ice block slammed into another ice block and shattered. When she came to a stop, she found herself leaning against the dazed animal. They both scrambled to their feet and headed in opposite directions as fast as they could.

She made her way back to the igloo and found Marshal outside looking for her. In relief, they embrace. You are unharmed! I was fearful that you had been consumed by that omnivore.

I almost was, but I got away.

A gust of wind blew Heather’s hood back. You know baby, you were right.

Right about what?

Baby, it’s cold outside. Let’s get in before we freeze!

Baby, I find that most agreeable, but first, we must make repairs. They repaired the damage done by the bear as the weather got worse, with driving winds and drifting snow.

CHAPTER TWO

BABY, IT’S COLD IN HERE

Twenty-four hours before going to Greenland, everyone was gathered at HERO HQ in Chicago. Heather Carter, known to the world as Superstar, and Lieutenant Colonel Henry Otis were walking down the polished hall on their way to a meeting.

Heather was wearing her form fitting blue and white Superstar uniform with the high boots. The colonel was, as usual, wearing BDU’s (battle dress uniform); neither of them were armed.

As they walked down the hall, Superstar unzipped her collar and showed a little more cleavage than usual. She sneaked a sly little glance at the colonel who was fiddling with some papers and hadn’t noticed. Something more direct, she thought.

She brushed up against his arm as they walked. This startled the older soldier and he dropped the file he had been going through. Sorry!

He shot her a look as he scooped up the errant papers. That’s all right, you startled me. Is there something on your mind?

She knelt down and helped him recover his papers. Here, let me help you.

What is it you want? He asked.

Do I have to want something just because I bumped into you? She asked, as she gathered up the papers. She handed the papers to him and stood up, towering over him.

Looking up at her in her satin-like uniform, he couldn’t help but admire the view. After a few seconds, he stood up but she was still very close to him and just a bit taller with her boots on. It usually does. Ok, you’ve got my attention, what’s on your mind?

She went into her little girl act, swaying back and forth and looking about shyly. Well actually, I was wondering if you had had a chance to talk to the general about my request?

What request? He shot back at her.

You know, renegotiating my contract.

Oh that, yes I did. He said that he was going to consider it depending on your performance, he answered, as he rearranged the papers.

She stepped back, and with her hands on her hips like doctor Cooly, snapped back at him, My performance? But I saved the planet from those horrible Harbingers! What more does he expect?

This caught his attention and he responded with no small amount of indignation. You saved the planet? I heard you were unconscious at the time, face down in a pool of your own blood. Doctor Cooly was the one who shot the Queen with a rocket launcher.

I was, but before that, I was the one who saved Marshal and made it all possible, she said defensively.

He countered, And he’s the one who fought with the Queen while everybody was down and out. Sounds like a team effort to me.

But it was my plan that set everything in motion. Superstar used her hands to add emphasis to her words.

And it was my plan that finished everything and saved the city. You don’t hear me demanding more pay and a luxury apartment, do you?

You were in the hospital while this was going down. She shifted her weight to one leg.

He crossed his arms hugging the file to his chest. But the others weren’t, and they’re not demanding more money either.

That’s because you and Brandy are military. You signed up for this. Not me. I was drafted, she protested with both of her hands on her shapely hips.

Colonel Otis also put his hands on his hips and shifted his weight. He wasn’t going to be stampeded by this girl. Lt. Holmes didn’t volunteer for any of this. She was in the National Guard before all this happened. She didn’t want to be a super hero, it just happened. You could say she was drafted.

She moved closer, getting into his face. That doesn’t change anything. She’s still in the army. I’m not.

What about Doctors Brewvill and Cooly and the others; they’re not military, but they are serving.

They’re part of… of, oh, I don’t know what area 51 staff is called. She backed off in frustration.

Dr. Cooly was part of the faculty here at the college before being called on.

Yeah, she deserves more money too, but that’s her problem. Heather didn’t like the way this conversation was going.

And you’re forgetting our friend from the stars. We definitely owe him for saving our bacon more than once.

Heather’s pretty face came to life. Then you agree with me. We deserve more money.

That’s not my call. He turned to go but stopped and turned back to her saying, You know, arguing with you is just like arguing with Doctor Cooly; you’ve even picked up a lot of her mannerisms, the only thing missing was your glasses sliding down your nose.

She latched hold of his arm as they started to go down the hall. Very funny. We weren’t arguing.

Maybe it was a bad choice of words, he agreed.

You do remember that I worked with her for some time undercover as her assistant before all this happened. She thought to herself, he’s beginning to ease up, but I have to do something to convince him to see things my way.

As they went down the hall, she opened a door and yanked him into the empty file room. She swung him around and pressed him up against the wall with her body.

The feel of her body pressing up against his brought on a torrent of emotions in the colonel. He remembered the pain of her assaulting him and how stimulating she could be. After a few seconds he looked her in the eye. Are you under the control of an evil alien insect bent on world domination again? He asked, with a sly little smirk on his face.

This confused her. Huh? What, no. She blushed and backed off, keeping her hands against the wall next to his shoulders, trapping him more or less against the wall, but not actually holding him; she had a funny sly look on her face.

He studied her for a few seconds before saying, Good the last time you slammed me against the wall like that you were under the influence of the Harbinger Queen, and I wound up in the hospital. What’s gotten into you?

I was just trying to get your attention, she said with a sweet tone to her voice and a look of innocence that didn’t wash with the colonel.

You got it.

She eased up against him. Don’t you see? I need you, I need you to see things my way.

The feel of her body pressing up against his was both electrifying and terrifying. As the Harbinger of Death, she had used her body as a weapon against him and he still had some of the bruises to show for it. Now you’re distracting me. Memories of decidedly less traumatic encounters with her rushed into his mind. It wasn’t all bad.

What? Does being close like this distract you? There was a twinkle in her eye. Don’t tell me you don’t like it, I know you do. They were nose to nose.

Of course I like it, but that’s not what this is all about. You’re not going to influence me and my decisions, not like this anyway. Get a hold of yourself. Now if you’ll be so kind as to let me go.

She backed off. Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.

He started to go and she hooked his arm and spun him around into her. She hugged him saying. I can see I scared you. Let me make it up to you. She kissed him passionately. He started to melt and give into temptation, but his resolve stiffened and he broke away from her.

As he left, he advised her to take a cold shower.

She leaned back against the wall and folded her arms and stomped her foot. Rejection was something new to her. She didn’t like it. That didn’t go very well, but if he thinks he’s going to get away that easy, he’s got another thing coming.

Outside in the hall, Colonel Otis met Captain Reynolds. Todd, I might have a problem with Heather.

What sort of problem? The junior officer asked, as they walked down the hall to the briefing room.