They celebrated Christmas as the snow fell for the tenth day in a row. It hadn't been heavy, but it was steady and cold. Kieu-Linh and her parents were not overtly religious, and Hitch had long-ago lost his faith in God, but it was traditional for him, a time when he'd enjoyed moments with his family, though just as often he was deployed and had to use video chat to see his wife and daughter.

They had cut a couple of branches from a pine outside the bunker and built it into a tree-shaped display, hanging dried cherries from fish hooks and using colorful yarn as a sort of garland. It was meager, to be sure, but it made Hitch feel good regardless.

Kieu-Linh had progressed quickly in her reading and writing skills to the point where she was ready for a challenge. As a 'gift' to her, Hitch gave her a book from the storage box, Little Women, the classic coming of age story of four sisters around the time of the Civil War. Hitch knew it was a stretch for her so early in her learning, but he also knew Kieu-Linh would find that it helped her a lot to become an accomplished reader.

She was overjoyed and hugged him tight. Though Kieu-Linh knew they had books, she hadn't really considered trying to read one. When Hitch told her, “I think you're ready for this,” his confidence seemed to light her up and make her feel proud of her accomplishments.

After she kissed him, she looked at the book again, then her smile dropped. “But... I have nothing to give you...”

“You've already given me more than enough... I could not ask for more than your love and your friendship... Never in a million years could I repay you for giving me joy again.”

She grinned and kissed him again. He saw her eyes curl up in thought, then she giggled. “I know what I could give you...” There was a delightful smile on her face.

“What might that be?” he asked.

“My butt.”

“Mmm... we'll see... you're pretty small back there...”

“I wanna try...”

He kissed her again, replied, “okay.”

“What do I do?” she said.

“First, you'll want to go move your bowels and clean up really well... take your time.”

She giggled. “Alright... be back in a few.”

Kieu-Linh disappeared through the passage to the outhouse and Hitch sipped warm tea, wondering at the way the young woman had grown so much over her months with him, sexually and otherwise. She'd continued to grow, now about 5'8. Her breasts had filled out more, less puffy, beautiful and tender. Her mind had expanded, as well, as she took to reading and writing like it came naturally. She was already a skilled hunter when she came to him, now she was learning to stalk and track as well. The way she'd brought down that bear with two well-placed shots was very impressive.

He couldn't believe she wanted to try anal sex with him. It was a long ways from the voyeuristic pleasure he'd gotten from her all those months before by the spring. He couldn't have dreamed he'd come to love her, or anyone, so quickly. He imagined how much she might grow over the rest of the Winter, and found himself feeling more optimistic about the future than he had in many, many years.

Anal sex was something he'd enjoyed only a few times in his life. Julia hadn't particularly liked it, much preferring vaginal sex. She'd let him penetrate her ass a few times, but she felt uncomfortable and he didn't pursue it after the first few months together. He'd been with a girlfriend or two who had enjoyed it, but it was, even then, an infrequent excursion from their typical lovemaking.

He had some second thoughts about introducing Kieu-Linh to it. While he'd seen her tight, dark anus many times, he'd never done more than sweep a finger by it. It just wasn't something he'd cared to explore while the new relationship energy was charging through him. Her pussy was more than enough. Even that day, he didn't really feel the need to explore her other hole. But when she'd suggested it, he felt a surge of excitement to try something new with his lover. He hoped they could do so in a way she enjoyed. He knew she was going to be very tight there, and he seriously doubted she'd be able to take him inside her butt without a long period of working up to it with a tongue and fingers.

She returned still grinning. “Ok,” she said lightly, “what now?”

“Let's start real slow. Come here, my naughty lover.”

Kieu-Linh purred and settled onto the mattress next to Hitch. They started by kissing and touching each other slowly. Hitch slid a finger between her legs and then brought her onto her back, moving over her slightly, fingering her tight vagina. She moaned as he alternated touching her clit and her slick channel. After warming up together, he said quietly, “now, let's see if you enjoy being touched there...”

She watched him with wide eyes, lips parted, already panting heavily. He helped her roll her hips up and she held her legs with her hands, opening her thighs wide. Hitch crawled between her knees and used his finger to probe her vagina again, bringing a second up to gently circle her anus. She jerked a bit at the contact but didn't resist.

He drew the girl's wetness down from her pussy, lubricating her tighter hole. Gently, very gently, he probed with his index finger, slipping just the tip inside. Kieu-Linh gasped and rocked slowly. “Mmm...” she purred.

Hitch brought more wetness from her vagina, adding more and more as he inserted just the tip into her rectum. The sixteen-year old was tensing a bit, so he slipped a finger into her vagina again, then used another to slip inside her anus. Kieu-Linh was incredibly tight there, and Hitch could feel her muscles spasming around his penetration.

“I'll go slow,” he whispered, “if it feels uncomfortable or you want me to stop, tell me...”

“Okay... so far... feels good...”

He pushed deeper inside her butt, drawing another groan from her throat. Pulling back he drooled saliva close to her hole, wetting his finger again, and pushed back inside, another inch, her clasping, gripping butthole resisting him.

He worked his way in and out, not pushing further, using more and more saliva to make her slippery. Hitch pulled his fingers out of the girl and leaned down to lick her. He could smell a faint odor from her recent bowel movement, but it didn't stop him from lapping against her anus. She moaned as he licked her there, her body trembling and rolling slowly. Hitch used his tongue to push spit inside her tight ring, probing her butt, tasting the meaty, rich flavors he found there.

Hitch brought his fingers back to her crotch, slipping one into her pussy while sliding a second into her ass. She took him easier this time, still very tight, his knuckle now lodged inside her tightest hole. He started to finger her steadily, not hard or fast, but firm enough to start to loosen her muscles.

He took his time, working around in a circle, carefully slipping in and out, relaxing her automatic grip around his digit. He probed deeper, deeper, soon he had his middle finger several inches into her butt.

“Feels like I need to poo...” she said, panting, “feels big...”

“If you want me to stop--”

“No... no... feels... good... ohh...”

Hitch added more saliva, pushing it inside, further loosing her clenching hold on his finger. He ran it up against the topside, then around to touch the lower parts of her rectum, her body relaxing more, taking him easier.

It was over thirty minutes later when he thought she might be open enough to try. It was still going to be very tight and probably uncomfortable. As he raised up onto his knees, he could see her swollen clit pulsing with the girl's heartbeat. Uncomfortable or not, Kieu-Linh was aroused and very turned on.

“I think,” Hitch said, “it would best if you decide how much to try. Let me lay down...”

Her knees came down and she rolled off the mattress. Hitch was on his back then, penis hard and throbbing. He, too, was very turned on.

Hitch led the teen to straddle his hips facing him. “Just like when you've taking me in your pussy this way, only, roll your hips forward a bit. I'll help you guide it in. From there... you can control how deep it goes...”

Her eyes were alight with sexual excitement. She was sweating, even in the cool air, her cinnamon skin glistening, flushed. Her nipples were tight peaks over firm young breasts, and her hairy cunt drooled thin, clear fluids as she squatted over him.

Kieu-Linh brought her hips forward and Hitch felt his penis brush past her slick labia. “Use your pussy first... to get me wet...”

She purred as she sank down, her tight vagina slippery. Kieu-Linh rode him slowly, staring with desire into his eyes. He nearly came right then, barely managing to say, “ok... now... let's try when you're ready...”

She grinned, still panting, and pulled up and off his cock. Her hips rolled forward slightly, and he again felt her wet labia slide past his swollen dick. He held himself still, his hand on his penis as she brought her body lower.

He slid past her hole and between her butt cheeks, then had her raise slightly while he guided his cock to the right spot. Wet muscle slipped down over just the tip of his dick, and he knew she was in the right position. “Just sink down as you want...”

Kieu-Linh breathed slowly a minute, steadying herself for being penetrated in her ass. Finally, she started to slide lower. Hitch felt tight resistance at first, but the preparation had made her anus slick and better able to take him inside. She pushed down and he felt that wonderful pop from the head of his cock sliding past the tight ring of her butthole.

“Ohhhh...” she cried out. “Ohhh... just a minute... just a minute...”

He held still, already nearing orgasm. Kieu-Linh caught her breath, then tried to take more inside. “Owww...” she said, but didn't stop sliding down. “Oww...” Another inch disappeared inside her and Hitch knew she couldn't dilate much further. Kieu-Linh tried anyway, rising up slightly, then pushing down again.

Two more inches slid through her incredibly tight ring and she froze, breathing heavily. “Now I really feel like I need to poo! Oh... Oh...”

“If it hurts,” Hitch started.

“No... no... I'm okay... just... different... not bad...”

“This might help...” he said, reaching his hand up from where he'd held the base of his cock, lightly circling her pulsing clit.

Her hips bucked forward at the contact and her anus let more slip inside. Her rectum was warm and squishy, velvety, her tight butthole clamping strongly around his penis. Hitch smelled her wet pussy strongly as she started to move up and down his length, slowly fucking him with her asshole, a puddle of her cream leaking onto his pubes. She trembled and started to orgasm, her anus loosing just a bit, her body becoming shaky and sinking down further.

Kieu-Linh gasped and cried out as she climaxed, juices drooling down from her vagina and running over Hitch's groin. She kept moving, writhing, impaled on his penis, using her legs to shift her weight as best she could, her maturing body trembling with pleasure and discomfort and release.

Hitch unloaded. His muscle spasms forced semen through Kieu-Linh's tight anus and up his shaft, flooding her bowels. He groaned his pleasure, his cock burning inside Kieu-Linh's ass. Each pulse sent hot, sticky cum into her rectum, and she moaned as he came in her tightest hole.

He held her waist tightly, keeping her still, his flesh sensitive as he squeezed the last of his load into the sixteen-year old's butt. Hitch shuddered, shuddered, rocked up against her, his cock sinking deeper, another glob of cum sliding out. He opened his eyes to see Kieu-Linh staring back at him, breathing heavily, tense, on shaky legs.

Hitch eased the girl forward slowly and off his cock. She cried out as his dick came free with an obscene plop and a wet splatter of trapped air. Warm cum drooled down onto his genitals as he brought her lips to his, both panting and moaning lightly. “Oh... god... Kieu-Linh... oh... god...”

She was smiling again, flushed, her body twitching randomly. She relaxed over him, her small breasts pressed against his chest. He caressed her butt cheeks firmly, holding her tight to him, buzzing from his orgasm, buzzing from the sensation of fucking Kieu-Linh's butthole.

She giggled and whispered, “so... did you like your Christmas gift?”

Hitch could only offer a satisfied chuckle, kissing her again.

“Better than my vagina?”

He shook his head. “No... not better, just as amazing... I can't believe you took so much of me, Linh... I didn't think... You're so small there...”

“It helped that you used your finger a long time. At first... there was no way,” she laughed, “it kind felt weird... but then, after a while... it started feeling nice... like... I dunno... just... nice... and when you touched my button... mmm... it felt perfect...”

“So... you think you might want to do that again some time?”

“Definitely!” She kissed his cheek and rested her head against his. “I'd do anything with you that feels good, James... anything...” Kieu-Linh raised up a moment, said softly, “I do wish you'd do that in my pussy, though... I love that feeling... I can't really feel it back there... not the same... flood of warmth... like in my pussy...”

“I know, Sweetheart... I know... We'll figure it out... I'd love that too, but you know why we can't...”

“I know... but one day I hope you will again. I'd love to have your baby, James...”

“I love you, Linh...”

“I love you, James...”

- - -

December turned over to January, and January to February. It got very cold the last weeks of the shortest month, and snow fell regularly. It was useless trying to hunt, the snow made it treacherous to go beyond the limits of the camp. And they couldn't fish. The creek had frozen over in December and was covered in thick ice. Hitch figured he could probably find a way to icefish like he had in his youth on family trips to Canada, but it wasn't worth the effort. They'd done a good job portioning their supplies, and they had plenty left to get them well into the Spring if it came to that.

Kieu-Linh continued to grow, now 5'9, her breasts becoming rounder, larger, still the size of peaches or tangerines, but they had lost most of their puffiness. Her reading skills had developed so well that she'd finished all dozen or so books they had, and she was craving more. She continued to keep her journal, and though she still battled moments of depression and homesickness, recording her thoughts helped a lot, and they made love often with little else to occupy their time.

In all ways, she and Hitch became very close. They talked about everything, from the world before The War, to Kieu-Linh's days at the cabin, to a small handful of dirty jokes Hitch knew from his time in the Corps. He confessed his voyeuristic moment to her, the first time he'd seen her and masturbated, and Kieu-Linh laughed about how she knew he loved her then. He didn't try to explain that it wasn't love in those moments, only lust, but he laughed with her often about it and found himself growing dependent on her emotionally, an unexpected strength he never considered she might give him.

The Winter months were always the hardest as a recluse. Even though he'd preferred that life at the time, it was agonizingly claustrophobic. Even during the brutal and bloody defense of Tulsa in the Winter of 2023, the first time the Imps almost broke through their lines during a frigid four-day ice storm, there'd been other men and women nearby. There were many things to do, more than he had time for, and each one of them was a life or death activity. He had no time, then, to be lonely.

Stuck in the bunker, sometimes for weeks at a time, there had been no one but him. Alone. Isolated. Reliving The War, reliving his memories of Julia and Willow. Slowly losing his will to keep going.

But each Spring he came around again, a bit worse off for his lonely months, but relatively sane and able to rejoin the world enough to survive through another Summer.

The Winter of 2032-2033 was so different than all the others he'd spent in the bunker. Kieu-Linh's smile, her laughter, her warmth, her tender, wonderful flesh, made him feel young again, vibrant, capable of doing more than just surviving. He started making plans again, and he even talked to Kieu-Linh about possibly accepting Miller's offer to move in with them. She was excited by the idea.

They played games. He'd found playing cards years before and he taught her two dozen different games. He showed her how to make cribbage board. They made a chess set out of small chunks of pine and a broken plank. They used coal to draw on the wooden walls of the bunker, hung spare blankets as decorations, and spent long hours meditating and then making love.

Hitch also began to teach Kieu-Linh small unit tactics and hand-to-hand combat moves. He was hesitant at first, hoping she would never need them, but he was a realist. He knew that war might very well come and take them up one day, and he wanted her to start to learn how to fight back, to defend as a unit or on her own, to find, fix, and kill the enemy. Using sticks, rocks, and other objects to serve as roads and bridges and buildings, he taught her how fire and maneuver, how to organize a rearguard during retreats, how to know when to time runs to minimize exposure to cyclical fire, how to raid a supply train and melt into the surroundings without firing more than a few shots. He gave her lessons in using grenades and machine gun positions, how to identify enemy movements, enemy defenses, and enemy weapons, and how to run while carrying a stretcher.

It wasn't easy to do, sitting in a bunker. The sorts of lessons he gave her were more theory than practice, but she took it all in, and he made her repeat each one, over and over, laying out scenarios, narrating the action, making her refine her tactics and improvise. He drew maps on the floor and made her trace movements, hour by hour, minute by minute, as the situation developed and changed. He threw twists of incomplete or incorrect intelligence reports, sudden attacks, pinned down squads, enfilading fire. Everything he'd experienced he tried to expose her to, and to his surprise, she was quick, willing, and he thought she would have made a damn fine Marine officer had she had that opportunity.

He showed her basic judo tackles, weak points to kick or punch, taught her how to break holds, to defend her position, and how to take down opponents quickly and with deadly force. It was all simulated, of course, but he tried to ensure she had some basic reactions and understood how to use her weight, her strength, and her flexibility to her advantage.

It wasn't Parris Island, not even close, but by the time March rolled in and the first warm day in months dawned bright and clear, Kieu-Linh had a better understanding of how to fight a guerrilla war, at least in theory, than many of Hitch's fellow officers in the Corps.

He hoped she never had to use those lessons, but he continued to teach and pepper her every day with new and difficult scenarios.

They were able to hunt again in early March, and found signs that the deer population was up and moving as well. They killed several near the creek, more by the dense thickets of wild apples. They were eating fresh meat daily, and before long, the longer days and rising sun began to melt the snow around them. When April slipped in with warm showers, Hitch reflected that he'd just had the best few months of his life, and it was all thanks to Kieu-Linh.

On April 14th, the snow gone around them for several days now, they attempted to bathe in the creek for the first time since the previous Fall. The water was ice cold, only recently thawing enough to run freely but still being fed by snow and ice melting from higher elevations. Still, they laughed as they quickly stripped down and danced, shivering, into the stream, using soap liberally and splashing each other like children.

Hitch stepped back a moment, drying his skin before he chilled too heavily, and looked on his young lover with grateful eyes. She was taller still, 5'10, probably still growing. What baby fat she had left was now in her hips, which had broadened a bit, and her breasts, which were continuing to swell. They had a heaviness they hadn't months before, still small, but becoming more round and firm. Kieu-Linh's shirts had become short and tight as she filled out. Her beautiful skin had lightened from all the time inside, more coppery-goldenrod than cinnamon now. It was still an intoxicating shade.

Her hair had grown long, down almost to her ass, that soft, curved backside which had spread slightly with her hips and left her jeans almost too tight. Naked or clothed, her butt was simply gorgeous.

He watched her giggling as she washed soap from her genitals, goosebumps prominent and twinkling with moisture. She looked at him, laughing, raising her arms to cover her breasts in mock bashfulness, then attempted to splash him, missing badly and nearly toppling into the freezing water.

Hitch couldn't believe this wonderful, kind, loving young woman was in his life. He knew he needed to thank Miller properly when they made their way North soon to see him. The man was responsible for delivering to Hitch the one thing he needed, the one person who could crack open the shell he'd so carefully constructed around his emotions.

He was fifty now, heading to fifty-one, but he felt like he was fresh out of boot. Sure, he had aches and pains of a man of five decades, but the mental fatigue, the enthusiasm black hole, those had gone away, replaced by optimism, eagerness, a will to live for more than just being afraid to die. He had a purpose again. He knew Kieu-Linh would outlive him, but what years he had left he dedicated to seeing her live a full life, a happy life, a life filled with joy and excitement, with pleasures and comforts and a deep satisfaction of being loved and cherished.

Kieu-Linh hustled out of the water, teeth chattering, and Hitch wrapped a towel around her, using another to dry her legs. He couldn't help tickling her clit along the way.

“H-h-h-e-e-y... I-I-mm-mm f-f-freeee-zzz-iii-nggg. S-stop Th-that!” She was laughing despite her shivering. He did his best to refrain from teasing her again, helping her dry and get dressed, then held her against him and wrapped them both in his field jacket.

When she stopped shivering, he kissed her and asked, “feel clean again?”

“Yes... it was cold, but I know I needed that... mmm... I feel so warm in your arms, James... Hold me forever...”

“I'll do my best.” He kissed her nose and tucked her head into his shoulder. “I think the pass might be clear enough in a few days to attempt to go North and see your parents.”

“I hope so. I miss them. Not quite like I did before, but...”

“They are your parents, and you love them. It's ok to miss them. I hope they made it through the Winter alright, that was a rough one.”

“Me too.” Kieu-Linh looked up at his face and asked softly, “what do you want to do, James? When we go North?”

He knew she was asking about their earlier talks when they'd discussed moving in with Miller and Kim-Ly. The idea was growing on Hitch, though he knew it was something to discuss with the four of them. It made sense, in a lot of ways. From a military perspective, it meant no longer dividing their forces. They could consolidate their assets, as well, and combine their labors more efficiently. Hitch thought to himself that having the hot spring accessible year round would be a superb benefit.

“Let's talk about it when we get there. I'm open to the idea. I think I'd like to keep this place stocked here, just in case...” He knew it made sense to maintain a fall back position, somewhere secure and stocked, at least minimally, with some supplies. “But... if Miller and Kim-Ly are still open to it, I think it is worth considering.”

Kieu-Linh smiled at him, “me too. I think you'd love living there.”

“I expect I would love living anywhere, so long as I have you.”

“Aww,” she purred, “you're such a sweetie.”

- - -

“James?” a voice called out sweetly, drawing his attention from somewhere unfocused. He paused and opened his eyes. He thought it was the middle of the night, but he couldn't be sure. His eyes weren't finding a point of reference. The room was dark and he didn't see anyone or anything. He was crouching beside the mattress. He felt frozen in place. “James?” It was Kieu-Linh.

“What?” came weakly from his lips.

“There you are.”

“What is it?”

After a brief pause, he heard a smile in her voice when she said, “I just wanted you to know I love you.”

He smiled as well. “I love you, too.”

“Ready for bed?” she asked him.

He felt offbeat a moment, unsure of something just beyond his grasp. He shivered, cold suddenly, and nodded, sliding onto the mattress with Kieu-Linh tucked against his back.

- - -

They scouted the toughest part of the pass three days later and found it mostly clear. There were still a few tricky spots, but Hitch had climbed the rise without much risk of slipping and thought they should set out in a few days.

“Why don't we drive there?” Kieu-Linh asked him on the walk back as it grew dark. “Why walk when we could be there in a few hours?”

It was a simple, straightforward question, and one Hitch had been silently considering since the day Kieu-Linh had come to stay with him. He knew the route, in theory, and could largely avoid towns and population centers. “The problem is that I don't know what is between here and there. There could be Imps anywhere, possibly encamped in force, and if Javier is right and the Imps are turning some of the locals, it could get dangerous showing up with a truck full of gear somewhere no longer friendly to people like us. It's risky.”

“And it might lead someone to the cabin.”

“Exactly. The fewer people know about it, the better. I like the thought of being there quickly, but I don't think it is worth bringing an unfriendly militia, the Imps, or some raiders to your parent's door. Through the mountains, there's only one road to cross, besides a handful of forestry paths, and there's not a likely spot for troop bivouac along the way. Yeah, it takes us a few days, but we don't draw attention to ourselves this way.”

“Makes sense.” She looked off to the North a moment, over her shoulder. Kieu-Linh said thoughtfully, “if I was looking for us, or people like us, I'd look for smoke. Can't survive long without a fire up here. I'd just scout from the ridges on cold days, looking for smoke.”

Hitch smiled, her thinking much to his liking. It paid to think like that, to look at every situation from your enemy's perspective, to see where you are taking risks you didn't realize gave clues to your position, or your strengths, or your weaknesses. “As would I. Which tells me they either aren't looking around here, or they aren't willing to risk moving up to find out who's here. We keep seeing that smoke off and on from that south ridge line. I expect there are others out here, spread out. It wouldn't be easy for the Imps, or anyone, to come get all of us, one-by-one. There's really no reason to. We're out of the fight, not causing trouble and not looking for a handout. I expect this will be the last place they go looking to explain themselves.” So he hoped.

She considered his thoughts. “If I knew you were still out there, I'd want to find you and make sure you never came back to fight. There's nothing more painful than letting an old enemy be forgotten long enough to stab you in the back when you least expect it.”

Hitch laughed, having given her that sort of thought a couple of times. She turned to him with a serious expression. “I mean it. You know what I'm saying. You told me, 'one crucial mistake you can make is to move your unit ahead without clearing the enemy behind. They'll shoot you in the back before you can make the next objective.' Isn't that right?”

“That's what I said, yes.”

“Well, you're behind enemy lines, and I think, some day, you're going to rise up and shoot them in the back when they least expect it.”

Hitch was surprised by her certainty. “I... Linh, I'm an old Marine, now. I'm out of the fight. I don't plan to go back.”

“That's why you still carry your M9 and that carbine, why you still hang two frags on your vest, why you can't stop drilling me on fire and maneuver, on ambushing supply trucks, on--”

“Ok... I hear you. I can't stop telling you these things because... because, if it ever comes to that, Kieu-Linh, if you ever find yourself in the fight, I want you to have every bit of knowledge I can give you to survive. Not just survive, but to achieve you objectives. If you go into a fight without an understanding of your enemy, or your own capabilities, you've already lost and it's just a matter of how badly. No, I'm not going back to the fight willingly, Linh, but I'm not naïve enough to believe the fight might not come to us one day, and if it does, I want you at my side throughout, and I need you to know how to react, how to improvise, and how to succeed where many others have failed.”

She watched him silently as he spoke, once more the student, taking in his wisdom and consuming it, filing away each bit, testing it against what she already thought she knew. Finally, Kieu-Linh nodded. “I hope it never happens, James. But if it does, I'm glad I'm on your side. I feel really sorry for whatever asshole decides to pick a fight with you.”

Hitch laughed, doubled over. He had to stop on the trail to catch his breath. “Oh, Linh. I wish it was that simple.” He inhaled a few times, then said more quietly. “Battles, combat, they depend on decisions made by individuals, individuals acting as a network of decision-makers. The best training in the world can't prepare you for combat, but it can drill into you the automatic responses which give you, and those around you, the best chance to survive and win the day. With good officers and NCOs and smart strategy above, tactical knowledge, split-second reactions, those combine to make the chaos of battle look... almost beautiful... if not for the horrific noise and screams and bloody explosions which destroy any romantic notion people may have.” He looked at her, more softly, “you've seen what it's like, on a small scale. It isn't fun, it isn't easy, but goddammit, do what you have to do to fight through and protect the guy next to you. Keep your head, breathe, and act decisively. Everything else is just luck and learning on the job.”

Kieu-Linh nodded and said nothing further.

“Tell you what. Perhaps me and your parents can work you through some drills up North. If you really want to learn, that's the next step. There's not much more I can teach you about the basic theories without you being in the field to see the obstacles, to sense the distances, to get a feel for the situations I try to describe. If we can find the time, and you really want to learn...”

“I do,” she said resolutely. “I do.”

James "Hitch" Hitchens, Male, 50

	- US Marine Corps and Turtletown Patriot officer, veteran of The War

	- 6'0, 180lbs, tanned beige skin, cropped brown hair

Kieu-Linh Miller, Female, 16

	- Daughter of Miller and Kim-Ly

	- 5'8 - 5'10, 140 - 145lbs, cinnamon skin, back-length silky black hair