"Joe Haldeman - 1968" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haldeman Joe)

"They got two, Bravo and Charlie. Bravo's coverin' that little stream we crossed; Charlie's someplace on
the other side of the hill, down past the LZ someplace."

"They really think we're gonna get some action?" Killer said.

"Naw, just Big Bird come out, we gotta act strack for a day or two." He straightened up and cracked his
knuckles loudly. "Go an' get my shit together. Be cool, fool."

"You be cool." Batman watched him go. "Funny thing, we knew each other back in the World."

"Before Basic?" Spider said.

" 'Way before, junior high."
"Never heard of that," Killer said. "Maybe guys from the same city."

"Me neither. I wouldn't've known him, but I saw the name on a TO before I came out from base camp,
Abraham Q. Westlake. Can't be too manyof them. He was a year in front of me but we both played
baseball; he must've pitched to me a hundred times. He was a long tall motherfucker even then."

There was a tearing sound of artillery coming in and Killer and Spider hit the dirt. The shell made a
relatively quiet pop sound. "Just a smoke round," Batman said. "Be another one in a minute."

"They're laying down a smoke screen?" Spider said.

"No, they just do that to check our position, calibrate the guns. We get hit tonight, they can respond real
fast." Another round popped on the other side of the hill. "If they do respond."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes we won't have priority. Sometimes the VC and NVA get cute, set it up so they hit several
places at once. If the airfield at Pleiku is gettin' hit, they probably can't spare anything for us."

"Same with air support," Killer said. "We don't get artillery and air support, we might could get overrun."

"People talk about that," Batman said, "but I ain't never seen it. Never talked to anybody that went
through it."

"Maybe they don't talk because they're all dead," Spider said.

"All you guys from Graves so cheerful?" Killer said.

"We're more cheerful when we have nice fresh meat." Spider licked his lips and stared at Killer. "Napalm
especially. Crispy Critters."

"Anybody ever tell you you're one weird motherfucker?"

From the jungle below them came a muffledhang. "Oh, shit," Batman said. "Grenade." He picked up his
rifle and put the steel pot on his head. Spider followed suit; Killer was already wearing his.

"That the LP?" Killer said.