“What’s happening? What was that?”

Blake couldn’t answer the boy yet; he knew that sound, but from where. Even the air was different; thick and sweaty, stale and hot. Blake knew all this, but from where?

And then he realized the answer, something dark—oh so dark—from his past that he’d tried to bury and blur, to drown in beer, to make stillborn. Blake was back, back to the worst place he’d ever been.

”’Nam,” Blake said with a cold tone and instinctive shudder. “We’re back in ‘Nam.”

“What?” Simon said, confusion palpable in his tone.

“Stay quiet, kid,” Blake responded with a whisper. “Don’t give away our location to Charlie.”

“Did someone just turn your Captain Insane-oh chip on?” Simon asked, sarcasm oozing.

“No,” Blake responded. “It was War, he brought ‘Nam to Chicago. We’re literally in ‘Nam and Chicago at the same time.”

“What?” Simon screetched.

“I’d heard of him doing this trick, but never seen it… never been…” Blake faltered. “Kid, things are about to get real hairy here.”

“Frak me.”