The voice made Corelli jump, again. He turned to his right and saw Lieutenant Black step from the shadows. The taciturn young officer’s face wore the same taut, furrowed expression, almost a slight scowl, that seemed to be a permanent feature even when he wasn’t actually scowling. “Sir!” he exclaimed, snapping to attention. He’d been on his way from the latrine back to the CP to finish out his shift and go to bed. Black had emerged from between two abandoned lockers that had been placed against the wall in the breezeway. Corelli wondered how long the gloomy lieutenant must have been standing there lurking in the dark waiting for him. Black waved off his formalities and made no small talk. “You’re the armorer, right?” “Yes, sir,” Corelli answered, moving his feet apart and placing his hands behind the small of his back. The lieutenant bore into Corelli with his dark, searching eyes and spoke tersely.
