The medical team in the infirmary perform miracles every week that are unsung in our monthly reports. Soldiers routinely brought back from the borders of death. Men and women with bodies torn open, burned, sluiced with poisons, returned to duty in time to prevent the next abduction. We call it the Cauldron, ever since since Sq. Mitchell likened it the cauldron of Celtic myth, which could revive the bodies of fallen warriors.
The Cauldron is an odd place. Too hot, smelling of antiseptic, sweat, Thin Man venom that won't scrub out. A place of sickness and death - yet with half the garrison in there at any one time, it's as much a social gathering place as the bar. Injured soldiers never get lonely there.
Doctor Benjamin Waterhouse has the care of the Cauldron. Primarily a research scientist, he took over when the previous doctor in charge disappeared during abductions in Exeter. He has taken good care of us so far. He insists on regular checkups for all personnel, concerned - and intrigued, too, I don't doubt - by the danger of alien infections and other unexpected maladies. It's a useful practice, helping me to keep tabs on how everyone is doing. Without Waterhouse, for example, I wouldn't know that our new hotshot pilot, Lt. Hannah "Skybuck" Moore, reported to the Cauldron with a seized up jaw yesterday. Without a chance to try herself against the X-rays yet, she's been grinding her teeth for days...
There's a new nervousness amongst the rookies and squaddies since the casualties in India. On the other hand, Gabriel "Enigma" Lambert, recently promoted to Lieutenant, is feeling cocky and not above showing it. He's a thoughtful fellow, however, and has time for the nuggets - he might be what they need right now.
Lt. "Boghead" Borg is running low but won't let that stop her. Nothing seems to faze "Cyclops" Gryspeerdt - he is as grizzled and grumpy as ever, although we seem to have reached some kind of accord.
Despite everything, Cpt. Jordan "Sentinel" Saxby seems happy about something. Sgt. Pip "Voodoo" Ash is twitchy, on edge. Cpt. Charles "Nix" Gent is quiet - but then he always has been. Cpt. Harvey "Twitch" Gent, conversely, is as loud as ever, telling wild stories about troll hunting in the Scandinavian wilds. But Waterhouse tells me he's depressed, and there's something dead behind Twitch's eyes these days.
The Cauldron. Somehow, the comparison doesn't sit comfortably with me, although the name has stuck. In the myth, it is an ill-omened gift. It brings back men without speech, perhaps without souls.
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