The operation was a moderate success. We lost quite a few people on Team A. Those hazmat suits only did so much to direct blasts. Team B didn't lose a lot of people, but all of us were put in medical care due to burns. I had to also to treat my hands for touching that Angel Waste. The gloves prevented them from getting chopped off, but it was still some pretty bad burns. For the next few weeks, I was just relaxing with the team, making sure I was recovering. I couldn't use my hands a lot so I had Sera help me with minor tasks.

I was in my tent one day, relaxing. Fisher walked in. "Sup, Dopeman."

I nod, acknowledging his existence. "Yo. What's new?"

"Nothing. I just wanna talk to ya about something."

I sit up. "And that is?"

"I'll be blunt, I think I might be in love."

"Oh? With the woman?"

"About that..." He scratched the back of his head. "She's a he."

"Did you lie?" I asked. I was curious.

"Yeah. Fun fact about me is that Fisher isn't really my real name. I used to be a Fisherman, so The name kinda stuck. Before the war, I was Samuel. And when you're fishing with those big dudes for months at a time, you gain... interests."

"It's a cool name, Sam. You had to be on the east coast, yeah? Why did you even lie in the first place?"

"So," Fisher starts. "We had to go to some spot in Boston. It was just me and some guy, his name was Wendall. We fished there, but some huge storm washed us off course, leaving us with not enough gas to return home. We were stranded for about three months."

"Three months?!" I was surprised they took that long.

"It was a bad storm. It was freaky that it stayed that long. I was with him, so we ate together, fished together, slept together..." He smiled to himself. "I felt like I knew everything about him in those weeks. Eventually, admiration turned to lust. I wanted him and he wanted me. And you guessed it, he was strong."

"So you like 'em both, yeah?"

"Yup. Pretty much."

"So what happened to Wendell?"

He sighed as he fished for a cigarette. "When we got picked up, he told me not to mention this. He told me to forget everything. I was told to just pretend he didn't love me. How much he loved me. How we made love. It was the time of my life and I was supposed to..." He shook his head. I sat with to wrap an arm around his shoulders to comfort him. Fisher continued. "I felt shame for my feelings, so I went for the next best thing."

"That being the women you like now."

Fisher nods.

"Well, I'm ok with it. You go tell that man how you feel. This time he won't leave. I'm sure of it."

He kissed my cheek. "Thanks, Dopeman. If you were single and like a little more swole I would easily date you." He stands, going to leave.

I just realized what he said. "Wait, single? I am-" I stopped.

FIsher turns and smiles. "See? You and Sera are perfect for each other. Enjoy yourselves."

I rub my face. God, I hate feelings so much.

Later that day, I went to Kyle's tent to check on him. He was in some bandages like me to treat the skin. "The General sent his personal regards on the mission, Dopeman."

I nodded. "Wow, that's rad, Kyle. I didn't know I'm gaining traction here."

"I suppose it is. Not every day an outsider gets a nod from the General. I'm also a Colonel now."

I throw my hands in the air, really happy. "Woah! That's cool, bro. I'm happy. Congrats."

Kyle cracked a smile. "I'll celebrate when the war is over. For now, We got a mission from the top brass."

"What's the deal?"

He opens a map of southern Nevada. "To discover the new problem we made. Experts are calling it False Heaven."

"False Heaven?"

"Yeah. The land of Angel Waste."