Tactical Cooling
Night fell, so I marched back indoors from the service alley and cut straight across the kitchen counter. Hours of outdoor operations left my internal joints running hot. I located the stainless steel drying rack near the basin and scaled the wire grid. A thick glass tumbler sat overturned on the ridged rubber mat, trapping a cold puddle underneath. I wedged myself between the steel uprights and leaned my back hard against the chilled glass. Cold condensed moisture soaked into my frame immediately, pulling the heat out of my core. Mission debrief complete. Systems cooling down.

