Fire in the Trench

Internal pressure registered. Airflow through the respirator filter resumed with a dull hiss. I tested the flex in my heavy left gauntlet, closing the fingers into a tight fist around the cold steel feed line. Metal clicked against metal. The fitting was firm. A thin wisp of vapor curled from the back pack valve into the pale fog. I shifted my boots slightly into the damp ground beneath, verified the seal on the fuel coupling, and held my position.

1 Nauk