one-five in the
morning
The country spread around the base was flat with only a few hills to break the sameness . Out on the dispersal area Colonel Holt could see guards watching the shadowy forms of the Thunderbolts . A jeep came chugging up a muddy street and turned off toward the mess barracks . At one-five in the morning the base looked peaceful enough . Sheltered by darkness , its mud ruts and half-finished buildings were softened by the gloom . Still scowling , the colonel strode away . Several hours later , in a tunnel-shaped hut with a corrugated iron roof and a cement floor , two fliers sat near a wood stove .