head disgusted him. “Jesus,” Tanner muttered, “how’s a bathroom still stink when nobody’s used it in years?”
Einstein slapped him on the back hard enough to push him forward a step. “You get the toilets,” he said. Tanner looked up to find a challenging glare. Galling as it was, he saw nothing to be gained in arguing. Someone had to do it, and Janeka or Everett could turn up at any minute. Tanner scowled and turned to the stalls.
“Oh my god,” Ramos said, covering his mouth and nose. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Did they purposely mess this place up for us?” Matuskey wondered.
Einstein walked to a sink, stopped it up with his rag and ran the water. “Might as well get to it,” he said. “You guys get the showers, I’ve got the sinks.”
“Who put you in charge?” asked Ramos.
“Oh, what, you got a better plan?”
At that, Ramos and Matuskey just looked to one another, frowned, and got to work.
It became obvious after half an hour that Einstein worked the slowest and grumbled the most. He complained of stains in the sinks that just wouldn’t scrub out. He took frequent breaks to stretch and look around and talked to every fellow recruit who came in to use the facilities.
“This is bullshit,” Einstein declared. “There have to be rules against this. It must be cheaper to buy automated cleaners than to have us clean by hand. And those two assholes? They don’t have to lay it on this thick. How does any of this make us good crewmen? Bullshit. We’re all citizens. Who the hell do they think they are?”
“Combat veterans,” answered Tanner. He didn’t bother looking up from scrubbing his toilet.
“What?” Einstein sneered.
“You saw the red stripe down the side of their pants, didn’t you?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Those are bloodstripes. It means they’re both combat veterans. Archangel’s been at peace for thirty years, and the Union hasn’t been to war in sixty, but somehow both of them wound up in actual battles.”
“So? Are you saying they’re mentally damaged or something?”
“No, I’m saying they might actually know a thing or two, and… forget it,” Tanner sighed, shaking his head.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Einstein huffed.
“Malone!” called a recruit from outside the head. “Everett wants to see you in his office outside the squad bay.” The cleaning crew all looked at one another blankly for a moment before Tanner answered the summons.
“Hey,” said one recruit as he passed other cleaning crews. She was a petite girl whose nametag read “Wong.” “When you go up there, slap the bulkhead once, stand at attention next to the doorway—but not in it—and say, ‘Recruit Malone reporting as ordered.’”
Tanner blinked. “How did you know that?”
She smirked. “I just saw two other guys wind up doing fifty push-ups each for getting it wrong.”
“Gotcha. Thanks.”
“No problem. Good luck.”
Outside the squad bay, Tanner found an office with Everett and Janeka’s names outside the doorway. He caught a glimpse of decent, modern desks and carpeting, and while the construction was still the same concrete as the rest of the squad bay it was at least painted. He wasn’t sure if anyone was inside, though. Tanner slapped the wall and stood at attention. “Recruit Malone reporting as ordered!”
Silence. He waited, and heard nothing. Eventually, he called out again, “Recruit Malone, rep—!“
“I heard you the first time!” Everett snarled from inside. “Get on your face! Fifty push-ups! Count ‘em out!”
Wincing, Tanner obeyed immediately. Exhausted as he was already, the task took him a while, but Everett didn’t complain or criticize. When Tanner finally got to his fiftieth push-up, he stayed down on his face and waited. It turned out to be the right move.
“Recover,” Everett called out. “Step inside.”
Tanner came to attention as best he could. His whole upper body
Einstein slapped him on the back hard enough to push him forward a step. “You get the toilets,” he said. Tanner looked up to find a challenging glare. Galling as it was, he saw nothing to be gained in arguing. Someone had to do it, and Janeka or Everett could turn up at any minute. Tanner scowled and turned to the stalls.
“Oh my god,” Ramos said, covering his mouth and nose. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Did they purposely mess this place up for us?” Matuskey wondered.
Einstein walked to a sink, stopped it up with his rag and ran the water. “Might as well get to it,” he said. “You guys get the showers, I’ve got the sinks.”
“Who put you in charge?” asked Ramos.
“Oh, what, you got a better plan?”
At that, Ramos and Matuskey just looked to one another, frowned, and got to work.
It became obvious after half an hour that Einstein worked the slowest and grumbled the most. He complained of stains in the sinks that just wouldn’t scrub out. He took frequent breaks to stretch and look around and talked to every fellow recruit who came in to use the facilities.
“This is bullshit,” Einstein declared. “There have to be rules against this. It must be cheaper to buy automated cleaners than to have us clean by hand. And those two assholes? They don’t have to lay it on this thick. How does any of this make us good crewmen? Bullshit. We’re all citizens. Who the hell do they think they are?”
“Combat veterans,” answered Tanner. He didn’t bother looking up from scrubbing his toilet.
“What?” Einstein sneered.
“You saw the red stripe down the side of their pants, didn’t you?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Those are bloodstripes. It means they’re both combat veterans. Archangel’s been at peace for thirty years, and the Union hasn’t been to war in sixty, but somehow both of them wound up in actual battles.”
“So? Are you saying they’re mentally damaged or something?”
“No, I’m saying they might actually know a thing or two, and… forget it,” Tanner sighed, shaking his head.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Einstein huffed.
“Malone!” called a recruit from outside the head. “Everett wants to see you in his office outside the squad bay.” The cleaning crew all looked at one another blankly for a moment before Tanner answered the summons.
“Hey,” said one recruit as he passed other cleaning crews. She was a petite girl whose nametag read “Wong.” “When you go up there, slap the bulkhead once, stand at attention next to the doorway—but not in it—and say, ‘Recruit Malone reporting as ordered.’”
Tanner blinked. “How did you know that?”
She smirked. “I just saw two other guys wind up doing fifty push-ups each for getting it wrong.”
“Gotcha. Thanks.”
“No problem. Good luck.”
Outside the squad bay, Tanner found an office with Everett and Janeka’s names outside the doorway. He caught a glimpse of decent, modern desks and carpeting, and while the construction was still the same concrete as the rest of the squad bay it was at least painted. He wasn’t sure if anyone was inside, though. Tanner slapped the wall and stood at attention. “Recruit Malone reporting as ordered!”
Silence. He waited, and heard nothing. Eventually, he called out again, “Recruit Malone, rep—!“
“I heard you the first time!” Everett snarled from inside. “Get on your face! Fifty push-ups! Count ‘em out!”
Wincing, Tanner obeyed immediately. Exhausted as he was already, the task took him a while, but Everett didn’t complain or criticize. When Tanner finally got to his fiftieth push-up, he stayed down on his face and waited. It turned out to be the right move.
“Recover,” Everett called out. “Step inside.”
Tanner came to attention as best he could. His whole upper body
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