have two more after these wear off?”
“No, and I think you know why.”
“Please? C’mon, ‘Mad Dog’, you know you want to nail
‘Reba.’” I fix him with as seductive a glare as I can manage. I stand and
slide my hands down my torso.
“Sit. Stay. Good bitch.”
Wait a minute , “Where did this bottle of water come
from?”
“Someone left it here. Seal was intact. I think.”
I start to laugh. That’s funny! Good drugs!
We get back to the launch. Stan and Needa are there. “Are
you okay to get your parts or should one of us go?” Stan asks.
Needa sees the dressing. She tries to roll the sleeve up,
but it’s too tight. She tells the boys to show us their backs while I shed the
jacket and she examines my wound.
“I’m okay,” I say. “Let me slip my flight suit on over these
leathers. I don’t want to give that sweet old man a heart attack.” I had an
athletic bra and a tee shirt under my coveralls, I put them on and leave the
jacket off.
“Forget him, you almost gave me one,” gripes Stan. I
put my boots back on.
Freddie takes off his jacket. He rips the sleeves off his
tee shirt and dons a cap. Oddly, it does quite a bit to change his appearance
unless someone is looking very closely. He and I go back to the one shop
without a delivery option. The parts are ready. Freddie rents us a small cart
to move them on.
As we leave the shop, our perComs beep. It’s Aria. “We are
leaving the system in two hours,” she says. “Get wound up and get back here
ASAP.”
“Yes ma’am,” Freddie says as he looks at the clock in his
perCom then me. “Just in time.”
As we go back to the launch, I start babbling a little bit.
I think the drug may be wearing off. “I’m sorry for acting like a…I don’t
know, a major wuss maybe?”
“Don’t sweat it. I told you before: I have your back.” He
grins and adds, “Granted it’s a little smoother and narrower than I’m accustomed
to. And those two lumps you have on the front…” He mimes gagging. I can’t
help but smile.
“And how I tried to get more meds from you. Can we keep
that between us?”
Freddie scowls at me. “Sonia, what in the nine hells are you
talking about?”
“That’s what I needed to hear.” I smile; he winks. My
perCom beeps. I have a text message to find Mack as soon as I get back to the
ship. I also have a newfound understanding of chemical dependence. As well as
compassion for anyone trying to shake it.
We get back to the launch and settle in for the ride to Night
Searcher . Once we’re in space I step into the ’fresher and take off the
leathers to return them to Freddie.
“Keep them,” he says “I’ll never be able to get the she
stink out. And besides, you don’t look half bad in them. For a girl. If it’s
bothering you, give me a hundred credits, a cold beer and we’ll call it a day.
Besides, they didn’t have those extra holes in them when I entrusted them to
you. I’ll never do that again.”
7 BACK ABOARD JUST IN TIME TO LEAVE
The cutter docks without incident. I gather up my
personal purchases and ask one of the spacers to get the organizational
components down to Engineering. On the way to the LEO, I drop my personal bags
by my stateroom. Well, it isn’t on the way , but I doubt the detour is
that significant. Hopefully, just opening the door, dropping the bags and
walking at a brisk pace to the LEO will eat up the difference. I look in the
LEO but Mack isn’t there so I go looking for him and find him in the
fabrication shop, doing the last thing I expect of him: Manual labor. Welding,
of all things. “You wanted to see me?” I ask.
He pushes his visor to his forehead and looks up from his
piece. “Hey, you’re back.” He points to the pile of new equipment from the
shopping trip. The gear made it here before I did. That’s not really a good
thing but it doesn’t appear to bother
“No, and I think you know why.”
“Please? C’mon, ‘Mad Dog’, you know you want to nail
‘Reba.’” I fix him with as seductive a glare as I can manage. I stand and
slide my hands down my torso.
“Sit. Stay. Good bitch.”
Wait a minute , “Where did this bottle of water come
from?”
“Someone left it here. Seal was intact. I think.”
I start to laugh. That’s funny! Good drugs!
We get back to the launch. Stan and Needa are there. “Are
you okay to get your parts or should one of us go?” Stan asks.
Needa sees the dressing. She tries to roll the sleeve up,
but it’s too tight. She tells the boys to show us their backs while I shed the
jacket and she examines my wound.
“I’m okay,” I say. “Let me slip my flight suit on over these
leathers. I don’t want to give that sweet old man a heart attack.” I had an
athletic bra and a tee shirt under my coveralls, I put them on and leave the
jacket off.
“Forget him, you almost gave me one,” gripes Stan. I
put my boots back on.
Freddie takes off his jacket. He rips the sleeves off his
tee shirt and dons a cap. Oddly, it does quite a bit to change his appearance
unless someone is looking very closely. He and I go back to the one shop
without a delivery option. The parts are ready. Freddie rents us a small cart
to move them on.
As we leave the shop, our perComs beep. It’s Aria. “We are
leaving the system in two hours,” she says. “Get wound up and get back here
ASAP.”
“Yes ma’am,” Freddie says as he looks at the clock in his
perCom then me. “Just in time.”
As we go back to the launch, I start babbling a little bit.
I think the drug may be wearing off. “I’m sorry for acting like a…I don’t
know, a major wuss maybe?”
“Don’t sweat it. I told you before: I have your back.” He
grins and adds, “Granted it’s a little smoother and narrower than I’m accustomed
to. And those two lumps you have on the front…” He mimes gagging. I can’t
help but smile.
“And how I tried to get more meds from you. Can we keep
that between us?”
Freddie scowls at me. “Sonia, what in the nine hells are you
talking about?”
“That’s what I needed to hear.” I smile; he winks. My
perCom beeps. I have a text message to find Mack as soon as I get back to the
ship. I also have a newfound understanding of chemical dependence. As well as
compassion for anyone trying to shake it.
We get back to the launch and settle in for the ride to Night
Searcher . Once we’re in space I step into the ’fresher and take off the
leathers to return them to Freddie.
“Keep them,” he says “I’ll never be able to get the she
stink out. And besides, you don’t look half bad in them. For a girl. If it’s
bothering you, give me a hundred credits, a cold beer and we’ll call it a day.
Besides, they didn’t have those extra holes in them when I entrusted them to
you. I’ll never do that again.”
7 BACK ABOARD JUST IN TIME TO LEAVE
The cutter docks without incident. I gather up my
personal purchases and ask one of the spacers to get the organizational
components down to Engineering. On the way to the LEO, I drop my personal bags
by my stateroom. Well, it isn’t on the way , but I doubt the detour is
that significant. Hopefully, just opening the door, dropping the bags and
walking at a brisk pace to the LEO will eat up the difference. I look in the
LEO but Mack isn’t there so I go looking for him and find him in the
fabrication shop, doing the last thing I expect of him: Manual labor. Welding,
of all things. “You wanted to see me?” I ask.
He pushes his visor to his forehead and looks up from his
piece. “Hey, you’re back.” He points to the pile of new equipment from the
shopping trip. The gear made it here before I did. That’s not really a good
thing but it doesn’t appear to bother
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