“I’m surprised we’re not lobsters, really. That sunscreen really did its job.” Cheryl said.
Cassidy smirked a little, and kissed Cheryl on the cheek. “It helps if you have enthusiastic help putting it on.”
Cheryl turned her head to engage in a deeper, slower kiss which halted their stride. “Oh, to heck with Cip. Let’s defect, or go AWOL, or something and just go live in the tent.”
“We’d need water and food.”
“We can steal cookies.”
“Ah, a cunning plan. But maybe we should just go take our lecture from Cip. If we’re lucky, it’ll be short.”
Cheryl shrugged, continuing the walk. “I need a shower still, anyway.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything…”
“Brat.”
Cassidy and Cheryl were in no hurry as they turned the corner into the barrack, coming into visual contact with Cipriana. Cassidy waved with a sheepish smile. Cheryl waved in a meek manner. “Hi, Cip. Are we grounded?”
“No, though the thought crossed my mind.” Cipriana was sitting on her own bunk, and waved them towards their bunks, which were across from her own. “Have a seat, ladies.”
The duo complied, sitting at the end of their bunks, like a seated formation. “I’ve never had this particular situation before.” Cipriana said. “Straight romances are a bit easier to … regulate. Separate barracks simplify things a little.”
“Well, okay,” Cassidy said, “let’s break it down. Aside from obnoxious lovey-dovey behavior, what is the real problem? We’ve made arrangement to keep things kind of out of the way, and we haven’t done anything particularly, Uh, unseemly.”
“True enough. And make no mistake, I’m happy for both of you. There’s a couple little wrinkles that I’d like to iron out. I assume you two intend on making a fair amount of use with your new little camp?”
Her question was met with sheepish smiles and little nods. “Sounds about right, if possible.”
“Well then, I have a few suggestions.” Cipriana said. “I’d appreciate you keep terminals on you when you’re out there, so you can be contacted more easily. Also, considering that we have tourists running around during the daytime, and even though they don’t wander around, I’d like to minimize the chances of one stumbling upon you two while... camping.”
“Our camp is pretty well hidden…” Cheryl offered.
“That’s well and good but still, what do the two of you think of being taken off night-shift? I think if you two were on duty for afternoons, and made your contribution to the tours in the morning shift, that should make things easier.”
Cassidy and Cheryl looked at each other, considering such a change. Cassidy turned back to Cipriana. “We wuv you aunty Cip!”
Cipriana rolled her eyes. “Mind you, to do this, I have to take your current watch partners, and pair them together, and switch you two with a pair from afternoon shift. Can I assume this is acceptable, and won’t be a problem?”
“Sounds okay to me!” Cheryl said as Cassidy shrugged in a positive manner.
“This also means you two will be partners on watch duty as well as the tour.” Cipriana added, “you two won’t get sick of each other, will you?”
They ignored the notion as ridiculous. “Man, I thought we were in shit, but we come in and get candy!” Cassidy said.
“Don’t forget,” Cipriana warned, “I’m on afternoons too, so keep the silliness to a minimum.”
“Sir, yes, Sir, ma’am, Captain Cipriana Reichenbach, Sir! No silliness, Sir!”
Cipriana closed her eyes and sighed with her soft smile. “Splendid.”
Cheryl went to take her shower first, leaving Cassidy to wait her turn. She sat back in her bunk, and started small talk with Cipriana. “Well, I guess you missed your chance, Cip. You must be kicking yourself now, huh?” It was around now that Wanda wandered in, settling into her own bunk with her breakfast.
“My chance at what?” Cipriana asked.
Cassidy glanced at Wanda, and looked back at Cipriana as if the question was ridiculous. She gestured along her own body. “All this, honey-Sir, what else?”
Wanda snickered, and Cipriana rolled her eyes. “I might remind you that I’m straight, goof.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Cassidy stared into Cipriana with wide, crazy eyes, and waved her hands in the air slowly as if touching arcane forces in the air. “For all your powers of gaydar, did you ever think to turn that power…. on yourself?”
“Cassidy,” Cipriana spoke with her usual tone of peace, but with added authority, “when you arrived here, you had a very dark cloud over your head. At this rate, within a few weeks, you will be starring in a Saturday morning cartoon. That, or be in a straight jacket, pumped full of thorazine.”
Cassidy turned to Wanda. “She’s in denial. It’s sad, really. She won’t get over me until she admits her burning, raging lust for me to herself.”
Chewing her toast, Wanda nodded with a mock look of considered wisdom.
“And you’re a bad influence on Wanda.” Cipriana added.
A quiet moment passed, and Cassidy settled into a less jovial disposition. Looking off down the hall at nothing in particular, she spoke with a quiet, thoughtful tone. “Cip... are... maybe this isn't right to ask...”
Cipriana re-asserted her aura of peace, and spoke in kind. “Go ahead.”
Cassidy looked Cipriana in the eye for a moment, and then sighed. “Are you lonely?”
“I... hadn’t really thought about it.”
“What about you and Marcus?”
Cipriana smirked a little. “What makes you ask that? Just because we're the senior officers doesn’t mean anything.”
“I don’t know. I just kind of felt a... a thing from you two.. Just seems like a good match.”
Wanda, finished with her breakfast, jumped in. “Typical. Cass gets a new squeeze, and wants to fix everyone up. What about me, Cass? Huh? Where’s my new exciting flame?”
Cassidy chortled. “You're married!”
“So what!?” Wanda’s retort earned her only a pillow thrown at her.
Cheryl walked in, toweling her hair. “What? What’s going on? What’d I miss?” Cassidy got up, and went to take her shower.
Wanda supplied the answer to Cheryl. “Your girlfriend was hitting on Cip.”
Cassidy’s voice came from the washroom. “She wishes!”
Night came, bringing one last overnight shift for Cheryl and Cassidy with their old partners. Juggling everyone’s shifts wasn’t an instantaneous thing, after all.
“Well Jim, it’s the end of an era.” Cassidy said once night shift had begun.
“What? You and Cheryl didn’t break up already!?”
“Pff what? No, geez! You have a lot of faith in us, don’t you? Nothing like that. I’m being moved to afternoon shift.”
“Oh.” Jim looked a bit disappointed. “The end of the rainbow patrol, huh? That stinks. Why the change?”
Cassidy did her best to look innocent. “Well… it’s not exactly the end of rainbow patrol.”
It took about a second for Jim to clue in. “No. Damn! How’d you pull that off, you rat?”
Cassidy sighed. “Well, it’s something about the proper way to handle her and I being a couple, or something.”
“What, by smacking you two together on duty so you can make kissy faces at each other for eight hours?”
“Not a bad way to make a living, huh?” Cassidy smirked. “Really though, there’s reasons, but I think half of it was Cip just doing us a favour. Kind of. Frankly, I’m just not going to fight it.” She pointed lazily over to the southwest door. “And you’re getting Cheryl’s current partner. The only downside is not having you as partner anymore.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll miss me for about a second and a half, with your lissome sweetie there with you.”
“Lissome?” Cassidy raised en eyebrow. “What the hell is lissome?”
“Uh.. lissome… supple, flexible, fit, hot, whatever.”
Cassidy chuckled. “Hmmm, yeah, she kind of fits that. She’s cuter-ish than you make it sound though. You must be thinking of me. Lissome sounds like something I could handle.” She said, putting on a tone of smug vanity.
“Nope, you’re too wiry to be lissome.”
“Wiry? Shut up!”
~~~
“Horad!” Kirison yelled at the hatch to the dugout. “Horad, It’s…” Frig. What the heck was he calling himself for these guys? Simon? Sampson? Ah, right. “It’s Samuel!”
No response was forth coming. What was the signal the driver used? Three stomps, then two, or…? Screw it. He stomped three or four times loudly. “Just open up, I brought some toys to help!”
He'd been back a couple times before, but they hadn't responded lately. The least they could do was call, or leave a note or something. Could they all be asleep? Seems pretty sloppy. He went back to his car, and got his tire iron. He went back to the hatch, and laid down in front of it before he tried to pry the hatch. Hopefully if that stupid trap was a bomb of some kind, being low would save him from the blast as it came up from the stairwell.
Surprisingly, the hatch came up very easily and there was no sign of any trap. Curious but cautious, he headed in. It was dark, and wherever the light from outside could reach, the place was vacant. “Damn it.” Empty crates, an empty gun rack, office furniture, and half the number of mattresses than there used to be.
He needed to find those idiots. Improperly equipped, they had little hope of getting out without someone getting hurt, and zero chance of doing what Kirison needed done. Time for another round at the bar.
~~~~~
:::C /20
~~~~~
Soon, the new timetable was in effect. Cassidy and Cheryl’s first shift as partners on afternoons began easily enough.
“Sergeant Lowe, reporting for duty, Sir!” Cheryl said with a stern, official tone, once shift was officially on.
“Good day, Sergeant Lowe.” Cassidy replied, playing along. “Reporting for duty? What duty is that?”
Cheryl smirked sheepishly.
Cassidy gave her a look of shock. “Sergeant Lowe! You realize that kind of behavior is not permitted! See me in my tent after the shift for reprimand!”
“Sir, yes, Sir.” Cheryl cooed, breaking into snickering.
“Ohhhh, this might not be so easy. Eight hours a day of you teasing me? So close, but so far?”
“I could break it up a little by flashing you.” Cheryl joked.
“Don’t bother. Know how Cip has that miraculous gaydar thing? I have something like that, but it automatically undresses you with my eyes.” Cassidy exaggerated her stare.
“Ah, we have to change the topic, or we’re going to go crazy. And stop staring at my chest.”
Cassidy closed her eyes, and exhaled. “Okay, okay. Um, let’s see. Are we expecting a tour on this shift?”
“I think so. I hope there’s little kids to talk to, they’re always a blast.”
“Yup.”
“Uh huh.”
Cheryl thought of a new topic. “Alan’s making cookies right about now. I heard he’s trying a new peanut butter recipe.”
“Cool, cool. Haven’t had a PB cookie in ages.”
“Yeah, me either.”
“Yup.”
“Uh huh.”
A long silence passed. They looked out across the ruins, over the sands. They looked at the ceiling, the floor, the walls. Cheryl rubbed a smudge off the shaft of her spear, and looked how the sun glinted off the blade. Cassidy cleared her throat, and checked her boots. They looked out across the ruins again. Over the sands, at the ceiling, the floor, and the walls.
“In eight hours, I’m gonna do stuff to ya.”
“Yup.”
~~~~~
:::C /21
~~~~~
Kirison found himself once more in that bar, looking for the A.R.A, but this time, at least he wasn't going into a random spot.
“Hey barkeep.” To be diplomatic, he slapped down enough money for a brew, and a decent tip. “Seen those two guys that followed me out last time I was here?”
“Uh... Sorry, Mack.” Duh. Of course he didn’t remember. He’s not going to remember something like that.
“They were Aguei. Toughies. Big on Aguei rights.” Hm. Was that too blunt?
“Ya gotta be more specific, Mack. That describes a lotta guys that come in here.”
Hm. Not blunt enough. “I guess it wouldn’t help much if I told you that they might be in legal trouble, had black hair, and drove a van, were probably regulars…”
The Bartender smirked. “Not much. Sorry.” Shit.
“They might be kind of connected. To stuff.”
The bartender leaned forward and talked a bit quieter. “If yer lookin for a hit, there’s a guy who sometimes hangs out and sells outside. Side of the building. Red jacket.”
Kirison sighed. “Naw man. Thanks for trying though. You have a good night, alright?”
“Alright, Mack.”
Kirison headed out into the parking lot, and got a small desperate idea. He peeked around the corner. Not that one. Other side. Yup, there was the dealer with the red jacket. Not an Aguei though, but who knows. Kirison casually made his way over.
The dealer faced him, hands in pockets. “Hey man, you a cop?” His eyes were shifty, like the cliché he was.
“Nope.”
“You lookin’ to score?”
“Not really. I was just wondering.. I mean… don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a career criminal, right?” This made the dealer notably uncomfortable, but Kirison went on. “I was just wondering if you knew where I could find some A.R.A.”
The dealer looked the very white Kirison up and down. “You don’t really look like the type! You sure you’re not a cop or something?”
“I’m not, I’m not. Do you know, or don’t you?”
“Not my crowd, man. People with causes suck for business.”
~~~~~
:::C /22
~~~~~
Days became weeks, and the weeks stacked quickly. The tours were going well, and by popular demand, a canteen had been set up from a tent. It was strictly a non-profit affair, just covering costs of juice, tea, coffee, and Alan’s cookies. The volume of cookies led Alan to recruit an assistant, and Jim was glad to step up. For most of the troops, the biggest drama in the unit was currently the debate over whether or not to bring ‘commercial’ items, like brand name drinks into the canteen.
For Cheryl and Cassidy, the main focus was each other. They spent nights almost exclusively at their little private camp. A large portion of the morning as well. Lacking a supply of firewood, they ordered a camping grill and a box of propane canisters. Curled up together at night with a blanket, the little grill wasn’t as soothing to watch as a proper camp fire, but it was certainly more convenient.
They cooked anything they could raid from the mess on the grill, and the bottom of it had the remains of more than one charred marshmallow. A few would-be meals suffered from neglect while its owners turned their attention towards each other instead. They were each other's world, as tends to happen. Their time together became less and less talkative, since they had talked about nearly everything, and it became more that they simply lived together. Idle time at the camp was often accompanied by music from one of their terminals, or maybe a movie or some such- when they weren’t fully engrossed with each other.
Afternoons had slowly settled from being eight hours of torture, just out of each other’s reach, to simply being with each other, soaking in the day’s warmth, and occasionally getting tourist visitors.
One typical morning found Cheryl waking before Cassidy. The light filtered into the tent, and Cheryl just took a few moments to stare at the back of Cassidy's head, and listen to her breathing.
Moving herself between the two spread open sleeping bags that served as their bed, Cheryl snuggled up behind Cassidy, and wrapped her arm around Cassidy's middle.
Cassidy sighed, and shifted her weight a little. Cheryl leaned in, and kissed the side of Cassidy's neck, triggering some sleepy mumbles. Growing a bit less patient, she slid her hand up Cassidy's shirt, and cupped her hand around the nearest soft, convenient breast.
“Hmph?” That woke her up a little. And a tiny precision movement? “Huh? Cheryl?”
Cheryl giggled. “Good morning, Cassie!”
“Mmhmm!” Cassidy agreed, holding Cheryl's mischievous hand. “Five more minutes.”
“Speaking of time, what is it now?”
Cassidy still hadn't opened her eyes. “I don't have my watch on. You tell me.”
“You're holding my hand with the watch on it. You tell me!”
Cassidy grunted as she convinced herself to open her eyes. She grabbed Cheryl's wrist, and bent her arm so the watch was easier to see.
“Ow!”
“Aw fuck, hon. We don't have much time.”
Cheryl reclaimed her arm, and turned Cassidy on her back. “Oh well.” She cozied up closer to administer a slow, long, deep kiss. Cassidy looked up into her eyes, and caressed her cheek. “Which of us do you think needs a breath mint more?”
When mornings dragged them away from camp to run a tour, Cassidy and Cheryl would often poke around the base just to be social, or raid supplies.
“Hello, strangers.” Cipriana, again reading while sitting on her bunk, greeted them in the barracks.
“Hey Cip!” Cheryl replied. Often Cassidy would let Cheryl handle the small talk for both of them. Cheryl tended to carry around a bit more energy and enthusiasm, and often simply spoke sooner. Being together so much, Cassidy (as well as just about everyone else) accepted that when Cheryl spoke, Cassidy agreed, and felt no need to repeat. “Guess what’s coming up?”
Cassidy wrapped her arms around Cheryl from behind, and they both looked at Cipriana, waiting for a guess.
Watching Yute Page 14
