We cleared over a dozen crates before Casper decided it was time for lunch and called everyone over. As the squad gathered, Nix pried the crowbar out of my hand and snatched the sniffer like it was a toy. I let her go and walked over to stand next to Obie, whose stomach was letting out a low rumbling. My head was filled with cotton and I probably needed lunch as badly as he did.
"Let's break and meet back here in an hour or so," Casper yelled. As an afterthought, she added "Any questions? Good! Get lost" as a quick sentence and began to walk away. I should have known that Angus was going to be the one to start trouble since he hadn't stopped rambling since we got here. It just happened to be on a day that Casper was feeling particularly nasty and yelling made my head hurt. I knew I should have locked him in a crate.
"So, how long we gotta keep at this crap job?" he asked. He always likes to tease her and she always responds the same way – with varying degrees of irritation. As long as he doesn't make a serious jab, no real trouble starts, but today was definitely different.
"As long as it takes," she said and got in his face. Maybe she just likes getting mad, but I think it's probably more of a chemical imbalance.
"Any more stupid fucking questions?"
"I just wanted to know," he said with his palms up. "I mean, we've been here a few days for something like a measly 200 or so Uni for the entire squad. Just doesn't seem like it's worth-"
I winced when I saw what washed across her face. She hates to be reminded of mistakes and this job was entirely her idea. To make things worse, he was probably jerking her chain and she knew it.
"Don't start or I'll kick your plaid ass!"
"I just wanna know 'cause we ain't gettin' paid enough t'do this shit," he said. Angus had a challenging tone in his voice now and I think he was becoming more serious.
"How 'bout we split the squad and take a second-" he started again, but she wasn't going to give him a chance.
"Look motherfucker!" she snarled, "When you're Skull is higher than mine, you can call the fucking shots! Until then, sit and spin."
When Casper starts using visual aids, she's about half a second from violence. That meant it was up to me again to play the adult and I stepped forward to intervene. My God, we're just like a bunch of stupid kids, me included…
"Look, Casp-" he started and she grabbed him by the collar.
"NO, YOU LOOK!" she said as she shook him. "YOU ABOUT AN INCH FROM EATING THROUGH A FUCKING STRAW!"
That was when Mac's voice became quiet and steady. It carried and I knew things had hit the fan again.
"If ya think ya can do it lass, I say go for it!" he said with a grin. The look in his eyes was the same one he had when it took K'rth, Obie, and me to pull him out of a bar fight with a bunch of off-duty Monarchs.
Casper snapped back her fist and swung, but I was close and hooked her arm. Pulling her off balance and to the side, she growled as she stumbled. Angus charged in, but I straight-armed him backwards and into Obie who grabbed him. The Chagrin clamped down and Angus yelled a litany of insults in a dialect that only he could understand. It only made the Waster angrier and she stormed forward.
"GET OUT OF THE FUCKING WAY! I'M GONNA KICK HIS ASS!"
I cut her off and pushed her back by the shoulders twice, but she came at him even harder. Cocking her fist back again, she thought twice about throwing it at me and tried to shoulder past. I took her charge in the chest and caught her arm as she tried to circle.
"CALM DOWN!" I yelled at her, but she only lunged forward harder. She's damn strong and with him yelling "Nyah, Nyah, Nyah!" in the background, it took everything I had to hold her back. Obie figured it out and clamped his hand over the Frother's face to shut him up, and then hauled him away like a child stealing a doll.
"Calm down! He's just fucking with you!" When she met my eyes, I said "Please" in a softer voice and she nodded.
Her face untwisted from the sneer, but she kept glaring at him for almost a minute after I let go. It finally clicked that she was letting him punch her buttons and she spat, and then walked away. Obie let go of MacReady once she was gone and the Frother let out a laugh and danced a half jig, proving that he was as much of a jerk as any of us. The stupid bastard was in a really good mood now and would be trouble for the rest of the day.
McNeil looked after Casper, and then came over to me and leaned down to my level. It's not that he's all that tall, it's just that he wants me to think he is.
"You ever touch my woman again or speak in a disrespectful way and you'll answer to me," he said. He was trying his best to look big and bad, but with his pretty boy face and smooth voice, he was going to have a lot of trouble playing a heavy outside a school yard.
"And if you ever try to threaten me again 'boy', " I said as I met his eyes "you'll be dead before you hit the floor."
His eyes didn't waver, but he let out a nervous half-laugh and walked away after the Waster. It would be a sad day when someone like that got the better of me and I figured I'd have to show him who the boss was sooner or later. I already owed him one beating and he could collect anytime he felt up to it. Why he wanted to kick the hell out of me instead of Angus was a mystery, but I'd gladly give the Frother a turn at him too. I turned back to the group and was a little surprised when I saw that I had an audience.
"What were you hoping for? ANOTHER squad fight?"
I got a definite disappointed look from Angus as we gathered our things and began to head out. When Obie's stomach rumbled again, I patted him on the arm.
"Hang in there, big guy. We'll get you something soon."
Angus was right about this BPN being a crap job since the cost for feeding the red giant was already more than the BPN was paying. Sometimes even the Frother is right and Casper resented it. Everything was a challenge to her fragile self-image and she absolutely had to be the top dog to survive.
With that in mind, I wondered how she'd act when she saw my new ID. I couldn't hide it forever.
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