Spots: Boss

A Web Serial by M.C.A. Hogarth

56. Favorites.	58. No One Expects.

57. Boss

"You have a Fiddler on station?"

Peaches and the new lieutenant, Avril, are in the base office.

"Yeah. That a problem?"

Avril glances at her. "No, I'm just... surprised, I guess. What's he doing here?"

Peaches. "Observing. He's one of the original weapons designers from the first meet, apparently he gets shipped around from place to place to see how the tech's working for us."

Avril. "So... what, he goes out with the squads?"

Peaches. "No, mostly he does what we're doing, looking at cam footage and checking suit statistics and forensic data from dead crabs. Then he tweaks stuff based on that."

Avril. "You mean we're prototyping new weapons designs? In the field?"

Peaches. "Sort of."

Avril. "****."

Peaches. "It's mostly tweaks though."

Avril. "Mostly?"

Peaches. "Well, yeah. He's done some more experimental modification by request."

Avril, frowning at her. "You let your people mod their suits so they're different from one another?"

Peaches. "I let our Violinist consultant develop new weapons tech with my company's cooperation."

Avril is silent. Then: "I should meet him."

"I'll make arrangements."

###

Barracks. Claws is looking at the new test shield, which is sitting on his night-stand next to the reed and ink well Samuel-Colt left with him. When Spots enters in her PT uniform: "Ah, you're ready?"

Spots. "Sure, let's head out."

Claws. "Actually, I was thinkin' we'd stay here."

Spots. "Here? In the barracks?" She looks around. "There's not exactly much room here to practice anything."

Claws. "Bingo." At her glance: "The Warren ain't too big and the fox-runs are even littler. We need to make moves that work in confined spaces."

Spots. "Huh. There are some open chambers, though."

Claws. "And we'll do some practicin' in bigger rooms later. But let's start here in friendly territory."

Spots eyes him. "Is that the other part of it? Friendly territory?"

Claws. "Hell yeah. I don't want to stop to explain what we're doin' to every Tom, Dick and Harry who's never seen our new fancy Mcfancypants shields. I'd prefer to use our trainin' time to train, not chat with the rubberneckers."

Spots. "All right, then... you're the boss. Lead on."

56. Favorites.	58. No One Expects.