Spots: Leading From Behind

A Web Serial by M.C.A. Hogarth

81. Legends.	83. A Little Kink in the Plan.

82. Leading From Behind

A long pause.

Fang looks at them, scowls. "What?"

Claws. "Well, you've kinda been a ***** since you showed up."

Fang2. "He's kinda got a point."

Fang. "So? Being a ***** doesn't make me blind to the importance of training." She points at Fang2. "And you've got no room to talk. You've been ****ing with me since I got reassigned."

Fang2. "Of course I've been ****ing with you. You were such a tight*** about everything I had to. I can't resist easy targets. Why do you think I'm here?"

Claws. "All right, all right. That's enough." Eyes Fang. "You willin' to work at it?"

Fang, rolling her eyes. "No, idiot, I'm here to **** around. I was a Dragon. I can work you to the dirt."

Fang2, muttering. "Sex-eh! I'd like to see that!"

Claws. "Oh God, the mental image." Covers his eyes. Points at Fang2. "You are so gettin' extra push-ups for that one."

Spots. "This is good. We're going to have to practice covering for a sniper now that we have those tranquilizers."

Fang, Fang2. "What?"

Spots. "Samuel-Colt finished making those tranquilizer rounds, so we can bring back a crab for dissection."

Fang. "Didn't you two just do that?"

Fang2. "Do what? Bring—holy ****, man! You're responsible for the thing that Peaches went ****ing hardcore on?"

Claws. "Yeah. It was playin' dead."

Fang. "What now? It wasn't dead?"

Fang2. "****! Who's got the whole story? You two? And you haven't spilled? ****! Can we get it now?"

Claws, scowling. "Why are you so eager to know?"

Fang2. "I'm stuck in Sickbay. Gossip is like cold hard cash."

Spots. "There's no story to tell, Fang2. Claws and I went through the Warren to find where the crabs have been coming from and found their... well, their entry point, I guess. We killed a crab there and the lieutenant asked us to bring in the body, so we did. When they put it on the dissection table, it woke up and killed three people and wounded two more before the lieutenant brought it down. That's it."

Fang2. "****!"

Spots, looking at Fang. "So... we could use the practice, covering someone shooting. We haven't experimented with that using the new shields."

Fang, rolling her shoulder. "Like I said, Mama. I want in."

Spots. "All right." Looking at Claws. "How do we want to do this?"

Claws, staring at them. "****, did I just get out-voted?"

Spots. "Only if you were objecting. You weren't objecting to someone in the squad wanting to train with us... as a squad, right?"

Claws. "Of course not, I just..." He throws up his hands. "Fine." Points at Fang. "But no prima donna ****. You'll learn the shield-tech along with the rest of us. I don't want a situation where one of us gettin' cut down ****s us over."

Fang. "I've got no problem with that."

Claws. "Fine. Let's start with some scenario design." Turns to Fang2. "And you... you got yoga to do, princess."

Fang2. "What can I say. It's in my genes to be a yoga-mastah."

Fang. "I thought yoga was Indian."

Fang2. "Same continent. Close enough." He beams at her. "****, Fang, I've missed you."

Claws. "Chao, hit the mat. Ladies, with me."

Fang2. "****! How come you get all the luck?"

Claws. "You call this lucky?"

Spots. "Hey!"

Fang2. "It is when you've been staring at man-*** for weeks. Sickbay, rrrgh."

###

Later, Sickbay. Fang2 checks in with the staff, is issued a limp-looking meal and sits on his bed to eat it.

A protein bar lands on his nightstand. Scythe slides onto the stool next to him. "So? How's it going?"

Fang2. "Heh. Would you believe Fang-****ing-one showed up?"

Scythe lifts a brow. "No kidding. How'd that go?"

Fang2, reaching for the bar. "Uncomfortable when she first got in, but once she started working it all smoothed out."

Scythe. "Who's leading the lessons?"

Fang2. "Claws still."

Scythe. "She's taking direction from him, then?"

Fang2, mouth full. "Yep. She doesn't give him as much lip as I thought she would. She'll be back tomorrow."

Scythe. "Good."

Fang2. "When are you crashing the party?"

Scythe. "Maybe a week. Speaking of crashed parties, when they letting you out?"

Fang2, after licking the wrapper clean. "Light duty next week. Finally. I'm getting ****ing tired of fleecing the same people over and over."

Scythe. "All right. Thanks for keeping an eye on it for me, Chao."

Fang2. "No problemo, Boss. Thanks for the candy."

Scythe slaps his shoulder. Outside Sickbay, he grins to himself before strolling off.

###

A few beds over, Peaches wakes. Her bleary eye focuses on the bullet on her tray, then narrows. Her hand reaches out, closes on the round. It takes her a moment to get the paper off and read it.

Peaches. "Yes...!" And then hissing, touching her shoulder. "****. I would pick now to be..." Glances at monitor. "A quarter dead." Hits the call-button. When the corpsman arrives, she says, "I know I should be resting. But I absolutely have to see the Violinist and his liaisons, right now."

"You're right, you should be resting."

Peaches. "If I said pretty-please with a cherry on top?"

The corpsman sighs.

81. Legends.	83. A Little Kink in the Plan.