The Ninth (50 page)

When she turned around she found Brent
standing
next to her.

“What do you think you’re doing?  Get back in bed!”  Cassandra folded her arms.

“Dr. Benedict said I could leave when I felt up to it, didn’t she?”

“Dr. Benedict was here?”

“That’s right, you were sleeping.  I’m fine, really.”

“Would it matter if I told you to stay here?”

“Of course it would.  I wouldn’t listen, but I’d feel
really
bad about it.”  Brent winked as he tried to duck past her.

“Don’t think you can sweet talk your way out of everything.”  Cassandra easily blocked his path.  “I want you back in that bed.”

“Are you really suggesting we spend
more
time in Medical?”

“If you are hurt, of course.”

“Do I look injured to you?”

“Mental damage is hard to see.”

“So I’m crazy, is that it?”

“You just forgave someone who almost
killed
you!  I’d think that warrants some concern about your mental state.”

“I seem to remember forgiving someone else who tried to kill me.  She was this really cute girl; bit of temper though.  Horrible fashion sense too.  Looked like an angry marshmallow all the time.”

“Watch it.  You’re treading on thin ice as it is.”

“Terribly jealous, too.  Always jumping to conclusions.”

“Now you’re just asking for it.”  Cassandra flushed.

“Was silly of her too.  She should have known I was a one-marshmallow man.”

“That’s it.  Get in the bed, now.”

“You can’t be suggesting . . . we’re not even married!” Brent said, mimicking Cassandra’s voice.

Cassandra tried to restrain a laugh, but it escaped.

“I know, I know.  ‘There is something wrong with me.’  Ready to head out?”  Brent chuckled.

“I give.”  Cassandra shrugged and raised her hands in defeat.  “Just don’t blame me when someone else tries to murder you and we end up right back here.  So, where we off to?”

“Thought I’d give you a tour of our new home.  Can’t expect someone to guide you around all the time.”

“Oh, so you’re an expert now?  Do I need to remind you that you haven’t been to that part of the station any longer then I have?”

“True, but I’ve got a trick up my sleeve.”

“This I gotta see.”

Despite the fact Dr. Benedict had not said Brent had to stay exactly, he still felt it necessary to leave as quietly as possible.  The two managed to sneak out of Medical without anyone noticing.  He made sure they cleared plenty of distance from Medical before he took her to a doorway and gestured at the etching above it.  He whipped out his pad and held it up to a doorway illuminating the letters and numbers.

“What’s that?” Cassandra asked in amazement.

“It’s an address of some kind.  Every doorway has one.  I think it’s probably a left over from when the station was built.  The remains of some sort of blueprint.”

“So this is how you always seem to know where you are going.”

“The system isn’t as hard to understand as you’d think.  This first set of numbers means . . .”

“Brent! Is that you?” a voice shouted, interrupting him.

“Cain?  What are you doing here?” Cassandra asked.

“I should be asking you that.  Shouldn’t you be in Medical, eating your meals through a tube?”

“They let Brent out early for good behavior.”

“What’s she talking about?”

“It’s a long story.”  he shrugged.  “Where are you off to so early?”

“You of all people should know the answer to that.  I just got my transfer approved.”

“Ronald works fast.” Brent smiled.

“Hold on a second.”  Cassandra sighed.  “Don’t tell me I still have to deal with him.”  “I thought I was finally free of him when we left the FF.”

“Don’t be like that; you know you’d miss me.” Cain winked at Cassandra suggestively.  “As much as I enjoy bickering with you, we really shouldn’t be late.”

“Late for what?” Brent asked.

“The squad’s first assembly.  A guy who looked like he’d never smiled before in his life told me it would be bad if I was late.”  Cain imitated the serious face.

“Ronald,” Brent and Cassandra said in unison.

Cain burst into laughter.  Brent took the lead as he guided the others to the SW’s common room.  They arrived to a nearly empty room; the rest of the division was probably already listening to a monotone speech about something terribly boring to begin with.  In the far corner was a gathering of a few troopers, no doubt their new squad.  As they got closer, it was obvious Cain and Cassandra were recognizing faces.

“Glad you could make it; I thought you’d be late for sure,” Ronald called out to Cain as he neared.  “Who’s that you got with you?”

“A couple fellow conspirators.”  Cain doubled his pace to close the distance.

“Brent?”  Tyra gasped in surprise as she recognized him.

“I’m fine; it looked worse than it was,” he said reassuringly.

“Full of surprises, aren’t you?” Kindra smiled as she spoke.

“Make sure you thank him Rhea; he’s the
only
reason you’re here,” Humphrey mumbled, with a trace of satisfaction in his voice.

“I would have gotten here eventually.”  Rhea folded her arms.

“Brent, why are there FF squad leaders here?” Cassandra whispered.

“I’d like to know that as well.”  Tyra surveyed the troopers uneasily.  “Ronald assures me he made no mistakes.”

Without warning, a trooper snuck up behind him and hung on Brent’s shoulder.

“There
must
have been a mistake if
she’s
here.”  Hiroko stuck out her tongue as she leaned on Brent.

“I never would have accepted the adoption if I’d known I’d be stuck with
you
.”  Erin glared at Hiroko.

“Now play nice, you two,” Owen said quickly.  “Hiroko, would you mind not hanging on him like that?” Owen asked awkwardly.

“Looks like Owen isn’t the only one upset by Hiroko, sir.  Your female friend looks like a ripe tomato about to explode.  No offence.”  Dante bowed politely to Cassandra.

“Don’t forget, Liz.”  Marie chuckled as she nodded to the girl behind her.  “If she clings to my back any tighter she’ll tear off my uniform.”

“Marie!” Liz shouted from her hiding position behind Marie.

“Enough!” Ronald shouted over the banter.  “Would you mind explaining your choices?”

“No need to worry,” Brent said.  “I didn’t let personal bias influence my decisions . . . too much.  Each of the troopers before you is incredibly talented and will be an asset to the squad.”

“Even Erin?” Hiroko asked from his shoulder.

“Even Erin,” Brent answered.

“That’s all well and good, but there are quite a few squad leaders here,” Tyra sounded worried.  “I’m not exactly keen on the idea of being ignored again.”

Brent started walking toward Rhea; Hiroko quickly leaped off him.  Freed, he moved easily and took a position by Rhea and cleared his throat.

“Rhea Serena.  Aside from her experience as a squad leader, she is also a talented medic.  She desires accolades more than anything else.  She’ll follow any order you give her.  She is too concerned with her record to protest any formal order.”

Rhea folded her arms and pouted but didn’t dispute Brent’s words.  He quickly left her and stood next to Humphrey.

“Douglas Humphrey.  As he puts it, ‘authority is too much of a headache.’  Before he was promoted to squad leader he worked with artillery.  None was more accurate than he was – even at extreme ranges.  As long as you don’t call him by his first name, he’ll follow your orders without question.”

Humphrey smiled proudly at Brent’s description.  Brent paused for a moment as he looked over the troopers assembled.

“Greg decided to stay with Leonard, didn’t he?” he asked Ronald.

“He and a couple of others rejected your offer.  They were happy where they were.  I’ve made some substitutions.”

“I figured as much, but I thought I’d try to lure him away anyway.”  Brent stepped toward Kindra and stood next to her.  “Kindra Linwood.  You might not guess it at first glance, but she is practically a master of stealth.  I’d wager she could easily get the drop on any of the troopers in the rest of the SW.  She also is sick of command; she’d rather return to active duty than continue giving orders.”

Kindra cast a startled look at Brent as he spoke.  Sanderson shifted uncomfortably, realizing he was next.  Brent took a step toward Tyra instead of Sanderson.

“The same goes for the rest.  Each offers something invaluable to the squad.  None of them will pose a problem.  They might argue and joke around, but they’d never ignore your orders or disobey without good reason.  Now, Ronald, who did you get as substitutions?”  Brent turned to Ronald after reassuring Tyra.

“Mostly troopers from the SW.  Those who rejected your offer were mainly talented in the areas of stealth.  So I took the liberty of recruiting some of the SW troopers to replace them.”

“Mostly?” Tyra asked in surprise.

“There were two exceptions.  I selected Mahoney to take the place of one of the heavy weapon experts who turned Brent down.”

Tyra hung her head; apparently she was still going to have to deal with that munitions happy fiend.

“And the other?” Brent asked.

“Ah, there she is.  Better late than never I suppose.  Meet her for yourself.”  Ronald gestured toward the entrance to the common room.

Brent turned to face the doorway.  A figure stood in the distance.  A cold fog enveloped Dante.  Their guest had to be a Weaver.  As the figure neared, it was apparently female.  Brent couldn’t believe his eyes.  The Weaver joining them was none other than the black widow herself, Angela.  She came to a stop a fair distance off; conflicting emotions twisted her face.  The assembled troopers tensed.

“You can’t be serious,” Tyra whispered to Ronald.  “Don’t you remember what she tried to do?”

“I also remember that Brent managed to handle her,” Ronald said aloud without fear.  “Whatever she did in the past, the facts remain the same.  She is a
very
powerful Weaver, one without a division.”

“You mean they kicked her out?” Tyra asked, still whispering.

“When her division leader learned of the attack in the mess hall, Angela was quickly dismissed.  No other division had yet claimed her.”

Brent took a step away from the gathering toward the Weaver.

“What happened to Jamie?” he shouted out to Angela.

“He and Philip are gone,” she spoke without emotion.  “Washed out with a disciplinary hearing pending.  Satisfied?”

“Very.  But even you have to admit they were a pair of rotten eggs, even by Weaver standards.”

“You looking to pick a fight?”

“You’d honestly fight to defend them?”

She paused as she thought about her answer.

“No, definitely not.  They were swine.”

“That makes one,” Brent said with a smile.

“One what?”

“One thing we both agree on.  Never thought you’d agree with someone like me, did you?”

A look of surprise briefly flashed over her face.

“The rumors I heard about you didn’t do you justice.”  She spoke with the hint of a sharp smile.

“How so?”

“You are even stranger in person.”

“You’re one to talk, spider lady,” Owen shouted.

Angela quickly locked her gaze on Owen; tiny traces of anger hid beneath her composure.  Brent stepped to the side, breaking her gaze on Owen.

“So you defend them?” Angela spoke with an unreadable expression.

“They can take care of themselves.  Are you interested in a new home?”

“I suppose this division will do, until people forget about the mistake we made.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.  I’m not asking if you want a rock to hide under until the storm passes.”

“Are you insulting me?  I’m not some insect crawling along the dirt.”

“You’re not understanding.”  Brent let out a sigh in frustration.  “I’m asking if you
want
to be one of us.”

“Us?”

Brent hung his head.  He quickly walked toward Angela; she took a step back and braced apprehensively.  He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to the group.  He stood at her side and gestured to the squad.

“Us.  If you want a home you are welcome; if not then you can just leave now.”

The other troopers stiffened nervously.  Cassandra was feeling her neck.

“Are you insane?” Angela demanded.  “Just
look
at them.  They’d rather you pushed me out an airlock.  Is this some sort of revenge, some sort of joke you’ve devised to get back at me?”  Her eyes locked on Brent, her brow wavering uncertainly.

“I’m not big on revenge, and I didn’t say it would be easy, but the choice isn’t theirs.  This is just between you and me.”

“Now wait a minute!”  Tyra interrupted.

“I’m in charge of selecting the troopers, you agreed,” Brent said flatly.  “I pick, you lead.”

Ronald walked between Tyra and Brent.

“He is right; this is his privilege,” Ronald said as he eyed Brent carefully.  “I’m sorry for the dilemma I’ve caused.  However, will you always talk back to your squad leader like this?”

“No, I plan to follow orders when given.”  Brent said reassuringly.  “Offer advice when asked.  I have no desire to take control of this squad, or undermine Tyra’s authority.  My only concern is assembling a group that has a chance of working together.”

The squad tensed as Ronald and Brent had their miniature showdown.  Silence fell over the gathered squad.

“It’s nice to meet you,” a weak voice broke the silence.  “My name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Liz.”

Slowly Brent and the rest of the squad turned.  Liz had left Marie’s back and was bowing politely like the tripod to Angela.

“Brent is a very nice person,” Liz spoke, in a small shy voice.  “If he wants you to stay . . . then I’d like that as well.”

“Even though I tried to destroy him?  I wasn’t pretending or playing nice.  I was going to
kill
him you know.”

“You and the others just didn’t know him like we do.  Maybe if we got to know you better we could all get along.”

Angela studied the shy girl in front of her incredulously.  Brent put a hand on Liz’s shoulder.

“She has a point.  So what do you say?  Willing to let us get to know one another?” he asked.

Angela surveyed the squad.  Her lips furrowed as she thought it over.

“You’re really serious, aren’t you!” she asked.  “Are you sure you even want me?”

“You clearly don’t know
anything
about the guy you tried to wipe out.”  Cassandra slowly pulled her hand away from her neck.  “He’ll forgive just about anyone for anything.”

“Please?” Liz asked sincerely.

“You are all crazy, you know that?  I must be too for even considering this. Fine, I’ll join.” Angela accepted reluctantly.

“Well that’s enough drama for one morning.”  Cain let out a sigh of relief.  “Do we really have to go through this again when Brent meets the other troopers?”

“I don’t know.  Did any of the others try to kill him?” Dante asked with a grin.

“Not that I know of,” Ronald said flatly.

“Where are our remaining troopers anyway?” Tyra asked Ronald.

“Since they are technically still part of the rest of the division, they are currently in basic.  They should be joining us before long.”

“How about you let me look over your substitutions?” Brent asked with a smile.  “Not that causing another scene doesn’t sound entertaining.”

“What have I gotten myself into?” Angela muttered to herself.

Ronald nodded to Brent and took a few steps away from the group.  Ronald took out his pad, and together they started discussing the other substitutes.  Cain took a position behind Angela and studied her.

“Take a picture; it’ll last longer,” she said with distain.

“What? Oh, that’s right.  You can sense me even when you can’t see me.”

“Believe me, I wish I couldn’t.”

“Ouch, my pride.”  Cain grabbed his chest as if he was having a heart attack.  “The pain.  I’ll
never
recover from such a mortal blow.”

“You making fun of me?”

“I’d think that would be obvious,” he said with a devious grin.

“Play with fire and you’ll get burnt,” Angela hissed.

“Oh, a temper!  I like that.  Makes it more fun that way.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Cassandra’s no fun to torment anymore.  She doesn’t even seem to notice when you make fun of her complexion.  You, on the other hand . . . am I ever going to have fun with you.”

“Do you know what I could do to you?” Angela said as her eyes narrowed.

“Did you really attack Brent?” Cain asked in a suddenly innocent tone.

“
What
?”

“I wasn’t there personally, so I’ve only heard it second hand.  Did you really stand up to him and try to kill him?”

“You’ve already made up your mind.”  Angela rubbed her shoulder and looked at the floor.  “I can sense your feelings toward me, remember?”

“You claim to know so much about feelings, and yet you are clueless.”

Angela turned on him and closed to a hair’s breath from him.  He stood waiting with a large grin.  A confused expression filled her face – he
should
have been terrified.

“The best part of feelings is that they can change in a heartbeat,” Cain said, without flinching.  “Sure, maybe I’ve got an idea of what kind of person you are, and it’s coloring my emotions.  That doesn’t mean those feelings are permanent.  Go ahead, try and change my opinion – with words of course.”

“Is this some kind of game to you?” Angela asked coldly.

“Life itself is a game.  Just with harsher rules and no do-overs.”

“So why press your luck?  I could break you like a twig, and, as you said, there are no do-overs.”

“Where is the fun in avoiding danger?”  Cain grinned wildly.  “Be it my credits or my neck, I’m a gambling man through and through.  Call me crazy, but I’m putting my money on you.”

“You’re crazy,” Cassandra interrupted, keeping a distance between herself and Angela.

“And your opinion doesn’t matter,” Cain said with a smirk.  “Sunburn Sandra has always been a stick in the mud.  Brent sees something in you, something worth risking his neck for.  That’s good enough for me.  I’ve learned the hard way only a fool would bet against that man.”  He patted Angela on the shoulder.

She looked at him with clear hatred, but he just blissfully smiled back.

“Don’t tell me you’ve got a thing against being touched,” Cain said, as he patted her shoulder repeatedly.

“You don’t even know how close you are to the razor’s edge.”

“If you were going to attack me, you would have done it a while ago.”

“Can you be sure of that?” Angela taunted.

“I’m betting this whole thing hit you harder than you are willing to admit.  Knocked you off your high horse.”

“You must be the most infuriating man I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.”

“Now that’s something to be proud of!”

As Angela’s eye narrowed angrily, Dante pulled Cain back a step.

“Cain was it?  Let’s play nice with our new friend,” he said, keeping his hand on Cain’s shoulder.

“You’re probably not going to believe me, but this
is
playing nice for him.”  Cassandra spoke with obvious experience.

“You are actually interesting,” Angela said to Dante.  “You’ve spent a lot of time around Weavers.”

“You’d best remember that.  If you step out of line I’ll be there.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise.”

“Wow, I’ve got chills running down my spine!”  Marie slapped Dante’s back.  “You are one scary customer.”

Dante stumbled forward a few steps from the force of Marie’s strike.  Cain burst into laughter.  Taken by surprise, Angela let out a single, high-pitched giggle.  Cain’s eyes widened; his laughter doubled in volume.  Angela stared at him angrily.  The others held back the urge to laugh along.  Tyra shook her head at the whole affair.  She joined Brent and Ronald.

“Is this really a good idea?” she whispered to the two.  “They seem more like a comedy act than a group of well-trained troopers.  Nothing more than rank amateurs compared to the rest of the division,” Tyra said with a sigh.

“You two worry too much; things are going to be fine,” Brent said.

“Us two?  What’s Ronald worked up about?”

“He just wants to make sure I know the chain of command.  You second is incredibly loyal.  Although, when he’s not worrying he actually comes up with some good ideas.  He’s got us an exam room all to ourselves.”

“What good will that do us?”

“Brent has suggested that the two of us will feel better when we see the squad in action.”

“I suppose anything is possible.”

Tyra turned to address the squad to find it in complete chaos.  Dante was on the ground with Marie helping him up.  Liz was reprimanding Marie for being too forceful.  Cain was laughing at the scene while patting Angela’s shoulder over and over.  Angela was simmering.  Cassandra was introducing herself to Owen.  Hiroko was leaning with both hands on Owen’s shoulder like some kind of bird.  Rhea and Humphrey were arguing while Sanderson tried to calm them down.  Kindra was chuckling to herself as Sanderson’s efforts amounted to nothing.  Erin stood off to one side shaking her head in shame.  Doug was standing near Erin, completely uninterested in the rest of the squad.

“All right.  That’s enough playtime for one morning.  Everyone front and center,” Tyra addressed her squad.

Sanderson convinced his group to fall in.  He quickly took his place, reorganizing the rest as they sloppily got into line.  Dante gathered his group and assembled a second line behind Sanderson’s.  Brent took his proper place.  Shortly, the entire squad was assembled in two neat rows.  Only one trooper wasn’t in formation.  Doug remained standing in his original position.

“Get a move on, Dougie,” Marie called out.

Rhea broke into laughter.