Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 38: Iceberg

Annabelle and Elizabeth sat in an awkward silence in the transport hangar waiting for 1st Brigade, the particular unit to which they were assigned. Elizabeth's response to the retelling of last night's events was to grab a couple slices of bacon from the chow hall and watch pilots and crew chiefs conduct inspections of their ships. She sat atop a rusty steel folding chair while silently scrolling through Instagalaxy.

Annabelle sighed for the twentieth time in an attempt to get some kind of dialogue out of her. So far, it was hopeless. Next to her seat was an assault rifle, a knapsack with a tent and other provisions, and a steel helmet with a small headset connected to an encrypted channel. She picked up the helmet, inspected it, then put it on her head to see how it felt.

"You look fuckin' retarded with that thing on," Elizabeth said with her eyes still glued to her phone.

"There was nothing weird about what happened last night, and just to spite you, I will leave this on until you talk to me about it," Annabelle said.

Elizabeth turned the phone off and glared at her. "I was drunk. I get a little flirty when I've got alcohol in the furnace. That's on you if you read too much into that."

"Or maybe you feel a certain way about me— " She dodged an orange that was chucked at her. "Ironic how you're wasting food!"

"Because you keep pissin' me the fuck off! You should focus on helpin' these folks retake their little dumbass planet!"

Annabelle quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody heard that. "Does the concept 'inside voice' mean anything to you?"

"I couldn't give any less of a shit if they can hear me or not, we're supposed to be back home helping our own people. Instead, I'm here helping these folks fight their own war while you're tryin' to start up some bullshit!"

Annabelle took off the helmet. "I'm not starting anything up! You came on to me!"

Elizabeth leapt out of her seat to throttle her. Annabelle leapt out of her chair and backed up.

"C'mere, bitch!" Elizabeth said as she grabbed the chair and swung it.

"See, now we're communicating!"

"Oi!" yelled a passing mechanic. "Calm down, you two! Save it for the enemy!"

Annabelle smugly crossed her arms. "Yeah, Lami!"

Elizabeth's face turned beet red from sheer rage. She turned to the mechanic and said, "Get me a mallet! I'm gonna bust this bitch open!"

"No violence in front of the guests!" Annabelle said.

Gaijins, the mechanic thought as he set down his toolbox with a sigh and wiped at a grease stain on his white jumpsuit. "What is the problem here, ladies?"

"There's no problem at all, that's what I'm trying to tell her!" Annabelle said.

Mechanic looked at Elizabeth. "Why are you tweaking right now?"

"I made a pass at her when I was drunk last night and now she's makin' it out to be some kinda marriage proposal."

"Alcohol is the cheapest truth serum known to man. It makes people express things they normally lock up when they're sober. You need to accept your gayness for her," he said to Elizabeth and then faced Annabelle, "and you need to let her come to terms on her own time without pressuring her. Now, what you both can do is keep it together. We're all on the same team here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to help my monkey wrench get ready for his court appearance tomorrow."

"Monkey what?" Elizabeth asked.

The monkey wrench sprung out of the toolbox like a Jack-in-the-Box. "Monkey wrench, that'd be me!"