DISCORDIA

[ 40 ] the mistake

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       THE MISTAKE

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       JINNY STOOD IN FRONT of the armoury with a wide smile decorating her face and Raven standing next to her, an equally insurgent glint in her eyes. The steel infrastructure of the Ark provided a natural wind tunnel from the open exitways, allowing a steady breeze of cool air to alleviate its stuffy passages and whip their hair about their necks. Banks blinked as he bravely held his poker face with fastidious care, avoiding eye contact with both females in front of him. His back was as straight as a rod, muscles contracted as if he was expecting some sort of skirmish to break out at any moment.

       "You gonna move, Banks?" Jinny asked confrontationally. "Or do I have to move you?"

       "Major Byrne said not to let anyone through without her authorisation," he replied in a tensed monotone.

       She took a step closer to him so that they were standing toe to toe, raising an eyebrow above the faded thin line crossing over her left eye. "Take a look around, Sergeant... is Major Byrne around to save you?" She paused dramatically, then lowered her voice dangerously. "Didn't think so. You're either with me, by me or in my way. Do you know what happens to people who get in my way?"

       He visibly gulped before quietly uttering, "No..."

       "They get eviscerated." She felt hands grab hold of the back of her jacket and pull her back, instantly relieving the unnerving tension in the air.

       "C'mon, Banks, we only need three rifles and some clips," Raven coaxed. "You got an entire room in there, nobody's gonna notice."

       "Unauthorised use of firearms is punishable by the Exodus Charter," he recited adamantly.

       "Unless..." She lowered her chin and peered up at him from beneath a fan of eyelashes that beat with the elegance of gossamer-winged butterflies. "Nobody knows about it..."

       He averted his gaze, stance faltering slightly as he shifted his weight to his left foot. "Well..."

       The girl leaned forwards, voice silky smooth. "So... what do you say, huh? We'll be out of your face in no time."

       "Uh..."

       "It'll be our little secret," she said with a sly wink.

       Banks spared Jinny a brief glance, her small oval face devoid of emotion as was her practice, before looking back to Raven. "Okay, but hurry," he whispered urgently. "My shift's gonna end any moment."

       Jinny and Raven high-fived each other with gleeful triumph as he opened the door to the armoury. They slipped inside and grabbed three standard issue automatic rifles, stuffing them into a large duffel bag with some extra clips. Not more than five minutes later, they emerged from the room and Jinny patted Banks on the arm.

       "Always knew I could count on you, Sarg," she told him.

       "Yeah, yeah," he groused. "When are you officially getting reinstated?"

       She shrugged. "I don't know. Depends on the Commander, doesn't it?"

       "Yeah, I guess," he replied with a small nod. "If you need anything, the Guard's got your back. You know that."

       "Of course," she said, grinning cockily.

       "Hey, we gotta go," Raven warned, tugging on the hem of Jinny's jacket. With small parting salutes, they separated ways in opposite directions in order to avoid Byrne's suspicious eye. Jinny jogged through the long, dimly lit hallways of the station with the rhythmic beats of her own footfalls in her ears. She approached the port carefully, eyes peeled for any semblance of an authoritative figure that might question her presence. Voices bounced up from the hallway to her left and she quickly ran down the passage on the far right.