Veronica Stone

Pt. 9

“Focus on the mission Miss Winston...and try to stay alert, I won't swoop in to save you again.”, Veronica slathered her tone in professionalism and condescension.

Madness sucked her teeth and Veronica grinned triumphantly, even the blur of a woman grinned with her. She had slipped up but managed to turn it around. She could feel Madness blushing from embarrassment, it was like a cold gulp of water in the desert.

"Uhh Commander Stone...we got an overdoser on deck…"

Veronica's heart spluttered and deflated in an instant. 

What!?

"Another one!?"

They couldn't afford another overdoser. Not for this small mission. With the budget assigned to her, authorizing that many pills would be pushing it.

You gonna cry for Madness to save you?

A sick voice mocked her. The blurry woman's grin twisted into something dirty and spiteful. Was it her fault these lowlife pirates could afford not one but TWO overdosers? It wasn't fair to expect her to know that...but she was the Commander. Nothing should surprise her, her job was to expect the unexpected AND manage resources for the company's profit. She couldn’t ask Madness for help nor could she squander all her pills on this overdoser, but maybe there was a compromise.

"Officer Khalid!"

"Yes Maam!", Shamsiah replied, a youthful diligence bounding out her throat.

"Gather the rest, run a defense centering the overdoser. Pill authorization for five of you ONLY. That should be enough to give it a good clean, I'm running one of the boys your way lure it towards me."

"REALLY!?"

Veronica could feel the girl's eyes pop with excitement despite being so far away. 

"Get a move on!"

She couldn't help but smirk as she whipped a metal whistle from her pocket. Veronica paused a moment to remember the right shark-call then blowed for no.369, one of the stronger, more obedient ones.

"How we looking Khalid?"

"SOON...CLEAN… IT'S A PIE- F@#$ YOU!!! PIECE OF CAKE!", Shamsiah fought the roar of her submachine gun.

"Good, 369 will be on its way shortly, hold out for a bit.", Veronica commanded, rummaging through one of the larger tough boxes for the gattling gun. She yanked the 7 ft behemoth by its modified trigger-bar and then went back for the ammo. 

"OH WAIT MAAM NOT YOU...I DIDN'T MEAN-"

"I know you didn't mean me Khalid, focus now.", Veronica held back a grin, she knew how it was like in the heat of combat.

"Listen up men there's another overdoser starboard side! Follow officer Khalid's lead, keep the area clear!", she ordered while saddling the reel of bullets atop the sleeping machine. It was always necessary to let the team know of developments like this, but her true intention was to get Madness’s attention. She would see what Veronica’s team was capable of under her leadership, no mess-ups this time. Veronica switched off the safety and tapped the intercom for Officer Hamid.

"Aye aye Maam!", Rayyan replied.

There was always something off about Rayyan's voice ever since he and that girl Aishah broke up. Like slightly off biscuits, he was trying but that bright crunch was still a little dulled. Veronica pushed it to the back of her mind and gave her orders.

"369 is coming over, ready yourself for extraction on my command. You get 5 pills."

"Me?!"

He never had the same confidence as he did before the breakup. Veronica hoped showing her trust in him would help him trust himself. Plus with his build, he'd make the most out of those pills economically speaking. 

"Did I stutter Officer? Sync up...with Khalid and be ready."

She was lugging the 72 lb gun towards the side of the whaleshark with one arm, using the other to keep balance. Veronica whistled for 369 to come up and like an eager puppy it lunged out the water prompting her to retreat out of its way despite still getting splashed a bit. The shark landed so half its body propped on the edge of the whale shark and Veronica whistled for it to 'open'. Its 2 meter wide mouth cranked upwards exposing an ordered choir of white barbs. 

"Atta boy!", Veronica grinned before nestling the gattling gun between the beast’s jaws so it would have a solid grip on the 2000 PSI trigger bar.

She whistled for it to close its mouth over the gun and assisted it in sliding back into the water with an encouraging nudge of her foot. 

"Khalid how're you guys handling? Everybody in position?"

"WE HAVE IT COVERED MAAM...KEEPIN HIM SUPPRESSED T-", This time she was shouting over the bacchanal of her and the others dousing the overdoser in bullets, keeping him busy. 

"Good. The shark is on its way, give some space and drop on my command!", Veronica smiled peering through Mansa Musa's scope at the scene. Things were shaping up well for once.

Head in de game can't slip now.