Chapter 2

First Days are Hard

Cate

They finally transferred me. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or pissed. It just so happened after the… car incident. I was transferred to this new outpost to maintain the new tank they're about to get. Hopefully, these people won't coax me into driving a car, ever.

"Hello!" said a cheery voice. I looked to the side to see someone in blue armor.

I shifted a little my light green armor seeing him. "Umm, hi," I said not too comfortable.

"So," he started. "I was talking to mister pilot man and he said he'd crash the ship if I don't to talk to someone else… cause it makes the ship not crash."

Through no one could see, I glared up to where the pilot was. I was really starting to have a bad feeling. "Yeah… sure," I said reluctantly. "Don't want that. Names Monique Cate."

"I'm Michael J. Caboose," he said and then sat beside me. "Cat?"

"Yep," I said popping the 'p.'

"Like the animal?"

"Yes."

"Do you like milk?"

My bad feeling was confirmed. I don't know if this guy was special or crazy? And didn't want either. I quickly looked at the front. "Hey, pilot," I shouted to the cockpit.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Thanks a lot, dickhead!"

Suddenly the pilot jerked causing me and Caboose to fall over a little. "Whoops," he said 'innocently'. "Sorry, lost a bit of control of the ship. Anything else, you wanna say?"

I groaned but didn't say a word as the asshole would have probably crashed the ship if I did.

"So… do you like milk?"

I quickly grabbed the back of my head. "I regret everything I've done," muttered under my breath.

R.C.

"Excuse me, sirs?" said the guy in red armor a bit apprehensively to the one soldier in maroon armor and one in an orange armor.

"Sirs?" the maroon guy said as he turned to us.

"Ah, crap," groaned the orange armor as he turned to us.

Today was the day I joined the army and I was stuck with this guy named Private Donut… finally a name worse than R.C. He was stuck in red armor while I was given rust red armor. So far it was a good day, was better than Donut… again better than R.C.

"We were told to report to Blood Gultch Outpost Number One and speak to whoever's in charge," Donut said.

"Sorry guys, Sarge is at Command getting orders. Ain't nobody in charge today," said the guy in the orange armor.

"Actually privates," the marron guy started to say. "He left me in charge while he's gone."

The orange guys scoffed looking at his partner. "You are such a kissass."

"Also, he told me if I had any trouble with you I should..." The maroon guy cleared his throat before continuing. "' "Git in the Warthog, 'nd crush yer head like a tomato-can,'" he said giving us the honestly the worst impression I ever heard of an apparent southern accent.

It was pretty quiet then the orange guy said what we were all thinking. "That's the worst impression I've ever heard."

The marron guy seemed to ignore him as he turned his attention back to us. "Okay rookies, what's your story?"

"Private Donut reporting for duty, sir! Ready to fight some aliens!" Donut said rather valiantly.

"Private R.C. your weapons guy," I replied normally.

"Couples things rookies," the orange guy started. " First off, 'Private Donut & Private R.C.' I think somebody needs a new nickname."

"R.C. is the nickname," I stated.

"Wait, then what's your last name?" the maroon guy asked.

"… I'm sticking with R.C."

"Whatever," the orange guy said and looked back to Donut. "Second, what's with the armor color?"

"This is standard issue red," Donut said.

"Yeah, I know," the orange started to sound annoyed. "Listen, only two kinds of people wear standard issue armor, officers and recruits, and since you're not threatening to gut me like a fish, your probably not an officer."

"The other rookie isn't wearing red armor; how did command give you the wrong colored armor?" The maroon guy wondered out loud.

"Wait," Donut questioned. "Aren't you and R.C. wearing red armor?"

"No, my armor is maroon. Your armor is red," the marron guy corrected.

I pointed to myself. "Rust, dude."

"Well, how do I get a different color armor?" Donut asked.

I raised my eyebrow underneath my helmet. How the hell was this armor issue the biggest topic?

Cate

This may be the strangest thing to say but, I love being inside tank's engine.

After the pilot couldn't dump me, Caboose, and the tank off fast enough, we meet our teammates… who were just assholes, who could care less about us being here. Granted, I would have felt the same, but damnit I could have faked it. The one in the calbot armor called himself Church and the other in the teal called himself Tucker. No matter the name they were kind of assholes. The only two bright sides to this were I was now checking on the tank's engine and Caboose could talk to someone else besides me… thank God.

"So, I say to the guy," Caboose continued to talk as the Church and Tucker, who most likely were still looking at the tank. "" how're you gonna get the tank down to the planet?" And he goes, "I'll just put it on the ship" and I go, "if you've got a ship that can carry a tank, why not just put guns on the ship and use it instead?""

"Hey kid," I assumed it was Tucker, who said that.

"Yeah?"

"You're ruining the moment. Shut up."

"Oh… Okay…You got it, man!" Caboose said slightly disappointed. I actually felt sorry for him.

"You know what?' I assumed Church said in some awe. "I could blow up the whole God damn world with this thing. Hey, rookie in the back." I didn't respond still had more notch to tweak. "Hey, rookie!" I groaned a little as finally stuck my head out to looked at him. "So, rookie does it work?

I frowned a bit annoyed under my helmet. "First, it's Cate. Second, she's running fine, engine wise, but if the gun gets screwed up. You're on your own."

They were quiet… too quiet and they were just staring at me. To a point, it was just awkward. "What?" I finally asked.

"You're a girl," Church said almost confused.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"You know I've been thinking about it," I started to say sarcastically. "But yeah, I'm sure."

It was then quiet again. I started to wonder how long have these guys been down here.

"This. Is. The. Best. Day. Ever," Tucker finally said.

Oh… I started to strongly regret this.

Tucker then looked to Church. "You know what? Forget what I said before. We can definitely pick up chicks in this thing. Probably two or three chicks a piece," he said confidently. Too confidently for me.

Church chuckled a little, I honestly think out of ridiculousness. "Oh man, listen to you. What're you gonna do with two chicks?"

"Church, women are like Voltron. The more you can hook up, the better it gets," Tucker explained.

I would be a disgusted and I was, but he wasn't completely wrong. I mean half the girls I knew though that about men.

"Hey, rookie," Tucker called out.

"Cate."

"Whatever," Tucker started again. "I could I pick up chicks in a tank?"

I thought for a moment. "Yeah, a guy could pick up chicks in a tank."

Tucker pumped his fist. "Yes!"

"But you are not that guy," I said smugly.

"What?!" Tucker asked disappointed and shocked as I Church chuckling.

"Yeah," Caboose said. "Cats are very sassy to other people."

Tucker and Church exchanged looks as I just shook my head as Church and Tucker looked back to Caboose. "Caboose, do not she's not a cat, right?" he asked.

"She does like milk," Caboose answered as if that explained everything.

I lowered my head. "Oh God, not this again"

R.C.

From what I could gather from the… odd conversation of red armor. The orange guy was Grif and the marron guy was Simmons.

" Okay, Private Donut and R.C. here's deal," Simmons finally said ending the conversation.

"I just refuse them Donut and R.C.," Grif complained.

Simmons just seemed to ignore him as he continued. "We've got a very important mission for you. You think you can handle it?"

"Absolutely!" Donut said enthusiastically

I, on the other hand, was a bit… weary. "What is it?" I asked sounding neutral.

"We need you to go to the store, and get two quarts of Elbow Grease," Simmons said.

"Yeah and um, pick up some Headlight Fluid for the Puma too," Grif added.

"The what?" Donut and I both asked confused.

"He means the Warthog," Simmons corrected.

"You do know where the store is, right rookie?" Grif asked continuing the conversation.

"What? Yeah, yeah, of course, I do. Sure, no problem," Donut said a bit unsure.

"Well, get going then," Simmons said. I could just hear the smirk in his voice.

Donut felt seeming to forget about me as he ran... the wrong way.

"Other way," Grif corrected.

Donut quickly ran back going the right way off into the canyon. Grif and Simmons turned back to me. "Aren't going follow?"

"Dude," I started. "I've been hazed twice back in the pen and I know what— "

"Wait, the pen?" Simmons asked.

"Yeah."

"You mean prison?"

"Yeah. 5 times."

"What the hell did you do?" Grif asked almost amazed.

"Well, let's just say cats and other objects are more interesting on fire… and other people don't like that."

It was really quiet again. That tends to happen when told people that. "So, Command sent a pyromaniac who been to jail 5 times as a weapon specialist," Simmons summarized a bit worried.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Does help that I have a photographic memory and I'm a minor pyromaniac?"

"No that doesn't help at all," Simmons said a bit more worried.

Grif looked at Simmons. "I told command is trying to kill us."

"Wait a minute," Simmons said. "You knew were hazing the other rookie. Why didn't say anything?"

I couldn't help but smile underneath my helmet. "Eh, doesn't mean I can't watch the fun."

"Eh, good with that," Grif said, honestly sounding like he could care less. Honestly, so could I. I mean what's worst that could happen?