10 - Campfire Stories
Several hours have passed since. The layout of the common room has changed to imitate that of a campfire. Unoccupied beds are pushed aside or put in such a way that they form a circle. No fire is lit however, because the smoke would suffocate everyone inside. Instead the flood lamp is put in the middle and shines up at the ceiling. Honestly, that is where it should remain because it actually lights up the room more evenly. And does not attempt to burn the foreheads of anyone unfortunately enough to lay down on a bed so close it. But suggestions made to better the system, is something the system cannot handle. So it is kept under the rug and only spoken off when the back is turned.
This whole idea was an idea of Felix. Supposedly. Given how the dog has never talked as far as Trevor knows, it could be made up. But given how Felix actually looks excited to sit in the circle and is bummed out when he has to leave to tend to the dinner he is making, there might be a kernel of truth in that. How he could tell Felix was showing any other emotion other than a psychotic wide-eyed stare is special. In a bad way; he has clearly spent too much time around that freak.
The dinner bell rang soon and everyone was up for some. Especially given how both Trevor and Ashley missed lunch and that lil sandwich was not enough. They are front and center at the kiosk, which is now acting more like what it was built for. On a plastic plate with a divide in the middle, a portion of pasta is served on one side and white baked beans covered in a watery-looking tomato sauce on the other side. While the pasta does not look wrong by any measure, the rest looks straight out a can from the budget aisle.
However, hunger would make you eat cardboard if that meant some sustenance. And this not-so-special meal looked and smelled like something only a 5-star master chef could cook up. With it he receives a pre-packaged, translucent knife and fork set. The knife looks like it would have trouble cutting through melted butter and the fork's tines look like they would snap in half just by looking at them wrong. But details matter not much when an alternative would be those two-pronged wooden chip forks. Shivers run down his spine thinking about putting those in his mouth.
Trevor is first at the counter, beating Ashley by only a moment. A true photo finish moment. But she cannot lament long, because Chef Silva is serving fast and serving plenty. Before either of them know it, they are already back at the camp floodlight with a full plate. Normally Trevor would have everyone in the squad wait until everyone sits ready, but as of now this is not his squad. And there were no instructions on eating etiquette in the Metro Society so when both go to town on it.
Soon enough they are joined by the rest of the group, including Silva who has traded his chef's hat for his comedy cowboy hat. Where everyone sits down clearly shows where they have their bedding. With Trevor, Ashley, Sarah, Peter and Hope on the left. Silva, Jane and Felix are on the right side. And Quinn and Darwin are seated at the underside of the circle. The topside is empty.
At first everything is very communal. With even Trevor talking to Silva, if only to compliment him on the meal. As an empty stomach had dictated that the cursed combination of cooked pasta covered in baked beans over liquid dish soap that someone dared call a tomato sauce, was the tastiest thing in the Lylat System, he had to give Silva his fair due. And he receives it rather well, saying he is touched by his words.
But when the stomachs are full and plates are empty, it is clear that there is a separation within the society. Sides have been chosen. The communal feeling fragments and in the end three sides remain.
There is the established power on the right. The leader being Sheriff Silva, along with his loyal enforcer and Deputy Felix sitting on his right and with Jane on the left. There is something going on between those two. A brewing relationship whose details should remain a state-guarded secret. For fear that one's stomach contents might rise up. Not that what they stand for is very nice either. Silva likes the way things are going around here. In his society. He controls it all with his Deputies. Well, he used to have the plural but then one left. Got corrupted. Ungrateful. But he will have his balance back, that he knows for sure.
On the left is a new block, a resistance to the structure. Sitting in a circle of their own making, shutting themselves out from the center. The de facto leader is Corporal Trevor deLange, along with the missing Deputy from Silva's authority and now honorary Private Ashley as his partner. With them is also Peter but if he has fully committed is still up in the air. Quinn has also joined, even if he was not seated next to them previously. On Trevor's and in particular Ashley's insistence, he joined the group. All four have their reasons to dislike the structure they are subject to. Even if some do not match, they might enhance each other.
The ones who have not chosen any side are Sarah, Hope and Darwin. Sarah remains oafishly oblivious to the line being drawn in the sand as she is more occupied with the little one. And Darwin did see what happened but he could not care any less. All he did was scoff at what he thought was a stupid scene unfolding in front of him before he put his headphones on, music on loud and seemingly dozing off.
- Right
"These people don't know how good they have it!" complains Silva as he pounds his clenched fist on his upper leg since there is no table nearby.
Felix is observing his every move, like a dog waiting to be given the treat its master is holding somewhere in the hand. His snout is covered in bandages, leaving only two holes open so he can breathe. He cannot part his lips at all; no matter, he does not talk much anyway.
"They never do." adds Jane, sitting up close and personal at Silva's left side while she is stroking through his long, straight silvery gray hair.
A gesture usually reserved for casual cuddling, the way she is doing it has more mature themes in mind.
"But they will soon enough, won't they honey?" she asks suggestively as her other hand firmly plants itself on the inner thigh.
Visibly oblivious to it, Silva continues to smolder. He then lifts his head up to observe the new block ahead of him. In particular, Ashley is in his sights.
"Her. That rabbit. She definitely did not appreciate what she had. I gave her everything. And how did she thank me? By spitting in my face and moving to the other side."
Rage overtakes his ability to speak coherently and he instead resorts to gesturing, choking her as he grates his teeth.
"Ooooh honey, I love it when you are angry!" Jane shamelessly flirts at him.
"You are so right. I mean I even patched Felix up for her and she gave me the cold shoulder for an answer."
She takes a pull from her seventh cigarette of today. A rather low amount compared to her previous daily intake but war rationing has hit her as well. Silva rubs his hands together as the ability to speak gradually returns. Even if it feels like centuries.
"All she had to do was follow orders." he sneers with teeth clenched.
"Something very simple. Take the fall each time and take the punishment like a man! …a rabbit... a woman, whatever. She had to realize that such a thing would be the best a bunny like her could ever achieve. That pesky, rebellious "I do my own thing" attitude had to be ditched. And I really thought I had it beaten out of her."
Felix grins and nods compliant. He can still remember the day he inflicted that black eye on Ashley as he was ordered to. It was the pinnacle of his achievement working under Silva. However ,the pain he inflicted now feels less satisfactory, for he felt something similar. Carefully he puts his hand under his muzzle and rubs gently up to his broken nose and back down. That happy memory in that office is now stained by a rifle butt to the chin and a fist to the nose.
"Alas, I needed to be harder. Putting Felix as her partner in the field alone was not enough. I should have given him more freedom to keep her in line out there."
Silva then turns to the wounded Deputy. His blood hound. His attack dog. Loyal to the end. And now sitting next to him, bruised and broken but still in it.
"I should have given you more freedom, son. I am sorry for not letting you off the leash."
Silva then puts his hand on Felix' head and pets him, which the dog likes very much. So much so, that his ever-open eyes close in enjoyment. One would almost expect him to tap his foot on the ground or show his belly. But that chance is passed by as Silva stops just short of showing that much affection. He turns back to staring angrily at Ashley and puts his hand on Jane's which is on the inside of his thigh, guiding it to somewhere more comfortable. Then feeling more comfortable, he declares that by the end of all of this, Ashley will be his again.
"That bastard Trevor returned that feeling back to her. That is why she is clinging on to him. And I, in my foolishness, forced him to stay at the beginning of all of this. If I had let him go, this mess would have never happened."
He leans back, putting his hands behind him for support. His legs spread open as his eyes move over to the Corporal in question. The signal jammer in his messaging. The sledge hammer being applied to this perfect faberge egg collection.
"I will not make that mistake again. Felix. Whenever there is a chance. And if those two sitting with them now, that loser and the scaredy-cat, cause trouble? Mop them up too."
Felix nods.
"Good boy. Now, Jane? Please indulge yourself."
- Left
"Okay, okay. I got one. A good one this time." assures Quinn as the rest does not believe him but silently still indulges him.
"Why did Krystal break up with Fox?" he asks while already trying and mostly failing to hold back his laugh.
Peter shakes his head, knowing it will not be any better than the one told before. Trevor and Ashley, almost at the same time, roll their eyes. And with a bittersweet sigh, the Corporal gives to the key to the punch line of the joke.
"I dunno. Why did she?"
"Because he couldn't find her G-diffuser!"
The foursome is completely silent for a few moments before Quinn sputters and bursts into laughter. However, the other three respond more negatively. Trevor cringes, Peter shakes his head harder but cannot help but chuckle at least a little bit and Ashley has both hands on her face, which were both used to do a double facepalm. Eventually all responses turn into booing and the plastic cutlery is used as a substitute for tomatoes.
It is all well-meaning though and Quinn plays into the role of unfunny stand-up comic very well with a grin on his self-satisfied face. Peter cannot help but respect it.
"You are such an unfunny nerd." he comments with a shaking head, barely holding back a few snickers.
"And yet here you are, trying to recover." Quinn responds while putting his hands behind his head and leaning back.
"Oh please Quinn, cut that out. You remind me of Silva." requests Ashely 50% impressed how well he is able to imitate that slime and 50% serious for that exact same reason.
Quinn obliges, regardless which half he was complying with. He whispers a quick apology to the bunny, which she accepts with a wink. Then Trevor recovers from the overload of second-hand embarrassment he had to audibly take in and hold up his hand.
"I also apologize, but not for that god awful joke or one's pose. And also for having to bring a seriousness into this meeting. Well, I say meeting..."
"More like a get together for main character rejects?" Peter chimes with not an ounce of sarcastic seasoning while he takes a sip for his Metro Society bottle.
"I think it is the beginning of a dream team."
All eyes move to Quinn, wondering what he is smoking.
"No, I really do! I've seen plenty of movies where a group being made up of different people with a similar goal always beat the bad guys!"
Trevor nods and points his finger at Quinn.
"That! That is the attitude we are looking for."
He looks at Quinn.
"It is naive and childish..."
Then turns to Peter.
"...but it is positive. And I am aware of what each of us despise about him and his "society" here. With at least one of you, I know more than I'd like to."
Instead of giving her a look like with the other two, Trevor puts a comforting hand on Ashley's left shoulder, who is closest to him. His words and the subsequent action has gotten her a bit emotional. Ashley appreciates the gesture as her gaze slowly turns to the man who did it to her. Seeing him free and about, being fawned over and glorified as the big man he thinks he is. A cocktail of negative emotions starts brewing inside of her as she feels her stomach turn over. The cocktail is poisonous and if she had the power to do so, she would spit the liquid straight into his eye. With a beautiful arc.
She can barely hear that Trevor is calling her name, until she snaps out of the trance she put herself in. Then she can clearly hear Trevor telling her not to look at him. That he will get his turn.
"You okay?" Quinn asks softly and concerned.
Ashley sniffs and clears any trace of distress off her face.
"Yeah. I-I'm good. Thanks for asking."
"As you both can see, there are plenty of reasons. From what I know about you two, is that Peter is not a fan of those presenting themselves as leaders but having none of the qualities of a good one. Very dangerous, in particular because the leaders in those cases are both militarily ambitious and ambitiously asinine."
Peter raises his bottle and nods to acknowledge that Trevor has it by the right end.
"Could not agree more." he says with a big smile on his face.
"And you Quinn, from what I could gather on you, you dislike Silva because he thinks you are a useless loser. He makes you feel worthless and does so shamelessly."
"Wow. You... you nailed that one Corporal. I-I don't get it, why is he so bitter? Towards me especially? At least I have a job; if anyone deserves to get picked on for being useless, why not Darwin?"
Trevor has to stop him there.
"No one deserves to be bullied by that windbag, first and foremost. Don't pass it on to the next guy. I get where you're coming from, but it won't help him. I agree on the technical sense but if we rid ourselves of the problem, then the symptoms will follow."
Quinn understands what Trevor is saying. He sighs deep and then asks how they are getting rid of said problem.
"We need to establish what the problem is. Normally I'd call in some reinforcements but I do believe my radio is broken. It only seems to receive when a ton of Aparoids have died. Whether or not it transmits, I am not so sure either. So we do it another way; the problem is Silva's freedom to do whatever he pleases. His existence too but that is too risky. If we could terminate that now, that would be perfect but he is armed. Felix is armed. The last thing I want is for bullets to fly and hit someone innocent. So if I say that the problem we face now is that Silva has freedom. And that taking that away would solve that, would you all be in agreement with that?"
Trevor does not need to wait long. All three hold up their hands.
"Excellent. Our reasons for why may be different, but the end goal is where it connects. To eliminate the problem, we will have to play the long game. Break his inner circle. Brick by brick. Until he is all alone and out in the open. I see two big bricks surrounding him."
"And we'll take a sledgehammer to them?" guesses Peter.
"Precisely. One by one, without Silva finding out it came from us..."
"Until it is too late." finishes Quinn.
"Who do we take first?"
"I have a hunch Peter, but I feel like Eyes here... darn, I mean Ashley!"
Trevor quickly corrects himself, muttering a swear before continuing.
"Ashley, could you tell us what we are dealing with?"
Ashley appreciates the correction, not noticing that the other two sitting across from them are trying to figure out why she was just called "Eyes". But ultimately they do pay attention to what Ashley has to say.
"Our first target has to be Felix. Never knew any last name. The lowest on Silva's not so long but tightly-knitted list. Easily manipulated. A complete oaf but very violent. From what I know, he came into the academy and found himself with the wrong group of people very quickly. The narcotics kind."
"So that's why he has his eyes open the whole time." concludes Trevor, while trying his best to get the shivers when he mentally pictures that look.
"I do think that had something to with it, yes. Now, Silva was an educator at the academy at that time. And I feel like he was already looking for the building bricks to build his own little powerbase. And Felix was an easy choice. Silva gave him a purpose. Like an automaton. Dumb, deaf and stupid until the Master gives an order. Get rid of him, and Silva will be down one enforcer as well as the only other armed man on his side."
"Solid." remarks Peter, looking impressed by Ashley's know-how so far.
"Now for number two on Silva's list; that would be Jane. She has a last name but I can't remember what it was exactly. Mor... Morrow? Something?"
"Morrowson." is called out by Peter.
Surprised that he would know that, the look all three give him begs for an explanation.
"Her last name is Morrowson. Or as she was known back on Fortuna: Morning Sun. That was her stage name."
The judging looks do not disappear and in particular from Trevor, who heard a very good reason not to go whoring on that particular planet from Peter himself. Not because of someone on the planet, but someone who was waiting at home. Peter sighs.
"After that debacle, I sought some relief. But I never did her. Just watched her perform. No lap dances, no touching. Just... observing. Hence why I know her. I am not claiming to be perfect."
"I never said you needed to be. But I appreciate your honesty Peter." says Trevor, seemingly judging at first, but then more calm and slightly consoling at the end.
"Ashely, please continue."
And so she does.
"Morrowson then, thank you Peter. She is either a prostitute or entertainer for Silva exclusively. But she is dedicated to the job as she unintentionally showed a little more than I needed to see after she was done "taking care of" Felix. And she is still at Silva's side. So either he pays well or there are some actual feelings."
"Mutual." contributes Trevor.
"When the Sheriff introduced me, I did also see something that I can no longer get out of my head. Or my nose for that matter. Those two like each other. Considering their age and looks, I should be happy for them but in fact I am practically holding back projectile vomit."
"Glad to know..." Quinn quips as he sits back a little further, just in case.
"We take her after Felix. At that point, Silva will no longer have an enforcer and no more emotional support. He'll be alone. Ripe for the picking. Not that it will be easy. That guy is focused, manipulative, striving, thriving and shrewd. But he is also self-centered, paranoid and prone to anger. Negatives which somehow get him out of sticky situations every time. What was that you said again Corporal, "militarily ambitious and ambitiously asinine"? That embodies him perfectly, with a dash of luck."
"Count me as not a fan." concludes Peter very concisely before coming a little bit more serious and confrontational.
"Clear plan. But how are we going to do all that? We have a Special Forces sniper, a cop with only three months of field experience... no insult meant."
Ashley gestures that it is alright.
"A computer wizzkid and a drugged-up spaz?"
"You don't give a damn, do you Peter?" asks Trevor rhetorically and impressed as well.
"No Sir, I state it like it is."
"Good, because we'll use our talents. We'll take Felix by surprise. Ashley, I reckon you know where this guy is during the day. What is the perfect point to take him, without Silva noticing?"
"Every morning he has to stand on guard duty in the hallway. Silva likes to keep a schedule, regardless of the location. But cannot see far into the hallway from where he sleeps."
"Excellent. You'll be the alarm, get us up when he leaves for his position. You know better than us when he gets up."
Ashley sighs.
"Yes I do. That bastard snores! He's cutting down the entirety of Fortuna's trees in his sleep. Even if I won't be hearing it directly in my ear anymore, I think my body is now synched up to wake up when he does."
"Because then the snoring stops?" guesses Quinn.
Ashley gestures that he is correct.
"The start is there then. Then we need someone to keep him standing there. Quinn, that is your task."
Quinn looks astonished and points at himself while glancing over at the others.
"Yes, you buddy. If I learned anything from you, it is that you can talk. For a long time. So you'll be the mouth..."
"Oh! Is that a B-Team reference?"
"No time for references Quinn."
Trevor cuts him off quick and blunt to keep it centralized.
"You'll be the distraction for Felix. Stop him in his tracks, babble his head off. Act your way through. Pretend you are doing a roleplay."
"So... just like The Mouth?"
Trevor rolls his eyes and gives in to Quinn.
"If you think that helps, go for it. Just keep him busy."
"I got it. You can trust me, Barca."
Not bothering to hide a smile appearing because of Quinn's last remark, Trevor turns to Peter. The self-described spastic.
"Your straightforwardness is needed. You are going to be the tackle. Appear from anywhere; from one of the bathrooms, from behind, I don't care. Slam him to the ground and make sure he can't make any noises. I follow up with my third strike to his head and he's out. This time, I'll hit him in the temple. Clean and simple."
"Hold up there... we are going to kill him?" asks Quinn appalled.
"I-I don't want to contribute to any murder here!"
While Peter wonders why he's even sitting here if he is that unsure about being just an accomplice to murder in the power struggle that will follow, he can sort of understand why Silva saw no potential in him. However, while Peter's thoughts are more negative, Trevor's words are much more positive.
"We are not going to kill him. Only knock him out. Tie his hands. Plug his ears, cover his eyes. His mouth won't be necessary, that is already taken care of. After we have disabled him, we toss him into the basement. See how he likes being sent in unprepared without a radio or weapon."
He shares a glance with Ashley, who just by her sheer body language alone agrees with Trevor. She was there when the attempt was made on Trevor's rifle and potentially also his radio.
Regardless, they have a plan now. Trevor tells them that he will give them the means of communication just before bed time so the plan can be executed flawlessly the day after. One earpiece per person. The person acts according to the role given. When their role name is called, they will act.
Satisfied, both Peter and Quinn excuse themselves. Peter says that he cannot stay away any longer or Sarah will be worried. And Quinn says that he will need his sleep so he might as well get that going. Trevor and Ashley wish them both a good night and good luck for tomorrow.
Just when the two leave the rest to sit, Peter suddenly remarks "What kind of name is Eyes anyway?" in an overacted manner. Looking back at the revealer and the revealee with a big smirk on his face as both he and Quinn start to laugh. Whereupon Ashley lightly punches Trevor in the shoulder.
"I said I was sorry!" protests Trevor coy, badly hiding a muffled snort.
But Ashley is not having it and gives him a few more for good measure.
"Okay, okay! I get it. I'm a terrible superior. I'm sorry for that."
"That is more like it." Ashley answers smug.
"I think we should be preparing for tomorrow too."
"Agreed. After you."
- Bed time
The campfire setting is cleared away and things return to what they were, with the exception of the flood lamp. That one stays where it was positioned before. Trevor's idea, supported by Ashley. The idea received pushback from Silva, who acted very conservative to such a small but important change. When Trevor pleaded his case that it lights up the room much better and equal. He received universal agreement from all around, with the exception of Silva and Felix. Jane admitted that it creates a better atmosphere. Though bitter, the Sheriff let it be. However he did remind everyone, because Trevor was still new, that it is lights' out at 23:00. Meaning that in about half-an-hour, it will be dark.
Silva then walks into the hallway and locks the door to the metro platform. With a key and a bolt, something similar to the storeroom door down in the basement. When he returns to his "home", he notices that everyone has returned to their beds. Which includes Ashley, but she is no longer on the right side of the room. Now the camp bed to his left is empty.
He looks back at where she is now, making her bed next to Trevor. Getting sour on top of being bitter already, he is calmed down when Jane grabs him by the arm. She blows him a kiss and gestures to him to lie down, which he does do. The constant anger and the subsequent holding back of said anger worked very well to make him tired.
He only realizes how tired he truly is when he puts his head on the pillow, closes his eyes and almost immediately finds himself relaxing. Jane helps with this by running her fingers through his hair while standing over him, whispering sweet yet obscene words in his ear. Felix, in the bed at Silva's feet, seems to care little about the whole thing given how he is already dreaming but not yet snoring like Ashley said he would. That might come later though.
Only a few more people are awake still. Peter has just come back from the bathroom. Officially to pee and unofficially to take that RDJ Trevor gave him. The pills can be bastards sometimes as they taste horrible and melt very quickly once brought in contact with a fluid. And for ease of use, you put as far back on your tongue as you can and then swallow it with water. Most of the time it works perfectly, but sometimes... judging from the puckered expression on his face it did not go smoothly. But when he is back with Sarah and maybe even more importantly with Hope, the face muscles relax.
Having their camp beds placed next to each other, it is almost like they are laying in their bed at home. Their daughter is normally in between them but given how a metal beam is not very comfortable, the baby has to sleep on one or the other side. And Hope is in Peter's fatherly embrace, with Sarah observing lovingly for as long as she can keep her eyes open.
Shortly after, Trevor also comes out of the bathroom. There was no side activity; the cursed pasta dish had triggered nature's calling. So with washed hands he returns to his bed. He can see that Ashley has already properly claimed the bed next to his. He can see a few more pillows somehow. A little too many for his taste but as for the rest it looks similar to his. All of her personal belongings are placed underneath, including some parts of her police uniform. Leaving only her black shirt that is worn underneath her uniform and her underwear on. But her sidearm is put within the sleeping bag. Just in case. As she finishes up, she sees Trevor sit down on his before he starts rummaging through his radio/backpack.
"So!" she says while hopping herself over to him and sitting down next to him.
"I take it that your charm offensive went well?"
Trevor scoffs a little bit.
"What do you think? You met the new recruits. A wizzkid and a spaz."
Saying that again makes him laugh softly.
"Well, I like 'em. I think you chose well. Not that your options were that big, but you could have come home empty-handed." she puts in perspective.
"Fair point." admits Trevor he has finally managed to find what he was looking for.
"A fair point indeed, Private."
As he says that, he hands her a patch with a yellow embroidered chevron pointing up with a small eight-pointed pinwheel star underneath it. It looks brand new, aside from a small dark red and brownish stain at the bottom of the left side of the chevron.
"First Class I should add. Get yourself a needle and thread, so you'll be ready for tomorrow. I'm gonna need you clearly on my side."
Now it will be official. The moment she accepts that chevron, she feels like there is no going back. But what would she be going back to? Having only recently left her previous employment. Or even further back than that? Back with Silva as her superior and Felix as her field partner? The thought alone makes her ready to heave.
In comparison, Trevor has been nothing but kind to her. Ran to her rescue and saved her, just like she did for him. She has a feeling that rank would not matter that much, she trusts his judgment well enough.
Therefore, she takes the patch after just a few moments of looking both impressed and lost for words. She observes and feels it thoroughly; it is certainly made with more care than that tin fake what was her Deputy badge. It almost looks hand stitched. Such craftsmanship she can appreciate. When Trevor inquires why she is gazing at it, not wanting to be seen as such a dork, she instead questions about that small stain.
"Oh... that uhm, was because that patch belonged to someone else before. He did not make it sadly. I kept it. For a different occasion."
Trevor then quickly closes the compartment where he got the patch from so the others will not be seen. Then he turns to Ashley and congratulates her on her promotion by shaking her hand. And the new private is happy to receive it, even with the slightly daunting explanation of how the blood got there. However, there is something more still.
She has something on her mind which she has to share with him. Something he may not like to hear. Not exactly world-ending news, but something that he attributed to her and she was not entirely comfortable with it. She had forgotten about it for a bit until seeing the patch brought it back. It makes her smile.
"Uh, Corporal?" she asks while tapping on Trevor's shoulder, who had turned back around in the meantime.
"There is something I need to tell you. Something I would like to change."
Trevor gives the Private his full attention.
"It's about... the nickname you gave me. Not that I don't like it, it was quite clever in a way. But I came up with a better one. One that tells more about me than just my eyes."
The Corporal seems open to the idea if his facial expression is read correctly and he patiently waits for her suggestion. And yet she feels a bit awkward. She swallows her nervousness and brings it forth.
"I thought about "Patches". Or just Patch for short. You know? Because I got two under my eyes, one on my pants and surprisingly now a fourth one. There is also a fifth one but you are not going to see that one." she chuckles jaunty.
"What do you think... Sir?"
Trevor raises an eyebrow at the same time that the left corner of his lip goes along.
"You do realize that nicknames are given by others for you and you aren't supposed to make them up for yourself? And I gave you one as your superior?"
"I know, I know. But I thought about this one in the practical sense too. How many times are you going to say "Patches" compared to Eyes in the field? I think of that as a communication hazard." she explains logically.
Trevor nods.
"Unorthodox, but I like it better too. I must admit, giving nicknames was never my forté. Heck, I wish I knew a better nickname for myself. Instead of what the lads call me behind my back." he says with rolling eyes.
"Oh?" remarks Ashley curious.
"You know about my partner. The romantic one. She has a nickname for me that she unfortunately addressed me with while I was at base one time. And that would be..." He utters a big sigh.
"Lazy-bones."
Ashley chortles instantly.
"That is terrible for you. I'm sure she meant well."
"If you can see it as a positive, who am I to whine about it then, huh? Anyway, I'm glad you found something better... Patches."
"Reporting for duty, Sir!" she calls out softly as not to wake the others as she gives him a salute.
Trevor returns it and tells her to get to her chevron on the shoulder ASAP.
"Can't I just use some glue or other adhesive for now? I doubt we got any thread here." she laments followed by a yawn.
Knowing that they are not spoiled for choice and giving what time it is, Trevor lets her do it with alternative methods. But he better not see that patch droop or fall off her shoulder. Or else.
Ashley, as she'll be known to the civilians from now on, takes that threat as lighthearted as it was meant and grabs some adhesive cream from her uniform under the bed. It looks like a glue stick but with a much smaller surface area. On closer inspection, it is meant for heavy duty so it should work on her police uniform.
In the meantime, Trevor has already crawled into his Metro Society supplied sleeping bag and has it zipped up to about elbow height, should he need to get out quickly.
"Sleep well Patch. Savor your promotion and all that it comes with. Tomorrow is a big day. Be our alarm."
"Will do, Sir. Goodnight to you as well."
And while Patches seems to fall asleep almost instantly, Trevor has some trouble. Mainly because his girlfriend is on his mind. Now that it is quiet. Their last interaction did not go smoothly. If anything, wanting to apologize may be the first thing he wants to do after reuniting with her.
For now, that is a pipedream. First he needs to get out of here and for that he needs sleep. So he tries to block her from his thoughts and eventually it works.
…
…
…
"All of them are out now. Go now. Make or break."
Footsteps quickly rush away across the metro platform and away from sanctuary...