[So, I know literally NOTHING about oil rigs. A lot of this was based on research I did online of what I COULD understand. To anyone working in the oilfield or anyone with an engineering role, if you read this and want to burst a forehead vein at the inaccuracies. I apologize for my stupid ass. I appreciate all you do, and it takes a strong specimen to do these roles. If you have a suggestion or want to point out a glaring inaccuracy please let me know and I'll fix.]

Chapter 2: Making Friends Already

It was 4am, early enough the skies outside were an indigo. That accommodation cabins were still sleeping. A few were rising, but many of those the specialty crew that were on-call 24 hours a day. Such as Josie, who was making an urgent stride to Caz's cabin in just tee-shirt and sleep shorts. She passed Trots on her way.

"Alright, Cartier?"

"I'd be alright with pinot and a croissant, Campbell."

She didn't bother knocking, catching Trots' startling attention. "Eh, Cartier…! You canny just walk in!"

She closed the door behind Trots and grimaced at Caz snoring a power in his bed. She walked over first, hoping her arrival would somehow strike his subconscious and wake him up. To no avail. Then she took a sickly tormenting delight. She hunched down to his bed and took a quiet breath in.

Then like a whip striking tin walls she yelled, "Connard!"

Caz flinched with all his heart and cried out, flying back to the wall. "Jesus fuck…!"

Josie stood in a pleased smile. "Time to wake up, handyman. We have busy day. You've had your beauty sleep."

"Cartier… what the fuck…" he groaned.

"Huh? Capitaine insists you're my puppy. So, I take you outside when I want to. I have shit to do in Derrick zis morning. I'm not doing it alone. Up! Up! Day is breaking and we have schedule, bouffon!"

Caz shot up a bite angrier than he was. "So, you let yourself in?!"

"Save your tears and lock your door next time, bébé. It's glad I woke you. Getting used to sleep here is a trap. A vicious one. When it taken from you, and it will be, it will be pain far worse. Might as well get used to it now."

Caz rubbed his eyes and asked, "Did you get any sleep at all?"

"I had a two-hour power nap. Generous for me."

Caz grumbled, "Explains a lot about you, Cartier."

"I say get up, handyman! Let's go! It smell like fart in here. You enjoy too many Scottish canned beans! Get up so you can shower and eat even more of zee little cunts. Then, and only zen we get to work!"

Caz whined, "Fuck, alright! Just get out, fuck sakes."

"I will be waiting, McLeary. Do not dick me around." Josie raised a scolding finger, yet it still felt as some kind of jest. At least to Caz it did. His door slammed when she left. Giving him the time to finally free a hard breath.

"She off her fuckin' head."

Trots raised a lecture as soon as she paced passed his room. "Cartier! You canny go into other mate's rooms. It's inappropriate!"

Josie was blissfully unbothered. Amused if not. "What's wrong? You want me in your room instead?"

Trots flummoxed at the question. "Uh. No."

"Then mind your business, Union Man."

She scornfully whipped back around to the hallway with a vindication in her stride. Leaving Trots to shake his head grievously.

Caz did get up. Reluctantly so, but he feared for Josie to come back with a vengeance. He made his way to the showers first, with a few of the shift workers already getting ready for their 6am clock in. It was a room of steam and camaraderie laughter. Many of the similar faces he saw the day before. Such as Muir, Scooby and Dobbie. It was like the locker room at high school. Men completely unbothered to walk around with their tadger swaying about. Caz sat on the bench as he started to peel off his clothes. Then another familiar tone broke. Less cheery and definitely without camaraderie.

"Gettin' ready for another day with Marie Antoinette, McLeary?"

Caz flicked his eyes up to Addair, only woven in a towel allowing his beer gut to rumble as he walked by.

"Who?" Caz asked.

"Your French empress. Heard she's been pulling you on a leash."

Caz scoffed and went back to pulling off his socks. "Antoinette was a Queen, not an Empress, ya numpty."

"You two make quite the fetching team. I hope you all don't plan another bullock-breaking stunt like in Engineering."

"Aye!" Caz laughed, "Still crossed by that, are you? You let a twenty five year old lass make you out like a cunt. Makes sense."

"Watch it, McLeary. No one likes that slag. Be careful you don't go down with her."

Scooby suddenly interrupted from his shower stall, "Ey! That's a load of shite. You see the chebs on her? What's not to like?"

That comment erupted laughter from the other men in the shower. Muir added, "Aye, Addair. Don't be bitter, she won't shag any of us. Not just you."

"Shut it! All of you." Addair growled, silencing the others. He warned back to Caz, "You don't want an enemy of me, McLeary. Not even your Frog Overlord can protect you, then."

Caz chuckled, "Look at that. I'm making friends already."

"Ha, you sure are, you wanker." Addair slapped his feet out the showers as Caz curved a brow.

Muir added, "You'll be fine, McLeary. Addair is all talk. He got a problem with everyone."

"There's always one, isn't there?" Caz said as he got into the shower water.

"Just keep an eye, eh. He can be a right gobshite. He's in Rennick's ear."

Scooby piped up, "Aye, so is Josie! Just in her own style. But it works for her."

"I better hurry before she walks in, then. Did it to me this morning."

When Caz finished his shower, he got dressed and put on his blue Cadal uniform. He made his way to the canteen for breakfast, where Josie was at one of the tables with Brodie, Innes, Raffs and Finlay. Roy was standing over the table having a chat. Josie called up with her hand raised, "Handyman! Come!" She pointed to the table like a strict mother.

"Aye, let me get some scran."

Roy gestured to the counter, "Tray should be there for ya, Caz."

He came over to the midst of a conversation between Finlay, Brodie and Innes. Innes was saying at the tail-end of his point, "He doesn't get the fucking urgency, never. I tell him to keep an eye, and he gives me lip."

Finlay scoffed after taking a sip of her coffee, "Aye, that's Davey Rennick for you. You don't tell him shite. You know he's all about the money."

Brodie added, "At least he somewhat supervises the deck. You wannae know last time he came to check on the dive?"

"You're basically the head of that. Diving is its own wee country away from the rig. Donnae think Rennick even knows of it." Innes sarcastically said, making Brodie snort.

"You're all a bit hard on the man." Roy said almost in a joking way.

"Easy for you to say, Roy. Rennick never has an issue with you." Finlay replied.

Roy chimed back, "I'm easy to love, that's why."

"Or he's scared you're gonna hawk a gobby in his scran," laughed Brodie, growing one to the others, as well.

"Only heard bad things about the boss since I've started," said Raffs tepidly, "Should I be worried?"

Josie grumbled, "Oui. Definitely."

Raffs glanced to Caz, "You and all, then?"

"Handyman is with me. Capitaine won't come for him unless he want to deal with me too. And he won't." Josie divulged smugly.

Brodie replied to her in French. Perfect French. "Personne ne veut s'occuper de toi quand tu es en colère, mademoiselle." Only him and Josie understood. But he basically said, No one wants to deal with you when you're mad, miss.

She said back, "Vous ferez bien de vous en souvenir, monsieur." Or you'll do right to remember that.

Finlay shrugged, "Trots is getting scunnered. Won't be long he takes action."

"Canny come sooner, I'd say." Innes scoffed.

Josie suddenly irked and ranted, "Putain! Roy, this food too bland! You need to use seasoning! Make love to them! Why is Scottish food so fucking merde?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to insult your delicate taste buds, manquer. Maybe you should have thought of that before working on a Scottish rig, then?"

"I wasn't expecting pig assholes and cow guts in my food, that's why. You kilt-wearers would eat anysing. As for you Brits," she said as she started to wag her finger at Roy teasingly, "You blow your backends out with all your fucking beans."

Caz laughed, "Not good enough for the French unless it's just cream and bread, eh?"

"Why you sink France is the capital of best food? Because we know what's good. One of these days, monsieur. I'm going to join you in zat kitchen and teach you a sing or two." Josie smiled up at Roy cheekily.

"I look forward to it, Cartier. Truly." Roy replied with a half smile. He walked back to the kitchen after a few more crew came in to prepare their trays. Josie ate only her bread and eggs, avoiding the beans and sausages like they were toxic. She nudged Caz then.

"Hurry, handyman. We are running out of time!"

Caz spoke with a mouth of food, "Relax."

Finlay grunted as she got off the table, "Well, I best be off with it. You all have a craic, eh."

Brodie and Innes finished, as well. Caz rushed his food down with Josie's pressure and eventually they were out in the mechanical song of the deck. Greeting one of the clearer and warmer days in the North Sea they'd have in a fortnight. Josie and Caz made their way straight to the derrick, where a few men were already underway in repairs and preparations for drilling. Roper, a mechanical engineer on board the Beira, greeted Josie and Caz amicably. "Guid mornin', lovie. You brought a stray to the derrick today, ain't ya?"

Josie was surprisingly kind. The kindest Caz had ever seen her, "Bonjour, monsieur! Why you here, you should be at pontoon controls, no?"

"Aye. Inspecting the machinery today. So far so good. Who's this then?"

"This is handyman. Or McLeary. Or…"

Caz interrupted, "Caz is fine, how do?" He shook Roper's hand.

"Could do with a fag and a shag but I'm fair."

Caz erupted into chummy laughter. A witty Scotsman, finally. Something to feel like home. Josie played along with a faint gag. Roper continued, "You're trailing this wee lass, you must be shy of a straight jacket. I trained her me self. She's a toughie."

"You did not train me, bouffon. You supervised me. I knew all from the beginning."

"And arrogant as any Frenchman. Likes to think she knows it all, but I'll never forget that misstep in Leg C, dear. Nearly blew her head off with the gas pipes after she forget to turn off the main source. Took three days to repair it. Of course, I made her do the brunt of it."

Caz stretched his lips and looked down to Josie, who only crossed her arms and scoffed. "Whatever. It was a learning curve."

"I told you. Smarts with numbers and science will only get you so far. Putting it into action is a whole different ball game. I hope you're teaching McLeary here the same. You must be a mechanic, too?"

"Nah. Just here to fix elecky," said Caz.

Roper seemed a bit surprised, "You donnae say, eh? Not the first time Rennick slapped something together hoping it would stay right. Still, she's a good teacher. At least you'll get a good grip of the rig's workings. What you all here for?"

"We need to fix mud pump."

"Belter that! Finally. I'll let you two get to it then."

Addair was at the drilling controls, bossing on the grunts as they were cleaning the shale. Josie said aloud as she placed her tool bag down to the floor, "Make way! We are fixing the pump. It's been too spitty."

"Not until my guys get the gunk out."

"Do that after. You're not pulling this shit again, connard! I say what I say. The shaker can be cleaned after!"

Addair said in grievance, "You really go from one to a hundred in a matter of seconds, Cartier."

She turned to Caz and told him, "Come with me. We need to start zee pump to see what zee issue is." Josie led Caz to the controls and started it up. The machine began to rattle like that of an earthquake, shaking the whole derrick floor. She yelled back to him, "Turn it off!"

The machine settled and the shaking ceasing was a relief. Caz grumbled, "Jesus. The fuck is wrong with it?"

"It's clogged to fuck." Josie hissed and ranted back to Addair, "Why you let it get zis bad?! You are drilling man, why you no take care of machine? How long it's been like this?"

Addair said back in a scorn, "About two weeks?"

"Has it been being used?!"

"Of course it has, frog. We just started drilling."

Josie cursed like a crow, "You dumb fucking fils de pute! It has been stressed like a dry fuck in a quaker! I am no drill expert and even I know machine cannot take zis! It'll likely need more zan a declogging now!"

"Why do you think you're here, Cartier?"

Josie bit her lip and hissed under her breath, "Lazy fucking connard. Leave his shit for me to fix because he can't clean his own machine. Putain! Handyman, help me start taking apart. We need to get zee shit out, and only then can we begin to fix zee engine."

Caz shrugged as he went for his tools. He pinched his shoulders when Addair grumbled behind him, "That's right. Be a good boy and do as you're told."

Caz was ready to bite back, but Josie muttered to him as she passed his shoulder, "Do not feed zee rats, handyman. Zey will keep coming back." She made a quick glance to Addair and continued for her repair.

Caz grumbled, "Cunt keeps slagging me off."

"So? Let him make himself stupid. Focus on zee work. Hand me zat," she gestured for a tool that Caz gave her timely.

Hours seemed to dwindle away like flutters of an eyelid. Josie was an expert in her craft, knowing the solution for issues with just the mannerisms of the machine, itself. Caz was completely out of his element, simply taking his work as a step-by-step tutorial by Josie. She was firm and easy to criticize, but he made due with it. Swiftly realizing any excuse he made such as being an electrician or being tired or being inexperienced wouldn't cut it. Roy was right. He lost count how many times 'handyman' and 'connard' were uttered as an insult. Then she was suddenly slapping his shoulder happily and praising him when he did something right. Only to fall back to her harsh belittling moments after. She was giving him the most severe form of emotional whiplash he'd ever had. Not even Suze was so back and forth. They would be best mates if they ever met, he thought.

Their whole day, Addair was there. Breaking moments with backhanded compliments and snide remarks that the two tried to ignore. Even Josie had to snap from her work to call him every French curse word under the sun once in a while. But he persisted. Addair had made his point in the showers. He was sticking to it.

When the clog was cleared, Josie and Caz tested it again. It was substantially less shaky, but there was another problem.

"Putain!" She cursed, "I knew it! I fucking knew it! Zee valve seat is fucked because of neglect! Another steaming pile of shit you've left for me, Addair!"

"Shut it and fix it then, you crying cow!"

Roper scolded suddenly, "Oi! That's still a wee lady you're talking to. Watch it."

"Get fucked. Like that's a lady. I know a lady when I see one. That's not it."

Josie ignored Addair from then on and instructed to Caz. "We have to put a new valve seat on. Our day can't get anymore fucked."

"Easy does it, Jo. I'll go get the valve. Should be in the fresh orders we got last week. Hold tight." Roper said kindly as he stepped from the others and towards the deck.

Josie cooed in a wave of exhaustion, "Merci, chéri." She went back to undo the machine once more in anguish.

Caz was steady to help her, "This a regular thing for a mechanic?

"Non. Not at all. Zis is fucking needless. Drilling engies are responsible for making sure zese machines are well taken care of. So that the on-call mechanic don't have to bust her tits off to fix zem. You know, it's not even zee extra work that pisses me off. It's the neglect for zee machine. So much money and so much power just being squandered away like that. Zese machines run a fury like a God when zey are at zare prime. It's kind of beautiful, no?"

"You like machines?"

"I wouldn't be doing zis shit if I didn't, McLeary. Like my teachers used to say. Don't do a job if you can't see yourself having fun doing it. You must be same way with electric?"

Caz shrugged as he struggled with a piece of machinery, "Aye. At first it was a hobby from being a roustabout at a pulp mill."

Josie smiled, "Same, copain. One day I'm going to build a robot that will give me massages and do my chores. Zen I'm going to sell it for millions. My journey to that dream starts here. Can't make it to flowers without pulling a few weeds."

"You had that dream since a wean?"

"Oui, monsieur. It will come true. I'm sure of it."

When they got to the valve seat, Josie's face curled into a disgusted and aghast glower. "Te tu fous de ma gueule! Zee fuck is this?! Look at the state of it!"

Caz peeked his head in to see the valve was corroded and riddled in rust, with moisture surfacing. Josie raged, "That's fucking it! I'm calling Capitaine! He needs to know how useless his 'best' engineer is!"

Addair guffawed hatefully, "Go on, then. Make his day!"

"Oh, I will!" She grabbed for the phone with spite and stabbed her finger into the buttons for Rennick's office.

Roper came back with the new part as Caz was just removing the old valve seat. Josie got on the phone with Rennick, wasting no time in flurrying irate ranting. His enraged tone could almost be heard on the phone over the constantly churning of machinery.

She stole her voice from the phone to order to Caz, "Make sure of no washout before installing new part, handyman!"

Caz had no earthly clue what she was talking about, but she seemed pretty confident he knew what he was doing. Josie continued to rave and rage on the phone with Rennick as Caz installed the new part. He thought to himself, Like working on a car. You're doing fine.

Her phone call ended in anger with Rennick, with her last parting words "You want to know what I'm calling you, learn fucking French, culé!"

By that time Caz had the part in place. Josie helped him reassemble the mud pump and they took it for a test drive to make sure it would work. Then suddenly as it geared up, it gave a false sense of security before wheezing and rolling over, thumping like before but making a terrible cry that flurried smoke. Josie squalled, "Turn it off! Turn it off!"

The crew started to panic and run for cover at the sight of smoke. Being in the derrick, the fear was shudderingly real. Even Addair cried out and ran for cover. Caz turned it off in horror, and Josie ran for the closest fire extinguisher. Roper yelled out with a barking tone, "The fuck is going on?! What did you two do?"

Caz thought to himself in a chilling curdle, The fuck did you do, Caz?!

Josie sprayed the fire extinguisher at the spot birthing smoke, slowly easing the crew when it died down. She immediately opened up the machine to find the cause, only to see it was friction from gritty material left behind. Likely missed by Caz. She didn't say it, but she was thinking it. Fucking idiot!

However, the old valve seat did in fact leave behind a washout. Which made the aggression of the machine that more likely to aggravate and cause steady friction enough to heat. When it was calm, Josie glared up at Caz. She wanted so badly to tear him a new one. Call him every swear word she knew in French and English. Toss a wrench at his head. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. He was only working with the seldom knowledge he had. Placed in an impossible circumstance that only left herself and Addair responsible. Being Josie, she wouldn't dare blame herself outward.

She whipped her glare to Addair and squalled, "You see what you did, you fucking idiot! You could have killed all of us!"

Addair barked back, "You're fucking deluded! You're gonna try and pin this on me? Nah, Cartier! You've truly fucked it this time." He made an urgent trudge to the phone.

"You fucking culé! What are you doing?!"

"What do you think, Cartier? I'm taking a page from your book! The only time we should ever be calling the cunt, anyway!"

"What are you going to tell him? Zat it's your fault, cause it's sure as shit isn't ours!"

"We'll see about that." He sprang up the phone and called Rennick. He answered and Addair ranted, "Oi, boss. We got the new guy, McLeary, down here. He nearly blew up the fucking derrick!"

"Zats a goddamn lie!" Josie shrilled.

Caz interjected, "Whoa, wait. I was just doing what I was told."

Josie stomped over to the phone with her hand out, making Addair turn his back to her. "Because they put the valve seat on wrong, the fucking thing caught friction and started to rage. It was smoking! Cartier had to use the extinguisher on it."

"Give me zee phone, fils de pute!"

Addair grumbled, "Cartier wants to talk to you. Want me to put her on?"

Half the crew could hear Rennick's voice blur on the phone, "Fuck no!"

"Yeah, I figured." Addair grunted.

Josie screamed over Addair's shoulder, "Fuck you, Capitaine!"

Addair was chummy on the phone for a while before he hung up. Turning back to Caz and saying smugly, "Rennick wants to see you, mate. In his office. Now."

Josie's voice hissed like a snake, "Fucking pédé. You dare blame it on him?! We know who's fault it is!"

"Rennick said he wanted to see McLeary. Not me."

Caz rubbed his face with his greased glove and cursed, "Fucking Christ! Pump wouldn't have been such a state if you had been doing maintenance, Addair."

"Don't matter much now, does it? You missed signs of washout, not me."

"Zare wouldn't have been washout if you had been taking care of machine!" Josie barked back at Addair.

Addair replied, "And you would have spot it if you weren't quarrelling with Rennick, ya bitch!"

Caz reluctantly got up and went to leave the derrick until Josie called, "I'll come, too. You shouldn't have to face zee heat yourself, handyman."

"Naw. He asked for me."

Josie badgered, "Remember I tell you you'd have me on your team. If I am there he cannot sack you!"

"I'm just gonnae tell him the truth. If that gets me fired, then… fuck. I guess it gets me fired. Me stringing you along isn't gonnae look good for me, either."

Josie sighed and rested her hands to her hips, "Look, handyman. I talk to him the way I do because he cannot fire me. But… he can and will fire you if you do same. Just hear him out. Let him beat your spirit till he's had his fill. Agree you did somesing wrong even though you didn't. Promise whatever you need to. You should be okay. Whatever you do, don't wring his neck. It's tempting, I know. But… just don't."

Caz scoffed a smile, "I'll try me best. Just stay and try to fix that fucking pump. I'm sorry… I'm clearly not engineer stock, eh?"

"Don't do zat. You're getting better. Zis is Addair being an English twat as usual. Is not you."

With that, Caz departed. Taking slow and gruelling steps through the deck towards the crew lift. He was soon to meet with possibly the most hated individual on the Beira, and on his second day, to boot. You sure take no time, Caz.

When he got up to the Installation module, Rennick had seemed to lose his patience waiting and he used the intercom.

"McLeary! You know you're supposed to be in my office! On your way, now!"

Caz hushed to himself in a growl, "I'm coming, cunt."

Caz got up to Rennick's door and gave a tepid knock. Rennick's voice was boisterous on the other end, "Enter!"

He opened the door to Rennick sitting at his chair as usual, and he moved out from the desk to stand for a greeting. "McLeary. Come on in. Wish we could be meeting again under better circumstances. Considering it's your second day. Shut the door, have a seat."

Already the conclusion he was being fired was a real possibility. Caz shut the door and immediately started to plead, "Look… I know Addair made it sound bad but the truth of it is…"

"I said sit, McLeary. Now. Keep your gob shut until I'm done, understand?"

Caz dejectedly sat to the chair and Rennick stared him down coldly as he did so. Just as Caz was seated and Rennick was about to open his mouth, the door swung open greeting fast and intemperate footsteps.

"Capitaine!"

Josie marched in and slammed the door behind her. She came in with heat and the rustle of her uniform – her fists clenched and ready to battle.

Rennick barked, "Cartier, for fuck sakes!"

"Did you follow me up here?!" Caz rang aloud in shock.

"It was not his fault! You understand? Not! It was Addair! You're fat pig from England is trying to frame him! Merde, you try to fire him for this, you will pay for it!"

Caz started to implore, "I swear I did not come up here with her, she…"

Rennick snapped back, "You shut it!" Then he pointed his finger to Josie, "You – fuck off!"

"Addair was not maintaining mud pump! The sing was fucked from the go! You're zee idiot who put me in charge of electrician! You expect him to know how to handle these machines?! Zat is not fair, connard! I will not allow it! You hear me? Will not!"

Caz buried his face into his hand and sighed. Rennick matched her own aggression. "Get your French fucking arse out of me office! I called McLeary to this meeting, not you! You donnae just walk in when it suits you!"

"McLeary is good! He did nawsing wrong! You should be meeting with Addair, or even myself, for fuck sakes. Not him!" Josie slapped Caz's shoulder trying to be comforting, but it surprisingly stung.

"Josephine Cartier, I will not ask you again. Get out of my office!"

"Josie, come on! You're making things worse, just go!" Caz scolded.

Josie looked down to Caz in a worried glare. Then she moved that glare to Rennick, curving into bitterness. She leaned forward with a finger raised, "You do not fire him. You hear me? You fire him… you will have me to deal with. Don't act rashly, Capitaine."

Rennick said it in a demeaning way, less aggressive but still scornful, "Just get out, you fucking baguette."

Josie made a taunting and petulant face, sticking her tongue out and stomping out the door. She departed with one last party gift – slapping a middle finger to the door window.

Rennick rubbed his eyes in anguish under the lenses of his glasses. Leaning against the desk as if the small encounter with Josie was enough to leech the anger in him. Now he was already spent. Caz sat across, patiently waiting and respecting the time Rennick needed to reassemble. Then he spoke, still keeping his right hand to his forehead and eyes to his lap, "That… is the reason I called you up here."

"What? Josie?"

"Let me tell you a story, McLeary. Two years ago Cadal wanted to try and bring in more experienced and qualified specialists onto the rigs to boost production. However, the pricks couldn't afford their salary. So, they signed an agreement with a few universities in the UK. Such as Oxford. An opportunity for privileged gobshites to come and do their job competency with all the experience under their belt. So they said. Really, all they know is what they learned in a fucking classroom. Such as Cartier."

"What does that have to do with…"

Rennick raised a silencing finger and continued sternly, "I never hired that French cunt. I never wanted her on my rig. She was set on my lap with the fucking temper of a drunken Scot and arrogance of the populace of France. She makes my job nearly… intangible, some days. The only thing I can do is report her behaviour to Cadal. Maybe she'll be moved. It's been eight months and nothing seems to stick. She's still here. Now I know what happened today wasn't your fault. Her teaching is something Cadal wants to see positives of. Today it seems to me she dropped the ball. I called you up here so you can give me a rundown of her teaching style. Give me an inch and I'll give you a mile. Now… would you say it was her ineptitude to teach you how to clean the pump and watch for signs of washout that caused the malfunction?"

"All due respect, Rennick, but I'm just an elecky guy. I shouldn't have been working on that machine to begin with. Matter of fact, I shouldn't even be training with Cartier. She's a mechanic."

"That's not the question I asked, McLeary," said Rennick impatiently, "Is she a good teacher? It's a yes or no."

Caz froze for a bit to think, stammering words before they eventually fell dead. He looked to the wall behind Rennick. Avoiding the steely glare. Would he really put Josie on blast like that? Especially after she was so eager to defend him? Defending her could cost him his job. But not could cost him Josie's loyalty.

"Well? I donnae have all day."

Caz turned his gaze back to Rennick and said surely, "She's good. Really good. It wasn't her mistake. It was mine. Actually, it was that cunt Addair's, but…" Caz brushed his hair back at feeling Rennick's frown begin to cement. "Feel like a worm between two birds here. She's not a shite teacher. I've learned a lot with her."

Rennick took a moment to say it. Burning his eyes into Caz like a weld. He growled, "You've got some misplaced loyalty, McLeary. You donnae have to say anything else. You're a fucking gutless roaster. Get out."

Caz was a bit startled to hear it. "You're not gonnae fire me?"

"I said fuck off, ya wee gobshite. Go!"

Caz stumbled out the chair and darted out his office, slamming the door behind an exasperated Rennick.

His way back down to the derrick was far more content than he was expecting. He still had his job and still had a fair conscience. Josie's clout was surely proven to be true. Even if he was just an electrician playing as mechanic, he'd rather have her confidence than not.