Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K A Bedford

Author:K A Bedford [Bedford, K A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781894063739
Publisher: Hades Publications Inc
Published: 2013-09-03T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

While Spider was grateful that Dickhead had at last done the right thing, he hated having had to ask Dickhead to do it. McMahon should have treated Malaria properly all along — or, if he really did fancy her, should have set about wooing her in a very different manner. There were times Spider hated Dickhead, but then there were other times when Dickhead would inexplicably turn genuinely decent and sympathetic. It was maddening.

Now, he thought, watching Dickhead, he could see that the bastard’s unexpected turn of decency was largely for show. Dickhead had gone along with apologizing to Malaria not out of an awareness that he had behaved inappropriately in the workplace, but on a whim, because he could. Spider’s situation had not improved, and neither had hers, while Dickhead got to look all magnanimous. Feeling cold and a bit nauseated, Spider went and collapsed in his chair.

Dickhead grinned at him and said, “Who’s for a coffee?” Before Spider could offer an opinion, he had disappeared into the break room. Spider could hear him rinsing out coffee mugs and mumbling under his breath about the evils of instant coffee, “in this day and age.”

Without Dickhead using his zone-of-control powers in Spider’s tiny office, the room suddenly felt huge and spacious; he felt he could breathe again. Soldier Spider was right. Dickhead had done the right thing, and Spider had, in a roundabout sort of way, kind of won. Or at least Dickhead had let him win, which wasn’t quite the same thing. Better, his heart was starting to settle back to something resembling a normal rhythm. Now he just had the post-confrontation shakes, as all that adrenaline worked its way through his system.

While he sat there, staring at nothing, going back over and over that business with Dickhead, Malaria popped in, smiled, and whispered, “Thanks!” He nodded, too exhausted to do much else. This had been one of those days, what with the unexpected jaunt off to visit the timeship Masada and all. He could hear Dickhead in the break room, loudly stirring coffee, working the teaspoon like a percussion instrument. The high-pitched ding-a-ding-a-ding-a-ding as he stirred jarred Spider’s weary nerves, and he was grateful when Dickhead was finished. He braced for the big man’s return to his office.

“I see you’re out of bloody biscuits and all!” Dickhead said as he brought in a tray bearing two large mugs of coffee.

“Bitch, bitch, bitch,” Spider said, and took the mug Dickhead offered him.

Dickhead said, his face straight, “Nine sugars for you, wasn’t it, Spider?”

Spider very nearly fell for it, but realized in time. He performed an impression of a “ha-ha, very funny” smile for his boss’s benefit, but all the same decided to leave the coffee to cool for a bit before trying it. One never knew, with Dickhead.

“So,” his boss said, between sips.

Spider, slumped back in his chair, hungry and tired, said, “So what?” He knew very well what Dickhead had on his mind, thanks to Soldier Spider’s briefing.

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