Just a Little Favor for a Friend Pt. 4
Mad Tigers (continued)
***
Raleigh made a running leap for the 'copter's door, twisting away suddenly when the door gunner leveled a rifle at him.
"Only two," the door gunner shouted. "No bodies!"
Twister had gone to the hollow to grab Kit's body by the ankle and start pulling it to the 'copter; he dropped it and jogged over.
"Only two," the gunner repeated. "We're full."
"How about taking the tiger off our hands?" Ted spoke up hopefully.
"Very funny. Look, there aren't any more 'copters coming for awhile. We just made a pick-up. You'll have to lift that one up." He nodded at Ash, and kept his rifle aimed at Raleigh, who circled and spat.
"What's keeping the 'copters? The Independents gone?" Twister anxiously approached the door, then backed off to help lift Ash, but seemed to want to climb in past the gunner. Raleigh was obviously eyeing the least-protected side of the door. The gunner made a sign to someone inside the 'copter and another man angled himself so he could help watch the opening.
"We're all reassigned. Independents aren't gone, and they'll know we're reassigned. I'd advise you to watch your asses. Haven't seen any cargo ships around here, at least, right now. Don't be fools, boys. Just wait it out, there'll be someone back for you. It'll just take a little while is all-- they got a major problem out on another seed world somewhere in the boondocks."
"Oh great, so we don't mean anything." Wash felt like his mind was leaving him, but he managed a coherent reproachful stare.
"Don't see it that way. We didn't know how many were here, thought we'd stop off and see. I can see you boys want to get out of here, don't think you're being abandoned, alright? Lift him up here."
"Can't you throw us a stretcher out?"
"Okay. Yeah." Again the door gunner made a sign, and a stretcher slid out onto the needle-covered ground. Twister and Wash grabbed it, and Raleigh easily tossed Ash onto it, but he jittered as he did so, and kept an eye on the rifle which followed him everywhere. "Don't be stupid, Raleigh," Twister hissed at him.
"I'm not stupid," Raleigh growled at him. "I just want to get outta here."
"You think this is a vacation for me?"
Twister and Wash were hurrying with the stretcher. For an instant Wash worried about his foot, which alternately itched and stabbed. It bothered him, but didn't seem likely to buckle. He looked for Ted, and couldn't see him at first. Ted seemed to be hanging back, drifting off a bit, and Wash wondered why. Then he realized he would almost certainly be left, and he didn't know with whom. If Ted got off world, he didn't know what he'd do about Raleigh. He felt for Sink's hand in his jacket, tugged it out, and pressed it on Ash.
Ash rolled his head to look at him. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"I don't know."
"No time to argue whether you're out of your mind. Help put it in my jacket. No. In my flight suit pocket."
Wash tucked it in. Twister pushed his end of the stretcher up so hands in the 'copter could grab it. Before Wash let go of his end Twister stopped to say into his ear, "What'd you do that for? They'll just cut off his suit to treat him and throw it out then."
"I don't know, okay? It's not a very big hand, maybe they'll keep it."
"Patches are okay," the door gunner was saying. "Pass 'em on up here."
Twister scrambled to get patches off the corpses in the hollow. Wash handed up Sink's and backed off. Twister put the other patches in the gunner's hand and stood stiffly behind Wash.
"One more. You with the head wound. Come on."
Wash recognized Ted's plight. Ted hesitated, then made a run for the 'copter. Raleigh stepped in his path. The tiger wrapped an arm chummily around Ted's neck, turned him partway so his body was blocking Ted from the 'copter. The door gunner took careful aim. Ted waved his arm that wasn't pressed against Raleigh. "Don't shoot him! I'll stay."
"Don't got time to argue." The gunner signaled Wash. "You, come on."
Wash took a step, glancing sideways. Raleigh was side on to the 'copter; he had Ted close in against him and twitched the side of his mouth at Wash. The door gunner couldn't see the threat, but Wash could see Raleigh tilt Ted's chin back and press against the base of his throat.
Wash glanced back at the 'copter and shook his head.
"Alright, we're outta here. Don't panic, just stay calm until we get back on this world and another pick-up team comes. I can see you boys are hungry. Sorry, this is all we got." A crate slid out onto the ground, the 'copter began to lift off and the door gunner withdrew while the door slid closed. Wash felt like screaming at the closing hatch, but kicked at the ground in a mildly frustrated motion instead. Raleigh left Ted and made a run for the door as soon as the gunner withdrew, but the 'copter was already out of his leaping reach. Raleigh hit the ground, roared and made a fist. Then he sat in the middle of the clearing.
Twister drew his sidearm and marched up on Raleigh, cursing. Wash had never heard so many creative names for a mad tiger. Raleigh watched the pistol blandly. "Great job!" Twister snarled, high-pitched. "You realize what you just did? I think I'll shoot you now so there's one less eater around this place. Think you eat your share? Think you're a member of the team? Big enough to be two men and you can't do anything but ruin everyone's chances."
"Haven't shot me yet," Raleigh pointed out.
"Eh, what's the point." Twister threw down his gun and leaned against a tree. Raleigh laughed.
"I oughta slap you around," Wash started in on Raleigh. "And I would, if you weren't ... so big and dangerous. I don't know why you think this is funny."
"Little men thinkin' they're gonna shoot me, kill me. Slap me around. That's what's funny." Raleigh was watching the sky.
"You think another 'copter's coming now? Is that it?"
"They said so."
Wash felt surreal and disembodied. "They didn't say that. They said the whole gorram team's been reassigned to some gorram loser seed world somewhere in God knows where. They said they'll come back sometime. When they're done-- when we're dead, for all we know."
Raleigh watched the sky, silently.
Ted tilted his head, felt the back of his neck and his throat where Raleigh had held him, and fiddled with the latch on the crate the 'copter had dropped. "What's in this..? Rifle ammo?"
Wash sank to the ground. "If we had rifles, this'd be a squirrel meat mart, and I'd be its king."
"I get the kingship. My king's hat is the bandage."
"You can be king of what we do have."
Twister knelt down by the crate, looking it over for the first time. "An ammo crate! What luck!" He dumped out the ammunition and took the crate away from the clearing.
"Well, he's snapped," Ted said, watching him affectionately.
***
Raleigh made a running leap for the 'copter's door, twisting away suddenly when the door gunner leveled a rifle at him.
"Only two," the door gunner shouted. "No bodies!"
Twister had gone to the hollow to grab Kit's body by the ankle and start pulling it to the 'copter; he dropped it and jogged over.
"Only two," the gunner repeated. "We're full."
"How about taking the tiger off our hands?" Ted spoke up hopefully.
"Very funny. Look, there aren't any more 'copters coming for awhile. We just made a pick-up. You'll have to lift that one up." He nodded at Ash, and kept his rifle aimed at Raleigh, who circled and spat.
"What's keeping the 'copters? The Independents gone?" Twister anxiously approached the door, then backed off to help lift Ash, but seemed to want to climb in past the gunner. Raleigh was obviously eyeing the least-protected side of the door. The gunner made a sign to someone inside the 'copter and another man angled himself so he could help watch the opening.
"We're all reassigned. Independents aren't gone, and they'll know we're reassigned. I'd advise you to watch your asses. Haven't seen any cargo ships around here, at least, right now. Don't be fools, boys. Just wait it out, there'll be someone back for you. It'll just take a little while is all-- they got a major problem out on another seed world somewhere in the boondocks."
"Oh great, so we don't mean anything." Wash felt like his mind was leaving him, but he managed a coherent reproachful stare.
"Don't see it that way. We didn't know how many were here, thought we'd stop off and see. I can see you boys want to get out of here, don't think you're being abandoned, alright? Lift him up here."
"Can't you throw us a stretcher out?"
"Okay. Yeah." Again the door gunner made a sign, and a stretcher slid out onto the needle-covered ground. Twister and Wash grabbed it, and Raleigh easily tossed Ash onto it, but he jittered as he did so, and kept an eye on the rifle which followed him everywhere. "Don't be stupid, Raleigh," Twister hissed at him.
"I'm not stupid," Raleigh growled at him. "I just want to get outta here."
"You think this is a vacation for me?"
Twister and Wash were hurrying with the stretcher. For an instant Wash worried about his foot, which alternately itched and stabbed. It bothered him, but didn't seem likely to buckle. He looked for Ted, and couldn't see him at first. Ted seemed to be hanging back, drifting off a bit, and Wash wondered why. Then he realized he would almost certainly be left, and he didn't know with whom. If Ted got off world, he didn't know what he'd do about Raleigh. He felt for Sink's hand in his jacket, tugged it out, and pressed it on Ash.
Ash rolled his head to look at him. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"I don't know."
"No time to argue whether you're out of your mind. Help put it in my jacket. No. In my flight suit pocket."
Wash tucked it in. Twister pushed his end of the stretcher up so hands in the 'copter could grab it. Before Wash let go of his end Twister stopped to say into his ear, "What'd you do that for? They'll just cut off his suit to treat him and throw it out then."
"I don't know, okay? It's not a very big hand, maybe they'll keep it."
"Patches are okay," the door gunner was saying. "Pass 'em on up here."
Twister scrambled to get patches off the corpses in the hollow. Wash handed up Sink's and backed off. Twister put the other patches in the gunner's hand and stood stiffly behind Wash.
"One more. You with the head wound. Come on."
Wash recognized Ted's plight. Ted hesitated, then made a run for the 'copter. Raleigh stepped in his path. The tiger wrapped an arm chummily around Ted's neck, turned him partway so his body was blocking Ted from the 'copter. The door gunner took careful aim. Ted waved his arm that wasn't pressed against Raleigh. "Don't shoot him! I'll stay."
"Don't got time to argue." The gunner signaled Wash. "You, come on."
Wash took a step, glancing sideways. Raleigh was side on to the 'copter; he had Ted close in against him and twitched the side of his mouth at Wash. The door gunner couldn't see the threat, but Wash could see Raleigh tilt Ted's chin back and press against the base of his throat.
Wash glanced back at the 'copter and shook his head.
"Alright, we're outta here. Don't panic, just stay calm until we get back on this world and another pick-up team comes. I can see you boys are hungry. Sorry, this is all we got." A crate slid out onto the ground, the 'copter began to lift off and the door gunner withdrew while the door slid closed. Wash felt like screaming at the closing hatch, but kicked at the ground in a mildly frustrated motion instead. Raleigh left Ted and made a run for the door as soon as the gunner withdrew, but the 'copter was already out of his leaping reach. Raleigh hit the ground, roared and made a fist. Then he sat in the middle of the clearing.
Twister drew his sidearm and marched up on Raleigh, cursing. Wash had never heard so many creative names for a mad tiger. Raleigh watched the pistol blandly. "Great job!" Twister snarled, high-pitched. "You realize what you just did? I think I'll shoot you now so there's one less eater around this place. Think you eat your share? Think you're a member of the team? Big enough to be two men and you can't do anything but ruin everyone's chances."
"Haven't shot me yet," Raleigh pointed out.
"Eh, what's the point." Twister threw down his gun and leaned against a tree. Raleigh laughed.
"I oughta slap you around," Wash started in on Raleigh. "And I would, if you weren't ... so big and dangerous. I don't know why you think this is funny."
"Little men thinkin' they're gonna shoot me, kill me. Slap me around. That's what's funny." Raleigh was watching the sky.
"You think another 'copter's coming now? Is that it?"
"They said so."
Wash felt surreal and disembodied. "They didn't say that. They said the whole gorram team's been reassigned to some gorram loser seed world somewhere in God knows where. They said they'll come back sometime. When they're done-- when we're dead, for all we know."
Raleigh watched the sky, silently.
Ted tilted his head, felt the back of his neck and his throat where Raleigh had held him, and fiddled with the latch on the crate the 'copter had dropped. "What's in this..? Rifle ammo?"
Wash sank to the ground. "If we had rifles, this'd be a squirrel meat mart, and I'd be its king."
"I get the kingship. My king's hat is the bandage."
"You can be king of what we do have."
Twister knelt down by the crate, looking it over for the first time. "An ammo crate! What luck!" He dumped out the ammunition and took the crate away from the clearing.
"Well, he's snapped," Ted said, watching him affectionately.