A Spaceman

Chapter 3--Card School of Large Explosions

"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" I don't usually give these choices I just give people the bad news and don't tell them the good news because I like upsetting people but Leavitt is very high on the morphine and I want to trick him into caring because I don't actually have any good news it's all bad.

"Oh, let's have the bad news----what is it, Titus----they aren't going to give us our choice of flowers at our funerals? Or they're going to run out of folded flags to give our mums? And what's the good news? We're running out of oxygen so we might actually just suffocate before we get shot with acid by the space buggers?" Leavitt asks, okay he's not high enough not to know me.

"No, the bad news is the power reactor is never going back on, the Russians took all their nukes when they left this place; we got nothing you're sitting on an empty shell," I explain, "Where's Tom?"

"I'm here---give me that—

"—but abusing him makes me so happy—"

"----no you've yelled at him enough even if it is making you feel better, give---Titus just get out of there, then, how badly are you burned? Can you walk?" Tom asks, good she is there and she does love and appreciate me.

"No---yes I can walk but I'm not leaving just yet, I've got a plan," I say.

"Ask him---ask him what the fuck the good news was---" Leavitt sounds like he's trying to wrestle her for the com. 

"How badly are you burned?' she asks, again.

"Just my leg and they splattered my face, the anti-acid kit went mostly on my leg, we'll save most of the muscle," I say, glancing down at it as I stand. An Isylgyn runs to try to help me up and trips us both. I groan and it grunts.

"What was that?" Tom asks, correctly hearing the little thing apologize in Isylgyn while I hit it upside the head which does not make it shut up even though that was the intention.

"I fell down," I say, that, "Leg's worse than I thought but I'll live---"

"Yeah considering you still HAVE A LEG---"

"He's really not getting over that---"

"He wouldn't, Major Card, people don't get over losing limbs, now do you think you could make it back up if I went and spotted for you over the computers?" she asks.

"No---no, no don't do that," I say, quickly. I've given orders that she not be shot but I also gave orders I not be shot and look how far that got me damn it hurts to put weight on this leg. "I'm fine---stay up there, I've got a plan."

"What is it, and how likely is it to work?" she asks.

"Ah, 63%," I say.

"I hate it already," Leavitt says, sounding like he's given up wrestling for the com.

"Shhh, go on," Tom says.

"Well, all we need is a heat surge to get our ships going, right? So if I blow this place up, then we'll get a heat surge," I say, using small words so Leavitt can understand me.

"I still hate it---no wait that means he'll probably blow up, love it-----love the plan Card," Leavitt calls.

"Wait---Titus, blow it up with what, and how hot could you get it to burn? We need over 1000 degrees Centigrade, if we want any sort of liftoff. And you'd never be able to get out," she says. she's using my first name she is worried about me she thinks I might die. Not today, love. Not today.

"I don't know I'm sure there's something explosive in here, and tell Leavitt not to get his hopes up, I'll rig it to blow and be out in time to get in my ship," I say.

"What about the Isylgyns? You're in a nest of them," she says.

"Oh, yes," I say, looking around at about a hundred cephalopods who are looking at me expectantly. "I will look out for them."

"There are hundreds of them, it's not a matter of looking out for---I'll just come down and help you spot your way out," Tom says, I can hear her moving to get ready.

"No---no, stay up there, stay there," I say, urgently, she really, really cannot see what is going on right now which is the afore mentioned hundreds of Isylgyns following me like so many loyal puppies. I could tell them to stop but when I do things like that they sort of shuffle off and look dejected and not at all convincingly like alien monsters. "We don't need two of us lost in here, and we need as many pilots on the surface to get the wounded out. I can do this."

"If anybody can you can," she agrees, heavily, "All right. Stay alive, I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, we're flying home together," I say, confidently, limping to the nearest computer to start looking for a way to set the place on fire.

"Of course we are," she says. But she doesn't sound like she believes it. I can't think about that now I will get her out of here I am getting her out of here. Card school of Large explosions is now in session.

**

"What'd you want to do?" Aiden asks, sitting on my bed. we're in my room because theoretically I need to be here because theoretically I'm upset. I'm not.

"I don't know, I'm bored," I say, swinging on the pull up bar that's over the door to my bathroom. We all have private rooms but they're pretty small, one narrow bed, a dresser and a little desk a thin closet and a small bathroom. My room is decorated neatly with my favorite posters and essays on the walls. a couple of teddy bears sit on my desk, with my dad's medals pinned to them. they give him medals for being so brave and he gives them to me. sometimes I pick them up and feel them when he's far away. and he doesn't feel any closer. I walk over and pick up one of the bears, feeling the cold medal. It's the one they gave him after last time he went missing.

"Do you really think your dad is coming back?" Aiden asks.

"I don't know. he said he would. He always does. He says not to worry even if they say he's dead because he probably isn't," I say, sitting down in my desk chair and spinning in it. I fiddle with my shirt. I changed out of my uniform since they won't expect me at practice, now I'm wearing one of my civilian long grey tunics, with stringy ties on the ends that are good for fiddling with.

"I know he's really smart and all that but---it's been a long time that they've been missing. And Space Forces aren't sending aid," he says, quietly.

"Yeah," I say, shrugging, "Then he might be dead."

"Does that make you sad?" Aiden knows I don't care about people like people are supposed to.

"I don't know. I guess not. I don't know if it doesn't because I don't believe it, or it doesn't because there's something wrong with me," I say, "And since it doesn't make me sad I guess I don't care."

"Okay," he says, "Just trying to be a good friend."

"That's nice, thanks," I say, nodding, "Let's go and do something, though, I really don't want to just sit around waiting for them to declare my dad dead."

"Okay, you want to go and visit Billy?" he asks, eagerly, sitting up. Billy has been sick and he's in the hospital in the Capital. Last he messaged us, the doctors were still running tests.

"Yeah, let's go surprise him," I say, eagerly, going into my closet for my civilian clothes, I toss some pants and a sweatshirt at him, "Get changed, I'll create a distraction."

"What sort of distraction?" he asks, pulling off his shirt.

"A distracting one!"