"Evening shift, and I wanted to come by and verify some stuff for the project," Sabby explained. "Major Kirk said I can start as soon as we get back from our honeymoon."
"Sabby, we've still...” Linda began, but Sabby waved her off.
"I know, I know, Sarge. You guys have gear to clean. Guns to clean, boots to clean," Sabby said with a dramatic sigh. "I get it. So I'll bounce for now. Logan and I can have our dessert later."
Wolf whistles accompanied her statement as Sabby strutted off, her clunky goth anime boots clopping on the pavement.
"God I'm going to be glad to get the fuck out of the barracks," Goodman declared to more laughter. "Finding privacy is hard."
"Why not use her house?" Dawkins asked, earning a jostle in the shoulder from Takeshi.
"Sabby lives with her sister," Takeshi explained. "I don't think Goodman wants to go to pound town when Muscle Mommy's in the building."
"Oh yeah." Dawkins shook his head and then groaned. "Oh hell... does that mean Sergeant Adams is moving back into the barracks?"
A collective groan went through the squad at the mere thought. Sergeant Adams's legendary attention to detail was inspiring on duty but terrifying off duty.
"No, I already talked with her," Orkin reassured them. "As an NCO she doesn't have to live in the barracks unless she wants to. She found a place in Blackstone that's near her favorite gym. So you barracks rats can continue to live in your slob holes."
"Man, that's good... I can't handle having M Squared on my ass in my downtime," Derrick said. "No offense to her, but she scares me."
"Hey, just a reminder she's my soon to be sister-in-law," Goodman said with a bit of heat in his voice. "And while she's tough, she taught me a lot when I was hers. So chill."
"Good point, Hollywood." Linda turned to go to the back of the van. "Sergeant Adams knows her shit, and taught you a lot. So no disrespecting her from anyone, got it?"
There were assenting grunts all around. Linda opened the back of the van, and grinned. "Now, Alpha team... we get to unpack the van while Bravo can get the personal bags into the barracks. Then our favorite time begins."
"Cleaning... yay," Takeshi said in mock excitement, earning laughter again. "And I thought we did a lot of cleaning at school in Okinawa."
The squad got to work, and as cleaning began, Linda paused to look at Goodman. He was easily the happiest of the entire squad, and she knew why. The man had a lot to look forward to.
Linda didn't, but at the same time she was glad about one thing. She respected Jessica Adams immensely, and she'd done a fantastic job of training Hollywood to be a good soldier. On the mission he'd more than held his own, and Linda knew that if they really got into the shit, Hollywood Goodman was someone she could depend on.
But as the only other enlisted woman in Charlie Company, if Jessica did move back into the barracks, they'd end up being roommates. They were the same rank, both female... it was just the nature of the system.
And the truth was, Linda liked having a barracks room to herself.
"Hey Sarge!"
Linda looked up, realizing she'd been lost in thought, and Sergeant Atkins, the Bravo team leader, was looking over at her. "Yeah, sorry. What's up?"
"XO just got the armory unlocked," Atkins said. "Let's get this stuff broken down, what do you say?"
Linda flashed him a thumbs up. "Let's knock it out."
2
BRUTUS
Brutus hated coming to Bluecat Stadium in the offseason. The complex was cavernous and felt like a hollow wound of his failures. At least during the season, there was always some sort of energy, workers either cleaning up from or preparing for the next game. And of course… game days. Glorious, glorious game days.
Looking out at the snow-covered field, he was reminded that this past season ended in failure, a bitter pill to swallow, especially with the league championship just days away. And the meeting he was heading into wasn't going to make him feel any better.
Coming up the escalator to the team offices level, Brutus saw his agent and legal representative, Keith Stone, waiting for him.
"Brutus, what's up baby?" he asked, exchanging handshakes. Keith was a bit old school, and always seemed to talk like he was straight out of an eighties or nineties movie. "How's the ankle?"
"It sucks," Brutus confessed. "You know what the MRI said."
