37
“It’s good to get back to the gym,” Rev said as he finished his set. “No more food base jugs filled with cement.”
The Takagahara had a decent-enough gym, but they’d barely been on her, and the Home Guard spared nothing in the way of exercise equipment and upping the artificial gravity at the gym to Earth normal.
He helped Bob remove four plates so the Frisian could do his set. Rev moved to spot him, but it was more habit than anything else. Bob shouldn’t have problems with 140 kg, even after space-lag.
The gym was packed. The two friends had thought they could beat the rush, heading over the moment they’d been dismissed, but evidently, they weren’t the only ones with the same plan. It was a little funny, in a way, to Rev’s mind. With their first free moments in twenty-nine days, he would have thought that most troopers would be heading to the Ramshead for a cold one. But no, the gym took priority.
I guess no matter our service, some things never change.
Bob finished his set, and two troopers from Echo Company worked in. With the gym this packed, the weight stations had to be shared.
They took two 20 kg plates off the rack and replaced them with 10 kgs. Rev couldn’t help notice a little sigh of relief from Bob. He was used to lifting less than Rev, but at least he could sling more iron than those two.
“You confirm with Rice and Toshi?” Rev asked as they waited their turn again.
“We’re on for nineteen hundred at Cerberus. Rice invited another Paxite, though.”
Rev shrugged. This was supposed to be a little celebration between the four of them for getting back in one piece, but if she wanted to bring along another trooper from Paxus, it really was no big deal. It wasn’t as if they could party too heartily. They’d be reassuming the alert status at zero eight in the morning.
No one really understood why they had to get back to assume the alert battalion, relieving Third Battalion, who’d taken over when Second deployed. Why not just keep Third on? They had been scheduled to be on it now anyway. But since Second had deployed to Cat Scratch with nine days left as the alert battalion, they had to finish off those nine days before they could pass it back to Third and those who’d delayed their leave before could take it now.
As good as they had it in the Home Guard sometimes, as with this primo gym and the extra pay, at other times, it could be mind-numbingly ridiculous.
The two Echo Company troopers finished. “You want us to leave on the plates?” one asked.
“Thanks, but we’ve got it,” Bob assured them.
They took off the 10 kg plates, then put on six more 20 kgs. This was well within Rev’s capabilities, but it was the max he’d lifted ever since he’d screwed up his social arm, thanks to Kvat and his own ego. The reminder of that incident elicited a frown as he lay on his back and got ready to lift.
At least I got him back.
Maybe not as well as he’d gotten Rev, but the attempt had been made and accomplished. That was what mattered.
As if his thoughts were sirens’ calls, a voice broke through his set. “Still trying to work your way up to a real man’s weight?”
Shit. Just go away, Wymont.
Rev ignored the MDS trooper and finished his set. He helped Bob get his barbell set while the corporal watched.
“Why do you even try, oner?”
What is it with this guy and gyms?
Rev turned and looked the trooper in the eye. Several other MDS soldiers were with him, egging him on. “That’s Staff Sergeant Pelletier to you, Corporal.”
He shook his head and went to spot Bob as he completed his set. Rev had to assist him in getting the last rep up.
“So, you had to help the fry with that tiny weight?”
“Let it go,” Bob whispered from his back, his hands still on the barbell.
“That’s right, let it go, Staff Sergeant Oner, thinking you’re so superior with your big gun. Well, let me tell you, I’ve got a big gun, too,” Wymont said, grabbing his crotch.
Evidently, the karnan’s augmented hearing was at least as good as a Rev’s. His social graces? Not so much.
The gym went quiet, and heads turned to watch. Rev closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and willed his warrior back down.
“You two ready?” he asked the Echo Company troopers.
They’d been watching with their mouths hanging open in apprehension, but at Rev’s prompting, they hurried to set the bar.
“Look at that—”
“Enough, Wymont.”
Rev hadn’t seen Kvat since he was taken into the aid station on Cat Scratch, and he hadn’t seen him come in the gym, but the karnan over sergeant was standing behind the corporal now. He had synthflesh visible on his exposed face and arms but otherwise appeared in good health. Wymont looked surprised, and this might have been the first time he’d seen his fellow karnan since getting back. He looked like he wanted to argue, but he kept his mouth shut . . . for a few moments. Evidently, his hatred was too strong to keep bottled up.
Rev moved to spot the first trooper, more so he wasn’t just standing around.
“Fucking squirmer, acting like he’s king of the Home Guard, just because—”
Rev never found out just because what. With a quick move, Staff Sergeant/Over-Sergeant Kvat grabbed Wymont by the shoulder, spun him around, and with one punch, decked him.
Rev winced despite himself. He knew firsthand how strong a karnan was, and he hoped the corporal had a heavily reinforced face.
“I said enough, Wymont,” Kvat said as calmly as if remarking how pleasant the weather was today.
He motioned to the other three MDS troopers. “Get him out of here.”
If it was quiet before as people watched, it was now a dead zone. No one said a word as the three troopers dragged the karnan out the door.
Kvat looked at Rev, and so quietly that only an augmented soldier—or Union Marine—would hear, whispered, “We aren’t best buddies, yootie, but I owe you, and we Mad Dogs always honor debts.”
He walked over to the dumbbell rack, the troopers there parting like the Red Sea in front of him. He picked up the two heaviest dumbbells, turned toward the mirror, and started his curls.
“OK,” Bob said, drawing out the K. “That was interesting.”
“What’s a “squirmy?” Rev asked. “That’s the second time I’ve been called that.”
“It’s a Mad Dog insult,” Bob said. “Kinda like a snake, from what I gather. Underhanded. Sneaky. Something like that.”
Rev snorted.
He looked down at the Echo Company trooper, who had frozen on the bench. “So, you going to hit your set or not? We’ve got troopers waiting to use the bench.”
“Yes, sir!” the young trooper said as he hurriedly reached for the bar.
Squirmy? I’ll take it. At least they put some thought into it, not like yootie.
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