A Spaceman

Chapter 12--A Night at the Brig: Take Two

The rest of the day is uneventful, after breaking into IDMT not once, but twice, and after asphyxiating Logan in public not once, but twice. We have hand to hand combat, and I'm paired with Logan so it goes miserably. I can't knock him down or anything, not using the pathetic techniques they expect me to, he's much bigger than I am and has more body mass per square foot, there's no way I'm pushing him over with a simple blow to the waist. He just stands there and looks at me encouragingly. I'd much rather be doing it with Tom. Speaking of Tom she has not yet gotten back to me on the kiss request, but I'll keep you updated.

Thorn gets me out of trouble for bludgeoning Dr. Truth Juice, heaven knows why. Honestly, it was bound to happen, and they don't have any proof I did it, and I get the feeling that nobody around here likes that guy, heaven knows why. I do still have to do extra duties, which means that I don't get to write home or read on my tablet. That would be depressing if I had a home or a tablet.

Instead, while everyone else goes in to write home, I have to go and help some Spaceman Basic nobody do maintenance in the control room. That should be entertaining. Not.

**

"I thought Titus didn't have to go the brig since you and he rescued Thorn from Dr. Truth Juice," Peter asks me, as he does curl ups over the edge of his bunk.

"He didn't then he broke back into the IDMT to get Leavitt out, so he does," I explain.

"Why would he do a thing like that? I mean, the good doctor is hardly stellar company, but he'd just gotten himself out of trouble," Peter says.

"I don't know, I honestly think he likes it in there," I say, wincing as I get up, from doing planks by the foot of my bunk.

"He does like his quiet thinking time," Tsegi says, "For the first two weeks I was convinced he didn't talk."

"Why did Leavitt go to IDMT?" Wendy, another girl I know from the Academy, pauses as she passes us, carrying her laundry bag.

"He fell and hit his head, I heard," I say, "He's over there, now, you can ask him."

"That's awful," she says, leaning to look at where Leavitt is lying on his bunk.

"Yeah, it's a good thing he's all right," I say.

"Wilde was pissed Card got himself in the brig again," Peter says, as Wendy goes on.

"Why would he do that?" Logan looks up from his writing. He's got a home to write to, but I appreciate that he still tries to join in our conversations a little bit.

"Like I said, there's no figuring him," I say.

"Nope, do you think he was involved in putting the guidon up on the roof?" Peter asks.

"Almost definitely," I say.

"That's what I thought," Peter says.

"Why?" Liesel says, hearing our conversation.

"He was laughing," I say.

"Yeah, but he's sort of mental, he laughs at weird times," Liesel says.

"TC was painted on it," Peter says.

"Oh, yeah so it was, wonder how he managed to get it up there?" she asks.

"Probably had somebody else do it, he was in the brig," Peter says.

"Why would that idiot paint his initials on it?" I ask, "Does he want to be caught?"

"He certainly acts like it, you don't go breaking into IDMT twice if you want to stay out of the brig," Peter says.