Free 1. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor Page A

you to a riot.’
    ‘Don’t give me any of that crap. I’ve started a few riots in my time. It’s going to be me.’
    ‘Over your dead body. I’m the obvious choice. I graduated top …’
    ‘No, I was two points ahead of you.’
    ‘… I know the period. I’ve read the brief. I’ve already registered an interest. There’s no doubt it will be me. Oh, and I’m the tallest, as well.’
    I opened my mouth but it never got said because suddenly Grant was with us. We only had to look at him to know. He glowed with excitement and pride and his grin could be seen from space.
    ‘No,’ protested Sussman. ‘Surely not. What are they thinking?’
    He was such an insensitive pillock sometimes.
    ‘You’re such an insensitive pillock sometimes,’ I told him. Swallowing my disappointment, I turned to Grant. ‘You lucky devil. So, you’ll be the first of us away, then?’
    He nodded, still too full of it to speak.
    ‘Well done,’ I said. ‘I mean it,’ and kicked the insensitive pillock under the table.
    ‘Ow! Yes, well done, mate.’ He scowled and I kicked him again. ‘Will you stop doing that?’
    I nodded towards Grant. ‘It’s his first assignment. It’s our first assignment. Make an effort.’
    He did. ‘Yeah, well done, Kev. When do you go?’
    ‘Tomorrow afternoon. Peterson’s briefing me in …’ he looked at his watch, ‘… now,’ scrambled to his feet and nearly tripped over his chair.
    Sussman handed him his untouched sandwiches. ‘Here, you should eat before you fall over. Take these.’ Just when I’d decided he was a complete arsehole, he surprised me. You could always say that about Sussman – he always surprised you.
    We spent the evening going through Grant’s brief with him.
    ‘I still can’t believe they chose me,’ he said on several occasions, causing me to kick Sussman again before he could agree with him.
    ‘You deserve it,’ I told him. ‘You worked really hard for this.’ And he had. He wasn’t showy, like Sussman or me, but he’d put in hours of solid, hard, unspectacular work. It meant he’d have seniority over Sussman and me as well. That hadn’t occurred to him yet, but it would. It would occur to Sussman as well and that would be a fun moment.
    We saw him off the next day. He marched down the hangar beside Peterson, so full of pride and purpose that my heart nearly burst for him. Even Sussman clapped and whistled. They paused in the doorway, waved and disappeared into their pod. After a minute or two, the Chief came out and waved everyone back behind the safety line. Thirty seconds later, they were gone.

    We made sure to be in the hangar in good time for their return. Kalinda Black, grumpy but recovering, came with us. I could imagine Grant, tumbling out of the pod, eager to tell us all his adventures, absolutely full of himself.
    I nudged Sussman. ‘Be nice.’
    He looked offended. ‘Of course I will.’ We looked at each other and grinned. This would be us soon.
    Number Five light flickered. We craned forward on the gantry, all prepared to give Grant a hero’s welcome. He was the first of our intake to jump. He deserved something special. We’d got a big night planned as soon as he got the all clear from Sick Bay.
    The pod materialised. And nothing happened.
    I don’t know why, but I felt a chill. As clearly as yesterday I remembered Chief Farrell saying, ‘You get a feel for it.’ I had a feel for it now and I wasn’t the only one. Around me, the hangar fell quiet.
    Chief Farrell crossed the floor, tapped on the door, and disappeared inside. We waited for the shout of ‘Medic,’ but nothing happened. Beside me, Black whispered, ‘Tim,’ and if possible, got even paler. I nudged Sussman and he found her a stool.
    After endless moments, the Chief reappeared, supporting a blood-soaked Peterson. He was upright and walking, so I guessed most of the blood wasn’t his, which left … 
    He looked up at the gantry and shook his head. Dr Foster