They Smash, We Clean
I reached out and gave the beanie baby a pat beside the wheel.
"Oi, the view's nice, isn't it?"
No answer.
The beanie just bobbed up and down.
I took it as a sign of agreement.
The craft hummed as I flew back to the arena. Those obnoxious Zionalma aliens were still in Clematis City. They were the ones who flattened the new hero.
What was her name…?
White Watch.
Poor woman.
It had been a week since the new hero was introduced.
Thought she'd be gone by now—same as the rest. Like that one last month.
Didn't last long either.
I adjusted the wheel, exhaling through my nose.
No surprise, really
And Hornet just lets it slide. Every time.
Course he does.
Different world, that lot.
My phone lit up. My gaze diverted from the view in front of the phone.
Rebecca wrote over the screen.
My temple twitched. I could already feel the headache coming.
I let out a sigh, preparing myself before picking up.
"Hey, love—"
"Don't 'hey love' me, Barnaby. You missed our date."
Ah.
"Yeah, I—work ran late—"
"It's always running late. I'm serious. You do this again, we're done."
The line went dead.
My fingers curled around the wheel.
Bloody hell, mate.
We made up last week and now here I was… messing up again.
As expected, the headache arrived. Maybe smashing my head against the wheel would quiet it down.
The comms crackled. Their petty leader again.
"We are done. Come and pick the garbage," she said.
Not even going to try saying her name. Last time I did, she nearly took my head off. 'Killer' works just fine.
"Yes, ma'am," I muttered, already turning the craft around.
They smash.
We clean.
Every single time.
I reached over, nudging the beanie again.
"Reckon she means it this time?"
It just bobbed there. I didn't need an answer.
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