August 2459 - firefly inspired

[wytchcroft]

"You ever watch movies?" A man turns his face up into the light, tilts his welding goggles, I can see sweat on his cheeks shiny as mine.

"Movies?"

"Yeah like, old ones - from before."
He must be catching a breath, I don't like the angle of that torch. Thing might be turned off now - but you sway that baby against your skin and the nozzle will eat right through you. 

"I thought they were joking."

Man blinks. "Huh?"
"The guys - they said you had a thing; old stuff, junk and whatever, from the Earth-that-was."

 

"Buddy how long have you been working with me?"
"Couple of weeks."
"And what - you're deaf? Or I'm so gorram dull you just gave up listening?"
"Wha-"
"Because my friend, I have told you before, that I get the films from the Wire and it's a popular past-time, ok? Not some - I aint no..."
"Geek?"
"Whatever."

Tempers can get frayed real easy on a shift so long and hot you start forgetting you got any skin that don't sweat - and who you are, and what you're doing beyond just the tools, just the task. Which is what we should be all about.

So, I try and look real peaceable - I mean, I aint ever heard of folk going squirly enough to get to it with oxyacetylene, but who knows - it's a wide and wicked 'verse they say. At least where we're from - and damn that is far away from where we are now.

"Ok boss -"
"I aint Boss, just call me Mikey, everyone else does."

True - and they call him a lot of other things too, but hell if it aint well known that he's the bomb round here, thing like that, easy to get resentful over. The man can build.
But not right now.

"Well, I'm sorry, it's - what were you gonna say, I'm listening now right?"

Mikey takes a breath. Then he says, "I was watching this movie ok? And there was a ship - I mean a boat, like on water - and this boat was haunted."

Ah, please. "You mean ghosts?"
"Yeah - turns out to be the first captain from the ship's early days. And it got me wondering.."
"This ship aint even had a Captain yet - hell, she aint even built!"

Mikey looks at me kinda long and strange - I turn around with a squeak of my boots and slide a cover hatch back now the wire moulding has set. Then I turn again to Mikey.
"I'm the first Captain," he says.
"Sure Mikey sure..."

He does the funny look again. "Think about it - I mean how much of this ship have I put together with my own bare hands, huh? How much of my blood, sweat and tears is flowing through this vessel like engine oil - how much? Huh?"

"Well, plenty I guess."
"You got that right buddy. You put a blind-fold on me and I could walk clean through this baby, every nook and cranny is burned on my retina."

"You got a point there I s'pose." Just keep the old guy happy, just real sweet and happy.
"Gorram true. Trust me - and I know, I mean I'm telling you this ship... it's gonna do great things."

Only if we get back to work. you stay still too long and the sweat gets in your boots and you start to feel fibre glass and iron fillings where the Good Lord meant no such thing to go. It's better to keep busy. And deaf.

But Mikey is still talking. "You know who puts the name on this tug? Tomorrow - for the launch. Me. That aint a small thing, no small thing at all." And the fella reaches out a hand and touches the gleaming metal.
"You even know the name?"
"I know the registration," I joke, weakly.

Mikey spits Chinese, "Well the name was mine too - and like I say, tomorrow, me and the steam drill gonna fix that plaque on tight. Gonna make a lotta folks happy to read that name. And if that aint a little piece of me sewn in, right to the flesh of this beast then - well, thing just is what it is."

He actually turns and does a mime with his hands.

"Ladies and Gentleman and Senior Managers, May I present, fully furnished and fitted, and ready to do great things... May I present..." His voice trails off.

"What?" I hate being lead to obvious questions. "Go on..."
Fella shakes his head.
"I aint gonna spoil," he says and sounds firm at that.
"You'll see."
He raises an arm - gonna fire up the torch again.
"You'll see..." He shoves his goggles back in to place.
And I can't be sure but I think I hear him say, almost embarrassed, "''S gonna make The Alliance proud."

Well, here's hoping.


And back to work it is.

....................................


end............

This aint but words and trying to put them in the right order.

 

 

Comments

[preyforhuntress.livejournal.com]

shiny

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

y'know - for a Brown coat, you look pretty good in blue there Capt'.!)))

[reginaclarejane.livejournal.com]

Ooh, very nice- kind of had me going there for a bit- thought for sure something was going to come out of a nook or a cranny! ;)
What's "gorram" mean?
:)

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

gorram is space slang for goddamn. And thanks for reading this!)) - it's just a piece of nothing, really. But I have something (hopefully) better (and unrelated) on the way!)))

[reginaclarejane.livejournal.com]

Oh, right- okay... space slang...:)
The thing I like about your stories is how much detail you include... I mean, if I didn't know better, I might actually think you are speaking from experience...;)
Who are you really, wytchcroft?
;)

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

yep. new fic is much better i think:)
and y'know - you say the nicest things!!))))