Chapter 20
DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY
BRUCE WOKEto a ringtone that played “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” What was even funnier was the way Laddin rolled over, grabbed the phone, and answered with a very crisp “Yes, Captain!”
Bruce was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when Laddin leaped out of bed and gestured for him to do the same. “We’ll leave in ten minutes. Will you inform Nero, or should I?” And then he finished with “Yes, ma’am.”
He hung up the phone while Bruce was pulling on his sweats. He definitely needed to get some real clothes. But at least he had his boots, muck- and cheese-covered though they may be. “What’s up?” he asked as Laddin started grabbing his own clothes.
“The kangaroo pack has been dispersed. We’re heading in, even though it’s nearly dark.”
Bruce looked out the window, and sure enough, dusk was starting to gather on the horizon. “I don’t know how much I’ll be able to see,” he murmured.
“Your fairy sight should kick in. My guess is that you won’t need real light. In fact, you might be better off without it.”
Good point. “I guess we’ll see what happens.”
Laddin finished lacing his sneakers. Then he looked up, but not exactly into Bruce’s eyes. “So, um, did you get any clarity?”
From the sex, he meant. Had their roll in the hay helped him sort out his life? Hell no, but he didn’t regret it for a moment. “It cleared out the cobwebs,” he finally said. “Which gives room for inspiration to strike, right?”
“Right.” Laddin turned away. There was a tightness in his body that Bruce didn’t like. It could be because they were headed into the spooky dead zone known as Lake Wacka Wacka. Or was it something else?
“Laddin—”
“Listen closely. It hasn’t hit the news yet because no one wants to talk about it, but there’s this huge depressive cloud around the lake. It’s really intense. The normals are sobbing uncontrollably—there have been three suicides and dozens who just left because they couldn’t take it anymore—and even our crew is being overcome by it. That’s why we cycle people in and out fast.”
“Because they get depressed?”
“Suicidally depressed. You can laugh at me all you want, but I’m there to keep the cheerful going. One positive thought can counter a hundred dark ones.”
That really wasn’t his experience, but Bruce didn’t argue. Laddin was acting very intense right now—the exact opposite of his usual upbeat self—and Bruce wasn’t one to challenge a superior officer until he understood the situation.
But when Laddin didn’t keep speaking, Bruce scrambled to fill the silence. “Uh… yes, sir!”
Laddin rolled his eyes. “I don’t need you to salute me. I need you to not laugh when I tell you to—”
“Don’t worry, be happy?”
Laddin frowned. “Yes. That.”
“I wasn’t laughing. Certainly not at you.” He frowned. “Did I miss something or do something? You’re acting very….”
“What?”
“Commander-in-chief?” That wasn’t the right description, but he couldn’t find the right words just then.
“Because I am your trainer. I am your commander-in-chief.”
Neither of them looked at the bed. They hadn’t exactly been acting like an officer/recruit a few hours ago. And the fact that they both were avoiding the view was suddenly really obvious.
Laddin addressed it first. That was no big surprise, since the guy tended to fill awkward silences.
“I don’t know how to act right now. I’ve never been in charge of an op, and I’ve never had to train a new recruit. Hell, before a couple of months ago, the worst thing I had to do was yell at actors to get the hell out of the blast radius.” He took a breath. “I don’t know what to say to you, and I told the captain we’d be out the door in….” He looked at his watch. “Now.”
“How about ‘We’ll talk later’? Then we can take our time and really figure it out.”
Laddin blinked, then nodded. “I can do that.” He hesitated; then his voice rose in clear doubt. “Can you?”
