Chapter 110 - Shenanigans

When the senior leader meeting finally ended, EDA headquarters had gone mostly silent as others were already asleep. Greg and Srinivas had started their guard duty shift already. Greg seemed to be teasing Srinivas about how women went crazy for guys with accents. As she entered the women's bedroom, Sam shook her head in disapproval. Greg was being a bit mean. Maybe he just had a problem with Srinivas. Using just the light from the hall, Sam found her newly purchased toothbrush and toothpaste.

Jess cracked an eye. "Did the senior leaders decide to take over the world yet?"

"I mean, we really want to, but first we need to set up a secret lair. Probably inside a dormant volcano."

"Remember the sharks with frickin' laser beams," Jess said.

"And guns made out of gold." Sam waited a moment for a response, but Jess had apparently drifted back to sleep. She walked back out and froze. Srinivas sat alone at the table. She looked up and down the hall for his backup. "Uh, Srinivas, where did Greg go? Is he walking around checking security stuff?"

Srinivas huffed loudly before speaking. "He is using rest room with Kendra. I am not dating that woman any longer, Sam."

"Using rest room with . . . oh. Are they a thing?" Well, shit, she thought.

"Greg is asshole who cheat on Kendra all the time. That is fine though. I think she maybe deserve treatement like that."

Sam sat down beside the Indian man. "You were dating Kendra?"

"Not any longer. I know in America dating is not exclusive right at start. Still, she go back to Greg two time now. I am not good enough for her, then she not good enough for me."

"You can do better than her, Srinivas."

He folded his arms across his chest, hunched his shoulders, and stared down at the table. "I do not want to be in army. I do not want to see Kendra and Greg every day. I had good job, Sam. Manager job. Was respected in company. Probably would get promotion in year or so. Instead I am here without even the good power. Cannot fly. Just memorize and make skin hard. Training is annoying when don't want to do it. Only friend here is Mike, who is very busy. Cannot quit, though, or get killed."

Sam patted him on the back. "Hey, it's not so bad. You can hang out with me and Jess. We're fun people."

Srinivas huddled deeper into himself. "I just want home."

"Not me," Sam said. "I had to call my parents today. It was hell. Everything is a guilt trip with them. Especially when I deserve one. Then they start arguing with each other. Honestly, I think you're better off alone, Srinivas. Relationships don't make people happy, they just give them something to complain about."

Srinivas bobbed his head side to side. "Yes, parents make relationships look questionable. I cannot start family alone."

"I don't think I want to be a mother," Sam said.

"Are you career woman then?"

Sam laughed. "Oh no, no, no. My dream life involves sleeping in every day, hanging out on the beach, binging Netflix, and maybe learning to skateboard."

"Skateboard?"

"Maybe. I'm not super coordinated. I don't know, Srinivas. I don't really want to do anything with my life. Though when I did a Mission: Impossible escape from the fleet, that was pretty awesome. Maybe I just need to be like that guy in Taken and go around rescuing my friends all the time." She paused. "No. We would just send in Cassandane and Mike to save the day."

"You are to be teaching talents to soldiers from all over world, Sam. This make you important person in army."

Sam ignored that. They sat in silence until Erica and Greg emerged from the bathroom area, both of them smirking as they realized they had an audience. Greg hopped up to sit on the table beside Sam, his smile widening. "Hey, Sam, are you going to hang out with us on watch?"

What an absolute ass, she thought. "Greg, could you help me out with a military question?"

"Sure, anything for the good teacher."

"Are people on guard duty supposed to be messing around?"

Greg's smile faltered momentarily. "I was awake. What, am I not allowed to go into the bathroom now?"

Sam nodded. "That sounds reasonable."

"It is!"

"But maybe we should ask Mike just to be sure," she said.

"Hey! We don't need to bring him in on this. You're the same rank as him. You can make the call here about what you think might be appropriate."

"You're right," Sam said. "And I think the appropriate call is to have the centurion you report through involved."

She caught the shit-eating grin from Srinivas as she marched to the men's bedroom. In the darkness, she couldn't identify which body was Mike, so she channeled some animas into the air above her and added a touch of gravitas. Though it had never done better than flicker momentarily in the past, this attempt to use the energy manipulation synergy resulted in a brilliant nebula of white light forming above her head. Mike's form became immediately apparent as he hopped to his feet, hands shielding his eyes. "What's going on, boss?"

"It's Sam," she said.

The way he blew out his breath at that revelation went a long way towards redeeming her night. "You got some skills, Sam. Mind if we talk without the spotlight?"

She let the synergy fade away. "There might be some centurion discipline thing happening. Greg Smith was in the bathroom for about ten minutes."

"Bathroom?"

"While on guard duty."

"I mean . . . ."

"Not for normal bathroom activities."

Mike sighed. "Guess I have to address that before I go to sleep. Thanks for the heads up."

"Sure thing. Uh . . . Mike? Could you, like, give me lessons on what I'm supposed to do in situations like this?"

"Absolutely. Then maybe you can give me some instruction on those fancy synergies."

"Nice try, Mike. Cassandane only wants you learning combat related skills." She preceded him out of the room, giving the sullen Greg a disappointed look as she grabbed her bathroom supplies. Even through the closed door of the bathroom she could hear when Mike began yelling.