Nerila shuffled the cards. "Ladies high, deuces wild, bent and skip straights." She grinned. "Everybody got that?"
"Shall we just give you our money now?" Luisa asked dryly, pouring herself a little more vodka.
"If you like," Nerila said, beginning to deal. "Certainly save time."
"N-n-n ..." Fisk said. He flushed as the other three looked at him, waiting, and found a word that didn't lock between mind and mouth. " Earn it."
Mitch picked up his cards. "Think you can make Nerila work for a winning hand?" he said. "You really are brain-damaged, Fisk."
Fisk caught Nerila's quick shift in her chair and Mitch winced.
"M-m-m ... could be," Fisk said, studying his cards. Three, five, seven acorns. "Still t-t-take your m-m-m ... cash."
"Oh, you want a side bet?" Mitch said. "How much?"
"Mitch," Luisa said, a warning note in her voice.
"Pilot pays well, Luisa, but not so well I can afford to pass up the chance to take candy from a baby," Mitch said. "Fisk wasn't so good at cards before he put his hand up for the experimental brain-dice-'n'-slice." He studied Fisk. "Two bits a point?"
Fisk nodded.
"Your funeral," Nerila said, flipped a card over in front of Luisa and then fumbled the next. "I mean - "
Fisk took a breath, and made himself smile. " Had that," he said. "D-d-didn't we?"
There was a pause, and then Nerila spluttered with laughter. " Hells, Fisk," she said, dealing him the nine of acorns, and turning the jack of bells over in front of Mitch. She flipped up the ace of leaves in front of herself and tapped the cards together in her hand. "Ladies and gentlemen and Michael Mitcheson, place your bets."
"Fold," Luisa said.
Fisk pushed a marker into the centre of the table, followed it with another.
"The CTO raises," Nerila said.
"See that," Mitch said, matching the action to the words.
"And me," Nerila said. She turned the ace of acorns over in front of Fisk, the Jack of acorns in front of Mitch, and dealt herself the queen of leaves. "Possible flush for the CTO, pair or more in the engineer's greasy hands and the doc might just have a royal-high flush."
Fisk pushed another two markers into the centre of the table.
"Idiot," Mitch said, matching him.
"Man's got a right to lose money," Nerila said, adding her own bet.
"On a low-high flush?" Mitch said as Fisk bet again. "Man, don't know know enough to quit while you're behind?"
"N-n-n.." Fisk said, watching Mitch and Nerila add their bets. "N-n-n ... st-st- strongest suit."
Luisa sipped her vodka. "Obviously."
Mitch matched Fisk's raise. "Anything further from Ami?"
"I'd have said," Luisa said.
"You don't always." Nerila tossed her own chips into the pile.
"Some things are operational," Luisa said, watching as Fisk raised again. " Someone's got to pay attention to procedures on this boat."
Mitch kept his gaze on his markers as he matched Fisk's raise. "You got nothing in that hand, soldier boy, to beat a pair of jacks."
Fisk shrugged. "G-g-g ... s'pose m-m-m ... luck's r-r-un out."
Mitch snorted. "Only now you realise that?"
"Slow. Learner."
Nerila studied her hole cards and then bet again. "Let's see your cards, Fisk."
Stronger than he used to be, Fisk's fingers closed a little too hard on the cards and he opened his hand reflexively before the pasteboard crumbled, scattering the ace, three, five, seven and nine of acorns across the table.
Mitch shook his head, turned up three fours and reached for the pot. "Full house beats a flush."
Fisk reached, faster than he'd meant to, faster than he'd been able to, a week ago, and covered Mitch's hand with his own. "C-c-can't count." he said. "N-n-n ... g-g-g ... bad f-f-for engineer."
Nerila grinned. "He's right, Mitch. Man's holding a skip straight flush. The money's his."
Mitch paused, then swore.
"P-p-p .. and side-b-b-bet," Fisk pointed out. "P-p-p .. hand it over."
Mitch swore again, and then smiled. "Guess I was wrong about how scrambled your brain was, eh, soldier boy?"
"G-g-g ... suppose so," Fisk said, raking the chips toward him.
Nerila reached across the table to gather up the cards. "Guess you were wrong about running out of luck, too," she said.
She glanced at Luisa, and Fisk caught her give the XO a tiny nod, looked at Luisa and saw a faint smile twitch the corners of her mouth.
"C-c-could have asked." he said.
Luisa leaned forward. "Could have asked what?"
"D-d-don't n-n-n ... have to rig g-g-g ... cards." Fisk watched Nerila's long fingers turn and ruffle the cards, able to see now the flick and turn she used to disguise breaking out an ace, the deft, almost imperceptible movement as she palmed a queen. "T-t-test. C-c-c-could have j-j-just asked." He pointed at Nerila's hands. "Th-think you m-m-m ... lost one."
Nerila went still. "You saw that?"
Fisk nodded.
"Well," Nerila said, dropping the hidden cards back into the pack and starting to shuffle again. "Guess those optional extras Captain Vikarion gave you really do work as advertised."
Fisk tapped his chest, smiling. "N-n-n .. a' improved."
"Matter of opinion," Mitch said. "No offense, solider boy."
"N-n-n ... wasn't m-m-m .. of a talker," Fisk said. "Even b-b-before."
Mitch snorted. "Well, that's true," he said.
"Thought about how you're going to give orders to your marines when you can't get a sentence out?" Luisa asked.
Fisk raised his hand, extended two fingers, tapped them on his forearm and jerked his thumb to the door.
" Mime?" Mitch said incredulously. "You're going to give orders in mime?"
"C-c-c-combat. Code." Fisk said.
"And over coms?" Luisa asked.
Fisk concentrated, and Luisa's com buzzed. She raised an eyebrow, and flicked the switch.
"Squad two, left," Fisk's voice said from the device. "Squad one, with me. Watch your fire and - "
Luisa flicked it off. "So, straight from your brain to their ears?"
Fisk nodded, tapped his head. "Inside. C-c-com."
Luisa looked at Nerila, who nodded. "All right," the XO said. "You're cleared for return to duty. Provided you pass the physical."
"Th-th-thank," Fisk said.
"Don't make me sorry," Luisa warned, her gaze level.
"N-n-n ..." Fisk shook his head. "Won't. Will d-d-o better. N-n-n .. future." He tapped his chest again. "N-n-n ... a' improved."
"Yeah," Mitch said. "New and improved."
Fisk reached, faster than he'd meant to, faster than he'd been able to, a week ago, and covered Mitch's hand with his own. "C-c-can't count." he said. "N-n-n ... g-g-g ... bad f-f-for engineer."
Nerila grinned. "He's right, Mitch. Man's holding a skip straight flush. The money's his."
Mitch paused, then swore.
"P-p-p .. and side-b-b-bet," Fisk pointed out. "P-p-p .. hand it over."
Mitch swore again, and then smiled. "Guess I was wrong about how scrambled your brain was, eh, soldier boy?"
"G-g-g ... suppose so," Fisk said, raking the chips toward him.
Nerila reached across the table to gather up the cards. "Guess you were wrong about running out of luck, too," she said.
She glanced at Luisa, and Fisk caught her give the XO a tiny nod, looked at Luisa and saw a faint smile twitch the corners of her mouth.
"C-c-could have asked." he said.
Luisa leaned forward. "Could have asked what?"
"D-d-don't n-n-n ... have to rig g-g-g ... cards." Fisk watched Nerila's long fingers turn and ruffle the cards, able to see now the flick and turn she used to disguise breaking out an ace, the deft, almost imperceptible movement as she palmed a queen. "T-t-test. C-c-c-could have j-j-just asked." He pointed at Nerila's hands. "Th-think you m-m-m ... lost one."
Nerila went still. "You saw that?"
Fisk nodded.
"Well," Nerila said, dropping the hidden cards back into the pack and starting to shuffle again. "Guess those optional extras Captain Vikarion gave you really do work as advertised."
Fisk tapped his chest, smiling. "N-n-n .. a' improved."
"Matter of opinion," Mitch said. "No offense, solider boy."
"N-n-n ... wasn't m-m-m .. of a talker," Fisk said. "Even b-b-before."
Mitch snorted. "Well, that's true," he said.
"Thought about how you're going to give orders to your marines when you can't get a sentence out?" Luisa asked.
Fisk raised his hand, extended two fingers, tapped them on his forearm and jerked his thumb to the door.
" Mime?" Mitch said incredulously. "You're going to give orders in mime?"
"C-c-c-combat. Code." Fisk said.
"And over coms?" Luisa asked.
Fisk concentrated, and Luisa's com buzzed. She raised an eyebrow, and flicked the switch.
"Squad two, left," Fisk's voice said from the device. "Squad one, with me. Watch your fire and - "
Luisa flicked it off. "So, straight from your brain to their ears?"
Fisk nodded, tapped his head. "Inside. C-c-com."
Luisa looked at Nerila, who nodded. "All right," the XO said. "You're cleared for return to duty. Provided you pass the physical."
"Th-th-thank," Fisk said.
"Don't make me sorry," Luisa warned, her gaze level.
"N-n-n ..." Fisk shook his head. "Won't. Will d-d-o better. N-n-n .. future." He tapped his chest again. "N-n-n ... a' improved."
"Yeah," Mitch said. "New and improved."
No comments:
Post a Comment