leave them out here for now and deal with them properly when we have the means.”
Derek stripped the hazmat suit the rest of the way off, relieved to have one less layer of gear on in the stifling humidity of a late summer day in south Texas. The temperature hadn’t risen too high yet, fortunately, but that just meant they were breathing cool water instead of hot water. At least the climate control in the building seemed to be working at the moment. If it went out, they’d really be miserable.
“Johnson, Patel, Marshall, what do you think you were doing, going outside without my approval?” Tucker shouted the minute they stepped back inside.
“Pissing you off,” Derek replied flippantly. “Dr. Patel, Dr. Johnson, I believe we’re off duty. We’ll see you in about twelve hours, Tucker. In the meantime, try not to make matters worse, will you?”
He walked into the break room and flopped down on his cot, sweaty clothes and all. Fido crawled out from under his cot immediately, whining as he rested his head on Derek’s arm. Derek patted his head absently.
“Mr. Marshall,” Tucker said, coming into the break room, “we need to have a word about your attitude.”
“No, we don’t,” Derek replied, not even opening his eyes. “I don’t work for the power plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any other organization that gives you any authority in my regard. If you’d care to take it up with NASA, you can contact Kenneth Woodall. If he has an issue with my attitude, then I’ll worry about it. Until then, go away and leave me alone. I’d like to get some sleep so I’ll be ready to do whatever Dr. Johnson and Dr. Patel need me to do tomorrow.”
Derek could hear Tucker spluttering in frustration, but he didn’t acknowledge the man any further. He’d played nice all day—well, nice for him anyway—and he was done.
“You don’t gain anything by antagonizing him, you know.”
The words were accompanied by a nudge to his ankle and a sudden dip in the cot. That brought Derek’s eyes open to the vision of Sambit perched on the end of his cot, still in his undershirt and dress slacks. He’d wiped the sweat from his face and chest, but a drip still lingered on the end of his hair. Derek fought the irrational need to sit up and brush it away.
“I gain a hell of a lot of satisfaction,” Derek said. He didn’t reach for that tempting bead of sweat, but he did sit up. He felt far too vulnerable lying flat on his bed beneath Sambit’s piercing gaze.
“He isn’t going away just because he’s a pain,” Sambit said. “The more you antagonize him, the harder it will be for all of us to work with him. You get to go back to NASA eventually, but Lyrica would like to keep working here. I’m in the classroom rather than in a plant, but I still work in this field. He could make our lives difficult even if he can’t do anything to yours once you leave.”
“I’ll get you a job at NASA,” Derek offered. “We’ve been experimenting with using nuclear power on some of the long-range spacecraft. You could consult on those projects.”
“That’s a generous offer, but is it really one you can make?” Sambit said. “Just think a little about the rest of us before you make too much of an enemy of him. Unless you’re trying to make an enemy of the rest of us as well?”
“No, of course not,” Derek said.
Sambit cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Okay, fine, I’m not Mr. Congeniality, and I was a little abrasive when we first met, but it’s been a rough few days. Yes, I know”—he waved his hand to cut off Sambit’s interruption—“it’s been a rough few days for everyone. I get that. Really, I do, but that’s the best I’ve got at the moment, okay? I walked out of my house this morning to find barely half a dozen houses in my neighborhood still standing. I found Fido in the wreckage down the street, soaking wet and shaking from fear. It’s a miracle he didn’t drown or get crushed when the
Derek stripped the hazmat suit the rest of the way off, relieved to have one less layer of gear on in the stifling humidity of a late summer day in south Texas. The temperature hadn’t risen too high yet, fortunately, but that just meant they were breathing cool water instead of hot water. At least the climate control in the building seemed to be working at the moment. If it went out, they’d really be miserable.
“Johnson, Patel, Marshall, what do you think you were doing, going outside without my approval?” Tucker shouted the minute they stepped back inside.
“Pissing you off,” Derek replied flippantly. “Dr. Patel, Dr. Johnson, I believe we’re off duty. We’ll see you in about twelve hours, Tucker. In the meantime, try not to make matters worse, will you?”
He walked into the break room and flopped down on his cot, sweaty clothes and all. Fido crawled out from under his cot immediately, whining as he rested his head on Derek’s arm. Derek patted his head absently.
“Mr. Marshall,” Tucker said, coming into the break room, “we need to have a word about your attitude.”
“No, we don’t,” Derek replied, not even opening his eyes. “I don’t work for the power plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any other organization that gives you any authority in my regard. If you’d care to take it up with NASA, you can contact Kenneth Woodall. If he has an issue with my attitude, then I’ll worry about it. Until then, go away and leave me alone. I’d like to get some sleep so I’ll be ready to do whatever Dr. Johnson and Dr. Patel need me to do tomorrow.”
Derek could hear Tucker spluttering in frustration, but he didn’t acknowledge the man any further. He’d played nice all day—well, nice for him anyway—and he was done.
“You don’t gain anything by antagonizing him, you know.”
The words were accompanied by a nudge to his ankle and a sudden dip in the cot. That brought Derek’s eyes open to the vision of Sambit perched on the end of his cot, still in his undershirt and dress slacks. He’d wiped the sweat from his face and chest, but a drip still lingered on the end of his hair. Derek fought the irrational need to sit up and brush it away.
“I gain a hell of a lot of satisfaction,” Derek said. He didn’t reach for that tempting bead of sweat, but he did sit up. He felt far too vulnerable lying flat on his bed beneath Sambit’s piercing gaze.
“He isn’t going away just because he’s a pain,” Sambit said. “The more you antagonize him, the harder it will be for all of us to work with him. You get to go back to NASA eventually, but Lyrica would like to keep working here. I’m in the classroom rather than in a plant, but I still work in this field. He could make our lives difficult even if he can’t do anything to yours once you leave.”
“I’ll get you a job at NASA,” Derek offered. “We’ve been experimenting with using nuclear power on some of the long-range spacecraft. You could consult on those projects.”
“That’s a generous offer, but is it really one you can make?” Sambit said. “Just think a little about the rest of us before you make too much of an enemy of him. Unless you’re trying to make an enemy of the rest of us as well?”
“No, of course not,” Derek said.
Sambit cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Okay, fine, I’m not Mr. Congeniality, and I was a little abrasive when we first met, but it’s been a rough few days. Yes, I know”—he waved his hand to cut off Sambit’s interruption—“it’s been a rough few days for everyone. I get that. Really, I do, but that’s the best I’ve got at the moment, okay? I walked out of my house this morning to find barely half a dozen houses in my neighborhood still standing. I found Fido in the wreckage down the street, soaking wet and shaking from fear. It’s a miracle he didn’t drown or get crushed when the
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