Interzone #244 Jan - Feb 2013 by Various

Head Up Displays, it helped to know the full operation by heart.
    “ I don’t see how,” I said, pausing the build guide at step five and pointing at the holo. “It’s a four person job from here onwards.”
    We’d received a steelwork delivery along with our problem child and were ready to move onto the main truss extension. We’d also received a new boatload of tourists. The hotel accommodated fifty sightseers, keen to view the Earth from space. It’d take twice that many once we completed the new wing.
    “ Could we adjust to use the three of us plus an arm?” asked the Gaffer.
    “ Not a chance. Roboarm-1 will be doing the heavy lifting, Diego’ll be attached to R-2 in order to come in from the offside, and R-3’s giving rides to the visitors.” The Gaffer looked thoughtful. I headed him off: “We’ll never get permission to requisition R-3.”
    He nodded acknowledgement. We’d asked before, without success. “Can we reprogramme the build to use a maximum of three people?”
    “ I already looked at it. Today’s on the critical path: we’d lose a lot of time.”
    This wasn’t quite true. I could see a way of reprogramming, but it would affect the delivery schedules for several suppliers I wanted to keep happy. I knew the Gaffer wouldn’t question me.
    He frowned. “Okay, we’ll take her out. But I don’t want her causing trouble. Watch her, Peggy.”
    * *
    I contemplated Murra y as we suited up. She was over her space-sickness and handled her suit fasteners with confidence. It looked as if she’d stayed awake during training.
    “ Hey, nearly-nineteen,” said Diego. “D’you know one end of a podger wrench from the other?”
    Murray pulled the wrench out of her tool belt. “Sure do. Used to have these in the gang.” She paused and lifted it in a raised fist, spike end forward. “Pointy end for stabbing, blunt end for hitting, right?” Diego blanched. The Gaffer pushed forward and grabbed it from her.
    “ No way were you in a gang, girlie. Stow this and stop menacing Diego.”
    Murray took the podger back, but didn’t replace it on her belt immediately. She floated it near her hand. “Was too. Steel erector gang. Started straight from school. I’d done eight months when the recession hit and we got laid off. I know what I’m doing with a podger.”
    “ Oh yeah?” said Diego. “Fifty quid says every nut you put on today needs tightening by a real erector.”
    “ Give over, Diego,” I said. “That’s not a fair bet.” It takes several shifts to figure out how to apply the right torque in microgravity, and fifty pounds was more than an apprentice’s daily wage. I expected the Gaffer to intervene. He stayed quiet.
    “ Too right it isn’t fair,” said Murray. “It’ll be the easiest fifty I’ve ever earned. Wanna make it a hundred?” She held out her gloved hand to shake on the bet, an awkward Earth gesture that made Diego sneer.
    “ Helmets on,” said the Gaffer.
    I got a glimpse of Murray’s resolute expression before the gold visor hid it. I admired her commitment to making a fast buck. She’d go far, if she could master her overconfidence. Maybe I should take an interest in her?
    “ Clip in, Murray,” I said, passing her a line. “Attach the other end to the red rail as soon as you get outside. Understand?” She nodded, hooked in, and looked back at me. Her body language said she expected something else. I waited.
    “ Where’s my secondary line?” she asked. She really had been awake during training.
    “ We can’t use secondary lines today. With the four of us, and the build order we’ve got, we’d get tangled with two lines each.”
    “ Safety handbook says no-one’s to go out without primary and secondary lines.” Murray spoke quietly. She moved back, away from the airlock. She sounded even younger without her attitude.
    The Gaffer entered the code to open the airlock inner door. As the release alert beeped, I did my best to sound reassuring.
    “