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“Okay, this one’s finished. Was it the last one?”
Jack was— at a loss.
“You tryin’ to break a record I don’t know about? I swear I don’t have the chance to get comfy in my spots before yer ready to get up and head to the next one.”
“The faster I deal with all the IEDs, the faster we can return to base.”
The whole thing was amusing.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you gitty like this, or move at this speed. Yer real excited for the new toys we just got in, aren’t ya?”
“They’re brand new! K-9 would break after every use and I had no permanent fix for it. He’s just been sitting for parts right now. These bomb bots are supposed to lessen the burden EODs have when there’s an IED in a building.”
The EODs had been informed they would be getting new bomb robots, and every single one of them was excited. Jack had never seen the base with so much positive energy before, or seen so many grown men act like children getting the new toy they wanted on Christmas.
“Didn’t they say this was the final test run before actually issuin’ them right now to everyone? Shouldn’t ya hold yer horses until this is complete so you can actually be excited when they’re ours permanently?”
“I’d like to see you sit still if you were offered a brand new, top of the line rifle to test out. It doesn’t matter that this is a test run, it’s the matter of something new to experiment with.”
“Gonna be honest I thought they were cyclin’ them out or savin’ them for some sort of super assignment since I ain’t seen one in literally years. Don’t think I’ve seen a shipment with a new one— ever.”
“Everybody’s is the same, but how they were destroyed was generally different. They all had specific serial numbers and when one was put out of commission, it was either put aside for parts, or shipped back to the manufacturing to go over the data and use it to better the next generation. K-9 didn’t get destroyed by an IED and pretty much just stopped working because it was an older model, and by the time it had died, there were already two models ahead of it so there was no reason for him to be sent back.”
“I would think that since yers lasted so long that it’d be considered special and they’d want it to see how it stood up to the sands of time.”
“Most of it was me cannibalizing other ones for parts.”
“Ah, so it wasn’t that it couldn’t be sent back, but you modified it so much that the original programmin’ or whatever was nonexistent at that point.”
“Tomato, tomahto.”
Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. “You said that thing was done? You sure it ain’t gonna blow when we load it up to take back?”
“It’s the same answer as the previous four, Jack. It’s disarmed and safe. You’re just freaking out because I’m not completely dismantling it.”
“I ain’t freakin’ out.”
“Okay then, let’s get going.”
Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head as he watched Mac through his scope. He eyed the surroundings while Mac gathered his things and headed to meet him, and knew that if he wasn’t quick enough, Mac would blow on by back to the humvee himself, and even hop in the driver’s seat. There was an unsaid, unwritten, unofficial rule that techs were always in the passenger seat, mainly so they could have their eyes concentrated on their surroundings instead of just the road itself. There were a handful of teams that didn’t really follow it, just whoever got to the ‘vee first would drive, but usually it was the same person every time.
And Jack wasn’t normally one to stick to rules in the first place, but that was one he needed to stick to, because Mac was a terror behind the wheel. The first time, and only if Jack could help it, was on the day he reupped and joined Mac when he was already situated in the driver’s seat. Initially Jack thought it would be a fun experience to see how well Mac handled it, given that Jack teased him enough about not even being old enough to drive, but the genuine fear Jack felt when they hit the open desert wasn’t something he wanted to experience again.
“If you make us late getting back and I have to wait another day to check these bots out—”
“Hold yer horses, I’m comin’.” There was no way Jack was going to let Mac get that seat.
Luckily, they both made it to the humvee and took their unassigned, designated places.
“Aren’t you gonna have to wait a day to use them anyways? I mean they went through bomb testin’ stateside, and we’re done with our rounds until tomorrow. What could be done in the remainin’ hours of sunlight?” Jack asked, going a bit faster than normal upon seeing Mac’s excited shaking.
“We have classroom instructions and some training videos to go over. After that, Summers said I could take a closer look at them to see how they work. Apparently, manufacturing found out I was able to keep K-9 running much longer than expected and want my take on this one and how and what improvements could be made for next generations, or at least find simple fix-its if something breaks or malfunctions.” Mac answered, leg bouncing slightly.
“That what Summers pulled you away for before? Can’t say I’m too surprised. Yer makin’ a name for yerself; probably got a few military jobs lined up after yer tour’s up— manufactuin’ or teachin’. Though I can say with confidence that it’s probably gonna be difficult tryin’ to teach other guys what’s goin’ on in yer head. I’m with ya all day and I still can’t figure it out.”
“Don’t worry, everything will be explained with proper terminology and tools. Not everyone’s going to have access to gum and your shoelaces.”
***
Mac nearly jumped out of the humvee before Jack had the chance to fully stop when they arrived back at base, and he would’ve if Jack hadn’t kept the doors locked.
“Alright. Now, we got to get our packs out for restockin’, give the cooler back for the next guys, probably take all the IED bits and parts out just in case— maybe we should sweep out the floor mats and see how long it lasts.”
“Jack—”
“Actually do our reports right now. I think the big man’s catchin’ on to us filin’ them late and when they don’t see. Then I think it’ll be chow time—”
“Jack—”
He snorted at the increasing urgency in Mac’s tone, and how desperately he was trying to open the door.
“Never thought I’d see you reduced to this. Go on then.” He unlocked the doors and watched as Mac nearly tripped and face-planted before starting to quickly walk off. “Hey! I was serious about the food!”
Mac merely threw a hand up.
Jack rolled his eyes and got himself out of the vehicle, already having accepted before they went out that morning that he’d have to take care of everything upon returning.
“If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the first watch that’s been abandoned today.” One of the quartermasters said, approaching Jack. “Every four out of five techs seem to leave their watches high and dry.”
“Yeah well, what can ya do? Ain’t like they get new toys all the time. Can’t really blame them for bein’ excited.”
“I heard we only got five. I think they’re probably over there fighting over who gets one.”
“They should draw straws so that it’s really random and no one can complain. You know the guys that ain’t gonna get one aren’t gonna let any of us forget about it.”
“That go for your tech too?”
“It would; apparently he’s got some insider knowledge and already knows he gets to play around with one though. I probably ain’t gonna see him for days.“
Jack gave the quartermaster a rundown of the supplies they needed for their packs and the humvee before heading in to take care of the report. He watched several EODs gather around the main tent used for entertainment, clearly going to be used to show and teach about the new bots. He couldn’t see Mac among them, perhaps he was already inside taking a look at them, or was lucky and got pulled away to start messing with the one he would be provided. Either way, he probably wouldn’t see him the rest of the day. He did plan on having to haul him away for dinner though.
Heading into the bunks and seeing it half empty was humorous for some reason. It never really clicked in his head that half the guys he bunked with did the same job as Mac.
“This is gonna be a nice, peaceful evenin’, wouldn’t you boys say?” Jack said, sitting on his bunk.
“Think we need to enjoy it while it lasts.” Patrick said. “You know they’re only going to come back and complain that they weren’t the ones to get picked for this whole thing; probably won’t hear the end of it for like a week.”
“Was Joe excited?”
Patrick shrugged. “Not overly. I think he appreciates the idea of finally getting new equipment, but the fact that only five people get them was kind of ridiculous. I understand they probably sent out dozens across all the bases, but still. How about your boy genius?”
“Mac’s more excited than a fox in a hen house.” Jack scoffed. “We made it back in record time cuz he wanted to get his hands on one of them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him work so fast to get the job done before.”
“He’s gonna be pretty disappointed though. Dozens of guys and only five get to play with them.”
“Ah no, see, Mac’s one of those five. Yer all worried ‘bout not hearin’ the end of complainin’, I’m gonna have to listen to him talk about the systems, hydraulics, receiver, hell— he’s probably gonna tell me ‘bout the metal it’s made of. By the end, I’m gonna know as much about these things as they will.”
“You have my sympathy, but also now all of our guys are gonna be complaining about him getting one. They’re all gonna be glaring daggers of jealousy.”
“Yeah yeah. It’s gonna suck. But this ain’t different from other times; ain’t like they all had access to them in the first place. I can’t even remember the last time I heard someone complain ‘bout not havin’ one, even when there were still workin’ ones. I’d say give it a week or two and everythin’ will die down back to how it was.”
***
It had been a few hours before all the techs started heading back to their bunks. They’d all been chatting about new features and how advanced the robots were, how they were supposedly more indestructible than the previous generation, but were discouraged from testing the theory out.
Mac and Joe had arrived together, Joe having Mac in a headlock, loudly proclaiming how lucky Mac was but also how he was a son of a bitch and everyone should’ve known he would’ve been picked to test one of them out.
“I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think I’d be one of the guys to get to test out the new bots. I mean my stats aren’t anything to write home about but it’s not like they’re shit. They’re as good as anyone else’s. Except this fucking guy’s.” Joe kept tussling Mac’s hair. “Mr. Perfect right here with his near perfect ratio and percentages. He doesn’t need a bot. He’s got all the weird things he uses. You know I’m pretty certain they only gave it to him so he’d get the job done faster.”
“Not sure that’s the case anymore, Joey-boy.” Jack smirked at Mac’s current situation. “He finished all the ones we got today in record time. I mean hell, the sun’s barely startin’ to set. You know we’d only just now be pullin’ up.”
“I told you,” Mac struggled to get free. “Because of how I maintained K-9, they want me—”
“I do not need another explanation about how they want you to fully look it over and find any imperfections and then suggest fixes and improvements.” Joe let Mac free, hands going up as he went to his bunk.
“Was it everythin’ you thought it’d be?” Jack asked.
“It’s pretty cool.” Mac answered, leaning against their bunk.
“Pretty cool? That’s all? I take it that means you got yer hopes too far up and it was kinda a letdown?”
“I’ll admit there wasn’t as many new features as I thought, but it’s still pretty nice. They added an infrared camera and chemical sensors to make it easier to determine what kind of bomb we could run into. The claw got reworked so now it’s got two instead of one, and it goes considerably faster than all the old models.”
“Can’t help noticin’ you didn’t get to dissect it today.”
“Yeah. They’d like to see how it handles in the field, then I can take it apart to clean it and just sort of go from there.”
“Don’t get it blown up.” Joe shot out. “They’re supposed to be on rotation for all the guys and if you get yours exploded then that means we all have to wait longer for our turn. Also don’t put any of your weird gizmo stuff in it. Everyone knows your last one was inoperable to anyone but you. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and if it is then use regular means to fix it.”
“Joe I hate to break it to you but, the one assigned to me is strictly mine.” Mac said. “The only way someone else would get it is if I get taken out in the field.”
“And we all know that ain’t happenin’.” Jack added. “You know if ya want a robot that bad, I’m sure Mac could build ya one, or better yet, have someone send you one from one of those little kiddy science kits. I hear they got some that can run on salt water. Would be perfect for ya with all the cryin’ yer doin’ right now.”
“Oh go fuck yourself, Dalton.”
***
That next morning was the quickest Mac had willingly gotten up and ready in a very long time. He was off his bunk and dressed before Jack had even opened his eyes. It had been a funny thing honestly; Mac clapping Jack on the back to get him out of bed just like Jack had done dozens of times before, then saying Jack’s iconic line of race you to the ‘vee has said man nearly falling from his bed. Luckily, again, Mac had settled himself right in the passenger’s seat with a triumphant smirk.
Mac had been rattling off information about the new bomb bot just like Jack had said, and going into detail about the videos they’d watched and packets they’d read through in the training the previous day. Jack couldn’t help but grin at the whole situation.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“It’s just real funny to see you like this. I normally see ya with nervous energy, but yer just so dang happy bout yer little robot. Kinda cute honestly.”
“You’d be the exact same way with a new rifle.”
“Yep, only difference is I rattle on and on about anythin’ all day and every day. Wouldn’t be anythin’ new from me.”
When they finally reached their first destination, Mac had jumped out of the humvee and nearly ran to the back to open it, only to have Jack point out that there was no need for it at the moment.
“I can appreciate yer gumption in wantin’ to do yer job and everythin’, but we don’t even know if there’s an IED here. Be a bit of a moot point to take that thing out and have it runnin’ for no real reason.”
Mac merely huffed and trailed with Jack to find an assumed IED somewhere, which they did, but it wound up being an incredibly simple one that didn’t require the bot.
And when they finally found one that was suitable to take the bot out, Mac jumped on the opportunity.
“I still can’t believe how excited you are ‘bout this, and I know I’ve been sayin’ it and I’m gonna keep sayin’ it ‘til the feelin’ wears off.”
“How long do you think that’s gonna be?”
Jack shrugged. “Week or two, give or take. Surely it won’t take ya longer than that to figure out what makes this thing go.”
“I mean I already know what makes it go. Really I need to find out what makes it stop then improve on those.”
“Yeah, yeah, and I won’t hear the end of it any time soon.” He waved his hand. “Go on then, let Terminator have his day.”
“Hal.”
“Come again?”
Mac snorted as he got the bot out and set it up. “It’s name, Hal.”
“Where exactly you pull that from?”
“2001: A Space Odyssey. He’s the AI computer; calm, intelligent, and rational, which are some of the main factors in being an EOD.”
“Didn’t he turn evil though?”
“Irrelevant.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “How is Hal cooler than Terminator?”
“Never said it was, but I guess the main difference is Hal doesn’t have any means of harming.” Jack raised a brow. “Okay, Hal became the antagonist due to a conflict in his programming. These bots don’t have any AI control and it’s strictly based with user interface. So if anything goes wrong, it’s user error.”
“Whatever ya say, dude. I know yer hyped to poke and prod that guy, and I’m hyped to take a break. Why don’t ya turn him on and see what he can do?”
***
“I can’t believe how smoothly it runs. I expected they would’ve used the same tread and maneuverability but it was gliding over the rocks and debris so easily. And the movement of the arms wasn’t nearly as choppy as the older models. The input delay was almost invisible in comparison too, like I wasn’t even controlling it and it was just doing that. The camera could probably use a bit more work so it’s able to zoom in even further to get a well detailed look at everything, maybe even a little wiper for dust that gets stuck on the lens. Or better yet, a three-sixty camera that self-wipes dust just by turning. And then the arms—”
Jack didn’t know why he said he’d keep Mac company while he was cleaning the bot.
In complete honesty, he wasn’t really that interested. It wasn’t like he’d ever get a chance to use it. He was never a big technology person, and what he knew was really the basics of everything because that was all he needed. To say he wasn’t interested in what Mac was doing wasn’t exactly true, but he would’ve preferred to be back at the bunks.
“— hand me that?”
Jack blinked at hearing Mac address him. “Huh?”
“Mac gave him a flat stare. “You’re not even listening are you?”
“Gotta be honest, everythin’ you’ve been sayin’,” he gestured from one ear then the other, “straight through. Maybe like five percents been retained, but that’s only the name, and how I can’t believe you didn’t name it Terminator or T-1000.”
“That’s not even—” Mac huffed, “give me that ratchet.”
Jack looked where Mac gestured before standing and getting it. “Ya know, as real cool and technology-y this is, I’m gonna go get us from grub.”
“You don’t have to stay here you know.” Mac accepted the ratchet.
“Nah, but who are you gonna talk to? If anyone sees ya talkin’ to herself, they’re gonna assume it’s the bot and you’ve truly lost it.” He turned to walk out.
“At least the bot might be a little better company.”
Jack over-dramatically turned back to face him, hand over his heart. “Ouch.”
Mac snorted. “Sorry. But honestly, don’t force yourself to stay if you find it boring. I’m pretty sure not even the other EODs would want to sit through me cleaning this and figuring out what makes it go.”
“Mac, I’m used to sittin’ in one place all day, every day, watching you take yer sweet time to dismantle bombs. Sittin in a chair, in the relative safety of the base, with access to food, and shade— aint nothin’. Just cuz I don’t necessarily care ‘bout what yer doin’ as a whole, don’t mean I’m gonna just ditch ya. Case you didn’t know, I kinda enjoy yer company.”
“Probably one of the only few that do.”
“You need to give yerself more credit. I mean once ya get passed the nerdiness and how slow ya work, yer a pretty okay guy.” Jack snorted at Mac’s eye roll. “You want double dessert? Think it’s supposed to be snack cakes.”
“If you get caught, I didn’t ask.”
***
“Dalton if you don’t put that last pack back—”
“I ain’t takin’ extra! I got two trays; one for me and one for boy genius that’s too busy workin’ on his robot to think about feedin’ himself. Each tray has the exact same gruel on it, alone with one pack of cakes. I ain’t doin’ nothin’ wrong.”
“I may have been born at night but it wasn’t last night. I can clearly see that extra pack under one of those trays. These things are a rare delicacy that we never get. You take more than what your supposed to and someone isnt gonna get any.”
“Yeah, and how bout the guys that don’t like ‘em? How bout the boys that’re gonna miss this meal and have to pop open an MRE if they’re hungry after workin’? You gonna go lookin’ for them and had them out personally? Matter of fact, how many of these things you eat while makin’ all this anyways? Bet you just wanna keep ‘em for yerself. Don’t lie now; I ain’t ever snitched or complained when I see you dishin’ food for yer buddies.” Jack picked up both trays, sending the cook a wink. “Little extra here or there never hurt no body.”
The cook just rolled his eyes, not willing to grace Jack with an answer.
Jack made his way out of the mess and back to the tent Mac had commandeered for the robot. All in all, he was happy Mac was enjoying himself with the whole thing. It had been— Jack didn’t actually know the last time he saw Mac genuinely happy about something, probably one of Bozer’s care packages but it had been a while since he last received one. Either way, a smile on Mac’s face was better than the weird not-quite-depression that seemed to be his regular state.
“Alright, we got army steak, army mac and cheese, army salad, army fruit drink, and off brand name brand snack cakes.” Jack announced as he arrived and entered the tent. “Yer gonna take a little bit of a break, eat this so-called food, then you can go back to dealin’ with skynet over there.”
Mac had been standing in front of a table, still and unmoving. Jack had seen that before, usually when there was an issue or something frustrating Mac couldn’t work through.
“Come on now. Let get you some grub and—”
“I need you to not freak out.”
The command and urgency in Mac’s tone as he spoke was startling, worry raining down immediately. Jack set the food down on another table and stepped towards Mac.
He didn’t know what he was expecting, but a piece of metal sticking out of Mac’s gut, still attached to the robot, definitely wasn’t it.
“Fuck— what happened?”
“I don’t know.” Mac took a shaky breath, doing his best not to move. “Loosened a part and it— just shot out. It’s deep.”
Don’t freak out. That’s what Mac said. Don’t freak out. If Jack freaked out, Mac would freak out and then nothing good would come from it. And saying it was deep— that said more than an actual explanation.
“Okay. Yer gonna be okay. You just stay put, and don’t speak. I’m gonna go bring Doc with all his tools and he’ll get ya right as rain. You just— yer doin’ good. I’ll be right back.”
Mac made no notion of hearing or any sort of acknowledgement. Jack exited the tent and sprinted to med, nearly barreling over a few guys without offering an apology. There was no time for it. He would apologize later. At that moment; Mac needed him.
If there were doors instead of tent flaps, they would have slammed with the amount of force Jack went through them. All in all, med was quiet, only one cot being occupied, actually taken by Roe himself, who was reading.
“Doc—” Jack called as he made his way over. “Need yer help pronto. Up and attem.”
“I need information before I go anywhere, Dalton.” Roe sat up, setting his book gave down. “What’s going on?”
“Mac— he, hell, he was cleanin’ one of the damn new bots and I dunno what happened but he’s— fuck, the thing fuckin’ impaled him.”
Roe was up in an instant, beginning to gather. “Keep talking; how bad is it? Placement? Depth? How much blood was there?”
“Mac said it was deep, round his gut. No blood ‘cept for a tiny splotches round the edges.” Roe motioned for Jack to lead to where Mac was. “I don’t know how it happened; couldn’t’ve been more than ten minutes that I went to get us food and came back to it. It’s still attached to the bot too so I know it’s gonna be a bitch to deal with.”
When they made it to the tent, Mac was in the same position as when he left, only his hands were white knuckled— one on the table and the other looking like it was holding the bot at bay.
“Doc’s gonna take care of ya, Mac. Get ya fixed right up.” Jack stood at Mac’s side, taking care not to bump the table and risk sensing any pained jolts to Mac.
“What’d you get yourself into this time, Macgyver?” Roe set his things on the table with the forgotten food, snapping on gloves and readying whatever he thought he needed.
“Can’t— can’t let you slack off.” Mac said, slight smirk on his face. “Uh, it had a dull point, sprang out too fast for me to react. Maybe— three or four inches got in. I’m been trying not to move, but…”
“This isn’t exactly an ideal way to work.” Roe knelt to see the extent of the wound. “Placement is rough; could’ve punctured your stomach or liver, nicked an intestine at best. Gonna be honest, you’re going to have to be flown out to a hospital. I can take care of the initial injury, but internal bleeding is a big risk factor, and I’m not equipped with X-rays to see what, if any, of your organs got hit. No doubt a piece or pieces of your shirt are going to be in the wound as well, and that means a greater risk for infection.”
“Whatever you— think is best, Doc.”
“Hear that? Doc said yer gonna be just fine.” Jack said, stopping himself from touching Mac’s shoulder.
“Ideally, I’d want to cut the metal connecting you to the robot so you still have something in you to stop the blood flow. I’d need maybe three or four more guys to help with it just because of the position you’re in; get you doped up so you wouldn’t feel the vibrations, but I don’t believe we’d be able to keep you upright and still enough for it.” Roe was carefully cutting the fabric around the wound and glanced at the robot on the table. “This thing isnt going to go off or anything right?”
Mac sucked in a breath through his teeth. “I’m not sure— what to expect from it anymore, if I’m being completely honest.”
“Fair enough.” He looked to Jack. “Dalton, I need you to go find Martin; explain the situation and tell him to get a call out for a med-evac equipped to deal with several abdominal trauma and possible internal bleeding, then tell Martin to send over Skeeter to help me keep him stable until help arrives. After that, I need you to go tell whoever about the situation, and that no one else attempt any maintenance on these damn things. Top of the line my ass.”
Jack looked at him then sent a look to Mac. He wanted nothing more than to offer Mac a comforting hand or nudge to signal everything was going to be okay. Instead he gave a nod and rushed out to follow Roe’s instructions.
***
Mac was awake all at once. He heard nothing for a few seconds before all the sounds came crashing down and his eyes finally registered the lights above him, closing immediately after. There were beeps and metal carts being moved, soft clacking of feet and hushed talking going in both directions. He remembered being told he was being taken to a hospital, but nothing about the trip.
He slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the no longer blinding lights and did a quick sweep of the room before turning on himself; he felt a cannula, a pulse-ox was on his finger, IV in the back of his hand, and more than half is his torso was covered in bandages. Remembering exactly what caused the situation to happen made him groan.
He turned his eyes to the door upon hearing the latch click, and wasn’t surprised in the least when Jack walked in, holding a styrofoam cup of what was assumed to be the hospital coffee.
The blank expression on Jack’s face turned to a relieved smile when he saw Mac looking at him. “Hey, look who’s up.” He took a seat in the chair at the bedside. “How’re ya feelin’?”
Mac let out a breath. “Like an idiot.”
“O—kay… how ‘bout physically?”
“Not— bad. Kind of just feels tight and uncomfortable, no real pain or anything… how long have I been here?”
Jack looked at his watch. “Goin’ on just about nine hours. You came outta surgery ‘bout five hours ago; pumped ya full of all sorts of painkillers and sedation. You remember what happened?”
“Some. I remember undoing a bolt with the ratchet then leaning over the bot to see if there was anything in the back, then the thing just jutted out. You came back with food then came back again with Doc… and it’s all kind of fuzzy after that.”
“You were real outta it. Doc said it was shock settin’ in and adrenaline wearin’ off. When I got back, he and Skeeter were havin’ trouble keepin’ you upright; you kept tryin’ to help with what they were doin’ while simultaneously tryin’ to keep workin’ on the robot. Ended up gettin’ yerself with a longer and deeper gash than ya already had. Doc made the call of us havin’ to detach you so you wouldn’t hurt yerself further; gave ya some morphine to get ya settled before we tried anythin’. Ended up takin’ care of you in med for ‘bout half an hour before evac came and pick ya up. Docs took ya straight back as we got here; ended up with an inch puncture in yer stomach along with the initial injury. Right now, you got about a dozen stitches internally, and about four dozen externally. Doc said you should make a full recovery as long as you don’t strain yerself— or eat solid foods.”
Mac groaned. “How long?”
“Two months of a liquid diet.” Jack chuckled. “They wanted to do staples for the outside then have you back to get them removed, but I told them I’d keep an eye on ya, and that Roe is a very competent and hardass doctor that would beat you silly if you tried anythin’. And before ya ask, they wanna keep ya overnight just to see how you progress but promised me you’d be discharged tomorrow.”
“Great.” Mac took a deep breath. The strange tightness and not-quite-numbed feeling solidifying what Jack had said. “Do you know what’s going on back at base?”
“I assume someone’s yellin’ at manufacturin’ for makin’ a bomb bot that could damn right kill it’s user if any attempt is made to clean it. And, maybe all the other techs riotin’ ‘bout the whole thing; good or bad way, I ain’t sure. Why? You ain’t thinkin’ you still wanna take a look at that thing after what happened, are ya?”
“Kinda… but I think I’m more upset over the fact I didn’t get those snack cakes, not that I’d be able to have them now anyways.”
Jack let out a genuine laugh. “Mac, I promise you, when yer able to eat solid food again, I’ll get ya a whole box.”