Magnet (Lacuna Short Stories) Read Online Free

Not... urgh.”
    She gave a wide smile. “You won’t believe this, but... basically that bolt of Toralii energy went straight in and out, missing every single vital organ on the way. Couldn’t ask for a cleaner injury... you’ll be right as rain in no time, but you’ll have one hell of a scar.”
    I coughed again, wincing slightly as the effort stretched my wounds. “Wouldn’t be the first time,” I mused, resting my head back against my pillow.
    “ Can’t say the same for your fighter, though,” remarked Rachel, her tone impish. “Looks like you broke your precious little baby. Captain Knight had a salvage team look at the dust that was left of the explosion... there wasn’t even enough to bring back a souvenir for you. Still... you got your Martin Baker tie waiting for you when you get back, so that’s something at least.”
    For as long as Martin Baker had been making ejection seats, whenever anyone successfully employed one and survived, the company sent them out a special pin and a tie. Some pilots, especially test pilots, made it a point of pride to collect them.
    “ How did we go after you picked me up? Did we get what we came for?”
    “ Got all the prisoners, yep. We didn’t any other kills – the Toralii strike fighters retreated when they realised we were playing for keeps.” She idly glanced down at her fingers, faking indifference. “... so we got one of theirs, and they got one of ours. Nobody can say that we’re not scrupulously fair.”
    I rolled my eyes, reaching out with my hand, resting it on the woman’s shoulder. “Thanks for coming to collect my arse,” I remarked, hoping that the sincerity I felt carried through on my voice.
    “ Hey, any time.” She winked. “How could I resist the chick magnet?”
    I snorted. “ Bullet magnet more like. Did anyone else get hit?”
    She laughed. “Nope. Just you ... not a single hit. The paint on Piggyback isn’t even scratched.”
    “ Figures.”
    There was a moment’s silence as I closed my eyes. I felt intensely weary, as though I’d been awake for days. “How long have I been here?”
    “ Four hours.”
    “ Ah.” I nodded, wrinkling my nose. “I guess I missed dinner then.”
    “ Believe me you didn’t miss it. MREs again.”
    MREs, or Meal Ready to Eat, were the bane of military servicemen’s existence. They were essentially foil-wrapped “food” that could be torn open and eaten with a minimal amount of preparation or fuss and came packaged with a hydrogen based chemical heater. An MRE was intended only as an emergency supplement, but too often with supplies being what they were they served as main rations.
    Due to their taste, MREs had earned a number of nicknames. Meals Rejected by Everyone, Meal Ready to Expel or Morale Reducing Elements among many others. Each package was helpfully labelled “MEAL” in giant letters, as though some bureaucrat somewhere had assumed that the morons the military entrusted with heavy weapons would be unable to distinguish food from ammunition.
    We shared a laugh, then Rachel’s eyes lit up.
    “ Wait a second, hang on, I nearly forgot...” she dug around inside a small plastic bag, fiddling for a moment before withdrawing her hand, closed like a fist. “Guess what we found rattling around the bottom of the cargo hold.”
    She opened her hand, revealing the thin steel band that I thought I’d lost, the red heart shaped gem still splattered with a flick of blood.
    “ You didn’t even clean it?” I remarked dryly, although I couldn’t stop my face from lighting up in a bright grin.
    “ You must be joking,” she snorted, “I know your sordid history with women – I’m not touching your blood. I don’t want to... catch ... anything.”
    “ Thanks anyway,” I said, extending my hand to take it, but she kept her hands around it.
    “ Uh uh uh. You tease a girl with a pretty ring like this, you gotta make good with your promises.”
    I cocked a grin. “If I gave that to you