She was a comely girl and the man pushed her chin up with his mallet."She says she's sixteen, an' what I got here is an indenture for four years. Migh...t help pay Rufe's debts, leastways that's what his brother hopes." Let's see her," somebody yelled.He made her turn around a couple of times. "You seen enough. What am I bid?" She was barefoot and stayless.The bidding went by fits and start until it climbed above two pounds, not a bad price for four years service from a likely wench. Then a. ”“And was her surmise absolutely correct?” “As of tonight, yes.”She smiled in satisfaction and said, “One tires of competing with blondes.”“Too washed out.”“Yes,” she smiled, “that’s one way of putting it. Hardly a majority opinion.”“Democracy is overrated in some matters.”She cackled quickly and said, “Tastes are such an individual matter.”“And your tastes?”She cocked her head at me and smiled, “Yes?”“How do they run? In breakfast meat products?”She laughed, “You’re so bourgeois and. You shouldn’t have!!” I said sarcastically before adding “I got you, no problem”. Specialist Polick made eye contact with me as soon as I started making my way back towards my office. He looked scared and timid. I stopped right in front of him then turned to face him. While face to face with him I said “I run a tight ship around here. I don’t tolerate all that bullshit you were able to get away with at Alpha Company. I’m giving you a fresh start but make no mistake about it, I’ll fuck you up if. Dust fell from the vaulted ceiling. A loose tile slid across its still-clinging brothers. In my mind, I saw it leap the gutter, spin into space and shatter on the glistening cobbles below. Windows rattled. Like a gunshot, a pane broke. In disbelief, I carefully turned my head around in time to witness its sister's similar demise. Despite the chaos that surrounded me, I focussed all my waning energy on keeping myself exactly aligned, precisely positioned, the living part of a heinous mechanical.