Stoking The Fire

Chapter Thirteen

I've forgotten how much I like Nick's office, with the shelves of books and artistic displays of various bugs and other little pieces of him that had been collected over the years. It's like a little oasis of calm in the normal storm of activity that is the lab's daily operations. It doesn't feel very calm right now, however. I'm safely ensconced in a chair in the corner, trying to curl up and make myself as invisible as possible, while Nick paces in a frustrated conversation with the other man who's joined us for this meeting.

"Come on Nick, like I keep telling you, my hands are tied here! It's nothing personal! I don't know what there is to understand?" the man says, for the tenth time.

"Oh come off it Ramon! There has to be something you can do with Paul and the others! They're strangling my lab to death here! I'm down 3 techs and 2 CSI's in the last 6 months alone, and I've got a dozen good people I could replace them with, but I don't have the training programs in place any more that would allow me to move them! Then there's the hiring freeze you stuck us with three months ago! Hell, we're so short that I'm back out in the field working doubles just to try to keep the cases under control! You have to give me something here! Damnit!"

"I AM trying to do that, Nick. You have to work with me!"

"What, what are you trying to give me here, Ramon?"

"I'm letting you take her," the man pauses and points at me, "Out in the field with you as an independent contractor. I thought you wanted her to become a CSI?"

"I do, but you're not giving me anything here! You're hamstringing me! I don't need her out in the field stuck up my ass like a glorified personal assistant. I need her either here in the lab covering for people who are qualified right now to get out and start taking their own cases, or I need her to be able to work her own easy cases, under supervision, so that we can get the backlog down!"

"I'm sorry Nick, but this is the best I can do. I've seen her scores, I know she's talented, but she just doesn't have the formal schooling yet. We can't officially put her in the lab's payroll base that way without it, and she can't work her own cases without the proper constant field supervision and experience. Being an independent contractor and observer is the only way I can get around that right now." the man shrugs. "I'll make sure she still has all the protections and perks of the lab as I'm able, and she will be able to pass and get the certifications, once she's hit the milestones I've laid out. These really are the only concessions I was able to get, right now. I'm working as hard as I can to get things back to normal. Please, just trust me here Nick. I won't screw you." Nick's pacing is getting more agitated, and the man is starting to look incredibly frustrated.

"I'll do it." I state, softly. They both look at me. "If this is what it takes to get the lab back in order and running smoothly, I'll be the sacrificial guinea pig here. But, only if there's truly other things in the works. If this is just to be used to fuck Nick and the lab over harder, I'm out." I say, standing and crossing my arms. Ramon narrows his eyes.

"I'm not really sure I like your attitude, young lady."

"I personally don't give a shit what you like, Ramon. First of all, I'm the same bloody age as you, so don't 'young lady' me. Secondly, if I'm independent, I'm not in your chain of command. Thirdly, I've seen too many money grubbing assholes fuck too many people over in the last few years to fully trust anything anyone holding the purse strings says. You'll have to forgive my skepticism on this point." I say, as I walk forward to sit on the edge of Nick's desk.

"Lastly, and most importantly, I want to make one thing very clear. I want this job, most definitely, but I don't fucking need it. I'm doing this because the lab needs it. If this can't do the good it needs to, then I'll take my happy ass elsewhere, and I'll find another way to do what I can to help others, and help the lab. Maybe I'll be able to find resources you can't, who knows?" I stare him down, and he finally nods.