ASH: "Affiliated" drabble

[Dave Van Domelen]

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 .|, COHERENT COMICS                                 An ASH Universe Drabble
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 '|` UNINCORPORATED PRESENTS                         "Affiliated"
                    copyright 2012 by Dave Van Domelen
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     Bullets whizzed overhead, accompanied by the occasional blast of
something that shouldn't have even existed in a sane universe.  Hunkered down
behind an overturned car that was providing at least some cover, STRAFE Agent
Wilcox snarled at his fellow agent, "Damn it, I didn.t sign up for this, I'm
no Superhuman Tactical Resource, I'm an Affiliated-Field Expert!  I'm a
forensic linguist!"
     "Ah, then you should be qualified to figure out where you went wrong,"
Agent Atkins smirked, then winced as a shot came near her.  "You see, the
emphasis is on Field Experts, who happen to be Affiliated."
     Wilcox groaned.

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Author's Notes:

     I've been reading Christopher Anvil's "Interstellar Patrol" and was
inspired to come up with a little exchange on the nature of STRAFE's name and
mission.  But rather than try to build a full story around it or work it into
something later, I decided to make a Drabble (100 word story), something I've
not tried before.
     For purposes of the ASH Wiki, their full names are Anthony Wilcox and
Virginia Atkins.  Even if this weren't a drabble, trying to work that into
the scene would have been kinda clumsy, but I don't want to put them in as
just "Agent Atkins" and "Agent Wilcox".  The story itself is set at an
indeterminate point after STRAFE grew past its original cadre.

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