best guess
Rails looked at Aggie imploringly, Eileen Pettigrew standing a couple of feet back.
"C'mon, we need to find Suzanne & Leon now! You're the smart one, there was nobody here when I got in the back door. Did you check the washroom?"
Aggie exhaled in frustration. "No, I got distracted talking to Sergeant Pettigrew ... then I came straight down the aisle to here to check for them & you, then ... our best bud Dave showed up."
Eileen Pettigrew shook her head. "I was on that desk until slimeball came in, nobody made it down the hallway to the washroom, I'd have seen them."
Lori looked back at the door by which she'd entered. "Gotta be the laundry chute." She turned back to the other two women. "What else is there?"
Pettigrew looked up at the ceiling. "Joffries Tubes up there, but they're sealed."
Rails scrunched up her face. "They named the tubes after a ballet company?"
Pettigrew looked at her matter-of-factly. "Yep, lots of gay people in the service."
Lori managed an embarrassed smile. "I'm thinking of becoming gay."
Pettigrew looked unimpressed. "I'm so stunned I can't tell you."
Rails looked a little hurt. "It's a big step for me."
Pettigrew leaned in and whispered "It's quite a debut, breaking a steel toilet."
Aggie hid her smile.
Lori looked anxious and whispered "Does everybody know about that?"
At first she smiled shyly when Pettigrew shook her head. The shy smile vanished when Pettigrew said "Just the US Air Force."
Rails rallied to try to make the best of it. "I guess we're all in the Sisterhood, huh?"
Pettigrew shook her head. "Not me, got 3 kids, happily married to more or less the same guy since I was 17."
Rails looked puzzled. "More or less?"
Pettigrew was anxious to return to her duties. "Men change a lot. So, you two going down the chute?"
She gestured helpfully at the sealed door at the far end of the room.
Aggie smiled at Pettigrew. "Yeah, I think we'll be off now, Sergeant, thanks. You should go back to your post."
"If it's all the same to you, MT, I'll wait until you & Sugar Buns here make your exit." She stepped back about three steps and surveyed the lobby. "There's nobody here anyway."
The three moved quickly to the chute entrance, Lori raising her eyebrows knowingly at the placement of the chair. Aggie popped the latch & stood on the chair. She looked at Rails behind her, then at Pettigrew. "Maybe tell Erhard where we're going?"
Pettigrew pursed her lips. "I will, MT, as soon as I get back to my post."
Aggie smiled a small smile at her. "Thanks." She leaned over into the chute. "Big downdraft from the forced air, looks like a big linen tub half full down there."
Lori was trying hard not to look at Aggie's butt. "That's good, soft landing." She was unnerved Pettigrew was smiling at her discomfort.
"You'll treasure this moment forever, huh?"
Lori smiled a little. "May as well. Who knows if we're coming back?"
Pettigrew clasped a hand on her forearm. "You will. Love is with you, it won't steer you wrong."
Lori grew up in the next ten seconds. She kissed Pettigrew quickly on the cheek. "Thanks. Be safe, see you soon."
Aggie's voice sounded from inside the chute. "Ready or not, here I go." She let go and disappeared. An avalanche from the floors above hit her about ten feet down from the sounds of it. They heard Aggie collide with the wall of the chute.
Lori & Pettigrew shared a little laugh at the thought of Aggie hurtling down the chute covered in dirty laundry.
Lori stood up on the chair. "I may need a little boost."
The Sergeant smiled. "It's okay, just stick your head in."
Lori obliged, her hair blown by the draft, Pettigrew's strong hands lifting her the last two inches, and Rails began her descent, a faster moving wad of towels from two floors up speeding her on her way.
Sergeant Eileen Pettigrew closed the chute. For a brief moment, she reflected on how Lori's perfect butt had felt in her hands. She smiled and turned.
He'd been standing at the curtains, watching, whoever it was. Pettigrew caught a foot on the bedpost as she took off in pursuit.
She went sprawling.
By the time she'd cleared the curtains, he was gone, lost in the maze of narrow hallways.
Pettigrew picked up her vox and called Erhard.
"C'mon, we need to find Suzanne & Leon now! You're the smart one, there was nobody here when I got in the back door. Did you check the washroom?"
Aggie exhaled in frustration. "No, I got distracted talking to Sergeant Pettigrew ... then I came straight down the aisle to here to check for them & you, then ... our best bud Dave showed up."
Eileen Pettigrew shook her head. "I was on that desk until slimeball came in, nobody made it down the hallway to the washroom, I'd have seen them."
Lori looked back at the door by which she'd entered. "Gotta be the laundry chute." She turned back to the other two women. "What else is there?"
Pettigrew looked up at the ceiling. "Joffries Tubes up there, but they're sealed."
Rails scrunched up her face. "They named the tubes after a ballet company?"
Pettigrew looked at her matter-of-factly. "Yep, lots of gay people in the service."
Lori managed an embarrassed smile. "I'm thinking of becoming gay."
Pettigrew looked unimpressed. "I'm so stunned I can't tell you."
Rails looked a little hurt. "It's a big step for me."
Pettigrew leaned in and whispered "It's quite a debut, breaking a steel toilet."
Aggie hid her smile.
Lori looked anxious and whispered "Does everybody know about that?"
At first she smiled shyly when Pettigrew shook her head. The shy smile vanished when Pettigrew said "Just the US Air Force."
Rails rallied to try to make the best of it. "I guess we're all in the Sisterhood, huh?"
Pettigrew shook her head. "Not me, got 3 kids, happily married to more or less the same guy since I was 17."
Rails looked puzzled. "More or less?"
Pettigrew was anxious to return to her duties. "Men change a lot. So, you two going down the chute?"
She gestured helpfully at the sealed door at the far end of the room.
Aggie smiled at Pettigrew. "Yeah, I think we'll be off now, Sergeant, thanks. You should go back to your post."
"If it's all the same to you, MT, I'll wait until you & Sugar Buns here make your exit." She stepped back about three steps and surveyed the lobby. "There's nobody here anyway."
The three moved quickly to the chute entrance, Lori raising her eyebrows knowingly at the placement of the chair. Aggie popped the latch & stood on the chair. She looked at Rails behind her, then at Pettigrew. "Maybe tell Erhard where we're going?"
Pettigrew pursed her lips. "I will, MT, as soon as I get back to my post."
Aggie smiled a small smile at her. "Thanks." She leaned over into the chute. "Big downdraft from the forced air, looks like a big linen tub half full down there."
Lori was trying hard not to look at Aggie's butt. "That's good, soft landing." She was unnerved Pettigrew was smiling at her discomfort.
"You'll treasure this moment forever, huh?"
Lori smiled a little. "May as well. Who knows if we're coming back?"
Pettigrew clasped a hand on her forearm. "You will. Love is with you, it won't steer you wrong."
Lori grew up in the next ten seconds. She kissed Pettigrew quickly on the cheek. "Thanks. Be safe, see you soon."
Aggie's voice sounded from inside the chute. "Ready or not, here I go." She let go and disappeared. An avalanche from the floors above hit her about ten feet down from the sounds of it. They heard Aggie collide with the wall of the chute.
Lori & Pettigrew shared a little laugh at the thought of Aggie hurtling down the chute covered in dirty laundry.
Lori stood up on the chair. "I may need a little boost."
The Sergeant smiled. "It's okay, just stick your head in."
Lori obliged, her hair blown by the draft, Pettigrew's strong hands lifting her the last two inches, and Rails began her descent, a faster moving wad of towels from two floors up speeding her on her way.
Sergeant Eileen Pettigrew closed the chute. For a brief moment, she reflected on how Lori's perfect butt had felt in her hands. She smiled and turned.
He'd been standing at the curtains, watching, whoever it was. Pettigrew caught a foot on the bedpost as she took off in pursuit.
She went sprawling.
By the time she'd cleared the curtains, he was gone, lost in the maze of narrow hallways.
Pettigrew picked up her vox and called Erhard.