M.Y.T.H. Inc In Action by Robert Asprin

“What’s going on here?” the corporal demands, burstin’ in on our little group.

I blinks innocent-like and gave him a helpless shrug like he was a DA during cross examination.

“We was just discussin’ the logical-type benefits of social over antisocial behavior in a group situational.”

“Oh yeah? Is that right, you two?”

The Flies try to match my shrug, but wince halfway through the gesture and have to resort to nods.

The corporal glares at us suspiciously for a few, then turns to the rest of the group.

“All right, everybody form up in two lines!” he hollers in a poor imitation of the sergeant. “It’s time we move out for the classrooms!”

“Did our agitators respond properly to applied logic?” Nunzio murmurs, easin’ up beside me.

“Sure did,” I nods. “What’s more, I think they got it in one lesson. I don’t know why you keep sayin’ that youth today is slow learners.”

He rolls his eyes at this and fakes a mock swing at me.

“Maybe we should start calling you ‘Fly Swatter,'” he grins.

Some of the other recruits laugh at this, which makes me a tad nervous, as I know from the Mob just how easy it is to get saddled with a screwball nickname after some dumb incident or other. The corporal saved me the trouble of havin’ to change the subject, however, as he chose that moment to start hollerin’ and wavin’ for us to get together for the next round of trainin’.

“Come on,” I sez, bouncin’ a punch off his arm that was notably harder than the one he had taken at me. “We gotta go learn how to be effective fighters.”