Oxy cutters blazed around them, burning narrow passageways through the tangled mass of iron. The air stunk of ozone and corruption. Slim Jim’s back hurt from the deadweight collected in his sack. His throat was parched dry, his tongue furry, and he was covered in cuts and bruises from banging against twisted metal in the dark. It was, he thought, worse than that fucking road gang. At least they’d had fresh air. But he stuck at the joyless task long after he’d normally have found an excuse to escape.

“I can’t wait to see the mess on this ship,” grunted Moose as he pulled at something wedged between two imperfectly fused bulkheads. “They got so many mess men on this ship they must have a mess as big as the Enterprise. You remember when we snuck on board for their Christmas party that time, Slim Jim? How big that mess was, with all of them niggers? I never seen so many of them before.”

“They’re not mess men,” Davidson answered as he pocketed what looked like an electric fountain pen. “Look at their uniforms, you lunkhead. They’re officers, some of them. The dames, too. And the captain’s a broad and a Negro.”

“Oh, a Neeegro, excuse me, Professor. Anyhow, I know that,” Moose protested. “I was there, remember?”

“Goddamn! This thing weighs a ton,” cursed Davidson as he hauled the bag through another tight crawl space. The effort left him breathless and shaking. He leaned against a bulkhead by Molloy to rest.

“Hey, Moose,” he said quietly when he’d caught his breath. “Listen. I wouldn’t go calling ’em niggers to their face if I was you. Or nips or broads or nothing.”

“But that’s what they are!” Molloy protested.

“Maybe,” Davidson conceded, “but they’re officers, too, a lot of them. And officers stick together. I been around. I seen a few things. Just ’cause the black man’s been set lower than us doesn’t mean he likes it. These guys coming here? It’s trouble for everyone. For the Japs if they get a taste of those guns and rockets like we did. But for us, too, I reckon. And when trouble blows in, a smart guy keeps his head down, waits for it to pass. When it’s gone you can see how things lie.”