The pilot pinched the bridge of her nose as her head became heavy and drooped. "Sigggghhhh...ma'am I'ma solider for hire, I dont think my services are-"
The voice on the phone, which was initially soft and curious, suddenly became sharp and aggressive. "I'm offering to pay you arent I? Im a paying customer, do you not WANT business?"
"Of course I do ma'am."
"So what's the problem?!"
A pause. How does she even Begin to start explaining this to this oblivious woman? How did this lady even get her number??? But if she's got this kind of money, for all the pilot knows this could be some senator or CEO, best to keep playing nice.
"I'm...just not sure threatening your neighbor with a giant robot so their dogs stays out of your yard is an appropriate use of my skills and resources."
"You would be if you saw what those animals did to my garden." Every sentence out of this woman's mouth felt like making contact with the thickest brick wall.
"I'm very sorry about your flowers, but-"
She cut the pilot off, pretending she had made some kind of breakthrough and would get her way. "Oh no, it's not YOUR fault, don't apologize. So when can you come?"
This was getting her nowhere, it was time to apply some pressure. "Ma'am unfortunately the answer is no, I simply can't take this job."
Silence on the other end as the woman could no longer dance around the pilots blunt and definitive statement. "...I want to speak to your supervisor."
"I don't...have a supervisor?"
"Well whoever leads your...platoon, unit, whatever!"
"Leaders of PMCs don't really...want us giving their contact info out to random people."
"Excuse you? I'm a customer, I'm giving them business, who do you think I am? Did you just call me a liar?"
This had gone utterly pear shaped, but if things were gonna break down it was gonna be on the pilot's terms. "Of course I didn't, and I have no idea who you are to be fair ma'am."
"Well of Course not, I don't want anyone knowing I put out a hit on my neighbor."
"So you want me to kill them now?"
"I never said that."
"That's what 'put out a hit' generally means."
"Ive never heard it used that way in my entire life. You people don't even know how to do your jobs correctly, Clearly, and now you're trying to make Me sound foolish, this is the worst experience I've ever had doing business with you. The last person I dealt with was much nicer and more helpful, can I speak to him?"
This was a new development. "So wait, you...have hired us before?"
"Well not exactly, a nice young man with a claw for a left hand helped me move a car that was parked too close to my driveway and gave me your business card."
The sigh of agonizing epiphany was loud from the pilot, no longer caring what this woman thought of her. "Yeah. Yeah, that was Terrence. He used to find excuses to lift cars to impress women. We lost him in combat a few weeks back."
"Oh." Was all the woman could say, a bit embarrassed she brought him up, but also not particularly upset or apologetic. "...So who else can I speak with?"
CLICK went the phone as the pilot ended the call.
"They don't fucking pay me enough to deal with this shit....fucking Terrence."