"What happened?! Oh - bar again?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhWOIAF8Va
A woman hurried over to the men coming out of the elevator. One of them carried the limp body of his mate over his shoulders in an enduring leverage, but he looked pretty tense and tired.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8x0n9kOzXj
“Yeah," he breathed. "He's out cold – all that elevator travel must've roughed up his senses even more."657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1N0ESvLvJ
The woman smirked. “You sure it wasn't your unsteady walking? Here – let me take him,” she suggested, and noticing his exhausted and disbelieving look she added, “What? I'm not that weak.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxxSQGnSMD
As a sign of faith – or maybe it was a challenge – the man lay his load carefully on the ground and motioned for her to pick him up. Which she did, to his surprise, at once. “Come on, we need to get him on board the Avenger.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxOYScIgpv
“Right behind you,” the man, seemingly lighter, agreed as he stretched his aching muscles.
***
“Hey, Tiger.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6azwRobPhG
“Hey, Rae-bae, what's up?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1U6dh73FB
The woman dumped down in the co-pilot's seat and lay back, pulling a deep sigh. “The Commander's out again. Must be the third one this month. Just that this time he's, like, really gone.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOivzNQVS2e
“Gone?” The pilot looked at her with uncomprehending eyes. “How can he be gone? We're … about ten minutes out from the nearest port. And I haven't picked up any bodies floating around in space lately.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdv7vZ7F3M
“No, not … not gone-gone – wasted. As in, you know, incapacitated. Outta his mind. For the time being. I let Doc take a look at him, so hopefully she can help. Otherwise we might be stuck here until he recovers on his own, which we don't have time for.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXYWymRUPu
“So what do you suggest we do?” Tiger asked, staring at the ship's control panel. His name wasn't really Tiger, as anyone could naturally tell; it was his personal nickname from Rachel. His real name was Sam Jones, but everyone just called him Blitz because of his fascination for speed, explosions and electrical phenomena.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oUWy4lS6M
“I dunno... I'm gonna go check on him.” She rose from the deep seat and turned towards him. Leaning forward her lips gently touched his forehead. “I'll see you later, okay?” she said with a smile.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0wPhzcUy2
“I'll be here,” he replied, smiling back, and when she turned and walked down the small bridge of the ship his eyes followed her rear end until she turned the corner of the elevator shaft. “He's lucky to have you, Rae-bae...”
***
The young woman got out of the elevator and turned the left corner toward the medical bay as someone shouted her way from across the room. She looked over and saw the man who had retrieved the Commander from the bar on the Metropolis: Lieutenant Jack Jovovich.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrguPfKpvb
He waved her over. “You looking to check on the Commander?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzNqXOXqo7
She nodded. “How is he?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrJeSQNPKW
He shrugged. “You'd have to ask Doc about that. I just handle her supply reqs.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQcHzhJ3mo
She was quiet a moment, staring at the ground, and to be honest the Lieutenant could notice a slight change of color in her face.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjc4uchBTk
“Hey Alice, you alright?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zrhhsmiQ2
She blinked twice, seeming to return. “Huh? Oh, yeah – yeah-yeah, I'm just thinking...” she admitted absentmindedly.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMyEpTpagL
“You want to tell me what's bothering you?” He sounded genuinely concerned in his own way. “You know you can tell me anything, Al.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbewKOdSNs
“It's nothing, really. Just let it go, okay?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWo5mZNWlZ
Jovovich came a little closer to her, something that seemed to make her slightly uncomfortable in an odd way. 657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMZ7kGCPoR
“I am here for you, Corporal, and so is the Commander. We all are, so whenever there is something, you come talk to us, alright?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3UlRlrDjb
She nodded slowly, noticing his hands holding onto her shoulders calmly but firmly. “Please let go of me ... sir,” she added hesitantly, but he wouldn't.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWbPJTDSvo
“Alright?” he repeated, and this time she looked up into his eyes with a serious note.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ulNOw9oib
“Yes, sir. Now let go of me.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiIp4kJAyU
He complied, backing off a little. “And one more thing: whenever we're not in official company, drop the formalities, would you? You know how I feel about 'em. Let's go by name – first or last.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjwcepIIXF
She nodded again. “Then you return the favor ... Jack.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiIWxslwES
“You bet, Al. Can I call you Al? It kinda gives you a resemblance of Abe Lincoln, who was my favorite U.S. President. No coincidence, I swear.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUB69HlbXvK
Alice breathed a small smile.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNQ1r9uWOV
“Well, I guess I should get back to it. My turn for grub this week. And this freaking chicken-thing takes about half a day to fry.” He turned away from her after a couple of seconds and went back to his counter where kitchen tools, food and vegetables lay scattered.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlH9qIZGLFu
Alice went the other way toward the med bay, and when the doors hissed open she was surprised at seeing the patient already sitting in bed. Her unprofessional opinion said he looked fine, but her better self knew to confer with Doctor Thatcher first.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTI5qgnHzRf
“Ah, Corporal Alice – just the one I wanted to speak with.” The middle-aged woman sounded happy as she entered the room. Coming over to the Doctor Alice happened to quickly glance over at the Commander in the bed, looking at her; somehow he seemed to light up ever so slightly when she entered.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrmCEVjpMp
“How are you feeling, Commander?” Alice asked.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbOSgtM0WU
He shrugged. “I'm alright, but I'm probably gonna feel it tomorrow.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmj7dApDYs
“Corporal, I've given the Commander some medicines that will lessen the pains that he'll experience the next couple of hours and his hangover tomorrow, but it'll be your job to make sure that he takes time to have them; his reasoning skills will not function alongside the throbbing." The Doctor handed a note to Alice, who, when she took it glanced over at the Commander. “Roger. Is … this okay with you, Commander?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NoCJkd9KW
He smiled again, shrugging. “Sure, if you want to.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyKx5JbKza
Thatcher shook her head. “It's good he agrees, Corporal, but really he has no say in this. And neither do you.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJo8EaYsaR
This comment made Alice stare incomprehensibly at her. “Why not me?”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYMaO5yMXz
Thatcher hesitated a while then turned toward Roscoe. “All checks look positive; you may go now, Commander.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXqadIKYOW
The man nearly jumped out of bed, and standing straight up and down for a minute he seemed surprised at how easy it felt to do so; Alice guessed that dose of alcohol he'd gotten earlier had really messed up his balance before having the Doc's meds. When he was out of the room and only Thatcher and Alice were left, the doctor leaned over to the officer.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9PWCHfQBb
“This is the timetable for his medicines, and which ones you should give him. That part is not why I wanted him to get out, though,” she started, and like a little girl about to tell her friend the biggest secret she knew she came uncomfortably close to Alice's ear, but she hung in there. “I picked you, Corporal, because...”
***
As a vessel set course for the unknown a creature poked its head out from behind a stack of crates near the hangar exit. As its gaze soared toward the tail lights of the racing ship it sighed, hopes crushed, and careful to avoid the patrols it sneaked to the very back of the loading bay and disappear down with the elevator.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
