"What happened?! Oh - bar again?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrPL4YUDfX
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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0ir8sqtyV
“Yeah," he breathed. "He's out cold – all that elevator travel must've roughed up his senses even more."674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYMTwMEZ7S
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.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjIZK3i5HO
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.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uCLc2OxPn
“Right behind you,” the man, seemingly lighter, agreed as he stretched his aching muscles.
***
“Hey, Tiger.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIib8T9qChL
“Hey, Rae-bae, what's up?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz8pkPZ7oU
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.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dxPFvduSV
“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.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUC7srhPsOK
“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.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXnQLAkibb
“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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZ6MEfEBq7
“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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQPiEje0vX
“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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡketDI7c5pI
He waved her over. “You looking to check on the Commander?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQf3BetwzJ0
She nodded. “How is he?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVC9CG6KAgj
He shrugged. “You'd have to ask Doc about that. I just handle her supply reqs.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiWgHbgw7e
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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHIhflZfX5
“Hey Alice, you alright?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJ2GkxtHO8
She blinked twice, seeming to return. “Huh? Oh, yeah – yeah-yeah, I'm just thinking...” she admitted absentmindedly.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwX9WPdxLuD
“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.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqx7SqhNpS
“It's nothing, really. Just let it go, okay?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYKudpawOq
Jovovich came a little closer to her, something that seemed to make her slightly uncomfortable in an odd way. 674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJpeUR10P4
“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?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OgG4THmvr
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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7vlD3iMnm
“Alright?” he repeated, and this time she looked up into his eyes with a serious note.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJkkwOnm9f
“Yes, sir. Now let go of me.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzmgthIXF2
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.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2fMXAzEdp
She nodded again. “Then you return the favor ... Jack.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwo3CpIw4V
“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.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbyHvEmtho
Alice breathed a small smile.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ehDopOgVQ
“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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiaJfUWb8C
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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjd2IoYGHsD
“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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsy2CqbZqM
“How are you feeling, Commander?” Alice asked.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsijrcz04J
He shrugged. “I'm alright, but I'm probably gonna feel it tomorrow.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAweSqzUxRT
“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?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tpWw1VPmJ
He smiled again, shrugging. “Sure, if you want to.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyK1xMgvFHU
Thatcher shook her head. “It's good he agrees, Corporal, but really he has no say in this. And neither do you.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKM0cDar9mP
This comment made Alice stare incomprehensibly at her. “Why not me?”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraIWKyP9nv
Thatcher hesitated a while then turned toward Roscoe. “All checks look positive; you may go now, Commander.”674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHonyX38uyF
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.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmSGzWVAOL
“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.
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