"What happened?! Oh - bar again?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5v8nSE2qoJ
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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Dagxju5jz
“Yeah," he breathed. "He's out cold – all that elevator travel must've roughed up his senses even more."828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNhtMRCrwR
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.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocOHezRciY
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.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXswImjb9P
“Right behind you,” the man, seemingly lighter, agreed as he stretched his aching muscles.
***
“Hey, Tiger.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wCBRp26HQ
“Hey, Rae-bae, what's up?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOAiXUGcly
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.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOkmUdIvIK
“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.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5Nw7G66r3
“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.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWi4tx5av6
“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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiKALE0cLk
“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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUKgJ71RZI
“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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZIBkwvyQy
He waved her over. “You looking to check on the Commander?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lt3yMNrQB
She nodded. “How is he?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLra03VSyH
He shrugged. “You'd have to ask Doc about that. I just handle her supply reqs.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfyQS2paQG
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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKTAw3mLPr
“Hey Alice, you alright?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbBhxwVh0z
She blinked twice, seeming to return. “Huh? Oh, yeah – yeah-yeah, I'm just thinking...” she admitted absentmindedly.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69yVUhDRko
“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.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnh1aWnJ9G
“It's nothing, really. Just let it go, okay?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdseA6TY9Xv
Jovovich came a little closer to her, something that seemed to make her slightly uncomfortable in an odd way. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAbVMXzWld
“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?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFZiIIjl1O
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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrx4fygltW
“Alright?” he repeated, and this time she looked up into his eyes with a serious note.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpWswQTrQc
“Yes, sir. Now let go of me.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaJmJdqr8X
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.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SRiEMgkLK
She nodded again. “Then you return the favor ... Jack.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenKcAVAZ1q
“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.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErkBbVFvoa
Alice breathed a small smile.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXTfDB8RRW
“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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNgedYXk8v
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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡso9Lsm9T70
“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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOxBQxUWDg
“How are you feeling, Commander?” Alice asked.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6m4DRsUJiq
He shrugged. “I'm alright, but I'm probably gonna feel it tomorrow.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjIh8jZNKC
“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?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbJcqe069F
He smiled again, shrugging. “Sure, if you want to.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUHwILH7W3
Thatcher shook her head. “It's good he agrees, Corporal, but really he has no say in this. And neither do you.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqGOBinxoZ
This comment made Alice stare incomprehensibly at her. “Why not me?”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhaJJ7VcAb
Thatcher hesitated a while then turned toward Roscoe. “All checks look positive; you may go now, Commander.”828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qSkYS1mTM
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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYX3u0GMg0j
“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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