"What happened?! Oh - bar again?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqtewiRHJS
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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hacu0GuHg
“Yeah," he breathed. "He's out cold – all that elevator travel must've roughed up his senses even more."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKQAiNRL8p
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.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIWa0QKdld
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.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6xuHoYYuC
“Right behind you,” the man, seemingly lighter, agreed as he stretched his aching muscles.
***
“Hey, Tiger.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IChT8je9z
“Hey, Rae-bae, what's up?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TYVQntnX2
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.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhqBUwnadh
“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.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dzJeFbWe9
“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.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyYzlXyd6S
“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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimduzLYRlP
“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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9upnil7l7
“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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gwDaT4dPG
He waved her over. “You looking to check on the Commander?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgD30bVqqx4
She nodded. “How is he?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhVEhqAOkM
He shrugged. “You'd have to ask Doc about that. I just handle her supply reqs.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9ws2yfBRA
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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdSwxu2If5
“Hey Alice, you alright?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2qGzx1u6q
She blinked twice, seeming to return. “Huh? Oh, yeah – yeah-yeah, I'm just thinking...” she admitted absentmindedly.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkFqnb3QIa
“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.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVycyiEN8V
“It's nothing, really. Just let it go, okay?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRy2n3zwyo
Jovovich came a little closer to her, something that seemed to make her slightly uncomfortable in an odd way. 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHaEKA6dOe
“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?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkywK0wmrHG
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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpTZtfxfgW
“Alright?” he repeated, and this time she looked up into his eyes with a serious note.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2rq32Yiwj
“Yes, sir. Now let go of me.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJhROi80IH
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.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OdmVE8DUU
She nodded again. “Then you return the favor ... Jack.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzcGsA7bJJ
“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.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Mxmx3OSUS
Alice breathed a small smile.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTKN1ACzpR
“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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmGUf514Mh
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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtoYFPAKLZ
“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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdP9gYoj1B
“How are you feeling, Commander?” Alice asked.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuB7KJU5djI
He shrugged. “I'm alright, but I'm probably gonna feel it tomorrow.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbVbGgoUeo
“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?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTBCwiZ33T
He smiled again, shrugging. “Sure, if you want to.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsaiOBu7B5
Thatcher shook her head. “It's good he agrees, Corporal, but really he has no say in this. And neither do you.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmBnsHzzJH
This comment made Alice stare incomprehensibly at her. “Why not me?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHto4oUX8Gm
Thatcher hesitated a while then turned toward Roscoe. “All checks look positive; you may go now, Commander.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqmtUUpdLb
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.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2maBG5uIUp
“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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