"What happened?! Oh - bar again?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtzaCAbNJq
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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyIUwW29F6
“Yeah," he breathed. "He's out cold – all that elevator travel must've roughed up his senses even more."823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4hWoCy0NP
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.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgvPPPdcPX
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.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDT2vdNANi
“Right behind you,” the man, seemingly lighter, agreed as he stretched his aching muscles.
***
“Hey, Tiger.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡum9A0wmL8V
“Hey, Rae-bae, what's up?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiNEpK22fm
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.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSaO8BC2jW
“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.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvH1zLEueN
“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.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoXfNqGVjL
“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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpCZ8QoaaP
“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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTckBAfAJzv
“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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfws6vvZxX
He waved her over. “You looking to check on the Commander?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vivSjO2er
She nodded. “How is he?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhFd0Lv6qu
He shrugged. “You'd have to ask Doc about that. I just handle her supply reqs.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0Prl8NXlr
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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5rQgBcUM2
“Hey Alice, you alright?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6UugvN4XU
She blinked twice, seeming to return. “Huh? Oh, yeah – yeah-yeah, I'm just thinking...” she admitted absentmindedly.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnbY5jJ27E
“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.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLMxxDzg7c
“It's nothing, really. Just let it go, okay?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDe0n9mcOtZ
Jovovich came a little closer to her, something that seemed to make her slightly uncomfortable in an odd way. 823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQ6DJjCaEF
“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?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlG3qx17kM7
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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotqRTVMsdO
“Alright?” he repeated, and this time she looked up into his eyes with a serious note.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3yT56WDa3
“Yes, sir. Now let go of me.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6qK9PDLND
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.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3IZqjRzun
She nodded again. “Then you return the favor ... Jack.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FZIKcvnx5
“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.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSjDcljdKR
Alice breathed a small smile.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAv1DAngdl8
“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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkImjux8COn
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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7GYcsd3ig
“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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kHYhhIKRx
“How are you feeling, Commander?” Alice asked.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqV3vJ0AUw
He shrugged. “I'm alright, but I'm probably gonna feel it tomorrow.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoleOHmtnqh
“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?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwpYvpxjJ2
He smiled again, shrugging. “Sure, if you want to.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLynr1V9gyf
Thatcher shook her head. “It's good he agrees, Corporal, but really he has no say in this. And neither do you.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8rtwW2I1I
This comment made Alice stare incomprehensibly at her. “Why not me?”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OUZthu6dc
Thatcher hesitated a while then turned toward Roscoe. “All checks look positive; you may go now, Commander.”823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡff5eYjhy9t
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.823Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35dvbfhvld
“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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