Ranking. pt 2

        “Come on newbie, we’ll put you to the test on the ship.” TJ said jokingly and Alec threw him a look saying that he better be nice.

        “Good match,” Mike picked up his side arm and throwing knives. Izzy nodded and picked up her weapons. As they exited there was one person in line left, Alec shook his hand firmly.

        “Thanks for coming down, the position’s filled.” Alec said sincerely and they jogged back to the docks through the market place. “You have any bags you need to get?” Alec asked at the door of the Jumper. Izzy already held the bags in hand; no one had seen her pick them up. “Oh.” He watched her board the ship. Trace sat in her station already and started the Star Jumper. Izzy waited for everyone to be seated so she knew where she sat. All that was left was the co-pilots chair, next to Alec. She tossed her bag on the side of the chair and sat down. “Trace, please tell everyone what we have to do, and the easiest way to do it.” Alec asked nicely. Izzy thought to herself: would the android respond to that request?

        “Listen up guys, it’s a snowy green jungle, and there are hostile peoples on the planet, we have to move fast. Make sure you have plenty of back up ammo and stick together.” Trace summed the mission up, and then saw how Alec was displeased. “There is a crew with their ship stuck in orbit, and they are on the planet, they have injured, and need assistance.” she finished and Alec was happy. Izzy was impressed, she seemed human, and even had habits and body language, that was very interesting. TJ caught her confusion and started talking as Alec piloted away from the Company, and toward where they could open a slip stream.

        “I modified her so she’s pretty much human.” TJ explained. Izzy nodded and felt the slight jerk as the icy blue tear sucked them in. “So, newbie, what’s your name?” TJ asked and the crew looked at her. It was bound to come out sometime; she couldn’t keep the mask on forever. Izzy didn’t like what she had got herself into, but there was no way out. She looked at Alec and pulled the mask off. No one had ever met Izzy before, so the crew was lost. Alec took a deep breath and looked around his crew, which was waiting for an answer.

        “Guys this is Izzy, she has a set of wings for her jobs on her last ship. She specialized in weapons, combat, communications, and history. She probably isn’t as good as all of you, but as you can see she matched Mike move for move.” He kept his anger down. He could hear her saying it already: “I didn’t take a crew, a crew took me.” He sighed and walked towards the Reck Room, before he slid down the ladder he finished with “And she’s my little sister.” The crew looked at Izzy, they didn’t see any resemblance. Mike was impressed, but slightly annoyed; if he hurt her in training then Alec might hurt him. TJ was still checking Izzy out; she was hot by anyone’s standards. Trace heard the tones of anger in Alec’s voice, so she followed him to the Reck Room.

        “Now that you know who I am, who are you?” She asked TJ.

        “I am an engineer that ran out of things to do at the Company, so I tried the Star Jumper with Alec. You got anything to fix, rig, or a gizmo to check out, I’m your man.” He pointed to himself and spun in his chair. “One hundred percent human.” He added seeing the possibility she might like Mike. Izzy looked at Mike, and waited for him to answer. He put his feet on his control panel and leaned on the back of his chair.

        “I’m not human.” He paused to mockingly bob his head at TJ. “My eyes can’t have any light. I’ve gone through nine years of schooling in combat and weapons. My name is Mike.” He said and seemed preoccupied with balancing his chair with his feet on the control panel. Trace climbed back up into the control room and TJ remembered something else he had to explain to her about Trace.

        “That’s Trace, the android of the ship, but she has had ‘bout four years pay put into her and ‘bout two years of time. She’s better then human.” TJ showed his work off. He really, really loved Trace. He had put more time in on her then on his people skills. She sat back at her station and continued typing away, unaffected by TJ babbling about her.

        “How are her speech cards?” Izzy asked, trying not to be rude. Apparently this android could get offended. TJ looked at Trace and motioned for her to answer.

        “Unless you use made up words, I can understand you just fine. That and when you are talking about me, I would prefer you talk to me, then to TJ. I may be an android, but I also have feelings.” She seemed to be slightly upset. “Alec would like to talk to you when you get a chance, take your bags with you.” Trace still typed away on the keypad in front of her. Izzy looked to the ladder then to the group in front of her. This seemed a lot easier then she thought it would be. She balanced on one foot, grabbed her bags, put them over her shoulder, and slid down the ladder.

        The layout of the Star Jumper was the same as an Armored Fighter; the difference was what they were intended for. Armored Fighters had the highest death rate, and Armored Flame Jumpers were next, followed by regular Flame Jumpers, then Star Jumpers, the safest ships were Moon Jumpers. Izzy turned into the Reck Room, and waited for Alec to yell.

        “So, you really like exploring that much?” He asked drinking some water from the bottle in his hand. Alec rolled his lips together nervously pushing the water around.

        “Yea, and I wanted to be on a ship, and the only one that I could think of that would be the safest was this one, with you.” She tried to sugar coat it. The truth was this was the one she could get on the quickest. Alec sighed and sat at the counter. What exactly could Alec say? He did pick her. She was plenty old enough, and she did do the best in simulation at the Company, so he really couldn’t do anything.

            “Well, watch your back, and try to remain un-harmed please. I really don’t want to see you get hurt.” Alec tried a new approach to the problem. Yelling and jokes didn’t help, so if he was all mushy, maybe she would get what he was trying to say.

          “I will. Just don’t try to send me back to the Company, cause I will get on another ship.” She said knowing he would try something sly like that. He jumped at the idea for a moment, then gave her credit for shooting it down before he even thought if it. “So, where’s my room?” She asked feeling she had won her first argument. He got up and motioned for her to follow him with a mouth full of water.

        “Ummm... you met everyone up stairs?” He asked after he swallowed his water. She nodded and pulled the bags off her shoulders. “What did you think?” He was curious. This crew was family. She shrugged and flipped her hand back and forth to say not bad, not good, just there. “Well don’t listen to TJ, he has a few lose screws, but Mike and Trace are pretty level headed.” He said and stepped over the separator.

        “So you’re not mad?” She asked innocently. She used that tone so he would answer “no” and drop the subject.

        “It’ll just take some getting used to,” his shoulders sank as he gave in. “That’s all.” Alec opened one of the four doors into the little hallway and looked into the little 6x8 room. Jake’s stuff was piled in a corner messily. “Let me take these.” He started shoving his clothes into his bag. Jake only had one bag, and he never used his closet. “The lock combo is your last name in capitals, with your I.D. number.” He said taking the bag out of the room. “Get some sleep, you’ll need it.” He closed her door and she put the bags down.

        They weren’t going to talk about the deaths, all it seemed to do was bring everyone down even more. She changed into Company cargo shorts, a tight black tank top, and then climbed into her twin size bed bolted to the floor near the corner of the room. She wondered whether or not she could actually get any sleep at all. She rubbed her neck, was happy to still be alive after her last trip, and was anxious about this one. Izzy heard TJ enter the room next to hers, he had said something to Trace on the hall way, so she knew it was him.

      “Mike, I have a favor to ask.” Alec said as he entered.

      “Name it.” Mike had a feeling that Alec was going to ask him about something to do with Izzy.

      “I want you to hang out with Izzy, and tell me if you think she can handle being on this Jumper.” Alec said sitting in the pilot’s chair.

      “So you want me,” he paused and motioned toward himself to tell him how strange that was. “A weapons and combat specialist, to baby sit?” He asked slightly annoyed.

“Not in that way, just tell me how you think she will survive out here, that’s all.” He paused to think of ways to get Mike to do it. “Two maybe three days hang out time and that’s it,” He pleaded. “And look on the bright side; we have forty eight hours after this assignment. What do you want to do? You’ll get first pick.” Alec tried to bribe him with privileges.

        “Alec,” he paused “Chill, I’ll hang out with her, but for the record you asked me to, okay?” He cleared this up, for some reason he felt the necessity to.

      “Okay, thanks.” He paused to turn the intercom on. “After this assignment, we have forty-eight hours so get some sleep guys.” He turned the intercom off and had one last thing to say. “Please remember that you know what you are walking into. She doesn’t.” Alec pointed at Mike. Mike got up, climbed down the ladder, and walked toward the cluster of rooms. TJ was playing music, Trace was powered down, and Izzy was in coma like sleep. Mike figured he could start this baby sitting thing after the assignment. He went into his room, took off his goggles, laid in his bed, and fell asleep almost instantly.

          Alec didn’t even make it to his room; he fell asleep in the pilots chair, watching the icy blue ribbons rock him back and forth into a dreamless sleep. Trace woke everyone up about three and a half hours later. Alec was still in full riot gear, so he piloted while everyone else got ready to go. TJ was ready and in the control room, helping Alec do system checks. Trace was in her pajamas in the co-pilots chair, ready to take control of the ship when Alec and everyone had to be in the cargo hold. Mike knocked on Izzy’s door, and she opened it half ready to go, she still didn’t have the vest on, and she was unarmed. He saw her weapons on the small shelf against the wall, and decided that he could try to show off, and if it worked, he was learning to control it.

      “Here,” he said and concentrated on the side arm on the shelf. With quivering uncertainty, he managed to make the gun float into Izzy’s hand. “Still working on it,” he was not too happy with how it had went, but the point was it HAD went. He felt it was an accomplishment.

        “Impressive.” She said walking to the shelf to collect the rest of her weapons. Mike was very proud of himself, he was learning to control it, and if he could get it under complete control, then he would tell Alec. This was something that he was working on for about three months, and he was the only one that knew about it. Well, him and Izzy. She tossed the vest on half zipped, as she went to walk past Mike. He grabbed the vest, stopping her from walking and finished zipping it for her. They both barely fit in the doorway, and were close enough to make each other uncomfortable. “What other tricks might you have?” She said tauntingly as TJ and Alec came sliding down the ladder and into view. Izzy leaned to her right to see past Mike, and then they all headed down to the Cargo bay. TJ and Izzy walked ahead of Mike and Alec, TJ wanted to show her some changes he had made in the Cargo hold. They each stood with weapons ready and watched the door drop open.

        “You and Izzy looked close,” Alec said as they started at a run in the direction of the shelter where the other crew is. TJ paused, and turned around.

        “Trace! Full systems diagnostic on everything by the time I get back!” He yelled up the ladder, and then continued with the crew.

        “That’s what you asked: Watch out for her.” Mike said making sure Izzy couldn’t hear him. He didn’t need her to be mad at him. The last thing anyone could use on a ship was conflict. Izzy looked around this new planet, it was beautiful. Snow lightly covered giant yellow trees with green trunks, and there were so many pretty alien plants scattered everywhere. She could only briefly glance at every thing around her, because the team was not stopping, for any reason whatsoever. They landed in the same spot where Jake got his fatal wound.

        Everyone felt the silence of this place, it’s lack of sound suggested that it lacked any other type of life except the plants. They reached a rock formation and had to climb it. It was no more then five hundred feet up, but it was icy and at almost a perfect fifty degree angle. Alec took the lead up the side of the ledge. TJ was next and had an easier time climbing because all he had to do is follow Alec’s foot steps. Izzy was next and she seemed to be enjoying herself. She loved to go climbing and doing challenging sports, so this looked like fun to her. Mike kept looking behind them to see if there were any of those creatures in sight. Alec reached the top, and grabbed TJ’s arm to help him up the last ledge.          

          The deafening silence made everyone grip their guns a little tighter. Izzy reached the last landing and turned around to find Mike, he was two landings down. She turned and as she put her weight on her left foot, it slid from under her. She slid down the cliff on her side. Mike saw her sliding towards him; he dropped, putting his hands under where her arms slid to. She pushed him down a foot or two as they came to a stop. Alec looked over the edge and was happy to see Mike had caught her before any ledge that would have done serious damage. Mike was inches from her face, and had gotten less then an inch from second base. She looked at the glasses that were in her face, and wondered what eyes sat behind them. Mike sighed, was happy he caught her, and surprised that she wasn’t yelling in pain. TJ and Alec stood peering over the edge, waiting for some sign that everything was okay. Mike scanned her head to toe, then spoke.

          “You okay Ace?” Mike joked, and waited for her to answer.

          “Ego hurts a little.” She joked and slid out from underneath him. They both stood, and brushed themselves off. She stood up, and bowed to Alec and TJ theatrically making light of her slipping and losing balance. Alec clapped, because if she was so eager to poke fun at herself, then he would join in too.

          “Get a move on Z, I don’t want to be here longer then we have to.” Alec called down. “We only have about a hundred meters left, so hurry up.” He added looking toward a warehouse overgrown with trees, bushes and vines. Mike heard the familiar screeches in the distance, and started moving faster. As Mike and Izzy reached the top, Alec and TJ could hear it too. “Am I the only one hearing things?” Alec paused to look around, through the sights on his gun. TJ, Mike, and Izzy all followed his lead, but they saw nothing. Mike stepped toward the edge of the cliff and there they were, climbing the ledge after them.

          “Found ’em.” He said and started sprinting toward the shack. No one wanted to see them, so they took his word for it and sprinted with him. The whole crew jumped over fallen logs, into slushy puddles, and slid the door to the warehouse open. They only opened it a foot or two, so they could squeeze in and close the door quickly. As the door locked, they sighed and looked around. The rusty shack with random chains and switches fell silent. Not even the screeches of those things could be heard in here. It was an eerie peaceful silence that wrapped its arms around you, and made your stomach churn.

          "HELLO?” Mike yelled, not even his voice dared to echo back to him. He took his time looking around the frozen wooden crates; there must have been thousands of them. 

          “Why would anyone leave this much stuff behind?” Alec looked around in amazement. “No, scratch that, I don’t care. Where is this crew?” He looked around the edges of the crates. “Spread out, look for them, note entrances, and possible ways in.” He took a left and disappeared behind a bunch of crates. TJ started opening crates and seeing what was left behind. Mike and Izzy both separated and searched for the crew. Mike had finally met with a corner of the building, and there seemed to be a castle of crates built around the corner. TJ had found metals and cables, such as found in a steel factory.

          Izzy had found a dead end, a med kit that was twice the size of any kit at the Company, and a moment to check her side, which was starting to hurt. She took her vest off, and looked at the side of the white tank top. There was definitely blood. She took the flash light off her gun, angled it at her side. Then turned it on. There it was: more blood. The cuts didn’t look as bad as her last set, but it also hurt on her upper leg, so she pulled the side of her pants down an inch, and there was more blood. She could deal with it back at the ship, nothing was broken or sprained, so she didn’t think it was serious. Izzy pulled her shirt down over her side carefully, and put the vest on unzipped. Then she made her way to Mike with the med kit, who was yelling he had found them. TJ met with Izzy at a four way intersection, and they all climbed over crates to find Mike’s echoing voice in the giant metal ware house.

          “We have four here.” Mike stood with two people. There were two bodies leaned against the wall.

          “Are you sure we don’t have three?” TJ looked to the blood covered man leaning against the wall. Izzy tapped him with her hand, telling him that he had been sufficiently abrasive. Mike threw TJ a glance telling him that was out of line. “It was a valid question, look at him.” TJ motioned to him in his defense.

            “Still out of line,” Mike pointed at him. “He has a steady pulse, and we’re going to get everyone out of here.” He paused to looked for Alec. “Where is he?” Mike asked looking over the crates with some effort. Alec walked across the crates and bypassed the labyrinth. They all waited for him to jump down.

            “TJ, you have four bodies, get a way to move them fast, we can all meet near the doors over there. Do I need to help one of you?” Alec looked to the Captain of the other group.

            “They need to be moved, but Laura and I can move one of them.” The Captain spoke up. Alec looked at the two men across the room against the wall, and wondered if the one covered in blood was alive. He wasn’t going to ask, that would be mean.

“Alright start moving everyone toward the door. TJ, start one of your contraption action things. Mike, Izzy, start moving the crew. I’ll walk on the crates and show you the quickest way.” Alec looked over the maze as TJ pulled himself up onto the crates. TJ walked along the crates toward the giant sliding doors on the other end of the ware house. Izzy and Mike grabbed the arms of the blood covered man, heaved them over their shoulders and followed the lead of the Capitan of the other crew and Laura.

As Mike pulled the man’s arm over his shoulder, then noticed that Izzy’s vest was unzipped. He was ready to ask her about it, but then realized that Alec would hear them, so he’d ask later. Alec jumped from one row of crates to another, staying ahead of the group. The color of the dried blood seemed to match the rusted walls, and contrast the very light wooden crates. They made it to the doors as TJ started taking apart his gun. “TJ, what’s the quickest way to get them back to the ship?” Alec asked jumping down into the maze and scanning the items TJ had spread out on the floor. Mike and Izzy started helping with small medical needs of the other crew.

            “Sled, metal bottom, steel cables, won’t be a very comfortable ride, but I think they’ll get over it.” He pulled a small pen size laser-welder out of his vest and hooked it to his gun. Sparks flew and the metal melted together. Alec looked to Mike and Izzy; they were taking care of the Captain and Laura. Izzy set Laura’s arm, while Mike looked at the familiar purple spike through the Captain’s upper arm, and synged the cut above his eye. Mike turned, walked toward TJ and attempted to help him set up what ever he needed. TJ looked at Mike standing on the edge of his sled in pieces in confusion. He already knew what Mike was going to ask, and was trying to work quickly. “Don’t need help, but thanks. Work on the crew.” TJ watched Mike walk back around the crate and to the other crew. Alec stood at the door, with his gun drawn; he was going to attempt to open the door. He pointed the gun at the small crack that let a dusting of snow float in. He cracked it a centimeter further, so he could stick the barrel of his gun out the door to look down the scope. There was nothing, not even little creature foot prints, all that he saw was the spread out Company issue shoe prints in the snow. With a sigh he closed the door, and checked on his crew’s progress.

            “Mike, I want your opinion.” Alec paused as Mike walked to his side. They both stared at the giant metal sled that was starting to come together. “Logistic problems,” Alec mumbled as the Captain and Laura walked to their side.

              “There’s four of them, four of us, plus the sled. Everyone would have to run that terrain pulling double, maybe triple their weight.” Mike looked to Laura and the Captain that stood next to them, rather alert, and acting seemingly unharmed.

              “I can run it.” The Captain said shrugging.

              “You’re sure?” Alec asked.

              “Me too, it’s my arm that’s broken, not my leg.” Laura added.

              “Well, then it would work.” Mike looked to Alec for his approval. Alec looked the Captain over; he seemed fine, other than the bamboo rod through his arm. He was covered in blood, but it looked like it was only from his elbows down, suggesting that it was only from one of his less than fortunate crew members. He could run it. Laura shifted her weight, and then adjusted her arm brace; if he told her she couldn’t run it she’d be mad. Most men at the Company didn’t want a girl on their ship, and considered them ‘the weaker sex’, but she wasn’t going to say anything, because Alec did have a girl on his team. She was more then able to run the distance back. Alec finally came to the conclusion that there was no reason they couldn’t help, that and there was no other way.

              “Okay, give them weapons, and try to get the other two set up and as comfortable as they’re going to get.” Alec saw no other way to get all eight people off this planet. He didn’t like making the injured do work, but they offered, and that spike wasn’t going to come out of the Captain’s arm unless they were on the Star Jumper. The Captain of the other crew watched TJ put his gun back together.

              “He carries all that, all the time?” The Captain asked Alec while he watched TJ put his tools in various pockets.

              “He’s weird like that.” Alec shrugged, crossed his arms, and looked over to see what Mike was doing. Then both he and Mike looked to where Izzy should have been. Alec shot Mike a glance of questioning. So Mike walked away from the conversation that the Captains were having, and went to look for Izzy.

              There was no way he was going to find her by walking the floor, so he climbed onto the crates and walked around looking for her. He crossed over to another row of crates, and found the dead end Izzy had found before; this time Izzy had found it intentionally. He sat on the crates and watched her slip off her vest in pain. She sucked her teeth and pulled the side of her shirt up to look at her side again. She pressed the gauze soaked in alcohol onto her side, and kept extremely quiet. The white gauze turned red as her teeth grinded and tears ran from her eyes, but she was silent. She pulled the stretchy shirt back down over the gauze and picked up her vest. As she walked out and slid her vest on, Mike jumped down in front of her.

            “Hey.” He said wondering what she might say back.

            “Hey.” She said and kept her arm against her side so the vest would cover her red shirt.



              “You okay?” He asked. He held his hand up to wipe a tear from her face, but she grabbed his arm and spun to the side.

              “Fine, why do you ask?” She said letting his arm go. He didn’t have times to play this game; they had to get back soon. He used his other arm grabbed her vest and yanked it off; she grabbed her side, making an attempt to hide it. Mike felt kind of bad for blowing up her spot, but she was supposed to tell her commanding officer when she was hurt.

            “You won’t get in trouble for getting hurt, and I’m sure Alec would go easy on you,” Mike thought that was the only reason she wouldn’t tell anyone.

            “I don’t need him to go easy on me, I made an error. I’ll take care of it back on the ship,” She tried not to sound too rude, but he was really nosey.

            “You’re going to synge your self?” He asked with interest. “That would be impossible to synge your self properly, ‘cause of the angle, and the amount of precision needed.” He looked her side over and thought about it. “Why don’t you have Trace do it? That’s what she’s there for.” Mike saw a safer way to get things done. Izzy didn’t know that Trace was programmed to do anything Company medics could do.

          “Okay, so, are they almost ready to go?” She asked changing subjects.

          “Why didn’t you want anyone to see that you were hurt?” Mike asked handing her the vest. She zipped the vest up all the way as they climbed the crates again.

          “Cause people tend to want to help, or pity me. I really don’t need either.” She didn’t want to get attached to this crew, cause she didn’t ever want the to feel the loss she felt on her last ship. The doors got closer as they jumped to another row of crates. Mike knew how she felt, but didn’t agree with it anymore.

          “You don’t need them, but sometimes they’re nice to have. Even if it is just for scraped egos.” Mike jumped down to the sled, which was now being loaded with the two men from the other crew. The bloody man was starting to wake, and the other one remained unconscious. Izzy jumped down, stood next to Alec, and waited for the next step. TJ tossed the useless parts aside, because there were less people on the sled, they needed less space.

            “We can’t take them down the ledge without sedatives, pain from that alone would kill them.” Mike looked at the man waking and didn’t want to drag him down the ledge. Alec looked at the cables then to TJ putting his gun back together, then to Izzy, waiting to be told what to do. “Never mind, we don’t have any, let’s get this over with.” Mike stood in front of the sled and handed TJ his four rock climbing latches.

          “You’re running four hooks; take it easy please, the metal’s still hot.” TJ hooked the steel cable to the loops on the back of Mike’s vest. Izzy took his right side, and handed TJ the latches from the right bottom pocket in her vest. TJ hooked her cables up, and slowly everyone was hooked along the front of the sled. “Okay,” TJ paused to hook his last cable on. “Weapons ready. It’s a pretty straight path to the Star Jumper, but there’s a ledge about a hundred meters or so ahead. There are handles here and here, jump on, hold on, and pray you don’t fall off.” TJ pointed to the six sets of handles in between the two men that were strapped down to the sled. They had latched the same loops on the two men’s’ vests to the sled, so they wouldn’t fall off.

          “Keep you weapons up, move fast and if they are too close to shoot, stomp on them. Ready?” Alec asked as they all pulled the door open fully. They started at a run without answering him. There it was again, that silence that cradled them into a false sense of security. The teams knew better though, they had already met this planet’s people.

          They reached the edge of the ledge, then stood on the sled and held the handles as they slid down the separate landings. It would have been fun, if they were properly locked into the sled, instead of holding on to a newly welded handle, and were flying down ledges they could very well die on. The sled kept moving for another hundred yards after they got off the ledge, then the crews got off and continued running. Izzy couldn’t help but thinking that was fun, though she was too out of breath to be able to say anything. They got to the landing site in record time, but Trace wasn’t there, and the screeches started ringing in Mikes ears. Mike listened closely; he tried to listen past Alec yelling into his radio for Trace to get down here. Everyone turned with their backs to the sled and kept their guns tucked tightly to their shoulders. They scanned high in the trees and low near the ground, but no one could see anything. The Jumper practically fell out of the sky and landed ten feet away from them. The Cargo bay door slid down and open. The team ran in, not wanting a repeat of the last trip to this planet. The Cargo bay doors shut; Alec unzipped his vest and bolted toward the control room. They needed to get everyone healed and get out of that system.

          “Everyone to Sickbay, I’ll work on getting them to their ship.” Alec skipped bars up the ladder to the Control Room. Everyone unhooked each others vests and started moving the two men to Sickbay. TJ started dismantling the sled and putting all the parts into a crate, they would be useful in trade. Mike, Izzy, the Captain, and Laura moved the two men to Sickbay, and onto two of the four operating tables then Trace came in and looked over both of them. She started working in silence; she cut the clothes of the blood covered man and tossed a sheet over his waist. Deep lacerations and loss of blood seemed to be the only problem with him.

            She poured the entire bottle of alcohol over his back, and started synging quickly. Mike sat Laura on one of the other tables and started to look at her arm. She took her vest off, as well as the make shift brace on her arm. Mike went through the drawers in the cabinets against the wall. He pulled out a white metal sleeve that covered her forearm. He snapped the brace to her arm skin tight and she flexed, to check that it wasn’t too tight. Izzy motioned for the Captain to have a seat on the free table.

            “She’s set.” Mike handed her the vest from the floor.

            “Thanks, where do you want us to be until your Captain gets us to our ship?” She asked looking to her crew mates. Mike shrugged and walked over to help Izzy. They both looked at the long bamboo rod that was lodged in his upper arm and had taken some skin off of his side under his arm. “Okay, do we know what the damage is?” He asked touching the rod and watching the Captain flinch.

            “Somehow missed everything but a muscle, but ripped skin under his arm.” Izzy readied the gauze next to the Captain’s arm. Mike grabbed the rod and gripped as tight as he could.

            “Ready?” He looked to the Captain. He gripped the side of the table, and nodded. “One, two, three.” The rod made the sound of a plastic rain stick as it slid out. The Captain didn’t say anything. He looked his arm over and waited for someone to fix it. Izzy took the gauze, soaked up the blood quickly, started synging his arm, and his side. He got up holding his arm and moved it every which way he could think of.

            “As far as the muscle you’ll have to work that back up to the strength of the other arm.” Izzy started cleaning the blood off of the table. She dropped all bloody material into the trash, and then looked up to find Laura sitting with the unconscious man, holding his hand. They were probably dating. Izzy assumed for quite some time because the Captain seemed to be sympathetic, which meant he had gotten over the fact that they had started going out in the first place. Izzy was so wrapped up with the drama of the other crew; she hadn’t noticed Mike standing in between her and Laura. She blinked a few times, then stood up straight and cleared her throat. “Yea?” She asked looking Mike in the glasses. She couldn’t say eye’s because she had never seen them, but she still looked.

            “Want some help with your side?” He asked, looking at her shirt that was starting to bleed. If other people were being taken care of, then why not her?

            “I can do it myself.” She tried to stay separate from this crew. Making attachments in a crew was asking to get hurt.

            “I know, just thought I’d ask.” He started to walk away slowly. She didn’t really want him to go, he seemed to really actually care. He thought that showing he was only being nice would somehow convince her to let him help.

            “But I could use some help.” She said choking on her ego. If he could extend the courtesy, then she could make an attempt to be friendly. He turned, showed no sign of being happy with winning, grabbed the synger off the table, and waited for her to move her shirt. She pulled the side of her shirt up to her arm pit and looked away. He synged her side from top to bottom. She clenched her teeth in pain.

            “Does it go past your pant line?” He asked stopping centimeters from her pants. She nodded and he paused for a minute. “Would you like Trace to do it? She would only take a moment and I could fill in for her over there,” Mike suggested.

“It’s only a few inches past my pants, I think I could do that myself.” She held her hand out for the synger. He had made progress, she let him help, so he handed her the synger and walked over to Trace. Izzy pulled the curtain around the area she was in, slid her pants to her knees and synged quickly.