Gaslight

The last of the gas has been loaded in the shuttled. It had been an interesting game of tetris to cram them all in neatly and safely. Vas was sure he and Serena weren't going to have a problem squeezing in but Patch was going to have really suck it in.

“Serena, go tell Patch we are loaded and ready? I’ll warm up the engines and get her set.” He asked as he scratched his head figuring out the path of least resistance to get to the pilots seat.

“You got it, Crew Chief,” she called, her pigtails swaying behind her. “MISTER KEYNOTESKI!” she hollered as she skipped off.

“... and there she goes.” Vas chuckled, shaking his head.

Patch scribbled a couple of last minute notes to his parts wish list, double checked his necessary tools on his belt in the likely event he’d have to strip the part off himself and took one last look in the mirror and hastily ran a hand through his hair. *Good enough*, he thought as he heard Serena’s call echo through the corridor. “Comin’ up now, kid!” he shouted back to the young girl as he instinctively patted his shirt pocket...then his pants pockets and looked around the room. He always felt like he was forgetting something. Since no sign of it came to him, he shrugged the feeling off and made his way out of his room and towards Serena’s call. “Good to go!” the old mechanic said cheerily to the girl skipping towards him.

“Crew Chief says we’re loaded an’ ready, an’ he’s warming up the engines. I hope they have a vending machine. Do you think they’ll have a vending machine? You put credits in and then it gives you something like a can of soda or a candy bar - something with sugar. If they have a vending machine, do you think we could get something from it?”

Patch chuckled. *This kid’s like a dog with a bone when she gets somethin’ in her head”*, he mused to himself. “Vendin’ machine?” the old man thought aloud, looking up and pursing his lips to emphasize the depth of his consideration of the question. “Yeah, I don’t see why not!” he shrugged. “I mean, if it’s one a the bigger stations, they’ll probably have a whole bunch *and* a food court!” he added, clapping his hands together and mirroring the young girl’s enthusiasm.

“I hope so,” she said, skipping ahead of him. “Crew chief loves a good food court!” Serena was pleased as punch to get to go to the station. Being a spacer for life had a few advantages, like the fact that she could fully operate a quick lift, which they might need. Plus she was smaller than Gil, and Crew Chief said there wasn’t going to be a lot of room, what with the three of them and all the canisters. “I found ‘em,” she let the Chief know. “And he said there might be a vending machine.”

“You just wana push the buttons.” Vas accused from the shuttle. “I am so gettin’ some crisps …” Vas nodded flicking switches. “Go and get yourself squeezed in and strapped in.”

Serena hurried to do just that. “I get to push the buttons for your crisps,” she called. “On account of I know the letters!”

Patch looked mournfully at the sparse amount of passenger space left, what with canisters filling just about every free nook and cranny of the little shuttle. He scoped out a spot he thought might work and began wriggling into that spot, huffing and grunting the entire time. “You think...we got room?!” The old mechanic joked as he breathlessly struggled with the seating arrangement. “Maybe...we can...wait for crisps...til [i]AFTER[/i]...we get rid...of these…[i]CANISTERS[/i]!”, his last word sounding like an exclamation of victory as it was timed with the last shove of his large frame into the tight quarters.

“Just suck it in old man you can do it!” Vas encouraged from the pilots seat. “Just don’t knock anything over. Deep breath.”

Serena giggled as Mr. Kangarooski tugged at the straps until they closed. He looked a lot like Daisy when she tried to wedge herself into places she could no longer fit since she was outgrowing puppyhood. “Don’t worry,” She told him. “All we gotta bring back is your parts and whatever Crew Chief finds to eat. You should have more room then on account of you look kinda squashed.”

“On account a I [i]am[/i] kinda squashed!” the burly mechanic jokingly corrected the girl. “Wait!” he paused for effect. “Ya might be able to fit a couple chips...right there.” he said as he pointed to a small space in front of him and strained to laugh.

Serena covered her mouth to stifle the giggle fit that prompted. “We’re all set Crew Chief!” she happily called, louder than necessary.

“Arrite … we are sealed and ready.” Vas said clicking on the radio. “Drake we are good to go. Be back in a few.”

“Copy.” Drake chirped back.

“Should I, uh, hold the hatch shut?” Patch offered, playfully feigning concern. “Ya know...ta keep the air in?”

“Good to have options thanks for volunteering.” Vas snarked back.

The shuttle slid out from its slip, the canisters tinkling a bit before they shuttle detached and flew to the small floating station suspended in the black. It was a short hop and soon, they landed safe and sound in the station's docking bay. The station itself wasn’t exactly big, but it made clear why it necessitated taking the shuttle.

“Now … getting back out …” Vas said unbuckling looking through the maze of canisters as the loading ram opened up. “Who wants to volunteer to go first … Patch ...:”

The mechanic leapt at the opportunity. Or, at least, he [i]would[/i] have if his gorram leg hadn’t fallen asleep on the short trip. With all of the grace of a newborn deer, the big man fumbled and stumbled his way out of the small shuttle. Once outside, he regained his footing from the awkward display and said confidently, “There! Piece a cake!”

Serena giggled and easily shimmied out of the craft, quickly scanning the area for vending machines. “Hello?” She called loudly - wanting to hear the echo.

Vas took a little longer than expected, being extra careful and all. He let out a breath when he finally extracted himself from the shuttle. “Okay so we gotta …” Vas paused looking around. “ … where is everyone?” Vas conjured a few things. Everyone was dead and there was a roving alien ready to pounce on them, that may or may not have been the plot of a book he just finished reading. Or … they were all hiding. Reasons. “I’d say spread out and look around but that's usually the person the Alien eats first.”

Patch looked over at Serena and then back to Vas. “Send the veal first”, he said, motioning his head in the girl's direction, “I’m just fat and gristle.”

“I’ll go!” Serena offered. “On account of I’m not scared and I can run faster than Mister Karmaski.”

“Just remember the alien groin ain’t always twix it’s legs … just hit the lumpiest part of it and if you so happened to die horribly by being chewed to death … die loudly to warn the rest of us.” Vas winked, chuckling. “I want crisps and a soda … one of the fruit flavored one … not the brown prune tasting crap.” Vas said diggin in a pocket for credits. “Just in case you find a vending machine before the Alien finds you.”

“You got it, Crew Chief!” The teen said, taking his credits. “You want the good soda.  And I think you gotta use the cortex over there to check in, on account of that’s how we used to do it on my old ship. Watch out, they scan your eyeball.”

“Wait! Didn’t you just say [i]not[/i] to split up?” Patch pointed out. “Ya send her an’ now [i]she’s[/i] the one the alien eats! Hang on, kid, I’m comin’ with. ‘Sides, I gotta see what’s what with scoring potential parts on this rig.” The mechanic followed along behind the teen.

“Oh protect the girl the Alien will probably take as a pet but not the Crew Chief. I see how it is. If I get chewed by IT … it’s your fault. I blame you Patch.” Vas joked, poking the core. “Is there a kill setting …”

“Well, since the alien thing was all your idea anyways,” Patch noted, “I’m sure you’ll figure somethin’ out!” With that, he gave a confident thumbs up to the Crew Chief.

“Inspiring. Great talk.” Vas laughed.

Serena waited impatiently. There could be soda being popped open already!  “I don’t think there’s an alien, or any reavers, Mr. Kayakski. But don’t worry, I won’t leave you to be eaten if there is. ‘Sides, who’s to say aliens [i]want[/i] to eat us? I think we wouldn’t taste so good. It’s the reavers you gotta watch out for, on account of they do worse stuff. Much worse. What kind of candy are you gonna get?”

“Fair enough. Least an alien won’t rape the duck before eating it.” Vas said, finding Serena's logic sound.

Patch blinked for a long moment. “Ok, one...here I was just worried about aliens. You know what Reavers could do to me? I’ve got enough skin to upholster a [i]sofa[/i]! And two...what is this obsession with [i]duck[/i]?? And why-” the mechanic thought better about asking about the last part of the Crew Chief’s statement. He might not [i]ever[/i] be able to scrub the answer from his mind if he found out.

“First, Duck is amazing. Second, you strike me more as a throw blanket, Patch.” Vas smirked. “Oh I dunno Serena … maybe something … lemony or sour.” He mused.

“He’s right. Duck is amazing,” Serena nodded, jerking her head down the corridor. “Come on! Fore we have to go back!”

The old mechanic shook his head in disbelief. “Reavers”, he muttered as he pulled a screwdriver from his toolbelt, held is as best he could as an impromptu stabbing implement and followed after the girl.

“Good luck [i]that[/i].” Vas snarked at Patches shiv. “Screw the Reaver before he can screw you.” He called out as Patch walked away. “I’m hilarious.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t think there are any reavers,” Serena reassured. “You can usually hear ‘em. Mostly.  I think the only ones here are you, me an’ the Crew Chief. Dunno if we’re gonna find your parts.” [i]Or more importantly, any vending machines.[/i]

Patch reluctantly agreed. “Yeah,” he sighed, “this looks like it might be one a them automated setups. You know what [i]that[/i] means.” The mechanic gave Serena a worrying look.

“No soda,” she replied letting her shoulders drop.

“No vendin’ machines period.” the old mechanic lamented. Just then, it hit him. “The break room!” Patch exclaimed. “These long haul spacers are sometimes stuck in places like this for a while while they load and unload, right?”

“Yes!” Serena agreed. “The Skyhook once had to wait near 8 hours at a place just like this one. If we find a break room, we’ll find machines!”

Patch redoubled his pace following Serena. If he was destined to strike out on parts, then gorrammit, he was [i]not[/i] going to strike out on snacks! He was determined to make that uncomfortable trip worth it! They made their way through the snaking hallways until they could see a small break room up ahead. It was one of the few areas on the station with floor to ceiling windows to allow the sterile blue-tinged fluorescent glow to bleed out into the hallway where it beckoned weary spacers like moths to a salty, fatty, sugary flame.

Just like Mr. Korrectski said, there [i]were[/i] in fact vending machines, two of them, one which gave out fruity, sugary drinks, and also for whatever reason sold plain old dumb tasteless water, and the other filled with crisps, chips, candy and even -- the teens eye’s lit up - processed two in the package iced cakes! “What are you gonna get?” She asked, bouncing on her toes.

“Well,” Patch considered his options carefully, “the Crew Chief wanted some crisps an’ a lemon drink. So we can grab those. For me? Hmmm.” The old mechanic looked over the prepackaged choices with the utmost seriousness. “I’m thinkin’...” his finger hovered over the glass until he found his target, “...the cakes!” He said confidently. “And the rope chews” he quickly amended his choice.

Serena’s gaze followed the two cupcakes as the machine whirled and dropped them to the bottom. She scrunched up her face for a moment in thought. “You know, there’s two cakes in that package…” She offered. “So if I get something, else, me and you could split it up and each have a cake AND a candy.  And crew chief wants a sour candy, but a fruity drink, not a lemon drink, on account of he likes the purple or the red usually. And the red bag of crisps. Do you wanna [i]share[/i] something, Mister Kindheartski?”

 “With you, kid? Of course!” Patch said with a smile. “But…” he pointed, “...what if…”, he dropped another credit into the machine and pressed the button for another package of cakes. “Oops!” the mechanic chuckled. “Well, now we’re stuck with extra! Oh well.” he playfully lamented and put in for his rope candy as well. He looked over the drinks machine and selected a nice brown fizzy one.

“Crew chief doesn’t like brown soda,” she prattled, selecting a sour candy and crisps for Vas. “I haven’t found one yet that I didn’t like.” After careful deliberation, she selected a candy filled with coconut, and drops that would taste like lychee. “I like the drops on account of you can enjoy ‘em for a long, long, long time.” She told him. “The lieutenant said they’re disgusting, on account of your constantly swallowing flavored spit, but that’s only on account of she doesn’t enjoy nothing.  “Wanna half a coconut cream?”

“Only if you help me eat all a these cakes I’m now stuck with.” Patch jokingly counter-offered.

“Oh, I’d be happy to do that!” She told him, ushering him to one of the small tables. “Crew Chief won’t mind if we take a couple of minutes to eat on account of then he can take a break. But we should save something for the ride back too, I’ll share my lychee drops.”

“How can I pass up havin’ flavored spit??” the old mechanic laughed heartily. He admittedly felt a little guilty leaving Vas to all the work while they enjoyed a snack. “Ok, but let’s be quick.” He joined Serena at the small table. “I still gotta make a good impression bein’ the new guy an’ all, ya know? I don’t wanna look like I’m some sorta slacker.” Patch laid out their vending machine haul on the table so they could choose what to have first. “Hmmm...I’m bettin’ ya wanna start with one a the cakes, yeah?”

“You bet I do!” Serena said. “One cake, one coconut cream, then you can go an’ make a good impression. I do impressions sometimes too. You wouldn’t survive the Gorram Academy!  -- That’s the lieutenant.  Ah think you should have anothah cookie…. That was Mr. Cortez. I am sooooooo good lookin’. That’s Drake. He doesn’t actually say that, but he should - all the time,” she nodded.

Patch nearly spat out the mouthful of cupcake at the young girl’s impressions. “I dunno who this Cortez fella is, but that’s a pretty good Lieutenant!” He choked a little bit from laughing with food in his mouth but managed to fight it down, moving it along with a healthy gulp of fizzy drink. The old man let out a few heavy coughs to clear his airway before he was interrupted with a surprisingly loud burp from the soda. He looked momentarily embarrassed, his eyes still tearing from choking on the cupcake before finally letting out laugh. “You tryin’ to [i]kill[/i] me, kid??” he protested, simultaneously laughing and coughing.

Serena slapped the man on the back between his shoulder blades. “Nuh uh,” she said earnestly. “On account of we don’t have much luck with mechanics as it is! Are you okay? I can go get a bottle of water if you need it.” Suddenly it made more sense. The vending machine sold water just in case of choking. Smart.

Patch caught his breath and waved a hand at the offer for water. “I’m…” his sentence punctuated with one last cough, “...I’m good.” He took a moment to catch his breath and let out a big “Whoooo!” of a sigh before digging right back into the rest of that cupcake. “Honestly, I thought you was gonna be [i]wearin’[/i] that cupcake, kid!” he teased.

“I suggested that once to Gil, only he turned redder than the Crew Chief’s soda,” she confided. “An’ speaking of, we gotta go so you can make your good impression. “

Patch stifled a chuckle and considered clarifying what he meant to the girl, but decided to just leave it alone for risk of finding out the exact details of this cupcake encounter with Gil. “Lead on, lil Miss!” he said happily, gathering up their remaining loot to head back to the docking bay.

Serena happily led the way back to the ship, a sugary skip to her step. The corridors all looked the same.. One-two-three-four, she counted making a left turn. One-two-three, another left. One-two-three-four-five… was it five? Four? Wait, six? She furrowed her brow.

Patch followed behind the happy teen. After a few minutes, however, it felt like it was taking longer than it should. “You sure we’re goin’ the right way, kid?” The old man looked around at corridors leading to the other loading docks, but, frankly, they all looked the same. [i]Gorrammit! I shoulda checked the bay number before we took off![/i], he cursed to himself. He turned in the opposite direction of the girl and called down the hall. “Crew Chief!” He waited for a response. Nothing. He turned back to Serena. “I dunno...maybe we got onto the wrong side of the station? Can’t be that big, right?”

“No, I’m sure this was right,” she said -- not sounding sure of that in the least. “Mostly. CREW CHIEF?”  She hollered louder. Silence, nothing responded by her echo. “It’s -- two more down this way.” Serena offered. She didn’t like the feeling of being lost, the uneasy feeling stirring in the pit of her stomach. What if something happened to him? What if they were lost forever? What if they were [i] left?[/i] The crew chief wouldn’t let that happen. He was crew. He’d sooner die than leave his people somewhere, marooned.

Patch sighed in resignation. “Alright, kid.” he agreed, drained now of the confidence he had in her navigation skills just a few moments ago. He thought about the size of the station on approach. “I mean, if we just stick to the main corridors, we’re [i]bound[/i] to run into him, right?” The old man tried to sound reassuring but he was increasingly worried how bad this was going to look. The Lieutenant was already angry with him over the food supply situation, he didn’t want to add flighty or incompetent to the list of gripes she’d surely have with him if they took too long.

The lights turned off, throwing the pair in darkness. The fluorescent light glow fading the hum they would normally make vanished, leaving the station noticeably quieter.

“Uh oh,” Serena said softly. “What do you think happened to the lights?”

A flashlight pulled off the mechanic’s belt winked to life, illuminating both of their faces. Patch smirked mischievously. “Seems like your Chief enjoys pullin’ pranks. Ok! What does he normally do? Jump out an’ scream or…” the mechanic left the question open for the girl to fill in whatever Vas might be up to. He wasn’t above some good natured hazing.

“He doesn’t normally do anything on account of he doesn’t pull pranks, on account of he’s not the sort to prank, an’ I don’t think I’d like it so much. And I’d be right, I don’t like it so much.” The teen replied. “CREW CHIEF?”

Steps could be heard in the distance and the sudden scrape of metal on metal.

“Crew Chief??” Patch called out in the direction of the noise, his voice cracking. “C...c’mon...you’re scaring the kid!” There was no conviction in his tone. The old man tried his best to not appear spooked, but it wasn’t working.

Serena’s eyes narrowed into the darkness, straining to see.  “Hello?” She tried. “If you think you’re gonna rob us, my Crew Chief’ll bite your throat out!” She warned.

“If that ain’t the Crew Chief,” Patch said to Serena in a hushed voice, “they might’ve already [i]got[/i] ‘im!”

“They hurt the Crew Chief an’ [i]I’ll[/i] bite their throat’s out,” she warned back in the same hushed tone. “Then I gotta find a tree.”

The sound of footstep and scraping metal stopped for a moment. Then continued as if changing directions.

“Oh, my friends, don't you know, how a long time ago ... there were two little children, whose names I don't know?” Said a hoarse and raspy voice, coughing.

Patch strained to make out the voice. It [i]could[/i] be Vas, but he wasn’t quite sure. “Is that him?” he whispered nervously to the girl.

Serena’s eyes stayed narrowed. “Yes but no,” She said cryptically. “Yes it’s his voice only no on account of he doesn’t talk like that.”

“Terrific.” Patch whispered back. “Then I’m relieved but not.” he said, dripping with fear-laced sarcasm.

“And they sobbed, and they sighed, And they bitterly cried … ‘til at last they grew weary … And lay down and died.” The voice along with the footsteps and scraping metal stopped suddenly.

“Oh, babes in the woods, Poor babes in the woods, How sad is the story Of the babes in the woods.” The voice croaked and cracked, sounding as if he was just about to turn the corner.

“I don’t like this,” Serena said to herself out loud. “Come on, Mr. Kowalski, we have to find the crew chief, the [i]real[/i] crew chief.” She tugged on his shirt sleeve.

“Y...yeah, kid…” Patch agreed nervously. He did his best to put on a brave face and- [i]Wait, did she just-[/i], he pushed the weird sensation of hearing her finally getting his name right out of his mind. He pressed the handle of the screwdriver into Serena’s palm with a silent insistence that she take it. His now free hand fumbled on his toolbelt until it came upon a socket wrench handle that he freed from its holster to re-arm himself. He squared his shoulders and readied himself calling out one last time. “Crew Chief! Cut the shit, alright!? It’s not funny anymore!!”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny.” The voice rasped from around the corner. “Who’s Crew Chief? My story only had two in it, not three.” The voice croaked coughing.

“Who are you and where is my Crew Chief?” Serena demanded, using her strongest voice.  She slid the screwdriver into her overalls pocket. Now was not the time to be fixing shit. Keep steady, keep cool, that’s what the Crew Chief would say, confidence, let them know you ain’t gonna take to being messed with. Inside her chest, her heart beat faster than the steel drums on Pelorum, but this… whoever this was impersonating the voice of her Crew Chief, well, he was in for it when the real Crew Chief found out.

Patch shone the flashlight where he last heard what he now wasn’t sure was Vas’s voice. If Serena wasn’t convinced, he wasn’t one to argue. He scanned the hallway trying to catch a glimpse of their antagonist. Once they figured out who [i]he[/i] was, they could try and find out what happened to the Crew Chief.

The light roamed, revealing Vas who shied from the light with a grimace. He was chalky and pale, given his darker skin tone that was a feat. He was a bit wobbly on his feet, his nose bleed freely dripping down his face. Bloody smear marks across his face  and splotches on his sleeve show how he tried to wipe it away a few times. The most striking change was his eyes, bloodshot and his pupils so dilated, nearly all the blue was gone. “Haven’t seen anyone else. Woke up not too long ago … I have questions.” He stated.

“Crew Chief!” Serena said, swearing under her breath, a sense of relief actually washing over her until she saw the state he was in. “What happened! Who did this? …” She moved towards him, “and what did you do to them?”

Patch let out a big sigh of relief which was replaced by concern over Vas’s condition. He put his screwdriver back into his toolbelt and headed over to help prop up the Crew Chief. “Yeah,” the mechanic followed up Serena’s interrogation, “we only left ya a little bit ago!”

“My name is [i]Vas[/i] not whoever [i]Crew Chief[/i] is.” He hissed eyes narrowing into glare. The hand gripping the broken pipe tightened. “I already told you. I’ve only found two here so far … where did you see your Crew Chief last.” Vas said with a cough.

“What are you [i]talking[/i] about?” Serena asked with a nervous induced giggle. “Only found two what? An’  I haven’t called you your name since I been on the ship. Are you okay? I got your red soda, there’s sugar. Sugar might help with … your cough and stuff. It’s red even, your favorite.”

Patch offered to let Vas put an arm over his shoulder to steady him. “Well, whatever happened to ya, you...well...ya look like shit, Crew-...Vas…” The mechanic wasn’t sure why but calling Vas by his title seemed to be agitating him somehow. So he figured better to break protocol if it keeps him from getting in a worse state than he’s already in.

Vas balked at Patch’s attempt to get close, worse his seeming familiarity! “I feel like you’re not paying attention. Maybe I’m moving too fast but that’s what happens when you try to rush I suppose ...” He paused feeling like he had said that before and shook his head. “ … I don’t think either of you are taking me very seriously.” Vas said, his voice raspy and cold. He wiped more blood from his nose, smearing it across his face.

Serena gasped audibly and held her breath,  dropping both pop cans to the ground. A small pool of sparkly red and purple liquid pooled around her feet, which elicited a squeak from the back of her throat. One hand protectively covered the other as she brought them both to her chin, slowly backing away, Her eyes darted from the Crew…. Vas to the corridor and all of her muscles tensed. [i]Say it.[/i]

Patch was now stuck in a No Man’s Land between what appeared to be a very sick Crew Chief and a now visibly upset deckhand. “Listen, I dunno what’s goin’ on, but...why don’t we go have a seat maybe in the break room? Get a drink or somethin’?” He hoped the offer would ease whatever was going on here.

Vas starred at Serena's his head tilted slightly. “You know me.” He locked eyes with her. The would be the best one to give him answers but the big guy was in the way. Well … that was easy math. The punk lashed out at Patch with a knee to the man's big gut and cracking him with an elbow across the chin.

The old mechanic was considerably bigger than the punk, but he never saw the hit coming. As he instinctively raised his arms to cradle his stomach, the elbow to the face sent him spinning to the floor, crashing hard. He laid there stunned for a long moment.

“Run,” Serena said under her breath, not entirely sure if she was talking to the mechanic or herself. The pool of liquid beneath her feet only served to fuel the panic that washed over the teen like a tidal wave, and before Mr. Kowalski had a chance to hit the ground, the pigtailed deckhand disappeared into the darkness.

“No don't …” Vas started before she darted off. “ … fucking dammit, why do they always make me work for it.” He grumbled giving chase.

If the teen was able to think rationally, she’d have been grateful for the months of training, horse stance had made her legs stronger but that would do little good if she ran flat out into a storage container.  At the same time, she didn’t feel stronger, she felt the same as she had on the skyhook - helpless.

Running on the balls of her feet to make as little sound as possible, Serena tried to put as much distance between her and [i] Vas[/i] as she could, hugging close to the storage containers so she could tell where one ended and the next began. Her hand throbbed psychosomatically, and her breath caught in her throat, causing a sharp ache that threatened to choke the life from her.

Vas’s breath was labored but the thud of his boots was still in ear shot. He took a moment to catch his breath. “Ollie ollie oxen free?” He chuckled. “You know … you don’t have to make this hard kid.” He said aloud walking along a storage container.

Serena slipped between two of the containers, feeling her way til it ended, then with slighter confidence and speed headed between the next two, hoping to throw him off the trail. But to do what? Wait him out? Get back to the shuttle and -- Get back to the shuttle. That was it. That was the plan. Stay calm. Find the shuttle. Get back to the shuttle. That’s the plan, she told herself, as if it would somehow make it possible.

“I’ll tell you what …” Vas said lazily. “ … You can come out and play nice or, and i am just spitballing here, I can introduce Mr. Pipey to you buddy brainpan back there. Either way it’ll make my life easier. Less folk to deal with. I’m not unreasonable … just very irritable.” He said strolling down another dark and endless aisle.

Serena stopped running, leaving an inch between her back and the container. Her hands trembled in an odd rhythm she couldn’t control. On one hand, self preservation. Find the shuttle. Get back to the shuttle. Follow the plan. But he’d kill Mr. Kowtowski, and if she left, crew chief would be marooned. Starved and alone when he died.

“Don’t hurt him…” She said at a normal volume, her voice more pleading than demanding by any stretch of the imagination.

“That is completely up to you.” Vas rasped at one end of the aisle. The only thing visible in the gloom being his silhouette. “What’s your name pigtails?” He asked, stepping closer.

“You know my name,” she called back, immediately clamping both hands over her mouth. It hadn’t even been that long, she hadn’t forgotten. “It’s Serena.”  She listened for his heavy bootsteps as she stooped to quickly untie her laces. Her fingers felt thick and awkward as they trembled, making the job take longer than she’d have liked. Socked feet would be much quieter.

“Nice meet you.” He coughed. “I kinda have the impression you know me Serena? Am I mistaken?” Vas asked, taking his time to where he heard her voice.

“No, you’re not mistaken.” She answered, unable to keep her voice from wavering as she slipped out of her boots and gently padded to the next row of containers. “I know you.”

“Professionally or …” Vas turned down the aisle picking up his pace. “ … something else.”

“Both,” she offered, deciding that might be too cryptic. “We’re crew. I know you, but it’s not about you.”

“Crew … is that slang or something? Don’t you mean Unit?” Vas blinked leaning on the storage unit wall for a moment. Either way his head was heavy and foggy so the kid was making even less sense. “Never mind … what's the plan Serena? Wait till your buddy wakes up, try and double team me? Head to the shuttle and maroon me? So which one of you can fly the shuttle? If you get to it, color me curious.” He asked, pushing off the wall unsteadily to his feet.

“You know I won’t maroon you on account of we’re crew,” she promised. “And crew don’t give up on crew, on account of you said. I think you’re hurt and you ain’t right. So my plan is …” The girl thought for a moment. “What -- What’s your plan, Crew Chief?... I mean, Vas?”

“Simple. Finish the mission.” He coughed. “So if i’m ‘crew’ and your ‘Crew Chief’, since you keep calling me that, why are you scurrying around like a mouse?” He asked his voice getting closer more likely by chance than anything.

“On account of I remember the last time when you said what you said. And I’m scared you think I’m the mission you gotta finish,” She lowered her voice, and darted out further away.  Her eyes shifted, trying to hear him, listening for his voice, the sound of his boots, what direction they were from. “You’re saying stuff like ‘fore we became crew an’ it’s not somethin’ I’ll forget ever. And I don’t want you to kill me, on account of if you kill me, no one’s gonna carve my initials on the tree on Greenleaf, like I said I’d do for you.”

Vas laughed and then coughed heavily. “No kid. You are not the mission” He said, wiping laugh tears away. “ Nooo no no … you are inconsequential, in the way …” His voice dropped. “...in [i]my[/i] way.” There was a long moment of silence. “How do you know about Greenleaf?” He asked, clearing his throat. Vas was growing more and more concerned that what she was saying actually carried some weight. What the hell happened!?

“On account of we went there and brought duck and mooncakes and you told me about Dozer an’ Walnut an’ Lee. What is the mission then? Maybe I don’t gotta be incon.. Insequen.. In.. in the way.” She tried.

“Inconsequential.” Vas chuckled. “The mission? None of you concern.” He paused trying to make sense of it all. How did she know so much, he wouldn’t have just out and out told her it made NO sense. Either way he was wasting time that left one option. He was going to bring her back with him, then he could take him having her fill in the hole on what the hell was going on. “So still scared?” He said poking his head down another aisle he knew he was getting closer but it was so dark he could easily miss her.

“Yes.” She said pausing when she couldn’t hear his footsteps. “On account of you’re not you.”

“Maybe, this, [i]IS[/i] me. Don’t you think whoever it is you thought you knew is real? Seems like I told you a lot, I'll give you that but not everything. Clearly not near enough.” He said, his voice getting closer again. “Am I hot or cold?” He said with a wicked playfulness to his voice.

“It’s not. It may be who you were, but it ain’t who you are. You told me that too, you don’t gotta be who you were made to be.”  He taught her plenty. He sounded close, and she didn’t like this game, not at all. She held her breath, waiting to hear the direction of his footsteps.

“Hot.” He said in a croaky whisper. You could hear the grin in the tone. “Hotter.” He said walking closer. “Boiling …” Then silence.

Stay calm, Serena told herself. Calm, calm, don’t move, don’t even breathe, Stay… Cal….

“Boo!” Vas said, popping out of the aisle swinging the pipe at her.

Serena yelped, her eyes wide with panic when rote memory took hold. The teen squatted to avoid the pipe which clanged angrily against the metal of a container. As the momentum of the swing moved the attackers center of gravity, she popped up with an uppercut to the nose. They’d practiced the move hundreds of times, the Crew Chief swinging sawed off broom handles. Take two or three to the ear, and you get good at the duck-uppercut tactic. But unlike practice, she actually connected, where she could barely graze him on the ship! Then again, this wasn’t him, not really. This was the boy from the Skyhook. And this time she was not helpless.

Vas’  head rocked as Serena popped him. He blinked surprised, it was not something he had expected. Vas wasn’t mad, rather he was impressed! He rubbed his now tender nose. “Aren't you full of surprises …” He smirked, taking her more seriously. “... okay, hard way it is.”

Serena’s eyebrows raised. She had no desire to find out what the hard way was. All of her muscles tensed as she took a step back, She brought her hands up defensively, elbows tucked in, chin height. Her gaze flickered down and back up, but there was still no sign of the crew chief in the eyes that stared back.

She could see how unsteady he was on his feet, he was breathing a little too fast, and sweating far too much. A wounded dog yes but even a wounded dog could still be dangerous. Vas stepped quickly feigning a jab but suddenly dipped sweeping for the girl's feet.

Serena threw an arm to block the jab, but was taken off guard by the leg sweep which would have knocked her on her ass had she not fallen sidelong to the wall of the nearest container. Pressing her hands to it, she bent her knee and stretched out into a sidekick to catch the attacker in the chest. With his heavy breathing and coughing, that had to be a weak spot, seeing as he kept his man bits pretty protected.

Vas trapped the kick with a grunt and using her own momentum threw her along, with a slap upside her head. Vas chortled as he toyed with her. “All the menace of a teething Puppy.” He mocked.

Serena’s ear rang with the blow, and she used the same container to keep from hitting the ground. One on one she was no match,he’d always held back when they sparred, even if he did look like the Captain after half a bottle of whisky. But if she ran back to Mr. Kowalski, he’d likely end up dead as Adham. [i]What’s the plan, Serena?[/i] echoed in her head. [i]Run.[/i] It wasn’t a big a lead as she wanted, but the teen was small and fast.

“Not you don’t!” Vas hissed leaping forward and grabbing a fistful of one of her pigtails with an unforgiving yank back. “We are not done.”

Serena shrieked, bringing one hand to her head to lessen the strain of her hair. Once she regained her footing, she twisted her body and with another screech, she drove the heel of her hand to his solar plexus, and reeled back for a closed fist to the chest, trying to get him to let go. Like a wet, angry cat, the teen scratched, kicked and bit to get free.

The blow took his breath away, a wave of dizziness forcing him to reel back. His grip on her pigtail loosed enough for Serena to get herself free, though a few strands less. Vas coughed trying to catch his breath.

With another panicked sob, Serena jerked out of his grasp and bolted forward. Panic fueled her footsteps, though it also made her legs feel like concrete, as if they couldn’t carry her fast enough away. One hand was outstretched to the side to glide along the container, and she nearly broke her gorram neck tripping over the boots she’d earlier discarded.  Stumbling, she turned down another row, straining to listen, to hear anything. Even though the run itself wasn’t that taxing, her breath was as short and raspy as the -- as Vas’s, as if terror were water filling her lungs.

“Serrreeena!” Vas gasped.

Boot steps.

“We are not done yet …” He said louder.

More boot steps.

From which way? Serena’s head jerked from side to side trying to take in the sound, to not be caught off guard, again.

Vas picked up the pace, only slowing down again upon hearing boot steps. “Marco?” Vas whispered.

[i]No, no, no,[/i] she said to herself, not sure if there was one set of boots or two. Trying not to breathe at all, she slid down the darkened path to further herself from the distance of Vas’ voice.

Vas decided to go for a higher vantage point, it was harder than expected to scale the side of the freight container. He padded along the top quietly ear open for the mouse he was stalking. Vas went down on all fours as he got closer to the edge and peeked over.

Serena nervously wrung her hand, looking left and right, straining to hear. The footsteps were now faint, very faint, and moving away. She let out the breath she’d been holding, her inhales still coming in short, sparse little jags. [i]Find someplace to hide before he comes back. You’re good at hiding.[/i] She gave herself a moment to steady her breathing, gently leaning her body back against the shipping container to not make a sound.

Vas swung over the edge of the container landing in front of his quarry. “You're supposed to say Polo ya know.” He rasped cracking her with the pipe.

Serena was stunned, deer in the headlights, the only thing saving her from a pipe to the head was a well placed forearm block. Fear almost canceled the pain, almost. She half expected to see it broken in half.  While the punk didn’t exactly swing for the fences, it wasn’t a love tap either, and she reeled against the container. She wasn’t even sure where it radiated from.. She covered her head with her left hand, holding her right out protectively. This wasn’t some ruttin’ game! “Stop!” she told him, using her strong voice, surprising even herself when it didn’t crack. She stumbled a few steps back.

“Oh relax. I’m not gonna kill you.” He said, trying to clear his throat. He could really use a drink about now that was for sure. “But I am going to hurt you, so you know how serious I am. Continue to be a pain and I will seriously put some thought into it.” He said, his tone frigid. “Hopefully then you can realize the dire position you’re in. So how about playing nice so you can walk out with all ten fingers? Hm?” Vas posed moving to grab her by the collar of her shirt.

“Stop,” she repeated, this time her voice faltering some, her words coming quicker. What was it with him and fingers? “I know how serious you are, and -- and I know this isn’t you anymore,  on account of this isn’t the Skyhook, an’ I realize dire on account of you showed me before and I believe you.” Her hand curled into a fist, more to protect her fingers than attack. “You don’t gotta prove it again.”

“Yet you keep trying to run off.” He huffed dragging her back up against the wall of the container. “You say that but I don’t think I believe you.” Vas said stone faced. “Make me a believer, kid.” He said, slamming his forehead into the bridge of her nose and letting her drop to the floor.

Serena wasn’t sure if she was blind or if she just squinched her eyes shut really tightly, because she saw nothing but bright yellow and total blackness after the hit. He was right - the nose did hurt like hell, and involuntary tears sneaked out of the corners of her eyes. His shadowy, pipe-wielding, fake Crew Chief silhouette came back into focus quickly. “I did!” She replied, her voice nasally and cracking as she scooted back away from him, one hand still out protectively. “On the Skyhook. You believed me an’ I believed you and we learned and it was valuable. So stop!” She choked the last words out, half sobs, but even she knew that wouldn’t phase Vas, not like this. This wasn’t her Crew Chief. “I don’t lie on account of I don’t want lied to, that’s how you believe me.”

“I'm sorry I kinda drifted off there because you won’t get to the gorram POINT!” Vas said screaming the last word, his temper flaring. He put a foot on her hand, pinning it painfully to the ground. “You [i]don’t[/i] know me.” He snarled. “Not at all.” Dark eyes narrowing as he ground his boot into her hand.

Serena screamed,grabbing at his ankle, trying to free her hand. The gorram point!  “You taught me!!” She called, as she flailed like an eel on a hook, staring daggers at her assailant. Gritting her teeth, she broke eye contact only to watch the screwdriver she held drive into the laced portion of the crew chief’s boot, right about where the ankle meets the foot.

Vas roared, stumbling back and nearly losing his footing. He gasped through gritted teeth.

“That I am [i]NOT Helpless![/i]” She shouted, kicking a socked foot upwards to his groin.

It might have been a devastating blow, but past experience had taught him to just wear the damn cup. You never know when a pain the ass thinks they are clever and goes for a cheap shot.

Vas looked down at the girl with murder in his eyes and moved in to strike when the lights popped on, blinding him. Pain tore at his head as everything was washed in white, his eyes burned, teared up and throbbed. He couldn’t find his footing as a wave of vertigo swamped him while trying to retreat … anywhere! He had his arms up trying to defend himself from the brightness of the lights but it was all a vain effort. Even squinting his eyes shut gave no reprieve! Pain filled his ears with a dull roar as he struggled to find his bearings.

From seemingly out of nowhere, Patch came charging at a full run at Vas. The mechanic tackled the dazed Crew Chief, driving a shoulder into his ribs and sending them both crashing into a nearby container wall. They both crumpled to the floor, the big older man falling on top of the younger. “....Polo…” he panted breathlessly at the downed punk. That was it. That was his big move. [i]What the hell do I do now?[/i], the old man thought to himself before seeing that the pipe the punk was using fell free. He reached for it in the hopes of using it to pin his out of control Crew Chief to the floor.

“That's ... not how you play …” Vas gasped.

Blindly, Serena backed away from the tussle. She should get help! But… the one person she’d go to for help was wrestling on the ground with the new mechanic. Still woozy from the headbutt, she searched the ground for something -anything- that could help.

Just because Vas couldn't see did mean he was out of any fight. Just out of breath. His ribs had a few things to say as well. Holding Vas down was like trying to hold down a wet angry cat. There was yelling, cursing some painful thrashing before the claws came out. He struck something with his forehead and followed up with a weak punch struggling to free himself from the half freight ship/half man that hit him.

Patch took the Crew Chief’s errant forehead attack to a meaty part of the chest. Thankfully, it was the least effective blow he’d taken from the punk and the old mechanic wasn’t sure how many more shots like the one to his jaw earlier he’d be able to endure. His ears were still ringing and his whole face ached, but he couldn’t think about that right now. He managed to get his writhing, cursing Crew Chief pinned under the pipe, at least temporarily. “We gotta tie him up!” Patch yelled to Serena, unable to afford taking the slightest bit of attention or effort away from keeping the raving lunatic that was their crewmate under control.

“He’ll just get loose, “ Serena cried knowingly, her voice barely above a whisper, as she frantically searched for something, anything, finally tugging the web belt from her overalls.

Vas was fully focused on a man bear pinning him down and changed his strategy. He for his arm, hitting the soft spot in his hands and elbow where the nerve clusters were to not only cause some pain but the numbing pins and needles feeling. It was sloppy and ready; he was guessing where he was striking but he had to get out from under Millstone Man. He friggin weighed as much! Promising to himself to never to skip on arm day ever again, Vas strained and grunted, taking advantage of the man's weakening arm and rolled with Vas now on top. The punk could hear the pip skittering off but he didn’t know where and couldn’t afford randomly jumping for it and missing. So he bore down on Patch driving his Knee into the older man's neck, if he did take him down now Vas probably would not make it off … well … he actually didn’t know where he was but that was what the girl was for. At least she was more manageable.

Patch was surprised by the suddenness of the pain to his arm, but even more so by the reversal that now had him under the Crew Chief’s knee. His surprise was juxtaposed by a feeling of expectation that this was [i]exactly[/i] where he’d end up in the exchange. [i]What the hell did you think was gonna happen?[/i] he cursed to himself. But he couldn’t just let the punk attack the young girl and do nothing. He punched desperately at Vas’ leg as it pressed down hard, some landing but most deflecting off uselessly. His swings and slaps grew weaker as his field of view darkened at the edges. [i]Yup, this is it.[/i] he thought almost serenely as his vision continued to darken.

Serena wasn’t sure what was louder, her hollering or the sound of the pipe connecting with the mowhawked head of her crew chief. In reality, it was more of a dull thud as teen swung for the fences., but it reverberated enough to hurt her hands and chatter her teeth. The latter might have been out of adrenaline if she took a second to admit it. Hands and fingers trembling, she held it at the ready if one hit wasn’t enough.

Vas heard what he figured was a C minor connecting with the back of his head. He fell off Patch blinking at the edge of consciousness as he tried to crawl away but somewhere between that all the floor seemed exceptionally nice and cool. So he just floated off.

The feeling of pressure off of Patch’s throat felt like breaking through the surface of the water as he gasped for air and coughed violently. He took a few moments to catch his breath before assessing what happened. Vas was out cold nearby and Serena was standing over both of them. “Good...job, kid.” he struggled to compliment the girl with a very injured throat.

“Move!” Serena said harshly. “If he wakes up, he’ll bite your ruttin’ throat out.”  Her eyes, now fully adjusted to the light, searched for anything they could use. “We need rope, lots of rope, and no liquid, while we figure out ….” What? She had nothing, so she let the sentence hang.

Patch nodded obediently, confused about the added caveat of ‘no liquid’ but ultimately deciding not to ask. “The shuttle” he croaked, still clearing his throat. “Got some...gear there...and we can radio the Veil. Figure out what happened to ‘im after that.” He assessed their options in the immediate vicinity. “Could lock ‘im in one of the airlocks...til we know it’s safe?” the mechanic suggested, still coughing a bit from the whole ordeal. “Shouldn’t be too hard to override the controls.”

“Airlock,” Serena nodded. “That’d be the most secure until we find out what happened, and how to make it stop. Are you alright? Anything broked?”

The mechanic finally took a moment to take stock of his condition. “I don’t…[i]think[/i] so…Oh...wait a minute.” His tongue probed inside of his mouth until it came upon what felt like a cracked molar. “We know a good dentist?” he inquired.

“Yes, “ She said sullenly, “Only he left, like our last mechanic and the Captain and Mister Cortez who I wasn’t supposed to get attached to on account of he’s a passenger. Can you carry him? I promise I’ll knock ‘em cold if he so much as stirs. There’s zip ties on the shuttle. He ain’t gonna get out of zip ties, prolly.”

Patch nodded in agreement, stretched briefly to alleviate the soreness he was now feeling all over and hoisted the unconscious Vas onto his shoulder. The kid was surprisingly light for someone that strong, he thought. They wandered through the small station for a while until they finally located their docking bay. Through the plastisteel partition, they could see the remnants of whatever happened. One of the loading arms appeared to be going through the motions of loading the canisters but grabbing nothing as they were strewn about on the floor. “Well, looks like that loadin’ arm’s busted.” the mechanic offered his expert opinion to a situation that would be obvious to anyone. A sickly yellow haze crawled along the floor in the docking bay. Patch pointed it out. “One or more of the tanks musta got damaged”, he concluded. “We gotta vent that before we can get Sleepin’ Beauty here tucked in.” he weakly joked as he raised a shoulder, ragdolling the Crew Chief a little.

Serena pulled her shirt up collar up over her nose and mouth like a neck gaiter. She wasn’t sure about broken Quik-Load arms or busted canisters, but she knew Noxious, and she knew the crew chief. “We gotta secure him first, on account of you don’t know. If he wakes up? He might be mad.”

“Then we gotta find somethin’ out here because we dunno if that stuff in there is safe to be around.” Patch explained, jabbing the thumb of his free hand towards the hazy docking bay. He took note of the docking bay number. “A-6” he said aloud. “Now let’s see if we can’t find somethin’ to secure ‘im in case he wakes up.”

Serena’s stomach felt a little off. Maybe Mr. Kapowski was right about the fumes. What if he got sick too? How would she explain knocking two people out with pipes? And she wasn’t sure she could get him on the shuttle, dragging him up the ramp wouldn’t be easy. “Tool kit in the shuttle has zip ties an’ rope,” she offered. “I’ll square him up, an’ you vent out the  room. He’s still out cold.” She poked at his head with the end of the pipe to see if there was any signs of consciousness.  “But just remember, I’m Serena. Don’t try an’ kill me.”  The teen dropped her boots to the ground and slid back into them. “I’m gonna keep the pipe just in case.”

“You do that.” Patch agreed, sloughing the Crew Chief off of his shoulder and bringing him gently to the floor. “Can’t be too careful.” He looked around to get a gauge of their surroundings. “I think I can get at the scrubber controls from that panel over there. If that fails, I could always run a partial depressurization. Upside? The flashing lights from the alarm system’s got a good chance a signalin’ the Veil that somethin’s up.” the mechanic added hopefully.

“Signalin’ the Veil?” Serena asked warily. She has hoping that they wouldn’t find out. What if Riley got mad, and what if she fired the crew chief or if she marooned him, then she’d have to stay and if they were lucky another ship would come before the vending machine ran out of food, unless he didn’t get better in which case, the vending machine food at least could be stretched longer.  “Right. Right, they’ll know what to do. I got the crew chief.” [i]Or Vas Jat, one or the other.[/i] She held the pipe tightly so if he even twitched, she’d be ready. Once Patch cleared the gas, she planned to quickly tear apart the tool kit on the shuttle to grab zip ties and rope, not wanting a repeat of playing hide and go not get yourself killed.

Patch got right onto tracking down the control systems for the docking bay. Unsure if that gas they were carrying was flammable or not, he decided not to take any chances and shut down that faulty loading arm if he was able. [i]If that thing throws a spark, the Veil’s DEFINITELY gonna see that signal![/i], he thought. He hustled with as much speed as his hurting large frame would tolerate without too much protest. He couldn’t be sure how long Vas would remain ‘compliant’ and prepared himself for the possibility he or Serena might need to make the punk ‘more compliant’. After a short search, the mechanic located a control panel in the corridor leading up to the bay entrance. It might not allow him full access, but he didn’t have time to head to the main control room. He touched the screen and it winked to life. After familiarizing himself with the control layout, he managed to power down the loading arm. “Ok, that’s one disaster avoided” he said aloud to himself. “Now...where are you, scrubbers?” Patch moved deftly through the various control subroutine menus but no luck. If this place [i]had[/i] manual controls for the air scrubbers, he wasn’t going to find them here. “Time for Plan B!” he shouted down the corridor to Serena. “How’s our patient?”

“Hasn’t moved,” she replied, toeing beneath his ribs with her boot. “What about you?” She asked, pipe at the ready. “Are you still normal?”

Patch immediately had a few wiseass responses queued up but thought better of it. The girl had already been through enough. “Yeah, I’m ok! This is gonna get a lil loud, though!” he warned as he located the docking bay airlock controls. “Hold onto your butts…” the mechanic mumbled to himself as he activated the airlock. The orange warning lights and klaxon sounded before the airlock door began to move. As the door cracked open, he could see the bay begin to depressurize. Patch quickly accessed the root menu to pause the airlock cycling process to leave it slightly cracked open allowing the gas to clear. Once he saw that no other canisters were emptying into the room, he went and recycled the airlock controls in the root menu to seal and repressurize the bay again. After several seconds, he got the all clear on the screen but the warning lights remained flashing throughout the station. “Clear! You’re up, kid!” the mechanic yelled to Serena.

Serena poked at the crew chief one more time, harder than necessary to make sure he was truly out. She hesitated, contemplating opening the door to the docking bay. “You sure it’s safe?” she asked, taking a deep breath and holding it before running in, just to be sure. She reached the shuttle and began rooting through the tool kit, holding tight to the pipe in her spare hand.  The teen grabbed a handful of zipties, and a sturdy piece of rigging rope, and, keeping an eye out for Patch who was approaching the ship with Crew Chief in tow. The teen uneasily put the pipe down and quickly went to work.

Vas groaned his head pounding. He tried to crack an eye open but the light was [i]insanely[/i] bright and he hissed in pain.

Serena worked faster. His wrists were already bound behind his back, followed by his feet. The teen had been working on securing his elbows with multiple ties between his shoulder blades,  when the crew chief started stirring. Finishing his elbows, she grabbed the rope and the pipe. She wanted him to have as little use of his hands, as little mobility as possible. The mechanic would keep his trachea intact, and she wasn’t helpless.  Nor was she keen on being headbutted, so she knelt on the zipties holding his elbows together, her knee pressed to his spine.

Vas tried to move and groaned again. Not only were all his joint and chest protesting but he seemed to be trussed up like a turkey. The bindings were not helping the growing ache and … why the hell was he in a gorram freezer! He tried to speak but he just ended up coughing. Buddha that hurt! “It’s bright …” He croaked his throat feeling dry and raw. “ … hello?”

“Then you should keep your gorram eyes shut,” Serena snapped, suddenly wishing she’d thought of a blindfold. Blindfold would’ve definitely given her another advantage.

“Serena?” Vas said, confused. “Are you okay?” He asked, trying to open his eyes again. “Why can’t I see?” He was full of questions now.

“You got hit with a pipe,” Serena answered tersely. “Maybe it knocked your eyes loose.”

“The back of my head agrees but I don’t think that's how it works …” Vas gave a raspy laugh. “ … What happened? How did we get tied up?”

“I don’t think I need to answer more of your questions,” Serena said, getting herself off his back while still holding the pipe and rope.

Vas looked even more confused than ever. “What? Why not? What's going?” He coughed trying to sit up. It had lackluster results and Vas just resigned himself to being on his side on the floor.

Patch popped his head in through the hatchway leading to the cockpit. “How’s everyone doin’?” His usual cheer was replaced with a genuinely concerned tone. “I think we’re just about ready to get goin’. It won’t be the most comfortable ride, but I think I could manage it.” He paused for a moment. “Docking with the Veil might be another matter…” he said with an air of doubt.

“What hells is going on!? Why am i getting the impression i’m the only one tied up here?!?” Vas tried to shout but sounded more like a very angry, small, squeaky frog.

“On account of you are. He’s sounding more like words he uses,” Serena said as an aside to Patch, in case he couldn’t tell, “But he could be faking. I’m gonna get him a blanket on account of the real crew chief hates the cold.”

Patch nodded in agreement. “I’ll go fire up the engines an’ run final checks as soon as ya get back.” he informed Serena. “I’m sure the kid’ll fill ya in on the way about what ya missed.” he let the Crew Chief know, remaining to keep an eye on him until the teen returned.

“Wait? What is going on? Who is flying the ship now?! WHY AM I STILL TIED UP!?” The yelling made his head pound louder and now he was feeling a bit nauseous.

Serena rushed back into the shuttle at the hollering, blanket and pipe in hand, looking from Patch, who was still intact, to the crew chief, who was thankfully still tied up.

“I said no more questions! But he’s flyin’ the ship,” she told him, motioning towards Patch, something she didn’t realize would go unnoticed by the newly blind Vas Jat.  Her voice was colder than her actions, she gingerly wrapped a warming thermo blanket over him in the back of the shuttle. “Just don’t try nothin’.”

Patch gave a quiet nod to excuse himself from the room and prepped the shuttle for take-off.

Admittedly Vas didn’t realize how cold it was till Serena put a blanket on him. “Be honest, have you all gone insane or is this just a horrible dream from too many cookies and tea?”

Serena momentarily - very momentarily mourned the lost soda that she didn’t get to replace. “You’re the one insane,” she groused. “Talking about missions and swinging pipes and not knowing who the Crew Chief is. So what are you playing at now?”

“What are you TALKING about?!” Vas said, exasperated and exhausted. He felt very ‘E’.

“You knocked out Mister Kowalski, and you weren’t talking normal, and I don’t know it’s you so like I said, I’ll ask the questions!” Serena said sharply. Helpless? Who’s helpless this time. “What was your mission?”

“What mission? Serena, you are not making a lick a sense.” Vas said growing more convinced that he was the only sane one in the shuttle!

The shuttle’s engines began to hum and the small craft shuddered slightly as it slowly lifted off. The ship to ship comm clicked on. “I’ll hail Drake.” Patch said from the cockpit. “I’ll have him let the Lieutenant know we’re on our way back. Ya might wanna take a seat til we’re clear a the station.” he suggested.

“The one [i]you[/i] were talking about!” Ugh, she answered another question, this was harder than it looked. She pulled down a jump seat to strap into and keep an eye on the crew chief at the same time. “I don’t know yet.”

“Still not making any sense … Walk me through from the beginning. You and Patch went to find the vending machines …” He said, waiting for her to continue, his head swimming.

“And you killed the lights. And then you were gonna kill Mister Kowalski. So you’re not making a lick of sense. You walk [i]me[/i] through from the beginning.”

“I was …” Vas squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head trying to clear the fog in his head. “... Unloading the canisters and there was a sound … smelled bad … and I woke up here.”

The docking bay airlock could be heard whirring open through the skin of the shuttle. There was a slight lurch of the ship that felt like a pilot practicing for his license before the ride eventually smoothed out. The small shuttle crept out of the docking bay and slowly cleared the superstructure of the station. “Aaaand Clear.” Patch called out their current position relative to the station.

“You say that,”  Serena said quietly, to Vas. wiping the blood from her nose on the shoulder of her shirt. “But I don’t think I believe you. Make me a believer.”

“Don’t have to believe me …” Vas said, glassy eyed. “ … just … wana close my eyes a bit. Tired.” He mumbled bleary.

“You’re not supposed to sleep after gettin’ hit in the head,” She told him, an edge of concern creeping into her voice. “That’s what the doctor told the other deckhand when she got hit with a bottle.  Keep talking to me.” It [i]sounded[/i] like the crew chief, maybe… hitting him in the head fixed him up. And she could always hit him again if he got un-fixed. “What else do you ‘member?”

There was a long silence as Vas tried to put a word into a coherent sentence.“I don’t … just … alota black.” He shivered. “Just … bad dreams …” Vas said, coughing painfully.

“What sorta dreams?” The teen pressed, poking his back with the pipe to make sure he was still secured before fixing the blanket tighter around him.

Vas shook his head lazily. “Bad ones.” He repeated. “Bad … bad … dreams.”

“Stay awake,” she told him, pushing his shoulder lightly with her foot. “What’s your name?”

Vas scrunched his nose and grimaced. “Kind of a dumb question izzat …” He tried to laugh but that just hurt about as much as coughing.

“You got hit in the head, maybe you have insomnia,” she told him. “When you can’t remember nothing.”

“I don’t think that means what you think it means …” Vas said, wondering if he was hearing things now.  “... I wanna sleep just fine.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Who are you?”

“Like …” He chuckled. “...Philosophically? … ooohh i don’t feel good ...” He warbled.

“You might have a conclusion. And answer my ruttin’ question!” In fairness, if the teen weren’t cranky herself, she’d have realized his wise ass comments was him being the crew chief, but confirmation wouldn’t hurt.

“Ask better questions …” Vas sighed squirming to find a position that wasn’t painful.

“I feel like you’re not paying attention,” she said with an exasperated sigh, leaning her head back against the hull.

“Guilty.” Vas admitted slurring the word.

“That’s what happens when you rush, I suppose,” she said under her breath.

“Thats a lesson we both learned …” Vas said drifting out a bit.

“If you go to sleep you might not wake up, and that means I’ll have to put your initials on the tree by Walnut’s. And I haven’t got to the W’s in spelling yet.” His voice was still raspy, and his breaths had a wheezing sound, both on the inhale and out. “You want some water, Vas?”

Vas nodded lazily. “Hard not to fall asleep …”

“Well, try, Mr. Kogsworthski will get us back and someone’ll look at your head.” She told him, as she pulled a small bottle of water from the kit on the shuttle. “Slow, on account of you might throw up.” Getting closer, she could see some of the damage the pipe had inflicted. Gingerly, keeping her fingers away from the bite-zone, she tilted the bottle for him.

Vas tried not to gulp the water greedily. “How long has it been?” He asked when he had drunk enough, dropped his head lazily onto the floor. To him it had been like a blink. Fine one moment and the ties up, feeling like crap the next.

“You really don’t remember anything? [i]Anything?]/i]” She repeated for more emphasis.

“Toldja … unloading … just blinked and here I am feeling like I got kicked by a mule.” Vas said in a soft tired tone.

“An’ you wouldn’t lie.” She said, warily.

“Why would I?” He asked squinting up at who he assumed was Serena.

Serena narrowed her eyes for a moment, contemplating. “I believe you,” she whispered, mostly to herself.  “Mister Kakaoski? Is there a med kit on board?”

“Couldn’t tell ya, kid. It’s my first time in this bird.” Patch replied. “But if it’d be anywhere, it’s usually stowed either behind the pilot seat,” he reached back without looking and pointed to a small cubby behind him, “or in one of the overheads.” he added, his finger pointing to the general locations of the overhead compartments.

“Don’t go …” He whispered dizzily. “... I might … sleep away.” Vas said scrunching his nose trying to put words together.

“You can’t, Crew Chief, on account of I learned something today, and I’m not ready to put your name on a tree. Stay awake with me, okay?”

He gave a lazy nod but at this point even the cold wasn’t bothering him as much. The back of his eyelids were starting to look awful interesting.

“Hey….” she said,  shaking his shoulder. “Crew Chief! I think Mr. Kimonoski called Riley and she said you didn’t have permission to sleep, on account of we’re on the clock,” she tried. “So you gotta stay up.”

Vas groaned. In protest or pain it was hard to tell, most likely both. Serena's voice was a distant noise that was a lot of work to hone in on.

“Did you hear me, Crew Chief? Riley said there was orders not to sleep, and I know the [i]real[/i] crew chief wouldn’t never break orders.”

“I’m trying …” Vas mumbled drunkenly. “... don’t be mad …”

“How we doin’ back there, kid?” Patch called back from the cockpit.

“I can’t get ‘em to stay up and the doc said that you can’t sleep after you get hit on account of you might have a conclusion and won’t wake up!” The teen cried, shaking the crew chief’s shoulder.

“Got it! Hang in there, kid! You got this!” Patch encouraged. He throttled up on the shuttle and keyed in the hailing frequency to the Veil. “Drake! Drake! Come in! We got a situation!” he barked into the comm.

“You mean other than you flying the shuttle?” Drake paused. “Why are you flying the shuttle Patch?” The pilot asked.

“Medical emergency with the Crew Chief!” The mechanic hastily explained. “I need ya ta have the Doc get ready but more importantly…” the mechanic swallowed hard, “...I’m bringin’ it in hot and uh...I dunno how to dock. Especially at this speed!”

“Is the Crew Chief dead cuz if he’s not Riley will probably kill him.” Drake warned.

“Come on!” Serena said urgently, pulling the Crew chief’s entire arm. She opened the container of water and tried letting that splash on the punk’s head. “Stay up!”

“Cold!” Vas blinked squirming. “Is there a leak …”

“He’s goin’ in an’ outta consciousness!” Patch responded to the pilot with all seriousness.

“Arrite calm down, I'm going to give a sequence and remote you in.” Drake assured. “I know Riley ONE crisis at a time, please!” He said, his voice more distant. “Okay ready Patch?”

“Yeah, ready!” Patch responded, his cadence still quick, but sounding a bit more reassured. “Gimme the sequence.”

“You gotta stay awake” Serena pleaded. “You’re the only somebody I got, Crew Chief! An’ if you die -- I’m not gonna have a somebody at all.”

“Awe … your my … body, thing, some, too…” Vas replied with a weak, delirious smile.

Drake walked Patch through a series of switches followed by a numeric keycode. “Alright,” the pilot sighed, sounding focused, “now...I want you to take your hands off the controls and [i]don’t[/i] touch anything.” he instructed, his tone even.

“Don’t touch anything, got it.” Patch parroted the pilot’s orders as he lifted his hands away from the controls and held them up as if the flight stick was robbing him.

“I’m gonna get you loose so you can move, okay? That’d make you feel better, right?” “ Serena asked, crawling over to the toolkit to find some wire snips.

“Hooray.” The punk said with all the excitement he could muster. Which wasn’t much.

“I got you,” She said on return, pushing him again to keep him awake. His hands were like fire, he was sweating and shivering, and her hands were shaking as bad as on the docking station. “Patch, he’s burning up!” She called.  With a few snips, his elbows and hands were free. “We’re almost there,” she promised. “And Sister Doctor Lyen is gonna make you better, and then guess what? Guess what then, Crew Chief?”

“What?” He asked curling under his blanket to get warm.

The shuttle slowed landing on the skid before it slid into the airlock.

“Sister Doctor Lyen is gonna fix you up, and then you’re gonna get to sleep, okay? “  She offered. “So you’re almost there.”

“Uh-hu.” Vas sighed. “That’s great …” He agreed balling up tighter.

“Take another drink, case she decides you can’t have any for a bit.” She held the bottle up to his lips, gently laying her hand on his shoulder. “See? Almost there.”

Vas grimaced, turning his head away from the bottle.

Once the shuttle came to a stop, Patch hastily ran through the power down checks and opened the rear door before shifting himself from out of the cockpit to help Serena carry the Crew Chief. “How’s he lookin’?” he asked the girl, not bothering to mask the worry in his voice.

“Bad!” she said, not bothering with an inside voice. “He’s hot and I can’t keep him awake and now he won’t even drink and it’s on me Mr. Kowalski, On account of I did this--”

“Peachier than peach fuzz.” Vas mumbled out.

Patch rested a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Come on,” he softly encouraged, “let’s get ‘im to the Doc.”

“There had BEST be a ruttin’ good explanation,” Riley began the second the bay doors opened. “And you  -- “ She looked between the three of them. ”What the hell happened?”

Drake was coming up with a first aid kit and nearly crashed into Riley. “Buddha's earlobes, you guys look like you tried to occupy the station!”

Patch’s normal happy-go-lucky demeanor was noticeably absent. “Incident on the station, Ma’am. Possible poisoning. Gas exposure.” The mechanic was crisp and clinical in his debrief. He’d dealt with his fair share of industrial accidents in his line of work. “We need to get ‘im to medbay. Grab his legs.” he instructed the two at the door. He continued as they offloaded the Crew Chief. “He had temporary memory loss, became violent and we had ta restrain ‘im. Then he started ta crash, Ma’am.”

“But not [i]really[/i] violent!” Serena defended. “He mostly shouted stuff, you know, a lot like you do.”

“Are we in trouble?” Vas coughed, groaning from the pain.

“A lot like I --” The lieutenant shook her head, finding it best not to engage in crew shit. “Let’s get him -- all of you to the med bay. No one is in trouble, Jat. … yet.”  The lieutenant replied.

“Oh … good.” He mumbled and he was carted to the infirmary.

The lieutenant looked at her disheveled, ragtag, bloodied crew, her mind still on the goods they transported. “What the hell happened on that space station….” She muttered under her breath.