Here comes the cavalry

When: Just after the explosion and Jacky passing out

<snip>
"No, no, it's okay, I'll just go pass out in the corner." Jacky responded, moving into the corner. "In case I don't make it, I want to be buried with my goggles. Also, Efof, I like your hat. Alex, you need a haircut. Cassandra, I much prefer your full name. Seymour, you're... you're...."
"A what?" Seymour asked
"A smeg-head..."
Jacky passed out.
</snip>

“What!?” Seymour roared, almost apoplectic “What on earth did he mean by that?”
Alex tiredly pulled a pack of fags out of a pocket as Seymour continued chuntering and wordlessly passed Cass a cig, pausing to spark one up for himself before handing her the lighter
“He’ll be lucky to be buried anywhere in space” Cass said flatly as she lit her fag and returned the lighter, exhaling a cloud of smoke “He must be delirious”
“Of course!” Seymour agreed, somewhat mollified “There's no other explanation for that kind of behaviour!”

Drawing on her cig, Cass ambled over towards where Jackie was sprawled on the floor and stared impassively down at him as she exhaled the smoke, privately wondering what the hell he had meant about preferring her full name, and worrying (not for the first time) that Jay might have mentioned something of her past to everyone else, adding yet more injury to the hurt and humiliation he had already subjected her to
“Science boy here doesn’t look too good...” she observed dryly
“Yes, yes” Seymour waved a dismissive hand “We’ll just leave him where he is and pick him up on the way back”
“Not that I give a shit” Cass shrugged “but what if we don’t come back this way?”
“We need to go and see what caused that explosion, Ms Jones” Seymour huffed “Mister Chrysler may very well need our help, and we can’t be carrying some disease ridden junior scientist around with us; he’ll slow us all down”
“You want to investigate that explosion!?” Cass rounded on Seymour incredulously "Smeg's sake! That’s quite literally the worst idea anybody’s had in billions of years! If Chrysler caused it, that’s his problem; why the smeg should we go risking our lives!?"
“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t be grateful of the help if the shoe were on the other foot!" Seymour retorted sagely
“Bollocks!” Cass spat, taking another drag on her fag “That’s a completely moot point - I’m not stupid enough to think that taking the STCP on is a good idea!”
“Oh God...” Jacky groaned, his consciousness slowly returning
Cass glanced back down at him
“There’s no such smegging thing” she sneered and turned her attention back to Seymour “As far as I’m concerned, we’re here to grab another time drive and whatever other technology we can lay our hands on and then we're out of here!”
"Cass, listen..." Alex said gently "Regardless of what you think about Chrysler; if we needed help, he would do his best to help us, so the least we can do is to extend him that same courtesy – we can always leave if it’s too dangerous"
Closing her eyes, Cassandra seemed to sag as she took another deep drag on her cig
“Now, that explosion wasn't so far away” Alex continued mildly “We really should go and investigate”
"Yeah, I suppose..." she murmured
“Well, it’s either that or the plague rats on the other side of the door” Seymour smiled, sensing a rare victory “You really should try to be a little less obstreperous Ms. Jones”
Taking a last deep drag on her fag, Cass flicked it away as Jacky sat up with a groan
“Smeg off Seymour” she sighed

<tbc>More to come later</tbc>