You Can Call Me Al

Alex had been limping his way through the corridors for about an hour, avoiding the Belhaphasarian GELFs and wondering what the smeg was going on. Holly hadn't been answering his hissed hails and there was no sign of the others. He was now currently lurking in the dark recesses of a massive store room, resting, hiding. Bloody hell he was thirsty. Thirsty and cold; his hospital gown didn't provide much in the way of warmth.
He leaned his head back and let an exhausted groan escape his lips. The last thing he could remember before waking in the Medi Bay was talking to Bedge... The simulant must have saved him... What a...
Knackered, he allowed his eyelids to droop.

“... Marster.”
He stirred. Smeg's sake, he was so tired, that he was hallucinating the sim's voice... He ignored it, closed his eyes again and began slipping into sleep. It was good. So-o good. Just resting.

“Marster!”
He snorted himself awake, jolting his wound. “Uurgh.” It was throbbing deeply. He grimaced and sleepily palmed a few of the painkillers he'd nicked, into his mouth and dry swallowed them.

“Marster! It is you.”
“Bedge?”
“Yes. Over here!”
Alex squinted blearily into the darkness. He could make out the dimly lit edges of a door across the gloom.
He grumblingly pulled himself to his feet and shuffled his way over to it. “Bedge..?”
“I would be grateful if you wuhd let me ouwt (you derty flesh covered pansy).”
Alex tried the handle and fumbled about till he found the catch. Light, and a stocky simulant, fell from what appeared to be a steel janitor's cupboard.
Alex blinked. “What you doin' in there, Bedge?” He looked at his pill bottle as if it might explain matters.
“The ovvers put me in 'ere.” He clambered to his feet and was taken aback as Alex prodded him to check he wasn't an hallucination. “You're really real...”
“I knew it woz you, Marster Solvay. I recognised your grumbling.”
Alex lifted a brow but decided now wasn't the best time to pursue that.

Why'd they lock you up?”
“Dey fought I killed or hurt you or somefing.”
Alex blinked again.
“And they put you... in a cupboard...”
“It was Marster Pancayke... Fings got a bit hectic.”
“Ah.” Alex's other eyebrow quirked in comprehension then fell into a frown.
“Shit. I'll set 'em straight, Bedgey.”
Bedge looked oddly bashful, as bashful as a hulking sim can look, and rumbled something inaudible.
Alex put a hand on his shoulder. “Way I see it, I owe you. Big time.” He paused for a moment before adding an awkward. “Thanks.”
Bedge nodded. Alex nodded back. Bedge nodded again.

Alex broke the nod-loop by enquiring “Don't s'pose you have a-”
“No, Marster Solvay, I do not have any cigarettes...”
“Worth an ask.” Alex shrugged. He was... actually... feeling a lot better now his painkillers were kicking in.
He found himself beaming at Bedge, which surprised the both of them. “So, uh, let's go and find the others” he said with genuine cheer.
“Why are you shmilin' Marster Solvay?”
“I'm not sure. Come on buddy.”
Alex strode towards the door, feeling far less bothered by the pain. He made a mental note to grab some more of these pills another time. He felt great.

"Wait, we musht not rush out-"
For some reason Alex chuckled... a little too loudly for Bedge's liking. The sim screwed up his face in semi-synthetic confusion.
“Marster Solvay we musht be quiet, the GELF-”
Alex turned. “'Master Solvay?'” He slapped Bedge on the back. “Bedgey, you can call me Al.”

Bedge's aural receptors were obviously on the blink. “Al?”
Alex nodded then staggered... Bedge looked more closely, no swaggered, from the room, singing to himself, backside quite clearly visible through the gap in his... what was he wearing, anyway? A dress?

“If you'll be my bodyguard, I can be your long-lost pa-al...”
“Marster Solvay, it is dangerous...”
“I can call you Bedgey, Bedgey when you call me Al.”
“Shhh. Marster Solvay.”
Humans were very strange sometimes.
He clomped after him, stepping on and breaking the pill bottle Solvay had carelessly let fall.

He bent down to pick it up, and engaged his zoom function to read the label... Something Solvay clearly hadn't done.

“Calll MEEE AALlll...”

"Oh deayeh..."

–
–