Deference

Jade hurried down the corridor after Eve in the suit as best as the blanket would let her short frame move. They’d managed to evade the aliens for a good while, but were fast running out of luck. It was only when they passed the room where the monsters were putting the finishing touches to Phi’s surgery that it terminated completely. Jade stared in horror at the visceral scene, unable to speak for shock and Eve turned away feeling sick.

“We have to help!” Jade said, even though the rational part of her mind, knew beyond all doubt that it was far, far too late. She put her hand on the glass, remembering the times in the medi-bay together training for Dr Keto.

“We have to keep moving, we can still help the others.” Eve tugged gently on Jade’s arm. Reluctantly, and with a tear stained face, Jade was moved away from the viewing window. Not before they were seen. Two armed aliens surged out of the door and stopped them in their tracks.

“Stop.” One said, haltingly in English.

“Return to waste holding incompatible one.” The second said towards Eve. A scientist moved out of the examination room with its ungainly gait and excitedly chittered to the guards. Jade and eve, still with guns pointed at them

“You come. We mate with Plik-isss-kin. You both have no code, make super ancient.” The scientist clasped a tri-fingered hand around Jade’s wrist. At that, Eve swung her own gun up to aim at the guards.

“I don’t think so. Let her go.” Eve said, trying to put some force behind her voice. The scientist let Jade go with a hiss of surprise and angrily chittered to the guards as it retreated. At that point there was a whooping holler in Ssalan from the ceiling, it echoed in the metal sweaty corridor and the guards, surprised looked up.

Eve took the opportunity to fire the gun, it made a sizzling cracking noise and blew a large wet chunk of the alien’s head off. Almost as simultaneously as the shot went off, Jamie dropped down from the rafters like a monkey. Hands clinging onto one of the pipes above he used the momentum to swing kick into the second guard. As the corpse hit the floor Jamie’s feet connected with the beast and it went sprawling into the examination room, tripping over the body of its comrade. Jamie continued the jump and landed hard on the floor, placing one hand down for balance as he fell into a crouch facing the scientist and between it and the girls.

“Cease this code bearer.” It said, backing up away from the feral human. Jamie growled, baring his teeth at it, the whole thing was rather menacing, as he was dressed in a homebrew loincloth made from a bed sheet, a sharp looking blade tucked into it.

“You want it, come get it.” He snarled, removing a vile of white sticky fluid from within the folds of the loin cloth and throwing it at the alien’s eyes. It smashed, smearing broken glass and… white sticky fluid over the alien’s eyes. It screeched and flailed about.

“Did you just…” Jade said, an eyebrow raised, shocked at what Jamie had just done.

“Come and get it…” Eve repeated imitating Jamie, a chuckle escaping her lips. Jamie looked confused as he ushered the girls away from the scene.

*****

Sirens blared all around as they ran down the corridor. Cass stumbled out of a doorway ahead of them, Jade who had been running on an emotional low since seeing Phi dead was elated to see her friend alive. She ran up to the stunned Cass and enveloped her in a huge hug, before she noticed that Cass was in a similar state of undress to herself, her sheet torn and bloody.

“Jamie, get a clean blanket from in there.” Jade said. Cass just clung onto Jade in an uncharacteristic display of emotion.

“Thanks.” She whispered so only Jade could hear.

“For what?” She whispered back, still hugging Cass.

“Being alive still.” Cass answered quietly as Jamie blushed profusely and proffered a blanket.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Jade smiled, and wrapped Cass in the clean blanket. She tore a small corner off her own and wiped at Cass’ face. The smaller woman flinched slightly as Jade cleaned up the blood. “You ok?” She asked at a normal tone.

“Yeah, we need to get moving, ‘Bug is on its way.” The hacker genius stated, twitching her head away from the attention Jade was offering. The Doctor relented reluctantly.

“We need to get there before the aliens stop us again.” Eve said, shifting in the smelly uncomfortable suit.

“No.” Cass said, distantly, taking the scrap off Jade and dabbing at her nose again.

“No?” Jamie queried.

“I killed them all.” She said, her voice hollow. Jade instinctively wrapped an arm around Cass and guided her forwards. Everyone was hurting, but Jade could forget her own pain if she was helping others. They moved off at a slower pace towards the landing Starbug.

*****

“How long do we wait?” Jamie asked, having settled himself into a corner on a cabinet next to the chairs.

“As long as we ha…” Jay began, as he boarded the Starbug causing everyone to jump slightly and pausing as Cass emerged from the bathroom in an oversized JMC issue jump suit that hung off one shoulder, her hair wet glistening, droplets of water beading down her chest… He swallowed and turned away.

“Nice robe.” Cass smirked as Jay turned his back on the group in the bug.

“What?” He said, craning over his shoulder to see what all the laughing was for. “Ah smeg!” He scowled and rushed into the cockpit shutting the door, the edges of his backless gown flapping in his wake.

<Tag!>

OOC – I left it here so that you can chose to either a) get us back to the dwarf or b) just time jump forward a bit to us already there. 