Chapter 06 – Resolve
Two hours later, Scott entered the Troubadour's medi-bay and approached a young lady in an Alliance medical uniform; "Hey there doc, how are you?"
The doctor's long black hair swung to one side as she turned towards him; "Fine thank you, any further problems with your arm, or are you here to see Miss Watkins?"
Scott flashed a grin before leaning in and whispering into her ear; "Maybe I'm just here to see you."
The doctor glanced around the room to confirm that they were alone before her voice lowered to a more sensual tone, her right index finger running down his chest; "Well, maybe after my shift, we can pick up from where we left off earlier."
"I'll look forward to a thorough examination," replied Scott, waggling his eyebrows and walking past her, "but for now, I'll see how my teamie is getting on."
"She's awake now, room 1," replied the doctor smiling and tapping away at a console.
"Thanks."
The medi-lab was of standard size for an Alliance frigate, but many had commented that it was a 'budget model' when considering the 30 member crew.
Scott opened the door to recovery room 1 to find Rebecca sat up in her bed, watching a TV screen on the wall opposite.
Upon instantly recognizing her visitor, the broadcast was muted via a small remote control and she quickly moved a few lose strands of hair away from her forehead with her right hand.
"Well, if it isn't the 'red dragon'," proclaimed Scott, pointing a finger towards her.
"That nickname doesn't exactly suit me," chuckled the engineer.
"The 'fiery phoenix' then," suggested Scott as he sat on a chair next to the bed.
"Heh, I'm sure if I were such a mythical bird, I wouldn't have had any problem with setting parts of myself on fire."
Scott nodded to her bandaged left arm resting on top of the bed covers, glad that she was sounding more upbeat despite slyly criticising herself; "So how is it?"
She looked down at her arm, not daring to move it; "I got second-degree burns all around the arm from wrist to elbow. The medi-gel from my suit helped at the time but also messed things up a bit. It's not as bad as it could have been, but most the yucky blisters burst and I'll have lots of bad scarring."
Scott tilted his head; "I'm sure you can get the scars sorted after you heal up. I'll even help with the cost if you want."
Feeling her cheeks warming a little, Rebecca averted her gaze towards her bandages, trying not to look directly at Scott; "That's sweet of you, but I've been thinking about it… I'm going to leave it as is. It'll be a good reminder to not over-clock omni-devices. Besides, it's not as if…"
"Hmm?" queried Scott, wondering why she had cut off.
Rebecca scratched her nose; "Nothing, never mind. So, what about you? I'm guessing your ribs and internal organs are as mushy as mine."
"We'll live," laughed Scott giving a thumbs-up, "and as for my own arm, it'll fully heal up soon enough, the tech's done as much as it can, just gotta take it easy."
"Sorry I blacked out by the way, thanks for getting me back here. It must have been a struggle."
Scott gave no hint to the pain he suffered on Omega while carrying her back to the extraction point before an unexpected stranger helped him move her; "Peh, forget thanks about that, thank YOU for saving us both in the first place. You were awesome!"
Rebecca allowed herself to feel a little smug, unable to stop herself from beaming; "I was pretty awesome."
Scott grinned and then ruffled the girl's hair; "Just don't set yourself on fire in the process next time."
The engineer couldn't help feeling like a kid sister at that point and she suddenly felt a pang within her stomach, but a different concern sprung to the forefront of her mind; "What did Dodson say? Are we… well…"
"Don't worry," reassured Scott, "we're not gonna get kicked out for that. Doddy didn't even yell that much this time either. Though, it's clear we're still nowhere near a promotion. He wants a word with you when you're outta here by the way, you know, report stuff."
Rebecca began the process of resetting her messed up hair; "Do you think we'll ever reach N7?"
Scott clenched his free fist and held it up; "Hells yeah! Way I see it, we've advanced leaps and bounds. True, we've had hiccups, but we should never let the bad things bring us down. We're gonna get better and finally hit that goal. We're gonna show everyone that called us rejects how wrong they were."
"Hehee," grinned Rebecca, impressed by his determination and losing all her remaining despondency, "yeah!"
The two beamed at each other with renewed resolve until something on the television caught Scott's eye. He reached for the TV remote, un-muting the current broadcast.
The program was an internal interview with various members of the Systems Alliance. The N7 emblem flashed up for a few seconds and was then seen again upon the armour of two humans talking towards the camera. The focus was currently on a male in dark teal striped black armour, the name 'Dante Graywards' along with the words 'N7 Shadow class' displayed at the bottom.
Scott's eyes widened a little upon noticing a hilt behind the man's back; "Dude's got a freaking sword! How have I never thought of that?"
Rebecca scanned the picture as the camera pulled back; "Looks like he has one of those Scorpion pistols too. I guess being N7 gets you access to a lot of rare weapons."
The name and class tags changed to 'Kate Summers – N7 Solider class', as the camera panned to a female soldier in red and black armour. Her face displaying an obvious determination while explaining how she would protect the colony behind her from all threats.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," exclaimed Scott clenching his fist, "so kick-ass! Now I'm even more determined to reach N7!"
Rebecca laughed; "I don't think you can get any more determined."
Scott seemed lost in the screen for a few moments; "Damn, that Kate girl is hot."
"I'm starting to doubt the motives of your current determination."
"Speaking of hot," said Scott suddenly snapping back to reality, "I got me a date to get ready for."
That feeling within Rebecca's stomach panged again, but she showed no sign of discomfort; "Well, you better get off then."
Scott was already halfway out the door, his head peering back in; "Rest up and get well soon, we'll go out drinking with the guys when you're better."
"Um, errr..." started Rebecca.
"See thee later."
"See ya," she replied quickly as the door closed.
Rebecca remotely switched off the TV and removed her glasses, placing them on the bedside table before staring at the blank screen across the room silently, several mixed emotions running through her head.
A solitary tear trickled down Rebecca's cheek; "Last time…"
She then forced a smile to herself before wiping her eyes and lying down in the bed.
