Here's the next chapter. Rapid updates, I know. I was up till one in the morning last night working on this puppy, just for you guys.

Fixing an Armadillo was fun, but hard. Back home, NIcola did a little bit of everything, even fixing machines. But the Armadillo Nicola and Baird were fixing seemed broken beyond repair. The undercarrige was all tore up with several chunks gone, the rear axel was cracked, transmission was shot and the engine needed serious work. To make matters worse, Baird kept making snide comments.

"Baird, just shut up already!"

Nicola and Baird wer eside by side trying to repair the undercarrige.

"I'm just saying-" Baird began.

"And I'm saying you need to shut up already! Pass me the sprocket wrench."

Baird carefully scooted out from underneath the Armadillo and passed Nicola the wrench.

"When you're done, go ahead and wash up."

Baird walked over to a nearby sink and started to scrub the dirt and grease from his hands.

"What? You're not working anymore?"

Baird took a towel and dried his hands.

"Yeah, I'm gonna see if Cole's still playing Thrashball."

Nicola began to scoot out from under the Armadillo when she felt something sharp brush against her cheek bone.

"Ow!" She exclaimed.

Baird looked over at Nicola and raised an eyebrow.

"You alright? Hit your head?"

Nicola sat up and smiled at Baird.

"I'm alright."

Nicola felt a warm liquid trickling down her cheek and absent mindedly brushed the back of her hand against her cheek. She looked at her hand and saw it was red.

"Uh..."

Baird sighed and took ahold of Nicola's other hand and pulled her to her feet. He then took a clean hand towel and pressed it gently to the cut.

"Hold that against your cut, not too much pressure though."

Baird walked over to a cabinet and took out a bottle of clear fluid and a few cotton balls. He was about to close the cabinet when he seemed to have second thoughts and took a package of band-aids out as well.

"Well, this is going to burn like a mother, and try not to move too much. This cut is really close to your eye and I don't want to get the stuff in it."

Baird moved the towel away frome NIcola's face, wiping away some extra blood as he did.

"I'm fine. I don't need all this attention."

Baird chuckled.

"What? You think I'm going to go all Dr. Josef Heiter on you or something?"

Nicola rolled her eyes.

"No, it's just the fact I've only been here two days and some change and I've already managed to look like an idiot more that noce."

Baird dabbed at the cut with a cotton ball.

"Eh, no big deal. Chronic Rookie Syndrome. Just don't get dead and you'll be fine."

Baird took a dry cotton ball and dabbed it against the cut. Nicola sighed.

"It's not that. I was basically doing front-line stuff back home. Nearly every other day there was a locust raid and I kept the m at bay with just a few other people. Here for some reason I feel..."

Nicola frowned, struggling for words. Baird placed the band-aid over the cut and smiled in sad understanding.

"You feel overwhelmed, don't you?" He said gently.

Nicola nodded.

"I'll tell you a secret." Baird said with a sad, serious tone.

"I've only been alive for twenty-three years, not nearly as long as some of the hariy-assed veterans we've got floating around. And I've been part of this war for about two or three now. Now, there's only so much to see in twenty-three years but... I think life is still pretty overwhelming."

Baird took the medical supplies and walked back to the cabinet. Nicola lightly touched the band-aid on her cheek.

"Gee Baird, I thought you were supposed to be an ass."

Baird smiled as he placed the medical supplies in the cabinet. He turned to Nicola and helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, I am an ass. So don't ruin my reputation by saying I was nice or anything."

Nicola smiled and placed a hand on the back of her neck.

"Well hey," Baird began. "Let's go see what Cole's up to."