REACH FOR THE STARS.
The Mission vessel's hull had been ripped to shreds by the meteor impact. The most damaged were the outside parts--the stealth generator would have to be rebuilt from scratch. On his back on a trolley underneath the hull, Yagami Taichi worked at loosening the panel so it could be refitted. Oil from the tools he was using had stained his shirt, and he looked to have a good three, maybe four hours of work ahead of him.
He was completely and utterly happy.
"Tai!" A voice called. "Have you seen the number eight wrench?"
"I'm using it, Izzy," Tai replied.
The trolley was suddenly pulled backward. Tai blinked as he came face to face with a pair of dark eyes only inches from his own.
"Tai, I told you I needed the number eight. The adjustments to the radar have to be just so."
"I got it first."
His red haired partner hissed in frustration. "Tai, you're being childish."
"So? What are you going to do about it?"
Izzy sighed, then leant forward. "This," he whispered, before bring their lips together. It was little more than teasing contact, Izzy pulling away just as Tai began to respond. "Trade you for it," he said with a smile. "Give me the wrench, and I'll give you a proper kiss."
"Deal," the brown, oil-smudged boy agreed instantly.
Izzy leant in once more, anchoring his hands in the goggles around the taller boy's neck, before meeting him in the promised kiss. Several minutes passed before either of them attempted to get away.
Eventually the red head let go with a sigh. "The radar--"
Tai nodded, propelling his trolley back under the hull again. As his companion walked away, he began to whistle, picking up the number ten wrench already placed by his side. His hand brushed a metallic tool and he smirked. Just wait until Izzy needs his adapters--
--oOo--
There are advantages to being me. Like having a sister who's a med. She's part cyborg, like me, only instead of choosing parts useful to navigation and piloting like she's got surgical implements and such. Jun reckoned that there were cuter guys at med-school.
I reckon she's crazy.
Crazy or not, she lets us into the infirmary as Dr. Kido examines our find. He's the main reason Jun applied for Mission work, to tell the truth. They were at Med school together, she stalked him for years. He's a nice looking guy, wispy blue hair falling around his face, and glasses--and, according to Jun, he's really smart and kind. I have to agree with her--Jyou's really nice, for crew. He didn't grumble when we woke him up to help us, even though it's late and I suppose we could have waited . . . I mean, the pilot's been in deep sleep for years, probably. What's a few more hours?
"The pod's not damaged," Jyou notes as he flicks open the control interface. A moment later and the glassy top slides back allowing us our first, unobstructed view of the sleeper. I'm surprised. He's young--only a few years older than me, and I'm young to be a mech. If it wasn't for my parts--
Jun does a quick scan. "100% human, no artificial limbs, height and weight distribution average--oh, my Daisuke, it looks like you're got a friend."
I look and see what she means. The pilot's got a pair of goggles slung round his neck. They're round too, exactly the kind I wanted--I touch my square ones, perched in my messy hair, happily. Maybe we can trade? "Cool."
Ishida, behind me, lets out a short impatient burst of breath. "As if one wasn't enough--"
"Jun?" Jyou gently recalls my sister's attention. "A scan of the injured area please."
"Of course."
"Do you think he's a fan of Yagami Taichi too?" I ask no one in particular as Jun and Jyou work.
"The navigator referred to him as Tai--" Ishida says thoughtfully.
"He may even be more obsessed than you, Dai!" Jun proclaims. "Third degree burns, blood loss, but no sign of infection."
"I'm not obsessed!" I protest. "Well, maybe a little, but who says that's a bad thing?"
Jyou has set a mechanical cast around the pilot--Tai's--arm, and keys in the command to release the anaesthetic spray it contains slowly. "All things in moderation, Daisuke. Even obsessions."
I scowled. I had this feeling they were making fun of me.
"Scissors, please," Jyou begins cutting away the pilot's shirt and the bandages. I lean over interestedly. I've never seen burns before--
"Dai, stop that or you get kicked out."
"Why?"
"It's unhygenic, kiddo."
I scowl at Jun. How dare she call me that in front of Ishida? "Fine." I plonk myself down on the observation bench, meditating on how unfair it is. After all Ishida is allowed to watch . . . except that he's turned away, slightly pale. Scared of blood? Could it be?
Nah, course not. Ishida's perfect, after all.
"Now, then," Jyou turns to Ishida. "Do you know how long he's been in hibernation?"
Ishida blinks then looks at me. "Motomiya, the computer records?"
"Oh, yeah." I still have the information in my memory files. I scroll through it quickly. "The ship left Mission centre 14 EY. Hey--twenty years ago."
"Twenty--so we have a pretty good chance of finding the navigator."
I brighten, I'd been worried about that. "He said the pod would last fifty--so it doesn't matter when he got dropped, he'll still be okay."
"Navigator?" Jyou asks, measuring some liquid and pouring it into a syringe.
Ishida fills him in briefly. I watch as Jyou gives him the injection. "What's that?"
"You know that when a person goes into deep sleep, they're given an injection that suspends their body's normal functions--heart rate is reduced, etc, making it easier to prolong life. This is calculated as the amount necessary to awaken someone who has been asleep 20 years."
"Oh," I wince as he plants the needle in to the pilot's skin. I hate injections--at least he gets to be unconscious. Still--
"He should wake within a minute," Jyou puts the syringe down. "You two are welcome to stay."
"All right!" Ishida is glaring at me again, so I add "Sir."
Jyou laughs. "Tell me more about how you found him."
Ishida is silent so now it's my turn to tell the story. I start with how I discovered the blip on the console, and I'm just explaining the ship's security system when Ishida interrupts.
"It's gone five minutes. Shouldn't he be awake?"
"He's not making any sign of recovery," Jun says. "Body signs are still in hibernation mode."
Jyou picks up a limp hand, and feels the pulse. "Pass me the syringe."
"You're giving him more? Is that a bad sign?" I ask, concerned.
"Not if he was injured. I should have accounted for the fact he was hurt before I gave him the first injection. As it is difficult to guess how much blood he lost before he was put into deep sleep, I'll just have to guess."
Jyou's wrist communicator suddenly blips. "Dr Kido," he says, smoothly and professionally. "I see. Well, I'm in the middle of something--certainly, Captain." He replaces the syringe on the shelf and smiles at my sister. "Jun, you're in charge of the pharmacy and our patient here. When he wakes up, keep him still and peaceful, okay?"
"Okay," Jun grins.
I bet the only thing keeping her from dancing around singing Dr Jyou trusts me is Ishida. See? He spoils everything.
Then again, I know my sister's singing voice. I may actually have to thanks him.
"You guys don't have to wait around if you don't want," Jun says, attaching a monitor to the still sleeping patient. "I'm perfectly capable of handling this."
"Aw, but Jun--"
"As the people who discovered him, we are obligated to see to his recovery. It's our responsibility. Besides, we need to know who he is so we can work out how to return him to his base and family."
"There wasn't anything on the ship's computer?"
I shake my head. "Nothing that was encypted. They said they were on some sort of mission."
"Go back and take another look."
I sigh, of course they're going to make me miss the interesting bits. And I really wanted to be here when he woke up. "Okay, sir."
The ship's computer is trashed, basically. I spend a good half hour trying to coax it into being sociable but it eventually just croaks and the stalls. I traipse back to the medical rooms, to share my failure with Ishida and Jun--although I pick up my pace at the thought that the pilot must almost certainly be awake now.
But he's not.
Jun just shakes her head as I enter, and my gaze moves from her to Ishida who is standing by the pilot's pod, looking down at him with this almost angry expression. I don't get it.
"Excuse me, sir? Computer is failing. I couldn't get more from the data banks that what we already know."
"Huh? Oh, right."
Ishida barely glances at me, before his gaze goes back to the pilot. Weird.
"Someone should inform the Captain, though of course, she'll be asleep now," Jun says, yawning herself.
"I'll do that," Ishida says suddenly. "I'll finish the bridge shift too. You can stay here, Motomiya."
Yes! I can't believe it--of course, Ishida probably wants me to stay only so he can have some time alone. That's perfectly fine with me--I just have to be here when the pilot wakes up.
I wander over to the pilot and pick up his hand so I can measure his pulse. Still faint . . . I don't think there's been any change since we brought him out.
"Daisuke . . . I just realised I'm not wearing any make-up. Can you handle things here while I fix that?"
I answer my sister sarcastically. "Yeah, it'd be a real tragedy if Dr. Kido saw you without your make-up."
"Oh, hush Dai. I think I'm finally getting through to him." Jun exited the room, leaving me alone with the patient. I leaned over the pod again, watching him.
Only a few years older than me. And he had goggles like mine, he was actually a pilot, and he flew a scout ship on secret missions--I hope he's nice. If he turned out to be another Ishida--
Actually I was getting to the point where I wouldn't have cared if he turned out to be another Ishida, just as long as he did something. I sighed, my eyes running around the room--and pausing on the bottle that Kido had filled the syringe from. I'd seen where he put the syringe to--
No, I said resolutely to myself. You could get into a lot of trouble messing around with stuff like this. It's best left to the professionals.
My resolution lasted all of two minutes.
I hope this works, I think, carefully measuring out the potion. If not, we're both going to be in trouble dude--
The pilot doesn't make any sign of life. I replace the syringe, and settle back to wait . . .
"I'm back, Dai. Say, you wouldn't mind running down the mess and getting some food? The books I've read say that people coming out of deep sleep are usually pretty hungry."
"Sure thing!"
I'm returning with a tray piled high with all my favourite foods when I see a sight that makes my heart sink--Jun replacing the syringe on the shelf.
"What did you just do?"
"What do you mean? I gave him another injection. I am a medic, and Jyou did leave me in charge."
"But--I just gave him an injection!"
"What? You little idiot--"
I manage to put the tray down before Jun starts strangling me.
"What on earth?"
There are only a few things that can stop Jun from beating me up. Fortunately Ishida is one of them.
"This is not standard behaviour for a medical room, particularly not one with a resident patient," he says, and Jun automatically lets go of me.
"I'm afraid this is a medical emergency," Jun retorts. "My idiot brother decided to give the patient another shot without telling me, and I've just given him another--"
Ishida looks up sharply at that and crosses to the pilot's side. "Vital signs are still regular--what sort of side effects can be expected from a patient receiving three times the recommended dose?"
"Three?" Jun looks confused. "But--"
"Dude--" I stare at Ishida. "You gave him one too?" This is great. I can't get in trouble if Ishida did it too--
Jun wails. "This is terrible! Jyou is going to kill me--he'll break up with me for sure--"
"Jyou isn't even going out with you," I remind her. A mistake as it turns out.
"He would if only you wouldn't keep doing things like this!" Jun makes a dive for my throat, I dodge, bumping into Ishida--who ends up sprawled over the unconscious pilots lap.
Then, and only then, does the pilot wake up.
Jun is yelling at me and Ishida is yelling at the both of us, when he gasps suddenly. Jun stops mid strangle. Rubbing my bruised neck I open my mouth to ask what's going on--and leave it open.
The pilot just moved. The hand dangling over the side of the pod just shifted slightly and then his whole body stirs. Sleepy eyelids raise to reveal brown eyes fixed puzzledly on Ishida.
There's a long minute where no one says anything.
Then the pilot speaks. "Izzy, since when did you dye your hair and wear contacts?"
"I'm not Izzy," Ishida says, rather clumsily.
"Then what are you doing in my lap?"
Ishida hastily scrambles upright--wonder why he didn't do that before.
The pilot grips the side of the pod and pulls himself upright. "Where am I? He asks, looking around. "And where's Izzy?"
"That's a long story," Ishida says, with a touch of his usual coolness.
The pilot sighs. "It's going to be one of those days, is it?" His eyes fall on me and he smiles. "Like the goggles, dude."
I knew I liked him.
