Chapter 5: Simon
Lieutenant Simon Bell expertly capped a hypospray and placed it into a cabinet. "Thank you for your blood donation, sir," he said respectfully to the civilian sitting in the chair in fromt of him. He didn't let his true emotions show; namely, that he was bloody tired of this planet.
He had, of course, signed up for the Red Cross, or the interplanetary equivalent, but before this planet, he'd been cycled regularly. Ever since his shore leave, they'd been treating him oddly. Now he had a phone tap. And he knew perfectly well why.
It didn't stop him from being bored.
He didn't look up as another person sat in the chair in front of him. He just uncapped the hypospray and turned. And jumped three feet into the air.
There, sitting in front of him, was his sister.
"What are you doing here? Are you insane?!" he hissed.
"Simon, just take my blood. Honestly. You're going to make people suspicious." She sat up a little straighter.
He took a deep breath to calm down. "Why are you here?" he asked, slightly closer to his normal tone now.
"I just wanted to say thank you," she told him quietly. "You got me out of prison, Simon."
"Yes, Katie, and it wasn't exactly legal."
"Do you think I care? Apart from the fact that now you're in trouble. And it's my fault."
"I'm not in trouble," he denied. "And it's not your fault. It's that prosecutors." He pressed the hypospray to her arm and slowly began to fill it.
"Right. So, what's this I'm hearing about a phone tap?" she asked, a slight smile ghosting around her lips.
He looked mildly guilty, then realized he wasn't sure why, and stopped. "Well, they want to find you. All to desperately, little sister."
"Anyway, I hear that you're being transferred to a starship from this dinky planetside duty."
He straightened up. "First of all, this is a very important job, and I volunteered for it. Second of all. a starship? Why?"
"Well, all I've heard is that it's the good ship Challenger."
"Third of all, how exactly did you hear about this before I did?" He crossed his arms, capping the hypospray in the process.
She looked mischievous. "I have my ways."
He gave her a disapproving look. "You wouldn't happen to be guilty of that crime they charged you with, would you?"
Her smile vanished. "You know I'm not, Simon."
"We're done for now, if I'm going into a starship." He hugged her. "Goodbye."
"Bye, Simon." She hugged him back, and gave him a little wave as she disappeared through the door. Just then an alarm beeped, and Simon glanced at the clock. Time for lunch break. He put the hypospray back into a container full of them, and picked it up to give to his supervisor.
An unfamiliar man poked his head in. "Hello, Lieutenant Brooks?"
Simon turned. "Yeah, that's me."
He fully entered the room. "I'm Commander Carey. I've been picking up a couple members of the crew of the Challenger. I know that your transfer hasn't been received yet-." A slight bing from the computer station interrupted him. He glanced over. "Apparently it has. But, anyway, I have the first officer booked on a shuttle to Starbase 24-go ahead and read the orders if you want to."
Simon pulled them up on his screen, and skimmed them. It was pretty basic-transferred, CMO, Challenger, Starbase 24. He turned back to Carey. "And?"
"Well, we have to leave in an hour."
"An hour?" Simon blinked.
"Yes. Everything's been cleared. As soon as you pick up what you want to keep from your temporary quarters upstairs, we can leave."
"An hour?" That was awfully fast.
The Commander clapped him on the back. "Come on, son. Your crew is waiting."
Lieutenant Simon Bell expertly capped a hypospray and placed it into a cabinet. "Thank you for your blood donation, sir," he said respectfully to the civilian sitting in the chair in fromt of him. He didn't let his true emotions show; namely, that he was bloody tired of this planet.
He had, of course, signed up for the Red Cross, or the interplanetary equivalent, but before this planet, he'd been cycled regularly. Ever since his shore leave, they'd been treating him oddly. Now he had a phone tap. And he knew perfectly well why.
It didn't stop him from being bored.
He didn't look up as another person sat in the chair in front of him. He just uncapped the hypospray and turned. And jumped three feet into the air.
There, sitting in front of him, was his sister.
"What are you doing here? Are you insane?!" he hissed.
"Simon, just take my blood. Honestly. You're going to make people suspicious." She sat up a little straighter.
He took a deep breath to calm down. "Why are you here?" he asked, slightly closer to his normal tone now.
"I just wanted to say thank you," she told him quietly. "You got me out of prison, Simon."
"Yes, Katie, and it wasn't exactly legal."
"Do you think I care? Apart from the fact that now you're in trouble. And it's my fault."
"I'm not in trouble," he denied. "And it's not your fault. It's that prosecutors." He pressed the hypospray to her arm and slowly began to fill it.
"Right. So, what's this I'm hearing about a phone tap?" she asked, a slight smile ghosting around her lips.
He looked mildly guilty, then realized he wasn't sure why, and stopped. "Well, they want to find you. All to desperately, little sister."
"Anyway, I hear that you're being transferred to a starship from this dinky planetside duty."
He straightened up. "First of all, this is a very important job, and I volunteered for it. Second of all. a starship? Why?"
"Well, all I've heard is that it's the good ship Challenger."
"Third of all, how exactly did you hear about this before I did?" He crossed his arms, capping the hypospray in the process.
She looked mischievous. "I have my ways."
He gave her a disapproving look. "You wouldn't happen to be guilty of that crime they charged you with, would you?"
Her smile vanished. "You know I'm not, Simon."
"We're done for now, if I'm going into a starship." He hugged her. "Goodbye."
"Bye, Simon." She hugged him back, and gave him a little wave as she disappeared through the door. Just then an alarm beeped, and Simon glanced at the clock. Time for lunch break. He put the hypospray back into a container full of them, and picked it up to give to his supervisor.
An unfamiliar man poked his head in. "Hello, Lieutenant Brooks?"
Simon turned. "Yeah, that's me."
He fully entered the room. "I'm Commander Carey. I've been picking up a couple members of the crew of the Challenger. I know that your transfer hasn't been received yet-." A slight bing from the computer station interrupted him. He glanced over. "Apparently it has. But, anyway, I have the first officer booked on a shuttle to Starbase 24-go ahead and read the orders if you want to."
Simon pulled them up on his screen, and skimmed them. It was pretty basic-transferred, CMO, Challenger, Starbase 24. He turned back to Carey. "And?"
"Well, we have to leave in an hour."
"An hour?" Simon blinked.
"Yes. Everything's been cleared. As soon as you pick up what you want to keep from your temporary quarters upstairs, we can leave."
"An hour?" That was awfully fast.
The Commander clapped him on the back. "Come on, son. Your crew is waiting."