Simmons glances up at the hornet. From where he's standing, he can just barely see the tips of Yttri's toes sticking over the edge of the ship. The mechanic is lying on her stomach on top of the ship while she works on one of the rotors.
Her feet disappear and, after a moment, they're replaced by a hand. "Crowbar" Yttri grunts.
Simmons retrieves the desired tool from the box at his feet and offers it up to the waving hand.
"Thanks, cyborge" Yttri's voice drifts down from above.
Simmons smiles at the small praise, a slight blush spreading across his face, before getting back to work on the computer. Just like with the pelican, there's an access panel on the side of the hornet so he doesn't have to climb in and out to get different tools while he's working. It also means that he can still watch Yttrium while she works, and pass her things when she needs them. Of course, he'll never admit that he's been stopping to look up at the mechanic more often than necessary, or how ridiculously happy he feels every time she thanks him for something. If Grif found out, he'd never live it down.
"How's it going down there?" Yttri asks after a few more minutes of silent work.
"I can't see anything wrong with the targeting systems from here" Simmons answers, once again staring at the screen. He's figured out by now that the only way he can talk to her without tripping over his words is to not look at her and think about something else. Luckily, working on the computer provides the perfect distraction. "It must be a hardware issue."
There's a drawn out, exasperated groan from the top of the ship. "That means we probably need a whole new processing system" Yttri gripes. There's a thump and a yelp, and then the crowbar falls through the rotor and lands by Simmons' feet. "Ah, fuck!"
"A-are you okay?" Simmons asks hesitantly.
"Slipped and jammed my thumb," Yttri grumbles. There are a few moments of angry silence before she shouts again. "Damn it!" There's another thump and somehow Simmons knows that she's smacked the ship. "This thing'll never be fixed."
"We'll figure it out" Simmons tries to reassure her. "We just, uh, need the right tools."
"We'll never have the right tools" Yttri explains wearily. Simmons looks up and sees her face through the rotor of the plane. "That's something you'll have to get used to around here. We always have about a quarter of the supplies we need."
Simmons blushes and looks away, once again glad his helmet is covering his face. "That's no different than Blood Gulch," he mutters, trying to cover up his nervousness.
Yttri laughs at that. "Well, good. At least you already know how to find creative solutions to these types of problems." There's a pause before she says "pass me up that crowbar again."
A few hours later, Simmons is back in the mess hall. After a few hours of working on the ship wit Yttri, she had finally kicked him out. She'd grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress on the repairs and had eventually claimed that she'd had enough human interaction for one day and he could come back later after she'd had time to think. According to Tinu, who had watched the scene unfold, this was normal behavior for the mechanic. She'd assured Simmons that Yttri would calm down soon. In the mean time, Simmons decides to find the rest of his team.
Which is why he's in the mess hall now. Grif never seems to leave this room. When there's food, he eats, and when there isn't he can sit and talk and not do anything. To Grif, that's pretty close to heaven.
Simmons finds Grif sitting at a table across from Tucker. He sits next to the orange soldier and grabs a piece of fruit from the bowl in the center of the table.
"Where have you been?" Grif asks. "After breakfast you disappeared and I couldn't find you."
"I was with the mechanic" Simmons answers.
Grif stares at him for a moment. "Are you okay?"
"What do you mean?" Simmons asks.
"You went to get your arm fixed yesterday, and now you visited the mechanic again today" Grif explains. "You're not, like, breaking, are you?"
"No" Simmons says slowly.
Tucker has been listening to the conversation with interest and chooses this point to start laughing.
"What's your problem?" Grif asks.
"Oh, nothing" Tucker says with a giant grin on his face. "It's just that I've seen this mechanic he's talking about, and I know exactly why he keeps visiting her." Simmons blushes while Grif shoots Tucker a questioning look. "Let's just say, I don't think his arm is the only thing she's been working on." Tucker grins even wider. "Bow chicka bow wow!"
Grif turns and raises his eyebrows at Simmons. "Really?"
"I-it's not like that" Simmons says quickly. "I've just been helping her fix the ship."
"Oh, suuure" Tucker says, drawing out the word. "That's all you've been doing." He shoots Simmons a conspiratorial wink.
Simmons blushes even deeper than before and Grif starts laughing. "What?" Simmons asks irritably.
Grif takes a moment to catch his breath before answering. "I can't believe that a nerd like you managed to find a girl before either of us" he wheezes.
Tucker's grin fades as he considers this. "Oh, fuck! I hadn't thought about it like that."
"I guess we're the pathetic ones now" Grif continues.
"I told you, it's not like that" Simmons insists. "We're just working together."
"Seriously, dude, the more you deny it, the less I'll believe it" Tucker says.
Simmons falls silent and takes a bite of the fruit. He then glances toward the other end of the long table and notices Wash and Nick. The two soldiers seem to be absorbed in their own world, hunching over a holo-pad as they speak.
"What are they talking about?" Simmons asks.
"I don't know," Tucker answers. "They've been like that since breakfast."
"Sarge was over there earlier" Grif adds. "He was telling them about the layout of red base back on that planet we crashed on. It all sounded boring, so I decided to ignore them."
"Why would they care about those bases?" Simmons wonders aloud. "They were just temporary shelters for while we were stranded. They don't matter anymore."
"Dude, if I knew that then I'd be over there having a boring conversation with them" Tucker says.
"But instead, you're over here having a useless conversation with us" Grif points out. "Hope you feel good about those life choices."
"Oh, shut up."
Nickel stands suddenly, sliding his chair back and nearly knocking it over in his haste. He stays still for a moment, head cocked to the side. "Okay, I'll meet you there" he says eventually.
"What's wrong?" Wash asks.
"Rho just radioed me. She said Silver's hurt and they'll be landing in the hangar in a minute." Without another word he sprints out of the mess hall. Wash wastes no time running after him.
"Should we follow them?" Tucker asks.
"Probably," Grif says, looking for all the world like he doesn't plan on moving.
"Come on." Simmons grabs the Hawaiian's arm and starts dragging him toward the door.
"Dude, you used to be a lot more fun before you got a girlfriend," Grif teases as he tries to free his arm from the cyborge's grip.
I wake up to Nick's face a few inches from mine. "Holy shit!" I gasp, jumping back slightly. He leans back as I take a deep breath. "Don't do that," I reprimand.
Nick continues to study my face, eyeing the numerous bruises. "I'm guessing you either didn't find Carolina and Epsilon, or you did and it went poorly," he eventually says.
My brain wakes up sluggishly, and it's a long moment before I'm able to process Nick's words. "The first" I finally decide.
"That's disappointing" he says.
I shrug. "I didn't expect them to be there waiting for us," I say. "We planted some bugs, asked around. If Carolina shows up there again, we'll hear about it."
"If you asked about her, someone will talk. She'll know someone's looking for her."
"That's the idea," I smile. "She managed to hide from the UNSC and the Director for years, convinced everyone she was dead. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be."
"But if she knows someone is looking for her, she might get curious," Nick finishes my thought.
"Exactly," I nod. "If we're lucky, they'll come to us. Or at least go somewhere they know we can find them."
"That's kind of a long shot," Nick says skeptically.
"But it's a chance," I say.
Nick stands up and holds out a hand to help me out of the pilot's seat. "Rho said you were hurt," he says, still studying my face. "I didn't realize it was this bad."
"I'm fine."
"Is that your new catch phrase or something?" Nick asks humorlessly.
"Nerd" I mutter. I try to stand on my own but the ground feels like it's shifting and I end up leaning on Nick.
He wraps an arm around my shoulders to hold me up and looks at my eyes for a second. "I'm no doctor," he starts, "but I know a concussion when I see one. You need to go see Rhodium."
I try to protest, but another wave of nausea hits and I decide it's a better idea to keep my mouth shut. Maybe Nick and Rho are right. I should see Rhodi. I nod my head, which is a mistake. The sudden motion sends new bolts of pain through my skull.
Nick props me up with his shoulder and helps me out of the pelican. Wash and the Sim-troopers are waiting in the hangar, along with Boron, Yttri, and Lico.
"Is she okay?" Silicon asks.
"She will be" Nick says. "She has a concussion. We need to get her to Rhodi."
"Is there anything we can do?" Wash asks, stepping toward us. I'm surprised by the level of concern in his voice.
"Rho's still in the ship" I say, not wanting the AI to be forgotten. "And one of the thrusters took some damage."
"I'll handle the ship" Yttri says, stepping forward. "You can get the AI." She points to Wash as she finishes.
Wash looks slightly nervous at this suggestion. Boron notices his discomfort and smiles. "Afraid of a computer program?" he asks, too quiet for anyone but Nick, Wash, and I to hear. Wash turns his face toward the younger man, and I assume that he's glaring under his helmet.
"Just take her to the conference room," Nick instructs, voice even as he tries to diffuse the situation. "That's usually where she stays when Si doesn't need her for a mission."
Wash nods and starts walking toward the ship. Boron steps in his way at the last second, causing Wash to bump him with his shoulder. Wash's head jerks toward the dark haired man. Boron just smiles again and backs away.
Yttri watches the encounter before rolling her eyes. She steps up to the ship and starts inspecting a plasma burn on the hull. After a moment, Simmons joins her, and Tucker nudges Grif with his elbow.
"See, we've got it all taken care of" Nick says as we walk out of the hangar. "Just take it easy."
Nick and I turn down a hall toward the infirmary. "I don't need to take it easy" I mutter once we're out of earshot of the others.
"You know, there's nothing wrong with slowing down from time to time" Nick says.
"I can't slow down" I try to explain. "Time isn't on our side, Nick. We have to move fast."
"I know" Nick says, and I can't help but think his voice sounds a little sad. I glance up at his face. The grey hair looks so wrong above such young eyes. "Time's never been very kind to either of us. But you have to be more careful. We don't want to lose you."
"And I can't lose any of you" I say. "Not again. I know I won't be able to handle it."
Nick shakes his head slightly. "You're not the only one who's scared, Si." Suddenly, the arm around my shoulder feels less like physical support and more like a hug. "And you're not the only one who's lost people either. Neon wasn't just part of your team, she was also our sister. I know I didn't know her as well as you did, but it still hurt when she was gone. And Gold was my leader just as much as he was yours. And, I know Manny was your first partner and nothing really compares to that. I don't know what I'd do if I lost Tinu. But you weren't the only one who missed him when he left. You're not the only one who wished he'd find his way home to us."
I lean into the embrace. "I know" I whisper. I shut my eyes for a moment, hoping to chase away those memories. For me, it's not just the people we've lost since mom left. It's the dozens who never came back from the initial attacks, whose names I didn't know until I was checking them off of a list; all those brothers and sisters who I never got to know before they were gone. The ones I knew sting the most, but all of them combined are crushing.
"I know you miss them too" I start again, once I've regained some composure. "But you and I both know why I have to be the one to do this."
Nick's arm tightens its hold on me. "You're not expendable" Nick nearly snarls. "I don't care what you think. You're not."
"No," I agree, "but it's like you said, time isn't kind to us. I don't have as much to lose out there as you guys do." I look up and realize we're standing at the infirmary door. "If he tries to give me a shot, I will fight back" I say sullenly.
Nick smiles, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Then I guess I'll have to stay and help him."
Let me know if I'm getting too heavy handed with the Simmons and Yttri thing. I'm a little worried that I'm over doing it.