A New Age, A New Team
Chapter 29: Loneliness Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

The soft murmur of the monitors echoed in the empty medical lab, as Jamal (Cannon) paced back and forth around the hospital bed of Aurora (Satine). He checked the monitors over and over again and reviewed her charts. Occasionally, he would look up at her to see if she moved, but of course she hadn't.

Most of the time, the medical area of technician lab was quite except for the symphony of clattering and banging that Jamal conducted while working. It had became a normal routine for him to listen to his own cacophony, because it was the only thing that kept him from going insane in the silence. It was true, Jamal loved what he did and being locked away in the lab for days on end, but he still liked human interaction, which he got little of but by choice.

He stood next to Aurora's bedside and examined her color and pupils, when the large doors to the lab opened with a decompression noise. Dawn (Dreamer) and Seth (Frostbite) walked in and quickly noticed Jamal standing by a medical bed.

"What happened?" Dawn asked as she jogged ahead of Seth and to the bedside. Her dark brown eyes looked in concern at Aurora, "Aurora…" She whispered as she looked at the frail woman.

Seth walked up behind Dawn and looked at Jamal, "What happened?"

Jamal flipped the top to the charts back over them and clipped them to Aurora's bedside, "Aurora is too skinny for her own good, to be honest." He cleared his throat momentarily, "So she fainted and was brought to me."

Seth rolled his blue eyes before quietly turning and walking towards the door, which made Dawn turn around, "Seth?"

He stopped, but didn't turn around, "Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"Fine." He said bluntly before walking out of the medical area.

Dawn stared at the closed steel doors for a moment before turning back around to Jamal, "What's wrong with him?"

"Who knows," Jamal shrugged as he checked Aurora's IV once again before looking back at Dawn, "So what brings you down here?"

Dawn looked up from Aurora and opened her mouth to say something but slowly closed it, "I forgot." She sighed as she looked absentmindedly away from the medical bed and then back at Jamal, "I remember!" She shouted in excitement.

"Woah there," Jamal hushed, "You have to keep your voice down in front of a patient." He chuckled as he ushered Dawn away from Aurora, "Even though she may be unconscious, she can still hear things and it can effect her."

Dawn stared up Jamal and then looked back at Aurora for a moment, "Oops," she quietly said as a soft shade of red stained her cheeks, "Sorry."

"It's alright," Jamal softly smiled, "So what is it that brings you here?"

"I'm trying to look for Twista," Damn blurted out, "I was told that if anyone knew where to find her it would be you…"

Jamal nodded his head a couple times, "As much as I wish that I could say that I knew where to find Saria, I have no idea. She's just as illusive to me as she is to everyone else."

"Did she say when she might be back?" Dawn asked in hopes.

"Saria comes and goes as she pleases. No one really knows when she'll show up again or when she'll leave… It's as thought she doesn't like being in more than one place at a time."

Dawn's shoulders sunk in disappointment, "Oh," She sighed, "Thanks anyway." She quietly turned away from Jamal and began to walk out of the Medical area.

"If I see her again, I'll let her know you're looking for her."

"Thanks." Dawn whispered.

The dull lights of the library lit each of the study tables up, while the rain outside tapped lightly against the large windows. The entire library was quietly hushed with whispers and the occasional turning of pages from the students working or studying in the library. In the back section of the library, Noah (Clutch) and Tonya (Counterstrike) were sitting at a small table with books spread out in front of them.

Noah got up from the table to put back a book and Tonya quickly closed a book and slid it over to him, "Put this one back while you're at it." She said in her British accent without looking up from her notebook, which she was busy writing in.

"Why don't you get up off your butt and put it away?" Noah asked as he stared down at her.

"Because you're already getting up. I'm busy."

Noah leaned over and looked at her notebook, "Busy doodling?"

Tonya looked up at Noah with her green eyes, "Just put it back."

Noah sighed and grabbed her book. He disappeared into the endless bookshelves among the library, leaving Tonya to the table by herself. He's acting strange. Tonya thought. All day he's been giving into our arguments, which before he seemed to love getting into.

Noah returned with another book and sat down at the table. He didn't say anything to Tonya as he began flipping through the pages.

"Alright." Tonya said as she slid her notebook out of her way and looked at Noah. "What's wrong with you?" She asked as she took down her black dreadlocked hair and then put it back into a ponytail once again.

"What do you mean?" He asked, without looking up at her.

She slid his notebook out from underneath him to force him to look at her, "Every argument we've had you've given into. What's up with you?"

Noah sighed and looked up at Tonya, "I just want to get this project done, and Sam wouldn't want us fighting." He grab his notebook back and began to work again.

Tonya raised her pierced eyebrow at Noah for a moment, "It's a little strange that you're doing in for Sam…" She said as if implying something. "I mean, you two seem to fight just as much or more than you and I do."

Noah sighed in frustration and quit writing. He looked up at Tonya with his grey-blue eyes, "I'm doing it for her so she won't have any stress when she comes back, because otherwise, she'll take it out on me." He stared at her as if waiting for her to ask another question or make another witty comment.

Tonya paused for a moment and then smirked, "Pretty clever way protecting your arse." She chuckled and then returned to her work.

Noah lowered his head to continue his work, and then after a couple of minutes spoke, "Thanks." He smirked.