Getting to know you, subchapter five: Engineers
" I can't get this goddamn door opened!" The engineer cursed as he jiggled the handle on one of the doors to the cafeteria. He and the female engineer had grabbed the things she wanted from his tool closet, and as a shortcut back to the medibay they decided to go through the cafeteria. Now, the door wouldn't open, and it almost sounded like there were voices on the other side.
" SOLDIER IF THIS IS YOUR FAULT I'M GOING TO MELT YOUR SHOVEL INTO BULLETS AND SHOOT THEM AT YOU!"
A muffled cry of " The Japanese!" from inside was all that answered.
" So, your soldier's just as braindead as ours?" The female engineer drawled.
" Probably more so. I checked his records, he's never even been in a war."
" Strange. Ours has been in a couple, but she did it under her brother's name. Mulan type of deal, no racial whatevers intended. Honestly I think they let her in the army for her sheer bloodlust. Capital B Beserk that one when it comes to fighting." Her shrill voice hung onto vowels in a way clearly marking origins in the deep south. After kicking the door and cursing a few more times, the engineer turned.
" Guess we're taking the long way 'round. And by the way, is that a texas accent I hear?"
" Nah, Mississippi. Sniper's from Texas though." The male engineer started leading down a nearby stairwell, his companion following. She was so short comparatively her head barely came under his shoulder.
" I don't really mind taking the long way. It's interesting seeing all this." She mused while balancing the assortment of wrenches, soldering iron, and other tools piled in her arms.
" What? A base? Once you've seen once you've seen 'em all in my opinion."
" Well, kind of, but… this all is different. It's another dimension. I'm a guy here!" She paused, and looked up at him. " A tall guy. It's all strange, and new, and better than anything we got at home. I almost don't want to go back."
The engineer wasn't quite sure how to respond. He wasn't big into all the hypothesizing about alternate universes and what not. He solved practical problems for a living, he didn't dabble in theories. So, he simply did the polite thing.
" I'm Dell. Dell Conagher."
" Lucy Shea." She shuffled around the tools, and stuck out her hand. Dell took it, and felt her hand like a small bird enveloped in his own. A thought wandered into his mind.
" How old are you anyway?"
" Old enough." She sniffed.
" Cow shit. I've been thinking about this. You're tiny, you're voice is high, your hands are miniscule, you've got no…" He paused, carefully fraising his words. " Chest. Even more so than a regular woman your size, AND I can see pimples forming around your nose. You can't be more than thirteen!"
" I'm sixteen; I'm a late bloomer!" Snapping, she shuffled the tools so her torso was out of sight. " And age is just a number. That's not a fraise only old people can toss about. I've got four PhDs, working on the fifth and my sentry gun is officially patented as of last year. Not all sixteen year olds can do that so I don't see why I'm always grouped with the rest of them. I am plenty mature, more'n enough to do this job."
Dell thought of all the times he'd seen his teammates heads blown off. He thought of watching them burn to death, or explode, or be shot full of more holes than swiss cheese just to respawn and do it all again. The kind of things that haunt the staunchest of men, these mercenaries were subjected to every day. It makes visions of blood and gore come to visit in the small hours of the morning, and you can't get back to sleep 'cause all that's in your mind is the sounds of men's screams and the coppery scent of blood…
" This isn't a job for a sixteen year old to be doing." He said quietly. " It screws you over for the rest of your life." Lucy just rolled her eyes.
" I'm not some delicate flower to be protected. I can handle it. We're going this way, right?" With that she trotted ahead of him down the stairs. Dell shook his head.
" It ain't right." He muttered quietly before following her.