Queen's note: where the bloody heck did this chapter come from?!

B.F.D.G.

Chapter Three:

Ouch man, just Ouch

"...no don't you dare-"

Kazz-itz!

There was a startled yelp that came out of the little human mostly inside the base workings of the main laser cutter. A sound that was edged in pain but not agonizing, it sounded half like an offended bird, half whine.

Margery's head popped up and she rushed across the room to where she had left the younger, shorter woman. Missing the distinct twitch of the normally still form in the room. "Cassidy? What happened?"

The only other person in the room whimpered as she was helped up, with the set up cardboard box between her and the giant it helped her from being scared, as she peeked. Her view is still mostly blocked by the sarcophagus. It was a simple little 'shield' that Winston had come up with to help Cassidy work without locking up every time she saw the giant, not quite man.

Cassidy did not know why she froze and fawned so easily every time she saw him. Him…? What was the name VEGA had the name come up with in the translation?

Slayer?

The young woman shivered, what a title to be given from… hell. She huddling against the older woman that pulled her out of the electronic guts of the cutter. Cradling her left arm that was trembling still. "...ow."

"Are you okay chica?" Margery fussed, unable to help it, she knew this young woman really well now. Cassidy was one of those more than happy to come and learn about cooking and even cleaned up after herself more than other technicians. Yet over all she was a good person, but also one that had been headhunted right out of her school, and all but stolen from her original job by Dr. Hayden.

"My arm is numb," Cassidy sighed, trying to rub feeling back into it, wincing and then started to pry her oversuit off. Margery had this area thoroughly cleaned up before she showed up to work. It should be safe, and the older woman was helping to take off the outer layer to see what the damage was.

A deep, but sharp cracking coming from pumice stone inside the sarcophagus had a second startled yelp coming from Cassidy. Accidentally knocking out her tentative shield of safety while trying to reflexively hide behind the bigger woman or back in the lazer. As soon as it fell and she had a clear view, the young woman whimpered and locked up, staring with wide eyes, almost expecting the giant to sit up-

Margery tensed and after a moment to confirm there was no movement, just a sigh seemingly unconscious sigh like sound. She was shifting and using herself to block the poor girl's view, "It's okay chica, it's okay it's just the pumice breaking again. It's okay birdie, you're okay."

"...sorry," Cassidy's voice was soft and muffled as she kept her head firmly pressed against Margery's front.

It took everything Margery had to not laugh at the small sad tone, filled with guilt but she was being so firmly latched onto with all the force of a starved barnacle. She looked up as the main door opened and Winston stepped in, hand on the rifle on his thigh. "Charles, could you get the barrier up again, and the medical kit?"

The commander looked at the still sleeping form, walking closer and saw the big cardboard piece he had set up fell over. Winston heaved a sigh as tension worked out of his body, as if bleeding out between the armor plates. "What happened?"

"I got zapped." Cassidy said, calming down again herself as she kept being a barnacle, her back being rubbed as her left arm stayed tucked against her front. Very thankful for Margery's patience with her. She reminded Cassidy of a younger version of her late grandmother. Only taller, and had a lot more muscle under a deceptive layer of fluff. "...and I panicked, I'm sorry Mr. Winston."

The scarred man, though he had his helmet on right then, crouched on his heels and picked up the cardboard and set it up. Made sure it was stable and got up to check the giant in the sarcophagus, other than nothing the bandages needed replacing again… he was still and quiet, that steady calm breathing that had been there over the last week. Winston twitched his fingers, bringing up the feed from VEGA on the vitales, just a small jump in the heart beat that was in time with the yelp that drew Winston back from his almost lazy patrol of the sealed level.

Was he… this 'Great Slayer' starting to hear things?

"He's still asleep," Winston announced despite his mental note to check things, his voice dropping to as soft of rasp he could manage now. Going to fetch the medical kit left by the door and checked through it. It had been properly refilled again, that was good.

Coming over the man crouched on his heels, helping to be a living wall to block the sight of the giant from Cassidy, "It's safe to look up miss Hunter."

Dark brown, warry eyes peeked up, blinking before checking and without seeing a direct line of sight, the young woman started to relax her hold with her good arm at the moment. A little help from VEGA on her earpiece, to get her breathing back under control. Her voice reflected her guilt when she spoke, "I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright Miss Hunter, you're not the only one with that reaction." Winston noticed, gently patting the smaller woman's head, his voice calm and steady, if not comforting. "You sound winded though, even before the zap."

"I've been working here and in the AR complex on top of what I normally do with Vega." Cassidy yawned, paused and winced, "I think there's some kind of gas in the vents again. I've put in requests to purge the air, but I'm the only tech that can get in the secondary vents without taking this apart…"

Winston frowned a moment, reaching out to give Cassidy a pat on her back, his suit linking to the small rig the UAC staff had in case any corruption bleed through. At least ones that worked near the Argent systems. He was one of the few that could access the rigs without a medical scanner, or being too close thanks to Vega. Yet, outside of the monitoring for the hell energy, Winston had found it was a quick way to spot who was overworked.

Overworked people meant people get overwhelmed and overstressed easier, could and did make mistakes. Though in this case it would not mean someone could lose life or limb, Winston knew how vital the technicians were.

He liked this kid too, "I think you're overworking yourself. Vega, how long has it been since Miss Hunter had proper rest?"

Cassidy winced even before the answer came.

"Twenty hours Commander Winston." The Colony AI promptly informed, there seemed to be a pleased edge to the smooth voice. As if VEGA was perfectly happy to 'tattle' on one of his primary technicians.

"Clear her docket, Vega, of anything not vital to you or your judgment. Unless something happens here that needs Miss Hunter." Winston spoke, smiling only because his helmet was in place and fully enclosed. Watch the guilty look that Cassidy had as Margery was leveling a look at her. "At least for next 48 hours or until you, not Dr. Hayden, judge her well rested please."

"I would be happy to do so…and I have. Cassidy, once you're done here you can go back to your suite." The Colony AI said aloud in the room, with the order from the Commander, he could clear out the rest of his human's schedule officially. Putting a black out for three days with a pending doctor's appointment. As well as a message to said doctor. Other than the hidden on call for the laser cutters.

"I'm being ganged up on, and it's not fair." Cassidy pouted, drawing up her legs for a moment, feeling safer with the silly but still effective cardboard upright again.

"Yes you are, birdie," Margery patted Cassidy on the head only because her gloves were off. Gently getting the younger woman to uncurl so she and Winston could look at the affected arm. "Can you flex your fingers?"

Cassidy had to concentrate a moment but carefully stretched out her hand from where her fingers had curled up and clenched. She made a face, "I hate it when this happens."

Winston offered hers hands for Cassidy to put her own in his palm. Gently checking her himself, noting the tremor starting, "Was it an Argenta shock? Or a bleed of energy?"

"Just a shock, a lingering static charge." Cass said, breathing some relief as that was confirmed when her sleeve was pulled off and there were no pulsing veins.

"Do you want to sit outside in the hall while the feeling comes back?" Margery asked, getting a greatful nod, and then on an idea, "Do you want a concha too?"

There was a long pause before Cassidy asked in a shy voice, "...are there any pink ones?"

"Yes, there's a few pink ones left." Margery laughed as she got out of the way. She had not quite found who kept stealing conchas over the last week.

Winston chuckled as he shifted to carefully pick up the smaller human. Grinned in his helmet as she gave a startled squeak, but the guardsman had Cassidy safely tucked against his front to block the view of the sarcophagus as he stood up. Heading to the door, and for a split moment when glancing over to make sure Margery was heading to her cart, he thought he caught a glimpse of glowing green. Doing a double take, and as Cassidy tensed up in his arms in reaction, so Winston spoke before she could panic.

"Watch your feet Margery, there's a tool that rolled over from the laser." Winston spoke, though the other woman was far from the tool it had his current charge relaxing. He carried the shorter human to the hall, and as there were no benches settled her on the side of one of the support pillars. Giving a semblance of subconscious safety of being hidden.

Even if Cassidy really was not, and they all knew it.

For the moment she was alone, the young woman asked softly, knowing Vega would hear her. "Vega? Have I really been so off… everything?"

"Cassidy, you have only been averaging three to four hours of sleep a day this last week." VEGA spoke in her ear piece only, he softened his voice to reflect his very real concern. "Last week you were not overly better. This is not an insult, but you are not needed to do everything. You are one of my technicians, not a general technician. You have surpassed your quota of general help to the colony two months ago. For this year and next year."

"...so I can sleep after this and go back to the server rooms in your section after this?" Cassidy asked as she finally realized how tired she was before the woman caught movement to her right. Just in the corner of her eyes, away from the door to the room. She blinked and reached up, but then belatedly registered her display visor was likely knocked off in her two panicked flails earlier.

"Yes you can," VEGA was saying as Cassidy could have sworn she saw something red and brown, or black, flicker by in the vent at ground level, and then up past the grate in the ceiling. Some deep rooted instinct sent goosebumps crawling over Cassidy and she tensed as Margery stepped into the hall.

"Vega, what was that?" Cassidy asked, not sure if she really saw something or she was just that tired.

"What did you see, Miss Hunter?" VEGA asked aloud in that section of the hall and in the ear pieces of Cassidy and Winston. Checking in on the commander and found him abnormally still, mid step as if listening to something with all of his person.

VEGA recognized the posture that all of the experienced Elite Guards had developed once the expeditions into the rift, and then controlled portals to the 'Hell' realm. Or dimension. The colony AI had noticed that those that did this odd posture lived the longest. VEGA suspected it was some sort of instinct that was, if not human, then something that living flesh and blood creatures had as an early warning.

Vega started a head count of ever single person on the colony as the Commander turned.

"Vega, start accounting for everyone colony wide, let me know if there's any missing personnel." Winston said coming back into the hall, distracted from what he had about to do with addressing the sleeping giant. Only have gotten out that Winston hoped he was worth the loss of his men and women. "Let me, and Deegan know if anyone has been staying in one place for too long. Or if there's anyone missing."

"Missing?" Margery echoed as she had just sat beside the younger woman, surprised as her sharp ears caught the last part of the soft words. Cassidy was oddly not looking away from where she was staring intently, but tilted her head to show she was listening regardless.

"Tourists," Winston said smoothly, taking advantage of wearing his full helmet to stare almost as intently at the girl, as Cassidy was staring at the vents. Remembering that she had a similar sensitivity like some Guardsmen, only a civilian. There were several civilians like that on Mars. Taking in the stillness before she shivered and jittered, not having the self control to not do so. And then rubbing her numb arm to work feeling back into it.

"Did they get lost again?" Margery asked in confusion. At this early hour?

"People are stupid, we all know this." Winston made himself edge his rasping voice in exasperation. He still had a calm air about him despite an internal worry, calm enough that the two civilians stayed nice and calm. "Deegan is going out to look for them and must inform me. Probably because I'm nice and cozy here with you two and he's not."

Cassidy smiled a bit at that, finally looking up, trust in Winston and his Guardsmen that much she started to let go of some of the apprehension. She kept glancing at the different vents, even as a concha with a pink crust-topping, was offered to her.

"Do you want another one, Winston?" Margery asked, looking up.

A quick glance at the two offered and Winston had his chance, noting the lack of one color, "Do you have any of the brown ones?"

Margery blinked at what she held, offered a second to Cassidy, and smiled leading the way back in where her cart was left. "Yes, I should have one for you."

Winston hummed, going after, and once away from the door he reached up to his helmet. Turning off his external speakers of the helmet while glancing over at the slumbering giant. Twelve feet just seemed far, far to big, on par with a lot of demonic creatures. Margery gave a startled squeak as Winston hooked an arm around her, pulling the woman closer and pressed the side of his head against her own. Just as she was starting to flush at the inappropriateness, and deni any goodies the man spoke and she froze.

"As soon as you can without causing her panic, get Cassidy back into this room and lock the door." Winston rasped in a low voice. Knowing his voice only went so far with his helmet on and the speakers off. "Something is off, nothing has been confirmed, but just in case… lock the blast doors. Clean the door or something Margery, but stay inside until I come back."

Now the closeness made sense. The woman straightened up, glancing at the open door where her younger friend was, "I can do that."

"Stay in here until I get back, or Vega gives the clear. Stranger danger rules." Winston chuckled, getting a half smile back as he switched the speakers back on as he started to head to the door. "I'll be right back ladies, I'm going to go to the restroom, where Deegan can see me."

Cassidy looked up from staring at the vents, and smiled a bit, "Oh, he's not far? Will Mr. Deegan come inside?"

"If he finds the lost VIP, I'm sure he'll come for a concha. So leave him one?" Winston stopped to ruffle over Cassidy's head, her hair still neatly kept in an updo French braid even with her long hours.

"Okay," Cassidy blinked, huffed and checked her hair as Margery came out to call down the hall.

"Charles! You might be locked out for a little while! I haven't cleaned the mechanisms of the door for a week so that needs to be done."

"It has been ten days actually." Vega helpfully chimed in, already having a drone coming towards the humans.

Cassidy giggled at the wince she saw from the older woman. She considered something and asked, "How do you clean out blast doors Margery? I thought everything was sealed."

"Externally yes they are," Margery smiled as Winston waved back that he heard. "But you can get to the mechanisms from the inside once the locks are engaged. Most of it is cleaning out the lubricant that's gotten clogged with dust. In this case I would bet also stone dust from…uhh… hmm. Vega, does the big guy have a name? Like a proper name, not the 'predator' title?"

Cassidy blinked, and for the first time wondered that as well. That thought and getting to learn something new had her willingly letting her guard down. Besides, Mr. Winston was here- bathroom trip aside, and he was one of the two Commanders of the Elite Guard on Mars.

They were safe as long as he was around.

"There have been many titles translated from the tomb his sarcophagus was found in." VEGA was saying, drawing Cassidy's full attention as she finished her treat of the second concha roll. Getting up to brush and shake herself of any crumbs while one of VEGA's maintenance drones came floating over to the door with a trill of a sound. It made both humans smile. "The most common is the tile of 'Slayer.'"

"That still doesn't seem much like a name." Cassidy said, coming to the door she hesitated, and then was grateful that Margery let her hide behind the older woman's back.

"It is much better than the graffiti insults that the demonic creatures seemed to write over the carved glyphs still being translated." VEGA supplied, having his drone coming inside to set up a little work station for the door maintenance.

"I thought the…the demons… were all… bite-y and angry? They tag things in… gods it sounds weird to say aloud. They graffiti in Hell?" Cassidy blinked as she was offered her silly cardboard barrier by the drone next. No, VEGA had the drone hold it for her to not see the giant as she was trying to get her PPE equipment back on.

That was sweet.

"Rude." Was Margery's option on the matter as she started to close the heavy blast door. Putting her code in on the pad and hand on the scanner. It was not an emergency so the heavy door just smoothly closed and the locks engaged. "You would think with the roomers of how well guarded that temple was they would give some semblance of respect for what they feared, I suppose."

"It seems from the recordings they did, if not revered the Slayer." VEGA spoke, his drone helping both women to detach two panels off the wall as Cassidy was doing alright as long as she did not turn around. Her attention caught for now as she watched and helped Margery drain the old, lubricant from the Blast doors and then add the new batch that was clear.

Margery frowned a moment, rubbing her fingers together and looking at the almost black lubricant. "Hmm Roger and Ricky were supposed to have cleaned this room out fully before the big man came."

Cassidy bit her lip to try not to smile at the disapproving tone. That deep rooted, not instinct per say, but very human reaction of glee from, 'oooooh someone's in trouble and it's not ME!' flickering to the surface despite Cassidy being an only child herself. The young woman paused before going back to her own work area. Sniffing the air, the prospect of having nothing but her home suite and bed after this helped Cassidy realize this room was oddly warm. A nice comfortable warmth really, so much of the bigger Mars complexes were kept cool. More so in the areas that Cassidy normally worked with VEGA's systems.

"What is it, birdie?" Margery asked, helping Cassidy fully set up her PPE again.

"Do you smell petrichor?" Cassidy asked, looking puzzled as her mask was strapped back on.

Margery paused, sniffing as well, "I do… is there a water leak somewhere Vega?"

"I do not detect anything." VEGA reported, while letting Commander Winston know the two women were safe. Adding an extra layer of needed code to keep the blast doors locked. Using the drone to help set up the cardboard for Cassidy to settle back into working on the main cutting laser, "I'll see if I can find anything."

Margery nodded, turning, "I'm going to leave the door closed for a little while, let the cleaner soak on that bigger spot. Are you okay there?"

"I'll be fine-"

There was another crack from the stone the Slayer was in, making Cassidy yip as she was putting her visor back on.

"...maybe I'll be fine… he didn't move right?"

Margery checked, unable to help it herself, pausing at the giant of a man's left hand. Touching the thick metal binding that was still on his wrist, seeing several cutting attempts, it was like the lasers could not go deeper than an inch on the three inch thick cuffs. "No, but he's bleeding through one of the bandages again."

The woman touched the large pad of the thickest muscle part of his thumb. The wrapping over that (what was the muscle called again? Adductor…abduct… adduct poll-y something?), and the palm was still damp as well as stained. Margery glanced over at Cassidy and then the medical kit, "I'm going to change this real quick. I don't think anyone else seems to be doing so in the active shift. Go ahead and keep working Cassidy, it just doesn't seem right to let him not be treated."

"Okay. That's okay." Cassidy agreed, not sure if anyone was changing those bandages but Margery. Surely someone else should be? The young woman watched for a moment over the edge of her cardboard barrier. It was not quite perfect, she could see… the toes of rather big feet that were partly wrapped.

Cassidy blinked, tilting her head, puzzled a bit, as she realized even as she was staring at the giant, a part of him (thank gods for the modesty towel really), she was not panicking. If anything Cassidy had a sudden childish or that weird human urge and to want to poke. She shook herself, that was ridiculous.

Turning back, Cassidy smiled as she listened to Margery humming, and found her tools all back and neatly in a row. Maybe it was because she did calm down, with a little bit of food, and the promise of having time to just rest and cuddle in her bed. She could handle this, Cassidy could finish fixing this. It might take longer, slower of a process as Cassidy was looking forward to being done.

It took a bit to realize that Cassidy had finished, jolting as she snapped out of it and found her right hand resting on something that should be active. The same part that gave her the 'static' jolt earlier, Cassidy jerked her arms back, stared and then realized the power had been drained out.

"Oh… oh thank you Vega," Cassidy said, realizing that the colony AI had likely saved her from being jolted with the filtered Argent energy that ran the laser.

"Hmm?" Margery half asked as she heard Cassidy's voice for the first time in an hour and a half.

"Vega?" Cassidy asked, sitting up and looking around, seeing the drone moving around helping the older woman with the last of the cleaning. There was no response as she lifted her hand to tap the alert code to the AI Cassidy had with VEGA. waiting and when there was still no response, she sat up fully, alert and scanning around the room, not to check the giant being in the sarcophagus for once.

Dark brown eyes were tracking over the ceiling. Looking for the main power line to the laser cutters. Found what was visible of the at behind the lid of the sarcophagus was dark.

Margery frowned, turning to the drone happily following her, "Are you connected to Vega?"

The somewhat boxy maintenance drone stilled a moment, the antenna on the wide flat head, twitched before a sad seeming chirp came out of it.

"There's no alert for a lockdown." Cassidy said, confused.

"No," Margery said as she shook her head, and then paused, "But we did seal the door to work on it, would sound pass into here if the power shut down?"

"It didn't completely shut down," Cassidy pointed up at the night time lights, working through her thoughts a bit. "But then, this area has its own double back up system, we're not draining the power reserves at any notable rate with life support and lights. Do we open the doors?"

"No," Margery shook her head, frowning a moment, thinking of what Winston said, "Considering everything birdie, I think we should stay here. There's a bathroom in the back office connected back there. We're safe here, and Winston or any of the other Elite Guards will come get us. If there was a breach and the atmosphere is not there we will just get into more trouble."

Cassidy nodded, that made sense. Just because they were beside the biggest, and living, 'artifact' of Hell. That did not mean that if something happened that it would be a breach right?

…right?