Brotherhood of the Machine (IC Thread) [PG/14] {02}

[shadowterm]

Izzie looks the plasma rifle over "Meh, it's not like it makes much difference anyway. How many shots will the battery let me take?"

[Ryudo Lee]

"More than enough if you're not trying to be a one man army." The quartermaster says.
He then turns and heads into the back.  He's gotta tally up everything that he had given away.

[shadowterm]

Izzie was feeling hungry, and decided to go to the mess hall for lunch. He grabbed his gear and headed out the door.

[Azlan]

Morgan had made it to the cafeteria and tried very, very hard not to turn his nose up at the food that was offered.  Existing in an upper middle class to lower upper class lifestyle had jaded him a bit.

[Tapewolf]

Dorcan couldn't eat if he wanted to, so he found a space on Morgan's table and just sat down.  Taking a notepad and pen from his pocket, he began to doodle while the others ate.

[shadowterm]

Izzie proceeded through the doors to the mess hall and got some food. The food was nothing special, but it was edible. He sat down next to two others at a table, and began to eat.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

In the Briefing Room

Jexx wakes to a rustling of clothing and the sound of a glass tapping on a table.  Before his eyes is a cold protein shake with dew drops of water from the air, and  He smells a feminine smell and movement behind him.   

"Really Jexx, If you can't wear my T-shirt normally, you could wear it as a head band, like this" says Dr Sally.  She wearing a hospital gown and a two robes with light shoes.  She ingores Jexx's protests and puts the t-shirt around his head, and ties. 



Now, she starts for the door as she scold him.  "If you need a rest, try a bed in the dorm.  You're a person, act like one.  These attitudes will not do in a civil settings, you should try to socializing a little, even if you do not need the food or the company.  Everyone is in the mess hall, if you care to join them or if you feel better, stay here and just drink your shake there and then find a bed and have a nap.  Exo will let you know when your departure is near." scolds the Doc.  "And if you don't want me nagging you.  Bring home a nice girl, who will take care for you.  We all need each other to keep ourselves sane, Jexx.  You do want to keep you you, don't you?  The T-shirt is a gift, Jexx, keep it for the mission.  I am need in the mess hall."  Dr Sally heads to the mess hall.

In the mess hall
Jathon watched the new guy as he got his food... and follows him to the same table as Morgan and the other.  He sits down quietly eats his salad.


PBH

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx woke up gently as Sally rustled around, the sight of a cold protein shake greeting him. Before he could do anything else, she had the T-shirt and tied it around his forehead. Even though she then started scolding him as she walked to the door, Jexx found himself listening carefully to what she was saying.
   After she left, he reached up and gently felt along his new 'headband' with his metal hand. He then took a sip out of the protein shake slowly, as he was for one of the very few times in his (remembered) life, pensive, thinking about the things Sally said to him. Some of it didn't make much sense to him, as the concepts were new, but their meaning was...familiar, almost. As he thought, his markings glowed softly for a moment, then went out again. His mind decided, he got up, protein shake in hand, and headed off to the mess hall as well. He'd give some of her advice a try.

[shadowterm]

Izzie looked up from his food for a moment, and gestured to the doberman next to him. "So, what is it you'll be doing on the mission? I don't really have everybody's faces in order yet, maybe you can help me out." Izzie smiled and took another big mouth full. He'd always been told he ate like a dinosaur, but they were around for millions of years. They must have been doing something right.

[Azlan]

Morgan poked at his greasy cafeteria style food and looked up at the stranger who had spoken.  This guy ate like a dinosaur, which had proportionally small brains and existed for millions of years without achieving anything meaningful or achieving enough intelligence to create culture or society.  They must be the epitome of a race that had something horribly amiss about it.

"And who might you be mate?  I dun remember you being with us before."

[Tapewolf]

Dorcan looked up from his doodling.  He was about to answer when Morgan's question stopped him dead.  "I didn't think the mission was top secret, was it?"  He queried.  "If there is the risk of an informant in the organisation, I'd say we have bigger problems than just the mission being compromised."

He paused.  "In any case, we requested a few extra personnel.  For all we know, he could be one of them."  He didn't say what kind of personnel they were expecting.

[Ryudo Lee]

As an afterthought, Jackson turned to his console and typed out a message to EXO, informing him of the addition of Izzy to the unit.

[shadowterm]

Izzie was taken aback, "No, no, I'm the new engineer. I was assigned to this mission by Jackson, I'm supposed to report to EXO after I get my gear and something to eat." Izzie then downed his glass of some kind of juice in a gulp. It seemed tropical, but he couldn't place it. "Anyway, I guess I'm going to have to work a little for trust around here then?"

[Tapewolf]

"That would mean you're on our team, then," Dorcan said, and offered his hand.  "Good enough for me.  It didn't take them long to get us an engineer."

"So, what is your speciality?  Have you done much work with augmentations, by any chance?"

[shadowterm]

"You mean cybernetics?" Izzie asked as he wiped his face off with a napkin. "Yeah, I've worked with them before. I'm not specialized in it of course, but I can do field repairs and the like. I'm not really a specialist, I'm the general guy. I can repair that, weapons that misbehave, the necessary stuff."

[Tapewolf]

"Yes," Dorcan said.  "I have a few cybernetic enhancements.  While I'm hoping it won't be an issue, it's not something I'd like to leave to chance.  When we have a moment I'd like to discuss it with you, preferably in a more private setting."

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Well, good, We need a engineer.  I can only heal the fleshy parts of most of the team, here." states a female sea-other.  She was carrying a tray with six double cheese burgers, a large fries, and ex-large milkshakes. In spite of the large "meal", she looked thin in her face and arms with her nigthgown and bathrobe hiding most of below her chest.  She sits down at the table.

"I'm Dr Sally Joywaves and the team doctor.  And I will be reviewing your medical record, and give you an exam on your return from this mission." says the Doc.  "Jathon is my new assistant, and he will be on this mission as field medical officer, while I am recovering in the sick ward."  As she finishes her two burger, she points to the ferret at the end of the table. *slurp*

PBH

[Tapewolf]

Dorcan glanced at the food and mentally shook his head.  On occasion, he missed eating, but right now he was glad that his sense of smell was long gone.  The thought of eating that much junk food would have made him feel ill.

"Good," he said, glancing at the ferret, and offering his hand.  "Dorcan, of Ja'Fell clan.  I'm glad we have a field medic this time... going without on our last outing kind of shook my faith in the organisation, I'm sorry to say.  Still, I guess there were more pressing missions going on at the same time.

"Anyway.  Which team were you going with, again?  The assault one, I suppose..."

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Now, Doc, you really should eat better.... "Said Jathon
"What is it with you, guys?  You want me to regain my weight, but you starve me on soups and lettuce leaves." complains the annoyed otter, "I need the protein and the fat to rebuilt my muscles and body tissue."*Burp* "Oh goddess, excuse me, this is good.  This is not something, I do just because I enjoy it.  I lost some 25 pounds over the last week, and I need this." *munch, munch, slurp*"Mmm, Don't mind me.  Go on with your planning" says Dr Sally around her third burger.

*Sigh* "Dorcan? Is it?  Well, I could go with the stealth team and I have some re-con training " Says Jathon.

PBH

[Azlan]

Morgan glanced at Dorcan as he mentioned cybernetics and the private conversation with the new mechanic.  He was forced to shake his head, once again he would be forced to enter into a life or death situation with someone whom he could not fully trust.

However, he was more concerned with the mountain of grease and junk that Joywaves was stuffing into herself.

"Lass, that can't be healthy, but whatever... it is your body.  As for engineers, we definitely need one.  As long as there's field experience mixed with the book learning.  I'm Morgan Kell, software engineer by day and freelance agent for the Rebellion by night it seems."

[shadowterm]

Izzie glanced over to the humanoid and said "Some field experience, and you'll be happy to know it wasn't on the Brotherhood's side. I can remember at least one time I was glad that the demonic thing's aim was off by a millimeter or so. By the way, I didn't catch your name."

[Azlan]

"You didn't catch my name because I did not throw it... however I did already said it, Morgan Kell."

[Tapewolf]

Dorcan caught Morgan's head shake out of the corner of his eye.  He had a pretty good idea what was going through the other's mind, and in his place, he'd have felt the same.  Then again... I'm an alien.  You never had a frame of reference for me to begin with.

"Don't worry," he said.  "It's not going to affect me operationally unless I'm physically injured.  But it is a... personal matter," he said.  "Something I'd rather not discuss."

He turned his attention back to the ferret "I can't now remember if we were getting one medic or two," he said.  "If it's just going to be you, it might be better if you go with the assault guys since they'll be doing a head-on attack.  If it works, we shouldn't encounter many of the Brothers ourselves, with the chance of injury correspondingly lower."

[Azlan]

Morgan raised an eyebrow at Dorcan's comment, "Look mate, you must have a guilty conscience about something, because I didn't say a word.  However, if you want to be on this topic, let me just say... personal is what strands a teammate alone behind enemy lines, personal is what gets one's team killed as one hesitates, and personal is what leads to distrust and misunderstandings.  In this business there can never be any 'personal'.  Any limitation, quirk, unusual ability or trait is something that could be an asset or a liability, but no one will know which until it is too late."

Morgan rose to his feat and roughly tossed his tray into the collection receptacle, "excuse me, for some reason I've lost my appetite."

He exited the cafeteria in obvious and unconcealed disgust.

[shadowterm]

Izzie watched Morgan leave "Well, that was certainly awkward." He tossed his plate toward the receptacle with a look of anticipation, but it missed, so he got up and put it in by hand looking crestfallen.

[Tapewolf]

Guilty conscience?  Dorcan thought, You don't know how right you are.
Then Morgan stormed out of the room.  The Doberman's headwings drooped and he turned to Sally.

"Is he always that emotional?" he asked.  "We could come unstuck if he does something like this on the battlefield."

Dorcan went back to his doodling for a few moments and reflected.  Morgan is unhappy because I've left slip that there's something amiss with me.  We don't want that to happen again.  So... keep him in the dark.  Ignorance is bliss, and he'll be happy.
Confident that he had found a solution, he smiled and began to draw a seascape.

To someone who had spent 300 years learning how to hide, it made perfect sense.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx walked through the doors to the cafeteria at the same time Morgan was storming out. Jexx wasn't technically familiar with such behavior, but even he could tell something was wrong. He didn't get a chance to say anything before Morgan disappeared down the hallway. Turning back to the cafeteria, Jexx spotted Dorcan, Sally, and the medic guy who had given him the T-shirt from Sally.
   Sporting said T-shirt on his forehead now, Jexx made his way around the tables and sat down next to Dorcan, sipping his protein shake again. "Is that...Morgan guy okay?" Jexx asked slowly. "I just saw him. He didn't seem right."

[shadowterm]

Izzie looked over "Not really my business, but I don't know. Whatever it was, he got pretty upset about it. Anyway, My name's Izzie, I'm the new engineer, you'd be?"

[Tapewolf]

"I'm not quite sure if it's because he doesn't like surprises, or because he's prejudiced against people with augmentations," Dorcan said sadly, without looking up.  Probably both.

He finished adding a few sailboats and then turned his attention back to the others.  "So, how are you doing, Jexx?"
he asked.  He didn't say anything about the shirt... for all he knew, it was some kind of local fashion statement.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Morgan seems to be a male, who has lost friends to people with personal issues.  Emotions can be good motivators, but they can blinded you to that is right in front of you.  It is more important to stay focus during a mission, and do your duty and your job without little personal issue detractions.  But we are all mortal, and personal issues will hang us up from time to time.  Morgan seem to want your or our issues, known, so we can back you up, if you get in a jam.  But that will require a matter of trust, which we all are not ready for yet." says the sudden somber Ferret.  Jathon had finish his meal, and was playing with his darts at the end of the table, filling them with a clear liquid.  "I'll be going with the assault team, better to try out my new formual"   

"Dorcan! Morgan is right in that you should not let an injury go untreated, if you are going on this mission.  Dorcan come here, please.  If you are going on the raid, you should be healed or I can talk to Exo about leaving you behind." says Dr Sally in a stern voice, be she soften.  "You have a right to privacy, but you should see me and/or Exo about this.  We'll keep it just between us, but we can't have you as a loose cannon of the battlefield."  The doc had just finish her double burger number #5, but she didn't look like she could eat anymore of a lunch fit for 3 lumberjacks.  "Please, Dorcan, I can help"

PBH