ANOTHER RESTLESS NIGHT
By
Inga
Timeline: Before "First contact"
Author's E-Mail: frog@fix.net
"Another Restless Night"
by Inga
frog@fix.netShe walked down the corridors with a purposeful stride, but in truth Devon Adair really didn't know where she was going. She only knew that she had to do *something* or she would scream. Her skin itched with anticipation and anxiety. Keeping on the move didn't really help, but *not* moving made it worse. A little voice kept screaming in her head that she'd forgotten something -- that there was something undone -- overlooked. She knew on a rational level that it was only her nerves. She *was* ready and she had *been* ready for ages. Everything had been checked and re-checked a thousand times. Her mission commander Broderick O'Neill had seen to every detail with the same driven obsession as she herself. But that didn't stop the little nagging voice. And so she walked the halls of the ship, her eyes darting from place to place, observing everything she could -- ready to pounce if anything looked out of place.
Here and there people were casually milling about. It grated on her nerves to see the crew so idle. Didn't they understand the importance of this mission?
"I want the atmospheric purifiers checked," she said, addressing a small group that was huddled in conversation.
"It's been done, ma'am," a woman's voice responded politely.
"Well, I want it checked again. This ship has to survive 22 years without maintenance. We can't afford even the slightest malfunction."
Devon was about to move on when a man's voice gruffly echoed, "It's been done -- ma'am." The last word came out reluctantly. She recognized him as the ops captain. He had a distinctive voice and she didn't need to see him speak to know who had said it.
Devon's blood instantly began to simmer. She didn't like being talked back to, least of all by someone who should be setting an example for his own subordinates. She especially couldn't stand the idea that people could be so lackadaisical about a mission on which so many lives depended. "I said I want it checked *again*."
The man had been leaning against the wall of the corridor. As she turned to confront him, he shifted his weight square on his feet and straightened to his full height. Devon had never been one to let herself be intimidated by others. She was typically the one to do the intimidating. But to find herself suddenly staring into this man's chest was -- disconcerting. She craned her neck up to stare into his eyes and stood her ground. He met her gaze in silence.
"First thing in the morning," he finally replied with an air of concession.
"Now."
"We're off duty."
"You're off duty *after* you've completed this operation."
"Ma'am," he said, "people are tired."
"You have enough energy to chit-chat in the hallways," she pointed out. "You should have enough energy to re-check the purifiers. In a few days, you'll have decades to catch up on your beauty sleep."
It was meant to be a bit of a dig. Devon had always had a knack for such little parries and implying that this big Neanderthal in front of her needed his beauty sleep struck her as amusing. But neither of them smiled.
The man stepped forward to loom over her. It was obvious that he was also used to being the one to intimidate people. "That's in a few days. People are tired now. Do you want your systems checked over by a bunch of half-asleep techs now? Or do you want your systems checked in the morning by people with fresh eyes and sharp minds?"
*Damn!* Damn, damn, damn. Devon hated it when she was arguing with somebody and they started to make sense. She held her position and took a deep breath. As sweetly as possible, she said, "Anyone who feels too tired to fulfill their duties, should turn in now and get some sleep. Anyone who isn't ready to turn in yet should be doing something useful." She glanced around the small group of crew members. "Sound fair?"
She could tell from the scowls on some of their weary faces that they did not all consider this fair. Nonetheless, most of them nodded and broke away from the gathering, presumably heading for bed. The sole woman in the group smiled at Devon and added, "Goodnight, ma'am," before tugging another of the workers away with her. There was a glimmer in the woman's eye that said she wasn't necessarily planning to do a lot of sleeping once she got her companion back into their cabin.
In short order, Devon was left alone in the hallway with the surly ops cheif. "I don't appreciate being talked back to in front of my crew," she said flatly.
"I'll remember that," he said and then turned and walked away.
That was not, she would learn much later, the same thing as promising never to do it again.
-The End-
This text file was ran through PERL script made by Andy. Original text file is available in Andy's Earth 2 Fan Fiction Archive.