The ricochet of sound was enough to shatter windows as an unmarked black motorcycle thundered down the street. It came to a screeching halt in front of the steps of New Rydynn Memorial Hospital and a tall man, clad in leather and denim swung his big leg over the machine and straightened himself out. A red beret graced the shaved head, and a plasma rifle his shoulder as his right index finger moved slowly to his face. The dark sunglasses were pushed back up the bridge of his nose and the trokk-skin boots kicked up dust as he took the stairs easily into the Hospital's lobby. The beret was tugged off his head and stashed away in a pocket of the leather vest. He nodded to the female medics assembled. "Greets."
Asche wrapped her arms about her torso and looked to Terra, her voice falling to a conspiratorial tone. "Look at this guy."
Terra nodded and shook off the strange feeling that overcame her. She didn't think the pregnancy she had so recently divulged had anything to do with it. "Good eve to you."
Asche nodded, and continued giving the man the once over. "Sick, wounded, trade?" It was her stock question for any new face she encountered.
The man's left index finger ran through is closely cropped goatee. "Hmm. None of the above, actually."
A crooked smile greeted his statement. "Well, what use are you then?"
"You might say I was sight-seeing, lady. I didn't ask for this post, but it seems my superiors had other ideas."
A sidelong glance was given between the two women. "We'll be seeing him in the ER then."
His blue-gray eyes slid over Mirandahh as if he were inspecting property. "Not if I can help it, lady. But the, if'n you're gonna give me personalized treatment, perhaps I might play in traffic a spell."
Terra chuckled. Asche sure did have her hands full with this one. She was content to listen amusedly to the two.
Asche's eyebrows shot skyward. "That so? Well, I don't have much of a success rate with folks squashed by tank tread."
A wry grin crossed his face. "Touche, lady." He took to wandering the lobby. His eyes slowly flicked about, observing, studying.
"Just remember, no politics in here", Asche called out to him. "Nuke", she whispered to Terra. "Too well fed to be anything else", she mumbled.
"Politics?" He guffawed at the very idea. "Oh, I'm on a pleasurable ordered vacation, lady."
Terra had since taken her leave of the conversation to greet an entering Garth, leaving Mirandahh alone to deal with the man who now approached her.
The distance between them was quickly closed, the skin of the boots muting the passage. He offered Asche a weathered, yet strong hand. "Jarredd Boyle, lady. Pleasure is all mine." He smiled at her, though it was a bit too wide to be one of genuine integrity.
Asche took the hand in hers, and shook it once, with a firm grip. "Mirandahh Drachenn, but call me Asche." Her eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion of the man, the ice blue barely visible through the slits.
"Well, lady, you are pretty hot if I do say so myself." What a butchered attempt at being charming.
"Think so, eh?" she asked, unimpressed and unphased by the ill-spoken compliment. "Well … you look … bald." Alright, so she wasn't any better at this than he was. She gave him a saucy little smirk to go along with her own feeble and measly attempt. "So, on R and R, eh?" She finally took that opportunity to release his hand and shove it into a voluminous pocket.
"You might say, Asche. Hey, mind if I take a look around?"
An explosion closer than they would have liked rattled the Hospital. It was enough to be noticeable, but not enough to cause any serious, outward damage. Asche was about to respond when Terra exploded in a sudden, unexpected outburst, leaving them all dumbfounded. "Why can't all of you quit killing and fix things?" she trumpeted at the top of her lungs. She deflated soon after her yelling stint and with a sigh, walked away from Garth and over to the desk.
Boyle chuckled and turned towards Terra. "Spunky one, ain't she?" Thus far, he was the only one who had broken the silence that invariably follows such a tantrum.
"Yeah", retorted Asche with a quirky grin, busy as she was picking her jaw back up. "Ain't she though?"
Yet Boyle had more wisdom to impart. "Lissen lady," he said, speaking to Terra and gesturing to the outside. "That's what it's all about these days. Ya gots this one and that one all thinkin' they've got the answer."
Terra spun on him. "No, What foolish men such as yourself believe." She scoffed. "If you put the same energy into building rather than destroying, imagine the possibilities. But I am sure that concept is foreign to you."
"I ain't paid to believe nuthin', lady. I follow orders."
"Of course", she snipped.
Garth wisely kept shadowed back, listening to the ranting and secretly glad that it was Boyle, not he, on the receiving end. He followed her exit to the cafeteria, knowing she was upset, and not believing that there was much he could do to comfort her.
Asche snapped out of her gawky standing position in the middle of the room and again her gaze shifted to Boyle.
"Speakin' o' which, Asche." His droll smile was almost revoltingly sweet. "Ya wanna see my hardware?"
She gave him a hard, weathered look that matched his hand mile for mile. "I dunno. Is it worth the look?"
"But iffin' yer interested, it may be entertainin'."
"Well," came the tartly, waspish reply, "you know what I hear about guys with big cannons …"
"Ya know?" His smile widened and creases formed on his forehead. "I like this place already." He noted Garth's exit after Terra and commented with a smirk. "Aww, shucks. Ya gotta love love, eh?"
"Even been in love?" Asche asked.
Grayed eyes cut over to the female medic. "Hmm. Hard to say. I'm thinkin' I've been in love with bein' in love."
"But no one to try it out with, eh?" she asked mildly, turning back towards on of Elliot's terminals. To a more discerning ear, it could have been misconstrued that she was making him an offer.
"I'm married to my job, Asche. It pays the bills and what a nice expense account." The sarcasm latent in his words bubbled over. "But ya might say that I'd entertain the notion of experimentin'. Afta all, we gots to settle down sometime or otha. Might as well be in some practice", he laughed heartily.
"I can hook you up with the red lights around here. You can practice all you want."
Jarredd's smirk widened just a bit, giving him somewhat of a maniacal countenance. "Well then, Asche. No need ta be talkin' all moosh now. 'Sides, I was thinkin' you might be a fun gal. Ya can't be sewin' up stiffs all da time."
Back around in the chair she swivelled to face Boyle. She deadpanned her reply. "Ask anyone. I'm no fun."
The shaved head glistened under the lights as the commander shook his head. "That's a damn shame."