BMPixy and Frostlich1228
XCOM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Medical Bay
Home Front
Albert sighed in relief as the med-team took in the assembled refugees. Of course there always has to be those damn few without vaccinations… he thought annoyedly, scanning the area of the bay he was in. And of course I’m the only one they can pull away for escort duty. Well, better this than a bunch of scared refugees roaming the halls themselves.
Taking a quick glance at a nearby wall-clock and doing a bit of mental math, Albert decided that sitting around and waiting for whatever check-ups were necessary was a bit too dull, and he stepped off in the direction of the long-term stay patients. Probably whoever’s in there could use someone to talk to, even if it’s with a complete stranger.
When Albert entered he immediately noticed a bright blonde haired woman struggling to stand near the back of the room. The woman looked down at her feet and carefully put one foot in front of the other making sure not to trip over herself. After walking unaided for about nineteen or twenty steps she smiled, obviously happy with the progress she had made. The woman took another two steps forward but her foot slid across the polished hospital floor when she tried for another. She fell forward, almost landing on her face before stopping herself with her hands at the last moment.
“Oh hell-!” Albert yelled, rushing forward to assist the woman. “Are you alright!?” he asked, as he extended a hand to help her up.
“Yeah,” She said as she grabbing his hand. “Why do they have to make these floors so slippery?”
Albert gently pulled her to her feet, letting her go once she was stable. “Probably overzealous janitors, eager to clean the floors of those who fight for humanity,” he offered as an explanation with a slight shrug. “You need help getting anywhere?” he asked curiously.
“No, not really.” She answered, “I’m just trying to practice getting from point A to point B without my crutches.”
“Oh, really?” Albert asked, brow furrowing. “Y’know, from experience it’s probably best to have somebody around just in case what happened, well, happens. Mind if I stick around, just for peace of mind?”
The blonde gave him a smile, “Sure, I just wanted to practice without them helping me with every step. So, what’s your name?”
“Call me Foulke,” Albert said, stepping off to the side of the hall, “Mind if I ask yours as well?”
“Foulke? Sounds familiar… Well you can call me Ammelia, it’s nice to meet you.” she replied.
“Nice to meet you as well, Ammelia,” Foulke said with a nod. “So, what’s got you in here and in the state you’re in?”
“Oh you know, the usual, spine crushed by a Seeker.” Ammelia said lightheartedly.
The Amero-Anglican winced in sympathy. “Ow, that’s certainly gotta hurt. I take it from the fact that you’re walking that they managed to fix it?”
“Well, yes and no.” She responded, “ My spine was irreparable, so I had to undergo a experimental surgery to have it replaced.”
“Guess that’s part of the joys of being on the bleeding edge of technology,” Albert replied with a smile. “Spine crushed by calamari from hell? Ach, ve’ll just replace ze whole thing,” he said with a mock German accent.
Ammelia giggled, “Well it was either that or walk with crutches for the rest of my life. I just couldn’t stand the idea of going back home and leaving the project behind.”
Albert’s expression sobered slightly as he replied, “Yeah, I can understand that sentiment. Always good to have those with the moral strength to stand back up, even when their legs are taken from beneath them or their minds turned against them…” He trailed off awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck out of habit.
“So, what are you doing here? You don’t look like a doctor.” She said, looking him over.
“Security guard,” he replied, “Had to escort some of the refugees over here for some vaccinations or whatever, decided to kill some time with a little bit of exploration. And thus, here I am.”He finished with a mock half-bow, sweeping his arm out dramatically.
“Well thanks for helping me up, I’m glad to you got here when you did.” Ammelia responded thankfully.
“Eh, is nothing to worry about. Anybody would have done the same,” Albert said with a dismissive wave of the hand.
“Well, maybe not anybody…” Ammelia added, “Do you mind handing me my crutches? They’re over by the door.”
“Will do,” Albert said, trotting over to the objects in question, retrieving them, and jogging back. “Here you are,” he offered, handing over the crutches to Ammelia.
Ammelia placed the crutches under her arms and moved herself over to a bench near the door. When she reached it she sat down and leaned her crutches against the wall next to her. “So, speaking of home, do you have anyone waiting for you?”
“I have a wife, Jane, back home,” Albert replied, a faint grin coming to his face, which he concealed with a hand. “Loveliest woman in the hemisphere, I’d say, and probably tempered with steel. Been married for a good, what is it now, seven or eight years now? Something like that. What about you, anybody on the home front?
“My dad and my bodyguard Dorian. I make sure to keep in close contact, but I haven’t had a chance to speak with them since my injury. He must be worried sick…” She replied with a solemn voice.
“I can imagine,” Albert affirmed, “But hey, that gives you another incentive to get back on your feet a bit quicker, no pun intended.”
“I already have a lot of incentive to get back out there. XCOM needs me now more than ever…” Ammelia said, determined.
Foulke nodded sadly in agreement. “Aye, XCOM needs damn near every able body and mind for this fight, especially after that mess of a base assault. Too many died there, and we don’t even know if this was their only base on Earth…”
“We all lost a lot of friends that mission… I just hope it was worth it…” She added, thinking about what happened to Grant.
“Probably,” Albert said with a half-hearted attempt at a smirk, “I mean, even if we didn’t deal a knockout blow to the aliens, we sure as hell bloodied their nose, even if that was at the cost of our own. Plus we nabbed two of their big bosses, took out some Chryssalid Overlord or something, and rescued a whole bunch of people.”
“Is it strange that I feel bad for that Chryssalid?” Ammelia asked, “To be torn apart by your own children… It’s just gruesome…”
“I don’t,” Albert replied bluntly. “That thing gave birth to the monstrosities that killed nearly a million people, including a handful of our own. It getting killed by its offspring is poetic justice at its finest.”
“Yeah… But Dante said that most of the aliens are being forced to kill… I wonder what it looked like before it was twisted into that monster… I guess we put it out of it’s misery then…”
“I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. Way I see it, we took out one of the biggest threats the aliens had to offer in that Giga-Chryssie, and that thing deserves to rot in hell. You’re welcome to disagree.”
“Keep in mind, we thought Dante was evil before we brought him to the base, but I understand why you feel the way you do. It killed so many innocent people and some of them were our friends.” Ammelia replied.
“I understand. Guess I’m the token guy who thinks that all the aliens are irredeemable assholes,” Albert said with a shrug. He took a quick glance at a nearby clock, and continued, “Well, those refugees are probably finishing up getting stabbed for science and profit. Might as well head back out and retrieve them before they stick their head in something they shouldn’t.” He pushed off the wall he was leaning on, and gave a brief wave as he walked away, calling out behind him, “Nice talking with you, Ammelia!”
“Yeah, you too!” Ammelia shouted back, smiling and returning the wave.
Casually, Albert sauntered down the hall, returning to the place where he had dropped off the refugees. True to what he had said, a few were mingling around, evidently quite ready to leave. With a sigh, Albert put on his gruff escort face, and took up a position overlooking the group. Just until they figure something out, Al, he thought, just until they figure something out.
