𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗱•𝗘

Chapter Fourteen: Defining Earth

The typist's mind was still wondering, her warped task of receptionist duties slowed by the strange man that she saw earlier. It was a bit baffling for her.

The elevator doors to the Bridge lobby have opened; Chief Gofer's tram now hovered off without giving notice to the typist. When she looked to see the tram leave, she saw the very strange man she met again, his hands bound with energy binders, along with an E.V.R.E scout who sat next to him; the scout didn't seem pleased at all. The man noticed the typist and he waved at her, the typist enthusiastically waving back; he is the only person kind enough to acknowledge her whenever someone needed to go in or out of the Bridge. He waved even more as his tram disappeared out to the Lido Deck: he made the typist's day a little brighter.

Braedey waved back at the nice lady at the receptionist desk: she was kind enough to not raise the alarm, so he waved her a friendly goodbye which she happily returned. As they left the lobby, he turned his attention to Jasmine, who looked distant and irritated beyond measure. He didn't know why because he wasn't paying any attention to what she and the tall man were arguing over; he was too busy looking around for the plant she wanted.

Whatever it was, Braedey hated seeing her look so upset for nothing. He tried to talk her out of her trance, to cheer her up. "Jazzy?"

"Do not speak to me." Jasmine didn't even look at him, and she's trying to zone out his attempts to get her attention with a warning hint.

But Braedey pressed on to get through to her. "But, Jazzy, what's wro-" Jasmine elbowed him in the side to silence him. "Ow!" He groaned; she hit him too hard, the force of her augmentated strength practically cracked one of his ribs.

"Shut Up!" Jasmine's voice was sharp, and threatening; the anger in her expression looked worse than her combat stare.

Braedey gasped at the stabbing pain in his side, and at Jasmine's response to him. He realised that whatever she was upset over, it must have been something he did very wrong; and now, it felt worse to see her like this than when she was frozen. But he doesn't know what he did wrong exactly; he did what she told him, and he had nothing to do with taking the plant. But why was she taking it all out on him and hurting him?

Braedey sat there in disappointment, and with a broken rib; his mind wondering between how-in-Forthright's-name is he going to reconnect to Jasmine, and where the tram was going.

~*~*~

Meanwhile, back on the Bridge, Captain McCrea was preparing to go to his quarters for the day, to find out what is the strange specks left on Scorcher's hand by that 'Braedey' fellow they sent with the Lieutenant to the Ward.

Scorcher stared at the dirt and grime on his hand, wondering how anything this filthy can be present on board such a sterilised starship. He rolled one of the specks of dirt, taking note of its composition and its structure. "Peculiar."

"Sir?" Ultron heard him from the helmsman station.

"Oh, its- just this day has been interesting enough, more than any day in that regard. A false plant alarm, and that strange Braedey fella. I've never seen someone like him before." McCrea then spoke up.

"Neither have I, Sir." Ultron added.

Amber walked up. "I took the liberty to do a manifest search of all possible passenger and crew names. And so far, the name 'Braedey' does not appear within any of the ship's records."

"That's very odd. How about where is he from and what is he?" McCrea asked.

"I most certainly do not know, Captain." Ultron replied.