Transmissions || Dustin Bates

Down With The Fallen

The day of the funeral, it was open to all. At the casket stood her Astro-fighters. The three boys in suits, and the Captain in a short, black, fitted dress. They all wore black armbands with the 5501 number on them, typical of a team after an Astro-fighter or Engineer dies. People sat around in chairs, waiting for the funeral to begin. DeChant walked over, letting Diaz take his arm and lead her over to one of the four chairs in the front row.

Thomson never had any family. She was married to her job and she treated her Astro-fighters like family. I had only heard rumors, though. I watched as the priest got up to lead the funeral. Everyone knew that religion was rare among Engineers, but Thomson always held to it firmly. She even attempted to instill it in her young team, but it was not to my knowledge that they had ever followed.

The funeral was nice, each of her team getting up to say a few words. I noticed how they all called each other by their first names but called the Doctor by only her last. They were all very informal. Normal teams created bonds but kept it all business. I had a feeling that this team was not just a surface show.

After we were finished at the funeral home, we were all lead out to the cemetery where we all watched the casket be carried out by the team, and then placed close to the large hole in the ground where the woman would be buried. The cemetery people slowly lowered the body into the whole. The team threw handfuls of dirt into the grave before the funeral officially let out. People stayed back to talk among themselves and say something to the team before leaving. I decided to say something to the team, even after their aggressiveness toward me. It wasn't like I could blame them.

When I approached them, I noticed DeChant's arm around Diaz's waist, holding her tightly. When she saw me, she scoffed.

"I see you've switched to a bowtie today. Afraid after the other day?" She asked, leaning into her comrade.

"Actually, I did choose it with you in mind," I admitted, scratching the back of my neck. She scoffed.

"How sweet." DeChant laughed at her comment, as the other two snickered at it. I turned red.

"Um, okay. Well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for your loss. Doctor Thomson was an amazing woman. She never forgot me. Truly someone one of a kind. I hope that your next Engineer is just as good as her." I nodded to them before turning and going to leave.

"Bates," Diaz called. I turned around, raising my eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Nobody ever could be as good as her."

That evening, I entered one of the small bars in the vicinity close to the cemetery. I just wanted a way to try to forget the emotional day I had seen. Ironically enough, I think the men of the team showed more emotion than Captain Diaz. She was considerably quiet and stoic from her reputation. I sat down at the bar, ordering just a beer. A moment later, somebody else sat down next to me.

"Half vodka. Half lemonade. It had better be pink." I turned to my right to see the Captain sitting next to me.

She looked out of the corner of her eye to see me. She looked forward and then swiped the air over her watch, her phone coming into existence. She ignored me, only speaking to the bartender after her brought her her drink. She sipped the concoction through a straw, still scrolling through her social media feed. She sighed, swiping the air again to get it to go away.

"Do you have a staring problem, Bates?" She demanded, turning on the barstool to me. I shook my head, looking down at the glass of beer in my hands. On Alexi, we didn't use much plastic, especially not for things such as bottles or bags. She sighed, placing her hand under my chin. She forced me to look at her, her blue eyes piercing my brown ones. "Then why do you keep staring at me?" I fumbled for words of any sorts.

"I-I just, I don't know. I'm almost surprised." I admitted. She scoffed, letting go of me.

"You don't wear a tie in hopes I won't grab you, I still manage to." I turned red at her words. I was starting to notice this pattern with her. She had the ability to do that. "Ya know, I've been thinking about what you said, about getting a new Engineer assigned to the Special Ops team. Nobody could ever truly take the place of Thomson. She was like a mother to me."

"That's right. Rumor had it that your parents both died when you were seven."

"Yes. I went to the academy at age eight to become an Astro-fighter. I wanted to do something with my life that would ensure nobody else's parents were killed as mine were. She saw something in me. She always described it as a fire that was bursting to get out of my body, and that's why my eyes are blue. The fire in me is so hot that it's nothing but blue flames trying to break free.

"I mean, she taught me how to feel again. She taught me about real life, about what it means to be human. She was my mother, even if we were not blood. But, this is war. People die in war, Bates. There's no way around that." She sighed, drinking some more of her vodka and pink lemonade through the glass straw.

"I didn't know that you were all that close." I swirled around my beer.

"We were a family. We still were, but now we are just missing the head of our family." She slid the band off of her bicep and looked at it, stretching it a little. "Five, five, zero, one. My family." She threw the band onto the bar, leaning back.

"Do you have anyone you want to be the new Engineer for your team?" She shook her head.

"No. I just want Thomson back."

The next day, I decided to finally take Thomson's advice. I put in my application for a team. I went to teach my classes, just as I did every other day. I waited for three days before I got any response from the council on me becoming a true Engineer. They asked me to meet them at the Columbus Compound.

Upon arrival, a senator greeted me, shaking my hand and rattling on about the responsibilities that came with being an Engineer with a team. I listened with full intensity, memorizing every word he said.

"Dustin, are you certain that you want to do this? There is no going back from this life. This is war." His voice held weight and power as if this was a warning I had not heard.

"I want to. I can do it." I wasn't sure if the words were for myself or for the senator. He nodded.

"Okay, then. This is your team's building. You may move into the Engineers quarters. Your team should be training. You will meet them later." He led me through the compound, pointing out the rooms of the team, then the kitchen they shared, living room, and the training area. Then, he led me to my bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and workspace. Lastly, we made it to the door of the office.

"So, this is my life now?" I asked, looking around the hallway once more.

"Yessir, it is. I'm truly surprised that we haven't seen your team yet. They must be out getting groceries or something of that nature." The senator thought out loud. "Please, open the door." He gestured to the thick wooden door in front of us. I smiled, taking the handle and opening the door. Inside, four people sat around the desk, one with their legs cross in the middle of my desk, one in the chair behind the desk, and two on the couch at the end.

"Paul? What kind of middle name is Paul? Dustin Paul Bates. That's quite unfortunate. Don't you agree, Ron?" Captain Shaylee Diaz sat with my file open in front of her, looking through the pages.

"Quite," Ron said from behind her, leaned against the bookshelf with his arms crossed. The blond man stared me down, watching me.

"Dr. Bates, meet team 5501."