A Learning Experience (1/?)
Title: A Learning Experience
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor, Guz, Reynolds, Malcolm, Reilly
Word Count: ~1600 for this chapter
Genre: Friendship, Romance, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It’s nice that Nathaniel trusts her with training them how to survive here, but sometimes the newbies feel like they're more trouble than they’re worth.
Author’s Note: Pre-Series, after the Fifth Pilgrimage. Set in the context of my other stories, a look at how Alicia and Mark became friends despite the age and rank differences. And since Malcolm was supposed to have arrived on the fifth as well, he gets to come along for the ride. And Reilly too, just because I like her.
I’m not 100% sure where this is going, but I’m sure there will be running/jumping/shooting and general saving of the day…
Everyone else is doing Christmas, and since I already made my smutty contribution to that, I’m reverting to type with a multi-chapter adventure fic. : )
Disclaimer is as usual - no profit, not mine, just borrowing.
The beeping of an alarm pierces Alicia’s dream, a very nice dream involving a bubble bath and a certain silver-haired commander, and she grumbles as she whacks the clock off of the nightstand. It stops beeping when it hits the floor, something she takes as a sign from above that she can go back to sleep. She burrows into her pillows, and in seconds she is asleep again.
She has no idea how much time has passed when she is rudely awakened again, this time by a weight dropping onto her bed. She squeaks in surprise, immediately pulling the pulse pistol from under her pillows, swinging around and powering it up in one smooth motion. Almost as if her reaction was expected, a strong hand encircles her wrist, squeezing hard enough to make her loosen her grip on the gun, which falls harmlessly to the bed. “Easy there, Alicia.”
As she recognizes the sound of Nathaniel’s gruff voice, Alicia finally realizes that he is the intruder sitting on the edge of her bed. “Damn it, Nathaniel, I might’ve shot you.”
He just chuckles at that, releasing her. “Why do you think I was ready and grabbed your wrist?”
She huffs and picks up her gun, powering it down and slipping it back under her pillows. She turns away from him, snuggling back down. “Why are you here?”
“I knew you wouldn’t get up in time if I didn’t come over. You never do. I need to just start sleeping here on the nights before you take the advanced survival training group OTG.” He reaches over and tousles her hair, making her flail blindly at him.
“Crap.” Her voice is muffled by her pillows. “What time is it?”
He continues to play with her hair. “Four forty-five. I know you probably set your alarm for four thirty, so you’re not that far behind schedule.”
She can almost hear the smirk in his voice. She shrugs away, getting up and turning back to look at him. His eyes are sweeping over her, taking in her sleep shorts and tight tank top.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You know, if you hadn’t sounded so damned smug just now, I might’ve invited you into the shower with me.” She gives him an evil grin, and then she strips off her tank top, making his eyes widen. “Now, if you try to come in there with me, I’ll have to remind you just how dirty I fight.”
She turns and heads for her bathroom, highly amused when she hears him stand to follow her. He hesitates, and then he mutters, “Shit,” and she hears him flop back down on her bed.
She emerges, damp hair up in a ponytail, about fifteen minutes later. She stops in her room to finish dressing, and she puts on her thigh holster as she enters the kitchen. He’s sitting at her table reading a plex and drinking a cup of coffee. There’s another cup next to her coffeemaker, ready to be poured. She gets hers and grabs a piece of fruit from her refrigerator before joining him at the table. “What’re you reading?”
He snorts. “Yet another message from Doctor Wallace complaining about this training run today. He really doesn’t want to go.”
She rolls her eyes. “I assume that you reminded him that if he wants to be allowed to take a rover OTG, a privilege he specifically requested, that he has to take this training?”
“I did. He’s still bitching about it. You’re taking that new kid Reynolds too, aren’t you?”
She nods and takes a sip of her coffee. “Yes, and Laura Reilly. She didn’t take this training when she first got here, and she came to realize that she was going to spend a lot of time on fence duty without it. When the new pilgrimage was due, she sought me out to ask if she could join us on this training run, as she wants to OTG qualify.” Alicia refers to their rule that no one can have any leadership role in an OTG mission, whether military or science, without advanced survival training.
“She seems like a solid kid.” He puts his plex down on the table.
“She is. I also noticed in her jacket that she had some basic medic training back in the future. I’m going to ask her if she wants to join our field medic program. We could use a few more trained people in the OTG lineup.”
He nods his approval. “So long as you’re always there to sew me up, that’s sounds good.”
She smiles and shakes her head. Standing up, she walks over to him, leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “If I’m there, fine. If I’m not, let her sew you up, OK? I really hate it when you come back all bloody. It makes an awful mess.”
He laughs. “Yes ma’am.” He sobers then. “Doctor Wallace may end up being a pain in your ass on this trip. You’re taking two rovers, correct? You and the three trainees, plus a second one of just military, including Guz?”
She furrows her brow. “Of course. Didn’t you read my mission summary?”
He stands up and hugs her to him. “I did. I was just being over-protective. I’m sorry. I just worry when you’re out there without me.”
She hugs him back. “I’ll be fine, Nathaniel. We’re just doing the course around Outpost Four. I’m sure Doctor Wallace will love the parts with the rappelling and jumping in the water fully-dressed.”
“If he gives you trouble, I want to know about it, Alicia. He was sent here to run the science program including medical, but I won’t grant him that authority if he is openly insubordinate or disrespectful. Things are too dangerous here for us to have to add dealing with an attitude to the list.” He looks worried.
She leans up and kisses him. “If I don’t think he’s fit to lead, trust me. You’ll know.”
“True. If he comes back bruised and bloody, I’ll know your opinion.” He grins at her, following her as she goes to collect her pack and armor.
She rolls her eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of a report.”
“Poh-tay-toe, poh-tah-toe, Lieutenant. Either works for me.” He helps her adjust her armor and shoulders her pack for her, heading for the door.
She snorts, walking out in front of him and looking around to make sure no one is there to see him leave her house. “That’s just because you’re pissy that he didn’t pay rapt attention to your balcony speech.” No one is around, so she beckons to him to follow.
She hears her door close, and she heads for the gate with him right behind her. “I don’t get pissy.” At her incredulous look back over her shoulder, he grumbles, “Well, would it have killed him to pay attention?”
They get to the gate and he puts her pack down next to one of the rovers that is already there waiting for them. No one is close by, so she smiles up at him, laughing softly. “I love you, Nathaniel Taylor.”
Reilly and Reynolds show up, approaching the rover, so he just replies, “Me too, Alicia Washington. You be safe today.”
“Yes sir.” She snaps him a salute that only he will know is smart-assed, and she can see that it’s taking all he has not to make a snappy comment back.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone but Doctor Wallace is present. He finally straggles up, ten minutes late, clearly still displeased that he has to be here. Nathaniel steps back to let her handle it and the short reminder briefing before they leave.
“Doctor Wallace, was I unclear with regard to the appointed time to arrive? I’m fairly sure I wasn’t, given that everyone else was on time.” Her voice is icy, and Reynolds, Reilly and three of the young soldiers who’ll be in the other rover shift uncomfortably. Guz and Nathaniel just smirk.
“I had to check some research results. And anyway, it’s just a ridiculous one-night training trip.” The doctor sneers a little.
“It’s a training trip that could save your life, Doctor.” She gets right in his face, not as tall as he is but somehow more menacing. “Just because it’s short doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable.”
“A little learning is a dangerous thing,” he pauses, sneering again, “Alexander Pope said that. He was a poet. I’m sure you’ve never heard of him.”
“Of course I have. The Rape of the Lock is brilliant.” At the man’s stunned expression, she turns to get into the rover, but then she stops and turns back to him. “And Doctor Wallace, A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people. Frederick Douglass said that. If you don’t know who he is, look him up in the Eye when we get back. Now stow your pack, get your ass in the back of the rover and lose the attitude. Reilly, you’re up front with me.”
She looks over and sees Nathaniel and Guz laughing openly. She gives them both a smirk, which softens when Nathaniel meets her eyes. Keeping his eyes on hers, he says, “Be safe, people.”
She and Guz both call a “yes sir!” and get behind the wheels of their respective vehicles. A few moments later, they’re moving out beyond the fence, heading into the woods on their way to Outpost Four. As she hears Malcolm complaining about the noise, she sighs to herself. It’s going to be a long couple of days.
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor, Guz, Reynolds, Malcolm, Reilly
Word Count: ~1600 for this chapter
Genre: Friendship, Romance, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It’s nice that Nathaniel trusts her with training them how to survive here, but sometimes the newbies feel like they're more trouble than they’re worth.
Author’s Note: Pre-Series, after the Fifth Pilgrimage. Set in the context of my other stories, a look at how Alicia and Mark became friends despite the age and rank differences. And since Malcolm was supposed to have arrived on the fifth as well, he gets to come along for the ride. And Reilly too, just because I like her.
I’m not 100% sure where this is going, but I’m sure there will be running/jumping/shooting and general saving of the day…
Everyone else is doing Christmas, and since I already made my smutty contribution to that, I’m reverting to type with a multi-chapter adventure fic. : )
Disclaimer is as usual - no profit, not mine, just borrowing.
The beeping of an alarm pierces Alicia’s dream, a very nice dream involving a bubble bath and a certain silver-haired commander, and she grumbles as she whacks the clock off of the nightstand. It stops beeping when it hits the floor, something she takes as a sign from above that she can go back to sleep. She burrows into her pillows, and in seconds she is asleep again.
She has no idea how much time has passed when she is rudely awakened again, this time by a weight dropping onto her bed. She squeaks in surprise, immediately pulling the pulse pistol from under her pillows, swinging around and powering it up in one smooth motion. Almost as if her reaction was expected, a strong hand encircles her wrist, squeezing hard enough to make her loosen her grip on the gun, which falls harmlessly to the bed. “Easy there, Alicia.”
As she recognizes the sound of Nathaniel’s gruff voice, Alicia finally realizes that he is the intruder sitting on the edge of her bed. “Damn it, Nathaniel, I might’ve shot you.”
He just chuckles at that, releasing her. “Why do you think I was ready and grabbed your wrist?”
She huffs and picks up her gun, powering it down and slipping it back under her pillows. She turns away from him, snuggling back down. “Why are you here?”
“I knew you wouldn’t get up in time if I didn’t come over. You never do. I need to just start sleeping here on the nights before you take the advanced survival training group OTG.” He reaches over and tousles her hair, making her flail blindly at him.
“Crap.” Her voice is muffled by her pillows. “What time is it?”
He continues to play with her hair. “Four forty-five. I know you probably set your alarm for four thirty, so you’re not that far behind schedule.”
She can almost hear the smirk in his voice. She shrugs away, getting up and turning back to look at him. His eyes are sweeping over her, taking in her sleep shorts and tight tank top.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You know, if you hadn’t sounded so damned smug just now, I might’ve invited you into the shower with me.” She gives him an evil grin, and then she strips off her tank top, making his eyes widen. “Now, if you try to come in there with me, I’ll have to remind you just how dirty I fight.”
She turns and heads for her bathroom, highly amused when she hears him stand to follow her. He hesitates, and then he mutters, “Shit,” and she hears him flop back down on her bed.
She emerges, damp hair up in a ponytail, about fifteen minutes later. She stops in her room to finish dressing, and she puts on her thigh holster as she enters the kitchen. He’s sitting at her table reading a plex and drinking a cup of coffee. There’s another cup next to her coffeemaker, ready to be poured. She gets hers and grabs a piece of fruit from her refrigerator before joining him at the table. “What’re you reading?”
He snorts. “Yet another message from Doctor Wallace complaining about this training run today. He really doesn’t want to go.”
She rolls her eyes. “I assume that you reminded him that if he wants to be allowed to take a rover OTG, a privilege he specifically requested, that he has to take this training?”
“I did. He’s still bitching about it. You’re taking that new kid Reynolds too, aren’t you?”
She nods and takes a sip of her coffee. “Yes, and Laura Reilly. She didn’t take this training when she first got here, and she came to realize that she was going to spend a lot of time on fence duty without it. When the new pilgrimage was due, she sought me out to ask if she could join us on this training run, as she wants to OTG qualify.” Alicia refers to their rule that no one can have any leadership role in an OTG mission, whether military or science, without advanced survival training.
“She seems like a solid kid.” He puts his plex down on the table.
“She is. I also noticed in her jacket that she had some basic medic training back in the future. I’m going to ask her if she wants to join our field medic program. We could use a few more trained people in the OTG lineup.”
He nods his approval. “So long as you’re always there to sew me up, that’s sounds good.”
She smiles and shakes her head. Standing up, she walks over to him, leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “If I’m there, fine. If I’m not, let her sew you up, OK? I really hate it when you come back all bloody. It makes an awful mess.”
He laughs. “Yes ma’am.” He sobers then. “Doctor Wallace may end up being a pain in your ass on this trip. You’re taking two rovers, correct? You and the three trainees, plus a second one of just military, including Guz?”
She furrows her brow. “Of course. Didn’t you read my mission summary?”
He stands up and hugs her to him. “I did. I was just being over-protective. I’m sorry. I just worry when you’re out there without me.”
She hugs him back. “I’ll be fine, Nathaniel. We’re just doing the course around Outpost Four. I’m sure Doctor Wallace will love the parts with the rappelling and jumping in the water fully-dressed.”
“If he gives you trouble, I want to know about it, Alicia. He was sent here to run the science program including medical, but I won’t grant him that authority if he is openly insubordinate or disrespectful. Things are too dangerous here for us to have to add dealing with an attitude to the list.” He looks worried.
She leans up and kisses him. “If I don’t think he’s fit to lead, trust me. You’ll know.”
“True. If he comes back bruised and bloody, I’ll know your opinion.” He grins at her, following her as she goes to collect her pack and armor.
She rolls her eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of a report.”
“Poh-tay-toe, poh-tah-toe, Lieutenant. Either works for me.” He helps her adjust her armor and shoulders her pack for her, heading for the door.
She snorts, walking out in front of him and looking around to make sure no one is there to see him leave her house. “That’s just because you’re pissy that he didn’t pay rapt attention to your balcony speech.” No one is around, so she beckons to him to follow.
She hears her door close, and she heads for the gate with him right behind her. “I don’t get pissy.” At her incredulous look back over her shoulder, he grumbles, “Well, would it have killed him to pay attention?”
They get to the gate and he puts her pack down next to one of the rovers that is already there waiting for them. No one is close by, so she smiles up at him, laughing softly. “I love you, Nathaniel Taylor.”
Reilly and Reynolds show up, approaching the rover, so he just replies, “Me too, Alicia Washington. You be safe today.”
“Yes sir.” She snaps him a salute that only he will know is smart-assed, and she can see that it’s taking all he has not to make a snappy comment back.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone but Doctor Wallace is present. He finally straggles up, ten minutes late, clearly still displeased that he has to be here. Nathaniel steps back to let her handle it and the short reminder briefing before they leave.
“Doctor Wallace, was I unclear with regard to the appointed time to arrive? I’m fairly sure I wasn’t, given that everyone else was on time.” Her voice is icy, and Reynolds, Reilly and three of the young soldiers who’ll be in the other rover shift uncomfortably. Guz and Nathaniel just smirk.
“I had to check some research results. And anyway, it’s just a ridiculous one-night training trip.” The doctor sneers a little.
“It’s a training trip that could save your life, Doctor.” She gets right in his face, not as tall as he is but somehow more menacing. “Just because it’s short doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable.”
“A little learning is a dangerous thing,” he pauses, sneering again, “Alexander Pope said that. He was a poet. I’m sure you’ve never heard of him.”
“Of course I have. The Rape of the Lock is brilliant.” At the man’s stunned expression, she turns to get into the rover, but then she stops and turns back to him. “And Doctor Wallace, A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people. Frederick Douglass said that. If you don’t know who he is, look him up in the Eye when we get back. Now stow your pack, get your ass in the back of the rover and lose the attitude. Reilly, you’re up front with me.”
She looks over and sees Nathaniel and Guz laughing openly. She gives them both a smirk, which softens when Nathaniel meets her eyes. Keeping his eyes on hers, he says, “Be safe, people.”
She and Guz both call a “yes sir!” and get behind the wheels of their respective vehicles. A few moments later, they’re moving out beyond the fence, heading into the woods on their way to Outpost Four. As she hears Malcolm complaining about the noise, she sighs to herself. It’s going to be a long couple of days.