Blogathon post #43: In which Allen is Allen
Third and last part of this section...
She can't stop looking at her hand. Can't stop wondering what's going on. Whether she's going crazy. She passes a loading pallet and a stack of barrels, and the chunky little crane that's shifting them around is stuck. Whirr-clunk, whirr-clunk, loud and jarring. Voices through it, voices she can't make out and isn't bothering to think about.
"...Chief!"
She blinks, comes to a halt, looks around, and then turns. "Allen?"
He skids up beside her. "What do you mean, 'Allen?' Don't act so surprised! After all, you forgot something important..." He fumbles in his pocket and pulls out the data disks.
"Oh," she says, a little weakly, and takes them. Forgetting things again, why can't she ever learn?
"Wandering around in a daze like that is dangerous, you know," Allen says. He seems out-of-place right now, too homely, too real. It's jarring.
"Yeah...sorry. I was just thinking about something."
The chime sounds. Behind her; she looks behind her, and there's nothing but a gray closed door leading back to the hangar. Allen looks at her, bewildered. "Chief, are you all right?"
"Huh?" She looks back at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just not myself today, I guess." She manages a dismissive laugh. Turns and walks briskly along, and can't stop wondering if there's a girl flickering in golden light somewhere behind her.
Allen walks with her. Of course he does; he's Allen. He's actually walking a little bit in front of her, which she takes to mean that he knows the way to the bridge.
"Thanks for stepping in back there," she says after a few minutes.
"Oh, no problem! Sorry, I should've talked to the new guy sooner. So you shouldn't have to thank me. But...it would help a bit if you tried to understand their feelings more. I--I know everyone's still a bit uneasy about KOS-MOS, but they've been pouring their hearts and souls into this project. They all want to see, right there in person, what it's all come to. I feel the same way myself, you know?"
"I know that," Shion says, low and firm. And then she comes to a halt. "It's just that I..."
He stops too, looks back at her, unexpectedly sympathetic. "Chief...the incident, right?"
She blinks. "Huh? Oh, no, it's not...it's not quite that." Allen stares down at her, looking like he's desperately trying to understand, and it's all rather painful. "Oh, forget about it. It's not really a big deal. Let's just hurry up and work on getting KOS-MOS completed, okay?"
Allen looks like he's about to say something awkward, and then her connection gear beeps. She pulls it out perhaps a little too eagerly. "Who could this be...?"
This post is part of Letterblade's Blogathon 2010 madness, to raise money for Heifer Project International. Please go here to pledge your support.
She can't stop looking at her hand. Can't stop wondering what's going on. Whether she's going crazy. She passes a loading pallet and a stack of barrels, and the chunky little crane that's shifting them around is stuck. Whirr-clunk, whirr-clunk, loud and jarring. Voices through it, voices she can't make out and isn't bothering to think about.
"...Chief!"
She blinks, comes to a halt, looks around, and then turns. "Allen?"
He skids up beside her. "What do you mean, 'Allen?' Don't act so surprised! After all, you forgot something important..." He fumbles in his pocket and pulls out the data disks.
"Oh," she says, a little weakly, and takes them. Forgetting things again, why can't she ever learn?
"Wandering around in a daze like that is dangerous, you know," Allen says. He seems out-of-place right now, too homely, too real. It's jarring.
"Yeah...sorry. I was just thinking about something."
The chime sounds. Behind her; she looks behind her, and there's nothing but a gray closed door leading back to the hangar. Allen looks at her, bewildered. "Chief, are you all right?"
"Huh?" She looks back at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just not myself today, I guess." She manages a dismissive laugh. Turns and walks briskly along, and can't stop wondering if there's a girl flickering in golden light somewhere behind her.
Allen walks with her. Of course he does; he's Allen. He's actually walking a little bit in front of her, which she takes to mean that he knows the way to the bridge.
"Thanks for stepping in back there," she says after a few minutes.
"Oh, no problem! Sorry, I should've talked to the new guy sooner. So you shouldn't have to thank me. But...it would help a bit if you tried to understand their feelings more. I--I know everyone's still a bit uneasy about KOS-MOS, but they've been pouring their hearts and souls into this project. They all want to see, right there in person, what it's all come to. I feel the same way myself, you know?"
"I know that," Shion says, low and firm. And then she comes to a halt. "It's just that I..."
He stops too, looks back at her, unexpectedly sympathetic. "Chief...the incident, right?"
She blinks. "Huh? Oh, no, it's not...it's not quite that." Allen stares down at her, looking like he's desperately trying to understand, and it's all rather painful. "Oh, forget about it. It's not really a big deal. Let's just hurry up and work on getting KOS-MOS completed, okay?"
Allen looks like he's about to say something awkward, and then her connection gear beeps. She pulls it out perhaps a little too eagerly. "Who could this be...?"
This post is part of Letterblade's Blogathon 2010 madness, to raise money for Heifer Project International. Please go here to pledge your support.