In another time and another place, QuiDormit might have viewed the movement of the sentinel as graceful. It moved effortlessly, almost as if it was swimming through the air. However, as he pulled hard to the left on the controls, the sentinel stopped its movement and collided into the ship, latching itself onto the front of the hovercraft. He instinctively ducked his head into his shoulders somewhat like a turtle as the metallic killing machine tried to turn itself so that it could fire the laser attached to its undercarriage.

Suddenly, it seemed as if hundreds of them appeared out of nowhere. The ship was completely covered, and QuiDormit was fighting with all of his might to keep the ship in the air. As more and more sentinels attached themselves to the front of the ship he quickly lost the ability to see anything from the portal in front of him. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to collect himself. Holding the yoke steady, he turned his head to glance at the chart laid out to the left of him. Frantically, he tried to locate their current position and find access to the next tunnel, where he surely could clear of the others so that the EMP could be used. Though there were other ships in the tunnel with him, it seemed as if the sentinels only had one target: The Titan.

Desperately jerking the massive ship so that its nose pointed straight down, he aimed for the first clearing he could find. The craft raced downward, and QuiDormit narrowly missed the protuding pieces of old pipes and lines, hoping against hope to make it just a bit further. He tried to squeeze into a narrow opening that had long since collapsed with the progression of time. With a deafening scrape, QuiDormit's deft manuever sheared many of the hoverpads right off the port side, instantly sending the craft into a rapid spin.

QuiDormit fought the wobbling flight stick to try and gain control but only succeeded in slowing the spin; the hovercraft was still heading straight down, and a bend in the shaft was approaching fast. He pulled on the yoke so hard that he was nearly standing up, using the floor for as much leverage as he could possibly gain against the restraints of his seat. He was entirely soaked in sweat, and his jaw hurt from gritting his teeth so hard. Finally, the ship started to cooperate and the nose slowly lifted from its death dive. When the ship reached a fort-five degree angle, the front connected with the ground far too quickly. The ship broke in half, the bottom portion smashing down into the ground, and the front skipping across the floor of the shaft like a pebble skipped on the surface of a pond. QuiDormit lowered his head in defeat and waited for the end.

The ship dissolved around him and was replaced by white emptiness. He strained his neck back in an effort to stretch it out. QuiDormit felt tense and tight. He was emotionally drained. He closed his eyes and when he reopened them, he was returned to the Real. His eyes came into focus and Wheeler pulled the neural spike out of the back of his head.

"Not bad, Qui. Not bad."
QuiDormit sat up slowly, the dull ache of his wound returning to him. "Yeah, I guess."
Wheeler chuckled. "Well, I was a bit mean to ya there at the end."
QuiDormit smiled weakly.
"You're gonna be fine, big guy. Bindi'd be proud."
QuiDormit sighed and slowly got to his feet. "Yeah. Well, enough playtime for now, I'd better go check on the newpills."
"See ya."
QuiDormit with his head down in defeat limped off to the medbay to grab some supplies before checking on the newpills.

I hope I don't **** this up.

QuiDormit hobbled down the hallway to the medbay deep in thought. He stepped into the room while his mind bounded from thought to thought. He walked through the room gathering a few supplies before he went to check on those he had forced awake. Between his freight-train thoughts and the fact that this was a part of his daily routine, he failed to notice the prone form of his doctor lying on the ground. Failed to notice, that is, until he accidentally kicked her foot. Looking down, he was shocked to see Maeby curled up and asleep on the floor. He wondered how long she had been there, and gently tried to wake her.
"Maeby?" He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and tried to rouse her. "Maeby?" This time he spoke louder, but she still continued breathing evenly, obviously in a deep sleep. Scooping the girl up in his arms, he slowly carried her off toward the crew bunks.

The girl's head only half supported by her neck lolled in toward him until it fell. Jerking slightly, the girl stirred as an unsure voice mumbled something almost completely indistinguishable.
QuiDormit stopped and squinted at her as she finally moved. "Hey... You alright?"
The area around her eyes wrinkled up as she squinted up into his face, eyes unfocused. "Qui?" There was a delayed groan as Maeby's voice fell away into immediate disapproval. "You idiot, your stitches..."
He couldn't help but chuckle. "Seems like you're alright to me." He continued on to her crew quarters. She seemed small before, but in his arms, QuiDormit felt like the girl was tiny. "Don't worry about me. What were you doing in there?"

A small amount of tension had returned during the waking process, but she had already started relaxing again. Her head dropped back against him, "Sterilizing ****..."
QuiDormit: Questioningly he raised an eyebrow. "You were out cold."
"Mm..." Maeby went completely still for a second before she shook her head maybe half an inch dismissively, "Probably dehydrated or something."
"Yeah. Or something." As they reached her quarters, QuiDormit spun sideways. "Can you get that?" he asked, motioning to the door with his shoulder.
Maeby's hand groped for the handle twice before she found it and turned counter-clockwise, letting the door swing in an inch. Her hand paused there for a second, "I think I'm good now..."
He wasn't fooled. "Nevertheless, I'm going to hang out here for a bit. 'Least 'til Bindi gets back." He spun around and gently nudged the doorway open with his shoulder.

He carried her over to her bunk and bent at the knees to lower her to the bed. Even though he easily held her weight, bending down to lay her on the bed hurt, and he grimaced as he did so.
Maeby's cheek twitched just a little as she made a noise in her throat. "Idiot...I'll probably have to sew you back up." There was the ghost of a smile on her face.
He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'll drop you back on the cold medbay floor."
"You could've let me walk."
He sat on the corner of the bed near her feet. "Why bother?" He cracked a smile.

She nearly bolted upright. "Don't sit there!" Her tone changed dramatically but the sudden expression of panic was quickly trumped by that of pain. "Wow...that floor did bad things to my back."
QuiDormit was startled by the sudden change in the girl's demeanor, and he got up slowly. He tilted his head and opened his mouth to ask a question, but decided not to press her on her outburst yet. "Anything I can do for your back?"
The girl shook her head and eased herself back down on the bed. "Nothing a couple day's time won't fix..." She winced slightly as she nodded toward Qui's side. "How's your pain?"

He had forgotten all about his pain. "I'm fine. Maebs..." He made eye contact with her and searched for some clue in her eyes. "Are you OK?"
The girl's eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed as she turned her head toward the wall. "Fine. Just overworked." A second later nodded her head as if just remembering, "And dehydrated. Or something."

"Want me to get you some water?"
She took a moment to consider it, "Yeah. Water sounds great."
"Be right back." He headed to the mess hall to get her a tin of water and began to wonder what was bothering the girl. He decided that he wasn't going to leave her alone until someone came back from the Diluculo. He was certain that something was bothering Maeby, though he had no idea how he could help her. I'd better not press it, he finally decided. He returned to Maeby's room with a tin of water and handed it to her. "So, uh, where can I sit?"

Maeby took the water and winced, a little embarrassed. "Sorry I flipped..." She pushed herself back up and adjusted the pillow behind her so she was sitting back against the wall. She nodded back toward the end of the bed. "The bed's fine."
QuiDormit turned around and sat down at the foot of the bed again, trying to squeeze his large frame into the corner to give Maeby her space.
Maeby looked down at the tin of water in her hands and let her finger trace around the rim. She glanced back up at Qui, a puzzled expression on her face. "Did you want to talk about something?"

He didn't speak at first, unsure of what to say. Finally, deciding not to press her any more on her incident, he decided to talk about the newly awakened. "So we'll be at New Zion soon... Braie and Shaye will most likely go into care with New Zion Medical, but Iota... I don't know what to do with her. What do you think?"
Something softened in the girl's face, as she thought a second. "Well...I originally thought to pay Lov a visit and ask if she'd be willing to..." She left the thought unfinished. "But I have a few other people in mind. Mostly doctors or patients that I worked with before I went on active duty."

He nodded solemnly. "I would love to see her with a family, but... She needs someone with psychological experience, don't you think?"
"Most psychologists I've worked with are very intentional about not talking their patients home. She needs someone who can relate to her..."
"Yeah, that's what I meant..." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "She seems to like you."
Maeby's lips pulled into a smile for a second as she looked down at her lap, "Yeah...she's a sweet kid."
"It will be bittersweet to see them go." He turned and looked at Maeby. "I wonder how she'll take it. Leaving, I mean."
The smile faltered as she looked back over to Qui, "She'll manage. A ship's no place for a kid."
"Bindi said the same thing." He shrugged, then motioned to Maeby with his head. "So how are you feeling?"
"A little better." Maeby cocked her head to the side, "How's your side?"
QuiDormit smiled assuredly. "Oh, I'm alright. No worse than after a work out."

A strange smile came over her face and she nodded, "Right." The smile left and she took another sip of her water.
QuiDormit tried and failed to read her smile. Moving on he asked, "So how long are you planning on staying on the Titan?"
Maeby narrowed her eyes, studying Qui for a second before answering. "I don't know...I guess we don't exactly need two medics after we drop the coppertops off..."
"Yeah, I guess... Though I'll admit I'm getting used to having you around." He smiles genuinely at her.
Maeby's lips drew into a smile that the rest of her face couldn't seem to match. She looked around the room for a second and then back to Qui. She held her head at an angle for a second, "I think I might try sleep again."
He wasn't quite sure he should leave her alone, but he also didn't want to encroach on her personal space. "Maebs, if you ever need anything, let me know." He stood up and stretched, careful not to put too much strain on his side.
"Yeah...I'll do that."
QuiDormit nodded and left the girl alone in her room. He said, "Sleep tight," and closed the door behind him.

Part 2: Home Bittersweet Home

After many days passed, they were finally at home in New Zion. For the first time since his awakening, however, QuiDormit was not happy to see her. The massive hovercraft taxied over to its place on the dock, and was set down. Once the final docking routines had been completed, the crew prepared to disembark.

QuiDormit's eyes scanned over the faces of the others as the crew of the Titan stood in the loading bay waiting as the ramp slowly opened. He helped the other crewmen unload the cargo. He noticed four armed guards of Zion's Marine Corps walking across the dock. He turned and followed Wheeler back up the ramp to help with some of the heavier loads. Together, the two lifted a large crate and carried it down the ramp with Wheeler walking backwards at the front of the crate. QuiDormit stopped dead in his tracks, nearly causing Wheeler to topple over with the crate.
"What the hell, Qui?"
"Look."

The men saw the four guards surrounding RedBindi and behind the group, Fenshire was approaching with a lightning gun drawn. Though they couldn't make out what was being said, it was obvious that there was a great deal of tension. Wheeler and QuiDormit set the crate down on the ramp and watched intently. QuiDormit took a step toward the six, but Wheeler threw his arm out across QuiDormit's chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"Reddy already cleared them. They're here to guard her."
QuiDormit raised an eyebrow and said flatly, "No wonder Fen brought the gun." Just as the words left his lips, he saw Fenshire lower the gun.
"See? Now get back to work, we ain't done yet."
QuiDormit sighed and the two men picked the crate up again and placed it with the other items. Once they were all finished, the others prepared to go into the city, and QuiDormit faded into the background, ready to isolate himself and mentally prepare for his upcoming meeting.

The Titan was unloaded so, he set up camp in the docking bay. He monitored the technicians as they moved around making repairs to the Titan. In her last battle, she saw quite a bit of damage. Next time we're in a position like that... I'll be the one flying her. QuiDormit was ready emotionally for the task, however, he felt that he needed some real training. He'd been through the simulator time and time again, but he knew that it didn't compare to the real thing. As soon as they left New Zion, the Pilot position would be his. He made a promise, one of many, to himself. I'll show them...

He stood up and walked down the long loading ramp. The pain had all but left though he was still a little slow. He had been able to start working out again. He was happy not to feel so useless. He also knew the importance of watching over the Titan. He volunteered himself for many reasons. Though they didn't talk about the specifics, he knew RedBindi understood. He didn't want to spend any time at "home," because he wasn't wanted at "home." Perhaps with time that would come, but for now, he was happier on his new home, the Titan.

QuiDormit was restless. He headed down the ramp and walked around the hovercraft. He was sure to constantly scan those on the dock. He was looking for something, anything out of place. He looked along the hull of the mammoth ship. She was badly bruised from her last encounter with some Merovingian operatives. He looked up and saw a technician fiddling with a hoverpad, attempting to pull the damaged disc off of the craft.
"Heads up!" The tech screamed out. He tugged far too hard and lost control. QuiDormit watched the pad tumble through the air and crash at his feet.

"I've heard of looks that could kill, but I didn't think it applied to Machines," Fenshire said, chuckling as he walked up to QuiDormit. "Hey fellas, I think we have our new secret weapon!"

QuiDormit cracked a smile and raised an eyebrow as he turned to face Fenshire. "So I guess that means you're next."

"Hah! Good luck." He smacks QuiDormit on the back. "If looks could kill, I'd be dead about a hundred times over."

QuiDormit laughed. "Good point. So what's the good word? Headed into the city soon?"

Fenshire nervously shifts his gun from one hand to the other. "Yeah... I want to make sure the right people get chosen to work on Bindi's chip..."

QuiDormit's smile faded and he looked around the dock once again. "So am I to assume that that thing isn't leaving your side any time soon?" QuiDormit nodded toward the gun as he spoke.

"No... it's not." He looks at Qui grimly. "I hope I don't have to use it... but if someone tries to attack Bindi, I want to be prepared."

QuiDormit shakes his head slowly. "Don't blame you." He leans against the hull of the craft. "I hope you don't have to use it either. I'm gonna set up camp in the bay. Don't worry, nothing is going to get past me out here."

"Alright, good." He nods.

"How can I get a hold of you? You know, in the event something weird happens."

"Hm..." He looks at the Titan behind Qui. "Got a pair of radios on that thing?"

"Yeah, I'm sure we've got somethin'. Give me a little bit to look. In fact, just stop by on your way into the city." QuiDormit once again took in his surroundings, surveying the area closely.

"Let's get them now. I'm heading out."

"Right." QuiDormit looked around once more. Nothing was out of place, but he couldn't help himself. "Probably somewhere in the bay with the ground-team gear."

"I can wait here and watch the ship."

QuiDormit nodded at Fenshire and headed up the ramp. He headed straight for the weapons and looked through the supply cabinet. Medical supplies, knives, lights... Ah, radios. He grabbed two radios, checked their charge, and pocketed one of them. As he was heading back toward the ramp, something shiny caught his eye. He turned to face the cabinet again, and grabbed a lightning gun, slinging it over his shoulder and spinning it so that the gun itself was resting against his back. Can't be too careful.
He walked back down the loading ramp and tossed the other radio to Fen. "These look pretty good."

Fenshire looked down at the radio, testing some of the buttons. "Good. Short burst. This should do fine in the city." He stuffed the radio into one of his pockets. "If anything happens, be sure to contact me. I won't be too far from the docks."

QuiDormit clapped his hand on Fenshire's shoulder. "It'll be OK, Fen." He shrugged as he continued, "but there's nothin' wrong with being prepared. Likewise, if I can do anything... let me know."

"Will do." He nods, then sighs. "I probably should get going."

QuiDormit nodded and then snapped into a salute.

Fen smiles, and returns the salute. "You know, you don't have to do that..."

QuiDormit smiled weakly. "Habit."

"That's alright." He chuckles. "Well... thanks for the radio. I'll be in touch."