<USS Avalon> Infestation pt1: Gone Hunting - Ensign Kyle Fenner

Infestation pt 1:  Gone Huntin'
by Ensign Kyle Fenner

Kyle sat up in the dark and tiredly stared at the
clock.  Twenty minutes til the alarm; he fell back
into the pillow to hear the alarm ring.  A glance at
the clock confirmed that twenty minutes had indeed
passed.

It was going to be one of those days.  "Ah, hell," he
sighed.  

==A==

"Good morning, Ensign Fenner."

Kyle looked up as he walked into Engineering, "Hey
there."  He frowned, "I'm sorry, I don't recall your
name."

The crewman grinned.  "No worries, sir.  There's a ton
of us for you to remember, but only one of you," he
finished with a chuckle.  "I'm Crewman Apprentice
Rogers.  By the way, Petty Officer Windom is looking
for you."

"I imagine so, where is she," Kyle asked as he wiped
grit out of his eyes.  

"In a tube somewhere around the science department
quarters.  She told me to wait for you, and mentioned
something about her new supervisor."  He looked
questioningly at Fenner.

"Yeah, I guess I will be leading her maintenance team
and rating on her.  You her troop?"

Crewman Rogers nodded.

"Well, let's go then."

Fenner and Rogers and made small talk on the way over
the science department quarters.   "So," Kyle said,
"What kind of woman is Windom?  She got a temper?  Can
you joke around her?"

Rogers grinned broadly.  "She's a maintainer."

"Outstanding!"  

"No shit, sir.  She's told me jokes that've made MY
ears turn red."

 Arriving at a Jeffries Tube hatch, they scratched
their heads.  

"It's as good as any other entrance," said Rogers.

Kyle detached the hatch.  "Probably so."

"I hate these tubes," moaned Rogers, "During ship
familiarization I was wearing parade souls and slipped
off a ladder."

Kyle looked back as he crawled into the shaft. 
"Ouch."

"Busted kneecap kinda ouch."

A woman's voice hailed from up a ladder, "You still
crying about Jeffries Tubes?  You moan worse than my
five year old nephew!"

"Hey Windom, I've got the Ensign here."

Windom climbed down the ladder.  "I can see that. 
Pleased to meet you, Sir."

Kyle held out his hand, "Call me Fenner, cut the Sir
shit unless my boss is around."  He peeked up the
ladder where she'd came.  "What'ya got going on up
there?"

Petty Officer Windom frowned for a moment before
answering.  "Gremlins."

For the second time that day, Kyle found himself
saying, "Ah hell."

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