<USS Avalon> Survivors: day two - preparing for nightfall

*note, this takes place before "Survivors: Second night -- late shift; Third 
day -- sunrise"
 
Mac greeted Fielding, who'd stayed at the cave to finish setting up, securing 
both front entrance and the back perimeter within the cave itself, while he and 
the others who could ferried the wounded over. He looked over the finished work 
as he set his charge gently down, trying hard not to jostle her, ignoring the 
screaming of his muscles. It looked good. Everything seemed as if it should be 
easily secured and maintained. They should be safe here. So why did he still 
feel so on edge? 
 
Something wasn't right. 
 
"Hey, guys," he called as the last arrived, trying to ignore how exhausted he 
was, knowing full well that they all were. "I don't know about you, but the way 
the last couple of nights have gone, I'm thinking we better not get too 
comfortable just yet. It seems like we should be safer here. We should be more 
secure. Our place should be more defensible..."
 
"But..." Rae prompted, suspecting where this was going, having been unable to 
shake her own feeling of unease.
 
"But," Mac nodded, "I'm not convinced. Sorry. We have to try it, since it's the 
only shelter we've got, but I'm thinking we should double the guard and.."
 
"With who?" Linc intercepted. "You're not suggesting we order the wounded to 
stand guard?"
 
"No, not order," Mac agreed. "We'll take volunteers." He was stunned when most 
of the hands went up. "Thanks, guys. But seriously, before you volunteer, think 
about it carefully. We're mostly walking wounded here. Many of you are still 
able to stand, walk, and brandish a phaser. This is gonna take more than that, 
though. Only you know whether or not you're up to this, though. You've got to 
be able to stay alert to your surroundings, level headed, and on your toes. 
We'll be counting on you to be our eyes, ears, and muscle if need be, if 
something happens. We all want to help. We all want to keep one another safe. 
Consider if you're going to be able to do a full shift, if you'll be an asset 
or a liability." He watched and waited while they clearly considered it. "Okay, 
now...volunteers?"
 
A few hands stayed down this time that had gone up before, but very few. Mac 
nodded again. "Okay. Good. Fielding, take names. Let's see what we've got to 
work with as far as shifts. Rae, Tran, you and me will take the first shift. 
Make it the longest. Break the rest of the volunteers into groups of four and 
run them in no more than three or four hour shifts if we can."

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