Feeling a bit down.

[Corsair]

[font=Times New Roman]Jannette grunted as the heavy engine bit into her shoulder. Her partner had been struck on the head and was lying on the floor, unconscious. She was about to call for help when she felt he weight get lighter. She twisted her head around and saw one of the newcomers helping her. She had seen him in the shower, checking out the other workers when he thought nobody was watching. But she had been watching him. Together, they were able to get the engine into a cargo container and seal it. The engine had been attached to some cables, but they snapped as the engine was being lowered on to a conveyor belt. One of the flailing cables struck her partner Kiefer and threw him back. The engine had tipped and fallen off the line early. Jannette had barely caught it.

Jannette rubbed her aching shoulder as she looked at Matthias. He had a bleeding cheek where one of the thrashing cables had scratched him. "Thanks," she said, her mouth dragged down into a frown of pain. Matthias nodded, tearing open a gauze package from his coat and pressing it to his cheek. Jannette looked the man over. Lithe build, but strong. He did more for exercise than lift heavy objects, she could tell from his long, lean legs and tight waist. His face looked to be in his mid twenties, but there was age in his eyes at least twice that. He reached his hand out in greeting. She grasped and shook it.

"I'm Matthias," he said, trying not to move his jaw too much.
"Jannette." she replied. "I think we should get these injuries looked at." she looked down at Kiefer, who was groaning on the floor. "Oh, and him too." Jannette's shoulder was too injured to lift him, so Matthias tried. Kiefer was a fat, short man and Matthias could only drag him. Jannette hooked her good arm around Matthias' waist and helped him drag the unconscious man to the infirmary.

The doctor in the Shipyard was constantly dealing with injuries like this. He removed the bloody bandage from Matthias' jaw and applied a sticky resin that sank into the cut, sealing and numbing it. Matthias tried speaking, but only made flabbering nonsensical words.

"Mah moupfth feelpfth drah." He tried, but gave up after his second attempt. The doctor put Jannette's arm in a sling, then pushed her into a red room where the cast melted into a substance that flowed like liquid but still clung to her arm. It took Matthias a moment to realize that the room had no gravity and the cast had indeed liquidated. Jannette's face screwed up in revulsion as the cast literally soaked into her bones. The doctor snorted. "It's not comfortable medicine, but it gets the job done." His voice was gruff, and Matthias noted a pack of cigarettes in his coat pocket. The doctor moved to Kiefer, who had a simple head bandage on. The doc looked at the fat man for a moment, then slapped him. Kiefer yelped and clutched his cheek. The doctor snorted again, and said "I knew you were awake. Come on, you're still technically on the clock."

Jannette stumbled back into the room, adjusting to the sudden change in gravity. Her arm looked stiff and pale but usable. Matthias's cheek was no longer numb or bleeding and Kiefer was grudgingly standing up to get back to work. The three headed back to the assembly line, but Matthias and Jannette ignored the fat Kiefer while they talked.

"Would you be interested in dinner tonight?" he asked.
"That depends on if your boyfriend is going to be there, I'd like to watch." she replied flirtatiously. Matthias pretended to be embarrassed. "We're not dating, we're just friends." Janette laughed in response. Matthias could hear the edge in it, though. She was upset by his offer even if she didn't say so.

He's found her weak spot, now to exploit it.

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