The Day Before We Met

You

"Sentinel Black, this is your twenty-seventh mission in a row. Don't you think you should take a break?" The pilot that had been paired with me asked cautiously as we orbited Mars, waiting for my next assignment.

"No. I am fine. What is next?" I growled lowly and took my seat beside him. He is a measly pilot. He doesn't have jurisdiction to even talk to me outside of simple military talk and extra details on missions.

"Admiral claims that he doesn't have another mission for you at the moment." My pilot spoke slowly, knowing I was going to be pissed.

"Coms to Admiral. Now." I slammed my fist against my armrest and the pilot jumped. Fucking pussy.

"What is it, Alex?" Admiral took a deep breatg. He knew what was coming for him.

"I need another mission. Give me another mission." I snapped at his annoyingly calm tone of voice.

"You have been doing missions nonstop for over a month. You need to shower, change clothes, have your armor refilled and diagnostics need to be ran. Come home for just a minute to do those few things. You also have to eat and sleep. You can't keep taking supplements to avoid doing so." Admiral continued to remain calm. "I need you to come home, Alex."

"I have a pod on here. I'll let it do it for a minute and get back to work. I don't need food. My pilot goes back to base shuttle when he needs something. Everything is fine. Give me another mission." I snapped at him. "I will need another injection soon as well. My last one will wear off relatively soon."

"I'll send you one more mission. After that, you are to come home for one day and then I will let you go back. I'm not asking you to slow down. I am asking you to take care of yourself." Admiral clarified his wishes.

"Fine. One more mission and then I'll go home for a day, and no more than a day." I gave in, but only because I need another injection.

The demons need to be silenced.

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"Shuttle secure. You are green to get off." My pilot dropped me off at my main base. It is the only one that has the equipment and people who know how to work on my armor to the degree I need.

I hopped off and went straight to my old team's room. They are still with Hannah on her beloved tour, so I'll have it to myself after I dismiss the engineer that will adjust my armor. I was much happier after I left them and got back to work. I was doing what I was made for. All of the years spent in labs, training, and being beat half to death weren't for me to watch over a damn celebrity.

"Sentinel Black, good to see you home. Step into your pod and I'll have you set and ready in five minutes." The engineer met me at the door and I gave her an appreciative nod. I do have respect for the engineers. They are smart as shit.

My feet dragged to my pod and I stepped in. Now that I'm on my own turf, I'm realizing how exhausted I truly was. Adrenaline does wonders. "Fix me up, Doc." I joked with the engineer, and she laughed a bit while beginning her work on my armor.

"Your supplements are nearly gone. All of them." The engineer gave off a worried tone.

"Things came up." I answered vaguely to hint at me not wanting to discuss the topic.

She took the hint and worked in silence.

I patiently waited ten minutes as I fought to keep my eyes open.

"You are all set. I'll leave you to shower, sleep, and eat. Your injection is waiting for you in the bathroom. Eat first." With that she left and closed the door behind her.