(GQ #9) Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain

2. Living Corridor

Leon began the day entering a whole new world of excitement. Tons of new features had been discovered in the week since the glasses were issued. Mini patterns could be placed anywhere to be dodged at any time, making the whole ship come alive. Even the halls were full of magic!

And danger.

He knew Roxie was lurking somewhere, but didn't see any sign of her.

A thin blue laser shot out of the door to his left.

"Hmhmhnn~!" Roxie poked her head out of the infirmary. Now that Leon thought about it, it made sense for a medic to be there. "It is I! Here to make sure you get your morning medicine!"

Leon stopped just in time to avoid floating into the laser, but Roxie summoned a syringe-shaped projection to fire a spread of shots. As fast as they were coming at him, he'd be a sitting duck...

If he weren't wearing cool new air jets! The other prototype given to the crew last week were pairs of ankle straps with air jets attached to them.They required a flex of the ankle to use, which felt awkward, but it was worth it! No longer did Leon need to rely on the walls, the floors, or a cape to get around. He could fly as free as a bird!

And he flew straight into one of Roxie's shots.

"Huhuhu! I got you~" Roxie used her own jets to float back toward the kitchen.

"Hmph..." Leon's pout quickly turned into a smile. "I love these glasses so much."

"Aren't they great?" she tapped her own.

"Yeah, I can't wait to show off my patterns to the new guy!" Since finding out the Celestion-5 would be welcoming a new member, the rookie ranger hadn't been able to get him off of his mind.

"Me neither! Wait, how do we know it's a--Owwie!" Roxie smacked lightly into the kitchen door. "How do we know it's a guy?"

"There's an empty bed in me and Aiden's room." Leon reasoned. "Unless they're like Jun and Aiden, they're probably a guy."

"Ahhh! That gets me thinking..."

"About what?" He pressed a foot into the ground to prevent him from colliding into Roxie.

"About Lorie."

"Who?"

Roxie folded her arms, chuckling like a villain. "You haven't been paying close attention..." She dropped her smugness. "Sometimes Emil talks about one called Lorie... He gets really cagey when you ask who it is, though."

"Ohhh, I remember now! Maybe that's the new guy's name."

She shook her head. "The captains found out we'd be getting a new pal when we did. I personally like to think that Lorie's a gnome who lives in the ship and fixes things, like the storage room lights and the chest machine."

"I don't... think Lorie's a gnome."

"A girl can dream!"

"I wonder who that is, though... Maybe the captain knows?"

Roxie lifted her head. "Oh yeah, where is he anyway? He never gave me any punishment for speaking out last week. I would prefer he not, but I haven't seen him since."

Leon tried to remember if he'd seen the captain since then, but his mind drew blanks. "That's weird... We should go look for him!"

"We think alike! But I have one catch." The medic lifted a finger. "Let's make it a race! First one to find the captain wins."