Scribbles and Drabbles

Notebook Drabble 56 - Hive Virus 2

Adrian returned to base with little fanfare despite how long he'd been gone. Ops missions didn't usually last months, not for the people semi-permanently attached to the base. The update sat on the community board next to a reminder that he'd be jumpy after being in enemy territory. The medics got annoyed when people got stabbed for being stupid, like playing pranks on an ops member fresh out of being undercover. 

Conner also had an update in his personal inbox about meeting with the Head of Security on his break so that he couldn't escape it. Conner groaned, his eyes aching. He got out of a meeting once by appealing to a more senior officer while working under them, and Jarrow made a point of putting it on Conner's own time. 

[Acknowledged] 

He went to his station and started his work. The icon for the HoS's department watching his terminal glared on the screen, and Conner tried not to feel too distrusted. They trusted him. They were also responsible for spotting when people could no longer be trusted. 

A glimmer of light shifted in the corner of his eye, the glint of something shining off metal but not. Conner checked the room, but everyone had their heads down, working. No one else noticed it? Unless. Conner moved his knee and hit something solid in the empty space under his desk. 

Adrian didn't get called Ghost for no reason. 

Before Conner could pull up his comm for Braydon, the man appeared in the doorway with a concerned expression on his face. He lifted his hand before the Commander in charge needed to be distracted from his work, and Braydon moved over. Captain Matsumoto glanced over, but seeing Braydon moving towards him, he left them to it. Adrian never settled well after an op. Sleeping with another person helped. What confused the uninitiated was why ops preferred sleeping in the offices where people worked. 

Adrian would not be the first nor the last to sneak into the commander centre to sleep after being in Kazon. The answer was easy. It was quiet, calm and filled with people. It was perfect for sleeping in when they were used to communal sleeping areas of Kazon clans. 

Braydon knelt down and searched Adrian's edges out. Adrian blurred in and out of existence, confused from sleep but safe. He reached for his partner and let Braydon sweep him off the ground and out of the command room. 

[Dely?] the HoS team wrote on his screen. 

[Ghost sleepwalking again] He typed back. They acknowledged it and flipped the notification from his screen to let him get back to work. His shoulders slumped, and the Captain patted his back as he moved passed to check someone else's terminal. The Captain knew the deal with his situation the same as everyone else. 

Conner continued to work. The interaction should have been a warning sign. 

Break time arrived, and his meeting was cancelled. Unexpected but Conner ate his lunch, chatted with some friends as one should do on their break and headed back to his station. Josh and Mica slapped him on his shoulder as they passed him, laughing. Conner felt the spots, expecting something to be plastered there. They ran away laughing at him.

The Summers liked their tricks and pranks. Conner would need to be careful for a few days. His head hurt at the thought. They didn't pick on him any more than anyone else, but this could turn bad fast with Jarrow watching him with an eagle eye. 

Adrian was under his station again, fast asleep and visible due to a blanket over his shoulders. Conner didn't have the heart to disturb him and ignored his presence, careful not to get into his personal space while he waited for Braydon to reappear. Conner settled into work, typing steadily, and he worked through reports for any inconsistencies. The job needed doing, and there was a kind of peaceful haze one could fall into while doing it.