User blog:Gracchus Mccarthe/Benson and Roister: Aartis Space and Air Base II

     After walking for about thirty minutes, A.J., followed by Rex, got to the TLF. They both entered the large building.

     A.J. approached the reception desk. He said to the man sitting behind it, “Excuse me, I’d like a room.”

     “I’ll need to see your ID.”

     “I don’t have it with me, but you can check me with your database.” A.J. replied.

     “All right. That’ll work. Hold on, I’ll pull up the program.” After a short wait, the receptionist said, “It’s up. OK, I need your name, rank, and class.”

     “Captain Alexander Jeremiah Roister, Heavy Troop.”

     “Captain Roister, Heavy…” the receptionist muttered as he entered the information into the computer. “OK, now look at the camera here.”

     A.J. faced the camera and waited as it scanned his face.

     “98% face match. That is well within the acceptable boundary.” the receptionist informed him. He handed A.J. a card. “Your room is 2-BL. It’s on the second floor.”

     “Thanks a heap.” A.J. said. As he went to find his room, Rex walked up to the desk.

     “I’m also hoping to get a room.”

     “Do you have your ID?” the receptionist inquired.

     “No, sadly, I don’t. It’s on the Kurios Space Station.”

     The receptionist’s eyes widened. “You must be one of those two guys who just got here, right?”

     Rex nodded. “Yeah. Captain Roister is the other guy.”

     “I see. Um, I need to know your name, rank, and class.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Corporal Kyle Benson, Assault Troop.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     The facial scanner did its work, getting a 99.4% match.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Do you want to have the same room as Captain Roister?” asked the receptionist.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “No, I don’t think he’d like that. For that matter, neither would I.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “All right. Here’s your card. Your room’s 2-BM. It happens to be next to the captain’s.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex sighed. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled about that. Anyway, thanks.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex walked to a stairwell and climbed up to the second floor. It didn’t take him long to find his room. Before he went inside, he knocked on A.J.’s door.

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. opened the door a little bit and sighed. “What do you want?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “The guy at the desk asked if I wanted to share your room.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Suddenly, the door swung wide open. “If you tell me you said ‘Yes.’, I am going to tear your head off.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     The threat took Rex by surprise. “Uh, uh, no… I mean, I declined. I figured you wouldn’t be too fond of the idea.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “That’s an understatement.” A.J. said, rolling his eyes. He started to close the door.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Um, but I do have this room… right next to yours.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. just facepalmed and closed his door.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex went to his room and inserted his card into the lock. He turned the knob and walked inside.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Not a bad place here.” he remarked. “Boy am I tired. This bed doesn’t look super comfortable, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be better than the bunk I had on the station.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex jumped onto the bed and was asleep in minutes…

<p class="MsoNormal">     He woke up sweating a while after noon. “I hope I don’t have any more dreams like that one.” Rex thought. He’d had a nightmare about zombies. He had woken up just before getting killed in his dream.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “I need to get my mind on something else. Maybe there’s a gym nearby. I think I’ll ask about that at the desk.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex exited his room and went downstairs. A different guy was sitting at the desk.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Hey there, is there a gym around here?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Um, excuse me?” the receptionist replied.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Gym. Is there one around here?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yes. It’s a few miles down the road. Go left out of the parking lot for a couple miles. When you come to a fork in the road near a huge rock monument, go left.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Sounds good. Thanks.” Rex walked out of the building. “Guess I gotta just walk to places for now.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex walked along the road for a while. Many cars passed him during this time, until one pulled up beside him and stopped.

<p class="MsoNormal">     The driver rolled down the window. He was a young guy, about Rex’s age. “Where ya headed?” he asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “The gym. I was told it’s a ways down this road.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yep, but getting’ there might take you a while. Actually, I’m heading over there myself. Want a lift?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Uh, sure. Thanks.” The driver unlocked the passenger door, and Rex got in.

<p class="MsoNormal">     The car started moving again and accelerated to the speed limit quickly.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “So, what are you planning to do at the gym?” the driver inquired.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Probably play Grid*, if anyone else is doing that. I’ve been to this base before, so I know there are a bunch of Grid players here. Well, there were then. I don’t know how many of them have PCS’d**.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Ah. I’ll be doing weights. I might not look too strong, but I can lift quite a bit.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “I see.” Rex said. After a short while, he spoke again. “I don’t know why, but something about this situation is awkward.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yeah, I’ve been getting that feeling too. Guess it’s ‘cause we’re strangers. We’ll be at the gym in a minute anyway.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     The car pulled into the gym’s parking lot. Rex and the driver stepped out.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Thanks for the ride.” Rex said.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “No problem.” the other guy replied.

<p class="MsoNormal">     The two of them walked into the gym. The Grid court was located just past the weight rooms, so both Rex and the other guy walked into the weight room.

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. was there, hauling a huge weight off the floor and letting it back down. When he saw Rex, he put his hands on his face. “I knew it. You’re following me.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Actually, I’m not.” Rex started to explain. “This guy, he… Um, what’s your name?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Sarck Lakay.” He answered. “I drove this guy here, I don’t know his name either.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Rex Benson. Um, so yeah, I was walking here to see if there was a Grid game happening, and Sarck here came along and gave me ride.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Whatever.” A.J. said. He went back to lifting the weight.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex shrugged. He walked towards the Grid court as Sarck got onto one of the weight lifting benches.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex could tell there was a game going on before reaching the door. He heard voices and the ball bouncing on the soft flooring.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex walked into the large court. After the current play had ended, he called out, “Hey! Got room for one more?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     The players looked over at him. One man asked, “Are you any good?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Moderately.” Rex replied.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Go ahead.” another player told him. “I need to take a break for a couple minutes.” Walking up to Rex, he removed an outer tank top and held it out. “Here, we’re using these to distinguish teams. It’s a little sweaty.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “I’ll be fine, thanks. I fought zombies earlier today, so this’ll be a cake walk.” Rex said as he put the tank top on.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Zombies!?” one player exclaimed. “They made a broadcast about that two hours ago. Are you Benson, or Roister?”

<p class="MsoNormal">      “I’m Benson… And actually, Roister’s in the weight room right now.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Think you could get ‘im to play Grid?” the tired player asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.” Rex responded. “I’ll go see.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     He went back into the weight room and approached A.J., who was lying down on a bench, pressing almost 600 pounds.

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J.’s spotter helped him put the weight back on its holder with a grunt. “What do you want?” A.J. asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex cleared his throat. “They want you to join the Grid game.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. sighed deeply. “I guess I can’t get away from you anyway. I might as well join.” A.J got off the bench and told his spotter, “Thanks for spotting for me.” The guy nodded and walked out of the room.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Let’s go.” Rex said.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex and A.J. walked onto the Grid court.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Upon seeing A.J., one of the Red team players raised his hand and called out, “Big guy’s on our team.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “You have two new guys, then.” a Yellow team player pointed out. “Are you sure you want that?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Sure, why not?” a Red team player said, pulling off his tank top and handing it to A.J.

<p class="MsoNormal">     The Red team’s captain introduced himself to the two new players. “I’m Damien Carter. I’m the Red team’s captain and quarlie***. Do you guys know how to play?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex nodded; A.J. scratched his head. “Mm, a little bit.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “First, you need a Grid belt. Hold on.” Damien got the belts from the two players who volunteered to sit out and handed them to Rex and A.J. Damien went on to explain, “You gotta take the ball from our goal zone to the other team’s goal zone.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yeah, I know that.” A.J. stated. “The I know what to do, but not how to do it.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Damien went on. “OK. If one of your flags, those things dangling from your belt, gets pulled, the play ends. We have two plays, called ‘downs’, to reach the Yellow team’s goal zone. If we can’t do that, the other team takes possession of the ball.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “How do we move the ball?” A.J. asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Run.” Damien answered. “If you’re about to get your flag taken, you can pass off the ball. If you throw it to another player, you can’t throw it forward. If you want to pass it forward, you have to kick it.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “And you score by getting the ball into the other team’s goal zone.” A.J. stated. “Are there any other ways to score?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Damien continued, “After the ball is carried into the other team’s goal zone, you get one point. After that, the scorer gets a chance to score an extra point. He faces off against the quarlie and must kick the ball into that net behind the goal zone. Got it?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Got it.” A.J. answered. “Let’s do this.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     The two teams got into a huddle. After Damien explained the plan, the Red team assumed their pre-play positions. Rex lined up far to the left side, and A.J. got right behind Damien, who was holding the ball.

<p class="MsoNormal">     After Damien yelled “Hi!****”, the play commenced. The balled was given to A.J., who took it right up the middle. He was pretty fast, especially considering his bulk.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Due to A.J.’s pretty good speed and excellent blocking by the Red team, A.J. found himself only a few yards away from the goal zone with only one player from the opposing team in front of him.

<p class="MsoNormal">     When A.J. got close, the player stooped to grab a flag from his belt. He put his hand forward and threw down his unfortunate opponent.

<p class="MsoNormal">     He ran into the goal zone and looked back. Players from both teams were chattering and occasionally pointing at him.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Is something wrong?” A.J. asked as he approached the rest of the players.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yeah.” Rex answered. “You can’t throw a guy down like that. You have to outrun him, juke him out, or pass the ball off.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “We’ll call the play over where A.J. threw down Max.” Damien offered. Both teams agreed this was fair.

<p class="MsoNormal">     On the next play, Damien tossed the ball back to Rex, who ran directly behind A.J. One Yellow team player came at Rex from the side, but A.J. suddenly stopped and turned to pancake***** him.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex was able to outrun or juke the other Yellow team players, and he ended up scoring a legitimate goal.

<p class="MsoNormal">     After the Red team players exchanged high fives, Rex and the Yellow quarlie squared off. Rex’s kick initially went wide right of the net, but it hooked back. The Yellow quarlie dove and caught the ball just inches from the net.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “That was close.” the quarlie said. “Nice kick. Hooking it that much isn’t easy.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “You just gotta give it a good spin.” Rex replied. Then he grinned wryly. “If I score again, watch out.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     The game continued for about forty-five minutes. The score was 8-8 when Rex and A.J. joined in. The final score was 24-17, with the Red team the victor.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “OK, tomorrow, Rex and A.J. cannot be on the same team.” one member of the Yellow team declared. “Their blocking and speed combo is kinda wrong.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Sounds good to me.” A.J. said.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex shrugged, “Ih, I guess so.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     After the players put their equipment back in the storage box, they exchanged farewells and headed out of the room.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex and A.J. walked back to the TLF, despite transportation offers from some of the other Grid players.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “So, what do you think of Grid?” Rex asked A.J. as they walked next to the road.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “It’s more fun than weightlifting.” A.J. admitted. “I think I’ll play again this week if there’s a game going on.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Sweet. That’ll be awesome having you on the court.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Remember, I’ll be on the other team.” A.J. warned.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “True, but I can outrun you.” Rex answered.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Think so? Care to put your legs where your mouth is?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex stopped. “You’re challenging me to a race?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. nodded. “Back to the TLF.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “You’re on!”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “All right then. Ready? Go!”

<p class="MsoNormal">     With that, Rex and A.J. shot off…

'''*Grid: Evolved form of “Gridiron”, another name for American football. A game that is sort of a cross between flag football and soccer. Quite popular in the Aartis system.'''

**PCS: Permanent Change of Station; receiving orders to move to another location.

***Quarlie: An evolved portmanteau of “quarterback” and ”goalie”.

****Hi: an evolved form of “Hike!”; used to signal the beginning of a play in Grid.

*****Pancake: A term that originated in American football; knocking down a defender immediately after engaging him in a block.

'''So, what do you think? The next chapter will be Aartis Spcae and Air Base III, but after that comes the Vaccine mssion, so the action isn't quite here just yet.'''

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