Return to Camelot
Nate sat against the bulkhead in the engine room, a few feet away from Zari. She sat on the floor in front of an open panel, her favorite plaid flannel tied around her waist, hair piled into a high, messy bun. She had half a dozen neon-colored tubes coming out of the panel, and she was checking readings on her tablets and making adjustments. She pressed buttons and pulled out the futuristic panel inserts - like brightly colored motherboards - inspecting them carefully.
"How's it going, Z?"
She sighed, not even turning her head. "About the same as it was when you asked me five minutes ago," she said tightly.
"Okay," he whispered. "Sorry. Sorry, ignore me."
"I will."
He sat quietly, continuing to watch her work. She pulled out more tubes, plugged in others, re-checked readings. Nate held out for much longer this time, but the more he thought about Ray going to war and dying in battle, the more agitated he became. "Z?"
"Nate!" She turned to face him, her eyes wide, and her expression looking eerily like the one his mother used to give him when dinner seemed to be taking longer than expected and Nate bounded into the kitchen one too many times. He half expected her to rope him into working on the engines - flashing back to the usual penance of chopping onions or peeling dozens of potatoes for his crimes of impatience.
Zari smiled sweetly and Nate eyed her with suspicion. "Nate," she said, voice as sweet as her angelic expression. "I know you're worried. But this is a time machine. Once Gideon is up and running, we can go exactly where and when we need to be to get Ray back. But I can't do this if you're going to ask me how it's going every two minutes!"
Nate held up his hands. "I'm sorry. I know. I just... I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Nate," she said, smiling a less saccharine smile now. "You know what would really help me focus?"
"What's that?" he asked eagerly.
"A plate of frosted doughnuts and-"
"Hot red tea with mint, you got it," he said, hopping to his feet. "I'm on it, buddy."
"You're the best," she said in a sing-song voice.
Nate pointed at her and gave her a thumbs up before making his way to the galley. When he got there, Sara and Ava were already there, sitting at the dining table. Sara had a cup of tea and Ava was staring blankly at a plate of celery and carrots.
"Hey Captains," Nate said, giving them a little wave.
"Hey," Sara said. Ava only grunted. "How's Zari doing? She told me if I check on her again she's going to blow me out the cargo bay."
Nate smiled. "I've been sent away to give her a peace offering," he said, filling a kettle with water. Zari preferred real boiled water in her tea, since the fabrication never got it quite right as far as she was concerned.
While he put in his doughnut order at the fabricator, Sara came over with her cup. "How are you holding up?"
"Okay," he answered. She tilted her head, and his shoulders slumped. "Wrecked. I feel like a total wreck! I mean, Z's right, this is a time machine and we can go back right to when we need to be there to save him, but..."
"You still feel like you need to hurry."
"Yes! Yes, and you know the time drive can be unpredictable. Ray told me you guys were trapped in the 50's for years! What if we don't-"
Sara put a hard firmly on Nate's shoulder. She took a deep breath, gesturing for him to do the same. Nate sucked in a breath and let it out slowly with Sara. "Nate. We will find Ray, and we will make it on time. I promise you. Okay?"
Nate nodded. "Thanks, Sara."
She smiled. "Good. So... where's your partner in crime?"
"Huh?"
"Mick," she said. "You two have been thick as thieves for the last few days."
Nate shrugged and nodded. "He helped me with my search. He's... reading right now."
"Keeping himself sane, I bet." Nate nodded, still unwilling to let too many people know about Ray's book. Sara patted his arm again. "You stay sane, too," she said. The kettle whistled and she smiled. "Keep our engineer happy, okay?"
Nate saluted. "You got it, Captain." He made the tea the way Z liked it. With a wave at Sara and Ava (who gave him her little 'I don't know what to do with you, but I like you' smile), Nate took the snacks out of the galley and headed for the engine room.
Zari actually looked happy to see him, and he felt good to have her smile when he came in. "Thank you!"
"Happy to be of service," he said, smiling. "I'm getting out of your hair now. But let me know if you need anything at all, okay?"
"I will. Thanks, Nate."
Nate left the room and walked slowly to the library where he'd left Mick. When he got there, Mick was looking at the final pages of his precious volume. Nate stood in the doorway and waited. Mick turned the last page, and took a deep breath. He looked up, and Nate saw his eyes were glistening. Nate averted his eyes and waited a few seconds. When he looked at Mick again, he had closed the book, and was wrapping it carefully in its linen cloth cover.
Mick looked at Nate finally, and his face flushed. He looked down for a second and sighed, before facing Nate again. He picked up the book and held it with both of his leather-gloved hands. He handed it, almost reverently, back to Nate. "Thanks."
Nate nodded, pulling the book close to his chest again. Mick left the room, and Nate looked after him. "Where you going?"
"Whiskey, " he said gruffly.
"Good idea. Can I join you?" Mick turned and looked at him like he was crazy for a second. Then he jerked his head in a wordless invitation. Nate smiled and followed his friend.