After finishing his third helping of breakfast, Black finally felt full. The looks of concern Rose and Blue had given him were quickly forgotten behind the heavenly carbs of hashbrowns and bacon. His feast ended just as the admins emerged from their meeting. He was going to call out to Maroon when White beelined to his table. 

“Black, I’d like to try some rather antiquated methods to check on the status of your legs.” She said in a clipped tone. A flash of interest interest concern flooded into him from Gray, who had tensed at his side. Black haltingly agreed, settled his tray on his lap, and wheeled over to the dish drop off. White, Purple, and Cyan followed close behind him, brimming with interest. Black was surprised by the sudden emotions coming from Purple. The tall medical officer seemed as stoic as ever, but Black could feel their Intrigue curious nervous excited emotions. Another clue to add to Blue’s list he supposed. Soon enough, Black had wheeled into medical and settled himself in his chair as the trio ran around preparing things that Black had no name for. 

“Alright, since all of our modern tools have been less than successful, we’re going to be trying older methods.” White explained, pulling out a bag of seemingly redundant tools. For the next two hours, Black submitted to a multitude of tests and exercises. From slowly being led to walk across a short distance, to having his legs methodically checked over. Hands massaged his lower spine, little rubber hammers bopped against his knees, and he was made to stand up then sit back down as many times as he could stand. After the two hour mark had passed, Black’s lower body felt like dead weight. He could barely raise a foot above the ground by the end of it. 

“Alright, the good news is, you aren’t paralyzed. In fact, you seem to be recovering at a pretty decent rate considering your injuries.” White relayed to him once he’d been settled on a cot to rest. “However, the trauma sustained has caused some lingering issues.” Black nodded along as she spoke, gratefully accepting a juice box and protein bar from Purple. “You’ve sustained damage to your lower spinal cord. It’s the reason for your lingering pain and the weakness in your legs.” White said seriously. A shiver of dread raced up Black’s spine. 

“Can anything be done?” Black asked. Dread sat heavy in his stomach as White glazed at him from her notes. Setting aside her notepad and removing her gloves, White focused her full attention on him. 

“Well, without equipment that doesn’t freeze up we can’t track the finer details. There’s a likelihood that you will have to deal with mobility aids and sudden bouts of pain or muscle weakness for the foreseeable future." she explained. Black let the fact that this might be something he would always deal with settle over him. Like a blanket of barbed wire. Doubts and fears coming quickly to the surface. He struggled to keep listening as White continued her explanations.

 “My current plan is to ask the medical team at Polus to run some more intensive scans when we arrive. Then we can look into ways to make things easier for you, while maintaining your position on the ship. After some recalibration at Polus the heavy duty scanners should work just fine. We’re heading that way anyway to drop off that shipment and file an incident report with MIRA, so might as well take advantage of their resources.” White finished. Black was caught somewhat off guard at the new information. 

“We’re filing an incident report?” He blurted out, energy bar halfway to his mouth. Cyan made an affronted sound from across medical as he bolted upright. 

“Of course we are!” He shouted, sounding offended. “You’re in seriously rough shape. Thanks to the heavy equipment MIRA sent us, the janky wiring they installed before takeoff, and the lackluster medical supplies they sent us in the last shipment. They’re answering for this shit.” Cyan finished with a grumble, returning to the microscope he’d been fiddling with before his outburst. White shook her head, a fond smile threatening to form. 

“I wouldn’t have been quite so brazen, but yeah, that.” White said. Black nodded in understanding as he continued to munch on the protein bar. He tried not to think about the fact that he was already feeling hungry after three helpings of breakfast. That was another thing for him and Blue to discuss. “Other than the obvious, the lacerations have healed up nicely. Continue to keep the area around them clean and rest as much as you need to.” She continued as she jotted more notes down. 

“If I’m mostly using mobility aids, how will I be able to do my job?” Black asked, anxiety creeping into his voice. Purple wandered over to set a comforting hand on Black’s shoulder. He was startled by a wave of intent, pulsing in the air.

Soothe, relax, peace, calm

“Not to worry,” Purple said “I’ve already sent some recommendations on less strenuous work you can do to the other admins for approval.” They motioned to their pad to show him the confirmation. 

“But won’t MIRA get angry?” Black asked. Purple simply shook their head with a serene smile. 

“Once our reports are in with proof from the surveillance system, MIRA will be very willing to accommodate.” Purple assured him. “Besides that, Red has final say on who he keeps on his crew and who he doesn’t.” They said with finality. Black nodded in acknowledgement. Red was a good man, and a better captain. He would do everything in his power to make sure his crew was taken care of. Black was certain about that. 

“Alright,” Black said with a deep sigh, “so rest as much as I can and stick to the jobs assigned?” White and Purple both gave him decisive nods, and looks that left no room for argument. A ping on his own tablet alerted him to his jobs for the day. Black pulled it out to glance over the list. 

• Chop herbs and vegetables for Pink

• Empty garbage disposal

• Recalibrate communications array

“Wait, that’s it?” Black asked, confused. 

“Like I said, take it easy.” White insisted. Black sighed again but nodded. He sent a quick message to Blue and Rose to update them and began shakily making his way over to his chair. He waved off the offers of assistance as he settled himself. “I mean it Nico,” White intoned, the use of his actual name catching him off guard. “Do not push yourself. You need time to recover and readjust to your body. As well as account for any unexpected changes.” Her gaze was intense, and Black could only nod quickly and hurriedly roll himself out of there. Waving in acknowledgement to Purple and Cyan’s goodbyes. 

He couldn’t shake the feeling that White knew something she wasn’t telling him. But for now Black decided to shelve his concerns and work on his tasks as quickly as he could. He decided to get the quick stuff out of the way first. Clearing the garbage disposal was simple. Just pulling a lever in the cafeteria then in the cargo bay. Being back there made him somewhat uncomfortable, but Black powered through. Closing his eyes and quickly wheeling in and out. Taking the closest exit he could took him directly to communications. There he set to work. 

A thought occurred to him as he settled in front of the computer. Black glanced at the door before willing it to close. Usually the doors stayed open for the most part, but barely anyone would be down this way this early. They were mostly still getting ready for the day. With that settled, Black focused on the screen of the computer. Seemingly ancient compared to most of the tech on the Skeld. It would usually take a while for the system to do its job. A buzzing filled his ears as the lights began to flicker. Black could see his eyes glowing faintly in the reflection of the screen. 

His will seemed to be a physical presence as the screen powered on and files began to open. His thoughts ran a mile a minute as the data began to fly across the screen. His head throbbed faintly but Black ignored it to focus. Less than a minute later the calibrations were complete. Black flopped back into his chair with his hands over his eyes. They burned slightly as if he’d been staring at a light for hours. His reflection showed slightly puffy eyes. Black decided to clip his helmet into place to hide his tired appearance. After collecting himself he rolled over to the door and nearly smacked into it before remembering to open it again. Now all he needed to do was help Pink.

As he took the long way to the kitchen, and totally not because he wanted to avoid the loading dock again, Black noticed remarkably loud groaning from the vents. A sudden wave of emotions hit him, though he couldn’t place where or who they came from. 

Soothe, relax, peace, calm, RAGE, fear, regret, concern, worry, interest

Alert, focus

HELLO?

Black startled at the sudden word in his mind and sped out of the corridor and to the cafeteria. He had to stop and catch his breath before wheeling into the kitchens. He was met with the heavenly smell of Pink’s cooking. The plump man was already preparing for that day’s lunch and dinner. He was currently butchering some red meat that Black didn’t immediately recognize when Pink turned to greet him. A quick jolt of emotion met him before the larger man spoke. 

Relief, joy, concern, excitement

“Welcome little friend!” Pink said, his delight was evident even with his soft voice. “I’ve set up a stool for you so you won’t have to stand for too long.” Pink explained, gesturing to his left. There a menagerie of vegetables, herbs, and fruit were waiting to be chopped. Along with Black’s preferred knife and a cutting board. Right beside the counter was a tall bar stool. 

“Where were we hiding that?” Black asked, baffled. Pink chuckled, covering his mouth to block the sound. It was a rare occurrence for Pink to not be wearing his helmet. He had full cheeks, bright pink hair he said he dyed regularly, and warm honey colored eyes. Black tried and failed not to blush, thankful he’d remembered to put his helmet back on before leaving communications. 

“It’s from my room.” Pink explained. “Maroon and White updated me on how you’re progressing and I didn’t want you putting too much stress on yourself.” He said it in a kind and gentle tone, but black could feel the amusement, teasing, slight snark behind it. Again, Black was glad for the helmet. His face matched the tomatoes waiting to be chopped. Black nodded and slowly rose from his chair, waving off Pink’s motions to help, and inch by inch made his way to the stool. He managed to carefully clamber onto it and settle himself. Pink wordlessly passed him a honing tool and Black got to work. 

He absolutely loved helping out in the kitchens. If he’d had the experience required Nico would have applied for a Pink position, but as it stood he was content to help where he could. It took a lot longer to cut everything, as Pink made him take regular breaks and constantly warned him not to overdo things. Every now and again flashes of pride, concern, or contentment would drift over from him. It was comfortable, and when he’d finished everything Pink offered to walk him back to his quarters so he could rest. Black turned him down and decided to hang around in the cafeteria and work on his notes. He had plenty of updates to send to Blue. Might as well get started.