Nuts and Bolts - Part One

Posted on Mon Feb 24th, 2020 @ 12:02am by Jillian "Phoenix" Sullivan & Company Sergeant Major Jeffery "The Mountain" Duval
Edited on on Mon Feb 24th, 2020 @ 12:03am

Mission: Mission 7: Finding My Way
Location: Various Locations - Starbase 400
Timeline: 1800Hrs - March 1st, 2389

Lately, Phoenix had poured herself into her physical training, off-duty, as a means of trying to appease the XO and Tressa. Drinking to excess was something she had done to cope with much of her guilt. Well... She still drank to numb the pain of merilite in her blood. Mostly because she was an alcoholic though.

Day two of this newfound attempt at Change, meant intense strength reps. Which Phoenix had to do twice the number of arm reps because of the fact her metal prosthetic was much stronger than a normal human hand.

Aside from the gloved right hand, scarring along that same arm, from elbow to shoulder, anyone passing by noticed along with the prison number tattoo on the shoulder blade. Now that she was on the pull-up bar, most people noticed her physical markings more frequently.

The doors opened and in walked a massively muscled Marine as Duval took in the situation at a glance, he noticed Phoenix who was doing pull ups as he also noticed two other marines, one was a human male and the second was a Bajoran female.

He went over towards Phoenix as he kept his silence as he watched her technique as her upper body strength was quite impressive.

"New sobering method," Phoenix spoke dryly as she did her fiftieth rep. Then she jumped down from the bar to towel herself and hydrate. "That, and I've let my parkour skills drop a bit."

Duval raised an eyebrow. "It looks painful," he commented evenly. "But I bet it works.." as he raised an eyebrow. "My wife would just climb a mountain over Vulcan's forge.... but I'm a little more pragmatic, I'll try your approach to it."

"XO said she didn't think being hungover all the time was something one should admit to," Phoenix shrugged as she plopped to the padding on the ground and started to stretch. "Probably right. Working out to exhaustion almost has the same effect as excessive alcohol though... Not hungover, but in a bloody amount of pain."

Duval raised an eyebrow. "Why do you push yourself so hard anyway.... I see you in here almost every day... you got something to prove?"

"More like I got no life. So it's either I hit a pub, or I hit the gym," Phoenix both answered darkly, then took a large gulp of water. "Which I assume is why you're in here a lot as well?"

"Yep. I miss my wife..." he commented. "so I take out my anger in here." he shrugged as he regarded her as a smile slowly graced his face. "I served so long I sometimes have to ask when I signed on... war is all I've known..."

Phoenix just nodded at that. She was born in the midst of war. A war that made the Cardassians weaken so much, that they could not afford to occupy Bajor (with Bajor's resistance), and beat the Federation and take worlds they had no right to.

"So why isn't your wife here with you? Having a family?" Phoenix prodded, for she found it odd that 400 was a great family place, yet he did not take advantage of that.

"My wife is serving on the USS Shield of Vega as Chief Science Officer, I have three children and they are all off at the academy yet my wife is still young... for a Vulcan anyway." he explained. "T'Nae is also pregnant...she's three months along.." he shrugged. "whats weight program have you been doing today?" he inquired.

"Normally around two-hundred pounds of resistance, sometimes more, if it feels like a cakewalk," Phoenix shrugged. "Why?"

"Today I'm doing chest and shoulders.... I could use a spotter if... you don't mind." he replied.

"Not at all," Phoenix accepted and pointed to the bench press. "That where we going?"

"Yep." he commented. "normally I prefer free weights... but today I'll settle for that." he shrugged. "give you a break for a few minutes...." he sat down on the bench as he placed his PADD on the deck as he quickly checked it. "Okay. I need a hundred and twenty pounds a side... lets see what weight plates are left in this place."

Phoenix went to work putting two fifty-pound disks on each side of the bar, then two ten-pound disks on each side. Careful to lift with her legs, and not her back.

Duval watched her work silently as he prepared himself and once he was
ready with the weights on the bar, he reached up as he plucked the bar off of the handles as he began his first set.

Phoenix watched silently as she tried to spot any signs of fatigue in his muscles. "So you gonna retire to any place special?" She asked this only fill the silence.

"Oh probably not.... go spend time with my wife on the Shield of Vega... or I might re-up.."

"Even though you've already fought in a lot of wars?" Phoenix frowned at that thought. If she were even given the option to retire, she would do so, and go to a place far from Federation reach.

"Yep." he answered. "My service record is what it is... I've got thirty six years of experience behind me." he commented evenly without arrogance. "So I'll go spend some quality time with my wife.... I know she misses me and I owe her." he placed the barbell back on the rack after pushing ten reps.

"I meant... Why would you re-up?" Phoenix asked more clearly.

Duval raised an eyebrow. "I said I might... I've not decided but.... I probably won't." he commented. "Let these young idiots who think they can do anything handle it..." he shrugged. "Federation personnel these days.... too arrogant for their own good..."

"Whats that suppost to mean-"

Duval was on his feet as the look on his face went from dour to enraged as he almost drove his fist into the smaller marine as he growled. "Get the fuck out of my face Jarhead or I will seriously fuck you up!"

"You can't- Urrkkk"

Duval's massive fist closed around the other marine's throat as he growled.
"I think you didn't hear me junior...."

"Stand down, Master Sarge," Phoenix bellowed from behind, gripping a five pound disk with her metal hand. She had every intention of hitting him with it too, if things got worse.

Duval slowly let the man go as he seethed supressed rage. "Do not ever sneak up on me like that, ever again..."

"Yessir.."

Duval sighed. "Don't call me sir either... " he growled as the younger man turned and fled, a rather angry mark appearing around his throat where Duval had grabbed him.

Phoenix set the weight down skeptically and just shook her head. He was, in many ways, as violent as she was. But it appeared he did not compartmentalize well.

"Fists fights are one thing... This?" Phoenix sighed as she sat on the bench in bafflement. "You realize he could report you, right??

Duval's answer was simple. "Yep.... If he does or not... is up to him." he replied as he slowly turned around.

"You don't seem worried about getting a medical discharge? Because I'm pretty sure he's gonna tell his superiors that you snapped," Jillian stated with much caution.

"Had you asked me that six months ago Phoenix, it would have bothered me but.... now it doesn't bother me as much as I thought..." he admitted. "In the end, it doesn't really matter..." he added evenly as he slowly cracked his knuckles.

It is a really bad thing when you see a crazy person has the same mantra as you. Phoenix was looking in the mirror now, not liking what she saw. As an officer she was supposed to report this sort of thing. And yet she struggled with that because of how strongly she related to him.

A month ago, she might of exited the room and let him kill the boy because she really did not care about the others. But with Anandra and Tressa working with her, it honestly was a situation she felt conflicted on.

"Eighty-five on each side, please," Phoenix finally said as she took a turn on the bench. First stretching her arms out, then her hands before laying on it.

Duval carried out the Majors request in silence, he knew why he had grabbed at the man's throat and he had the strength to do some serious damage but not enough to actually crush the man's throat, no he would have needed both hands and a good measure of strength for that.

He watched her in silence as she prepared herself to grasp the weight as he prepared to spot her.

Phoenix began to rep in silence. Breathing in as she let the bar come slowly down toward her chest. Then she breathed out smoothly as she pushed the bar up. The manner in which she repeated this rhythm suggested it taxed her arms, but gave her a need to keep pushing.

"You snap... of-ten?" Phoenix asked while she did her tenth out of twenty rep.

Duval nodded as he removed a ten pound weight plate from each side, then he dogged down the rest of the weights so they wouldn't fall off. "

Phoenix became a bit annoyed by him arbitrating her weights. She could of finished... and been in immense pain. But she could of finished. Though even with the small bit of reprieve, the pilot struggled still. Sweat pouring off her as she forced herself to finish the final ten reps.

The one thing she had not intended on, however, was her prosthetic going screwy. And when she forced that final rep down and up, she found her metal thumb had locked up, overlapped on her index finger. Try as she might for her brain to send the signal of releasing? Her thumb forced the right hand to maintain its grip.

Panic was in her intense eyes as she allowed Duval to hold the bars. "I... I can't let go."

Duval gently grasped the bar as he gently touched her thumb with his hands. "The prosthetic has locked down Major... this may bother you." and with that he gently grasped her thumb with his hand as he gently braced the prosthetic thumb as he quickly dislodged it from the barbell as he heard a soft crackling sound. "That's not good."