Mattchstick

Hunger Games RP with Randomly Generated Events, just trust me on this one.

Ima bump :3

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

KRISS MAUSER

LOCATION: RACE MAIN STANDS

TIME: SUNDAY, NOON

Kriss watched a pack of cars whiz by again with the same lack of enthusiasm as before. Really, what was the point of this? You don't gain any practical knowledge or strength from driving very quickly in an oblong shape dozens of times. He supposed it must take some kind of intelligence, knowing when to speed up and slow down and how to turn a wheel to move your very fast vehicle in a different direction, though he didn't see any real bragging rights in that. It was a race, after all. Besides, they were all using different cars. If they were athletes on a level playing field and you were the best of them, there would logically be one who was better than the rest. But it isn't exactly fair if your fast car is the fastest car. Then you just happened to be the person driving the best car, rather than being the best driver.

Judging from the crowd, it must involve more than that, but he couldn't imagine how. He turned to Snap, who was still working on her trail mix. She noticed and turned to face him.

"You alright?"

"Why exactly did you bring me here? You knew I would rather be at the squad."

She looked back down through the stands and nodded at the still visible head of Allison.

"Wanted to get you to spend more time around the new EMT."

He blinked a few times. "You dragged me all the way out here just to be withing speaking distance of her."

"Look, Kriss," she said with a sigh. "I know you don't approve of her. I know you would be happier if she didn't volunteer at all. But this is my squad, and we're a team. I want us to treat each other like a team, and I'm not going to sit back and let two perfectly capable people try to avoid each other. Live are depending on us, and if you don't learn to treat her like anyone else, it's going to affect your work. I don't care how talented and focused you are. A little problem like this will turn into a big one if you don't deal with it."

She paused for effect before grabbing more trail mix. Unsure of what to say, Kriss returned his focus to the track.

"Hey," Snap said, removing her aviators. "Take your sunglasses off and look at me."

He complied. She had a look of genuine concern on her face.

"I mean it, Kriss. Lives depend on us working together. I don't know what you said to her to make her cry but you'd better not do it again."

Kriss swallowed. That wasn't his fault. She wouldn't have been upset at all if she hadn't brought it up. But after Snap's speech he decided to just accept responsibility. He knew she would drop it if he did. But no promises.

He nodded. "I will try to not offend her in the future."

"Mmmm," she responded, turning away. The duo put their sunglasses back on in unison and returned their attention to the track.

---

Allison Hawthorne

Location: Race, Main Stands

Time: Sunday, Noon

Hopping carefully down one of the sets of stairs, Allison paused a moment as she neared the woman. She seemed to grow taller the closer she got to her and was beginning to become uneasy about how far up she would have to look to make eye contact. She really had no idea how she was going to start the conversation, but standing awkwardly beside someone and waiting for them to notice you is rather rude. Fortunately, Ashton seemed to notice her coming and was already facing her. The woman was smiling brightly, which was a good start. Allison would not have lasted long if the other woman was irritated or grumpy. Nearing her destination, she raised a hand and flicked her fingers to give the impression of a wave. She found herself face to face with a standard-issue firefighter badge, featuring the name ASHTON GRIFFONE. Allison wasn't wearing a name tag, so she would have to introduce herself formally. The badge was accompanied by an outstretched hand. Apparently she wanted to shake.

Allison snapped herself back to reality, allowing her warm personality to shine through. Smiling, she gave Ashton a brief handshake.

"Hi, I'm Allison. Hawthorne. Snap said I should come talk to you," she said, forgetting that Ashton might not be familiar with Kelly Snapdragon's nickname. "You're really tall."

The girl winced. That was definitely not a good way to make an introduction. As though the seven-foot-tall individual was not aware of their height. She noticed another woman nearby with white hair, who called out to her. She released Ashton's hand and stared at the other woman, unsure of what 'all medical' was supposed to mean. Fortunately for the three of them, the sunglasses masked her confusion.

"Don't worry, I won't," she replied, glossing over her ignorance. "We are pretty far back, so we can't see the cars all that great unless they're not moving. You should see Snap's car though, it's probably the coolest one here."

--

@Silver Fox @PrinceAlexus

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

KRISS MAUSER

LOCATION: RACE MAIN STANDS

TIME: SUNDAY, NOON

The trio sat quietly in the stands for all of five minutes when Snap's stomach rumbled. She put a hand to her pocket and frowned, discovering it was empty. She glanced up at the sky, then stood to her feet.

"I'm going to go get some food from my car. I'm going to grab my jacket too, it's too cold to sit out here in a polo. You want yours, Allison?"

Allison nodded quickly. She had crossed her arms and was beginning to squeeze them against her stomach to retain warmth.

"Kriss, how about you?"

"I'm fine."

"Alright, fine with me. Keep an eye on things," she said, rising and heading back to the parking lot. Soon the two of them were left alone. Allison looked over at Kriss, who was staring blankly in the direction of the track. It was difficult to tell with the aviators covering his eyes. She thought for a moment about what she knew about him and realized she knew almost nothing. He was very reserved and never made conversation with her unless she instigated it, and even then he only gave short answers. She hadn't really considered it before, but now that the two of them were in a casual environment with free time she decided to investigate a little.

"Having fun?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"There is nothing to do here besides sit and watch. If I wanted to spend my day doing that, I would be at the squad watching television."

"You're not interested in motorsports, are you?"

"No."

She looked away as a pack of cars whizzed by, temporarily making conversation impossible.

"You're not interested in much at all, are you?"

The question annoyed him, but he answered it anyway.

"I am interested in things. Medicine, exercise, puzzles,..."

"Family?"

Now she was beginning to pry. Kriss's jaw tightened, but he maintained a lack of eye contact.

"No."

"You're not interested in your family?"

"My family is not interested in me." That was a lie, and he knew it. His family was concerned about him. Unfortunately, they expressed their concern through pressure rather than encouragement. The only reason he had taken up EMT work in the first place was spite. His father had said that he'd rather put Kriss through med school than see him join the military, something he had been considering. It was one of the few times he had been legitimately angry at his father. A rift between them had been forming even since Kriss had fallen short of his parents' expectations of his school work. General education was just not a strong suit, and, though he put effort into it, he was never far above average. When it came time to apply for universities, he was rejected. Tension only increased from that point. As of now, he lived outside of his home to help ease that pressure. The less he thought about it, the better.

Allison cocked her head, giving him a look of sympathy.

"I know what that's like."

Kriss turned to look at her for the first time since the small talk began. It seemed a little too convenient of a reply, as though she was just trying to make him feel better. She was looking down at her knees, now squeezed together to try and stay warm, though it seemed as though she was looking back through time.

"I mean...my step-dad is interested in me. I'm not even his actual daughter. My real dad, though...I haven't seen him in years. I was only four when my mom divorced him, if you could call it a divorce. She said she took him to court and he lost hard. He's not even allowed to see me."

A look of anger passed over her face. "Good thing, too."

"You don't want to see him anymore?" Kriss asked, suddenly curious. He understood not wanting to meet with a father, but not avoiding them for the rest of one's life. Sure, there was trouble between his father and himself, but that didn't stop him from calling home every week.

"The next time I see his name had better be in the obituaries," she said, her cheeks burning red. "I hope to God I never see him alive again."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"He almost killed my mom! And he almost killed me!" she shouted at him. There was a fire in her eyes that made Kriss uncomfortable. Fortunately for him, Snap appeared in the stands again, shuffling over to them. She was wearing a blue reflective fire and rescue jacket and carrying a second in her arms. A package of some kind of snack food was visible in one of the front pockets.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked, sitting back down and passing the coat to Allison, who was already calming down. Neither of them responded. Snap glanced at Allison and caught sight of a tear in her eye that she hadn't wiped away.

"Kriss..."

"It's nothing, Snap," Allison said hastily, wiping her face and smiling. "He didn't do anything. I just got a little choked up. Did you find the sunglasses?"

The CO nodded, sliding them from another pocket and onto her face as she loaded her other hand with trail mix. She grunted and pointed towards two women not far off.

"Ashton's here."

"I see that."

"Which one is Ashton?" Allison asked, following the direction of Snap's finger.

"The tall one," she said before inhaling a handful of food.

Ordinarily, that wouldn't have been of much help, but Ashton's 7-foot frame was absolutely impossible to miss. Allison's eyes widened in surprise.

"Who is she??"

"Firefighter," Snap mumbled, trying not to talk with her mouth full.

"Can she even get into buildings?" Allison asked, as that was the first thing she thought of.

"You should ask her," Snap replied with a grin. Allison looked back at her, then at Ashton, unsure of whether she should actually get up. Snap motioned for her to comply.

"Go ahead, go talk to her. You ought to get to know the firefighters around here anyway. They might be working with us."

"Oh. Okay," the girl muttered, standing and awkwardly making her way down the stands. Kriss glanced at Snap, raising an eyebrow.

"Does she know that Ashton doesn't talk?"

"She'll find out."

He turned to watch the exchange. Allison's head was still visible in the crowd, slowly making its way to the firefighter. "You set her up."

Snap chuckled, grabbing another handful of trail mix. "Maybe you should go down there too, since you don't talk either."

"No thanks."

--

@Silver Fox

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

KRISS MAUSER

LOCATION: OLD HARBOR MAIN ENTRANCE

TIME: SUNDAY, LATE MORNING

The vehicles rolled into the parking lot, which was rapidly filling. Three spaces near the front of the building were taped off. A Star of Life had been posted beside them, indicating they were reserved for emergency personnel. Apparently the mayor, or whoever was in charge of parking, was expecting three vehicles. Allison jumped out and removed the tape as Snap pulled a u-turn and backed in at a 45-degree angle. She had decided to put the extra space to good use by covering two spots at once so that her car faced away from the stands at an angle that made the front end impossible to miss. Kriss pulled past her and backed into the third spot. He killed the engine as Snap eased herself out of her car. She was wearing jeans and at some point had taken off her squad shirt to reveal a white Chevrolet bowtie t-shirt. She was also wearing, of all things, a pair of steel-frame black aviator sunglasses. She handed a second identical pair to Allison, who was also wearing a white t-shirt (minus the logo). He shook his head, eyes aimed at the ceiling. People and cars.

Snap walked casually to the front of her car, raised the hood, and locked it open using a metal rod. The 350 was on full display for anyone on their feet who hadn't yet entered the stands. She leaned against the bright orange body and crossed her arms. She didn't care how it looked, or if anyone cared. This was her day in the sun and she was going to enjoy it. Allison copied her on the other side, smiling brightly. Despite the difference in skin tone, age, and height (Allison was still wearing trail boots that added an inch to her height), they made a good pair, with Snap answering questions and Allison just looking nice. After a bit, Snap looked at Allison and jerked a thumb in the direction of the ambulance.

"Tell him to hang the ticket from the rearview mirror and get out here," she said, dropping the hood and opening the driver's door to retrieve her squad shirt and badge. Allison nodded, trotting over the ambulance and knocking on the door. Kriss had already seen the signal and climbed down.

"Come on! We're heading up to the stands! And hang the ticket from the rearview so they know we're supposed to be here!" she said excitedly, as though the massive ambulance didn't already indicate what it was used for. He noticed that Snap had hung the second one from the Camaro, which was, as he had mentioned earlier, not a rescue vehicle. He was about to protest when, to his total surprise, Snap removed two large Star of Life magnetic decals from the back seat. They were at least a foot and a half in diameter. She applied one to the outside of her door and tossed the other to Allison, who attached it to the passenger door and opened it to retrieve her own squad shirt. The two slammed the doors closed and grinned mischievously at Kriss. He joined Snap and frowned in disappointment.

"What, you've never seen a non-transport EMS vehicle before?"

"Putting stickers on a race car does not make it an EMS vehicle."

"It's a rapid response vehicle. It has a first aid kit and everything in the trunk."

"A rapid response vehicle has to be registered."

"Here," she said, reaching into her car one last time to retrieve a third pair of aviators. She handed them to Kriss. "Put them on and stop harassing me."

Kriss's protests were interrupted by a loudspeaker.

"Alright, and now for those most famous words in racing. Gentlemen, start your engines!"

Snap glanced at her companions.

"You two should cover your e-"

Snap's voice was drowned out almost immediately by the deafening roar of every car on the track starting up at once. Kriss and Allison both clamped their hands over their ears, wincing as the sound reverberated over the parking lot and filled the air. Wordlessly, they followed their CO to the stands, taking a position around the middle, closer to the top than the bottom. The cars pulled out onto the track as the parade lap began. Kriss removed his hands, realizing that he had dropped the sunglasses given to him. He looked around. They were probably out by the car. He considered getting up to fetch them, then reconsidered. If he left them there, he wouldn't have to wear them. It was dishonest to pretend as though he couldn't find them, but Snap was being dishonest by pretending her Z/28 was an EMS vehicle. That made it okay, right? He turned to look at her and found her hand a few inches from his face, holding the sunglasses she had been wearing. She was on to him.

Irked, he accepted the sunglasses and, without a sound, put them on. Snap nodded in approval.

"You look sharp, kid."

"Thanks."

Men vs. Women Race to 1000

940

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

KRISS MAUSER

LOCATION: SCVRS

TIME: SUNDAY, LATE MORNING

"Full clearance, you say?" Allison asked, sliding past Kriss into the office to read the letter.

"To the brave men and women of the Sol City Volunteer Rescue Squad: I humble request your presence at the Sol City Grand Prix this very Saturday. As you take on the great responsibility of saving the lives of the citizens of my city, I ask that you extend your services to the race track. You are granted full clearance to the party, including the track and backstage areas. I hope you will stay afterwards for the festivities as well. For the sake of organization, please hang the tickets from the rearview mirrors of your rescue vehicle or vehicles. You will be allowed to park wherever is most convenient. Of course, as medics, you already have full clearance!

Yours sincerely,..."

Allison gasped. "He signed it himself!" She flipped the envelope over as though she was expecting something to be written on the back, then flipped it back to the front to read the letter again. Kriss picked up the flier.

"Times, dress code, and notes concerning security."

"Wow, so we're going to the race? That's pretty cool," Allison said to no one in particular. Both of them looked up at Snap, who nodded briefly.

"I figured we'd have to be on hand. Wasn't expecting it to be so official, though. We'll take one of the ambulances and park near the entrance in case we have to go on call. If it's a quiet night, you can do whatever you want as long as you stay on the radio."

"Who will be at the squad?" Kriss asked. He had a sinking feeling that he was being roped into this.

"I'll call one of the paramedics and see if they want to come in. I know a couple that have been invited to parties they'd rather avoid."

"I'll stay here."

"No, you're with me. I want a paramedic on hand."

"So ask one of the other paramedics to go," Kriss responded. He was starting to become irritated again. Parties did not interest him. He would much rather stay at the squad on his own and enjoy the quiet than waste the evening at a gala. Snap caught onto his attitude.

"No. You're with me," she said more deliberately, looking him in the eye. She had been pushing her weight around more than usual, but in the end there really wasn't anything Kriss could do about it. "We'll bring an ambulance. One of you can drive. The other can ride with me in my car."

"Your car is not a rescue vehicle."

"I'm not bringing my car as a rescue vehicle. I'm bringing it as a show piece."

Kriss blinked a few times. The late-model Jetta she drove to the squad was in good condition but was certainly not fit to display among race cars. Snap motioned for the two of them to follow her outside. She shoved the door open and pointed a finger at her parking space, which was now occupied by a much different car. It was thick and wide, with a slim chrome bumper that matched the hubcaps. They stood out against the two wide white racing stripes down the hood that accented the bright orange body. Any car enthusiast could tell in a heartbeat that they were looking at an absolutely gorgeous '69 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, one of the finest muscle cars ever produced. The raised hood made room for a rock-solid 350 small block V8 engine that had, like the rest of the car, been lovingly refurbished and hand-polished. It almost looked like a toy. A very expensive toy.

"Kriss, this is Jennie," Snap said, pointing to the [JENNIE] vanity license plate. "Say hi."

"Um. Hello."

"Jennie was my Dad's best friend. Found her in someone's backyard left to rot and paid good money to take it off their hands. Paid a lot more money to get her back in shape, but I think it was worth the investment in the end. He couldn't make it to the race today, but he would want me to bring her along, even if it is just to watch."

Kriss was surprised, and not just at the massive car sitting in front of the building. Snap sounded like a different person talking about the vehicle. Admittedly he really didn't know anything about her personal life. Apparently it involved old cars. He turned to see Allison bouncing on her toes. She looked positively overjoyed.

"Snap brought me here in it. Her. The car. She's going to park near the track, open the hood, and let people come look at it. At her. It's gonna be fun."

"I think I will drive the ambulance," he replied decidedly, turning to head back inside to change his clothes. There were some things he would never understand, and one of them was the obsession over cars, particularly old ones. Snap glanced back at him, then turned to Allison, tossing the keys to herself with a thin smile.

"Go get changed. And remind him not to forget his ticket."

Fourty-five minutes later (Allison decided to take a shower), the bay doors opened and the ambulance pulled out onto the front parking lot. Kriss held down the brake pedal and watched the other two climb into the car. There was a pause, a quiet hum as the engine turned over, and a familiar roar as the V8 came to life again. Snap tapped the accelerator a few times for effect, causing Allison to cover her ears and Kriss to sigh to himself. If Snap planned on impressing him, she was going to have to try something else. Unfortunately for him, Snap really didn't care what he thought and decided to just enjoy herself. She reversed and cut hard, then accelerated into drive and sped into the merge lane, leaving a thin layer of rubber on the pavement. Unamused, Kriss released the brake and followed her at a safe driving distance. She appeared to be in some kind of hurry and he couldn't help but wonder if the car featured air bags, auto-lock seat belts, crumple zones, or any other sort of safety for the driver. He doubted it did. Hopefully the three of them wouldn't be driving away in the ambulance.

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

KRISS MAUSER

LOCATION: SCVRS

TIME: SUNDAY, LATE MORNING

"'53. Mr. Heston.' Hmph, another famous figure."

Kriss glanced at the eight downward clues that related to the answer. Only a few were filled in. One of them was 'Gold,' courtesy of Allison, who was not present. The wall-mounted clock indicated that she was expected to be here by noon, as she would be on call during the race. Snap wasn't in either. She had left immediately after the meeting, either to take care of something at home or to dodge Kriss. Both were likely, and he wouldn't put it past her to avoid confrontation so early in the morning. It was probably for the best. The decision had put him in a foul mood, and time alone in the lounge to cool off was best for him at the moment. Unfortunately, he still had not finished the puzzle from two weeks ago. A fresh one was sitting on the table, taunting him, but he preferred to finish what he started. Even if it involved famous figures he had never heard of.

So Allison was an official member. Easy enough for other people, who hadn't even met her and just wanted to get out of work. Kriss couldn't bring himself to nail down exactly why he disliked the new member. It wasn't uncommon to vote in new people early on. He had been elected into the squad in the same manner. She was qualified. She was professional on call. She had potential to be a perfectly capable medic. So what was it? Surely it couldn't be as petty as her personality just irritating him, could it? He wouldn't stoop to that level, to disliking someone just because they were different, would he? She was clumsy. Untrained. Unprepared to take this on full-time. She'd probably goof up and make a severe mistake, causing serious damage to life or property.

Because no one makes mistakes, right?

Now he was annoyed with himself. He tossed the puzzle to the table and went to take a shower. Hopefully the water would wash away his attitude. As he left the room, he heard a rumble from outside. The rumble soon escalated in a roar that reverberated all the way through the building, echoing off the walls and causing him to wince. Whatever was outside, it was making enough noise to penetrate the cinder block walls and steel door. He considered going outside to see what it was, but almost immediately the sound died out. He didn't hear anyone screaming for help or banging on the door. Kriss shrugged and headed off to the shower.

A half hour later, he was ready to handle meeting Allison as a fellow member of the squad. Maybe. Oh well. Ultimately uneasy about the whole thing, he toweled off and clothed himself in civilian clothes, which composed of jeans, a blank tee, and a bland zip-up jacket with a single breast pocket. He opened the door and found himself facing Allison, who was on her way to the women's dorm, toting a large backpack of clothes and toiletries. She stopped in her tracks, then turned swiftly and saluted him for whatever reason.

"Hello, Sol City Volunteer Rescue Squad...volunteer! It is I, also a volunteer!"

"Congratulations on that."

"You don't sound sincere, Kriss."

"I know."

"You're so mean," she called over her shoulder as she entered the other dorm. She didn't sound irritated or upset. It was just a casual observation. Unable to think of a proper response, he shrugged again and headed down to the front desk, where he encountered Snap, who was busy cleaning out the papers on the desk. She noticed Kriss and turned her chair to face him, crossing her arms and legs.

"Good morning, Kriss. How are you this morning?"

"I am fine."

"Have you met the new squad member?"

"Yes."

"You're going to be working directly with her. I hope you don't have a problem with that."

It was an innocent enough statement, but Kriss couldn't help but notice a slight hint of malice in her voice that suggested she wasn't interested in a negative response.

"I don't-"

The conversation was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, followed by a crisp call for attention. Snap turned her head, then heaved herself out of the chair to go answer the door. Kriss remained poised by the door, unsure of whether the discussion had ended or not. It most likely had, though he felt a little odd about leaving in the middle of responding to his CO. Snap shoved the door open and, seeing an actual visitor, stepped outside to greet them. She had never seen the woman before. Given her Olympus Heavy Industries jacket, radiant jewelry, and openly visible prosthetic leg, Snap would have remembered the meeting. The CO was only vaguely familiar with OHI, but apparently they were on the cutting edge of robotic prosthetic appendages. The lady radiated authority despite her casual clothes and large backpack, which she hastily unslung.

"Hello, Dr Marla Olympus, your team got invited to the Gala at City hall as i said, im from the sponsor company, Mayor seemed wanted them delivered by hand for some reason. everything in the pack, tickets, times, dress codes and the security notes etc."

Snap averted her gaze from the woman to the parcel and accepted it, reading the label for herself.

"I wasn't aware we were on the mailing list." She returned eye contact and examined the woman. Doctor Olympus? The name was familiar, but this was her first actual interaction with someone from the family, especially a doctor. "Familiar" was the wrong word, though, consider the name was plastered all over the news.

"Thank you. Have a nice day," she said, waving politely and turned to go back inside. Snap was a woman of few words.

The sound of boots treading along the concrete floor indicated the return of Allison, who was also in casual clothes, composed of ragged jeans and a large grey sweater over a black V-neck shirt with her high school logo stamped on the front. She skipped up to the edge of the office door and paused, trying to hear the voice through the front door. Whoever it was, she sounded very fancy, though it was probably the crisp British accent. The metal door opened again and Snap stepped through, holding a large ornate envelope with elegant handwriting on the back.

"Looks like we got something from the mayor himself," she said, weighing it in her hands and reading the inscription. She pulled a utility knife from her back pocket and opened it carefully, dumping the contents onto the table. The envelope had contained a letter, a flier, and two large cardstock tickets, one of which she held up and examined closely.

"FULL CLEARANCE - EMERGENCY PERSONNEL"

Men vs. Women Race to 1000

902

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

KRISS MAUSER

LOCATION: SCVRS

TIME: SUNDAY, 8 AM

"Good morning everyone. The annual Sol City Volunteer Rescue Squad meeting is called to order. I'd like to thank all of you for coming here so early, etc etc, you all know the drill," Kelly Snapdragon said, glasses perched on her nose. She was seated at the head of a large, rectangular table with the rest of the squad. The table wasn't large enough for everyone, so a few were seated against a wall or standing up to avoid falling asleep. Kriss was lucky enough to grab a table seat, but he was usually one of the first people to the meeting.

Most of the room mumbled a "good morning" in reply. The rest either grunted or nodded vaguely in Snap's direction.

"You've all been given a copy of the agenda, along with the minutes of the previous meeting," Snap said, flipping a page of a small packet of paper. The rest of the attendees followed suit, flipping their pages in unison with her.

"Motion to accept the minutes of the previous meeting?"

A heavy, bearded man nearby silently raised his hand.

"All in favor?"

"Aye," the room said wearily.

"On to the financial report."

Kriss tried his best to stay focused on the large spreadsheet on the next page, but the columns and headings seemed to blur together the more Snap talked. Finances had never been his strong suit. He glanced around the room to see how the others were handling it. A majority of the squad was having just as much trouble focusing as he was. Getting on an ambulance and screaming down the highway to rescue someone trapped in a car is one thing at 8 AM. Sitting in a small cinderblock basement room listening to someone talk about a budget is a whole different story. Only a handful of early-morning people looked genuinely interested. Kriss caught sight of one of the female technicians looking at her smartphone under the table. She reminded him of Allison, who was not present. Her one-week term expired two days ago and he hadn't seen her since. Honestly he hadn't noticed much of a difference with her gone. Her helpfulness had, in his opinion, balanced out with her inexperience to create someone mediocre at best. He would be perfectly content with her working elsewhere.

"Alright everyone, last stretch. New business," Snap said, drawing him back to reality. She picked up a thin file and flipped it open, revealing a profile photograph of a certain redhead.

"This is Allison Hawthorne. She recently moved to Sol City and showed interest in joining the squad. I've contacted the CO of her previous squad and he said she is an excellent EMT. He faxed me her documentation stating she has passed all of the EMT-1 training. He says she has great people skills, she's a quick learner,..." Snap waved her hand in the air to indicate there were other things to say she couldn't remember. "Allison approached me a week ago and asked if she could join up. I told her I could let her work with us for a week and we could go from there. In my professional opinion, she should join the squad immediately."

Kriss's jaw dropped.

"She doesn't have any formal water rescue training, but I spoke to her and she's willing to take the first available course. She's also willing to put in a 12 today."

A few paramedics raised their eyebrows and nodded. The race had been hyped up all weekend and many were eager to hook up with friends, eat unhealthy food, and watch cars drive around in circles. People mumbled to themselves and each other. The consensus seemed to be in favor of a new pair of hands, especially today.

"I motion that Allison be brought on part time as an EMT-1 immediately. Second?"

The heavy bearded man raised his hand again.

"All in favor?"

"Aye!" the room chorused unanimously, with the exception of Kriss, who had grown more uncomfortable the more Snap talked. He wasn't about to let this pass without bringing up the trouble he had experienced with her. Unfortunately for him, Snap was not in the mood for discussing it. She had been in this meeting long enough and wasn't about to deal with Kriss's minor complaints. She had already debriefed Allison personally and the young lady had owned up to everything, apologizing profusely and promising to do a better job. Honestly was a rare quality and Snap was not about to let a few mishaps get in the way of bringing on a promising paramedic-to-be.

"All against?" she asked. Before Kriss could open his mouth, Snap locked eyes with him and gave him a particularly aggressive glare. He blanked out, losing his grip on the objections he had been preparing in his mind. The gap of silence was just enough for Snap to nod her head.

"Alright, approved. That's the end of new business. If anyone has anything else to say, now's your chance."

Dead silence. Some were already standing up to leave. Snap was still locked onto Kriss, blocking him from reformatting his objections to the vote and stalling the meeting for enough time to motion to adjourn.

The bearded man raised his hand for the last time.

"Meeting adjourned. Have a nice day, people."

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

KRISS MAUSER

LOCATION: SCVRS

TIME: FRIDAY MORNING

Breathing lightly, Kriss turned the corner, heading into the last segment of his morning jog. Up ahead, the front of the SCVRS peeked out past the storefronts and occasional tree, planted in boxes along the sidewalk he was currently using for his workout. The area was covered in a light haze made visible by the shafts of sunlight gleaming through it. It was colder than usual this morning, so much so that Kriss was actually wearing a light zip-up jacket, though he was wearing basketball shorts instead of pants. He blocked out the frigid temperatures against his skin with a steady stream of orchestral music playing through the iPod Nano held in his jacket's single breast pocket. He borrowed the building's computer occasionally to update his music album, but the device could also connect to radio broadcasts, which is what he was using today.

He slowed his breathing and pace as he approached the front door. The bays were closed, likely to keep the cold out, but he could see light through the side windows. He checked the parking lot. Ally's Jeep was here, but Snap's old coupe was noticably absent from its parking place. He frowned as he shoved the front door open and went to the check-in office to see if Snap had changed her check-in time.

He was greeted by the smiling face of Allison, who was occupying the desk chair. She looked professional in her button-up shirt and pressed pants, but Kriss had seen her slip her phone into her pocket just as he reached the window. Some people just didn't know how to keep themselves busy without one. He tugged his earbuds out and hung them around his neck.

"Hello," she said, putting on a deliberate frown and grabbing the check-in sheet and pen from the desk. "Your name?"

Kriss ignored her, looking past her poor impersonation of him to read the board. Snap was scheduled for 11. She wouldn't be in for another thirty minutes. Allison, on the other hand, wasn't due until 3.

"You are here early," he said, making eye contact.

"Your name is not on the board. Are you a visitor?"

"My name is on the board," he replied, pointing to it.

"You're supposed to say 'Nope! I'm an EMT. I work here,'" Allison muttered, still maintaining the fake frown.

"I'm not an EMT."

She scowled in disappointment and tossed the pen and pad back onto the desk. "Ugh, Kriss, you're no fun."

"This is your last day, correct?" Kriss asked, disregarding the joke he had deliberately avoided.

"I guess. Snap said I was going to be here for a week, but she might let me join."

"Is that why you are here early?"

She nodded, glancing at the board. "Yeah. I want to find out, so I don't come in at three and then have to go home, you know?"

"No."

"Of course you don't," she said, crossing her arms. "Unlike you, my parents are encouraging me to pursue medicine. Like, actively encouraging it. All the time. Our new apartment is like fifteen minutes away, but they wanted me to try sleeping over here for the experience or whatever."

"Maybe if you had slept at home, your parents would have woken you up on time," Kriss replied sharply. He didn't particularly appreciate having his parents brought into things, especially when it came to his future. He wouldn't have even taken up medicine if his father hadn't said he'd rather put Kriss through med school than join the military, which was Kriss's previous career choice. Thanks to his natural talent in medicine, his relationship with his parents had become more strained than before, since they assumed that his success was an indication that he could have performed better in school.

Allison looked away, her face turning a painful shade of red. Kriss took this as an indication that the conversation needed to end.

"I am going to get a shower."

She ignored him, hand hovering near the pocket that held her phone. Kriss walked by the office into the hallway that lead to the dorms, then paused to listen for the clicking of keys that indicated she was back on her phone. Silence. He waiting another few seconds to confirm his suspicion when Allison's head popped out of the door to aim a scowl in his direction.

"Yeah, nice try. The men's showers are down the hall. Keep walking, you'll find them eventually."