<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;">"I've got a lot of outstanding bets," Winter shrugged. "Chances are I've lost at least <em>one</em> of 'em."<br/><br/>Seeing her annoyance dissolve into concern was a sobering reminder of just how odd this whole situation sounded. Sophie was right about everything, of course. Immediately after the crash, the research labs had been immediately off-limits. He didn't doubt that the Weyland-Yutani science folk had conspired to retrieve some of their research, but he knew they'd be fighting a losing case there. He didn't know everything about their work by any means, but he understood enough to know that the aquaforming program was only any use here on LV-186. If the colony here was to be abandoned, then what was the research worth? Then again, as he'd already admitted, he didn't know everything they were doing. Hell, even Sophie probably didn't, not being one of the senior science team members.<br/><br/>"Thanks," he said as she walked away, then called after her. "Not Dr Heydari through, that guy's creepy. Anyone else."<br/><br/>He waited patiently, his nerves calmed mostly by the fact that if this took too long, he could justifiably argue that it wasn't his fault. He drummed his fingers on the edge of the door until he heard footsteps approaching. Sophie rounded the corner with the redhead from Chemical Engineering, who Winter has mostly only seen through plexiglass panes, in moon-suits or wearing a disapproving frown in passing. Winter lifted a casual hand in greeting.<br/><br/>"Dr Shepherd, yeah of course. We should walk and talk," he said, sidestepping into a rapid stride that hopefully communicated the severity with which Garner had sent him on this errand. "So I guess the good news is that we're all getting rescued. The colonial marines are inbound to pick us up. But Garner told me that they want to investigate the impact site for some reason. I've have thought they'd have the equipment to assess it from the surface or the air, but apparently they want to get as close as they can. So I hope they brought a seriously powerful bilge pump..."<br/><br/>It sounded like a finished sentence, but his words trailed off as the guard in his mind briefly dropped, and he allowed himself to consider what it must have been like for the dozen or so people who were cut off after the crash. Which ones were lucky enough to be killed instantly in the impact, which ones drowned or died of hypothermia as the frigid swamp water flooded the west sector...which ones might still be clinging on to life in darkness and fear in there, as vanishingly unlikely as that seemed.<br/><br/>They arrived in the mess hall, and Winter glanced about in confusion when he didn't see Garner anywhere. He turned on the spot a few times until a cullinary prep technician - who was activating himself with coffee at one of the tables, and apprently realised who Winter was looking for - pointed in the direction of the blast door leading to the receiving bay.<br/><br/>"Huh, I guess he's gone to the drop pad already," Winter mused, half to himself. He turned to Sophie and ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess the rescue team is arriving sooner than I thought. Damn, colonial marines are so cool. You know, my brother and I always said we'd enlist with the USCM together. We used to play Bug Hunt all around our estate as kids. Can't believe this is the first time I'll be meeting some. How do I look, Sophie?"</span></span>