iTrapped is a menace

“Stratt.”

I nodded in greeting, pushing my way into her office, and flopping down on one of the chairs.

“Dr. Grace.” Stratt nods back, typing away at her desk.

“Im bored.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that, Dr. Would you like for me to find some more work for you to do?” Stratt’s tone was flat, and she didn’t look up from her laptop.

There was next to nothing to do on Stratt’s Vat after hours. Once the labs closed for the night, it was either drinking and shouting in the lounge, or bedtime.

I spent a little while in the lounge already tonight, but nothing particularly interesting was going on, and I had already reached my two drink limit, so here I am. Bothering the only other person I knew would be awake at this hour, and not getting wasted.

“Oops, sorry…sorry about that…” I mutter as I knock a book from the shelf in attempt to pick out another one.

Stratt sighs at her desk.

“Trigonometry… wow. Tough stuff.”

“You are an expert in physics, molecular biology, and astronomy.”

“Yeah, but trig is still… pretty tough stuff…” I slide the book back into place, but jostle the others in the process, creating a domino effect down the row. I manage to catch it before everything falls over, standing like an idiot, arms outstretched to full wingspan, holding the books together on the shelf.

“Is there something I can help you with, Dr. Grace? Or are you just planning on knocking down and rearranging everything on my shelves and making noise while I try to get world-saving work done?” Stratt’s tone snapped, slamming her laptop close and meeting me with a cold gaze.

“…you didn’t save what you were working on.” I mutter, pointing to her computer. She groans, opening it back up again, grumbling something in German under her breath. Probably something about how cool I am, I’m sure.

“No one else is awake-“

“The majority of the crew is awake, and in the lounge.”

“-Hold on! Lemme finish! I was gonna say, no one else is awake and not blackout drunk, or halfway there. I don’t feel like being in that scene.”

“You drink.”

“Yeah, okay, but like… occasionally- like one drink every once in a blue moon. I literally watched Ilyukhina drink an entire Grey Goose by herself in two hours.” I say, controlling the slight slurring of my speech while I righting the books on the shelf.

I back away slowly, making sure everything is stable, before taking my seat back on the chair.

“Well if you do not feel like being in the lounge, there is a small library and an adjacent computer lab on level two, port side.” Stratt suggests.

“Why can’t I just hang out with you?!” I slouch in my seat, rolling my head back, and spinning the chair in a circle with my legs out in front of me.

“Because, Dr. Grace, I’m busy.”

“You hate me.”

“That is not true.”

“No, I think you do.”

I sigh dramatically, continuing to spin around and around. I know I’m probably being excruciatingly annoying, but I don’t care.

“You’ll make yourself sick spinning like that.”

“So you do care about me!”

“I care about you not throwing up in my office.”

I sigh, skidding to a stop on my heels. I stand up, meandering over to Stratt’s desk.

She looks up at me without raising her head - a sort of Kubrick stare, as I lean over the front of her desk, peering at her computer from above.

“Whaddya doing, anyway?” My beanie slides off my head, onto her keyboard.

“You smell like vodka.”

“I had a half a glass, leave me alone.” I had two glasses… “You ignored my question.”

“So you’re drunk and you thought bothering me was better than staying in the lounge.”

“I’m not drunk!” I giggle like a fool, still leaning over the desk.

“Lightweight. No wonder you are here pestering me like a little brother. I am trying to finalize plans for the launch site pad-“

“Holy crap is that you?!” I blurt, cutting her off, distracted by a framed photo on Stratt’s desk that appeared to depict a young, teenaged Stratt standing in the front of a group of other kids, all wearing Jiu Jitsu gis.

I pick up the photo before Stratt has the chance to take it off the desk.

“No way! You know Martial arts?!”

“Yes, Judo and Jiu Jitsu, does that shock you, Dr. Grace?”

“Not in the slightest. If you told me you were an army ranger and a Kung fu master as a side job, I’d believe you.” I chuckle.

“Look how tiny you were!” I coo, pointing at the young redheaded girl in the photograph.

“Put that down, please.”

“Can you still fight?”

“If I had to, I could.”

“Who’d win, me or you?” I ask with completely unfounded confidence, setting the photo down.

Stratt looks up at me with a flicker of fire in her eyes.

“I would. You aren’t a fighter.”

“Oh come on, I’ve got a fighting chance!” I shrug. I sure did not.

Stratt stands up, closing her computer again, without saving, and comes around the other side of the desk.

“Then let’s see.” She gestures to the empty area of carpet behind me. I turn to it, then back to her.

“Wh- here? Now?”

“Yes. You’ve possed me off and now I’d like to prove you wrong. Lets go, grappling stance.” She shrugs off her cardigan, and gestures for me to assume position.

“What’s that mean?!” I put myself into a sort of movie ninja defense pose, admittedly a bit nervous.

She shakes her head, lowering herself into something of a crouched position, and gestures for me to follow suit. I do, to the best of my ability.

“It’d be smart if you took your glasses off.” She warns.

“What? AaAAH-!” She doesn’t even give me a chance.

Stratt runs at me in a few, long, calculated steps. She grabs my left arm, slinging it over her shoulder, her head under my arm.

She drops to one knee, and in a powerful yank, flips me over her back, straight into the carpet with a thump.

I wheeze, the wind momentarily knocked out of me as I lay there in shock.

“Good Lord-!” I cough out, one hand on my chest. My other arm still in Stratt’s grasp.

“You almost killed me!”

“I flipped you from a low point, you’ll be fine. I could have flipped you standing up.”

I groan, as Stratt stands up, dusting off her pants.

I take the opportunity to grab her by the shin, attempting to… flip her somehow..? Knock her down..? I’m not too clear on the objective, but it didn’t work.

She kicked free of my grip, grabbed my arm, and spun me onto my stomach, bending my arm behind my back, a leg swung over me to keep me down.

“OooowwWWWWW OW OW, OKAY!”

“Do you tap?” She droned.

“NO- nnNNEVER!” Now was not the time to be stubborn, Ryland.

I used my free arm to try and inch forward on the ground, desperate to wriggle free without giving up.

“AAAAHAHA! ThaHAT IS NOT FAIR!”

I shout as Stratt pinches me under the arm, sending my arm straight back to my side.

“It does not matter, this isn’t a teal match.” She says, pinching all the way down my side.

I sputter and snicker, kicking my legs behind me.

“IT IHIHIS A MATCH!! A-AHAHA!!”

“No, it is more like sparring with a stuffed animal.”

“RUHUHUDE-! AH AH AH! N-NOT THERE NOT THEHEHERE!” I gasp frantically, back arching off of the floor as Stratt drives a knuckle into the muscle of my low back. I let out a sort of raspy, out of breath cackle with the little air I have left.

“My god you are ticklish like a child. Your back? Seriously?” Stratt groans.

“I CAN’T HELP IT, I- AHAHA OW!! LET MY ARM GOHOHO IM LOSING CIRCULATION.”

“No you’re not, I’m not cutting off blood flow.” She scoffs, not letting up at all.

“AAAAAAAAAH IM DYING.”

“Tap out.”

“OKAY OKAHAHAAY I’LL SAY IT. LEMME TAHAHALK!”

Stratt pauses, lifting her hand from my back, giving me a chance to speak.

I take a moment to catch my breath…

“…You forgot to save your document again.” I mutter into the carpet.

Stratt growls in annoyance, shifting her hand to squeeze my hip. Hard.

“AAAAAAAHAHAHA IM SOHOHORRY!! IM SORRY PLEASE! YOU WIHIHIN! OW, WOMAN! MY AHAHARM!”

“I don’t win until you tap out.” She moved up to the back of my shoulder, where it meets the curve of my neck, vibrating her fingers into the flesh through the thick yarn of my sweater.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! ALRIHIHIGHT I TAP. I TAP.” I slam the ground with my free hand feverishly, and as promised, Stratt let go of me, sitting back, with a leg still swung over me.

“You don’t have to scream so loud, I’m not hurting you.”

“You were!”

I heaved for breath, turning my head on the ground, facing the door just as it opens.

“Everything alright in here? Heard… screaming…”

“Carl…” I wheeze.

“We are fine.”

“Get her offa me Carl…”

“He challenged me to a spar and I proved to him I can beat him.”

“She tried to kill me…”

“Oh hush, you.” Stratt drove two fingers into either of my sides.

“AaaAAH! I TAPPED. I tahahapped! Stohohop that!”

Carl chuckles, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“I’m not helping you with this. You picked this fight. I know my place.” He said.

“I could beat you if I wasn’t drunk.” I mutter into the floor.

“He’s drunk?” Carl mused.

“On ‘half a vidka’ apparently.”

“Okaaay it was twoooouh…”

“That’s all it took? Lightweight.” Carl snorts.

Stratt pushes herself up, using my back as leverage, probably just to stick it to me. I wheeze, rolling into my back as Stratt stands up.

She reaches a hand out to help me up.

“No, you’re gonna rip my arm off.” I mumble, pushing myself up with some effort. “Devil woman…” I mutter.

“What’s that?” Stratt shoots me a look.

“I’d like to apologize…” I squeak out, flinching before fully standing myself up.

I wobble a bit on my feet, standing disheveled with my sweater rumpled, one pant leg hiked up my shin, hair a mess, and glasses hanging by my chin.

Stratt tosses me my hat from her desk. It hits me in the chest and I don’t react.

“Yeesh… Carl, walk him back to his bunk please, I think he’s done for the night.”

Carl nods, waving me over. “Come on. Go sleep off those two vodkas.” He says.

I nod sheepishly, shuffling off.

“Rematch when I’m at 100%?” I murmur as I walk to the door.

@guest-1337-detecter

@evil-itrapped-detector