[center][h3]Alexander Owens - Horizon[/h3][/center]

Alexander's parade-watching was ended abruptly by a familiar tone, drilled into the mind of every Federation recruit without exception. 'All personnel to base'. he felt his pocket vibrate as his uplink received a call. He pulled it out of his pocket, even as he rolled up his towel on the grass. Dave. He stuffed his things into his pack before hitting accept. "[i]Tell me you're hearing this too.[/i]" "[b]Yeah, I am. Are you done, or is the  Nightowl still out of commission?[/b]" Alex slung the bag over his shoulder and made for the nearest non-parade road. "[i]Everything but closing her back up is done. What's going on?[/i]" "[b]Pilot recall, get done and get out of the hangars. If you can, get off base. If it's a drill, getting in someone's way is big trouble. If it's not a drill, the last place you want to be is on base grounds.[/b]" "[i]You can't be serious?![/i]" Dave ended the call without another word.

Alexander felt his heart hammer in his chest, but he couldn't tell if it was fear, excitement or both. His walking pace felt inadequate, so he moved into a brisk jog, his prosthetic swinging while his natural-born hand gripped his bag's strap in a futile attempt to keep it stable. He kept his eyes scanning the street. A truck-load of base personnel had blown by much earlier, and if he could flag a ride down, he could probably arrive at base without being exhausted by a run through the intense heat of the day. Regardless of his hope to avoid a run, he kept his pace. Dark thoughts drifted at the back of his mind as his feet pounded against the pavement.