"Okay, buddy," Alice murmured, her eyes focused on the massive Brown Pelican ruffling his wing at her. "We're gonna take this nice and slow-"

She held her coat in front of her, bracing it like a shield as she took a step toward the giant bird. It squawked at her, and he would have been intimidated if one of its wings wasn't hanging limp at its side. Alice took another step closer to the almost four-foot-long bird, her movements careful and slow.

"I'm just gonna cover your eyes a little bit, buddy," She told the bird, never taking her eyes off it. "Then we're going to check out that wing, okay?"

The bird, while still wary, snapped its bill together, its head tilting as if mulling over her words. It took a step back, but it didn't seem like it was about the fly away, not that it could.

Alice didn't take her eyes off the bird, but she could hear Ford stifling a chuckle behind her. Her nose wrinkled, but she managed to wipe it from her face. Taking another step forward, Alice launched into action. She swung her coat over the bird, taking a long step and wrapping her hands around its head, keeping its head still as the bird's good wing flared.

"Ford! Sedation!" She called out, feeling the wing beat against her back and the angry snapping of the pelican's beak.

Ford snapped into action, dashing forward and bracing a small syringe, kneeling next to her.

"Got it," He replied, his calm demeanor contrasting the chaos. "Hold it still a moment longer, Dove."

Alice rolled her eyes, holding the bird as steady as she could manage. Her hand slipped from the bird's head, her other holding the coat tight around his head as she gestured to the bird's wide foot.

"There's an artery there," She grumbled as the wing hit her back again. "Inject there and he should go down."

Ford nodded, his eyes focused as he found the artery with surprising accuracy. With a swing, almost practiced motion, he thrust the needle into the bird's foot and depressed the syringe. Within moments, the pelican's movement began to slow, its flailing and snapping becoming less and less as the sedation took effect.

"There we go big guy," Alice soothed the bird, carefully lowering its head to the deck and keeping the coat over his eyes. She leaned back on her knees, letting out a breath and shaking her head. "Brown Pelican, can't be much older than three or four."

"Impressive knowledge, as always," Ford commented, kneeling next to her. "You can tell the age just by observing it?"

"Juveniles look similar to adults," Alice explained, gently removing the coat from the pelican's head and tossing it behind her. "See how he's all brown with a grey bill?"

"Right, I see it," Ford said, studying the bird and leaning forward. "And the adults? How do they differ."

"As this one gets older, he'll develop a white neck and yellowish wash on his head," Alice elaborated, smiling and shifting the bird on its stomach. "Then when he reaches breeding age he'll get whiter and red will develop on his pouch."

"Fascinating," Ford responded, his eyes tracing the bird. "You truly have a passion for this field."

Alice smiled, carefully extending the bird's wings over the deck. Her fingers traced the bones along the wing that had been limp, and while she wasn't a veterinarian, she'd taken care of some of the small finches that crashed into her windows.

"About a six-foot wing span," She muttered to herself, reaching into her back pocket and withdrawing her notes. "No indication of bone damage, he must have startled himself when he crashed into the cockpit."

"So what's the plan now?" Ford asked, watching as she made notes in her field book. "Do you think we can release him?"

"He shouldn't have any problems," Alice confirmed, slipping her notes back into her pocket. "I would like to get a tracker on him to track his migrational patterns, he's a little too far north, but he is a novice."

"A tracker is a good idea," Ford agreed, his tone thoughtful. "It would be interesting to see if he sticks to the normal patterns or if he's a bit of a rebel."

"I think I have one with your topography maps," Alice mused, trying to recall where her supplies were. "We should have at least five minutes to secure it before he wakes up."

"That would be perfect," He said a hint of excitement in his voice. "Let's get it on him quickly. I wonder if his migratory patterns will match with the anomalous zones."

"Brown Pelican Migratory Patterns and the effects of Anomalous Zones," Alice mused, standing and brushing off her knees. "Think we could win a Nobel?"

"With the insights we could gain from the tracker, we just might," Ford grinned, his tone laced with determination. "This could be groundbreaking research, not just in ornithology, but in anomaly theory."

Alice chuckled, glancing down at the Brown Pelican and turning toward the cockpit. 

"You stay with our friend," She called back to Ford. "If he wakes up, cover his head with the coat."

"Roger that," She heard Ford say over her shoulder as she disappeared into the cockpit. She swerved around Stan as she slipped below deck, nearly tripping as she sprinted down the hall.

"Sorry!" She called, disappearing into her and Ford's bunk before he could bark out a snark comment. She rifled through Ford's desk, grinding when she found the small leg tracker and dashing back into the hall, the door slamming shut behind her.

"Pardon me, Stanley," She barked out as she slipped around him again.

"Damn it, woman, slow down!" Stan protested, grabbing the cabin wall to steady himself.

"I can't!" Alice grinned back, taking the stairs two at a time. "I have a pelican on board!"

She heard him mutter under his breath, but she couldn't hear what he said. Alice slid back on deck and nearly stumbled as she reached Ford, a smile crossing her face as her shoulder bumped his.

"Any developments?" She asked, taking a deep breath.

"No developments yet," He confirmed, chuckling. "He's out cold. You found the tracker, I take it?"

"You'd be correct," Alice smiled, kneeling next to the pelican and gingerly extracting his legs from under him. "It's smaller, so it should be hard for it to be removed."

Ford leaned in as she worked the band around the bird's leg, carefully adjusting the tracker and flicking it on. 

"Excellent," He said, reaching out to check the recall. "This should give us valuable data on its migratory patterns and any potential interaction with anomalous zones."

"Did you hardwire my trackers?" Alice asked teasingly, withdrawing her hands and leaning back on her feet.

"Yes, I did," He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I may have rewired them to collect a wide range of data, including location, speed, altitude, and even physiological responses to anomalous energy signatures."

"Very clever, bee," Alice smiles, pushing herself off the deck and gazing over the large brown bird sprawled across the deck. She let out a satisfied sigh, her hands posed on her hips, "I love fieldwork."

"It does have its perks," Ford agreed, rising to his feet and standing beside her. "Especially with a brilliant partner like you."

"Now that's just flattery at its finest," Alice teased, slipping her arm around his back and pulling herself to his side. "We'd better move before this poor fellow wakes up, I wouldn't want him to crash again."

Ford chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"You're right," He nodded, his gaze drifting to the sleeping bird. "We should get him off the boat before he wakes up. But first..."

He leaned down, placing a quick kiss on her temple. Alice wrinkled her nose and playfully punched his arm.

"We're working, not flirting," She scolded, but her voice lacked any real conviction. Ford laughed grinning boyishly and holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"Right, right, no flirting while we're on the job," He conceded before he allowed himself a small smile. "Later, though... All bets are off."

Alice rolled her eyes, smoothing her features as she watched the bird shift. Taking Ford's hand, she led him to the other side of the boat, his suggestion not lost on her.

"Tempting," She murmured, leaning against the railing and watching the Pelican test his wings. His fingers twisted into hers as he leaned next to her, his shoulder brushing against her.

"Very tempting," He agreed.