first sortie.

[unbr8kable]

[Six hours previous, everything had been so much simpler. The Eta cohort had made it to live combat training, out in one of the few areas the Tenno had claimed back from the invaders. Xia had been vibrating the whole day, grinning wide as she suited up in the boring steel training mech (hers would be blue, she decided, or maybe black, with bold red stripes on the limbs) and deployed to the field, not even cracking on Wimperson, the Support (not his real name, but it may as well have been).

The Heralds didn't come up on radar until they were practically on top of the trainees. Maybe if there'd been more lead time, it would've been less of a shitshow, but who the hell knows.

The grimy details aren't important, but they aren't great. Damage to all suits, with two damaged beyond repair; the Leader froze under pressure, the Shadow couldn't keep up with the speedy Heralds. Wimperson actually came through. Johnson the Medic went down right there, in front of them.

Xia and Jacob have only just gotten out of their debriefing, another unexpected first for the day.

She and Jacob did good, Xia knows. They kept their heads, were barely hurt, they moved together well. "You'll make a good team," Corporal Kuwahara tells them before turning towards the medical ward to check on Johnson's surgery. "Go get some rest."

But no, rest is pretty much the opposite of what they need right now, Xia thinks. She turns to Jacob, giving her best attempt at a normal expression.]

Wanna get out of here?

Comments

[unbr8kable]

Pretty much. Or we just gotta figure out how to reinforce the windows or something.

[the elevator gives a shuddering rattle, almost a stall--but keeps going]

...Gotta say, this elevator feels like those crappy training suits. Are we going to the roof or pushing Gs here? Who even approved this thing?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Someone, I hope. We better not've missed some kind of, "Danger, never use this thing under fear of death," notice.

[unbr8kable]

Maybe the whole thing was a trap. The building was set up so that we wouldn't be able to escape. Like in an action movie!

[crossmyheartandhope]

If it's like an action movie, we've got it covered. We can climb out the hatch up top and slide down the cables when it inevitably breaks down.

[unbr8kable]

...Do you think the hatch'll open?

[eyeing the ceiling, 'cause why not?]

[crossmyheartandhope]

...we could try.

[unbr8kable]

...I've got a 10 yen coin if you can give me a boost.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[It is probably for the best that, just as he's lacing his fingers together to make a platform and going down on one knee, the elevator finally jerks to a stop.]

Oops. Too slow.

[unbr8kable]

Aww...

[a good thirty seconds later--honestly, who approved this thing--the door opens and they're allowed to trip out to the roof. It seems to be well-used for entertainment, with a grill and a table for eating]

Whoa, looks ready for relaxing!

[crossmyheartandhope]

We oughtta keep this place in mind for later.

[He's wandering over to the railing along the side, though, because the view is the most important thing right now.]

[unbr8kable]

[it's clear tonight; from here they can see over to Chuo Park where they were before, as well as the fancy, private Shinjuku Gyoen, and even over to part of the imperial palace grounds before other buildings block the view. the sky is light enough that it's obvious the night is getting shorter rather than longer, but the light that's coming from the horizon is actually more to the north than true east. it's flashes, bright, like a thunderstorm. faintly, when the wind whips their way, there are faint sirens over the twilight quiet.]

...That's the direction of the training grounds, isn't it?

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He stands there for a second, hands on the railing, eyes wide and smile washed away.]

...we gotta go.

[unbr8kable]

They're not going to let us do anything, much less schlep us out to Saitama. We're not even on the reserve squad yet.

[but her hands twitch until she digs her nails hard into her palms]

...Guess we didn't get 'em all, after all.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[His hands are holding so tight on the railing that the knuckles have gone white.]

What do you think the sirens mean? They didn't go off earlier... did they?

[unbr8kable]

Didn't notice, was kinda busy.

[but he knows that, being equally busy, and she lets out a breath, shifts to fold her arms tight around herself, tap tap tapping on her metal arm]

Must be near a town or something. When you hear the sirens, you're supposed to go to the shelters. Not that that necessarily helps any.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Glances at her sidelong, trying to gauge her expression - then gets a look at it and decides he doesn't want to see, eyes skittering away and back out toward the city.]

It'll help this time.

The whole project's based here. They'll get someone out in time.

[unbr8kable]

[more flashes light the clouds to the north, but the wind has shifted and there's just the sounds of Tokyo at night for now. she shrugs, not quite casual, continues to tap out a rhythm of nervous energy on her arm.]

Whatever. Not my problem.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He's quiet for maybe a beat too long.]

Pretty soon, we'll be the ones they get out in time.

[Which isn't what he wanted to say, exactly. But it - kind of toes up to the edge of it a little. For someone who's so good at people, he's bad at this.]

[unbr8kable]

...Yeah.

[and it's not an enthusiastic or even a disbelieving type of yeah, it just--it doesn't matter. she doesn't to think about this anymore. --well, being the one they depend on, that part's not so awful, she decides, making an effort to uncross her arms, take a less-defensive stance]

Either way, should we head back?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah. Let's get out of here.

[He lets go of the railing and half-turns toward her - gives her a kind of nudge, in lieu of the things he couldn't say. Then he turns from the flashing lights and now-inaudible sirens, back toward the elevator.]

[unbr8kable]

[she is nudged, and--well. only half a breath and she's falling into step beside him, again keeping a somewhat smaller bubble than usual but maybe it's just that kind of evening, and really who the hell cares?

the elevator has actually been waiting for them, though it is just as dubiously safe as when they took it up. she takes a breath, casts for a new subject because it's just that kind of evening.]

...We should get some chairs for the roof.

[crossmyheartandhope]

...yeah. We're gonna need em, if we plan on spending time up there.

Something we can fold and tuck away when we're not there, though.

[unbr8kable]

You think someone'd steal them? Who all even goes up there?

[it's an honest question, she hasn't been paying attention]

[crossmyheartandhope]

No one up there but the birds, usually.

[He jams the ground floor button on the elevator and slouches back against the wall, decidedly low-energy. The smile's still missing from his face, and he doesn't seem to mind the smaller space bubble.]

It'd just be a pain, if someone spotted them from the air. Corporal Fielding would have some dumb new regulation posted in half a day.

[unbr8kable]

Ugh, Fielding. Chairs'd be banned altogether or something, and there'd be a million stupid reminder notes posted everywhere... What a lamer.

[she makes a face, probably one more dramatic than necessary, but if it gets a reaction...]