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]

That's the point. Every trip is a treasure hunt. How is that not exciting?

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Hands up.]

I'm not saying it's bad. I just always come out with a bunch of snacks and have to go somewhere else for what I came in for.

[unbr8kable]

[clucks her tongue]

I feel like that's less the fault of the store and more a personal failing. Gotta keep your eyes on the prize and your snacks out of the bag.

[crossmyheartandhope]

You can keep me in line.

[Slowly, like it's reluctant to actually function instead of crashing, the elevator lurches to a stop.]

[unbr8kable]

Well, yeah, duh. Stick with me, kid, you'll go places.

[impulsively she wraps an arm around his shoulder, points out towards the horizon...or the elevator door that--really though, could it open more slowly? can't it tell she's trying to make a point here!? geez!]

...

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Waits for a minute, expectant, for the door to do its thing.]

[It gives a little whine and clangs shut again, and he bursts out laughing.]

Guess we're not going very far.

[unbr8kable]

Seriously!?

[she jams on the open door button, kicks the door]

Come on!

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Still laughing.]

Maybe we'll have to do the action movie thing, after all.

[unbr8kable]

It's different when you have to climb up however many stories instead of rappelling down.

[undaunted--well, only a little daunted, she scrabbles at the door, attempting to pry it open since surely that isn't hard to do...]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Coming over to try and pry at the other side.]

We'd only have to get up to the second story... right?

[unbr8kable]

True... Guess it wouldn't be that bad...

[but just then, their efforts come to fruition and the door begins to shudder open--

--then snaps back shut. Hope you watched those fingers!]

Ow!

[...someone didn't watch her fingers]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Neither did this guy. He curses and snatches the hand back.]

...this is the worst door ever.

[Starts jamming at the open door button.]

[unbr8kable]

Tell me about it! --I'm stuck!

[indeed, the door seems clamped quite neatly around the joint at the tip of her fingers! luckily it's her artificial left hand, so it's irritation she's squawking with, not pain]

How is this even happening?

[crossmyheartandhope]

We need like a crowbar or something.

[Gives the open door button one last halfhearted push.]

Hey, how strong's your hand?

[unbr8kable]

Strong enough. ...What're you thinking?

[crossmyheartandhope]

I dunno... can you get your other fingers in there? Maybe you could buy yourself enough space to slip out.

[unbr8kable]

Like, with my other hand? That one's a lot squishier, you know.

[she gives it a go anyway, slowly easing apart her caught fingers with an angry scrape of metal against metal, in the hopes of gaining enough space to stick her other fingers into the gaps]

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah, well. The goal is no squishing.

[Getting both hands in there, too, to try and help. His right foot is standing by to jam into the doors if they DO manage to get some space.]

[unbr8kable]

[with effort, because there's no need for them BOTH to get squished]

Works for me...

[and slooowly, it opens...?????]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Sticks his foot in there as soon as there's space to keep them from losing any fingers... and keeps on prying.]

[unbr8kable]

[good thinking... as they wrench the door open even further, she wedges her elbow in to make a bigger space... perhaps soon they will be able to squeeze out...???]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Gets both arms through the open space and continues to haul.]

...think you can fit?

[unbr8kable]

[she shrugs, which is less useful of a gesture while physically yanking on an elevator door. they've got it open a decent amount, though, a+ teamwork, but it'd still be real tight. real tight.]

Think you can fit?

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Eyeing it dubiously.]

We fit up in the vents, right? We'll be okay.

[unbr8kable]

[that is appropriate]

That's before you ate like fifteen parfaits. Maybe your butt's too big to fit now.