Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters/places/anything mentioned from Zone of the Enders and everything belongs to its respective owners.
Connection
Ken had just ended the transmission to Dingo, being on her guard to make sure that no one had heard her. When she had told Dingo that some of the others at the Deimos station suspected her, it hadn't been something said lightly. She had to leave and get to Mars.
The walk to the hanger made her on high alert. She kept checking to make sure that no one would see her leave; her mind on constant patrol for an excuse that would allow to her get away if caught. No one patrolled the hallways at this time of day though, so she was free.
Putting her hair up in her standard bun while walking made her feel slightly better. At least she would be able to go through the routine preparations to calm down.
The door that led to the hanger slid open, making her aware of an almost silent whirring sound. She ignored it, instead making haste towards her Orbital Frame, Ardjet.
The Orbital Frame had been inactive since she had brought Dingo to the Deimos station along with Jehuty, so starting up the AI took longer than normal. The colored lights flashed across the control screen and lit up the space inside the cockpit, signifying that the AI was ready.
Dingo would probably laugh at me if he knew I couldn't pilot Ardjet without an AI, she thought with a small smile, feeling as though she were being mocked already.
The familiar hum of the anti-proton reactor that powered her Orbital Frame, along with the Metatron, filled her with a familiar sense that could only be described in a very precise way: a connection.
She closed her eyes, letting Ardjet float for a few moments. The hum of the engines, the flashing of the Metatron as it coursed through the humanoid frame… all of it was a sense of the "connection" she felt with Ardjet.
I wonder if Dingo feels the same thing, she moved Ardjet forward with a roll of her hand; no… probably not yet.
She dismissed the thought as the AI set a course for Mars, wondering why in the world she was thinking so much about the former BAHRAM pilot. She couldn't focus on that now though; she had something to do first.
Testing the waters a bit with this one. I just recently discover the Zone of the Enders series after buying the HD Collection and a bunch of fanfictions popped into my head. In one of them I wanted to sort of discuss (or hint at) the "connection" that riders have with their Orbital Frames, which sort of ended up being this. Sorry if Ken is a bit OOC (still trying to figure out how to write the characters and this was pretty short). Please tell me what you thought in a review!
-AnimeWolfGirl9