Chapter Four
A/N: Thank you as usual to all who have favourited, followed and reviewed. Just a warning that this chapter does contain a mention of sexual assault.
Julianne Caldwell
August 2019
Had there not been a Kaiju about to attack a coastal city, Julianne would have found the look on her brother's face as a helicopter landed behind their house to be hilarious. Instead, she had shrugged past him, murmured a 'be good,' and leapt inside without a single look back.
It was a ten minute flight from her home to the Shatterdome, a journey that felt longer every time she took it. The Kaiju were growing, and getting faster. Sometimes she wondered if she wouldn't see it heading towards Sydney as she was attempting to get to base. They were thoughts she tried to ignore.
Two armed guards were waiting at the helipad when she arrived to escort her to the launch bay. Dressed in jeans, a university sweatshirt, and her glasses, Julianne hardly felt professional, but it was not the time to get worked up about her looks. The world was in danger, after all.
One of the guards handed her a tablet as they strode quickly through the Shatterdome, droves of people moving quickly out of the way as they came through.
"Why can't these bloody things attack during normal hours?" Julianne complained, gaining a snort from one of the guards as she entered the Drivesuit Room.
Seeing the Hansens getting suited up rather than Andy and Linden took her by surprise, but she quickly let the thought go. Though the Shatterdome usually let their Jaegers go every other, it was possible they'd rather use their oldest model first in many cases.
"Looking lovely this morning, Jules!" Scott teased from where he was being suited up. "The natural look really fits you."
"Scott, it is far too early to make me start hating you," Julianne replied casually as technicians easily dodged her immobile form as they kept working. She learned quickly that it was better to stay in one place. "Gentlemen, before you go take on...Wavebreaker? Who names these things?"
"No bloody Shakespeare, that's for sure," mumbled one of the techs.
"Thank you," she replied, glancing up briefly. "I'd like to remind you two that after your heroic defeat of the world conquering monster, checking in with me is mandatory. Please don't make me search every bar in Sydney for your sorry asses. You will be paying for that in medically painful ways."
"Yes, ma'am," the brothers said in unison. The techs finished applying the drivesuit parts and stepped away as the Hansens headed toward the Conn-Pod for Lucky Seven.
"Godspeed, you two," Julianne called after them, earning a wink from Scott and a solemn nod from Herc. No matter how many times her Rangers went to fight, it never failed to form a lump in her throat, the thought that she was watching dead men walking.
During deployments, Julianne kept well clear of LOCCENT, finding that her medical expertise hardly had much affect when the patients were thousands of kilometers away. Instead, she retreated to the conference room, where second-tier officers would gather and watch the fights. Helicopters that traveled with the Jaegers provided visuals via satellite uplink.
On her way there, Julianne caught sight of a familiar, anxious face amongst the personnel.
"Bianca!" she shouted, making her way through the crowd to Andy's younger sister.
Relief filled Bianca's features as she saw someone she knew. She ran over to her, all nerves. "I came as soon as I heard the alert sirens. Is Andy…"
Julianne put her hands on the girl's shoulders, urging her to be calm. "Your brother is fine. Lucky Seven is getting deployed instead. But he's going to be up in LOCCENT right now, and you are not going to have the clearance to get there. I'm going to need you to come with me, alright?"
The girl nodded, allowing herself to be led through the throngs of people until they came to the conference room. It was only partially full, the other members more than likely still on their way over. Some were in uniform, others were dressed much like her in casual clothes. No one really cared in the dead of night so long as they were physically present.
Lucky Seven is underway, came an announcement over the intercom system. Almost immediately after, the first images of the Jaeger being airlifted over the ocean appeared.
Julianne showed Bianca to a chair, making the poor girl sit down before she fell over. She handed her a glass of water before moving to brief the room, seeing as how she was the senior staff member inside.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she started, glancing down at her tablet. "At approximately 0327 hours, movement was detected in the Breach. This Category III Kaiju, codenamed Wavebreaker, is projected to land at Fiji within the hour."
"Wavebreaker? Who names these things?" someone asked from the back.
Julianne held her hands up in frustration. "The country's most intelligent individuals in one room and none of us can figure out who names the bloody Kaiju."
There was nervous laughter.
Time ticked by at an astoundingly slow rate. Julianne found herself seated next to Bianca, a comforting hand on her shoulder while her leg tapped rapidly against the floor. She watched as Lucky Seven fought Wavebreaker valiantly, using techniques she had memorized at this point.
Everything was going to be fine, she told herself. They had faced worse Kaiju than this one.
And that was when she saw it, a movement slightly out of place, and then another. Suddenly, Lucky Seven was not moving as it should.
Her hand must have tightened, because Bianca looked back at her with concern. "Doctor Caldwell?"
"Something's wrong," Julianne murmured.
"What?" the girl asked, turning around.
Julianne looked at her, seeing the concern rising. "I promise, everything is going to be alright, but I need you to stay here."
Bianca didn't even get the chance to ask more as Julianne all but ran from the room.
Andy Warner
August 2019
The tension in LOCCENT was thick enough to choke on it. Andy sat in a swivel chair with a double shot espresso. Beside him, Linden was gulping down a Red Bull, his caffeine hit of choice. They'd been awake for half an hour already and it had only just gone 4am. Linden tended to be alert within minutes of waking up, but Andy still felt sleepy. He stared down into his coffee mug. Sleepy meant irritable, and this time irritability came in the form of slight disappointment.
Half an hour before, Lucky Seven had been deployed to Fiji to take on a Category III kaiju. Usually, the Australian teams alternated deployments, unless it was a particular kind of kaiju or if one of the Jaegers was undergoing maintenance. Lucky Seven had just been sent out back in April, and although Linden and Andy wanted to mention that it should've been Vulcan Specter, now wasn't exactly the right time.
Herc and Scott's vitals were up on screen, their location pinpointed on another. They'd only just engaged the kaiju, and the neural handshake seemed to be holding steady. Linden tossed the empty Red Bull can into a bin, his left leg jiggling restlessly. He was nervous. He wanted this deployment to be theirs. Andy looked away from his co-pilot, turning his attention to the screens.
"Commander!" Natalie Hirst, head of J-Tech, looked up from her data pad with an alarmed expression. "They're dropping in and out of alignment."
Andy frowned. Something wasn't right. The Hansens had been doing this for longer than most Rangers. Neither of them would be chasing the rabbit. Comms were silent - neither of the Hansens had contacted LOCCENT to alert them to a problem. There was nothing wrong with their comms reading, so Andy didn't understand why one of them hadn't said anything by now. Surely seasoned Rangers like the Hansens would be able to identify the problem.
Steven strode over to look over Natalie's shoulder. His brow knitting together was not a good sign. Andy exchanged an apprehensive look with his co-pilot.
"What the fuck," Linden muttered under his breath.
"Sir, what's going on?" Andy piped up.
"Herc, Scott," Steven ignored them, leaning into the microphone positioned on the desk. "Your neural readings are way off."
Silence. Absolute silence. The Hansens were choosing not to respond, but why?
The door to LOCCENT opened and the whole room turned to see a disheveled Julianne running inside. "Sir, the Hansens-"
"We know," Steven said as she approached. "Could there be anything physically wrong with them?"
The doctor shook her head. "Their Drivesuits haven't detected any significant damage. It's all consistent with high levels of stress."
"Of course they're stressed, Doctor, they're fighting a Kaiju."
Julianne put a hand through her blonde hair. "No, it's more than that, sir. Something has happened. One of them might have seen something or-"
"They're getting their ass kicked." Linden pushed himself to his feet, eyes wide as he examined the damage the Jaeger was taking on. Lucky Seven was taking a severe beating, and Herc and Scott still hadn't properly realigned. If they didn't pull it together very soon, they weren't going to last.
"Warner. Blayne." Steven turned to examine them. Behind him, vitals showed that Herc's heart rate was up and Scott's was getting there too. "Prepare for deployment."
Andy didn't need telling twice, but his stomach twisted at the realisation that Steven didn't think the Hansens were going to be pulling back into alignment anytime soon. He wouldn't be sending them out as back-up unless he was absolutely sure that he needed to. Linden joined him in the corridor, pale as a ghost. He looked like he was going to throw up.
"Do you think they're gonna make it?"
"I...I don't know." Andy headed toward the lift at a brisk pace. They needed to be in the Drivesuit room and fast. He could only hope that he and Linden were there in time to stop the Hansens being killed in action.
Andy and Linden waited in the Jaeger bays in their Drivesuits as Lucky Seven was airlifted back in. Although being battered and damaged, the Jaeger was in one piece at least. Whatever had happened there, the Hansens had pulled it together and managed to kill the kaiju, although it had been a close call.
Andy glanced at Linden, who had his arms folded over his chest and his trademark scowl on his face. He was less than impressed at the fact that they had almost been in the Conn-Pod when the Commander had informed them that Herc and Scott had steadied the neural handshake and taken down the kaiju. Linden had taken off his helmet and thrown it at the nearest wall.
"Andy!" Bianca collided with him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. No doubt she'd heard about Vulcan Specter being put on standby and had come to the Shatterdome to wait for his return. "What happened? I thought you were being deployed to Fiji."
"Apparently not." Linden's tone was cool. "Looks like the old boys managed to get their shit together after all."
"Linden," Andy snapped. It was still only early, and after the whirlwind of events that had occurred in the past few hours, he didn't have any patience for his co-pilot's sulking.
Andy's gaze followed Bianca's as Lucky Seven was set down. He headed for the lift, his sister and co-pilot in tow.
"Why did they have you on standby?" Bianca asked as the doors hissed shut and the lift sped up to the Drivesuit room.
"The Hansens were having some problems," Andy admitted. "They thought they might have to send Linden and I in as back-up, but that didn't end up being necessary."
Bianca bit her lip and looked to Linden, who still looked like he wanted to hit something. Although the situation was frustrating, it wasn't like mistakes didn't happen. Andy just wanted answers. He assumed there was a reasonable explanation for why the Hansens had fallen so far out of alignment, and why they hadn't contacted LOCCENT during the mission to report what was going on.
The doors slid open and they stepped into the Drivesuit room, cautiously awaiting the Hansens. Herc was the first out of the Conn-Pod, hands balled into fists and a look of cold fury on his face. Andy had seen the older Ranger disgruntled and pissed off, but this was a new level of anger that only heightened his curiosity.
"Herc?" Andy asked tentatively.
Scott followed his older brother out of the Conn-Pod. There was no anger on his face, just deep concern and something like guilt. Before anyone else could speak, Herc swung around and punched Scott in the face. Bianca put her hands over her mouth and even Linden flinched. The two brothers argued and hit each other from time to time, but it was never anything serious. But the blow Herc had just dealt was enough to make Scott reel.
"You're scum," Herc spat.
"It wasn't like that!" Scott exclaimed, rubbing his cheek ruefully.
"I was in your head!" Herc shouted, getting right in his brother's face. "I know exactly what happened, don't try and lie to me."
"Gentlemen!" The Commander entered the Drivesuit room with Julianne on his heels, glaring between the two of them. Herc backed down, taking a step away from his brother. "I want to know what the hell happened out there. Your neural handshake was dropping in and out, Lucky Seven took a more severe hammering than I've ever seen, and we had Warner and Blayne ready for deployment. I need an explanation."
Herc glanced pointedly at Bianca. "Not in front of the kid."
Steven sighed. "Miss Donnell."
Bianca glanced at Andy like he might argue for her to stay, but he shook his head. Whatever had happened here was serious, and it might not be a good idea for his fourteen-year-old sister to hear about it. Clearly displeased, Bianca headed back toward the lift. It was only once the doors had slid closed behind her again that Steven folded his arms, eyes fixed on the Hansens.
"Now. Explain."
Scott stared at his feet. Herc looked shaken.
"I saw something in the Drift that...it threw me off. I had a hard time not letting it distract me, and I know it almost compromised the mission."
"What did you see?" It was Linden, of course, who asked.
Herc fell silent, before glancing at Scott, his mouth twisting in disgust. Andy knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was something Scott had done. But what could Herc's younger brother have done to make him so angry? Herc had seen a lot of things in his life. He'd been forced to abandon his wife to save his son. A chill ran down Andy's spine, knowing how dire the situation was.
"We deserve an explanation too," Linden continued, his expression hardening. "Andy and I were halfway through launch procedures when we were told no don't worry, the Hansens have got it now."
"Ranger?" Steven prompted.
Even the Commander's voice wasn't enough to shake the words out of him. Julianne stepped forward then, and immediately Herc stepped aside to put himself between her and Scott. The doctor looked at him, confused, and the gaze he returned was hard, and pleading. Only when she stepped back again did he start.
"Scott…" Herc struggled with getting the words out. "He sexually assaulted a woman. A few weeks ago."
There was stunned silence. Andy knew that Scott was a notorious womaniser and that he often took flirting too far, but this was beyond what he'd ever thought his fellow Ranger was capable of. He could understand why Herc didn't want Bianca present for this, but the very thought of his sister being around Scott, despite knowing that Scott hadn't touched her…
Andy lunged at him. Scott took a step back, eyes widening. Linden grabbed his co-pilot's arm before Andy could do something he'd regret. Usually Andy was not one to solve things through violence, but knowing what Scott had done made him livid. He understood why Herc had been shaken. He understood why the neural handshake had faltered.
"You're sick," Andy spat.
"Warner, control yourself," Steven said, but he looked stunned at Herc's admission. Beside him, Julianne had covered her mouth with both hands, and looked on the verge of tears. "Herc, Scott, I want you both in my office. Sexual assault is a serious accusation. We don't take misconduct lightly. Doctor Caldwell, I want you there as well."
Shrugging his co-pilot off, Andy headed over to the lift. His hand was shaking as he pressed the button. Linden moved beside him, looking over him with concern.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine." Andy's response was curt. "I just...I know that if anyone did something like that to my sister, I'd…"
"I know you would." Linden smacked his arm. "Hell, I would too. But right now, we need to focus on what happens next. This is a shitstorm waiting to happen."
Andy couldn't help but smile as they stepped into the lift. "Since when were you the one giving me advice?"
Linden smiled too. "Well, since you were the one losing his bloody cool."
Andy took a few deep breaths to ground himself. It's not Bianca, it'll never be Bianca. But the knowledge that Scott could have done that to anyone was enough to make his blood boil. He hoped that the younger Hansen faced severe consequences for his actions. He deserved punishment.
Julianne Caldwell
She didn't know how to feel, not really.
Upon hearing Herc's confession in the Drivesuit Room, all Julianne had felt was shock. Scott was hardly an upstanding citizen, but she never would have accused him of being anything more than an obnoxious flirt. To hear that he had gone further than that…
But Herc wouldn't lie. This was his brother, his co-pilot. To get him tossed out of the PPDC was to essentially end his own career too. What he had seen was not only enough to warrant his anger, but to actually shatter their neural handshake, in the middle of combat no less, and few had one as strong as the Hansens.
And then he had stepped between them, actually afraid of her being anywhere near Scott.
The realization had emptied her of all emotion at that point.
But now, in the Commander's office, as he shouted and Herc shouted and Scott more or less just sat there and took it all, Julianne felt a strange sort of anger welling in her. She felt betrayed; she felt wronged. She felt cold.
She felt that Scott might just melt under her gaze if he turned around to look at her.
"He flirted with me," she thought, her internal voice venomous. "I was alone with him, and he touched me."
Julianne had to close her eyes, suppressing the chill that ran up her spine. She felt utterly disgusting and wanted nothing more than to go home and wash away the filth.
"Doctor Caldwell."
Opening her eyes, Julianne found Steven looking at her sympathetically while Herc appeared to be the very definition of concern. She could see his fists balling up, and noticed how he had once again moved so that he was slightly between her and Scott. The latter was turned slightly in her direction, but knew better than to look directly at her.
"Sir?"
"I asked if you would be...comfortable examining Scott. There will be guards with you, of course, but if you'd like me to get another doctor…"
She looked back and forth between Herc and Steven. "I assume you're trying to keep all this on a need to know basis?"
The Commander nodded. "Until we can make a formal announcement, yes."
"I'll do it then," Julianne replied, ignoring the pained look on Herc's face and the nervous pang in her chest. Anything to keep the PPDC safe.
Things had been utterly silent the entire way to her office. The two guards had been instructed to linger behind so as to not arouse suspicion amongst the personnel who remained in the Shatterdome. There wouldn't be many. After every attack, anyone who was called in got a mandatory eight hour rest before returning to their duties. Still, there would be some.
Despite precautions, the four still looked like a conspicuous group. Scott refused to look up from the floor and Julianne had her arms wrapped tightly around herself, making certain she was as small as possible.
Inside her office, which was blessedly empty, the guards took up positions on either side of Scott as he sat on the examination table. For the most part, she was just treating him for the hit he took from Herc. Under normal conditions, she would have them undress to examine any other contusions or possible lacerations sustained during the fight, but given the circumstances, she wanted nothing to do with that.
There was a cut above Scott's cheekbone. Julianne was attempting to disinfect the wound with a cotton swab, but her hand was shaking as she worked. She noticed him fidget, and then open his mouth as though he was going to speak.
"Don't. Say. Anything." she hissed, the small spark of anger enough to calm her nerves and allow her to finish up. She applied a small butterfly bandage to the wound and declared him good to go.
Scott stood slowly. "I-"
Julianne slapped him before he could utter another syllable. She stared him down, daring him to try again, and only backed away when satisfied he would not.
"Take him back to his room," Julianne ordered, not bothering to watch as Scott was led away.
Only when she was certain the door was closed did she allow a sob to escape her throat. She covered her mouth quickly, not allowing more, even as she felt the tears stinging her eyes. They had to keep this a secret, at least for now, at least until they could get ahead of it.
She couldn't be sure how long she stood there waiting for the emotions to subside, but after a while, it came to her attention that there were incredibly loud sounds coming from outside her office.
Stepping into the hall, the sounds became more distinct, shouting and breaking furniture, and it occurred to Julianne that it was coming from the Kwoon Combat Room. It was down the hall from the Medical Center for obvious reasons.
Half-jogging, Julianne made her way to the room, prying the door open. Inside, Herc Hansen stood at the center of a disaster. Broken equipment, plaster with holes punched in them, busted pipes. Anything that could be damaged easily was and anything that couldn't had broken pieces of something lying near them that indicated there had been an attempt.
Herc turned to face her as she entered, his eyes wide like some wild animal caught in the light. He watched as she slowly shut the door and walked toward him. She did not miss his subtle step back.
"I...I didn't know," he whispered, voice hoarse from shouting. His eyes were red from tears and his mouth trembled. "I never...I never would have let him near you. Never."
"I know," Julianne said gently, stepping closer, but the Ranger would not let her close the gap. "Herc?"
"Don't," he spoke, raising a hand up. "You don't want to come near me."
"Herc, you aren't him."
"Am I? I don't even know anymore," he said, sniffing. "All these years, all those Drifts, I should have seen something, I should have known. Hell, maybe I did and I chose to ignore it. Anything to pilot a Jaeger, right?"
Julianne strode forward. "Herc, that isn't-"
"DON'T!" he shouted, voice booming, echoing in her chest. It froze her on the spot. "Please, Jules, just please. I don't want to hurt you."
She didn't say anything then, choosing to wait. Hansens were good at keeping their anger when they had someone to argue with, but if they were allowed to stew, to wallow in their self pity, eventually it would subside.
Though, she couldn't say that this was a normal case.
Herc wandered the room, looking lost. He was an animal in a cage, looking for a way out he would never find. The door to the hallway wasn't what he wanted. There were people out there he did not want to see. He just wanted out of the Shatterdome, and he couldn't get there.
"Scott was all I had after Angela...after Sydney," Herc said, not looking at her. "I mean, Chuck was there, but he's a kid. He's supposed to rely on his father, not the other way around, but I was useless. Scott was the one who kept us going, who…"
He paused, looking solemn a moment, until his eyes lit up with anger again. Julianne jumped when he grabbed one of the intact bo staffs and all too easily broke it against the concrete column.
Huffing, Herc turned back to her, the look on his face turning to shame as he saw her.
"I'm sorry. I'm…" He fell down on the floor, seemingly unable to hold himself up any longer. "I'm sorry."
Julianne watched him a moment, wiping away tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks. Of all the things Scott had done, this was the most unforgivable to her: utterly breaking a good man.
Herc didn't notice as she walked forward this time, his mind elsewhere, somewhere terrible she assumed. She kneeled next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder; she didn't flinch when he jerked in surprise.
Eyes wide, he looked at her, as if in awe that she was still there.
"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered.
"You won't."
And then she drew him into her arms, the large Ranger feeling no heavier than a child as he leaned against her and cried, wrapping his arms around her form. She ran her hand through his short hair, rubbed small circles into his back, did anything she could to show him that she was there for him, because for once in her life, she had no idea what to do. None of the medical expertise in the world could help this. In his head, Herc was on his own.
"Please don't leave," Herc whispered at some point in the evening, when her legs had lost all feeling and her tears had dried up.
"I won't," she assured him softly. "I'm not going anywhere, Herc."
Bianca Donnell
August 14, 2019
The news that Scott Hansen had been dismissed from the PPDC was circulating through the media like wildfire. Bianca had been shocked when she'd discovered the truth about what had happened - Scott had sexually assaulted a woman. Herc had probably seen it in the Drift, which is what had led to all of the issues the pair had experienced during their Fiji deployment.
For the time being, Herc had no co-pilot. With Striker Eureka arriving in a matter of months, there'd been some discussion about what would happen next. Lucky Seven had been transferred over to the Hong Kong Shatterdome, leaving Vulcan Specter the sole active Australian Jaeger until the Mark 5's arrival.
What was going to happen now? Did that mean it was definitely going to be Andy and Linden piloting the newest Jaeger, and some fresh Rangers getting Vulcan Specter? There had been no word yet, and Linden would have been the first to say something if that was the case. But Linden hadn't been gloating - the severity of what Scott had done meant the mood within the Shatterdome was solemn.
Bianca had spent most of her free time at the Shatterdome. Andy had taken the revelation hard, and she wanted to lend as much moral support as she could. Usually that meant kicking his ass on a gaming console in the rec room, one of the few things Bianca was better at than her older brother.
Today though, her venture to the rec room was intercepted by Max. The bulldog sat outside the door, whining. Bianca knelt down beside him and rubbed his belly when he rolled over. Max wasn't allowed in the rec room due to previous misbehaviour, which he well knew. She laughed as he barked happily.
"No way I'm letting you in there, buddy. Sorry."
As the bulldog was usually accompanied by Herc or Chuck, she cast around for which of them was nearby. Herc had been very busy with interviews and meetings after Scott's dismissal, leading Bianca to believe that it must be Chuck. Despite his graduation from the Jaeger Academy, Chuck was yet to find a co-pilot. It was no secret that Herc and Chuck were going through simulations to test their compatibility, much to Herc's chagrin.
Sure enough, Chuck came striding down the corridor looking for his dog. Raking her glossy black hair out of her eyes, Bianca pushed herself to her feet.
"Hey."
Even Chuck, so full of self-importance, had been startled at the news of what Scott had done. It couldn't have been easy - the guy was his uncle, after all. He'd been a lot more subdued of late, although no less determined to get into a Jaeger at the earliest opportunity. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets, his eyes locking onto Max.
"Hi."
"Um, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. About Scott." Bianca was awkward about this. She didn't know what she could say to make him feel better. Probably nothing, considering they didn't know each other all too well.
"Don't be." Chuck's blue eyes flared with anger, but it wasn't directed at her. "He's a piece of shit and he got exactly what he deserved. Dad's cut off all ties with him. Wouldn't be surprised if they never speak again."
"Oh." Bianca watched Max sniffing at her sneakers.
"I didn't come here to talk about that." Chuck raked a hand through his hair. "I've been keeping it quiet because of everything else happening, but today's my birthday."
"You, keeping something quiet?" Bianca raised her eyebrows, pleased to see that her light-hearted teasing elicited a small smile from Chuck. "Well, happy birthday. Sixteen, right?"
Chuck nodded. "Yeah. Look, I was going to do something small. Just some horror movies in the rec room, if anyone tries to take over the screen I'll get them to piss off. We'll probably start at like 6. Did...did you want to come along?"
Bianca was a bit surprised at the invitation. She had gotten the impression that Chuck wasn't overly fond of her.
"Me?"
"I don't exactly have a heap of friends." Chuck shrugged his shoulders and tried to look nonchalant, but she could tell he was embarrassed to admit it. "Spent most of my time in the Shatterdome since Mum died and PPDC was established. I know I've been a dick, and I'm sorry. With all the shit hitting the fan, I'd just...rather be friends."
Bianca was grateful for his apology, and his attempt to make amends. After Scott's dismissal, it had become clear to Chuck that he had bigger problems than his attitude. She too needed more friends, especially since Chuck was one of the only people in the Shatterdome close to her age. Sure, she didn't live there most of the time like her brother, but with all the free time she spent there, she might as well.
"Apology accepted." She held out her hand for him to shake. He took it. His hand was a lot bigger than hers, and warm. "But, one condition on the movie marathon attendance."
Chuck folded his arms. "Yeah? Try me."
Bianca gestured to the bulldog rolling around at their feet. "We sneak Max in."