As usual I own nothing you might recogize
The infirmary looked like any doctor's office might. There was a waiting room right as you walked in the door, and a hallway lead to the examination rooms where Ren and Sasha were currently being looked over. Beyond those rooms, past a set of double doors, lay the emergency rooms where surgeries and quarantines could be held. They had everything required to halt an outbreak of Kaiju Blue should it reach the base, thanks to Minori and Dr. Kazan sharing notes. The good doctor had to put medical research on hold, however, as he was not only the head of the medical staff but also chief doctor for the Jaeger pilots. Anytime they got hurt, or sick, or apparently beat the piss out of one another, he had to come running with his box of bandages. He shone a light up Sasha's nose and studied how the bone had bent before letting out a sigh.
"So, judging by the bruising on the foreheads of the both of you, neither of you remembered how to punch during the fight. Gotta be a special kind of mad at each other to just start swinging your heads at one another. Mind if I ask what started it?" Kazan mumbled, leaning back and shutting the light off in order to look Sasha in the eyes. The intensity of the glare she gave him suggested that she did in fact mind.
"Right. Focus on medicine." He replied, voice sluggish and disinterested despite the speed with which he backed away from Sasha.
He slid across the room in his desk chair towards the drawers and cabinets which held basic first aid items, things you generally needed for quick fixes. Ren watched him carefully from the corner of the room, having refused the suggestion to take a seat. Sasha couldn't help but also notice the savage's tendency to glance over at the closed door. It made Sasha nervous, thinking one of Ren's psychotic friends was going to come busting in any second for round two. She knew Aleksis and Nikita were in the waiting room, but for some reason the paranoia crept into her mind anyway. Sasha chalked it up to the fact that she had just gotten into a head-butting contest with a wild animal.
When Dr. Kazan rolled back he had a fresh pair of nose plugs as well as some weird looking piece of plastic, which was the only thing the doctor handed to Sasha. "Bite down on this. I'm going to pop your nose back into place, then give you the plugs as it will probably restart the nosebleed for a bit. I can also schedule you for surgery if you find any issues with your nose afterwards, such as nose whistles or loss of previous sexual appeal. Same goes for you, Ren, though I'm going to be pissed off at the both of you if you go busting your noses up afterwards." Dr. Kazan said, glancing at Ren who merely gave a thumbs up in reply before looking at the door again.
Sasha also shot the door a quick glance, letting out a quick growl when nothing happened. She disliked mind games.
She placed the plastic in her mouth and found after a bit of maneuvering that it conformed to the shape of her mouth fairly easily. The material had a fair amount of give, a fact Sasha tested as she turned her head back around and clenched her jaw in preparation for the pain of resetting her nose. Dr. Kazan gave no warning before his hand gripped the bridge of Sasha's nose, the other lightly held her chin in place, and before Sasha could properly brace herself she felt the searing pain of bone grinding against bone until they snapped back into place. She grunted and closed her eyes, wincing from the sudden pain until the swell of sensation ebbed away and her thoughts were able to again focus themselves within a few seconds. A few shakes of the head were all it took to rid herself of the discomfort before she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw as her vision refocused was Kazan reaching out to insert the nose plugs, the one hand still holding her chin in place.
As he worked Sasha couldn't help but to look over at Ren, the one whose forehead had brought her here, and her eyes widened as she saw Ren's hand move away from her face, smiling as blood began to trickle over her smiling lips.
"I'm surprised you didn't ask for anesthetic first with as much as the doctor has to baby you for something so simple. Maybe you're not worth my attention after all if you gotta have medical professionals pop your nose back for you. Pathetic." Ren taunted, flipping Sasha off as she headed for the door, though she stopped in her tracks as it began to open. Neither Aleksis nor Nikita should have reason to barge in here and they were the only people who would know they were there. Despite all of that, there stood Sam in the doorway grinning like an idiot, holding a form in her hands.
"Well well, look what I snatched off of Petya's desk. Notice of medical attention with both of your names in giant black letters right at the top. You see kids, when the nurse went to fetch the good doctor here, another one filled out these forms on your behalf because our commander wants to know when and why you idiots get hurt. Though I suppose since I took these, the only copies of the forms, he won't know unless I put them back, huh?" The secretary explained, smile widening as she looked from Sasha to Ren, winking to hammer home the fact that she held the woman's freedom in her hands right now.
"Just so happens I need you guys to do something for me that I doubt any of you would want to do. I'd rather not resort to blackmail though, so how about this. You both agree not to get into any more fights in the base and I rip these up right now, and I bribe you with favors for the other thing. Sound good?" She asked, looking Ren in the eye before ripping the forms in half and crumpling them up in her grip, tossing the paper ball into the trash bin next to Kazan. Ren blinked a few times in surprise, not used to people giving up leverage against her like that. She usually had to break their fingers first. She wasn't sure yet if she should feel relieved or not.
"Now, I cleared this with Petya after training this morning. The long and short of it is that no one knows anything about you guys and a lot of their tax money went into building your jaegers. We have an obligation to keep the people on our side, and since you haven't killed any Kaiju yet that means making you four beloved public figures so we keep getting funded. I've booked you an interview on a talk show in Moscow tomorrow, but we leave in a few hours so you can make rehearsals and have some time to yourselves. That means no training tonight, which buys jelly legs some time to rest up for round two. You two interested?"
As much as they despised one another, Sasha and Ren couldn't help but to look to one another for confirmation that they hadn't just imagined things. Neither spoke, looking from one another to Samantha again in the expectations of getting more information before they agreed to anything. Samantha sighed slightly in annoyance.
"I get that it's kind of sudden but it's not complicated. I started ironing this out your first day here after the whole… incident… with the news not knowing about the Bravo team. Petya got caught up in his whole macho guy routine during training today and forgot that there was no training tonight. I wanted to surprise you guys," Sam said, looking off to the side as she spoke. Sasha smirked a bit, recognizing the body language, and gave a slight nod.
"I assume you've already gotten our co-pilots in on this anyway, so there's not much point in arguing is there?" Sasha said calmly, at which point Ren let out a laugh.
"I know for a fucking fact Nikita didn't agree. If he said anything it probably hinged on my agreeing, right?" She asked, crossing her arms as she locked eyes with Sam. The communications officer snickered slightly before shaking her head.
"You two call the shots on your teams so why the hell would I go to the guys first? Leverage? Please, I'm not that ass backwards as to think their decisions have any effect on you. Aleksis wouldn't agree to anything Sasha wouldn't on general principle, but Nikita risks opening Pandora's Box if he goes against his big sister, right?" Sam shot back, which got another laugh out of Ren. This girl had a mouth on her but she was right.
"So, you two in?"
"You mentioned bribes when you first strolled in here. What do I get for putting up with this shit? A pat on the back and the feeling of a job well done? Because that shit won't fly with me." Ren said, shifting her weight from one leg to another as she studied Sam.
As much as Ren enjoyed getting things for easy work, this was a test as well. She was curious how much pull this bitch had around here and the kind of things she could arrange if she wanted. It'd influence how much of a fight Ren put up the next time they had to do something she thought was a pain in the ass. Sasha's only contribution to the conversation was raising an eyebrow, a sign she was also curious about compensation. Samantha smiled, crossing her own arms now.
"Sasha, I'm a click away from ordering in a King sized bed, sturdy wooden frame and your choice of a few types of mattresses. A little better for cuddling then pushing your twin beds together. Ren, I'm flying Vera up to the base once we're back from Moscow. That enough incentive to play dress up for some cameras for a day?"
Sasha smiled at hearing about the bed, that having been an issue the past few nights. The couple couldn't find a comfortable spot that didn't involve a part of Aleksis hanging off of the bed somewhere. There were even more issues when they weren't trying to go to sleep. Ren was quiet for a few moments before responding to Sam, looking as though she were fuming at the news, staring at the ground with her fists clenched.
"You won't survive lying to me. That's a promise I can keep if you can't keep yours. Got that?" Ren growled through grit teeth, angling her head up just enough to lock eyes with Samantha. The communications officer's smile faded from her face, looking serious for once, before nodding.
"I'm a bitch, not suicidal. I got her number from Nikita the day you arrived as I was looking for bribe material and heard you two were close. If you don't believe me, ask him." Sam replied, calm as she stood her ground.
The answer seemed to satisfy Ren, her posture straightening and the intensity in her eyes dying back down. Sasha relaxed her body as well once she realized she wasn't going to have to start round two with that savage. With everything calm again, Dr. Kazan let out a fake cough to remind the ladies that he was still in the room. Sam let out a chuckle when no one bothered to turn their heads around. Sasha and Ren were too well trained to forget someone was in the room regardless of their own emotional states.
"Right. Well luckily for you three there's such a thing as doctor and patient confidentiality. At least I think this kind of thing is covered by that. Either way my conscience will be clear if the boss-man asks me why a bed and a strange woman are arriving at the base at the same time. He may think it's his birthday." The doctor said, smirking as he stood, gathering a few papers before shuffling his way towards the door.
"We'll talk about what you want to do with your nasal structures when you get back from Moscow, if in fact you want to do anything at all. Oh, and if you do decide to kill each other again, wait until you're on camera. Shit like that is why I own a DVR. Take care, and if you need any pain medication be sure to let a nurse know. A nurse, not me." With that last little quip he eased past Samantha and turned a corner, heading for his room to catch back up on his sleep. Samantha watched him, shaking her head as she grinned. He was another face around Vladivostok that she actually enjoyed seeing, using each other as sparring partners for sarcasm when they weren't busy with something or other.
"Alright, go get packed up for the trip then. We'll be going wheels up in three hours." Samantha said, winking as she turned and made her exit as well. She skipped past Nikita and Aleksis on the way out, the Cherno pilot shaking his head gently as he watched Sam go before looking back down at yesterday's newspaper.
"I believe we agreed to something just now, my friend," Aleksis said under his breath, getting only a nod out of Nikita as he studied something on the screen of his phone. Aleksis had noticed that was the man's default position when Ren was not around him, and based on the arguments first thing in the morning he probably stayed on his laptop often in their room as well. Aleksis wasn't sure what he did that required so much of his time, but the longer Nikita looked at his phone the more tired he seemed to look.
"If you aren't careful you'll stare a hole through the screen. Couldn't find a replacement for your old job?"
The question managed to get Nikita's attention, his eyes briefly glancing at his unwanted conversational partner before looking back down.
"There's not exactly a temp office for my line of work, not that my boss would allow it if there were. So I'm multi-tasking, which is stressful enough without talking."
Aleksis nodded in reply, taking the hint as he resumed reading an article about the measures being taken at the Breach to predict Kaiju attacks. They talked a lot about the new technology being advanced for the cause, some of which inspired the Serizawa scale, but the issue the article danced around was that until the next Kaiju emerged, none of that technology could be properly tested. That was the one thing Aleksis was scared of most concerning the Kaiju: humanity had to adapt as they were attacked by these monsters, which meant necessary casualties to ensure fewer the next time. After the third Kaiju humanity managed to find the Breach, and attempted to blow it out of the water. The nuclear strike bounced off like it was a fly. That failure formed two camps around the globe: those that favored the Jaeger Program, and those that believed an Anti-Kaiju Wall could keep the monsters out. Karloff's death put a lot of folks in the Jaeger camp.
Aleksis didn't get to finish the article, Sasha and Ren walking into the waiting room not long after Samantha left. Aleksis was not surprised by the open hostility between the two as they argued with one another.
"And what the hell do you mean by an ape in human clothes, huh? Because I know you ain't fucking talking to me! You're the one that fucks the shaved gorilla over there!" Ren spat, getting a smirk out of Sasha.
"I mean a savage like you is just going to humiliate themselves once the cameras start rolling. It doesn't involve hitting things or screaming like some kind of wild animal, which are the only things you seem capable of." Sasha replied calmly, obviously enjoying herself as she wound up Ren like a toy.
Aleksis shook his head in disapproval before standing, folding the newspaper before tucking it under his arm. Nikita stood as well, putting his phone away as he approached Ren, wedging himself between her and Sasha before they came to blows.
"So, dear sister, what did Samantha rope us into?" He asked politely, trying to draw Ren's attention away from her rival. It took a bit for the tactic to work, but after giving Sasha the finger and calling her a bitch one last time, Ren grabbed her brother by the collar and dragged him away, leaving Sasha and Aleksis alone in the waiting room. The disapproval had yet to leave the gorilla's face as he looked to his partner, at which she only shrugged.
"I know, I know, I shouldn't poke the animal with a stick, but it's like watching a dog snarl at its own tail. I get to insult someone I don't like, then I'm entertained by her responses." Sasha explained, getting a sigh out of Aleksis.
"And then occasionally she gets under your skin as well. You can't lie and tell me you weren't just thinking of one-upping Ren during the simulation earlier. And what happened when you tried? You acted worse than she did and failed the simulation because you had to 'win' against someone that's supposed to be your ally. You're better than that," Aleksis shot back, Sasha's eyes wide with surprise at the retort. The big guy stood his ground though, locking eyes with Sasha to show he was serious, and Sasha's narrowing in response.
"I didn't see you trying to take charge during that simulation either! We failed because Cherno is slow and that Kaiju was fast, not because of me and some imaginary fixation you think I have on that bitch!" Sasha yelled, storming off to punctuate her sentence. Aleksis growled in frustration, the newspaper crushed in his grip now as he left the waiting room and several stunned nurses behind.
Samantha had chosen to leave out several key details; one was the method of travel, which was a private jet generously loaned to the Shatterdome by the news studio hosting the interview, and the other was that the flight was going to be fourteen hours. Normally not that big of a deal, but it meant Ren and Sasha would be in a metal tube together for a very long time with nothing to do but sit near one another. Aleksis was already annoyed with how antagonistic Sasha was choosing to be right now, and he knew Ren would not be able to help herself given her proximity to her trigger. Luckily he had a good pair of headphones and three books he'd been meaning to catch up on. If Sasha wanted Ren and herself to look like walking piles of hamburger on national television, well that was her decision. He'd be well rested and relaxed. At least one person out of the group ought to be. When it came time for the trip, however, it seemed everyone had the same idea as Aleksis. Nikita had a laptop with him, Ren held Nikita's phone along with a pair of ear buds, while Sasha carried a book's worth of cd's and a busted up cd player with her onto the jet.
As they boarded, Sasha and Aleksis' eyes widened as they got a look at the interior of the plane. Rather than rows of seats there were couches lining the walls, touch screens on platforms at every arm rest, and a table in the center for their meals. This was a luxury liner, something millionaires got to see, not former prison guards. Ren let out a laugh when she saw the duo stop at the entrance, elbowing her brother in the side gently to get his attention.
"You'd think they never saw a fucking couch before. Jesus Christ, they might shit their pants when they see the sleeping cabins." She scoffed, gaining her an intense glare from Sasha before the Cherno pilot stormed inside, dragging Aleksis with her. She didn't let go until they were towards the back of the plane, with Ren and Nikita grinning as they plopped down on the couch nearest to the door.
Nikita immediately plugged in the charger for his laptop and began working while Ren plopped down beside him, using him as a backrest as she stretched her legs out on the rest of the couch. She had to admit the interior did look fairly nice, if very dull; everything looked beige except for the bright white walls. Ren got the feeling they changed out the furniture so that the barbaric jaeger pilots wouldn't ruin their finish. They hadn't even began the preps for takeoff yet and already Ren hated the guts of whoever owned the plane.
"Thinking about how they probably changed out the furniture?" Nikita asked nonchalantly, looking over emails as Ren studied the interior. Ren gently elbowed her brother in the side to tell him to shut up, which got a smile out of him.
"Your heart beats faster when you get upset. If you don't want me in your head, try resting on the couch and not me." He quipped, Ren responding by wriggling backwards so that she was putting more pressure on Nikita's side.
"The couch isn't warm, so get over it Nikki. Or would you prefer it if I were Minori? Eh, Nikki-kun?" Ren mocked, laughing when Nikita's heart sped up in response. "God you're pathetic. You gonna speak up about this one or 'bide your time' like you are with Anya? Though you might have competition for the schoolgirl's attention." Ren said, her cynicism lifting with every word. Nikita simply sighed and nudged Ren with his elbow to tell her to shut up.
"If you're done teasing, I actually would like your opinion on something. You remember the Rykov Family, yes? Specifically the young upstart named Konstantin?"
"That the one that robbed one of our banks a few years back?"
"The same. As it happens, he's decided to leave the Rykov family to start his own, I assume tired of failing to kill his brothers to get control of the family. He's gaining a following of punk kids and anarchists looking to shed blood, but no one so far with the skills to be a threat. My only concern is that he's operating closer and closer to our territory. Do you think the potential backlash from the Rykovs would be worth doing some rat extermination?"
Ren sat quietly for a bit, mulling some of the details over in her head for a bit before finally replying.
"Do you have, or have the means to acquire, evidence that Konstantin tried to kill one of the Rykov triplets?"
"Nothing the Rykovs wouldn't dismiss as falsified, but I like where your mind is going," Nikita replied, smiling gently as Ren resumed plotting. She was far better at handling underworld politics than a lot of people gave her credit for. Nikita tended to ask for her advice fairly often when handling delicate situations.
"Then you're going to have to bait him. He needs money and credibility if he wants to do more than be a slumlord, so offer up the chance. Get some of our people into his fold, and dangle fresh meat in his face. Ensure the job goes bad for him and he'll be surrounded on all sides. If it happens deep in our turf, then you can claim you were protecting your own assets, not declaring war on the Rykovs. If our family is still as large as I recall, then they shouldn't retaliate. You could also pay another small gang to take him out. Don't tell them who he is, and let the Rykovs kill a nuisance of yours off in one stroke. I'm sure you can manage to erase any trails leading back to you using that method." Ren explained, a smile spreading on her face as she turned a bit to look at her brother. He returned the look, smiling as well as he began typing again.
"As usual, your suggestions are devious but efficient. I'll start hammering out some details with Anya and get to work on this little problem," Nikita replied, still ginning as he began typing up the email. If everything went smoothly, Konstantin would be dead by the time Nikita stepped foot back on Vladivostok. If not, then the day after.
The musing was interrupted as Samantha boarded the plane, smiling and whistling as she toted a laptop in one arm and a suitcase in the other. The sight of the luggage was a bit odd, the other's bags being loaded onto a separate part of the plane, but Samantha wasn't one to follow social cues.
"Oh look, the four of you are sitting on opposite ends of the plane. Such a shock." Samantha said in an unenthused monotone, looking over at Nikita before playfully punching him in the shoulder. "At least I got a business buddy. You don't mind if I do some work over here with you, do you Jelly Legs?" She asked, perk filling her voice. Nikita grunted in response, not thrilled at the new nickname he'd picked up from this morning.
"You may work near me if you must, but I can't guarantee I will reciprocate your delightful levels of enthusiasm if you do much more than that. I would suggest, if I may be so bold, that you sit closer to Ren. She finds you leagues more amusing than I probably ever will." Nikita replied, his gruff voice dripping in sarcasm as he spoke through a fake smile.
"Sorry, didn't realize you were both incapable of completing a simulation without becoming paraplegic or being civil. Guess Ren got all of the useful skills in the family" Samantha shot back, spitting on Nikita's designer shoes before stomping off to sit beside of Ren, throwing her suitcase down and plopping the laptop down on the table before her.
"Can you believe that asshole? I mean seriously, if I wanted to be talked down to like that I'd call my mom. Jesus H. Christ," Samantha said rather loudly, glaring over at Nikita until she'd said her peace before turning to face Ren, who was dying from laughter at the whole exchange.
She couldn't tell if Nikita was just being a grump again or if this was secretly about the cute little Japanese girl, but Sam's reaction to it was priceless. Nikita rolled his eyes and she couldn't tell if Nikita was just being a grump again or if this was secretly about the cute little Japanese girl, but Sam's reaction to it was priceless. Easing up off of her brother, Ren scooted her way to sit nearer to Samantha, studying the woman as she aggressively threw open her laptop. She had to be wearing three coats for her normally small frame to be that round and the honey colored hair she typically kept up in a bun was covered up by a really thick wool toboggan. Must be hot as hell in California or wherever if she has to bundle up this much to keep warm. Ren had on a thick military coat and insulated pants and the only thing keeping her head warm was a knockoff baseball cap and a scarf. She felt like she'd melt if she ever set foot in California.
"Don't mind Nikki, he's just stressed out from his second job. Sending kittens to little orphan girls and building soup kitchens all over the fucking place," Ren said sarcastically, folding her arms and leaning back into the couch to resume relaxing. "He can be an asshole sometimes when he has a lot on his mind, but try not to hold it against him. So, you taking a vacation with us or are you our publicist now?"
Samantha barely looked up from her laptop, still upset over Nikita's comments earlier, but the corners of her mouth gently lifted when she was called a publicist.
"Correction, I'm your manager. No way I'd be your publicist with as 'cable friendly' as you are. I'm just making sure you guys don't get wasted or something before you go on TV and deal with the suits that are flying us out there. Afterwards though you can get as plastered as you want before we fly back. I know I will be."
The reply got a chuckle out of Ren, gently popping Samantha in the shoulder with the back of her fist to get her attention.
"You buy my drinks and I'll talk all civil like for ya."
Samantha let out a laugh, "I get the feeling the fines would be cheaper. No offense or anything but you seem like you can handle a lot of alcohol."
"None taken, seeing as you're right. I can stay on my feet after a few bottles of the hard shit. Anytime I got bored in the states I'd go to a bar all dressed up and let guys try to get me drunk. I'd be feeling a good buzz and they'd be tripping over their own damn feet. Pussies," Ren smirked.
"Whoa whoa whoa, you were in the states? Please god tell me it wasn't Cali."
"Nah, New York. I'd melt if I went too far south. Hell even the summers up there felt like a fucking oven. Stayed there three years. Fun place if you know where to poke around. Studied Muay Thai while I was there, among other things. Lotta dojos in the Asian parts of the city."
"I bet. Mind if I ask why you're so into that stuff? Based on the million dollar suits your brother owns you were born into or have access to a lot of cash. Why focus so much on beating the hell out of people?" Samantha asked, a sincere look on her face. It was an odd expression on her, like she'd never quite practiced it enough for it to look right, but it still caused Ren to hesitate as she looked at her. The question stirred up a lot of buried things deep in her soul.
"It's not exactly like it's a fucking hobby of mine, so mind your own goddamn business." Ren barked, causing Samantha to jump in her seat.
"Ren doesn't like talking about herself. If she feels like sharing, she will," Nikita spoke up, not looking up from his work as he spoke. Ren shot him a look but didn't argue what he'd said, prompting Samantha to nod slightly before looking to her own laptop again. The point had been made very clear.
The flight had been brutal even with distractions and taking advantage of the sleeping quarters on the jet, but the group had finally touched down in the Russian capital of Moscow. Samantha was the first off of the jet, phone to her ear as she talked to people from the television studio to figure out where the hell they were supposed to go from here, followed by Ren and Nikita, and Sasha and Aleksis bringing up the rear. Aleksis' mouth was agape as he looked out at the skyline beyond the airport, having never seen buildings that tall growing up. His gaze was broken when Sasha's shoulder brushed by him, his partner calmly looking up at him.
"If certain locals see you staring like that they'll run off with your wallet. I'm not going to buy you dinner just because you couldn't help playing tourist." She said harshly, but her expression softened shortly after, "But I will to say sorry for snapping at you before. The savage does get under my skin a bit more than I'd like… and apparently so does people I care about pointing it out to me."
Before Sasha could blink she was lifted off of the ground by Aleksis, who'd responded to the apology with a tight bear hug, swinging her feet about as though she were a doll.
"Sasha, I'm so sorry I said those things! I shouldn't have raised my voice at you like that over something so trivial! I never want to miss you when you're sitting right beside of me again!" He said into her shoulder as he continued hugging her, Sasha barely managing to ease an arm out of his grip in order to pat him on the back.
"We both were upset my love, but if you don't let me go I think I'm going to pass out soon."
The big guy immediately let go, allowing Sasha to land gracefully onto her feet once again before she let herself cough from the chest compression. She'd anticipated the hug when she'd made up her mind to apologize, but she had yet to fully understand how emotional Aleksis could get over things… like minor disagreements in the heat of the moment. She couldn't help but to smile though, as soon as she caught her breath, as she saw the wonder in his eyes as he looked back to the skyline. He was such a child. She was jealous.
By the time the group walked twenty feet from the jet, a white limousine rolled up to meet them, slowing to a stop as soon as they fully blocked off what would be the group's path. Nikita frowned as he watched this, not fond of the tinted windows or the amount of time it was taking for whomever was in the vehicle to show themselves as the limo idled. This wasn't the base anymore and he had many, many enemies in Moscow alone that would love to see him in a puddle of his own fluids. The only thing that kept him from feeling more than uncomfortable was Ren's presence nearby, and the switchblade she had hidden in her pocket. Ren was feeling it too, her hands shoved into her pockets as she stepped up and stood slightly ahead of her brother. Sasha and Aleksis simply watched, their only involvement being to grab Samantha by the shoulder and encourage her to stay close to them by dragging her back. A glare from Sasha quelled the protest that had nearly escaped the woman's throat. Nikita's fears were confirmed when his cellphone began to vibrate within his pocket, ignoring the caller id on the screen as he slipped the phone from his pocket and put it to his ear, still glaring at the limousine as he answered, though said nothing. There was no need.
"Sir, it's me in the vehicle, though I'm sure you recognize who it belongs to."
The voice was Anya's. Nikita wasn't sure if this was a good sign or not.
"He heard about the interview… and your appearance as a pilot and not a communications officer. He wishes to talk to you. Just you."
Nikita sighed softly before pressing a button atop the phone to end the call, shaking his head before looking to Ren. As if the effort were coordinated, as soon as he locked eyes with his sister the door of the limousine opened, with Anya stepping out.
"Father wishes to speak with me. I'll meet you at the studio soon, okay?" He said calmly, making a visual effort not to show emotion. Ren saw past it immediately.
"What the fuck did you do?" she demanded, but received only a hug in reply before Nikita walked towards the limo, Anya holding the door open for him, looking out at Ren for a brief moment.
"The studio is sending a van to pick you up. It will be a minute more before it makes it through security. He will join you in time for the interview itself." She stated, nodding once before vanishing back into the limo, the vehicle slowly rolled away. Ren was visibly upset by all of it, as was Samantha.
"What the hell?! I'm supposed to keep you guys together until-"
"SHUT UP! Sam, I like you and I get the feeling we could be friends, but I will fucking gut you if you say another goddamn thing right now. In fact, no one say a fucking thing to me till Nikita comes back unless you want me to carve my responses into your fucking foreheads. Got it?!" Ren screamed, looking ready to attack the next person to try to speak to her. Sasha simply stared at her, rolling her shoulders once to limber up before stepping away from Samantha and Aleksis.
"Calm down. Now. I will not hesitate to break your arms and legs to keep you from hurting anyone just because you can't handle your own emotions," Sasha demanded, her police training taking over now. Ren growled back at her, moving closer as Sasha stood her ground. Neither broke eye contact.
"What the fuck do you know about any of this shit, huh? You don't know my father or what the hell he's capable of!"
"I know that if Nikita isn't back as he promised he would be I'll help you track down everyone responsible. Acting like a raving lunatic isn't going to do anything to help you, but I might if you calm down," Sasha replied, voice calm but solid. Ren simply looked at her, unable to figure out if what Sasha had just said should make her angry or not, so Sasha tested the waters by stepping closer. Ren held her ground but didn't attack either.
"I lost my sister to… I lost my sister. No one should go through that kind of pain, not even you. And if someone does take your brother away, or hurts him… I can't think of anything scarier than the both of us gunning for them. Can you?" She asked. Ren actually cracked a smile as her breathing calmed down, though she still looked unhinged. It was a start.
"Only thing I can think of is us hopping in Bravo to do it. We'd be drift compatible enough to stomp on a building, right?" Ren replied, this time getting a smile out of Sasha.
"Like we'd need a jaeger to bring a building down around someone's ears. We could just get Alexis to blow on it," She replied, which had the entire group laughing in response. Apparently Sasha had taken Alexis' advice to heart and was trying to make nice with Ren, or at least say and do things that weren't just to piss the woman off. It was a start, at least. Sasha had diffused this situation, but Alexis couldn't shake the worry off of his shoulders. He hoped Nikita was alright, wherever he was.
Sorry for the long wait, but fear not! I am back with another chapter and am working hard on the next installment as I type this. Literally everyone at my work has been going on vacation or getting sick lately, which has eaten up a lot of my motivation to edit and write, but much like the mighty saiyan the abuse only makes me stronger! I'll try to not take long for the next update, but I'm confident that the next one will not be nearly as long as the wait for this one. Thanks for reading and for your patience, friends!
