A/N: Sorry for the delay on this chapter, everyone. I was in San Diego for Comic-Con though and I got to meet the whole cast of Agents of SHIELD and get photos and autographs and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! I wouldn't have traded that for anything! But now, back to the story!


The mess hall in the Los Angeles Shatterdome was nearly indistinguishable from any other cafeteria Grant had ever been in. It was boisterous, crowded and filled with suspicious aromas. He was able to pick out the marshall only after several minutes searching. Coulson was at a long table with an odd assortment of characters, Grant presumed they were the other Jaeger pilots.

"Aha, Ward," Coulson called out. "I'd like you to meet some people over here."

Grant quickly walked over to the group, some of whom were slowly standing up from their meals.

The marshall was also standing, and began his introductions. "Alright everyone, this is Ranger Grant Ward, formerly of Panama City. He rode Hydra Slingshot with his father, John Garret, until John passed away."

Grant nodded solemnly. "It's good to meet you all," he said.

Coulson pointed out a small blonde woman with a friendly smile and a cheerful, well-dressed man. "Rangers Sharon Carter and Antoine Triplett, pilots of Sequoia Victory. She's is our heavy ordinance Jaeger, armed to the teeth and ready to rumble. She's also our tallest Jaegar, at 90 meters. Had to retrofit a bay just to squeeze her in."

Carter and Triplett both gave Grant hardy handshakes. "Tallest tree in the forest, that's Sequoia," Antoine grinned.

Grant smiled weakly in response. Triplett's comment was likely very well-worn.

"The twins here are Sam and Billy Koenig, Echo Hornet's pilots," the marshall continued. "Keep an eye on these two, they're our resident pranksters. I think they do it just because they can blame each other."

"It works out pretty well," one of the Koenigs replied modestly.

"On the subject of pranksters, this is Clint Barton, he rides Arrow Zulu with… Clint, where's Tasha?" the marshall asked the well-muscled pilot.

"Canteen," Barton replied gruffly, gesturing to the food line.

Grant followed their line of sight, his eyes flying open when they landed on easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was striding towards them, dressed from head to toe in tight black leather with her hips sashaying hypnotically. She was a red-head, with glorious auburn curls bouncing around her shoulders. He was staring, he knew he was, and it took him a moment to realize that Ranger Barton was watching him stare…. with an amused smirk on his face. Grant cleared his throat and gave Barton an apologetic look.

"She's something else," Barton chuckled in unspoken agreement. "That's Natalia Romanova. If she likes you, though, you can call her Natasha."

"And if she doesn't?" Grant asked as she approached.

"Then you can call me Natalia Alianova, or Ranger Romanova," the woman in question responded herself. "I'll let you know."

Marshall Coulson gave one of his quirky smiles. "Well then. Next we have Felix Blake and Akela Amador, they pilot our latest acquisition: Chumash Scorpion."

Grant shook hands with the scrappy older ranger and his young, dark-skinned copilot. "It's a pleasure."

"Likewise," Blake replied. "I'm a fan of your job on Flat-Top, that was tidy work. Chumash isn't quite as fast as Hydra, but I think they're similar. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with the Big Bear. Come on, Akela… say hello."

"You talk more than enough for both of us, Old Man," his partner grumbled. Blake laughed, even though Grant was pretty sure Amador wasn't joking.

Marshall Coulson gestured at two men who had remained seated, eying Grant somewhat suspiciously. "And finally, we have the crew of Jade Deathlok. Jasper Sitwell and Mike Peterson. You'll have to pardon them if they fall asleep into their hash, they just got back from an 18-hour trek up and down the coast. Jade is our scout Jaeger."

Ward raised an eyebrow. "You don't use Jumphawks for patrols, sir?" he asked the Marshall.

"Oh, sure, for the day-to-day," the marshall replied. "Don't think I'm using a 20-billion dollar mech for joy rides, son. But we're on the San Andreas fault here. It gives us some real pain-in-the-ass false alarms sometimes, and I'm not a gambling man. I'd be hard-pressed to explain to the people of Los Angeles why their 6.3 earthquake suddenly stood up out of the ocean and laid waste to Santa Monica. Funny thing about kaiju and earthquakes… they both look pretty much the same under the waves from a helicopter."

The marshall crossed his arms across his chest. "Well, there you have it. The Rangers of Los Angeles Shatterdome…. minus four. I've got two Jaegers out right now, Viper Kilo and Haka Marathon. They'll have to wait until after you're all settled in for intros."

"Uhhh… about that, sir…. I really don't think…."

"Why don't you grab a tray and tuck in?" Coulson continued as though he hadn't heard. "Felix knew John Garrett as well, back in the day. I bet he's got some stories he could share…"

"Oooooooh boy," Felix muttered down at his plate, and Akela poked him in the shoulder.

"…. don't eat anything the Koenigs put on your tray…"

"HEY!" came twin cries of objection.

"…. and unless you want to wake up to your Jaeger painted purple, try not to make any more goo-goo eyes at Barton's wife…"

"We only did that the once, Phil," Natasha pouted.

"Feel free to goo-goo at Romanova's husband, though," Clint said simultaneously as he curled a powerful bicep, eliciting laughter from the other pilots.

"Marshall," Ward attempted to interject, "please, can I have a private word with you?"

"… after supper, get one of the lodging officers to put you into quarters. We have a lot of empty bunks so I figured you could take your pick of views…"

"Marshall Coulson!" Ward hissed, drawing several bemused looks from the other rangers.

Coulson gave him an inquisitive look. "Yes, Ranger Ward?" he asked mildly.

"Sir," Grant said in a low voice. "I've already spoken to Skye. It's clear that we both agree, it's unlikely we woulAAAAAAUUUGH DAMMIT!" he broke off suddenly, clutching at his chest.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Coulson.

Grant's expression was furious as he opened his jacket and pulled out a little black cat. He brought the kitten up to eye level and gave it a flat stare. "Dammit, Buddy!" he scowled. "You spiked me! What did I say about behaving yourself in there?" The cat responded by thunderously purring.

"Ranger Ward," a Koenig said softly, "did you have a cat in your coat, or am I hallucinating?"

"It's Skye's," he protested. "Or rather, she made me take it. Animals shouldn't be in the Mess Hall but I was in a hurry to get here, I didn't know where else to…. OW! BUDDY. STOP IT!"

The rangers were watching in various stages of disbelief, except for Barton, who was shaking with laughter.

"You're alright, Ward," Clint chuckled. "I had some friends in Panama City warn me you were a real tight-ass, and I just couldn't imagine how you would ever synch up with FitzSimmons and Skye. But if you're a Jaeger pilot strutting around with a kitty stuffed in his suit and interrupting the marshall….? Well. You and Skye were probably made for each other. Welcome to Los Angeles."

The other rangers began nodding in agreement, and Grant's mouth fell open. "No, no…" he started to protest, but he was drowned out as his fellow pilots rose from their seats, trays clattering. They surrounded him, raining hearty back-pats, handshakes and warm words of greetings upon him.

"Glad that's all decided, then," Marshall Coulson smiled genially. "Take the rest of the day to settle in, Grant. I'll see you in the Drivesuit Room at 08:00 tomorrow for a test run, got that? I want the Pharos of Ventura put the three of you through your paces."