Author's Note: ...well, this is Chapter Three! ....waaaaaaaaay overdue, sorry about that. Anyways! Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: STARCRAFT is the property of BLIZZARD. Grim Reaper, Valkyrie, and any other original characters are property of me.
"Yes sir, I'll get right on it."
The image of Jim Raynor on the view screen flickers, but his laugh comes through clearly. "What did I tell you about calling me 'sir'? There is no formal titles here, just a bunch of 'terrorists and traitors'."
The man dressed in a black uniform, with Night-/Infrared-Vision goggles resting on his forehead nods and smiles. "I'm sorry si- I mean, Mr. Ra-...I mean...Jim... It's just that I've been in a formal military for so long that it's part of my blood."
Raynor nods, "Well, just keep at your job, and if you can't fix that little speech impediment, then we'll just have to use electroshock therapy." Raynor laughs, "I'm just pulling your leg....that reminds me. We've finished assessing your skills and potential for mass destruction," he chuckles at his little joke, then continues, "and have deemed you fully capable for the first mission we have for you. Along with your formal inductance into this little 'band', is your codename, which will be your name from now until you decide to leave our group."
The man nods, "Thank you si- Jim."
Raynor smirks "That's it, keep up the good work. I'm sending the files with your new identity to you now."
There is a beep on his monitor, and he presses the flashing button, bringing up the files on the screen. "Yes, I got them here."
"Good, I would suggest you memorize those files better than the back of your hand."
"I will, Jim....oh, what's this freckle on the back of my hand? I've never seen this before!"
They both get a good laugh out of that, "I'll see you during de-briefing, Agent. Raynor out." The screen beeps and goes black while the Ghost pores over the data files, committing everything into memory. He smirks when he reads his new code-name. "Heh, Grim Reaper...I like the sound of that"
He finishes reading the files, strips down, and climbs into his cot, pulling the sheets up to his ears. "Lights off." The entire room goes black as the computer complies with his order.
Grim sighs, tomorrow's gonna be a long day, he can feel it. He closes his eyes, empties his mind of everything, and, seconds later, is fast asleep.
He awakes the next morning to the sounds of nothing. He yawns and stretches out his arms, then rolls over and falls out of bed, as usual. He climbs to his feet, and stretches, then turns around to get his clothes from the closet.
What was unusual is that a woman, dressed the same way he is....or at least, he would be, if he was wearing any clothes, is sitting on the chair, looking at him.
Grim, being the calm, logical type of guy, immediately lets out a yelp of surprise and horror, then leaps into the closet, slamming the door closed behind him. The woman makes a stifled snort, obviously holding in her laughter. "Relax Commander, I've already seen you, so what's the point hiding it now?"
Grim steps out of the closet, fully dressed, complete with Night-/IR-Goggles on his forehead. "Because, I don't know you, and you are an intruder."
The woman laughs. "I'm Valkyrie, your partner for this mission. Didn't you read the data files?" Grim sighs, "Yeah, I did, but I thought I would meet my partner when we launched, not in my bedroom! And I had no idea that he was gonna be a she...Valkyrie, isn't that an Old Earth name?"
Valkyrie smiles and nods, "Yes, your one of the few to recognize it. It's Norse, and the Valkyries were the beautiful goddesses that chose who was to die, who was to live, and who was to go to Valhalla, the Norse Heaven."
Grim thinks, and nods, "A very interesting history...it looks like it suits you." He smiles, and offers his hand to her. "Grim Reaper, at your service. You obviously know what the Grim Reaper is, I assume?"
Valkyrie nods, hiding the trace of a blush by looking down, pretending to adjust a part of her suit. "Thank you....Grim Reaper? Well, if your record has anything to say, then I know that it suits you." She smiles, and takes his hand, using it to pull herself upright. "But it is I that is at your service, you're the Commanding Officer on this mission, I'm just a lowly Corporal."
After a small smile, that even he doesn't know why he did it, Grim looks to the door. "I think we should be moving out, the transport won't wait forever." Valkyrie nods, "Yes sir, I'll just get my things, and meet you at Hanger Bay 5-Alpha." She tosses him a casual salute, and walks out, purposefully making her butt sway just enough to hypnotize the man.
Grim blinks, shakes his head, and slaps himself after she's left. "Get your head on straight, she's your team-mate, so stop thinking about things like that!" He mutters to himself, "Great, first sign your going insane: You start talking to yourself." "Then shut up, idiot."
The hangar bay looked like you would expect a hangar to be, except for the minor detail that instead of a launch bay, you just simply fly out the airlock into space. It is the second-largest hangar in the flying base called The Rusty Hammer. The Rusty Hammer is such an old model of Battlecruiser that it doesn't even have a Yamato Cannon, and has to rely on its immense hangars to spew forth clouds of Wraiths to defend it.
Grim enters the hangar by way of the high-speed omni-directional elevator, called jokingly the HiSOD by the crew. He looks out over the hangar, nearly filled to the brim with bought, stolen, scrounged, or otherwise acquired Wraiths, and old Dropships that should have been retired years ago, and are only holding together by she amazing skill of the base's mechanics...and maybe a bit of duct tape.
Standing beside one of the better-condition Dropships, performing a last-minute weapons inspection, is Valkyrie. Now that Grim has one, he takes that opportunity to perform an inspection of his own. He flicks down his multi-function goggles, and zooms in the scope. His team-mate shakes her head in annoyance at her gun, sending her silky blonde hair to sweep along her shoulders. She is built like the goddess Aphrodite, if a goddess carried a C-10 gun, numerous side-arms, and several unarmed combat awards.
Valkyrie suddenly stiffens slightly, and looks around, then directly at him, then smiles and waves. Grim mutters a curse under his breath, and flips up the goggles, and walks to the ladder leading down into the hangar pit. He doesn't bother to step down, he just grabs the guide rails with his hands, braces with his feet, and slides the 25 feet to the floor. He hops off at the last second, and walks calmly up to the Dropship. As he approaches, Valkyrie slaps together her gun, and stands up in attention. Grim smiles and tosses a casual salute. "Ignore the formalities; there are only two of us on this mission."
"Alright then, shall we get on our way then?" Grim nods to her, and gestures to the Dropship with a sweeping gesture. "Ladies first." Valkyrie laughs, and climbs into the ship, followed closely by Grim. They secure their 'luggage' and then there is a knock on the hull. Grim opens the doors, and two Dhopship pilots hop inside and head for the cockpit. The female pilot smiles at him, "Don't worry handsome, we two practically built this ship, we'll get you two to your target."
Grim smirks, "Thank you, pilot....Saunders. I appreciate it." He glances over at Valkyrie, who quickly abolishes the expression of annoyance. Once the pilots are sealed in their cockpit, Grim turns to her. "Is something wrong?" She snorts, "Fly-girls, all they think about is sex." Grim bursts out laughing, and has to clamp his bio-filter mask over his mouth and nose to contain it.
The com-system crackles to life, along with the rest of the ship, and the male pilot's voice echoes through the cargo hold. "Strap yourselves in nice and tight, we just got clearance, and we have a schedule to keep!"
To be continued...