Prez glared at Avril.
Avril stared back, a single eyebrow raised, arms crossed.
Prez kept glaring, slowly crossing her own arms.
Avril checked her nails, looking for any grease and grime that happened to be under them. Gently picking away at anything she found.
Prez felt her right eye begin to twitch. Grimacing as it did, her patience was quickly breaking.
Avril smiled slightly.
Tabloid came around the corner from the tarmac, a question on his lips. He paused at the sight of the current staring contest.
Nodded once.
And turned back around, heading out the way he came.
Prez took a deep breath, putting her palms together, her steepled fingers placed just in front of her mouth. "So…" She sighed. "Let me get this straight." She moved her hands down slightly, palms still pressed together, but now pointed at Avril.
She grinned slightly. "Yessss?"
"You…want to give Trigger…an AOA limiter?"
"No, no, no." The mechanic grinned even more, waving a hand apologetically.
Prez tilted her head. "Oh? No? Okay so the-"
"I want to give you and Trigger an AOA limiter."
"What…" She was pretty sure she just heard something inside her brain shatter.
"You know…an Angle Of Attack limiter? Makes it easier to perform post stall maneuvers?"
"I know what it is! I just want to know why you want to give Trigger one! It's bad enough the moves he pulls sometimes. Hell I got G-locked when we fought Mister X, and he didn't have an AOA for that! So why the hell would you want to give him an AOA now?"
Avril smirked. "Well that is a good question." She limped over to a nearby clipboard. "I knew this was going to happen with either you, or the dumbass himself. So I wrote down a list." She picked up the clipboard, slowly spun around before leaning against the wall. "So, reason number one…" She tapped the clipboard. "Peacekeepers."
"Ahhhhh…yeah…that." She groaned. "Thats a really damn good reason."
"Right?! I was watching the old gun cam footage from your first engagement with peacekeepers, Crimson of course, and I noticed they were pulling off PSM's waaaaaay to fast. Like that F-22 you were chasing? Guy pulled a super tight turn while going at almost the same speed as you. So I knew it had to be an AOA."
"Alright…reason number Two?"
"Less flare usage. Though, this would be a ramshackle version of an AOA honestly. If I can get it to actually work. It would have a downside though…"
"Which is?"
"You can't use your flares and the AOA at the same time. You would have to make the choice to switch between the two. Well…maybe switch, again, I dunno how well this would work."
"Right…Ramshackle." Prez frowned deeply. "I'm getting more and more worried each time you say 'Maybe', you keep this up, and I might have a heart attack."
Avril smiled. "Ooo, yeah, sorry. It's kinda tough to explain honestly. I'm trying my best here, but it's tough, I'm not like you." Her smile slowly shifted into a frown as she looked at the ground slightly.
"Not like me? What'da mean by that?" She tilted her head.
"You…you're a hell of a woman Prez…you're a pilot, an engineer, a fighter too. Yet you are so fucking kind." She chuckles lightly. "Trigger's damn lucky."
"I…Umm…eh?" She tilts her head the other way, trying to hide the blush that was quickly forming.
"And me? I'm…I don't even know." Avril sighed deeply, running a hand through her black hair. "I never knew what I was going to be. Or what I wanted to do for a living. I just had a simple dream. I wanted to fly! I wanted to touch that deep dark blue sky!" She pointed straight up. "I wanted to be there forever, to do what I could up there and make the world a better place. I had hopes yes, I had dreams too, but now? Now I'm just a queen of the scrap yard." She lightly kicked an empty box. "I don't think I'll ever be anything more than that honestly."
"Woah, woah, woah! What?! The hell are you talking about Avril?" She quickly walked up, placing a hand on the mechanic's shoulder. "You do absolutely amazing things with planes girl. I could never do half the stuff that you manage to pull."
"Pffft, yeah right, I bet you're just saying that to be modest."
Prez gave her a complete deadpan look.
"What? I'm no one special, really I'm…just…me?"
"Uh huh…so, Avril…what's this?" She points to the Wyvern.
"A plane?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Nooooo! Avril!" She glared slightly, motioning to the plane once more. "This…this beautiful plane, is a custom made, X-o Two S, Strike Wyvern with custom tuned engines, a custom ESM suite, advanced targeting system, and so so much more, hell you're even wanting to put in an AOA module!" She threw her hands up into the air. "And you! You beautiful fool! You did all of that by yourself! And that isn't even the first one? Come on girl! Give yourself some credit! You are amazing! Seriously!" She moved closer to Avril, hugging her from the side, looking at her friend for a moment before freezing.
Avril was blushing. Honest to god, red in the face, blushing. With a big happy smile on her face. "Oh…alright…" She sighed, pulling Prez into a full hug. "Fine, you win."
She chuckled as she returned the hug, sighing happily. "Good…cuz look…we're going to get out of this. When we do, we'll figure out the next step together we're friends right?"
"Of course!" She looked almost insulted at the question, as if any doubt was poison. "You're honestly one of the best friends I've had! I…I never had many in the past…and my grandfather's war buddies were more like…"
"Extra grandparents?"
"Yeah, yeah they were." She chuckled. "God, I'm going to miss those days…" Her smile stood strong. "Alright, so, once we're out of here…you got a plan?"
Prez shrugged slightly, breaking away from the hug. "Sorta, I'm more thinking we'll have to wait and see what happens when we get out and what opportunities present themselves first you know?"
"That doesn't seem like you, isn't Trigger usually the one who's flying by the seat of his pants?"
"Look, I'm not perfect either. Plus, I…I never felt like I ever belonged anywhere, and yet I feel like I belong with you guys…So damn it all I'm going to make sure we stick together as much as possible."
"What? You? Confident, doesn't take any shit, super awesome Prez?" She shook her head. "No way! I honestly can't believe that you wouldn't feel like you belonged."
"It's true you dork!" She gently punched Avril's shoulder. "I never did, I went through highschool always being the odd one out, all the other girls were into boys, gossip, what new clothes were popular, and it was just gossip, gossip, gossip. All the boys were into sports, whatever new movie or badass tv show that was out, or…worse of all, girls." She scoffed. "Me though? I didn't want to deal with school, I wanted to go out and work on a plane, I wanted to talk to people about the mechanics of a jet engine and the physics of wing shapes. I wanted to go out and play football in the park. Or hell! Baseball!"
"You do seem like a football kinda gal…gunna be honest, I can totally see you tackling some guy twice your size to the ground."
"Oh…No no, the Osean version sucks." She sticks out her tongue.
Avril just rolls her eyes, chucking as she did. "Annnnd everything doesn't makes sense now, but please, continue."
"Look, either way, I ended highschool with no friends, barely passing grades, and no idea what college to even look into. Hell I didn't even know if I wanted to go to college! And my family was pressing down on my neck about what I should do next. Blah, Blah, Blah." She huffs. "So…I went and joined the engineering corps as a mechanic."
"Wait what…You were a part of the IUN?!"
"Mhmmm…spent a whole year doing that." A frown slowly covers her face. "And once more…I didn't feel like I fit in…no one wanted to talk to me…everyone thought I was too high energy, too loud, or just weird."
"I mean…you're high energy, but so are like…most people. Extroverts and introverts are a thing for a reason, right? That seems like a really stupid reason to be an ass to you."
"Yeah…" She pouts, sighing as she does. "Well, that didn't stop them, needless to say, the IUN and I didn't get along when, I went AWOL, got into some other trouble, and started looking for work with mercenary groups. Thats when Sicario found me."
"And things got better?"
Prez shrugged. "Mostly yeah, people weren't constant assholes. It wasn't perfect, I was seen as the new blood, but I felt like I fit in. There were people like me, who didn't know where they were going, working from contract to contract until they had enough to comfortably settle down. But it was fun honestly, I even flew a few combat sorties on my own."
Avril smiled brightly at that. "Oh? In what?"
"A ratty old Saab Thirty Seven. They only let me fly it twice though…"
"Didn't do enough?"
"Nah, Did to much collateral damage, Monarch was sick that day." She chuckled, stating it as if everything had been explained. "They gave me a bunch of missiles and wanted me to run attacks on ground targets. Some enemy planes got in the way…so I…smacked them outa the sky. Literally actually, I was out of missiles and my gun was jammed, so…I kinda rammed the Saab into them."
Avril choaked on air. "You did what?"
"Look it was either that or they would have shot me down!" She waved her hands in front of her. Trying her best to defend her rather, insane decision. "Of course they crashed into a friendly ammo dump when they hit the ground…" Galaxy's shocked face when they got the numbers for the damages was hilarious.
Avril raised an eyebrow. "So…what does this have to do with an AOA. Last I checked you can't even get an official AOA on a Saab."
Prez rolls her eyes. "It's not, I'm just supporting you, thats all. You're a really good friend, and you're so damn smart it blows my mind. Like hell, I bet you could get an AOA working on that old Saab with no issues."
Avril tilted her head slightly, "So…what is your issue with AOA's then?"
"I…Well…it's not…" She sighed deeply. "It's not just the AOA, like…yeah I don't want to vomit my guts out again, cuz that was not fun last time." She put both palms on top of each other while facing down, then pushed them out in front of her. Then pointed up with her right finger, before curling it slightly.
"Wait what do you mean last time?"
"What did I just say!?" She glared at the mechanic for half a second.
She squinted slightly. "I dunno…someone keeps hanging out with her unofficial boyfriend to much and doesn't realize when she's signing something."
"Oh…Sorr-" She felt the blush creeping up her face. "Boyfriend?!" She waved her hands in front of her. "No, no, no, no! We're not doing that! I'm still trying to process the crush I have on him!" She groaned.
"Alright, alright, I'll lay off…"
"Oh thank God I didn't wa-"
"If you tell me the real reason why you're so against the AOA." Avril grinned.
Prez hissed slightly. "Tsk….fine…" she took a deep breath. "It's because of Monarch."
"Your old pilot?"
She nodded. "Yeah…the more upgrades he got to his plane, the less and less he talked to me. The less he talked to me, the less I saw of Hitman Team. The AOA was the last upgrade installed on his plane, after that, he just, stopped talking to me." She frowned deeply.
Her mind flashed back to watching Monarch run test flights of his new modified F-22. He had installed an AOA limiter just that morning…
Well no, that's not right.
She installed the AOA limiter that morning, without even a single thank you.
She growled at the thought, she had worked her butt off for hours on end throughout the night, hoping that he would be somewhat impressed. But he just looked at her, nodded, and hopped into the cockpit.
Avril squinted slightly, but left it alone.
The man was insane went it came to his F-22, he kept flipping the plane on such a tight axis she was afraid the wings would rip right off! Falling to the ground with a satisfying crunch as the plane spun wildly out of control. But no, no, that didn't happen at all. Instead the man decided to do a flip every minute or so just try drive her crazy or something. It was like watching a racing anime where the main character had the ability to drift their car perfectly on a dime every single time and they did it on every single turn!
Needless to say, she was glad she never got into a plane with an AOA limiter with Monarch, or she would have been vomiting up her guts for the next hour. Oh that was another thing she would have to worry about in the future. What the hell happened to Sicario?
What the hell happened to Hitman team?
"What happened to Monarch?" She frowned more. He just…stopped interacting with her at all, he started keeping his helmet on at all times too, so she wasn't able to get a read on her. He didn't know sign language, at least from what she could tell. This wasn't the first time this had bothered her and she was sure it wouldn't be the last, but she just couldn't let it go with it bothering her so so much. She just wanted answers.
"Hey…" Avril put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, sit down." She led them over to a crate of sidewinders, having them take a seat on it.
Prez raised an eyebrow at that, scoffing. "You sure that's the safest place to sit?"
Avril rolled her eyes. "They aren't armed, just the boosters, just sit down." She pushed Prez down, gently, then sat next to her. "Look…if you want to reconnect with Monarch and Sicario in the future, I don't blame you, nor will I stop you."
"I…I dunno about that.." She nervously scratched at her cheek.
"Okay, cool, take time to think about it at some point. From what I can tell, they just kinda drifted away. That happens sometimes in life. There's nothing you can do to stop it, usually because it's to late to tell what's going on. And by the time it does, there is nothing you can do. If you get the chance to and you want to reconnect with them, go ahead and try. I cannot make any promises though. You'll just have to see what happens. Okay?"
"Huh…you seem…rather well versed in this…"
"I had experience…in…highschool, I did have a small friend group, but right after highschool, they all just, ghosted me. I tried to reconnect with them a few times." She sighed deeply. "But no one ever answered my messages. So, eventually I just had to accept that they might have moved on with their lives, they might be too busy with life, who knows?" She chuckled lightly. "The same might be going on with Hitman, they might not have even known what they were doing and how much it hurt you."
That got Prez to freeze up, she looked up at her friend in shock. "W-wait…what?" She had never thought of that…everything seemed so…personal, but…it could be that they were just busy. But…that just made her angry. "I…" She clenched her fists tightly, causing her knuckles to pop.
She felt a squeeze on her shoulder. "Hey…" Avril rubbed her back gently. "It's okay…it's okay to be mad or feel hurt. They did hurt you, and it's going to have to be something they'll have to understand and apologize for, but you might have to let them know that you were hurt by what they did first. And I'm not going to lie, it's going to be tough."
"I…I dunno if I want to go through all of that honestly." She grimaced.
"Again, it's going to be up to you Prez. You don't have to decide now, we're kinda in a shithole, so…I don't think anyone will blame you for not having the time to figure it out. And if they do…tell me who, I'll give the dumbasses a good talking to."
She giggled. "Avril, I get the feeling that when you say 'A good talking to' a wrench is included in that talk somewhere."
"Whaaaaat no." She chuckled. "It'd be a very civil conversation."
"Oh yeah, totaaaaally civil." She nudged the mechanic gently. "Look…I'll think about the AOA just…give me some time to talk to Trigger about it first and we'll see what he says."
"Yeah, that sounds good…You wanna go check up on him again?"
She shook her head. "No, no…I've been checking on him too much, we should probably get back to work honestly."
"Right, Right, break time is over." Avril stretched her bad leg and slowly stood up. "Well who knows, maybe he'll be feeling good enough to be released when we're done."
Prez smiled brightly. "Yeah…that would be really nice actually." She missed him honestly, and she really wanted another hug. Just like what she got before.
Trigger felt someone tapping at his shoulder, a single gentle poke every few seconds.
He was tired…he just wanted to sleep. A nap was all he wanted, and someone just didn't want to leave him alone.
The pokes started to have more and more force behind them.
He growled. "No…" He really just wanted to be left alone, get better, then go and meet up with Prez. She might need help with the Wyvern after all. And…God help him he really enjoyed just, being with her.
"Awww come on Bud, I'm sure the illustrious Mage Two can spare an old friend some time, right?" She chuckled slightly.
Trigger froze, he knew that voice, he would recognize it anywhere, his eyes shot open, as he looked towards the figure next to him.
He was at Fort Grays again, in a lawn chair, on the grass just outside of his hanger. The figure crouched down next to him however, confirmed everything. The casual worn t-shirt hidden underneath a half zipped flight suit. The long hair pulled back into a ponytail. The controlled smile. "Brownie?"
She scoffed. "Who else you dork?" She tapped his nose as she placed a beer in his lap, then sat down on the grass next to him. "You've somehow managed to keep this place a secret from everyone else. No matter how badly hidden it is."
"But…you…I…" He kept his mouth shut, this was a weird dream, a really, really weird dream, but he couldn't stop the smile that graced his lips. "You said that last time."
"I say it everytime I come here." She pauses, looking up slightly. "Or everytime I came here?" She sips her beer with a shrug. "Either way, you didn't really try to ever hide this spot did you?"
He shook his head, picking up the beer he was given. "No…Not really." You could see it whenever you came in to land at Fort Grey's. Part of him wondered if the chair was still there honestly. It survived the bombing, it was always there when he came back from sorties, it was His spot. No one except Brownie knew about it. Part of him hoped it would stay that way. But he knew that chances were slim. He still wanted his chair back though, good lawn chairs were hard to come by.
"I dunno how she does it…"
He paused mid sip, his head snapping in the direction of the voice.
Brownie was leaning towards him slightly, squinting at him in deep thought. Her mouth moving slightly as she barely spoke in a whisper.
"Who?" He squinted back.
"Oh please, you know exactly who I'm talking about." She scoffed again, sipping her beer, then making a sour face. "Bleh…why did we have to be out in the middle of nowhere? The beer is always so cheap!"
He chuckled at that. "You always were picky about your beer." He had a feeling he knew who she was talking about, but she was gone before he met Prez. Then again…Weird dream, right?
She rolled her eyes at him. "Look, I would kill for a good stout, you know it, I know it. We both know it, I'm picky about my beer yes, but for good reason."
"Oooooh you were so pissed at Clown, that one time he broke into your stash. I think that was the only time I heard you cuss."
"Well he deserved it, the bastard stole my nice booze." She smiled slightly.
He laughed, the memory of the entirety of Golem Squadron trying to hold her back as she chased down his flight lead. Clown had asked for help, he said no. The shock on his face was priceless.
He heard the scream of rage far off in the distance, Clown screaming for help, footsteps pounding against the black tarmac as Clown ran away.
The shock on his face when he died…that was terrifying.
Trigger sighed deeply, his gut twisting into knots. "Fuck…"
Brownie's face scrunched up in worry. "Hey, whats eating at you?"
"He's dead…"
She raised an eyebrow. "Okay? And…"
And what? There's not much else to say to that…he's dead, Clown is gone. After all the hurt, the anger, the lashing out, the pain…All he could feel was guilt and regret. Clown was willing to kill Prez…to kill him! And what did he do? He sat there, frozen, he wasn't even able to pull the trigger himself.
"Hey, you gotta talk to me Trigger, I'm not Prez." She chuckled, a forced smile hiding the worry.
"Wait…how do you…" He squinted slightly, she didn't know Prez, hell back then he didn't even know Prez. What kind of dream was this?
"Hey, Hey! No changing the subject!" Brownie poked him in his side.
"Eeep!" He squeaked and glared at her.
"See, as I said, I'm not Prez, she doesn't know how ticklish you are." She smiled again, an actual smile this time.
He shook his head. "You better not tell her then." He grinned. "Also didn't you just get mad at me for changing the subject?"
"I did, but I was counting on you remembering to stay on topic, glad to see I can still count on you." Her smile faltered, "Look…Trigger. Both Clown and Knocker made their decision out there. So did that airship crew. So do not beat yourself up over it. Prez said it best, someone wasn't going home." She looked out across the grass, to the bay, watching as the sun got lower and lower. "I know in the end, you'll make the decision that's best for you." She grinned slightly. "Though I have to say, with what's coming, what decision will you make?"
He squinted at her slightly. "The fuck you mean by that?"
"Oooooh? Fishing for answers Mage Two? Or is it Three Strikes now?" Her grin widened. "All I'm saying is this, I joined the Peacekeepers because I wanted to look out for people, to make sure there wasn't a war that would tear apart families and friendships. I didn't even get to try that, I just fought in a war, and probably tore apart a family or two, and someone probably won't ever see their friend again…like you." She looked to him, frowning slightly. "So if the peacekeepers are fighting in the war…who's going to end it?" She took a large gulp of her beer. "Remember that…okay? It'll help you out, I promise." She took a deep breath before staring out towards the sunset.
He nodded slowly, looking back out over the bay as well.
Time passed as it always used to, utter quiet other than the occasional plane. The two shared a joke or two, quiet laughter echoing over the grass.
Eventually, Trigger took a deep breath and looked at Brownie. "Hey…"
"Hmm? Whats up Bud?" She smiled.
"I…I know this is just a dream…and…I know it's too late to say…but…I'm sorry." He felt his lip wobble. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I'm sorry I couldn't be there as your wingman. I know now…there is nothing I could do, I was too far away." He took another shaky breath as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Fuck…I miss you so much Brownie. You were such a good friend to me, and I just let you down."
She frowned at that. Slowly standing up and moving closer. "Hey…no, no, no." She leaned down and pulled him into a hug.
Right in that moment. Even though he knew it was a dream, he knew it wasn't real, but right now, he could hug his best friend, one last time. He wrapped his arms around her, and broke. Tears just kept flowing, and flowing, he took gasping breaths as he sobbed.
"It's okay…" She held him there, rubbing his shoulder slightly. "I swear to God it is okay. You do not need to apologize. There's nothing you could have done. Trust me I kept thinking about what I could have done differently until the last moment. But I put my trust in Knocker, and left. You did what you had to…and saved as many people as you could. So many other people would have died if you weren't there Trigger. I hope you realize that."
"But…I…"
"No, you didn't fail me at all. You're my best friend, you always will be buddy." She pulled back, taking a seat on the side of the lawn chair, but keeping a hand on his shoulder. "Nothing will change that. I promise." She smiled at him.
He nodded quickly in return, slowly calming down. It meant so much to him, to know he didn't fail his fallen friend.
"Plus, I don't have to worry about that spot being taken completely over." She gently shook his shoulder. "I know Prez is a little more important to you than just a friend."
He blushed brightly. "Sorry what?" He chuckled lightly, wiping away the final tears from his face.
"Oh don't give me that!" She gently shoved him, using her free hand to pick up her beer bottle. "I know how important she is to you." She waggled her eyebrows. "Honestly, I think she'd be good for you dude." She took a sip of her drink.
He looked away, trying to hide the blush and goofy smile on his face. "I…I don't think she see's me that way Brownie…"
She sucked in a breath, turning her head and spitting out her drink into the grass. "What! Bud! What the hell?! You're joking right?" She looks back at him in shock. "Seriously?"
"Look it's not like I have a crush on her or anything like that we're just fri-" He paused. Something in his brain ate at him, not letting him finish the sentence. He opened his mouth a few times to try and finish the lie, but, he couldn't. It was like the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't think of them.
The sun disappeared under the horizon, the sky's bright oranges and purples slowly fading away to blackness, filled to the brim with starlight.
He looked up at the sky, and smiled. "She would love to see this…"
Brownie raised an eyebrow. "Oh really now?" She grinned, "You see the stars…and Prez is the first thing you think of?"
He blushed. "I-" He heard laughter, bright, cheerful laughter. "Prez?" He turned around, fast as he could.
The hanger behind him, his old hanger at Fort Grey's, was open, light pouring out into the darkness. He watched as two figures walked out, the shorter one pulling the taller by their hand, leading them out onto the tarmac until they were away from the light. They looked up at the stars in awe, hands interlinked.
He squinted slightly, they…seemed so familiar? The taller one had dirty blonde hair, it was disheveled looking like it hadn't been cut in a little while, he had…his eyes widened. It was him…that meant…He looked to the shorter one.
Prez.
It was the two of them.
On that day, when they had looked up at the stars for hours, Prez telling him about Mars, the warmth he felt holding her hand. The absolutely adorable excited smile she had on, it was breathtaking. She was…
He remembered turning away from the medics to go back and hug her, he felt…so safe and warm.
Why did he go and hug her…after they just got back? He needed to go to the infirmary, he was suffering from a bit of blood loss, he was dizzy, in pain, and so much more…but he just had to hug her. In that one moment…he needed to hug Prez…He had to hold her, his WSO, his Pr-
"Oh…Ohhhhhh no…" In that single moment…he realized he had a bit more than just small crush.
"Oh my god…"
He jumped slightly, looking back to Brownie. She was grinning ear to ear. "Oh no…"
"Oh YES! You just figured out how big of a crush you have on her!" She giggled. "Oh my god this is amazing, wait till Champ hears about this. I'm never letting this go, I hope you know that."
"Wait…what?"
"What? You think I'm going to just let you sweep that under the rug? Nah bud, sorry, as I said, I am never letting that one go." She smiled in pure excitement, shaking her fists in front of her. "This is amazing! God I wish I could be there, though I know you're going to need time to process all of this, right?"
He groaned deeply. "Fuuuuuuck me…" She was right, she was always right when it came down to this kind of stuff.
"Language sir." She jabbed him in the side again.
"Ah!" He chuckled. "Fine, Fine." He rolled his eyes.
She smirked at him and chugged the last of her beer. "Look, I'm happy for you…you're going through a total shit show I know. But you can make it. You can do it. I promise you buddy. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, you'll make it, there may be other tunnels after that, but I know you'll make it through those too." She smiles at him. "Stick with Prez and your friends, they'll have your back."
He smiles at his old friend, "God I miss you." he chuckled. "You always knew what to say to stop me from feeling down."
She smiled back. "Hey…I'm just trying to be a good friend. Plus, Prez needed you…and you needed Prez. She'll always have your back dude."
"I know she does…"
The base intercom crackled to life, making an announcement of sorts.
Trigger strained to hear it, but he found he couldn't understand it.
The other version of Him looked around, then turned to Prez, pulling her away, back into the hanger.
Brownie frowned, "Damn it…" She placed her empty bottle next to him, just like always, he was the one who threw away the bottles. "That's my call, I gotta go." She gave him a quick side hug.
He returned the hug quickly. "Go?"
She broke away, zipping up her flight suit as she stood up. "Mhmmm, I don't regret this at all though. I finally got what I wanted."
"What…" He tilted his head. "What did you want?"
Brownie took a deep breath. "To have one last happy moment with my best friend. Goodbye Trigger…It was a hell of a time, but I wouldn't trade it for anything honestly." She smiled brightly once more, the usual seriousness gone. "I miss you too, but we'll see each other again, I promise." She gave him a mock salute, and turned, walking back towards the hangers.
An F/A-18F was sitting on the tarmac, all ready to take off.
He quickly stood up. "Brownie!"
She paused, turning around quickly. "Hmmm?"
"Goodbye…" He returned the mock salute. "I'll…see you on the other side then?"
She grinned. "Oh absolutely! Wouldn't have it any other way buddy! Take care of yourself okay!" She started walking backwards. "Oh! And if you get the chance, swat that Mister X bastard outa the sky for me? It'll be a nice going away present!" She waved to him.
Trigger smiled as well. "Oh absolutely." He chuckled. "I'll be sure to! You take care of yourself as well okay?"
She nodded. "I will dude…" She wiped away another tear. "Damn it…I'm going to miss you Trigger."
His eyes widened slightly. "I'm sorry did you just cuss twice in under a few seconds?" He laughed.
She gasped. "No! You didn't hear a thing!"
"Oh I am never letting this go!"
"Drat!" She laughed as well, still walking backwards. "You better not! I expect to hear all the stories of Three Strikes! From both you and Prez!" She waved, "See you again later Trigger!"
He waved back. "See you on the other side Brownie…"
She turned around, walking over to her F/A-18. She climbed into the cockpit, pulled on her helmet, and closed the canopy.
He walked over to the edge of the grass, flashing a thumbs up.
She returned it with another smile, then kicked the engine to life, starting her taxi.
He watched as she went through all the normal motions, and took off into the starlit sky, sipping the last forth of his beer as he did. Brownie's Super Hornet slowly disappeared into the distance. He took a deep breath, chuckling lightly.
It was one hell of a dream…wasn't it?
He took a gentle breath through his nose as consciousness returned. But, it wasn't as if he had woken up, it felt more like…time had passed.
"Huh…" He realized all at once that whatever that dream was, it was something he remembered completely. "What the hell?" He blinked away the sleep from his eyes as he whispered to himself, smacking his lips at the dryness in his throat, waiting until his eyes focused on the ceiling. It wasn't the first time he'd woken up in an infirmary, and it wouldn't be his last. However…He turned his head to the right.
Nothing on the table to the side.
Trigger groaned deeply. Every, single, time, no one leaves him anything to drink. Honestly he should have expected it, in the end, this was a prison, not a hospital. So why would they leave even just a small glass of water? Or hell, even have a call button? It really was just a bunch of bullshit. Why were they even here? Who approved McKinsey's absolutely insane idea? Wouldn't it have been better to take people who were already in the OADF for these missions? It wasn't like they had it any different. He was a solider for the IUN, even if it seemed like years and years ago. Even then he accepted that one day he might have to do something to put others before himself, be it an almost suicidal mission, or having to take a bullet for his squad. But why civilians too? It just didn't ma-
A loud snore filled the room.
He sat up quickly, hissing as his muscles ached. Scanning the room for anything or anyone else who might be in here. There was no one he could see…
Another snore echoed through the room.
Trigger paused, then took in a deep breath as he realized that there was a place that he hadn't looked. He slowly turned to his left, and in the exact opposite location of where he had first looked was Count. Sleeping soundly in a small office chair. "Of course…" Well at least he could get some water now. "Hey Count." He kept his voice soft, trying not to agitate his throat any further.
Nothing.
He rolled his eyes, of course Count was a heavy sleeper. "Count…" He raised his voice a bit more, glaring slightly.
Nothing again.
He hissed. Of all the god damn people to be a heavy sleeper. "Come on Count, wake up." He reached over to shake the fraudster, and missed. He was just out of reach.
Of course, no reaction at all.
"Count! Come on!" He raised his voice more, just below a shout.
Nothing again.
He made a note to tell Prez about this, mostly because he knew that Prez would be here if she wasn't busy with something else. "Count wake up damn it!"
Nothing.
He sighed, grabbed the pillow his head had been on a few minutes earlier, and chucked it right at Count's head.
Wap
The sudden impact and motion caused Count to snap awake, loose his balance, and fall over with a yelp. The chair clattered to the floor with a bang. He groaned, shaking his head a bit, then looked up and glared. "What the hell, Trigger!?"
"You weren't waking up…" He glared back, growling slightly.
"Well same goes to you!" He slowly picked himself off the ground. "Fuck man, you scared the shit outa me."
"You did too."
"How?! I was asleep!" Count pouted, glaring more than before.
"You snored…really, really, loudly."
"Huh…" The glare disappeared. "Note to self…do not ever have to wake up Trigger."
"That's good advice." He grinned. "They keeping me here long?"
"Nah, they told me to get us both out of here the moment you woke up. You know, prisoners and all that."
Trigger frowned. "Ah…of course, the usual bullshit." He slowly pulled himself out of the bed, finding that he was in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Strangely, the sweats had the 444 base emblem along with a spade printed on the hip. "What the…"
"I know right! Apparently we have actual official clothing and gear. Prez said she found some dress uniforms too. Whatever that looks like is beyond my need to care." He shrugged. "But, Prez did grab a pair of sweats for everyone and hid it in their lockers, so that's a win. Either way, come on." Count held out a hand, offering to help.
Trigger eyed it carefully with a slight smile, taking the offered hand gently, and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. "Thank you." He shivered slightly as his feet made contact with the chilling concrete floor.
"Don't mention it." He smiled back, then pouted. "Seriously, don't, if people start talking about how I helped you out and watched over you while you slept my reputation is ruined."
"Pffft." Small chuckles filled the room. "Oh my god, sorry, sorry!"
"Trigger! I am dead serious here!" He hissed, trying to get the ace to be quiet.
"Sorry!" He giggled a little. "I know you are, it's just…funny."
"Why!?"
"Never seen you look so serious, just doesn't fit with the usual image I get of you." He suppressed a laugh. "You're a good guy Count, I hope you know that." He took a step and winced, his injury ached, but he took the next step. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
"You saying you like having me around as your rival?" He chuckled, the usual bravado returning in full.
"Yes, and as a friend." He kept walking slowly, getting used to the feeling of walking again.
Count froze at that. "Friend?"
Trigger made it to the door, then glanced back at Count. "Yeah, not like there was any question about that was there?"
"I thought so…" He sighed. "I…don't really know how to be me dude. I don't even know who I am, so I thought you just saw me as some asshole fraud?"
"Nah, you've proven you're a good dude way to often, plus you're a fun guy, now come on." He motioned for the other pilot to follow. "I need to get to the locker room, these floors are fucking freezing." He shivered a little as the cold concrete stung his bare feet. "Some water would be nice too honestly."
"Wait you're just going to say that? Just like that?"
"Yes!" He waved his hands in exasperation. "Talking is confusing! You try giving some grandiose speech in my shoes sometime! It's tough, plus, less talking means less of my feet freezing to the floor."
Count smiled, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Yeah, yeah that's a fair point." He moved towards Trigger, "Come on, lets see if we can get you that water you wanted too."
"Oh that would be amazing." His throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper, but that didn't stop the smile that grew across his face.
"Also if you're expecting me to do a heartfelt reveal of my past hardships, stop, we're not doing that at all."
"Awwww man…" Trigger pouted. "And I had this whole supportive speech all set and ready to go."
Count rolled his eyes as he fought back a growing grin. "Shut your face you dumbass."
Finding water proved to be easier than finding his boots, but Trigger finally found himself with a full canteen, his flight suit zipped up, along with warm socks in his boots. It really was cruel that such simple things had become pure bliss to him and the other members of Spare Squadron. It shocked him really, it had only been two months since he was arrested, and yet, it felt like years. "Hey, Count." He turned towards his fellow pilot as they walked.
"Hmm? What?"
"How long have you been here anyways?"
Count frowned deeply. "Hey, I thought I said I wasn't doing a heartfelt reveal."
Trigger sighed, pointing to himself then flattening his palm to tap his forehead a few times. "Look, It's not like that, I just want to test something, I know I've been here…two months? But it feels way longer."
"Ah…yeah, you're not the only one. I've been here threeish months I think? I honestly don't know. Full Band says it's all the solitary time, messes with your head." He scoffs. "He said that Osea has considered making it illegal a few times, as the mental damage it can cause is staggering." He freezes up, stoping mid step. "Of course, that didn't stop anyone here from making it the favored punishment, did it?" He looked at Trigger.
"No…I guess it didn't." He kept walking with a sigh.
"Hmmm…well we'll have to see what happens in the end. I'm sure some heroic aces of the recent war can push for some changes in the way Osea is run, right?" Count smiled as he started to follow him.
"Really?" He snorted. "You wanna be a politician after this?"
"I mean who's to say I'm not perfect for the job already! It seems that all most of them do is lie, cheat, and steal. That's what I was doing before this, add on the war hero aspect and I'll be good to go."
"Huh…" He opened his mouth to argue, but really couldn't find any point to make about it. He didn't really like politics anyways, it wasn't his exact cup of tea, and people always got so heated about it now a-days. So he had to admit, Count probably would have made a good politician. So, he shrugged and continued walking.
As they turned the corner into the Strike Wyvern's hanger they paused as they were met with a strange sight.
Prez, Tabloid, and Avril sitting in front of a whiteboard. Whispering back and forth about…something. While their voices were quiet, their actions were wide and wild.
Prez currently had her hands in her face, shaking her head quickly.
Tabloid had his hands out, putting up an x of sorts with both palms flat, shock on his face.
Avril was grinning wildly, her hand outstretched to Prez like something out of a old play, whispering something to her friend, laying on a bit of sarcasm.
"What the fuck are you three doing?" Count raised an eyebrow at their actions.
Trigger noticed that the whiteboard had his Tac-name on it.
Avril quickly turned around, flipping the whiteboard to the blank side as she did. "Nothing!" Her eyes widened slightly, and she smirked "Hey Trigger! Buddy! Pal! Glad to have you back! Look I wanted to ask, how would you like a-" Prez's elbow slammed into Avril's stomach, she gasped and staggered back as the wind was knocked out of her.
"A?" He raised an eyebrow.
Tabloid paled slightly as Prez glared at him, slowly turning away and moving to help out Avril as she crumbled to the ground.
Prez quickly turned to Trigger and smiled, it was a bit forced. "A bite to eat! Y'know, I'm sure you're hungry after being stuck in the infirmary for a whole day and a half."
His eyebrow raised more, something was going on, he didn't know what but he was deter-
His stomach growled so loud he felt it in his feet.
His eyes widened as he slowly looked down towards the offending organ, or as best as he could. He looked back to Prez, to Avril on the ground, then to Tabloid. He sighed. "Sure why not…it's dinnertime anyways."
Tabloid raised an eyebrow, "I don't think I've heard anyone's stomach growl that loud in…well, ever." He laughed. "Yeah, we should probably all get food."
"I'm not really hungry so you can all go without me." Count huffed, and turned to leave, only for his stomach to growl as well. "Tsk…" he pursed his lips. "Traitor."
Avril groaned slightly. "Fucking hell Prez…Did you have hit that hard?" She coughed, taking a small breath.
"Yes!" She cleared her throat. "I'm so, so, sorry. You can get a hit in on me for free later I promise." She smiles. "Hey…Tabloid, Count? Would you two be able to take Avril over to the mess hall? I just wanted to talk to Trigger about something. We'll be right behind you, I swear."
Count squinted slightly. Looking at the WSO, then to Trigger, then at Avril, then back to Prez. "You're serious?"
"Yes…"
"Why don't you just talk to him now? He's…standing right there?" Count pointed slowly in Trigger's direction.
Prez glared, growling slightly. "Count…"
He swallowed. "Yeah?"
"I mean that I want to talk to him…privately." She slowly stretched and balled her right hand into a fist.
Count nodded once, went over to Avril and pulled her to her feet, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, "Well look at the time!" He grabbed Tabloid as well. "Come on people! Places to go people to see! Death to avoid."
Trigger raised an eyebrow as he watched the three of them make their way out, Count looking terrified, Tabloid looking confused, and Avril was glaring at Prez.
Prez shrugged slightly and made a shooing motion with her hands. She watched them leave, keeping her eyes on the doorway until the sounds of footsteps disappeared.
He feels a shiver of anxiety dance down his spine.
She finally turns towards him, an unreadable expression covering her face. She goes to say something, but pauses. She shakily puts up a single finger, asking for a moment to think, before gently putting a fist against her lips, staring at the ground in thought.
He nods with a smile, he'll give her all the time she needs in the world. She deserves that. They both got dealt a bad hand. His mind drifted to his recent dream, what Brownie said.
"Plus, Prez needed you…and you needed Prez."
Whether it was actually true, or just his mind playing tricks on him. He wouldn't deny that having her at his side made things so much easier. It was probably the strangest place to meet his best friend, and it was going to be hell whenever he got to talk to his sister about Prez in the future, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
She cleared her throat.
He shook his head slightly and turned to look at her.
Prez smiled fondly, "Trigger…when we get out of this hellhole. I…" She bit her lip, trying to pull the words together, but the curious confusion on his face was distracting her. "I'm going to need to talk to you about something, it's going to be important, and possibly life changing for the both of us. But…I can't talk about it now."
"Ah…I…I see…you're going to…" He sucked in a breath, he knew that one day she would want to go back to hitman team, they were her original squad. Even if there was a bit of a rocky relationship there, it made sense. He would love that, going back to a time and place where things made sense. When there wasn't an entire continent dragged into a bloody, terrifying war that was supposed to be prevented in the first place. In the end, he guessed, it was just too good to be true. Was-
Prez's eyes went wide. "Woah! No, no, no, no, no!" She quickly ran up to him, gently placing her hands on each side of his face, looking him in the eyes with deathly seriousness. "I will not leave you." She frowned. "Please, understand that, I don't want to leave you, wherever you go, I will go with you. I promise! By the Dust Mother I promise you that Trigger."
His eyes widened. His heart jumped out of his chest. His cheeks heated up so much he felt like he was on fire. She wanted to stay? With him? "But…"
"Nope!" She glared slightly, smirking as she did. "No buts! I'm sticking with you! It'll take a lot to get rid of me dude."
"I'd never want to be rid of you…" He frowned for the barest of seconds, before the words finally caught up to his brain. "I…I mean…um…Hmm." He pressed his lips into a thin line of concern. God this was difficult, dealing with…this. He looked into Prez's eyes. They were brilliantly dark and shining in the light. "Right…We're supposed to have each other's backs."
"Yeah…we are." She smiled brightly. "Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way Trigger. No matter what happens, no matter where we go after this, I'll always have your back, and I know for a fucking fact you will always have mine."
He chuckled lightly, "Yeah, you're right."
"What are you laughing about?"
"That was pretty cheesy Prez…"
She groaned deeply. "Oh fuck you, I was speaking from the heart and everything you ass!" She pouted slightly, fighting back a smile because he was absolutely right. She slowly released her hands from his face and turned to walk away.
Trigger pouted at the loss of contact, and threw caution to the wind. He grabbed her shoulder gently, pulling her back around.
"Eh?! Hey! Trigger watch it! you cou-" She froze up as his arms wrapped around her.
He pulled her close, gently squeezing to get her to calm down a bit.
"I…I…um…whats this for?" She squeaked slightly, her arms at her sides.
"Just…because I wanted to…that's all." He idly rubbed her back, getting more and more comfortable with the contact.
"O-oh…I see." She leaned into him slightly without even realizing it. She was just the perfect height to hide her face in his shoulder, Hoping and praying it would be enough to hide the massive blush covering her face.
He chuckled at that, resting his chin on her head. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah! Fine!" She chuckled lightly, gently wrapping her arms around his waist. "This is nice…" She took a deep breath. "Sorry for scaring you there…"
"No, no…sorry for, freaking out." He sighed. "I just…" He frowned, God he was an idiot, just the moment she said 'We need to talk' he just immediately thought it would be about her going her own way when this was all over. It was even dumber that he thought she would go back to Hitman team at this rate.
"I made a promise Trigger…I fucking intend to keep it." She giggled slightly, rubbing her cheek against his neck. "Don't worry, seriously…If anything, it's kinda about the opposite of what you're worrying about."
He raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh?"
"But! That's all I'm saying!" She grinned, leaning away slightly, but still staying close so she could look up at him.
He let out an amused snort. "Really now? I gotta wait until the big mystery is revealed huh?"
"Yes, you do." She glared slightly. "There's too much going on right now and I don't want more craziness on top of everything else, you know?"
"Yeah…I know," he sighed deeply, holding her a tiny bit closer. "We've been here far too long anyways."
Prez nodded slowly. "Can…can we just stay here, like this, for a little bit longer?" She leaned back into him, sighing happily.
Trigger smiled, "Yeah, of course we can." He couldn't say no to her, not in a million years. But, he decided on something else, once all of this prison bullshit was over, once they were free, once Prez had asked her question. He had a question of his own to ask. But it could wait…
He would wait until the time was right.
No matter how much his hand kept flexing his finger and thumb into an L shape with his pinky pointing out behind her back.
A spike of worry shot up through his stomach, as he considered the possibility of being turned down. He shoved it down and gave Prez a gentle squeeze, he knew even if she didn't feel the same way, she was still his best friend.
Prez hummed happily in return at the squeeze as all her worries were drowned in the simple pleasure of the moment. She wanted to tell him…but it could wait.
For now, this was enough.
Ya' know...when I was planing this chapter it was supposed to be a super simple, small, fluffy chapter.
This is a 9,000 word chapter...
Woops? XD
I'm very happy with it though, and there's going to be a couple more chapters before we move onto the events of faceless soldier. So we'll have that to look forward to!
Also for anyone who may be interested, we've had our first official fan art in the form of a Skin mod that you can download on Nexus Mods. There's a direct link on the AO3 version of the fic! You can also find it by searching Project Wyvern on the Nexus! ^^