A/N

Damn... it's been a long time since I've updated this particular story. Unfortunately, daily life and the other projects I've been working on got in the way of this story. For anyone interested I'm planning on picking this project up again once I'm finished up the second part of the MARS saga, which isn't too far from now.

Anyways... here is the chapter 3 that's been sitting around in my files for a long time.

Chapter 3…

"We there yet?" Ashley grumbled. The dark haired woman crumpled into the co-pilot's seat as the ship ascended into the atmosphere.

"Are we currently sitting in an IMC hangar?" Blisk responded, tying in the coordinates for the ship's auto-pilt function.

"No…"

"Then don't as a stupid question like that again…" Blisk chuckled.

Ashley shrugged her shoulders, feeling her damp strands of hair press against her neck; the sensation was cold, but oddly comforting. She was happy with her new change of clothes, while she wasn't a big fan of the jumpsuits colours, it was far cleaner and better fitted than her old one.

"How exactly did you know my size?" Ashley questioned, adjusting the fabric on her arm.

"After a little bit of negotiating with the IMC I got ahold of your old medical files and studied your measurements," Blisk answered. "I didn't know if you were coming… but it was good to keep a new uniform on hand."

"Not the worst idea," Ashley agreed. The dark eyes woman leaned back into her seat and propped her legs up on her half of the control console. "But you need to admit that what you did was a little creepy…"

Blisk chuckled at her comment but offered no proper response.

The South African man finished setting the auto-pilot controls and leaned back into his seat as the ship took over for him. He turned his head slightly to view the woman sitting next to him, taking note of how her damp hair was splayed out on the headrest.

"Oi, do your hair up… would you?" Blisk requested, not flinching when two dark eyes turned to cooly observe him.

"Why?" Ashley questioned. "I never knew you to care about formalities…"

"Personally I don't care if you come to work in a chicken suit… but General Marder certainly does. Do you want that old bastard making assumptions about you?"

"No…" Ashley huffed, staying silent and still for a moment. Wordlessly, up reached up behind her to begin twisting her strands of hair.

The cabin was silent save for the whirring and beeping of machinery. Far off in the distance the IMC destroyer became visible, easily identified by its bright lights and hull profile. Emblazoned across the hull of the ships were the words, "Medusa".

"That's our stop," Blisk gestured to the ship. "Once we're aboard I'll give you the briefing and turn you loose… sound good?"

"Perfect," his female companion tersely responded. "You bringing anyone else along for this little assignment?"

"A few others, they've proved themselves capable enough to be a part of our team. You'll have a chance to buddy up on the ship."

Ashley clicked her tongue and shook her head, her hands still wrapped up in her inky black hair. "You can't make friends in the business, Blisk."

"Well, at least introduce yourself…"

"Fine…"

Blisk was silent for a moment, internally musing to himself. "You turned around pretty quick…"

"What?"

"Three days ago you were sleeping in a bar with your lips stuck to a bottle," Blisk elaborated. "And now you're acting like you used to… you turned around quick…"

Ashley hummed quietly at his explanation. "I've got a job again… I have to see it through. At the end of the day this is about a fat paycheck, nothing else."

"Well, it's good to see you up and running again…"

"Sure…"

Blisk shook his head at her non-committal response and turned to observe her. She still had her legs propped up against the console, the heels of her brand new boots tapping against the metal.

She had twisted her black strands of damp hair into a decent looking bun.

"You're lookin' better," Blisk complemented. "Try to get some proper sleep tonight, eh?"

"You almost sound concerned…"

"We've got a big job ahead… I want you at the top of your game again."

"Fair enough… and don't worry about me… I'll be back into the swing of things before you know it."

In time the ship began to automatically slow down once it neared the vicinity of the IMC destroyer. Blisk reclaimed manual control and gently steered the vessel into the hanger, setting it down onto the tarmac.

The door extended into a ramp with a hiss and the two occupants walked into the bustling hangar.

"Oi, follow me, Ishikara," Blisk rumbled, beckoning with his hand for her to follow. Ashley did as requested, falling in behind the older man as he led her to the briefing he mentioned.

The ex-pilot let her eyes wander around the hangar, drinking in the many unfamiliar sights and sounds. It seemed as if much had changed since Demeter, if the new technological leaps were any indication.

On the other side of the hangar was a massive OGRE class titan, but it's half-circle cockpit door had been replaced with a flatter alternative. The thing that really caught her attention was the massive minigun hanging from its metal hands.

That wasn't the only titan in her field of view, however. Standing next to the first was a titan with a much smaller profile, seemingly built off the STRYDER class of titans, which she was greatly familiar with. A strange, shotgun-like contraption was clenched in its grip, the massive barrel of a metallic sword rose above its left shoulder joint.

"You like the new toys?" Blisk called back with a slight grin, seeing Ashley snap out of her internal musings.

"I'm a little unfamiliar, it seems as if things have changed," Ashley admitted.

"Titan classes are more varied now, and are now based on loadout rather than chassis size," Blisk explained. "That… and the AI that runs them is far more sophisticated now, a big step up from the dumb AI we used to deal with."

"What do you mean by 'sophisticated?' How much better are they?"

"Let's just say that some of the Pilots are starting to get attached," Blisk answered. "The brass thinks it's a step in the right direction, but I think it's bloody foolish… getting attached to a machine…"

"I see your point…"

"Great minds think alike," Blisk responded as he tapped his head with his finger. They had stopped in one of the many gray corridors that composed the IMC destroyer. The two were now standing in front of a sliding door.

"I'll speak with the captain about getting you a new titan. The procedure is different now, we need to find a compatible AI for you," Blisk spoke quietly.

"We can figure all that out later," Ashley nodded her head. "Is this the briefing that you mentioned to me?"

"Right," Blisk affirmed, tapping his fingers against the door controls to slide the metal panel open. "Remember to play nice…"

"I always do…"