I'M SO SORRY for the long wait. I've been so busy with my daughter's First Thanksgiving and xmas coming up that I've been travelling and running around like a mad woman, but I promise there is MUCH more to come and hopefully after the new year I can get a bit more consistent with the uploads!
Thank you so much again Frantastic1993 you are always such an amazing help, and if you guys haven't checked out her stories, PLEASE go do so! Red Burning Wings - Flight From Darkness - Chained Wings
Also, please feel free to message me and comment, I love hearing your opinions, it keeps me motivated to keep on going 33 Enjoy!
As always I do not own AOT or any of the characters except my OC's.
The sun shone brightly in the sky just like it normally did every other day, except there was this annoying amount of frustration that weighed on my shoulders like a 9000 ton anvil. My face, calm and collected with the mask in place, wanted to twist with annoyance. On the inside I wanted to pout and stomp my feet like a two year old with a tantrum, but I already agreed to this so I might as well suck it up and get on with it. Staring up at the Survey Corps headquarters I couldn't help but gnaw on my lip. It wasn't that I was nervous or scared; I just didn't want to accept my new surroundings.
"Are you going to go in, or just block the way for everyone else?" I glanced behind me, Captain Levi staring at me with that emotionless face of his. Time for the 'nice' mask. I smiled, my hand finding its way to my mouth.
"Oh! Sorry! I'm new here; I got distracted by the building." Really Alessa, distracted by the building? I internally cringe at my horrible excuse. I really need more practice with this.
"It's just a building." His blank stare turned to a slight grimace. Yeah, yeah don't make it so obvious at my horrible lie.
"Right…well I need to speak to the commander. I have transfer papers for him. Which way is his office?" I fake a nervous laugh, scratching the back of my head.
"I'll take them." He outstretched his hand expectantly. I dug the papers from my pack handing them over. His grey eyes scanning over the papers quickly. "You realize transferring here means you'd actually be working. It's nothing like the comfortable soft Military Police." His sarcasm had me wanting to kick him in the shin. Really, Captain Obvious? I never would have guessed it's nothing like the MPs.
"Yeah, I know…" I force a soft smile, "I was really moved by what that Yeager kid had said. He was right. I really want to do more for humanity than just take it easy behind the walls." His head tilted upwards slightly, his eyes narrowing down at me. He didn't believe that lie, it was pretty obvious. I force a small chuckle as he continued to watch me. Okay, Captain Obvious was turning into Captain Creepy…
"This way." He finally spoke, striding into the building. I followed closely, like a nervous new recruit. Ugh, this mask was the worst! I should've thought up something better. Glancing around the hallways, I noticed a few eyes flicker my way, but no one making any sign of real interest. As we came upon the Commander's office, a man made his way out the door. He looked from me to the Captain before back at me. I felt immediately uncomfortable as he placed his face in my personal bubble, sniffing loudly. Ugh you gross creep. I had to try extra hard not to push this one into a wall. The weird blonde smiled before walking away.
"Um…" The Captain glanced at me before opening the door.
"That was Mike. He tends to do that to new people." Yea, mental note taken, stay away from Sir Sniffs A lot. Into the Commander's office we walked. Commander Erwin's head was bent over the desk as he scribbled across some paperwork. Once he finished he looked up, taking the papers that Captain Levi handed over to him. He looked to me, nodding, before reading over the papers. His eyes found their way back to mine when he was finished.
"You were at the trial."
"Yeah I was." Crap…I had winked at him then hadn't I? Woops.
"Military Police…." He clasped his hands over his desk, his insanely blue eyes not leaving my hazel ones. I couldn't read the expression on his face, which was rare for me. I forced a sweet smile, shifting awkwardly as I stood before him. "What do you think Levi?" I glanced over at the Captain, who lounged comfortably in one of the arm chairs, one leg crossed over the other. He looked rather bored in all honesty.
"I think its bullshit." Oh shit… Commander Erwin nodded at the Captain to continue. "The Military Police hate the Survey Corps, and she's a Captain of the Military Police. I bet she's here only to kill Yeager, or spy on us. It's definitely something they would do." You are seriously perceptive. Fuck…how the hell…Well it was clear these two were going to need more than a small empty promise that I'm a good girl. These damn scouts were all about this heart and soul crap or whatever it was they spouted during their recruitment drives. Their eyes, so watchful and sincere; how the hell am I going to be able to lie to them? I draw a deep breath, my brain rummaging through my best course of bullshit, letting my tongue go and hoping it comes out as sincerely deranged as I intended it to be.
"I assure you I'm not like the others; I really do want to do my part for humanity." I insist, though the eye-roll from the Captain and the now narrowing eyes of the Commander had me shift uncomfortably. "Please, let me prove it to you, whatever it takes…" The Captain glanced over at me his cold grey eyes shining slightly.
"Why are you so determined to prove it to us?" The Commander spoke, his head tilting slightly. This was definitely going to prove troublesome.
"Look, Sir, if I may…I really was moved my Yeager's speech in the courtroom. I've been behind Wall Sina my whole life; I know nothing of what goes on beyond those Walls. The coming of the Colossal Titan scared everyone, including me, and I wanted to hide behind that wall forever. After listening to Yeager, and knowing his abilities, it made me think; what if there is more like him, and not just that, what if they wanted to destroy humanity just like the titans. I realized that I want to do my part for humanity and I don't want to be trapped behind the last wall and have no way out if the shit hits the fan…" I'd say not bad for a lie thought up on the spot. I gave a sincere and hopeful look to the Commander, ignoring the distrust emanating off the Captain. Both men stared at me for a while, both probably contemplating on whether to boot my ass out the door or not.
"I think you're full of shit." I gave a disheartened look to him, though I knew that wouldn't change anything. "She can be on my team, not for skill, but just because I don't trust you. At least this way I can keep an eye on you, and if and when you prove my suspicions correct, I'll just make your life a living hell." I bit my lip, looking over to the Commander. He looked over at the Captain before nodding his head in agreement.
"Levi, test her skill with the 3DMG and her close quarters combat. I don't want her proving useless on your squad." The Captain clicked his tongue and glared over at me.
"Don't worry Erwin; if this MP dog gets anyone killed, I'll kill her myself." The Commander's eyes tightened but he didn't object. Well Captain, that almost sounds like a challenge. I smirk internally, but widen my eyes as if I was a afraid. Bring it on.
"Still, Levi, make sure she isn't useless. Also, Alessa Evans…"I glance back at the Commander who shifted back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "You may have been a Captain in the Military Police, but here, you are only a Cadet. I hope you don't mind the pay decrease." Oh you piece of…granola loving…caterpillar eyebrows. I forced a smile through grit teeth, nodding my head slightly.
"Of course, sir, don't mind at all." The Commander nodded and smiled waving me and the Captain along. As soon as the door to the office closed, Captain Levi grabbed my arm, slamming me hard into the wall. You bastard. His menacing grey eyes bore into me like hot lava.
"I swear to you, Evans, if I find out that you're a piece of shit spy, or you're here for any bullshit reasons, I won't hesitate to kill you." His voice was low, but still powerful with his threat. It was honestly interesting being on this side of the spectrum. I'd never been in the 'victim' stance. I plastered a sweet smile on my face and I couldn't help the sarcasm that poured out of my mouth like it had broken through a dam.
"Me, Sir? I would never give you any reason to think I wasn't honestly here for a good cause. I promise to be on my best behavior. I honestly hope we can be friends one day." I was definitely going to kick myself in the ass for that later, but right now I was thoroughly enjoying the look on his face. It said 'you fucking bitch' beautifully.
"Fine then, tomorrow we will see what you're made of. For now, I'll show you to your quarters, dinner is in the mess hall at 8pm." He knew I was full of it the moment I arrived, which was honestly impressive seeing as I'm a good bull-shitter. There's very, very few that know me well enough when I lie and they happened to be related to me. I smirk as he pushed me from the wall making me stumble a bit. He was going to be a hard one to win over. I had to convince him that I was being honest. If I could get the Captain convinced, then the Commander was sure to follow suit.
He led me through the maze of halls, pointing out the bathrooms along the way. We eventually made it to my bedroom door where he knocked lightly. A young girl opened it, looking rather surprised to see her Captain there. A blush covered her cheeks as she looked from him to me, and back to him.
"This is Alessa Evans; she's your new roommate." He stated simply before turning at leaving us together.
"Hi Alessa! She was absolutely adorable, her ginger hair and wonderful amber colored eyes warmly welcoming me. "I'm Petra Ral, come in, come in!" She ushered me into the small room. I never shared a room with anyone since my training days. This was going to be an interesting experience.
"Hi, nice to meet you." I murmured staring around at the small space, setting my bag on my bed.
"It's going to be so fun having another girl around!" She exclaimed excitedly. "How come you didn't show up with all the other recruits?"
"Oh I transferred from the MP's." I said quietly, forcing a nervous laugh as I sat on my bed, her across from me.
"Oh wow! You're in for quite a different experience here!" She giggled, tucking her legs under her in a cross legged position. "What was it like in the MP's?" She seemed so happy to talk to me, it was odd. If she was going to be this talkative all the time, I might throw myself out our window…
"Eh, it was nothing crazy. We mostly stood around chit chatting, occasionally guarding some higher ranked officials or attending formal balls and gatherings." Her eyes lit up at the mention of the formal balls.
"Woah! Did you ever dress up and dance? Or did you just stand around and chat vaguely about the economy like other socialites?" I stared at her confused before realizing the Survey Corps were pretty much never invited to such things. At least, I had never seen them around.
"Sometimes we did. I'm not a fan of dressing up so I usually opted for a guard position." She gaped at me, but it was only a half truth. I never attended the balls, usually because of my other job. During those times, I was usually in the basements threatening some of the higher standing people who tried to jip the MP's and the higher status families. That Thug Life was pretty demanding at times.
"Wow…I would totally dress up in a gown and dance the night away!" I couldn't help the genuine chuckle that escaped my throat. She probably was one to believe in fairytales and happy endings. What a ridiculous thing to believe in, but I had to respect her for believing in happiness that could never come. "One of these days you should tell me about one that you actually went to! I want to hear all about what the rich like to dress in and how they act at these things. But I am starving! Let's go get some dinner; I'll introduce you to everyone." I nodded standing up and following her down the stairs to the mess hall where there were so many people already sitting and eating.
Once we sat down after getting our food, the people around me began introducing themselves. It was odd to have this many people wanting to socialize and actually be so genuinely happy and nice. This was not like back home where everyone believed they were better than each other and if someone was being 'nice' it usually meant they were only doing it for some benefit of their own. Maybe socializing was something here where you don't really know who could be around to talk with the next day. I bet the turn over around here must be insane. Do they even have time to get bored of each other's stories?
"Hey, you study these people the way I study titans!" I stared blankly at the crazy hyper woman standing up from her seat and leaning over the table trying to shake my hand. She had what looked like gun powder or soot on her face and her glasses were pushed up to the top of her head making her messy brown ponytail that much messier. How in God's name did she notice me studying the people in the room? It's pretty freaking at how many people are so damn perceptive here. "I'm Zoe Hange!"
"Jeez Hange! Most of us were noticing how attractive and pleasing she is to look at, you are the one to see that she's actually studying us!" One of the soldiers exclaimed making me actually blush slightly. Yeah, I'm definitely not good with compliments.
"Alessa Evans…" A small smirk spread against my face as I shook her hand. She had peaked my interest with her hyperactivity and all around passionate demeanor as she dived right into what she did with the Survey Corps and how much she loved to research everything there was to know about titans.
"You should come with me to meet my titans!" She exclaimed.
"Why are you so obsessed with titans?" I asked.
"NO!" A bunch of people yelled in unison making me chuckle. Apparently that's a no-no subject? For another time perhaps.
"She will talk literally all night, don't do it." One of the guys said, his name though I didn't catch.
"How about we check them out when we have a free day or something." I suggested noticing the tension that had entered the air finally mellowing out.
"Okay fine, but when we do, you are MINE for the day." I nodded smiling. Working with her would give me so much insight on how to disassemble Titan Boy if the need arose. It would be very worth it gaining as much knowledge as I could.
"So Alessa, being from the MP's, is it really different from being here?" Eren Yeager questioned, biting into his food. He was relatively quiet during all of the introductions, so I had not had the chance to really speak with him. Especially with Hange taking over the conversation.
"Well I haven't done much since being here, so I don't really know, but you guys are much more positive company than the MP's."
"Really? What do you mean?"
"Well, the MP's aren't really big on enjoying the company of others. There are small tight knit groups but no one really gets together like this. Usually teams stick to each other like glue and even then many of them prefer their own solidarity. The mess hall there is never this loud and chatty."
The air around started to get rather gloomy, everyone staring into their food now, not really eating. I guess my earlier assumptions were correct. Being in the MP's I very, very rarely seen my fellow soldiers die, and it was never from a Titan. I definitely didn't understand the feelings these people here were feeling and for the first time in a long time, I felt genuinely uncomfortable .. I was not here to make friends and build relationships. I have one goal, and that was take out the young boy who sat diagonally from me who had a deep inset frown on his face. These people have seen many loved ones die and here I sat ready to take another life from among them. I mentally slapped myself back into my reality. I cannot let this sway my emotions. Eren will die, and I will be the cause of it. I made my choice and that was not going to change.
"Well," I began, breaking the silence. "Why don't you guys stop going on these expeditions? I mean, if you're losing so many lives out there, why not do something different to protect the lives inside the walls by staying inside of them?" I must have hit a trigger because now, every person at that table, let alone the entire mess hall, got quiet and stared at me.
"Hey…" I looked over at the Captain, who literally looked like he was going to stab me with the fork in his hand. "How about you stop being so heartless if you can't understand why we do what we do?" I opened my mouth to speak but he shook his head. For now I had to just sit and listen. "I've seen many people die out there who didn't deserve it. We fight for our lives every time we leave these walls because we truly believe in protecting what is left of humanity. Even if we get only a small amount of information on how to eradicate these titans, that could be enough to save countless lives. If you can't get that through your thick skull, there is the door. I hope it kicks your ass on the way out." He pointed at the door, his grey eyes burning a hole into me. There has been a lot of firsts for me since the few hours I have been here, and seriously feeling like the biggest asshole in the room was yet another. Everyone stayed quiet, now staring at me for what seemed like forever, but I wasn't going to budge. "If you really want to stay and prove you are one of us, keep your mouth shut and do your job. You're here to risk your life just like the rest of us and you are no better than any one person here. Get rid of that idiocy and grow some damn humility and understanding for others."
Wow. I have never felt this way in my life. Guilt suddenly hit me like a freight train as I glanced around at everyone around me. Every single pair of eyes that stared back had some serious emotion in them, whether I saw anger, hatred, sadness or disappointment. I've only ever seen fear and admiration from my peers. This was different.
"Excuse me…" I mumbled getting up from the table and heading to my quarters. I've never dealt with this raw of emotion like this. This was not a part of the plan, what the heck was this reaction. It's my first day, this is not who I was. To feel like the smallest person in the room pissed me off more than anything, but I had to keep my mask on. I had to not back lash into the person they had yet to meet. Only a little while longer and I'll be back home as the person on top. I quickly dressed for bed, lying between the blanket and sheets. I did not feel comfortable. I did not feel tired. I turned and faced the wall, highly irritated with my feelings right then. If I was to successfully pull of killing this kid, I had to keep my mouth shut and stay focused. No more small talk and no more playing nice, it only lead to areas I clearly didn't understand. These people acted like they were some weird family, with all sorts of respect and affection for each other. I didn't get that kind of thing so I couldn't deal with it. There was no point in entering a race when my hands and feet were already bound.
I could hear Petra enter our room, slowly getting ready for bed. She did her best to stay quiet as she lay in her bed. A loud sigh and a few tossing and turning sounds later, I could hear her sit up.
"I don't know if you're asleep or not, but if not, I just want you to know I don't hate you, and neither do a lot of other people. It's understandable that you don't know what we go through on a daily basis, but please try to think about everyone else's feelings before you talk about what we do. I know you didn't mean any harm, but we are a family here, and you became part of us now that you transferred here. Just try to think about how you would talk to your family about touchy situations and apply it here. You'll be a lot better off." She waited for a few moments to see if I would respond. When I didn't she sighed loudly again and lay back down. After a few more moments her breathing became quiet and even, indicating she was finally asleep. This was going to be a battle of emotions for me being here.
The next morning we made our way through the many soldiers who were either talking in small groups or working on some projects. Into the hand to hand training ring we went, and I couldn't help but feel awkward seeing my new team.
"Hurry the hell up, we need to start training. Petra, get in the ring with Evans." The Captain stated, rather annoyed. I mentally groaned. This was all so tedious and annoying. I'm so not holding back; these Corps members better bring their A game.
Petra and I squared off in the circle, both of us doing our slow circle dance, each of us preparing for the other to start. I raised my fists in front of my face, digging my heels into the dirt now, ready to go. Petra lunged forward, and I have to admit, the girl is quick. It looked like an even playing field because we were the same size, but little did any of them know, this is what I enjoyed doing. I quickly dodged her punch, twisting my body around with a swift and hard kick to her ribs. Petra landed on the ground gasping for her breath. I didn't intentionally knock the wind out of her, but hey, at least they know I'm a force to be reckoned with.
"Ok, Eren, in the ring." Eren and I faced each other this time, though he was a fairly tougher opponent, surprisingly. This time I started first, swinging a quick fist towards his face. He barely missed my swing as he rounded his counter attack. This went on for a few moments before I managed to grab his arm, twisting him around and pinning him to the ground. Each opponent one after the other, were slowly getting tougher as I fought Oluo, then Gunther, and then Eld. It had been quite some time since I've had to square off in hand to hand combat. Normally I just pummeled people til they were either seriously injured or sometimes I took it that last step further; depending on the situation of course.
I panted heavily, taking a few sips from my canteen. It's been a little while since I've had people fight back, but I wasn't too tired. I was more pumped up and ready for more in all honesty. To my surprise, Mr. Bigshot decided to walk into the ring now. I had managed to break a small sweat with the others, but I wasn't going to let this guy defeat me. A small smile played across my lips as he took his jacket off, laying it neatly over the rail. Next was his cravat and I couldn't help but cross my arms and tap my foot while pretending to look at a non-existent watch. He eyed me coldly, folding his sleeves up his rather toned forearms.
"Don't get cocky Evans." I smiled widely.
"Me? Cocky? Oh, no Sir, never." He rolled his eyes at my wonderful sarcasm. He was right though, I shouldn't have gotten cocky. Once I stopped talking, this quick little fuck came at me, and no he was definitely not holding back. My forearms burned horribly from blocking his first massive kick. If I had been a second later, I'd have no face. Okay, so this is how you want to play. After a few more kicks, I finally had an opening. His side lay bare to my oncoming fist. I nailed the hit, though he was quick enough to move and reduce the impact. That didn't, however, keep him from grunting. Yeah that's right, I got you now.
My momentum just kept rising as I flung fists, blocking his in return. As I swung my left arm at his face, he managed to grab me, throwing me to the ground. I quickly rolled, springing back up and not missing a beat. I was not about to go down that easily; my anger began to boil at the thought of this guy winning. Hell no. Again, I lunged forward, quicker than the Captain could dodge. My fist landed against the side of his cheek, making him stumble backwards. Surprise flooded his face for just a brief second before anger replaced it. His eyes bore through me like a wildfire as he now came at me, tackling me to the ground.
I grunted loudly at my rough landing, though I had no time to worry about the pain as his fist now came at my face, landing a hell of a punch. I never thought I'd say this but….I think those are stars. I reacted as quickly as I could, though those little specs of light kept bouncing around interrupting my vision. I began to block what hits I could, though some managed to get through to my ribs. Fuck this…Rearing up I knocked him to the side, jumping on top as quickly as I could, lashing at him like a crazed banshee. My fists were flying and I was definitely seeing red. His hands finally grasped my forearm, flipping me over so my face hit the dirt. He had me pinned now, and no matter how much I fought it, I couldn't get him off of me. He had my arm twisted behind my back and his knee pushed into the back of my neck.
"I told you not to get cocky." He stated calmly, finally getting off of me. I panted heavily in to the dirt, forcing myself not to tell him to fuck off. I groaned loudly pushing myself up off of the ground, noticing the blood splatter where my face was. Raising my hand to my face, I winced at the feeling of dirt and rocks in my open cut on my upper cheek.
"Wow…I have never seen someone so well matched to the Captain!" Petra gaped. "Normally he takes people out in seconds!"
"I must be pretty tough then huh?" She laughed and nodded as I wobbled out of the ring. As much as I couldn't stand the guy, he gave a pretty good fight. It was refreshing to have a one on one fight like that and not win in a short period of time. I glanced over at the Captain who was now shrugging on his jacket. He looks practically untouched, except for the apparent pink spot where I hit him. It contrasted with his pale skin and that made me frustrated. As fun as it was to fight him, I was the one with the cuts and bleeding and definite bruises. I only made one big mark on his face that probably wouldn't even bruise. Maybe I'll just sneak into his room with a rock filled pillow case….
"What the hell are you looking at?"
"Well Captain, I want a rematch. Not right now of course, but one of these days." He rolled his eyes, shoulder checking me as he walked by.
"You couldn't win even if you tried your hardest." Challenge accepted. "Break for lunch, we'll continue after with the 3DMG." The squad made our way to the mess hall, some of us rather slowly due to excessive pain. Eren made his way next to me, nudging me with his elbow.
"You really were awesome out there!" I glanced at him and couldn't help but laugh. His big green eyes looked so excited. Too bad kid, I think we would've been friends if it wasn't for my other agenda.
"Thanks. I don't normally lose like that."
"Yea but you faced off with the Captain and had a pretty even run with him. I'd say that's pretty freaking sweet." I rolled my eyes and smirked as we walked into the mess hall.
"Next time he's going to be the one on the ground." Eren laughed but agreed that I would definitely do it.
Lunch time was a lot more relaxed than the night before, making it a little easier to sit amongst everyone. I hadn't expected everyone to leave the night before alone and still treated me like I was one of them. So much so that Zoe Hange was even cleaning my face and applying bandages where needed. Everyone was in such a lighter mood, talking about all sorts of things. I really did feel uncomfortable among them. Like my face was painted with the word Traitor in an unknown language that only I knew about. If these guys knew who I was, I doubt they'd be this caring afterwards.
We finished our lunch, heading back out to the training areas. It was now time for the 3DMG training. I did well with it back in the days I first joined the military, but since then, I haven't used it at all. There was literally no need for it within Wall Sina. We were all strapped in and ready to go.
"Alright Evans, you need to finish the course within a certain amount of time. You must cut the napes of the wooden titan necks as quickly and deeply as you can. The Captain here will be following to note your speed, accuracy, and gas use. Do your best!" Petra patted me on the back.
Oluo held the timer, his free hand in the air ready to fall indicating it was time to go. His hand dropped and I was off. I can honestly say, having the Captain following me and watching my every move made me a total mess. I flew through the trees quickly, though I could barely focus. All these thoughts of how annoying it was to have him right here had me so unfocused, that I hadn't realized a wooden titan popped right out in front of me until it was too late. I tried to dodge but managed to clip my foot against it, toppling towards the ground. I managed to shoot one of my wires to a tree pulling myself back upwards, turning myself back to where that wooden titan was. I swung behind it slashing its neck before continuing on.
That was incredibly embarrassing. Thankfully the Captain didn't say anything, but if I hadn't caught myself, I couldn't help but wonder if he would've let me fall and just told the Commander that I died from an accident. One less thing to worry about right? I grit my teeth pushing forward, determined to finish this course without any more hiccups. I weaved in and out of the branches now a bit more focused, though I really wasn't doing that great. My slashes weren't very deep and maneuvering through the trees, I'm surprised I didn't smack into them.
Once the end of the course came into view, I took a relieving breath, landing on the dirt a bit roughly. I panted lightly as the Captain got together with Oluo about my time. The grim faces of Eld, Petra and Gunther had me feeling like I didn't do so well.
"So Alessa, you need some serious training before I let you out on any of these expeditions." The Captain walked up to me and crossed his arms over his chest. "If those were titans…you would've been eaten when you came into contact with the first one. Also that's the only one you cut deep enough to kill. Your cuts on the others were way too shallow to make any sort of difference. You also wasted a significant amount of gas." He stepped around me, pulling the tanks off my gear and throwing them on the ground. "You're lucky you even made it to the end of the course. This kind of shit is going to not only get you killed, but will get your team killed as well. We have an expedition coming up very soon, and if you don't want to be twiddling your thumbs here, you need to seriously train harder."
I felt like crap. How was it I was regarded so highly behind wall Sina, but here I felt like the worst soldier? Petra stepped forward, handing me two new tanks.
"Come on Alessa, I'll show you how you can preserve your gas. We can train for the rest of the day together if you'd like."
"Yea that would be great." I nodded. The Captain looked at me, though I couldn't read his expression.
"Petra, make sure she gets this right. I'll test you again tomorrow. There better be improvement." With that the Captain turned on his heel and walked away. I was in for a really long night and I wasn't looking forward to this.