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"Alright people listen up! This is basic self defense so nothing that you shouldn't be able to pick up and implement easily if it comes to that!" Piers Nivans voice rang out clear in the large training room filled with twenty or so research scientists and other members of staff Rachel wasn't familiar with. Tying her long hair up into a messy bun she had to admit that teaching basic self defense was probably going to go a long way towards keeping these people alive long enough to do their jobs at least. "We cannot afford you all to end up needing medical care after this so you will listen to me and me alone while we are in this room…" Nivans sure was taking this seriously 'and definitely enjoying being the one in charge' she thought to herself as she studied the young sniper. The fact that he was very handsome had not escaped her, or the rest of the few female staff according to the giggling as Piers stripped to a vest and began sparring with a volunteer. But despite all his combat training and obvious skill, Piers was a little too much of a pretty boy for her tastes, she preferred older, ruggedly handsome men. Exactly like the one striding down the corridor towards her.
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"Hello Chris" Rachel smiled at him as he approached the training room to check in on how Piers was handling the training. Although it felt a lie to say that checking on Piers had been his only reason for coming to this particular session. Since she had pulled him out of the mire of his grief and anger he had felt that he needed to repay the favour somehow. It seemed to him that the easiest way to do this would be to ensure her safety as best he could as he wouldn't be in the base for much longer, he hoped she would understand that this was his way of saying thank you, however indirectly it was being said.
"So I see you've decided to let the ace loose on us all today? Have you no pity?" She said with mock unhappiness but couldn't hide the smile that went with it. This caused Chris to utter a small laugh – not much, but more than he had laughed for a while. They had fallen into an easy friendship over the past few weeks and he found that he rather enjoyed her company over that of most other people here. "Yeah yeah" he replied while both of them stood watching Piers still sparring with a decidedly less eager volunteer, "I'm sure you'll all be snapping necks in no time". He found himself smiling wider when that received a genuine laugh from his blonde companion as she looked away from Piers and back to him. A small frown settled on her face when she said "we might stop it before it comes to us ever actually using these newfound skills". Chris was about to tell her that that wasn't likely, that the way things were headed they would be fighting long before any of them were ready when she cut off whatever was about to come out of his mouth with the quiet statement "We have to have hope at least don't we".
She looked up at him with those green eyes that saw everything and he saw in her face the conscious decision she made to be optimistic for those around her – including him. She knew everything he had been about to say – but she wouldn't allow herself to say what they both knew to any of those who still didn't think it would be as bad as they were preparing for. Those people were going to get the shock of their lives sooner than anyone wanted to admit. He looked at her and couldn't bring himself to shatter her carefully constructed façade of optimism. So he simply said nothing and they continued to stand in comfortable silence for a minute longer, until Chris patted her on the shoulder in a silent farewell and continued on down the corridor.
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As Chris laid his hand on her shoulder it occurred to her that they had never really touched before. Sure they had been in close proximity while pouring over the same files and field reports, but she had never felt the warmth that seemed to always radiate from his body so directly before. The sudden flush on her cheeks chasing away any dark thoughts their conversation had stirred.
Inwardly chastising herself for becoming such a schoolgirl just because a good looking man had touched her she diverted her attention back to Piers and what he was trying to explain. She was fairly sure that, if they didn't learn how to fight, none of these people (including herself) would live to see the other side of this.
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Chris was glad that he had convinced his superiors that basic combat training and weapons handling was necessary for the majority of staff in light of what they knew to be coming. He felt more at ease knowing that he had done something to prepare everyone for the horrors he had experienced countless times before. Everyone was taking the training seriously in the wake of the disastrous mission hat had occurred only a few weeks prior. In his most cynical of moods Chris would often remind himself that the six men that died had been some of the highest ranked operatives available and had been killed with no more difficulty than had they not been armed at all. What good would a hastily trained bunch of scientists and pencil pushers do? Not to mention the unsuspecting general public? He shook his head trying to remove this pessimistic train of thought. Like Rachel had said: they had to have hope at least.