Small Authors Note: Caught up to the stuff I've pre-written before publishing and I stated a new job recently so won't have as much time as I did writing this. Just be aware that the time between updates will be longer so my apologies. I won't fully give up on this story but don't expect regular updates and I thank you all for reading.
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New Arrow, Eastern Usea
August 5th, 2019.
1719hrs.
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Opening her eyes, Mere's mind started to run a mile a minute as she didn't recognize her surroundings. The room had a white porous ceiling with the fluorescent lights recessed into it. Looking to her left, her neck fought against her as it ached in pain but she spotted a stand with an IV bag attached to it. Fighting against her body's protest, she gently raised her arm seeing that the IV needle taped to her hand which only confirmed her suspicion that she was in a hospital of some sort. Dropping it, she took in a deep breath, the air crisp and air-conditioned meaning she still wasn't at Zapland's medical facility which brought up a new question: where the hell is she?
"You awake, Sleeping Beauty?" a familiar voice caught Mere's attention as she looked off to her right to see Queen sitting next to her. Her smirk boldened seeing Mere's confused reaction and closed what looked to be a Times magazine. "What, not happy to see me?"
"Avril...?" Mere asked as she started to sit up. Her muscles ached and resisted each of her movements but she slowly pushed her way up to a sitting position. "Ngh... Why are you here...?"
"Why am I here? Well obviously because this is where Osea decided to drop my ass off after I signed on," Queen answered as she put the magazine she was reading down. "Call me surprised when a new transport plane landed here again with a familiar assortment of aircraft: a Tomcat, a Mirage, and an Eagle. But then I'll be damned, one of those medical gators soon also rolls up to one of the planes and takes someone away."
"How long ago was that...?"
"Let's see... 5:19 right now so... More or less five hours since you've landed here." Mere's face fell a bit hearing how long it's been. They weren't on mission long so she's been out for nearly seven hours. She couldn't get her goodbyes in before Tabloid, Trigger, and Count went their separate ways. But, looking on the bright side, this has been the best seven hours of sleep she's gotten in the past several days. "Doctor said you were fairly fatigued and recommended you stay in bed till tomorrow. Might be because of how restless you have been for the last few days," Queen explained as she soon stood up. "But, it's not like me to pry. Want me to tell the others that you're up?"
Mere suddenly perked up hearing that bit of news. She would have thought that by now the others would have gone off on their merry way to their new squadrons. She still had some time to spend with them. "Count and the others are still here?"
"Yeah. Wiseman said he wanted everyone to get a physical in while they were here on base. Roofer even got one before he got his orders to fly out to his new base. If you guys came an hour earlier than you did, you might have seen him." Limping around the bed, Queen patted Mere's shoulder a bit before giving it a light squeeze. "But before I do go, at least tell me as a friend to a friend, what did that dumbass of a pilot do to knock you out?" Her grip tightened on her shoulder a bit.
Mere tensed up a bit as she looked Queen in the eye. She thought initially she should lie to cover for Trigger but she also knew that Queen wouldn't buy it either. She knew it wasn't Trigger that caused the issue, just simple equipment failure. "Trigger didn't do anything. It was equipment failure," Mere glanced off to the side a bit. "G-suit blew a hole so... I was dogfighting without a g-suit."
"The g-suit..." Queen's grip tightened a bit before relaxing letting out a sigh. "Of all things... I'll get the others. And try to talk to Trigger a bit. He looks like he just shot a puppy." Watching her go, Mere watched the door close with a clunk before she started to shift a bit to get more comfortable. Using a pillow to help prop her up she opened and clenched her hands feeling a dull ache from both her old wound and her unharmed arm. Rubbing the bandages a bit, her head snapped back to the door as it swung open with a clunk and Tabloid was the first to enter flashing her his usual smile while Count was close in tow with his hands stuffed into his pockets. After him, Trigger walked in seemingly a bit distracted.
"I told you she'd at least wake up today," Tabloid smirked a bit swatting Count's arm a bit with a smirk while Count just rolled his eyes.
"Doc said she was exhausted and she'd probaly wake up early tomorrow. Gotta trust what the doctor says," Count grumbled a bit before looking back to Mere. "You are feeling fine right?"
"Feel like shit," Mere frankly responded as she looked between the three pilots. "But I'd thought that you'd all have been shipped off already to your new units."
"Already wanting to get rid of us...?" Trigger said with a light laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "You must really hate us."
"Well she might just have a vendetta against you, Trig," Tabloid smirked. "With how you fly, I'm sure a lot of people would hate your guts."
"I don't know about that, Tabloid... Not many people would be able to keep up with how he flies," Mere downplayed it a bit. "With how quickly Roofer had turned around to get out of here, I'd thought that you'd all be on that schedule too."
"I thought so too but Wiseman said that our orders haven't come in yet," Count huffed a bit. "Kinda wish I could get out of here away from Wiseman but this is a step up from what we had back in Zapland."
"It's a nice breather being in colder climate and nicer facilities afterall. Kinda feels like we're back to a normal unit again," Tabloid added with a light smirk. "I just hope the quality will still be the same when we move on."
"Regular units get treated like normal people afterall," Trigger shook his head a bit as he joined back into the conversation. "Still, it was quite the surprise seeing Avril was stationed here."
"Yeah and she gets a nice comfy place near the back lines while we get to be in the hotseat on the front," Tabloid sighed a bit as he glanced at Trigger. Rubbing the back of his head, Mere could see almost a little glint of light in his eye as he looked back to Mere. "But enough of that. Need something? Food? Water?"
"I'm... a bit parched. Kinda hungry as well," Mere mumbled while Tabloid gently clapped his hands together.
"Ah, perfect, Count, lets go grab something real quick," Tabloid suggested as he grabbed his shoulder turning him around.
"Wha- huh?"
"Come along, we should get her something to eat and drink," he insisted almost pushing Count out of the room. As the door closed with a clunk, Trigger stood at the edge of the bed quietly looking at the floor. Mere began to study him a bit seeing that he seemed exhausted and stressed. She didn't think that her passing out was too much of an issue due to her circumstances but it seemed Trigger was taking it a lot more personally than he really should.
"So…." Mere finally broke the silence causing him to flinch a bit and snap his head up and over to her. "I'm guessing that McKinsey has already left?"
"Oh him? Yeah, he's gone. Refueled, spoke to the commander here and just left," Trigger stated a bit stiffly.
"So how does it feel that we don't have to deal with that asshat hovering over our every move?"
"Just… kinda weird honestly," Trigger shrugged a bit as he rubbed his arm. "At one moment we were basically fighting for our lives to… Well, he's just gone. Not a single word as he refueled and he just left like that."
"Pumped and dumped huh," Mere said as she shifted a bit in her bed as she continued to observe Trigger. He seemed to be relaxing a bit more as they talked but he still looked like he wanted to talk about something specific. Mere could easily guess what might be going on in his head and didn't want to beat around the bush any more than she has to. Rubbing her thumb against the sheets she jumped right in. "Well enough about that, how are you?"
"Me?" Trigger quickly asked as he looked at Mere surprised before they flicked down to the floor. Tapping the toe of his boot against the ground he nodded his head to the side a bit. "I'm doing fine. Perfectly fine. Just…"
"Just…?" Mere pressed a bit, raising an eyebrow. Trigger gently began to rub the back of his neck as he didn't meet her gaze "Trigger…".
"No it's nothing. Really."
"You're a terrible liar, you know that?" Mere chuckled a bit while Trigger just began to fidget a bit more. "As a WSO to her Pilot, what's bothering you?" Trigger raised his hands as if to begin explaining what's on his mind before putting them back to his sides. Opening his mouth, he tried to say something but paused before he finally continued.
"It's what I did to you. Or rather what I didn't do for you," he began.
"Wait are you talking about when I g-locked?"
"It was a hundred percent my fault. I tunneled visioned on that threat and I didn't... I couldn't..." He began to pace a bit looking at the ground as he waved his hands around a bit animated while Mere was processing what he just said. Putting a hand up she tried to cut him off
"Trigger, calm down! Just-"
"I hurt you. I was seeking my revenge and I-"
"Just listen to what I have to-"
"-Didn't consider your own well being so I just-"
Having enough, Mere balled her fists up and shouted, "My g-suit broke!". This seemed to achieve her goal as Trigger suddenly stopped and looked towards her, Mere could see a mix of emotions wash over his face from surprise, confusion, anger, for a split second, and then back to confusion. Gripping the sheets she broke eye contact as she searched for her own words. "That noise you heard during the mission was the suit popping a hole. Equipment failure is the cause, not you, Trigger."
"Why didn't you say anything then?"
"For my own selfish reasons. I..." Her grip tightened on the sheets before relaxing as she let out a sigh her shoulders slumping ever so slightly. She didn't know why she was hesitating but she knew he should know the truth. "I didn't want to be the one to hold you back."
"Hold me back?"
"You're an amazing pilot, Trigger. Even if you downplay it and act all humble as you do, there's no one here who flies like you. You're a crazy bastard flying like a bat out of hell. Like a wolf, you bite down hard on a target and you won't let go till they're gone... And then there's me." Pausing for a second, Mere took in a slow shaky breath as she tried to calm herself down before she let out a light scoff. "A dumb ass WSO who can just keep up with you when you're good, but fails when you're at your best..."
"Lets... Just hold on a second," Trigger clapped his hands together pointing them at Mere before he turned the chair to face Mere and took a seat. Mere didn't want to look up at him as she was sure he was disappointed in her. "I just want to make sure I have the timeline correct. So the suit broke when we first engaged those fighters that slipped by Count, correct?"
"In the middle of that dogfight. Yes."
"And then you were assisting me against that weird fighter up to..." he gently motioned his hand for Mere to fill in the details.
"Last I remember... I think you managed to land a few cannon shells on the fighter slowing it down. It was already somewhat injured before that from another hit earlier. The thing was acting weird but predictably as you followed it in a long sustained turn but..."
"And that was at the end of the dogfight..." Trigger cut her off. "Look I'm... I'm not mad... Okay maybe a little mad since you didn't say anything to me about your issue but the point remains; not mad. We're a crew, Hotwire. We fight through these things together. We find issues together and we solve these issues together. Be it over Zapland, Roca Roja, Yinshi Valley, or the Waipolo mountains. "
"Trigger..."
"I just wanted you to know that. So from one stubborn person to another, don't make your pilot worry about you. That's honestly more distracting than not saying anything at all," he gently patted her hand. Mere mentally kicked herself about what she did but in the end she knows that Trigger is right. Saying nothing is worse than saying something and it tickles her thinking how close the two have become in the short time they've flown together. When they part ways, she'll miss flying with the lunatic. Suddenly the door to the room swung open and both Count and Tabloid triumphantly returned with Tabloid leading the way.
"Someone ordered room service?" he let out a chuckle as he had an apple and a cup of pudding in his hands while Count walked in close behind him with a tray of food. On the outside, it was just a simple cheeseburger. Lettuce, onion, tomato, with ketchup, mustard, and mayo. But to Mere, this was a delicacy that she hadn't seen in months. Forget the turkey club she got about a month ago, this is a meal fit for a king!
"Doc said we should go easy on our meals so as not to upset our stomachs but this is a special occasion which we at least deserve a small feast celebrating our escape from McKinsey," Count smirked as he put the tray on her lap. "Plus, this is what us landwalkers actually eat compared to that slop you seamen call food."
"Well... I will counter that Cheff Marshal made one hell of a banana ice cream..." Mere smirked a bit as she picked up the burger while Tabloid placed the apple and pudding down on the empty spots on the tray. Taking a bite, she had to admit that Count made one hell of a burger. A perfect balance of condiments and the right amount of greens to get a nice mouth full but not overpower the meat of the burger. Plus the patty was actually cooked correctly and not just grilled to a piece of rubber like how the prison had them. It was only then that Mere also just realized how hungry she was as she began to wolf down the meal.
"Jeez, slow down a little before you choke," Tabloid teased a bit as Count fetched the water bottle from his flight suit pocket and handed it over to Mere as she finished demolishing the burger in what seemed like record time. Cracking it open, she chased it down with the water letting out a satisfied, "ah." The four continued to converse a bit moving from topic to topic. At first, it was about what they will do now since they're free before quickly moving to reminisce about some of the memories they had when they first joined the penal unit to then predicting what their lives will be like once they move onto their new units. They only left after they were ushered out by a nurse who needed to do a check-up on Mere. By the time the nurse had finished up, the sky was already dark and the base's lights were turned on. Returning to her small medical room, she found her duffle with her clothes at the foot of her bed as well as a stack of new grey sweatpants, a sweater, and a few grey shirts. Getting out of her stuffy old flight suit, she quickly slipped into the comfy sweat pants and shirt before she stiffly got back into the medical bed. It was miles comfier than what she slept on in Zapland. Tucking in, she wondered what tomorrow would bring.
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New Arrow, Eastern Usea
August 6th, 2019.
0830hrs.
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Come the following morning, breakfast was brought to Mere by one of the base's personnel before the doctor came again for a quick check-up and recommended that she should stay in bed for that day as well. As soon as she left, however, Mere had some other plans as she got her boots and a water bottle. Sitting around didn't sit all too well with her and she saw a perfect opportunity for some good ol' exercise. She's got a nice long stretch of flat land to run some laps around and it should still be early enough that the temperature should be low. The second she took a step outside, the hum of a turbine hit her as a plane was making its way down the runway. Glancing over, she saw it was an E-3 which she had some mixed feelings about. First, it seemed like Bandog got his new orders but she couldn't help but feel a bit miffed that he was already leaving without telling her goodbye. He might have been an asshole, but he was Spare's asshole, and that will never change. Watching it take to the sky, she went to work first finding a guard to radio the tower to get the flight schedule before she could start doing her laps. She had some hope that some other members of the base would be there already but she doubted it since it was fairly late in the morning and the base's operations were coming up to speed.
Really with only enough time to do a lap or two on the main runway, Mere looked down it spotting a large transport far off in the distance so she swapped to running intervals on the taxi way. Pausing by one of the hangers, she took a second to watch the C-17 touch down as well as two Eagles. She wondered who these Eagles might be for and where they might have come from. The closest country Mere could think of is Emmeria to the North East of the Usean continent. Emmeria has close ties to Osea so they could feasibly ferry planes through Yuktobania, to Emmeria, and to the friendly bases on Usea. It wouldn't make to have them fly around the spring sea or the Atlantic ocean given the Arsenal Bird's range. Atleast it seemed like the safest option for Osea to get supplies safely where they need to be. Glancing into the hangar, there were a few of said F-15s on display ready and waiting for their pilots. Walking into the hangar, she approached a somewhat familiar F-15. Her eyes glanced over the skin of the aircraft noting how clean the plane was while the small dings and dents signified its heavy use. Looking to its tail, mere could make out the simple owl of Wiseman's emblem. Just behind his plane, Mere could see a few mechanics working on another plane. Taking a few steps further into the hangar, she could make out Húxiān small white and grey fox with what she assumed were the Verusean characters for her callsign on the large fluffy tail. It was then that one of the mechanics finally took notice of her.
"Hotwire?!" he suddenly called out to her when she realized who she was looking at, it was lil' Mouse. He put down the tools he had in hand and jogged over excitedly. Mere honestly didn't recognize him with the new clean uniform and hat. It was like she was looking at a different man.
"Mouse. What did I tell you, you'll make it to a legitimate squadron eventually," she smirked at the young mechanic as she pulled her hood back.
"I mean, I never really doubted you but how are you? Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere?"
"Woah, woah, calm down there Mouse. I already got Queen bending in a fit, I don't need more people helicoptering around me too," Mere gently waved her hand trying to calm down the concerned mechanic who just let out a light huff.
"I'm... just worried. We all were when we saw you get carted away. Avril was really concerned about you."
"Well, you don't have to worry all that much. I feel stiff but I can run and I'm not dead," Mere tried to ease his worries and Mouse seemed to relax. "You said the others. Who else came along with you then?"
"Ah! Gramps, Mike, Bondo, and Wizard all came to this base to fill out the staff. Mike and Bondo are currently with Ms. Young working in the other hangar."
"Becket quit socializing and get back to work. Do you want Mead or Young on our ass again?" One of the other mechanics suddenly called out.
"Ah, right! Sorry, I gotta go but it's good seeing you're up and moving! Take care Hotwire!" Mouse soon jogged back to his work and it eased Mere's mind seeing how well the kid's integrated in a new unit. At least now he can shine and develope his skills in a propper environment. Pulling her hoodie back up, Mere took a swig of water making her way out of the hangar to continue her run when someone called out to her from behind.
"Hotwire!" Coming to a gentle stop, Mere turned around recognizing the voice. Pulling her hoodie back off, she turned to spot Húxiān walking towards her. Raising an eyebrow she wondered what she wanted with her. "Got orders from Wiseman to take you to the commander's office. Don't worry, you're not in trouble. Just some formalities that need to be completed so come along."
"Should I change?" Mere asked as she looked down at herself and gently pulled on the sweatpants.
"Medical is on the way to the admin building so just duck in and change quickly," Húxiān said before she turned around and started to walk away. Jogging a bit to catch up, Mere did as was suggested and quickly ducked into the medical building. Finding her duffle she pulled out one of the fresher Spare flight suits and grabbed a small hand towel. Without time for a proper shower, she splashed some water over her face and did a quick wipe down before throwing the suit on and running back out to meet Húxiān again. After a short walk, they entered the administrator building. A few turns and a hallway later, Mere was surprised to see Trigger, Count, and Tabloid waiting outside a room.
"Took your time, your Highness," Count smirked a bit as he looked at the two approaching women and Mere returned his greeting with the bird. Both Trigger and Tabloid soon got up from the bench outside while Tabloid had a goofy smirk.
"Careful where you point that thing, Hotwire," he calmly said as he pointed his thumb at the placard next to the door. Getting closer to the group, Mere could make out the name on the name, Colonel Richard Wilson. Her eyebrow raised in alarm as she quickly holstered her weapon in her pocket while Húxiān sighed shaking her head as she bid her farewell since her job was done and that this was the last person to be brought here. The four spare members all stood outside the door staring at it as if it were some sort of aggressive dog when Tabloid took the initiative and knocked on the door. A somber voice cleared his throat behind the door and told them to enter. Opening the door they found Wiseman was also inside of the office waiting for them next to who Mere assumed was the base commander. The two men turned to look at them as the four awkwardly shuffled into the room. Closing the door, Mere joined the three pilots in standing at attention.
Mere took a second to examine the room noting it was much nicer than what McKinsey had in Zapland. The walls had a few glass cases holding some medals while others had what she assumed were pictures of the commander's family, base personnel, and even a few F-15's flying in formation. Behind the commander was a massive map of the world while the third wall held some massive windows letting in plenty of natural light to illuminate the room. Turning her attention to the seated Colonel, he had a much larger build than McKinsey. Even seated, Mere guessed he was only a few inches shorter than Wiseman. He has a broad chest and shoulders with short military buzz cut hair but his age was showing as the sideburns and some of the hairs on the side of his head were beginning to grey. When he spoke, his voice wasn't as deep but rather smooth with a light rasp to it but it carried and held weight and authority behind it.
"At ease," he stated letting the four relax a bit. His eyes glanced at the four of them before he continued. "I'm Colonel Wilson the commander at New Arrows but I think you already know that. Major Wiseman here spoke fondly of you while you were under the care of the 444th squadron. Now then, I don't want to take up more time than I have to so let us continue to why I called you four here." Opening a drawer in his desk four folders, three of which were a bit thicker than the other one before he pushed back his chair and stood up. "As of this moment from here on, unless stated otherwise, your former rank has been reinstated. Lieutenant Joeseph Grundale, Lieutenant Gregory Fitzgerald, Lieutenant Aaron Macbeth, and Lieutenant Meredith Andersen, attention!"
The four of them quickly straightened up coming to attention and it was the first time that Mere's heard the other's actual names. She now wondered what the others were thinking after hearing their names called. She herself was surprised that Count's name was Gregory and thought that William was a fitting name for him. It also slightly amused her that Tabloid was a Joe. She could already think up some jokes she could make with Trigger's last name as well but those were empty thoughts. The four stood at attention before Wilson motioned for them to come to rest. Picking up a folder, he handed it off to each person while giving his commands.
"Here are your new orders, as well as the needed forms for your transfer and equipment needs. Please have these returned to the administrative buildings by the end of today. You are all dismissed," Colonel Wilson quickly concluded and Mere looked down a bit glumly at the folder that was given to her. She knew it would only be a matter of time till she had to bid her farewell with the others but it still stings that it's here. Since they were dismissed and she was the closest to the door, she was the first one to turn and leave. Reaching for the door, Major Wiseman's deep voice called her back.
"Ah, Lieutenant Andersen! C'mere for a second. There's something that we would like to discuss with you." Pausing, Mere turned around to look at Wiseman while the others just gave her a somewhat knowing smile as they exited through the door. Trigger even gently patted her arm and gave her an assuring nod. Walking back to the desk, the door closed with a light click leaving the three in silence. Looking between the two nervously Wiseman broke the silence with a light chuckle. "No need to be so stiff, Lieutenant Andersen. Or would you prefer we call you Hotwire?"
"Either is fine with me, sir."
"I assume that your tac-name doesn't have to do with anything grand theft related...?" Colonel Wilson asked.
"No sir. Stems from my electrical prowess and..." she hesitated for a second as she glanced between the two senior officers but Wiseman's smile was very disarming. Becoming a bit more comfortable she lowered her head a bit. "Somewhat firey attitude, according to my peers."
"A firey attitude indeed," Wilson said as he opened another file he had on the table. At a quick glance, she saw it was herself in her dress blues in the top corner. "But what's happened in the past is the past. And given the extenuating circumstances, I could somewhat forgive your actions but let's move onto the topic at hand; Hotwire, we would like to recruit you into the Long Range Strategic Strike Group." Mere blinked twice hearing the requestion. Joining their fighter squadron? For what?
"Uhm… With all due respect, sir… Why me, sir? I mean, I appreciate the offer but... Why specifically me?" she asked looking between the two men.
"I know this might come as a shock to you and out of left field, but this is a genuine offer," Wiseman continued. "We're making this offer because we are seeking the best pilots to perform a mission that could lead to us winning and ending this war. I know this sounds strange for us to ask you in particular but hear us out; we want you to fly with Trigger." With Trigger? She was confused about why he came as a topic. Surely he would perform better without her and in a decent plane. He was one hell of a pilot, after all, and she will just hold him back.
"Sir, we've only flown a couple of missions together. We aren't a crew," Mere tried to reason but Wilson opened up a separate thicker document on his table and tapped it.
"That might be the case but our analysts give us a different narrative. Trigger's performance was good in the beginning stages of the war but he was still rough around the edges. From personal accounts, he is reckless and has a tendency to tunnel in on a target losing situational awareness. However, when analyzing the data acquired in his most recent missions, his flying patterns had changed. He's reacting quicker and faster to potential threats to himself while also becoming more efficient in engaging targets while defending his allies in the sky," Wilson stated. "He even stated that he feels he flew better with you when we also offered him this proposal."
"And you won't be alone coming here either. Lieutenant Fitzgerald and Lieutenant Grundale, or as you are more familiar with, Count and Tabloid, also were offered to join the LRSSG and they have accepted. You were out of commission so we waited until now to make you this offer." Mere didn't know what to say. She's being offered a chance to continue flying with Trigger and yet she's still freezing up. Was she still not ready to face herself with Trigger or herself? These thoughts of doubt were soon swept away when Tabloid's words seemed to ring in her head.
"Stick with Trigger..." She mumbled.
"I understand it's hard to jump ship from the Maritime Defense Force to the Air Defense Force. If you need time to think about it-"
"No," Mere cut Wiseman off shaking her head. "I'll take you up on that offer. I hope I can be of assistance to you and your squadron."
"That's great to hear," Wiseman smiled as he offered her his hand. Taking it, she made sure to give him a solid squeeze as they shook hands. "Welcome to the LRSSG Hotwire. Things will work a bit differently than when you were on a carrier. But I'm sure you will adapt in no time, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, Major. Colonel," she gave a nod to both of them as Wilson reached into his desk drawer again and pulled out a much larger folder.
"Now then, there's still some paperwork that needs to be done to confirm your transfer from the OMDF to the OADF. In addition, an actual room will be assigned to you in the coming days. We've currently assigned you to one of the guest rooms and your belongings that have been confiscated when you were incarcerated are there. You can read through all the other forms we have but it would be great if you could also sign through these documents," Wilson explained tapping the thick files before sliding over closer to Mere as well as putting a few pens on top of it. It was by this time she felt some regret with her decision as this was the part of the military she detested. It's effective in keeping everything nice and organized but god, why is there always so much paperwork?
Bidding her farewells, she stepped out of the office and started to loosely walk out of the admin building only stopping briefly to ask for directions to the guest room she was assigned. A guard offered to escort her to the guest building which she gladly accepted as she had no idea where she was going after a short walk. The guard started to point out what the other buildings were starting from the medical facility she was just in, the cafeteria, to then one of the smaller buildings near the base of the ATC's tower. Entering, it was a nice and clean building that Mere considered a bit more spruced up than the other buildings. The inside felt that way as well as there was what seemed to be a general common room with some couches, chairs, and a TV mounted to the wall while the other side of the room had a small fridge, a microwave, and some coffee makers. He explained this was generally reserved for guests that come to the base. Leading her down the hallway, he leads her down and stopped by the door to the room she was assigned. Thanking him, she fished the key from the manila folder and opened the door. Inside was quite simple with a wood table and a wooden chair bellow a glass window while there was a simple cot against the wall and a large dressed opposite to the cot. Walking closer to the desk, she noticed a small cardboard box sitting in the chair while her phone and aPod were taken out and hooked up to a power brick charging away. Plopping the files onto the table, she moved the box to the side before she took a seat and started to reflect on what she just agreed to.
"Stick with Trigger and you'll make it..." Mere mumbled again to herself as she leaned back in the chair before she glanced at her phone. She started to reach out but hesitated as the thought of this was all just a dream crossed her mind. Shaking her head a bit she squeezed the side buttons on her aPhone and it did start to power up. Picking it up she stared at the white apple that appeared as the phone was powering up as a wave of emotions finally hit her. Placing it gently back on the table she couldn't help but sniffle a bit as her eyes watered a bit the whole situation feeling surreal. She's free. She's out of the penal unit and going to be a part of a real unit again with Trigger. Letting out another sniffle, she gently rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands before wiping them on her pant leg as she recomposed herself. Pushing the phone away, she knew that anyone she would even want to call would still be asleep and she had a small mountain of paperwork that needed to be processed. Unzipping her flight suit, she pulled her arms out to get comfortable as she opened up to see a requisition form for flight equipment. Flicking to the page under it, was an additional form for a new flight suit. Behind that were amenities, and other personal comforts. Letting out a sigh, she started to stretch her hand out as this was going to be a lot of writing she would need to do.
