[h2][b][color=92278f][u]Madison Cole[/u][/color][/b][/h2] Madison laid the dossier on the table and began flipping through the pages while listening to the Captain's thorough explanation of the mission, noting that she would be partnered up with the one that she called 'Freckles' for an enemy elimination side of things while Joe, Jingo and Eli were to focus on solely on the extraction. She looked up towards Percy, as he glanced at her, not saying a thing, before she turned back to the briefing and continued to absorb the information. As the crew meeting continued she couldn't help but feel that Percy was looking at her the entire time. It was beginning to creep her out like he was someone judging her for being one of those typical stereotype like characters. The captain finished her pep talk and dismissed her team, allowing Madison to get up and leave the room. On the way out she saw Percy give her one last intense stare. [color=92278f][i]"Oh my god! What is up with this guy. He doesn't talk, he's sits as far away from everyone as possible, and then he stares at me the entire time!"[/i][/color] Thinking to herself and only focusing on those following her, she didn't even notice that she had entered the hanger until she bumped into a familiar figure. [h2][b][color=00a651][u]Duncan Brown[/u][/color][/b][/h2] Duncan could see Madison had something on her mind so he purposely stood in her way, letting her bump into his body. The nudge came as a shock to her, forcing her eyes to break out of whatever trance she was in before looking up at who she ran into. [b][color=92278f]"Duncan!"[/color][/b], she bellowed out before grabbing him with a hug as if a few days absence had actually been a few years. [b][color=00a651]"Why hello there stranger,"[/color][/b] he replied, grinning at her over the top reaction, [b][color=00a651]"C'mon, we'll grab a coffee, have a talk and catch up."[/color][/b] The two of them spent some time in the kitchen talking over what had happened over the past few days. She spoke about her experiences at the barracks while he talked about the weird and wonderful group of mechanics and engineers he was assigned with, that is before Duncan propped the question. [b][color=00a651]"So tell me what's up. You never go quiet like that unless something is bothering you"[/color][/b] [b][color=92278f]"It's that Percy creep."[/color][/b] She turned away from Duncan and folded her arms like a 6 year old who didn't want to listen to their over bearing parents. [b][color=00a651]"You've only known him for a couple of hours,"[/color][/b] he replied in a calm, reassuring voice while sipping his coffee at the end of his sentence, [b][color=00a651]"Besides, all the pilots have had background checks, you know this, and you all got accepted because you each excelled in various situations. Do I need to remind you that you yourself failed the cerebral resonance test with the worse mark out of the group, and in the simulation NC you finished the battle with 2 system failures and 6% health remaining..."[/color][/b] Slowly she turned to him to see what it was that he was trying to accomplish with this talk. [b][color=00a651]"... yet somehow you managed to fight a small battalion of Fairbanks .LTD and Paragon NCs,"[/color][/b] he shrugged lightly as Madi gave a halfassed nod of approval. [b][color=00a651]"That's why they are trusting you with one of the heavy weight NCs which can take a beating. A couple of the others didn't even score a scratch let alone half the damage you endured. The same goes for Percy. He has his skills and the higher-ups trusted him enough for their team, as will you eventually."[/color][/b] Duncan stood up and ruffled his hands through her hair as he started to leave the room, [b][color=00a651]"Not everyone is out to kill you, kido, so I'll talk to Percy and find out what's bothering him, OK? You go sync up with the NC and check out the mods we've done to the programming. Had to give you more manual controls because the OS couldn't handle your hyperactive nature."[/color][/b] They both chuckled to themselves as they each parted ways. Duncan thought it'd be best to check up on Percy and have a cupper with him while Madison headed off towards her NC. [h2][b][color=92278f][u]Madison Cole[/u][/color][/b][/h2] Madison held onto the edge of the lift as it came to a stop at the rear of her Mad-e NC. Sticking out of the back was an open top compartment with the exposed pilot seat to which Madison comfortably shuffled herself into. With a press of the button the pod retracted back into the NC like a CD drive returning into a PC tower, locking her in a darkened room. The lights began to gently illuminate her surroundings with a pastel hue of of the rainbow as she pulled back the side of the hair above her right ear and pulled a cord from the headrest of the seat behind her, plugging it into a small port that was surgically implanted. [b][color=92278f]"Begin Sync,"[/color][/b] she spoke as the computer system began to start up it's boot sequence. [color=8dc73f]> Initialising Mad-e System Software > System: Check > Weapons: Check > Ammunition: 100% > Power: 100% > Cerebral Resonance: 16% > Cerebral Resonance Failure = Shutting Down Mad-e =[/color] [b][color=92278f]"Fuck,"[/color][/b] As Madi slammed her fist on the dashboard in front of her she let out a mighty yell so loud that it was more than likely heard by the workers surrounding the NC. Staring at the dash in defeat, wondering if joining this team was some mistake, she noticed a scrap of paper taped to the side with an arrow pointing to a glowing, triangle shaped button and the words "[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTmY3x4sl8w]Press me[/url]" scribbled on it. As soon as she gave it a slight tap the cockpit began to fill with a beat, a beat that allowed her to lay back and place her hands on the two handle bar like control levers. Her breathing slowed down to a more relaxed pace, her thoughts began to smooth out and as she tapped her fingers to the rhythm she tried for a second time. [b][color=92278f]"Begin Sync,"[/color][/b] [color=8dc73f]> Initialising Mad-e System Software > System: Check > Weapons: Check > Ammunition: 100% > Power: 100% > Cerebral Resonance: 97% > Cerebral Resonance Complete = All Systems Operational = "Welcome Madison Cole"[/color] [b][color=92278f]"Heh... Duncan, you know me a little too well."[/color][/b]