The time before the training started passed by in an eventless manner- other than the one soldier having a moment of panic (which was resolved rather quickly). Once the situation was resolved, David shrugged and turned around to check out his assigned quarters. When combat was telegraphed, there were a few things he could do to spend the desolate countdown. Many, when he was quite the new face around here, but an hour was so little to do so much. A budget cut was inevitable. His decision was quick prep.

---

Once dismissed, David's first destination was his quarters. With just enough effort put to call his actions "unpacking", David took a small sip from his water bottle as he looked at the small bags and some of its contents sprawled over his bed. [i][b]'Maybe this time we have a fighting chance.[/b][/i] He traced his memory back to the crew. Looks couldn't deceive if he couldn't find a consistent image in the sum of the group. But maybe that's what the ones in charge saw hope in.
The sip was to control his "rhythm." He didn't want to be too thirsty, nor too hydrated at the start of the fight. Either was a distraction. Using the time to do his homework, David pulled out his personal device to go through the information on the facility, especially the one to be used in training.

---

Ten minutes before the estimated time.
[b]"They put some effort into this, huh."[/b]
David muttered under his breath as he entered the virtual training room. One person, one pod, to be filled with fluids to encase them in a simulated reality. He found that he wasn't the first- getting too absorbed in the reading material had taken some time away from him. Already a handful of pods had been taken. Impressive, There was no reason to take his time, then. David made his way to a pod himself. As the fluids encased him, he only hoped that they got his cockpit right. After all the time he spent in there, it'd suck to find some niche details represented wrong. The distraction of a thought helped him dive comfortably into the simulation, as the sensation of floating in the midst of the compound changing to that of a more familiar, solid feeling. David spread his shoulders and reached around for the handles. Just where he usually kept them, perfect. His eyes opened to a beautifully copied sight of the inside of the Flag Bearer. A hulking machine that never forgot to announce itself. Even in simulation, he could feel the weight from just holding the handles.

[b]"Testing comms. Do you read?"[/b]
David reached for the comms control, and let out a test mutter into the team's channel. With the other hand, he began to flick the switches on his dashboard. With each function online, the machine began to hum with life. A screen in the middle of the dashboard lit up, showing a wireframe shape of the Flag Bearer, and its attachments. The wireframe was an empty collection of contours, slowly lighting up as switches were flicked on. First, the heart of the machine. Then, the light spread around in a spiderweb of power lines. Additional reactors powered up on the back, boosting the bootup in a noticable pace. The power lines flooded in to the wing-like artillery mortars, then to the rest of its body.
[b]"All systems green to green, Flag Bearer is ready for deployment."[/b]
He announced to the command channel.