Tomiko Fraser - Floor 3 - Swimming Pool Mako Mori - Floor 3 - Swimming Pool
Tommie's conversation with the French redhead was suddenly interrupted as her watch alarm suddenly sounded. Lifting her arm she quickly moved away from the younger woman, letting her arm trail down the girl's back for a moment, 'accidentally' brushing over Valentine's backside as it did. "Sorry, gotta go, time for my regular exercises." Tommie said as way of explanation as she quickly backpedalled down the hallway, her hands running over her washboard abs as she went. "You didn't think these things took care of themselves did you?" She concluded before turning away with a laugh.
Stepping out of the elevator Tommie quickly made her way down the corridor and into the changing area, stripping out of her clothes and fetching her one-piece swimming costume out of her locker. She'd gotten into the habit since her arrival of swimming one hundred lengths of the Olympic-sized pool three times a day, once in the morning, once at midday and again in the evening. She'd been surprised at first that the pool wasn't used by more people, but she'd come to enjoy the solitude her swim session gave her and for a short time she could let the happy-party-girl façade drop away.
Quickly stuffing her clothes and utility belt into the locker she made her way into the main pool, and paused for a moment as she saw someone already halfway down the length, quickly ploughing their way through the warm water towards her. Crouching down at the poolside Tommie waited a few seconds before the swimmer came close enough to make out her features. With a smile Tommie recognised her face immediately. "Commander Mori, fancy meeting you here?"
Breaking her strokes Mako looked up at Tommie, her face etched with concentration sa she quickly dropped back into the pattern of thrusts and sweeps which were driving her body through the water. Gliding gracefully over to the poolside she lifted herself up to sit beside Tommie as water poured down over her, splashing down onto the tiles. "Ranger Fraser... Razor, isn't it?"
"Technically perhaps, but I prefer to be called Tommie." The Jamaican replied lowering herself down to sit beside her commander, "We haven't really been properly introduced yet, and I was beginning to wonder if you'd been deliberately avoiding me." Tommie said playfully, bumping her shoulder against Mako's in a slightly teasing manner.
"I had not been informed of your arrival 'Tommie', otherwise I would have been sure not to have dishonored you in such a way." Mako replied, leaning over to grab a dry towel from the nearby bench and starting to wipe off some of the water from her arms and neck.
"Were you finished here? If not than I'm sorry to have interrupted your training." Tommie said, her eyes following the path of the towel before resting between Mako's breasts. They were smaller than Tommie's but still beautiful in their way. Blushing slightly Tommie turned away, it was bad enough she was getting the hots for her teammate, but her commander would just be too much of a complication.
Shaking her head slightly, working the towel up behind her neck and under her hair, Mako quickly replied. "It's no bother. I wasn't really training, just enjoying the water while I had the chance. It's going to start getting busier around her now the other recruits have arrived and I wasn't sure when I may get a chance to simply relax."
Smiling Tommie let herself drop down into the water, her body slipping effortlessly beneath the surface with barely a ripple to show for it, her previous training making the smooth maneuver second nature to her. "In that case, could I challenge you to a race? It's one thing to train alone, but I've always found a little competition is a far better teacher."
Mako tilted her head for a moment, as though weighing up the options before dipping her head in one graceful motion. "Okay, you're on." She said, tossing the towel back onto the bench and dropping into the water next to Tommie. "It's a little unfair though, I'm already a little tired but you're fresh and ready to go. Would you mind giving me a head start?"
"Not at all," Tommie answered with a smile, waving her hand down the pool inviting Mako to start, "Go right ahead and I'll give you half a length's grace."
Pushing off from the side Mako leapt into the water like a fish, her body undulating as she made the most of the distance, while using the least of her strength. Tommie couldn't help but be impressed with the way her commander handled herself, even in this friendly little competition, always thinking strategically and with forethought. Commander Mori would definitely be someone worth making into a role model for how a good Jaeger pilot should behave.
After a few seconds, as Mako passed the marker, Tommie launched herself off down the pool after her, taking her time and letting the momentum carry her as far as it could before settling down into the long, rhythmic strokes required to propel herself down the pool.
Jack 'Bruiser' Murdock - Floor 4 - LOCCENT Mission Control Unnamed Female Technician
~Ranger Murdock, Ranger Murdock to Mission Control, incoming signal from the UK~
Bruiser almost jumped as he heard his name called over the tannoy and quickly moved his waiting hand, giving Arkwright a slap on the shoulder as he quickly pushed passed him in the crowded corridor. "Whoa, sorry mate, gotta go," He said with a smile, knowing he the call would be from.
As he stepped into the operations centre one of the techs spotted Bruiser and waved him over to a console in the corner. "You know they shouldn't even have this frequency..." She said with a weary smile as Bruiser pulled a set of headphones up onto his ears.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. They get worried though and it helps me knowing they're safe." Bruiser replied bashfully, lowering his head and looking up at the woman with puppy dog eyes.
"In future just have them use the standard frequencies," The tech replied, scribbling the numbers down on a piece of paper and handing them to the pilot, "That way we can route the call straight to your quarters." Resting her hand on his shoulder for a moment the tech stepped away giving Bruiser a little privacy.
"Sure thing, and thanks." Bruiser said, turning to watch the kind lady walk away before leaning back over the console and pressing the button to link the feed. Immediately the screen was filled with three happy faces, one a man who looked like an older version of Bruiser accompanied by two small girls, both around the age of seven. "Hey there, Angels." Bruiser greeted them happily, "What time is it over there?"
"Just coming up on nine, and these little ladies wouldn't go to bed without saying night to their daddy first." The man said, patting the girls on their heads in unison. For the next few minutes Bruiser chatted with his family, getting updated on the news from home and getting shown pictures and bicycles and dinosaurs the girls had drawn in school.
Being a family man, and a military man had never been an easy combination. At any given time he would have to devote himself solely to the greater cause and as much as it pained him that would often be to the military. He had to remind himself that he was fighting not only for his family but for the families of everyone else as well. Especially a threat as big as the Kaiju. Who destroyed entire cities without breaking a sweat, shrugged off most attacks from the likes of fighter jets and tanks. Though that didn't mean in his down time he couldn't be a family man. Though it never got any easier.
Two boys, six and four and one girl at two. He always missed out on the "firsts" other than via video. In the end he was just glad that she had stayed loyal to him, and he loved their mother no less than the day they got married. He stood at the door, as he saw another one of the other rangers speaking to who he presumed were his own kids. Obviously he wasn't the only one to get the idea too phone home. Obviously though he was one of the earlier arrivals, as he was sure he would have noticed him on the helipad or even in the chopper - Though late arrival was a possibility. He just waited, as obviously the comm officer was giving the man privacy so had went to another station so he felt it would be better to wait for him or her to return to get the codes to contact home.
Jack 'Bruiser' Murdock - Floor 4 - LOCCENT Mission Control
As the call ended Bruiser hung his head for a second. While it was great to talk to the girls like this at the same time it somehow made it harder each time a call finished, leaving him a million miles away once more.
Rising from his seat Bruiser spotted one of the other pilots hovering nearby, a man almost his own age but with a more rugged, world-worn look about him. Stepping up beside him Bruiser tapped the guy on the shoulder in way of a greeting, something of a habit from his days boxing. "Hey there, ain't you one of the new pilots?" He asked, wanting to make sure he wasn't mistaking one of the techs for somebody else, or something.
Climbing out of the pool Tommie turned just in time to see Mako finishing her last lap and reached down to offer her a hand climbing out of the water. Sitting down on the poolside together Mako turned and looked over at Tommie curiously. "Where did you learn to swim like that?" She asked after a moment's pause.
Tommie laughed heartily, "Well, you know us girls from the Island, in and out of the ocean all day and all night."
"No," Mako said, her voice low and calculating, "There's something different about the way you move your arms, something precise and..."
Resting her hand on her commander's thigh for a second Tommie looked into Mako's eyes with a sharp look which told the veteran pilot it might not be a good idea to continue with her train of thought. A moment later Tommie's expression melted back into her happy smiling face once more and she lifted herself up onto her feet with a single graceful motion. "I'm gonna hit the shower, unless you'd like a rematch?" SHe said with a gentle laugh, her thumb jerking towards the pool.
"I'm done for the day," Mako replied, shaking her head from side to side, "That was a lot more swimming than I'd planned for and we still have the training session to prepare for."
"In that case, feel free to join me." Tommie said with a cheeky smile.
Mako looked at her quizzically, "The showers on this level are communal, of course I'll be joining you."
"It was a joke, Sugar." Tommie replied with a giggle. Stepping through the entranceway into the changing room Tommie quickly peeled her swimsuit off of her wet body.
Unlike Mako she hadn't thought to take a towel into the pool with her and the wet fabric clung to her skin, making it a little trickier to remove. Finally tossing the costume over onto the bench close to her locker Tommie turned to see her commander carefully laying out her own costume to dry with one hand while holding her towel around herself with the other. "Don't tell me you're shy," Tommie said teasingly as she tugged at the edge of the towel playfully.
"A cultural trait, I suppose," Mako said, blushing slightly, "We do not approve of revealing our bodies to other unnecessarily."
Giggling to herself Tommie turned away and headed into the shower, activating one of the faucets seemingly at random before standing under the hot spray. "It is necessary, you're taking a shower!" Moving her hands up, Tommie quickly gather her hair together an bent forwards into the water flow, letting the liquid splash down over her face for a moment before stepping closer to the wall and soaking her hair thoroughly. Running her hands in rhythmic motions she squeezed the locks roughly, washing out as much of the chlorine as she could as the water poured down over her.
"Here, use this," Mako said and Tommie turned towards her opening her eyes and blinking through the spray. The commander was holding out a bottle of shower gel, something else Tommie had neglected to bring with her. Her other arm was crossed over her chest, covering her breasts from view as Mako turned half-away from the rookie pilot shyly trying to hide herself.
"Thanks." Tommie responded, taking the bottle and lifting it over her head. Squeezing out just enough to clean her hair Tommie passed the bottle back with a nod and began to massage her scalp with both hands, making no effort to shield herself from Mako's inquisitive gaze.
"I suppose you get asked this a lot but what's..." Mako began, before trailing off shyly.
Moving her hands down her body Tommie pivoted on her heel as she lifted her left breast with one hand and wiped the bubbles away from her side with the other to reveal a ugly, ragged scar easily ten inches long which ran from just above the front of her hip around to just below her ribcage. "This?" she asked, rubbing her fingers along the gash. Mako nodded her head quickly. "This is the reason I'm here."
Tommie's silence hung in the air for several seconds, her fingers lingering on the scar as she seemed to fall back into herself. For what seemed like an awfully long time the only sound was the falling water splashing down around the two naked women until Tommie finally looked up with a smile. "Let's just say it's a reminder of a really bad day, and something which reminds me why we're all here."
Henry turned to the man speaking to him, as a fellow pilot Henry offered his hand. "Captain Henry McTier. Though people call me scotty-" He put on a blank expression. "Though I'm not really sure why." He let loose a sly grin. "You must be one of the early birds, sadly you didn't quite get the worm and had to wait for the rest of us. It's an odd feeling being second, I usually get to where I need to go first." He shrugged, then thought back to why he was waiting in the first place. "Nice couple of girls you got there. Twins? Or just sisters?"
While he did want to hurry and phone home before the training started he felt it was also good to get to know his fellow pilots. This could be the person he was paired with in a Jaeger, once put in one of the metal behemoths they could be deployed at any time so every second with a fellow pilot count.
"Hello? I'm Angelo, alias Archangel. Who are you?"
Yanmei Long - Floor 3 - Training Room
Yanmei had faintly heard the tapping of feet drawing near to her, but she didn't expect the tap on the shoulder, nor the sudden introduction. It was annoying. Clearly she was trying to sleep. What, did she need a 'Do Not Disturb' sign plastered onto her face in order for someone to get that? Would have been okay if it was someone coming to get her for a task or something important. But, no. This one was just an introduction. Letting out a sigh that had a hint of annoyance in it, Yanmei would open her eyes and turn her head in the direction of the man who had spoken to her. Immediately she recognized the face that was on one of the files attached to the clipboard that was a few feet away from her. Her left hand rose to her mouth as she yawned once, then her arms crossed as she sat there, looking up at him.
"You're one of the new guys right? You aren't assigned to be here for another two hours, which means that I only have that much time to rest before you and some others come in here and disturb me." she paused and raised her eyebrow at him, hoping he'd get the hint that she wasn't ready to talk to anyone right now. Hopefully she didn't come across as too rude, but at this point, Yanmei hardly cared. There were plenty of other things here on the shatterdome that one could do other than bother her. "I'll see you back here in two hours. Then we'll talk, yeah?" she said in a dismissive tone before she lay back down and closed her eyes. "Wǒ fāshì wǒ huì qù biānfú shǐ fēngkuáng de, rúguǒ biérén dǎrǎo wǒ."1 She would mumble softly to herself as she again tried to get some sleep.
Something along the lines of: 'No one else better bother me, else I'll go bat shit crazy.'
Jack 'Bruiser' Murdock - Floor 4 - LOCCENT Mission Control
"Captain Henry McTier. Though people call me scotty- Though I'm not really sure why. You must be one of the early birds, sadly you didn't quite get the worm and had to wait for the rest of us. It's an odd feeling being second, I usually get to where I need to go first. Nice couple of girls you got there. Twins? Or just sisters?"
"An early bird maybe, but not too early, I only arrived last night so I'm still as much in the dark as the rest of you." As he spoke Bruiser shook Scotty's hand with a firm grip, trying to keep his fingers loose to prevent causing and harm before lifting his hand to rub the back of his neck.
"And yeah, my girls are twins, and quite the handful." Bruiser said with a bashful smile, "Luckily my brother's looking after them for me while I'm over here, he's got plenty of time on his hands since... well, since everything happened." Turning his gaze away Bruiser didn't want to trouble the stranger with his family woes, especially not right after meeting the man.
"How about you? Got any family back home? You sound like you're from Scotland, right?" Bruiser continued after a brief pause, trying to change the subject away from his own situation.
True but I might not be alone with your for a while so I thought I should say now that your very cute. I hope we can work well together in the future" Angelo said with a smile thinking that being rangers would put them in danger a lot so he should say what he wants to say while he has time to say it. Once Angelo got that off his chest he got up and cracked his neck "see you in a few hours then gorgeous" Angelo called back smiling as he left and proceeded to go to the cafeteria to get some food in him before the two hours would be up. As Angelo got in the elevator it came to him that maybe he should go to the research area and talk to one of the scientists and see if they cant trade notes on the jagers or if they needed some help fixing equipment Angelo wouldn't be able to stand staying still for a long time so it would be good if people understood that Angelo had no problems helping people with things
Leaving Mako behind in the pool changing area Tommie quickly made her way back to her quarters, her undergarments tossed over her arm and only wearing her uniform jumpsuit. For some reason talking about her scar had made the Jamaican want to get out of the showers as quickly as she could and making her way back to her quarters she kept her head down to hide her dark expression from those she passed.
In her room Tommie through the clothing into the laundry basket at the end of her bunk before peeling off her jumpsuit. The fabric was damp from where she'd put it on without even drying herself from the shower first and Tommie quickly fetched a fresh one from her closet, along with clean underwear. Dressing at a more relaxed pace she felt herself calm a little, finding her centre once more in the familiar surroundings of her personal space, before taking a moment to gaze longingly at the picture of her lost partner pinned into the frame of the full-length mirror.
Finally she turned away with a sigh and stepped out of the room. Checking her watch she saw there was still a little time left before the training was due to start and so she turned down the corridor towards the elevator, heading down to the canteen to grab something to eat.
He pulled out his wallet, then a photo and handed it over. "Two boys, one girl. Loves of my life. I hate leaving them behind the way I do, but I'm here so that they never have to be. Also aye, I'm from Scotland. Just north of the border. Not really touched by this as much as some places are but I guess everywhere has been touched by what's been going on. I was actually supposed to be getting one of the Jaegers in that region of the world, then they shut down the project and I went back to military life. Now I'm back. So we'll see if I actually get to go as a pilot this time or if I'm just going to be sent home if they can the project again." He just shrugged.
"Anyway, if you don't mind I'd like to get this call out before we have to meet in the training room." With that he gave the man a nod as he walked into the command centre to go get the codes necessary...
Jack 'Bruiser' Murdock - Floor 4 - LOCCENT Mission Control
Nodding at the fellow family man Bruiser stepped aside and let him pass, not wanting to delay the man from contacting his family any longer. Checking his watch the old copper saw it was almost ten at night back home, which was the real reason he didn't want to reset the thing to local time. It was a link to his family, letting him guess what they were doing at any time just by picturing their daily routine each time he looked at his watch.
Realising he still had a little time to spare before heading for the training session Bruiser headed towards the surface stairway. If he was lucky perhaps the snow had stopped and he could have a quick cigarette out on the airfield in peace, if not then he was sure the mechanics wouldn't mind him finding a quiet corner somewhere for a quick rollie.
Yanmei Long and Diana Watson and Tomiko Fraser- Floor 3 Training room
A collaboration between Shadowy, Meridian, and Genni
Summary: Yanmei is sent to pick up Diana as she arrives a little later than scheduled. Tommie joins them and the three have a few laughs, along with some interesting conversation.
TL;DR? This is the time where everyone should be arriving at the training room.
Yanmei had been drifting in and out of sleep for the past hour and a half. Her mind was being plagued by vague memories and flashing images. A few times, fear seized her and she simply lay there on the floor of the main training room, wishing her head would just do what she wanted it to.
She wanted to remember everything and get her old life back, though she was starting to think it would be a long time before she remembered anything... a lot longer than she had considering the Marshall was dead set on giving her Jaeger away to someone else.
Turning to her left side, Yanmei would rest her head on her arm and draw patterns on the floor with her nail. She was so beyone frustrated with herself and the Marshall, she just wanted to lay here and sulk until she turned into a potato.
"Stupid Marshall and your stupid rules and orders..." she mumbled with a pout on her face.
"I heard that." the voice of the Marshall would say behind her, right before a soft kick would meet her shoulder. "Get up. I need you to go and get another recruit. She's arriving off schedule, and I can't seem to find Mako anywhere."
Turning and sitting up, Yanmei would stretch before standing and brushing herself off. Looking at her Marshall, she crossed her arms. "If I go and get this person, will I get my Jaeger back?"
"No." he said simply and smirking when she visibly winted. "But, I will be more inclined to do you a different return favor." he said. Taking a moment to think about it, Yanmei nodded after a bit of pondering. "Fine. But I'm holding you to that."
Turning, she walked with Raleigh to the elevators and he hit floor 5 for her. "Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for Mako. But remember, everyone is going to be meeting here in less than half an hour, so be quick about it."
"I'm just going to get someone, not shopping." she said with a light laugh.
As the doors slowly started to close, the Marshall cracked a smile. "Yeah well I just know you can get easily sidetracked."
"Hi there, heading up?" Tommie asked from where she was leaning against the back wall of the elevator, the last of her pineapple sponge cake held carefully between her fingers. The sudden voice of someone behind her made Yanmei jump nearly out of her skin. She turned around, too shocked to say anything right away.
"You know, the chef here is truly amazing. I haven't had sponge this moist in years." The former black ops agent said, breaking off another piece of her treat and slipping it between her lips, her tongue lapping out for a moment as her eyes caught Yanmei's.
Yanmei stared at the woman for a moment, saying nothing for a while. "Ah, you mean the cake...? I dont eat sweets too much so I wouldn't know." Relaxing as her racing heart finally calmed down. "And yeah I'm heading outside for a minute to pick someone up. Though... I just realized I have no idea who I'm going to be looking for." The elevator jerked lightly as they made it to the top floor and the doors open. "Care to join me, if you've nothing better to do?" she asked, turning and not really waiting for an answer as she started walking toward the entrance.
"Sure, why not?" Tommie replied with a shrug, stuffing the last of her sponge into her mouth as she floowed the younger woman out into the hangar, heading towards the airfield. "Did you get a list of candidates who were due to be arriving at all? It might be worth checking to see if there's anyone left unaccounted for," Tommie said as she waved over to where Bruiser was hiding out in the corner, a rolled up cigarette pursed between his lips.
Diana hugged her jacket closer around her, standing in the middle of the airfield. Her helicopter had landed less than five minutes ago, and she was a mix of excitement and apprehension. She was so close to achieving Her Dream of becoming a pilot, but was scared that she wouldnt qualify. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, looking around. Was there supposed to be someone to meet her? She'd arrived late due to complications when taking off, and although it hadn't been her fault, she wouldn't argue if she got in trouble for it. Her eyes scanning the airfield once more, she noticed two women coming her way and heaved a sigh of relief. Shifting her backpack onto her shoulder, she started to make her way towards them.
Glancing at Tommie as they walked outside, she nodded at her question. "Yes, though I dont remember reading if everyone had arrived already or not. Speaking of which, I think I remember seeing you in it..." she said, trailing off as a woman began waking towards them. She stepped up to the two and Yanmei offered a hand.
"Hey there. I assume you're the one I'm looking for." she glanced around them, seeing that everyone else around seemed to be busy at work. Also judging by the small duffel the woman carried, Yanmei had a good idea this was the recruit. "I'm Yanmei. Please call me Jade though. I've been around english speakers long enough to adopt a better name. Let's go inside though... its freezing out here."
"Not that I'm complaining," Tommie mumbled half to herself as she gazed down at Diana's tight top, which was showing two very obvious signs either of the young girl's excitement to be at the Shatterdome, or of the cold weather conditions making their presence felt. "HI there, by the way, I'm PPDC Ranger Tomiko Fraser, callsign Razor, but you can just call me Tommie."
"Sure, why not?" Tommie replied with a shrug, stuffing the last of her sponge into her mouth as she floowed the younger woman out into the hangar, heading towards the airfield. "Did you get a list of candidates who were due to be arriving at all? It might be worth checking to see if there's anyone left unaccounted for," Tommie said as she waved over to where Bruiser was hiding out in the corner, a rolled up cigarette pursed between his lips.
Yanmei and Tommie waited for the girl to say something, and after a while of silence, Yanmei just sighed and turned, waving with her hand for them to follow her. "Come on, lets get you settled. We have a meeting shortly."
Diana blushed and hurried after them. She'd noticed Tomiko's gaze at her chest, and had been unsure as to how to answer. "Sorry about that, I was a little distracted," she apologized, glancing at Tomiko- or Tommie. She was beautiful in the strong kind of way, and Diana was already full of admiration for her. "My name's Diana Lee Watson, but I usually just go by Sunny. I'm sorry about the late arrival, too." She added after her introduction, hoping to sidestep any issues about it.
"No problem," Tommie replied, waving her hand dismissively as the trio headed back into the Skylift hangar towards the elevator, "The others only arrived a couple of hours ago and we've got nothing planned until the first training session in about half an hour."
When the three reached the elevator, Yamnei pressed the down key and waited for it to reach them. Her hand lingered on the botton for a moment as she wondered if she should maybe show Diana her room. But... which one was she assigned to? She didn't know. Shrugging, she assumed she could find the room number on the clipboard of files she left in the training room.
When the elevator opened, she waitied until the other two stepped in first before she also went inside. Pressing the key for floor 3, she would stay quiet while they rode the evelator down.
As the lifted jerked into motion Diana fell back into Tommie's arms, "Woah, watch that first step," The Jamican said with a smile, helping Diana back onto her feet. "Diana, Sunny..? Does that make you Sunny D?" She said with a chuckle, trying to break the tension of the moment as the elevator slowly descended through the base.
Leaning back against the elevator wall Tommie smiled at her new colleague. "By the way, if you'd like to know more about this place meet me after the training session and I'll give you the ten cent tour. All you really need to know for now is that training is on level 3, quarters on level 4 and the mess hall on level 5."
Diana laughed at Tommie's joke. "I'd like for you to show me around, thanks," She eagerly seized the offer. She paused as the thought occurred to her, then looked at Jade and Tommie in turn. "Will I be assigned my room later, or...?" She asked. It sounded like the best thing would be to get settled as soon as possible, and familiarize herself with the place. Tommie's casual air had put her at ease, and she now only had anticipation for the training session, forgetting her previous anxiety.
"I'm actually going to show you your room right now." Yanmei said as the elevator stopped. "Wait here, i'm going to get your file and check." As the doors opened, she jogged out of the elevator and towards the training room where she left the files of the group. Kneeling next to the clipboard when she spotted it, she flipped through the sheets until she saw Diana's name. "Hmm lets see... room number, room number, room number..."
As Yanmei jogged down the hall Tommie leant over gracefully and placed her hand on the elevator door frame, stopping it from closing on them as they waited for their colleague to return. Gazing over at Diana the Jamaican considered her for a moment. The girl was young, almost too young, and Tommie wondered whether she'd ever even seen combat before.
"What brings you out to join us here in Hong Kong, Sunny?" She asked in her usual playful tone, letting her eyes dance down Diana's body for a moment as she studied her muscle structure, bearing and weight distribution, unconsciously calculating the best way to take the girl down if she needed to.
Diana shifted a little, not looking Tommie in the eyes as she appraised her. "I'm here for training, to become a pilot." She answered, not quite able to emulate the same playfulness Tommie had. "You wouldn't think it just by looking at me, huh?" She forced a joke, letting out a small chuckle. Again, she took a deep breath, steadying herself and staying calm. "You don't need to worry, I'm tougher than I look," She let out a real laugh this time, leaning against the elevator wall and feeling at ease once more. She didn't need to worry, she told herself.
Looking over at Diana cautiously Tommie felt a little uncomfortable. The girl's glib answer hadn't really answered the question as to why she'd decided to become a Jaeger pilot, either because she hadn't understoof the question, or because she was deliberately trying to hide something. In Tommie's experience it was usually the latter, and usually something which could harm her at some point.
She as about to ask for clarification when she heard Yanmei's footsteps in the hall, and quickly dropping a smile into place Tommie turned to welcome back her colleague. "Find what you needed?" She asked merrily.
"Yeah, i was looking for her room number." she answered after stepping into the elevator. "Push four will ya?" she said, raising her right arm and scratching underneath.
Diana obliged, hitting four on the pad and stepping back as the doors slid closed. "So, what are the rooming arrangements like?" She asked, searching for anything to ask and prevent silence.
Tommie laughed loudly, "I'm really the wrong person to be asking about that," She said once she settled down to a chuckle, "To me this place is a palace, compared to some places I've stayed."
"I'd have to agree with Tommie. Though I've been stationed here for as long as I can remember, in the production of my Jaeger, I visited a few other places that were not as nice as this."
"I guess I've been pretty lucky so far, then," Diana smiled. She leaned back against the walls, closing her eyes briefly as the elevator moved slowly up. When it ground to a halt she stood up straight again, looking to Jade to lead the way. Walking out of the elevator, Yanmei would start looking around for the room number Diana had been assigned to. "We're looking for room 431..." she said aloud, though mostly to herself as she was preoccupied leading them down various halls and back the way they came. They continued this pattern of roaming about until she finally found it. "Ah, i knew it was here all along."
Diana stepped forward to open the door to her room. It was austere, but she hadn't really expected the comfort of home. A single bed was pushed to one corner, with a bedside table and a wardrobe opposite. There was the same arrangement on the opposite side of the room, which meant that she had to expect a roommate at any Time. Walking over to her bed, she dropped her bag against the pillow, then turned to the women. "Do I get a key?" She asked.
"Ah, no keys here. Though you can lock it from the inside." Yanmei said to her, checking her watch as she did. They had about fifteen minutes before the meeting. "I'm going to head back. Try not to get too comfortable. Meeting in the training room in fifteen." Nodding to both of them, she started to walk back towards the elevator.
Diana shrugged out of her jacket, folding it neatly and placing it by her pillow. She stretched slowly, making sure she was comfortable and working out the last of the kinks from the ages-long helicopter ride. She glanced at Tommie, who still stood at the doorway. "You can come in, don't worry," She said cheerfully, sitting on the bed.
"I wasn't sure whether you'd want some privacy or not," Tommie said with a smile as she made her way over to the wall closet and pulled open the door. Inside there were alreawdy several flight suits which looked about Diana's size hanging on the rail, as well as a couple of sets of combat boots and... other items.
Pulling one of the one-piece suits out Tommie tossed it over to the new recruit. "You're gonna need one of these for the session," She said, before reaching back in to pull something else out, "I tend to think of these as optional extras though." Holding up a pair of standard-issue panties between her fingers Tommie quickly flicked them over at Diana, "And I don't usually bother with them." She finished with a laugh.
"I think I'll pass on those," Diana laughed, dodging the panties. She leaned over to pull off her sneakers, before standing up and starting to shimmy out of her top. It was pretty tight, and she'd worn it against her better judgement in favour of looking good. Getting it past her breasts with a little grunt, she folded it quickly and neatly, placing it on top of the jacket. Her jeans required less effort, and she stepped out of them lightly, folding them as well. She picked up the flight suit- thankfully it seemed to be her size- and started working her way into it. The result was something a suit that fit her like a second skin, leaving none of her contours to the imagination. "Could you pass me a pair of boots, please?" She asked Tommie.
For a moment Tommie just stared at the young girl, memroising the details of her body. Despite her thin frame Diana had good muscle development, obviously someone who exercised regularly, and that would work well for her as a pilot, but she still looked like she lacked the strength to run a Jaeger on her own. With a sigh Tommie turned away and pulled the boots out of the closet before walking over to the girl and handing them to her.
Reaching up Tommie stroked her hand down the side of the girl's face, looking her in the eyes with a serious air. "You be careful, okay? This isn't a game." Before Diana could reply Tommie quickly turned away and walked out of the room.
Diana was left staring at Tommie as she retreated, thrown off balance by her words. Sighing, Diana bent to put on the boots. They were heavy and solid, and made her uncomfortably aware of wherever her feet were. She looked around for a mirror, curious to see how she looked. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like appearances mattered in the least. She looked down at herself, the dark fabric clinging to her lean body. She kept on replaying Tommie's words to her. They had been uncharacteristically serious, but Diana had the feeling that was the closest thing to the real Tommie she'd seen so far.
Back in the training room, Yanmei was just arriving to see Mako standing and talking to the Marshall. Acting on impulse, she stayed hidden behind a corner as she tried to listen in on what they were talking about, but could barely make out anything they were saying. She thought she heard her name once or twice but couldn't be sure. Sighing to herself, she stepped round the corner. "Hey, I got the last recruit. We gonna be starting soon?" she asked casually, ignoring how they seperated quickly and looked nervous for a moment.
"Yes, just ten minutes or so and they should be arriving." Mako said, moving away from Raleigh across the entire room. The Marshall cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "Do your best here Jade. I'm expecting a lot from you." he said, moving to go stand by Mako and wait.
Jade stood there, a confused look on her face as she watched the Marshall walk off. Sighing as the two started talking in a hushed voice again, she glanced at her watch, praying the others would get to the training room soon.
Angelo sighed softly in the short time he was here he got a work out done and went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Afterwards Angelo just drifted for a while until he saw it was almost time to get their fights started. Angelo knew he would do well because he was born jittery and as a result isn't easy to pin down plus despite his age he was a great Muay thai fighter using his knees and elbows into his fighting style Angelo wondered who he would be paired with and how they would fight together, hopefully Angelo will be the right side if he is put in a two person Jager since he is right handed. Angelo walked to the nearest elevator and he walked into the training room waiting on everyone else, the early bird as usual apparently...
Jack 'Bruiser' Murdock and Tomiko Fraser - Floor 3 - Training Room A collaboration between @SimplyJohn and @Genni
Stepping into the room Bruiser saw that for once he was early, which came as a bit of a surprise, but a moment later he felt a hand slap hard against his butt. "Hey there, big guy," Came the familiar jovial sound of Tommie's voice and turning towards her Bruiser smiled.
"You know if anyone else tried to do that I'd've knock them out." The ex-boxer said, raising him fists in front of him jokingly. He wasn't lying though, most people would've already been flat on the floor after a stunt like that, but there was something about the girl that Bruiser just instinctively trusted. Probably something about the way she's always so open and honest about what she's thinking, He thought to himself as the two made their way into the room.
Tommie chuckled to herself at her fellow pilot's threat, knowing that he was probably telling the truth. His build and muscle mass alone would've given her that idea, but the way he moved on his feet, almost dancing across the floor, told her that the man had some sparring experience at least, probably boxing or mixed martial arts. Eyeing him carefully Tommie watched for any signs of injury or weakness, but the man seemed to be covering himself well, balancing his weight evenly to allow for quick reaction time while at the same time keeping himself stable enough to deal with a direct assault if caught unawares. "Don't worry too much," Tommie replied with a smile, "You're not really my type."
For a moment Bruiser wasn't sure what the Jamaican firecracker meant by that comment, but then noticed her eyes wandering over to where Commander Mori was leaning against the wall. "Oh... OH!" He exclaimed, his eyes widening as the full implications of what the girl was saying begun to sink in. "Are you and the Commander..?" Bruiser asked, jerking his thumb back and forth between the two women with a little confusion.
Barking out a laugh Tommie shook her head emphatically from side to side, "No, we're not..." She replied, deliberately leaving the comment hanging in the same way the big guy had. "Not that I wouldn't mind a dip, but I get the impression Ms. Mori's spoken for." Nodding her head over at where the Commander and the Marshall were leaning against the wall she drew Bruiser's attention to the way the pair stood together.
Now that he was looking for it the body language between the two veteran pilots was unmistakeable, so much so that Bruiser found it difficult to understand how he'd missed it before. "Oh right," He said simply his voice clear and filled with certainty before turning back to look at Tommie again. "But you're still into..?" He asked, letting the question remain unsaid.
Lifting her hand Tommie fingered the silver band wrapped around her finger. "All the way, although she's not with me any longer." Tommie replied, her voice echoing deeply in the large chamber.
"Yeah, I know how that can be." Turning his head aside Bruiser looked down at his own hand. He'd stopped wearing his ring a couple of years earlier, deciding it was time to move on with his life rather than wallowing in the past, but he could understand what kept Tommie wearing hers. At time she wished the ring was still there, in the same way he wished his wife was still at home with the twins, rather than them having to rely on their uncle to raise them. Not that he didn't make a great parent for them, but sometimes a kid needed their mother.
Satisfied that she was ready, Diana took a deep breath and walked out of her room. Upon her arrival in the training room a few minutes later, she noticed with relief that she wasn't late. The Marshall and Mori were already there, which made Diana slightly nervous- she hadn't been aware that she'd be training in front of freaking Marshall Raleigh himself. Tommie was there as well, next to a hefty and almost intimidating man Diana didn't recognize, and a Latino man stood a little ways off. She was reminded all too clearly that she was most likely the youngest recruit, and probably at the greatest disadvantage. She couldn't afford to put on less than her best at any time. This fact bold in her mind, she headed to a bench near the corner, sitting down and waiting for the others to arrive.
Seeing the nervous young recruit entering the room Tommie quickly waved over to her with a friendly smile before pushing away from where she'd been chatting with Bruiser and quickly making her way towards the young woman. "Managed to make yourself comfortable I see," The Jamaican said, her eyes wandering down over Diana's tight uniform her a moment as she chuckled gently.
"Why don't you come over and join us?" Tommie asked waving her hand over to where Bruiser was leaning against the wall, waiting for the session to start and looking a little under the weather. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to talk about her dead wife in front of the man, something told her he had similar wounds of his own to deal with. "This is Bruiser by the way, a guest from England and a fellow trainee. Bruiser, this is Diana Watson, another pilot from the great U S of A."
"Nice to meet you." Bruiser said, holding his hand out in greeting for the young girl. For a moment he eyed her critically, staring at her in disbelief at how such a young girl was being allowed to join the team, but a second later he shrugged his shoulders with a smile. If she was here then she'd earnt her place just as he had, and he'd only been piloting Jaeger for less than a year, so who was he to complain about anyone else's experience.
"Another American, ehh? Well, at least that balances things out for each side of the Pond a little better." Bruiser said, barking a laugh at his little joke. From what he'd heard from the staff up on the airfield most of the new recruits were Europeans, with three Brits, four if you included Gottlieb. It seemed a little strange that they'd all come halfway around the world to fight something that hadn't even reached their little island yet, but Bruiser remembered the rioting and panic in the streets back home and knew exactly why people were here.
Diana looked up at Tommie with a smile, grateful for the offer, and walked with her to the man she'd been with. She was curious to meet the other trainees. "Nice to meet you too," Diana smiled, shaking his hand firmly. She felt a little uncomfortable, knowing he was appraising her, but within seconds he seemed to loosen up, accepting her presence. "And I don't know, we may be a little outnumbered, but we're never outgunned," She laughed, channeling a little of her hometown's patriotism. "I haven't met any of the other recruits, though," she added, "Just Tommie and you so far. Any other Brits around?" Although Bruiser was slightly intimidating physically, he had a solid and reassuring presence, one that let Diana know without a doubt that he was a family man.
Summary: Yanmei is sent off again, just a few minutes before the meeting, to meet another new transfer to the Shatterdome. The Marshall is about to tell everyone what it is their doing here.
Samuel Bute was sitting on the helicopter, watching the sea go by beneath them. This was it. Sam was finally going to be able to fight for the good guys. For the good purpose. When he looked outside again, the shatterdome was in view. It was immense and kind of intimidating to Sam. About two minutes later the helicopter had touched down and Sam was asked to exit. A man on the deck walked up and asked him who he was. "Im uhhh, Im a transfer." He said, nervously.
Back in the training room, Yanmei was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, waiting for Mako or the Marshall to quit their whispering and get on with the meeting. She watched as someone she didn't reckogninze came up and spoke to Mako, the three suddenly leaving the room. Sighing to herself, she closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on. Patience wasn't her thing... and neither was waiting for people who were late.
"Jade, come here a minute." she heard the voice of the Marshall calling to her, and it brought her eyes over to where they had entered the room again. Rolling her eyes and uncrossing her arms, Yanmei would walk up to the three and raise her brow. "What is it? You're not going to call off the meeting are you?"
"No, nothing like that." he said shaking his head. "Postponing it for a few more minutes. This guy here says someone's here. Another transfer. I need you to go get him. ...It was a guy right?" he looked to the worker who nodded.
"Aw, why do I have to do it?" she complained, though she had already turned and started walking in the direction of the elevator. "Because I asked you to. Now hurry up so we can get thing started." he added with a laugh, causing Yanmei to send him a pouty face over her shoulder. She sighed again when she reached the elevator. It couldn't be helped. Guess this guy would have to wait for the grand tour until the meeting was over.
Yanmei hummed to herself the short ride up to the top floor where the airfield was, only pausing once some members of the research division came in as she was leaving. Looking around, she walked towards the entrance to see a man standing with a duffel all alone. Walking up to him, she waved and smiled.
"Hey, are you the transfer?" she asked, not wanting to make any assumptions.
Sams attention was quickly turned to a women talking to him, asking if he was a transfer. "Uhm, yeah I think so." He said, turning around and walking up to her. "I mean, thats what Ive been told." He added, then extending a hand. "Samuel Bute, boxer." He introduced.
Reaching out to shake his hand, Yanmei returned the introduction. "Nice to meet you. I'm Yanmei Long... but please call me Jade. I'm a Ranger and thats about it. Though ah... I'm kinda on time out due to an unfortunate event. Come on, we have a meeting starting soon." Shifting the hold on his hand to his wrist, Yanmei would start to pull Sam toward the elevator. She was in a hurry and wanted to get back soon so things could finally start.
"Uhm... meeting?" Sam asked, following Yanmei as he was being dragged to an elevator of some sort. "Im sorry, Im really confused, whats going on here again?" He asked as they reached the elevator, still a bit overwhelmed from everything.
"Well of course you're confused. You came in late and kind of missed everything. Though dont worry, the meeting is just about why you were chosen to transfer and such." she said as they stepped into the elevator. Pushing the button to return to the training room floor, she would cross her arms. "Truth is, apparently its supposed to be a half meeting and half training session. That's all I can tell you for now."
Her hand extended out of the elevator when it opened again, in a gesture for him to exit first. "Take a right and keep walking until you see a large room with some people standing around." she instructed him, waiting for him to leave the elevator.
Sam peeked out and then pointed what she said with his hand. "Take a right..." He paraphrased, putting his hand out and swooping it to the right. "And keep walking..." He said. This was it. This next step meant he was really going to do it. Sam took a deep breath before stepping out and going exactly where she said. "Thank you, Yanmei." He said, turning to the woman before walking again. Sam wasnt quite sure what to do when he got their but he decided to not say anything unless spoken to. When he found the room that kind of matched Yanmeis description, he cautiously opened the door, peeked in, and then shuffled his way in.
"Wrong room." she said laughing as she walked past him. Only a few more steps was where the training area was. Technically it wasn't a room since there were no doors. Waving Sam over, she pointed to the ground. "Just leave your things here."
Jogging over to Mako and Raleigh, Yamnei purposely squeezed herself between the two, causing both of them to awkwardly move away. "I got him. So... We gonna get started here or not?" she asked, mostly to the Marshall. Running a hand through his hair, he would nod. "Yeah. Some people haven't arrived but it cant be helped. They'll just be a little late."
Sam urked in embarassment and slowly crept back out of the room awkwardly, quickly following behind Jade. With his face now flushed red from embarrasment, Sam dropped his bag where Yanmei said and then found a secluded spot, trying not to gain the attention of the others.
Yanmei's eyes followed Sam as he moved to a different corner of the room, away from everyone else. Smiling slightly, she knew it was only a matter of time before he was drawn into some sort of conversation. Once the Marshall and Mako started to move towards the center of the room, she stood alone quietly and waited for them to say something. She caught the Marshall's eyes and he gestured with his head for her to come over. Pushing off the wall, she was wary as she stepped up to him, standing on his opposite side that Mako was.
"Alright, I think it's best we get on with this meeting, with or without the others." he said, his voice loud enough to be heard in the whole room. Yanmei noticed some other people, workers and trainees, had started to gather in the few moments she had been back. Suddenly standing there with Mako and Raleigh made her feel awkward and small.
"I guess I'll start with why I asked you guys to come here...."
