Phloem

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

(Ah, I see. I'll just wrap it up in this post, then.)

Blinking a few times, the simulation began to sharpen around the edges. Turning slightly to look behind him, he could see the faint cityscape of Hong Kong. Now, it was almost undistinguishable from real life. The sound of waves crashing filled the air as Emmett spotted the telltale blue glow of a Kaiju beneath the surface of the water. It was only a matter of time now, he thought to himself, psyching himself up for the inevitable. The monster stayed under until it got closer, bursting from the frigid seawater with a shrill cry.

Instincts took over and he reached out to grab the beast by its head, pulling it into a reverse headlock. The Kaiju struggled wildly in his grip, as Emmett aimed a hard stomp at a protruding spike of bone at it's knee. Another deafening screech. Letting go, the Kaiju fell backwards, and he took the opportunity to fire up the wrist-mounted thrusters. Emmett then finished it off with a rocket-powered overhand, breaking the monster's skull. The force of the punch caused a reverberation to shake the simulated-Jaeger and he nearly got thrown off balance. Thankfully, the robotic arms of the Conn-Pod held him upright.

Before he knew it, a second Kaiju was advancing on him. He took care of that one as well, but not without suffering some damage to the left arm. Gritting his teeth, Emmett pushed on through it. Then, it was two Kaijus at once. It was much more of a challenge than just one, but then again, Kaijus weren't the smartest creatures. After a lengthy battle, mostly involving hand-to-hand combat, both of the monsters were dead in the water. Bruised and battered (the Jaeger, mostly), the last Kaiju leapt towards Emmett, giving him little time to catch a breather. Reaching his arms out to grab it by the jaws, he attempted to rip it apart. However, the damage to the Jaeger's left arm from before prevented him from doing that. Opting instead to shove the alien creature back, he suddenly remembered the Plasma Cannon. As the weapon started to charge up, the Kaiju began bounding towards Emmett. He took a hard hit in shoulder area, and he thought the connecting wires would give out.

Thankfully, they held fast and Emmett was able to shove the Kaiju's head downward to knee it in the jaw. Momentarily stunned, he was able to fire the now fully-charged Plasma Cannon in the chest. The Kaiju's chest cavity exploded in a neon-blue eruption and then, it was dead.

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

Yep. Actual footage:

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

Finally posted, school was busting my balls big time. :x

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

As Emmett stepped into the test Conn-Pod, he took a moment to take in his surroundings. The entire chamber was flooded with a cold, blue light, and it looked for all the world like a bona fide Conn-Pod -- except this one would most likely stay a disembodied head for the rest of its serviceable existence. Glancing downward at the feet plates, he took a deep breath before planting his feet. Despite the fact that this was just a simulation, it didn't change the fact that him becoming a Ranger hinged on passing this test.

The sound of engines whirring and buzzing electricity grew as the simulation began to fire up. The fluorescent lighting seemed to dim a bit as two control discs rose from an opening in the ground. Instinctively gripping each disc in his hand, the image of a vast ocean formed right before his eyes.

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

Throughout breakfast, after the basic introductions were made, Emmett mostly just ate quietly and laughed along at any jokes that were told. Before he knew it, his tray of food was completely exhausted and he wondered whether he should get a second serving. It sounded like a good idea, but then again, he was going to be doing a simulation soon and he predicted it to involve a lot of movement. He didn't have any motion sickness, but being thrown about in a metal chassis was bound to induce at least some indigestion.

Soon, it was time for everyone to part ways for the day. Emmett said his goodbyes to everyone, making a point to address them by their first names. Mostly for his own benefit though, so that he could remember them. It'd be pretty embarrassing, not to mention rude, to forget someone's name after a day.

Turning his attention back to Mako, he followed her to the Sim Room. In all honestly, he was thankful to have some sort of a guide to show him where he needed to go. He'd wager this place was probably even bigger than his hometown. Then again, his hometown was pretty small, but that wasn't the point. Looking at all these forked corridors, he'd be legitimately impressed if people didn't get lost in here once in awhile.

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

Gonna have a little something up soon, by the way. Sorry to keep everyone waiting!

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

Having been part of the entourage headed to the control room, Emmett had a great view of exactly what happened. He'd been excited about seeing a pair of veterans in action, and on his first day here, no less! When the group reached the control room, he took in his surroundings Beeping monitors could be found in every corner of the room, and the low hum of electricity filled the air. Claiming his spot right by the door, he watched the two glowing dots on the radar got closer and closer to each other. For a while, everything seemed to be going well for Iron Hunter. And after that, it appeared that their mission was complete when they took down the Kaiju. However, things only went south from there, as two more Kaijus appeared. Despite the fact that Gipsy Danger was being deployed, Raleigh and Mako didn't manage to get there quickly enough. In the aftermath of the battle, Leo had been killed, but he died saving Iris.

Emmett let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He knew being a ranger was dangerous, but casualties had been lessened exponentially these recent years. He supposed it just went to show that you could never underestimate Kaijus. Before he knew it, the show was over and he and another were being herded back to their rooms. Emmett just watched in concern as Mako ran off, presumably to the med bay. He considered heading there as well, since he was pretty worried about Iris. He didn't think she had suffered any serious injuries, but he couldn't really be sure. In the end though, he decided it'd probably be best to back off. Too many people might aggravate her condition, and he didn't even know if he was welcome. Maybe he'd check on her tomorrow, instead. As Emmett retreated back into his room, the metal door slammed shut with a resounding bang.

---

The next morning, Emmett awoke to the shrill cry of his alarm clock. Letting out a pitiful groan, he rolled over onto his side and threw the too-thin covers off of himself. His eyes were barely open as he dragged himself to the showers, towel and a change of clothes in hand. He vaguely wondered if he was going to be able to make it through the day. But one ice-cold shower later, he was wide awake. Now dressed in a dark grey v-neck and a pair of sweatpants in a lighter shade, he made his way to the cafeteria. Despite last night's events, his stomach was grumbling and it wasn't going to feed itself.

Upon reaching the cafeteria, Emmett found that it was already filled with people. You'd think getting up this early in the morning would give you a headstart on the breakfast time crowd, but apparently not. Grabbing a tray for himself, he soon got a serving of mashed potatoes, bread, and some sort of stewed meat. Eyes darting around, Emmett managed to find an empty table. As he sat down, he noticed Iris milling around the area. He briefly contemplated calling out to her, but as of the moment, sating his hunger was priority number one. And he didn't really want her to see him wolfing down his food like a barbarian.

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

Sorry! I'll try to write up a post soon. Have a project that I need to rush out. College, amirite? x.x

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

Emmett's eyes widened as his cross connected. Well, it kinda did. Iris managed to shield herself from the initial impact, but the force of the punch made her hit herself in the face. All he really did was punch Iris in the fists, but it had the desired effect of knocking her on her ass. Indirectly, of course. But he wasn't going to complain. An angry red mark was starting to form on Iris's forehead, as she stared up at him with eyes like saucers. It took Emmett all of his self-control to not burst into raucous laughter. After all, he wasn't raised in a barn and knew not to laugh at other people's mishaps -- least of all a lady's.

Though he couldn't quite keep the grin off his face as he heaved Iris back up on her feet. To be honest, Emmett was surprised to find that his kickboxing wasn't as rusty as he though. He guessed it was like riding a bike, once you learnt how to, you never really forgot.

"Good match." Emmett stated, a hint of amusement in his voice. His expression soon turned into mild concern as he narrowed his eyes at the red mark. "You okay, though? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

The Jaeger Program (Always Open)

Unfortunately, Emmett wasn't quite quick enough to dodge the next blow. He had tried to move himself out of the way, but with his arm caught in a vice-like grip, he didn't really have much mobility. Plus, Iris was significantly smaller than him, and maneuverability was on her side. Taking a jab to just below his collarbone, he let out a little wince. It hurt, but it wasn't going to cause any permanent injuries. And thankfully, it wasn't actually aimed at his collarbone. Just 7 pounds of force was enough to break it, and the entire arm would've dropped like a sack of bricks.

Wrenching his arm free, Emmett got back into a defensive position. He briefly wondered whether a defensive or offensive play would be more suitable. There were pros and cons to each choice. If he chose to fight aggressively, he might tire himself out because of how quick Iris was. But he might be able to take her out with a solid blow to the head. Going on the defensive with his other choice, and although it probably would've been the safest option, he didn't fancy prolonging the fight. In the end, he decided to go on the offensive. After all, the best defense was a good offense.

Feinting with his right, Emmett aimed a cross at Iris's face.