Captain Falcon (
raced_god) wrote in
aperture_high2013-10-26 01:32 am
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BOUNTY HUNTERS DO PACRIM THE MOVIE THE GAME THE ANIME THE AU
Falcon set foot on the helipad at the Anchorage Shatterdome and immediately wanted to turn around and leave.
He couldn't, of course, because it was either this or never pilot a Jaeger again, but the snow and the cold and the wet and the dark six months a year were definitely things he was going to complain about. The whole place was a far cry from Los Angeles, he decided, and he hadn't even seen the inside yet.
Cold and gloomy and terrible, he figured.
He should have been grateful, really. Most pilots who struck out never rode again--he'd just been lucky in the sense that what knocked him out of commission wasn't his fault. Still, reassignment always smarted, especially when he was out a partner because, in his absence, she'd started drifting better with someone else.
So that was where he stood, pulling his parka tight, waiting on the helipad in fucking Alaska, not wanting to go in because that meant paperwork, and simulations, and co-pilot candidates that he didn't want, and a marshal he didn't want to listen to, and a new Jaeger that wasn't his. As the landing crew led him inside where he'd be received, he wondered if he'd have been better off quitting the program after all.
He couldn't, of course, because it was either this or never pilot a Jaeger again, but the snow and the cold and the wet and the dark six months a year were definitely things he was going to complain about. The whole place was a far cry from Los Angeles, he decided, and he hadn't even seen the inside yet.
Cold and gloomy and terrible, he figured.
He should have been grateful, really. Most pilots who struck out never rode again--he'd just been lucky in the sense that what knocked him out of commission wasn't his fault. Still, reassignment always smarted, especially when he was out a partner because, in his absence, she'd started drifting better with someone else.
So that was where he stood, pulling his parka tight, waiting on the helipad in fucking Alaska, not wanting to go in because that meant paperwork, and simulations, and co-pilot candidates that he didn't want, and a marshal he didn't want to listen to, and a new Jaeger that wasn't his. As the landing crew led him inside where he'd be received, he wondered if he'd have been better off quitting the program after all.
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Why on earth Adam thought this would be a good idea she'd never understand, but for what it was worth she could recognize the unfortunate fact that no one else had worked yet. After the incident with Ian it'd become nearly impossible to find someone drift compatible with her. She'd be a difficult woman to contend with ordinarily, but his death left her especially angry and frustrated, and anyone that manged to make it as far as Drift Sync Testing would discover that.
The Golden Torizo still hadn't seen any action since then, and the Russian Federation was reeling with each passing day. Samus was too damn good of a pilot to give up on just yet, like Falcon was too good of a pilot to leave without a Jeager.
Besides--someone like Aran and Falcon together? The fans would eat that up. The thought of this being all for the publicity made her spit on the ground in disgust and she turned around to go inside without even so much as a "hello" to him. What a classy lady.
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Everything he'd heard about Samus was the opposite--Russian Jaegers didn't get much American press, but rangers talked about other rangers, and there was no denying that Ian Malkovich had been the face of Golden Torizo. Falcon, who was more than familiar with the ins and outs of superstardom that being a great pilot brought, knew there was a reason for that.
It was fine, really. He could be the personable one, swallow all his bitterness and (if they turned out to be compatible), get in her Jaeger, try hard not to think about how the Blue Falcon was rusting--cheaper to build Mark IIIs than repair crippled Mark IIs--in Oblivion Bay, try not to think about Lisa in the Fire Stingray with her new co-pilot.
The bay doors closed and he was shaking the wet snow out of his parka when he spotted her standing there, arms folded, clearly as disgruntled as he but much worse at hiding it. Though they'd never met, he recognized her from pictures, brief video interviews where she'd let Ian do all the talking. She was slighter than he thought she'd be.
It was a little warmer in the elevator, at least, and he took the opportunity to start peeling off his soggy outer layers of clothing.
"Marshall couldn't be here with the welcome wagon, huh?" He accompanied it with a small grin, but Falcon already knew that it would take more than that to get through the clearly frigid woman in front of him.
Since that didn't seem to break the ice, he pulled an arm out of his parka sleeve and extended his hand. "Doug Falcon. You're Samus Aran."
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Samus was definitely going to have words with Adam about this, even more than she already has. She knew she wasn't personable (she could try, and could see he was making an effort at the very least), extremely difficult to pair up--she didn't smile often and she didn't laugh much. If she didn't like someone they'd know about it. She wasn't in this for fame or fortune or notoriety.
She just wanted to kill kaiju. And she was damn good at it too.
She knew Falcon was too. Or... was. He was just decommissioned, wasn't he? Good enough to not kick out of the game completely, that must have counted for something. She tended to roll her eyes at the news reports and TV programs--always had other business to focus on instead. Russian business. Falcon certainly seemed like the type to relish in the spotlight regardless.
"Did you have any other bags?" She asked, half-way down the elevator that made it clear there would be no going back up for them even if said yes. "Or did you leave those behind in your old Jeager?"
It was her possibly tactless way of inquiring further.
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Not as rude, however, as the remark that came next. Falcon tried not to betray the offense on his face, but he couldn't stop his eyebrows from raising slightly. He wanted to think Samus wasn't purposefully malicious--just tactless. Still, she probably wasn't very happy about the situation. Lisa being reassigned was bad enough--the thought of a co-pilot dying was unimaginable to him. The fact that they were even trying to find her a new partner was amazing in itself.
Though he knew it was a mutually-beneficial relationship and that it wasn't even a certainty, Falcon didn't enjoy feeling like a replacement.
"I was told they'd be brought in."
The elevator descended in silence for a few moments as he considered whether or not he wanted to address the second question.
"They're phasing out the Mark IIs in LA," he said finally, shrugging, figuring that answered her question without betraying too much of his bitterness for the situation. "Not sure how it is here."
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"To be highly modular and adapt with outside tech as needed. Arms. Legs. Weapons. Engines. Anything that needs an upgrade instead of wasting the entire Jeager. We haven't had much opportunity to put that into action, but Oblivion Bay isn't exactly getting any smaller."
Wasted potential the engineers thought. The Kaiju were proving fairly adaptable, so should the Jeagers to combat them. As she walked with him down the lower hallway she wondered if everything she said wasn't going to mean anything as soon as he got inevitably got dismissed in Drift Testing.
"Maybe yours will see some action again some day."
As a leg or a fist or a butt of her machine.
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The truth, of course, being that it had been much cheaper to build a new Jaeger than it would have been to fully upgrade and repair Blue Falcon. There wasn't any point in sugarcoating anything, not when they'd probably test drift within days and his entire life would be laid out in front of her for perusal, but for now, he still had his pride.
Maybe a little flattery would work. "Yeah, that's the right idea. I'm sure LA will get the memo sooner or later."
Translation: Fuck you, fuck Anchorage, fuck the Russians.
"So are you giving me the tour?"
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This is where we keep Metal Gear Rex, she pointed out., emergency exits, and so forth. Rangers were understandably kept in close proximity of one another should an alert go off, but she should be so thankful they weren't sharing quarters together. The Icebox was not unlike any other Shatterdome... except perhaps all that much more cold and dark by compare, especially to the likes of LA.He was probably going to be miserable, she mused. Aloud, in fact. "If you need bunny boots I'm sure one of the techs can find a pair in your size." She was trying to be considerate.
"And you're probably well aware already that Adam Malkovich is Mission Control." She rounded up her tour with a finger point down the end of the hall. Samus let her stare linger on Falcon--not quite the cold judgmental one she greeted him with at the helipad but more of an analytical one. He and Adam shared some... visual similarities. Maybe even the same age.
She forced herself to stop thinking about anything else they might have in common right there.
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That was, perhaps, one of the more distasteful things about the experience so far. Malkovich was the marshall that wanted him here, and the guy wasn't even around to greet him.
Which left him with Samus, who seemed to be doing her best to avoid the elephant in the room, which he couldn't stand to do any longer.
"Look, I..."
It was a start. He sighed heavily, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We both know why I'm here."
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"If he's late he has his reasons." That much she knew.
Indeed, she'd been trying to avoid the elephant in the room to no avail. She could on some level appreciate Falcon being forward and direct about it, but that didn't make the elephant any smaller. For a while she was silent, not sure what to say. Words were as hard as the cold, unforgiving ice caking the ground outside.
"Because this is supposed to be a good idea." Samus ventured. Drift two angry Jeager Superstars because they were both out a pilot and hope for the best. One plus one should equal two. It should be simple, right?
Samus wasn't exactly eager to let anyone inside her head, especially not with recent burdens of death lacing her thoughts, let alone warm up to the idea that someone could tolerate a drift with her. Even so, rejected ranger and rejected ranger started to wear down on Samus after a while. On some level she was scared there might be someone else out there, who wasn't Ian, that wouldn't find the inside of her head such an awful place.
"What are you going to do if this doesn't work out?"
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The implication, of course, was command, but truth be told, that wasn't a possibility he was keen on, and he was damaged goods anyway. Falcon was most at home in a Jaeger, and the thought of not piloting one again was almost unthinkable. "I'll find something."
But his increasingly-fake smile made it clear that being in a Conn-Pod punching kaiju was where his heart was.
Samus confirmed his suspicions about her feelings regarding the situation, but it was also the most straightforward she'd been since he'd arrived, and the Captain decided he wanted to capitalize on that. He'd just clear the air, straight up.
"I'm not sure what they told you about me." He could only imagine what was said about temporary decommissioning--he obviously hadn't been injured on a mission, so rumors flew, and none of them were good. The PPDC wasn't about to fess up to their disastrous attempt to re-try a single-pilot system, so it would be up to him to dispel any misconceptions. Samus would know everything eventually, anyway, so there was really no harm, and then she wouldn't be clueless and wondering.
"And I figure they'll have us on a test drift, so you'll find out sooner or later. Back in LA, they were still working on a single-pilot system. New tech, trying to make it work. I offered to try. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but preliminary tests went well. They were pretty optimistic, all things considered."
Falcon shrugged, trying not to seem too broken-up about it, absently scratching at the scar through his left eyebrow as if presenting it as evidence. "A vital function melted down in the middle of a test. Knocked me out of commission for a while. They reassigned my co-pilot while I was recovering. That's...the gist of it. I don't know what kind of rumors were bouncing around here, so."
He paused, trying to discern the expression on her face as he went for the even bigger elephant. "I'm sorry about Ian."
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Unsurprisingly, Samus was being kept on a "need to know basis" regarding Falcon's recent happenings which absolutely contributed to her foul mood. She trusted Adam but could not stand being kept in the dark on things, especially when they were implied to revolve around single-pilot systems. She wanted that. That's what she wanted. She wanted that as badly as Falcon was apparently willing to risk for it. She wanted that more than she wanted condolences for Ian. Her stare didn't linger on his scar very long, sharply drawn to his eyes.
At least now she understood why his Jeager winded up where it did, and partly why he was reassigned to here.
"He was a good man." Was all she said in response; flat, neutral, devoid of emotion. Her brows furrowed however, betraying how uncomfortable of a subject it was for her. She had no choice but to keep moving forward with her life, and keep pretending Ian's absence didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Easier said than done, of course.
"I'm sorry for your... accident." She bit her lip, really trying hard to not sound condescending or uncaring. If anything she scuffed her heel against the ground as if she could kick herself for being awkward. "A single-pilot system would be solving both our problems right now."
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If and when they drifted, it would all become clear, so more words than what had already been said seemed pointless and superfluous.
"It was worth a try," he replied finally. "Just not in the cards, I don't think."
There was something more important to take care of, in the meantime.
"I'm going to check in on the marshall." Samus had pointed in the direction of mission control, after all. He grinned, thumbing down the hall, and this time it may have been genuine. "You want to come?"
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"Absolutely." She had words for Adam anyway. A LOT OF WORDS.
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Falcon was glad to be on the same page for the first time since he'd arrived, and he was quick to begin a confident stride down the hall. He'd known Samus for an hour, tops, but he didn't need to look back to know she was right behind him as they made their way to the big doors of mission control.
Who needed clearance, really?
HE OPENED
THE DOORS.
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this is how ian died
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"That's not the point, if this doesn't work--"
But as soon as the doors flung open they flinched and said nothing more. All heads turned to look at the duo that just entered.
"Samus." Adam finally broke the silence with a faint frown tugging at his lips and disapproval lacing his words. "Douglas Falcon." Equally so for the new recruit.
"Please excuse us." The group of men didn't contest it but passed Adam with a quick this isn't over yet dirty glare as they showed themselves the way out. Adam's stare meanwhile, hadn't left the two Jeager pilots at all.
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Falcon didn't usually fall back on his military rank, mostly because rangers didn't use that sort of thing, but he'd always kind of disliked Malkovich for being about his age and heading up an entire shatterdome (even if he'd never met the guy. That, combined with an aversion to people using his full name and his general dislike of Alaska and everyone in it, made him especially sassy.
He grinned. He looked straight into Malkovich's cold, unforgiving stare, and grinned.
"Miss Aran was just giving me the tour. I wanted to see where the magic happened."
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Falcon had balls, she'd give him that might. He might have been terribly foolish, but he had balls at the least.
She was however, not interested in the slightest about sassing him up about tours and showing the new guy around.
"Adam, what was that all about?"
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"now, it's classified information."
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"It's the reason no one met me at the helipad, I'm sure." Not that Samus was no one, and he accompanied the insult to both of them with a genuine smile which was perhaps, just a bit shit-eating. He'd bother Adam by not being bothered.
"I'm awaiting your instructions, sir."
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"I'm sure you understand given your career history, Captain."
Samus rolled her eyes.
"First you'll need to get cleared with medical. Standard procedure, as Samus should know."
Samus rolled her eyes AGAIN.
"Tomorrow is Kwoon. The following day, we will start Drift Sync Testing."
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She had objections. Many objections.
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Falcon knew that it would be pointless to protest or pick a fight now--he'd let Samus do that and see where it went.
"Understood," he offered, nodding and flashing Samus the grin that was trained on Adam not moments ago. "I'll be ready."
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Adam said nothing. He didn't smile, he didn't frown. He did tip his head in acceptance, knowing well what was about to transpire next. Hurricane Aran was coming and there was no sense in trying to fight it. He knew better. His eyes flickered over to Falcon's.
"You are dismissed." That was an order. "Medical is on the second floor. Take the elevator at the end of the hallway."
Samus didn't move. She could catch with her new partner later but for now, she wanted Falcon to leave first so she could give Adam a piece of her mind.
For all the good it would actually do.
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Obviously the only thing to do was make everything that much more awkward.
He
didn't move, instead glancing at Samus with a look that clearly asked whether or not she was coming.
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Her parents had been taken from her. Ian had been taken from her. Her jeager was on the verge of being taken from her at this rate. She couldn't stand to loose just having a few moments of independence and privacy with the man who deserved more of her frustration at the moment also taken away from her.
Samus fixed Falcon with a cold glare and hissed, "What are you standing there for?"
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For now, however, he'd play a little dumb, not that he expected her to buy it. She knew exactly what he was getting at.
"It just looked like you had something to say, that's all."
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"I do. With Adam."
Just in case he needed it spelled out even more.
"In private."
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"I'm going to know in like two days anyway."
He went there.
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"I think you should escort him down to medical." Adam said, calmly folding his arms behind his back. "We can talk about this afterwards, in a few hours." After you calm down went unsaid.
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"Fine." She was calm. She was totally calm she was fine she could go escort her stupid new partner down to the stupid med bay and maybe they'd stick something unpleasant up his butt and she could watch. Her eyes darted over to Falcon, begrudgingly.
"Come on." She started making her way out the room.
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For now, he'd do what Adam said and followed Samus out of command, casting a glance over his shoulder as the doors closed behind them.
"That went well."
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What she wouldn't give to start Kwoon like right now. If nothing else she might be pleased seeing them stick probes up his ass in medical.
"Don't think this is going to earn you any brownie points with him." By how? Holding his ground? Not showing fear? Only Samus Aran could get away with that in the face of Commander Adam Malkovich. Who the fuck did Falcon think he was?
"Or me for that matter." The afterthought came out with a splintered tone, somewhere between venomous warning and begrudging admittance.
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He'd been well behaved, considering. A little bit of sass in Malkovich's direction was probably the best-case scenario, as far as he was concerned, and he'd managed to curb himself and not take it in the direction of overt anger, as Samus seemed to be doing. Now, however, with the door to command shut behind them, he was starting to get a little sick of the attitude, especially coming from someone who had to be ten years his junior. Nobody told him to shut up! Captain Falcon would shut up when he was good and ready to shut up.
He was not ready to shut up. He was ready to stop in his tracks and POINT, perhaps his first display of actual anger since arriving at the Shatterdome.
"Don't tell me to shut up."
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"Don't like it?" She pursed her lips in a mock-pout. If he was thinking she wouldn't challenge and rebel against whatever adorable notions of authority or seniority he (or anyone else for that matter) thought he had, he could think again.
"Too bad. This isn't L.A. No one's going to spoil and pamper you here."
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The implication that they somehow did less in LA filled him with anger. It wasn't like he was protecting a metropolitan area of tens of millions of people, or anything. It wasn't like they had the San Francisco Exclusion Zone, a miles-wide swath of radioactive wasteland that used to be three cities to remind them of what happened when you couldn't protect a metropolitan area of tens of millions of people.
And that was what really got under his skin--they did the same exact thing, and here she was, calling him spoiled and pampered just because the weather was nicer at his Shatterdome. He wheeled around on her, falling back on the old failsafe of intimidation through his much larger size, not that he expected it to work.
"Four tours in the Middle East and now this kaiju shit, yeah, I'm really fucking spoiled, Samus."
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She planted her finger firmly in the middle of his chest and spoke slowly, very condescendingly. "I. don't. care."
"Get over yourself. Things have changed and are going to keep changing and if you can't deal with that then do everyone here a favor," Said finger redirected itself vaguely upwards in the direction from whence they came. "and walk yourself out those big steel doors right now."
Cold and unforgiving like this petulant Icebox in the middle of Alaska was.
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Despite the fact that he could be amicable and diplomatic if he put his mind to it, Falcon had a hell of a temper on a good day, so the direct result of Samus getting all up in his face was that no one was going to be the adult.
His swatting away of her finger was almost immediate, the gesture of someone who very clearly did not enjoy unsolicited touching. He raised his eyebrows and laughed, bitter and almost disbelieving at how delusional she was.
He'd known Samus for an hour or two tops, but he was already sure that she was not the type to enjoy being laughed at, which meant he was going to do it right in her face, that'd learn her.
"I'm dealing! I've done nothing but deal since I got here. You're the one who can't seem to get it through your head that if you don't even try to make this work with me, neither of us will get in a Jaeger ever again."
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Just not his. That was infuriating enough without him making that blatantly clear right in her face, but worst of all... he had a point.
Samus said nothing. No words, not even the satisfaction of a change in facial expression. She gave him nothing. Not for a few long, tense seconds.
Finally, she leveled down, took a step back, eyes narrowed. She turned on her heel and continued down the hallway.
BEATING EACH OTHER WITH STICKS
Snarking at Malkovich aside.
He'd done his best that morning to clear his head, knowing that if someone was going to ruin this thing, it certainly wasn't going to be because he didn't have his shit together. Falcon made it a point to be perfectly punctual, dressed in the requisite tank top and regulation pants, stretching to warm up.