Ours

Date/Timing: 5 January 2019, between "Wakeup Call" and "New Job"
Setting: Jaeger hangar, The Shed; Vaucluse, NSW, Australia
.
Chuck drags Pietr by the hand to a huge open doorway—
A trooper—Bilawara Dargan, mediums' class, mornings—steps into their path.
Chuck walks into her—
Pietr plows into his back—
—pushes off her front and back into Pietr.
—flutters an apology.
Dargan smiles and nods to Pietr—
He beams.
—and frowns at Chuck.
Chuck's shoulders tighten into a straight, steely line.
"I'm sorry, Cadet," says Dargan, "but you can't take Officer Vos in there. He doesn't have clearance."
Chuck gestures angrily, nearly stomps a foot.
Dargan sighs. "Rules are rules, Hansen. No clearance, no entry."
Pietr squeezes Chuck's shoulder.
Chuck shrugs him off, probably says something. 
Dargan and Chuck attend an intercom speaker.
"If you say so, AGNIS," concedes Dargan.
Chuck puts his chin in the air. 
She steps aside, nods again to Pietr. 
Pietr smiles—
Chuck grabs Pietr's hand, tows him, stumbling, through the door.
Pietr stops short—
Chuck urks against his hold, flails his free arm, pulls his leading foot back to solid ground.
—looks up and up and up and up and /up. Whistles.
A tug on his sleeve.
Attends Chuck.
"Haven't you seen Jaegers before?"
Shakes his head.
Eyes slide back to the giant skeleton; hands find mobile, type, show.
- Not this close b4 -
Chuck puffs up in his peripheral.
Drags his view back to Chuck.
"Awesome, ain't she?"
Nods.
"Seventy-six meters of the fastest, best Jaeger ever built." Chuck glows. "And she's ours."
Swallows, shakes head clear.
- Whats her name? -
"/Striker You—"
Frowns.
"What?"
- Don't undrstnd -
- Type plz -
Offers his mobile.
Chuck taps, passes it back.
- Striker Eureka -
Frowns.
"Have a problem with it?" challenges Chuck.
Gestures 'settle down'.
- Hard 2 say -
Idea!
- New sign! -
"You mean make up our own, uh, 'word'?"
Nods enthusiastically.
"Is that okay? Like, we can do that?"
- Sum1 has 2 -
Grins.
Chuck beams.
- Spcl gesture? -
Chuck searches his memory.
Pietr lets his gaze drift back to the Jaeger framework.
Tugging at his sleeve.
Attention back on Chuck.
"She—/we'll have folding blades on our forearms. StingBlades. They have an electric charge so they'll cau—" Shakes his head. "I'll explain later. We'll just sorta—" Snaps his arms in a downward arc. "—and they'll lock into place."
Thumbs up!
"You have an idea already?"
Nods.
Closed fist mid-chest, downward sweep, opening to a flattened hand, palm in.
Queries.
"Perfect." Chuck's eyes shine. "Just like the blades deploying."
Beams. ::/Striker Eureka.::
Chuck's everything glows. ::/Striker Eureka.::
Category:Ficlet
Category:Skeleton Key
Category:Pietr
Category:Pietr's POV
Category:Pietr (ficlet)
Category:Chuck H
Category:Chuck H (ficlet)
Category:Ficlets with images