Bounce

Date/Timing: early 2018, less than an hour before "Collapse"
Setting: In and around the Jaeger simulator, The Shed; Vaucluse, NSW, Australia 
They're in the simulator: Chuck on the left, Ducky on the right, ‘cause they're supposed to be Compatible, their brains should be able to talk to each other except everything's falling apart and the AI's telling them, like the oh-so-condescending bitch she is, ""Neural Handshake, failed."" 
Ducky rips off his Pons—
""Would you like to try again?"" 
—screams, "How /could you?"
Director Donnelly speaks up, "You can try again tomorrow—"
"Ducky—"
—throws it at Chuck—"I /hate you!"—and storms from the lab.
Chuck hands her headset to a tech. "I think we burned out some of the connections."
"We'll book you in, ay?" says the Chief. 
Chuck smiles weakly despite the dead thing settling in her stomach. "That's fine, thank you." Smiles at the tech. "Thanks."
The tech smiles back, sympathy in their eyes. 
"Then you're free to go, Cadet," says Donnelly. "Have a good day."
"Thanks, you, too." She leaves through the other door. 
"How'd it go, Rapunzel?" calls Jackson.
Chuck doesn't answer.
"That well, ay?"
She keeps walking. "There'll be other Mark Vs."
"You're okay with that?"
A little flicker of something horribly good amid the hate.
"'course I am. Ducky can be stuck with th' crappy th' first model. SE's gonna be full a' bugs, just don't ask me t' fix ‘em." She flips her braid. "I don't need her. I don't need t' deal with that."
"Chuck—"
"Don't need Chuck, either." Turns away, continues down the hall. "Fact, don' even nee' a copilot. Th' tech'll be good enough they'll only nee' one Ranger per."
"Chuck!"
"Don' need Sy'ney—don' nee'—"
"/Chuck!"
She stops, turns, gets a peek at Jackson, looks back at Jackson, smiles. "Wha?"
"Are you smiling?"
"Nee' ma'ers—"
Jackson touches under his nose.
Chuck does, too.
Her fingers come away bloody.
She shrugs—right hand flops uselessly—turns away. "'on' nee' anyb'y, ashually—"
Category:Ficlet
Category:Chuck D
Category:Chuck D (ficlet)
Category:Chuck H
Category:Chuck H (ficlet)
Category:Jackson
Category:Jackson (ficlet)
Category:Sydney Shatterdome (setting)
Category:AGNIS
Category:AGNIS (ficlet)
Category:Jaeger simulator (The Shed)
Category:Salutations, Darling arc
Category:Donnelly
Category:Donnelly (ficlet)
Category:Characters in need of Names