[ chuck doesn't nod, doesn't so much as blink when the audio flicks on and she comes up with a goddamn plasma cutter. there's shouting on the opposite end of the feed. chuck remains crouched in almost complete silence by way of contrast- emptiness punctuated by only something that sounds like torn fabric. a wet squelch follows, then a second heavy thud.
chuck breathes through his mouth. ]
Think we've been broken up by floors. We're all North 1 in here.
[ The shouting at a distance goes quiet again and this time there's a sense of dispersal rather than a slow ratcheting of tensions. There's a beat and then movement around Mako though she seems to remain perfectly still, like a rock in the middle of a raging river. ]
North 2 here. [ She opens her mouth as if she means to say something else, but it sticks in her throat. Nothing left to do but to swallow it down, even though the memory of it has surfaced, fresh, in her mind.
(—hang on, Striker, we're coming to you— —no, Gipsy, do not come to our aid—) ]
[ she doesn't need to say it for the memory to ring though, loud and clear. chuck's hands fumble, lose their grip and he nearly takes a finger in the process. he doesn't shut his eyes (doesn't block out the blood he's elbow deep in) but he tells himself to shake it off. pushes the nausea down and doesn't look at the place where he knows a person's face was.
the taste of bile is sharp in the back of his mouth. chuck grits his teeth and realigns his hands. realigns the knife. you're a ranger for christsake. ]
No. [ it's stern. steady. sure. so much more than he feels.] Mori, you need'ta find my old man. He's only got the one arm.
[ He's not her superior officer and so she doesn't have to listen to him. The question then becomes whether or not she will, regardless. (It's not an easy decision, but rangers are trained to think fast and make decisions quickly and, whatever the outcome may be, deal with it.) ]
I can find you both, [ she insists. Not an overestimation of herself, just certainty down to the very bone. ]
Well I'm not gonna sit 'ere makin'daisy crowns for christsake.
[ chuck pushes up to his feet without looking down. counts those he can see moving around beyond his immediate vicinity and measures it against the number of kits he can spot. becket was right. they'd need to get mobile eventually. it's a matter of having enough to go around. ]
[ She doesn't need to tell him his job but Mako knows that Chuck (sometimes) does better under order than not. Granted, they were on even footing and so direct orders were out of the question, but she's in list mode and checking off boxes. ] Mobility is impossible until power is back online to this part of the ship.
But the hostiles are overly aggressive here. Possible infestation.
[ Basically: we may need everything that you have. ]
[ the words sound like they come from someone else. because this isn't the kind of thing chuck ever imagined he'd say, and sure as hell not with the surety he's saying it. his boots are slick on the floor, for the first few steps.
[ Make makes a soft mm sound: confirmation that she'd had this explained to her once before (albeit in not so official terms). Aim for the arms was the only instruction Carver had provided but Mako hadn't argued it, just nodded and took it as rote. ]
How's your aim? [ Hers isn't great. She isn't used to the plasma cutter but Mako knows she will be with enough practice. ]
[ there's a frown that translates easily to his voice, but it's left for the acknowledgment of his vulnerability, not the question. mori'd known him long enough, well enough, to have the answer long before she asked. ]
Improvise, [ she tells him (again, things he doesn't really need to hear but she offers nevertheless. As grim as circumstances might be, she maintains the kind of tenacity that's bred into all rangers.
There are jobs to do, you do them. Arm yourself, secure the area, then move forward. ]
Is that a good idea? [ Only the slightest bit of concern colors her voice. It went without saying that she and Raleigh had an "open line" themselves, but compatibility tethered them together, not the comms. ]
[ underneath all of that, there's a joke waiting for the punchline. something about chuck hansen and bad ideas. but no one says it and the moment passes and then it's just the two of them, bantering about the inevitable and things they both know need to be done.
chuck has one pack finished, ready to be secured to his back. he'll have a second completed in a matter of minutes. ]
[ There's a computer that requires access and a complete lack of light in this part of the hold. In the back of her mind Mako is already trying to diagnose the problem as her eyes scan the room, trying to trace lines to power sources and routing boxes — difficult in the dark, but not impossible.
Soon she'll need her hands free and will be heads down while tasks are delegated to the others. ]
Keep the line clear. [ Again, not a request. They wouldn't have time to squabble amongst themselves with their backs against the wall. Most of the time it wasn't an issue but when they fought it was back to back and side to side, not separated by distances that pulled and prodded at their moods. ]
[ chuck doesn't gripe because it goes beyond that. it isn't that mori's giving command orders so much as she's an echo- the repetition of everything that courses through his veins and hums in his ears. yes they're survivalists, and yes they're rangers- but pilots are trained (meant) to lean on one another. to exist as more than one consciousness in one space. the affirmations they seek out, the connections they reach for- are absolute reflex. ]
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( v : d 1 | audio )
chuck breathes through his mouth. ]
Think we've been broken up by floors. We're all North 1 in here.
( v : d 1 | audio )
North 2 here. [ She opens her mouth as if she means to say something else, but it sticks in her throat. Nothing left to do but to swallow it down, even though the memory of it has surfaced, fresh, in her mind.
(—hang on, Striker, we're coming to you—
—no, Gipsy, do not come to our aid—) ]
I'll come to you.
( v : d 1 | audio )
the taste of bile is sharp in the back of his mouth. chuck grits his teeth and realigns his hands. realigns the knife. you're a ranger for christsake. ]
No. [ it's stern. steady. sure. so much more than he feels.]
Mori, you need'ta find my old man.
He's only got the one arm.
( v : d 1 | audio )
I can find you both, [ she insists. Not an overestimation of herself, just certainty down to the very bone. ]
( v : d 1 | audio )
[ chuck pushes up to his feet without looking down. counts those he can see moving around beyond his immediate vicinity and measures it against the number of kits he can spot. becket was right. they'd need to get mobile eventually. it's a matter of having enough to go around. ]
Maintain check-ins and I'll meetch'a half'way.
( v : d 1 | audio )
[ She doesn't need to tell him his job but Mako knows that Chuck (sometimes) does better under order than not. Granted, they were on even footing and so direct orders were out of the question, but she's in list mode and checking off boxes. ] Mobility is impossible until power is back online to this part of the ship.
But the hostiles are overly aggressive here. Possible infestation.
[ Basically: we may need everything that you have. ]
( v : d 1 | audio )
[ the words sound like they come from someone else. because this isn't the kind of thing chuck ever imagined he'd say, and sure as hell not with the surety he's saying it. his boots are slick on the floor, for the first few steps.
the further away he gets, the less he notices. ]
( v : d 1 | audio )
How's your aim? [ Hers isn't great. She isn't used to the plasma cutter but Mako knows she will be with enough practice. ]
( v : d 1 | audio )
[ there's a frown that translates easily to his voice, but it's left for the acknowledgment of his vulnerability, not the question. mori'd known him long enough, well enough, to have the answer long before she asked. ]
I've got'a line open with Becket.
( v : d 1 | audio )
There are jobs to do, you do them. Arm yourself, secure the area, then move forward. ]
Is that a good idea? [ Only the slightest bit of concern colors her voice. It went without saying that she and Raleigh had an "open line" themselves, but compatibility tethered them together, not the comms. ]
( v : d 1 | audio )
chuck has one pack finished, ready to be secured to his back. he'll have a second completed in a matter of minutes. ]
Guess we'll find out.
( v : d 1 | audio )
Soon she'll need her hands free and will be heads down while tasks are delegated to the others. ]
Keep the line clear. [ Again, not a request. They wouldn't have time to squabble amongst themselves with their backs against the wall. Most of the time it wasn't an issue but when they fought it was back to back and side to side, not separated by distances that pulled and prodded at their moods. ]
Check-ins, every hour.
( v : d 1 | audio )
Understood.
Line clear, Hansen out.