CH5: ...Into The Fire (Gabe + Sean)
Dec 8, 2018 21:57:23 GMT -6
Post by Charredgp on Dec 8, 2018 21:57:23 GMT -6
Sean and Gabe were no strangers to welding work. Both of them had done enough work on their respective machines both on the Menaulion and in Russia to generally know what they were doing. But usually the two of them were more talkative. Gabe, however, had been solely focused on their current project, silent save for the occasional grunt for supplies or sound of annoyance from minor inconveniences.
Flicking his welder off, Gabe flipped his mask up so he could properly inspect his latest work, humming as he tugged slightly to ensure the weld was holding properly.
Zzzzhhhhhhhtt-zzhhhhrrrrt… zzzzzt.
Sparks flew from the angle grinder as its teeth bore into an aluminum pipe. Sean could feel the hot specks of metal sizzle against his unprotected arms, turning some of his reddish arm hairs a crispy black. Finally he released the trigger, half the pipe clang-clanging onto the ground as he finished the cut. Setting the grinder onto the table, he kneeled down to pick up the fallen pipe and blew against its red-hot edge.
“Shaping up nicely,” Sean mused as he set the piece aside to cool. “How’re things looking on yer end?”
“Fine. Gotta fiddle with the mix. Not quite likin’ the numbers right now.”
“Wouldn’t have to deal with all that chemistry business if ye just listened to me for once.”
“Chemistry’s like half my job. I know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout if ya listened to me for once.”
“Alright alright, we’ll see who’s right soon enough, lad.”
Sean lined up the two pieces of aluminum with the rest of the machine, shoving them into their firm-fitting sockets. He gave the two a quick jostle to make sure they were in place. A flexible metal rod was bent and cut around the pipes, serving as a welding material to bond the pieces together. He set it aside to cool as he sauntered over to his partner-in-crime’s workstation, lifting his visor to get a better look at it.
“Color me impressed. This could be yer finest work yet… or at least it might give that laser gun a run for its money.” Sean cracked a smile at the thought, but his face soon turned serious. “Now out with it. What’s been nipping at ye these past couple weeks?”
Gabe kept his eyes fixed on his part of their work, very pointedly staring at the same weld, as if it would come undone under his equally steel gaze.
“I’m assumin’ this ain’t the kind of thing ya would just drop if I told ya to fuck off?”
“Ye would assume correctly.”
With a sigh, Gabe would set his contraption down, still not looking at Sean.
“The hell do ya want me to say? Lotta shit went down. Family shit. Heavy family shit. I know they didn’t say much in the debrief, but it’s...I don’t even know.”
“Have something to do with that strange message ye received? The one ye got while making the spicy egg rolls, I mean.”
There was a slight shudder at the word “spicy”. A cursed word if there ever was one between them.
“Lookin’ back it’s pretty obvious it was. Long story short, we were set up with the mission. My gramps was waitin’ for us there. Gave us the shit they’re usin’ to upgrade our machines. And probably as many other AAs as they got, if they ain’t stupid.”
“Somehow I had the sinking feeling things weren’t what they seemed, what with all the redactions in the debriefing.” It was frustrating, maddening even, to put everything on the line without knowing exactly why. “Must’ve been a shock to see your granda in the middle of a mission. Sounds like he left ye with more questions than he answered.”
“Didn’t even know he was alive anymore, to be honest. Barely looked it. Guy was more prosthetics and life support than anything. Talked ‘bout shit goin’ down with Olympus and Tartarus and just kinda left it at that. Apparently they’re makin’ some waves or somethin’. Didn’t give me much else.”
“They the ones responsible for that walking weapon of mass destruction that wrecked my machine?”
“Aye. If we’re lucky, those were prototypes out for a test run and not the new CLUB. Otherwise whatever we got’s gonna have to be damn good to keep us alive when they show up again.”
“We’ll need a whole lot more than a couple new weapons and a shiny new coat of paint if we want to go toe-to-toe with that abomination,” Sean remarked grimly. “So what happened to your granda after he gave ye the black box?”
“Well, someone didn’t take kindly to the conversation we were havin’, it seemed. Busted a hole and flooded the damn place. Team had to book it. Kinda curious if they found anything divin’ down there.”
“Doesn’t sound like there was a whole lot to be found aside from your granda and his tools,” Sean confessed. “The data ye recovered was probably more important than a water-logged factory anyways. From what I hear, they’ve almost finished development on a whole new line of machines with it.”
“Ya never know. Could still be some stuff hidden in the rubble. If the ESU’s smart they’ll be piggybackin’ off the designs to make their own shit instead of just copyin’ Mars. Keep ‘em on their toes and let ‘em know what else is comin’.”
It was somewhat comforting being able to talk shop rather than focus on the more difficult topics. Gave him an excuse to stop. But his expression was still melancholy, and his gaze unfocused.
“Wasn’t great havin’ to remember the family’s involved. Ya know I don’t like thinkin’ ‘bout home. Had to think of it a lot, lately.”
Flicking his welder off, Gabe flipped his mask up so he could properly inspect his latest work, humming as he tugged slightly to ensure the weld was holding properly.
Zzzzhhhhhhhtt-zzhhhhrrrrt… zzzzzt.
Sparks flew from the angle grinder as its teeth bore into an aluminum pipe. Sean could feel the hot specks of metal sizzle against his unprotected arms, turning some of his reddish arm hairs a crispy black. Finally he released the trigger, half the pipe clang-clanging onto the ground as he finished the cut. Setting the grinder onto the table, he kneeled down to pick up the fallen pipe and blew against its red-hot edge.
“Shaping up nicely,” Sean mused as he set the piece aside to cool. “How’re things looking on yer end?”
“Fine. Gotta fiddle with the mix. Not quite likin’ the numbers right now.”
“Wouldn’t have to deal with all that chemistry business if ye just listened to me for once.”
“Chemistry’s like half my job. I know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout if ya listened to me for once.”
“Alright alright, we’ll see who’s right soon enough, lad.”
Sean lined up the two pieces of aluminum with the rest of the machine, shoving them into their firm-fitting sockets. He gave the two a quick jostle to make sure they were in place. A flexible metal rod was bent and cut around the pipes, serving as a welding material to bond the pieces together. He set it aside to cool as he sauntered over to his partner-in-crime’s workstation, lifting his visor to get a better look at it.
“Color me impressed. This could be yer finest work yet… or at least it might give that laser gun a run for its money.” Sean cracked a smile at the thought, but his face soon turned serious. “Now out with it. What’s been nipping at ye these past couple weeks?”
Gabe kept his eyes fixed on his part of their work, very pointedly staring at the same weld, as if it would come undone under his equally steel gaze.
“I’m assumin’ this ain’t the kind of thing ya would just drop if I told ya to fuck off?”
“Ye would assume correctly.”
With a sigh, Gabe would set his contraption down, still not looking at Sean.
“The hell do ya want me to say? Lotta shit went down. Family shit. Heavy family shit. I know they didn’t say much in the debrief, but it’s...I don’t even know.”
“Have something to do with that strange message ye received? The one ye got while making the spicy egg rolls, I mean.”
There was a slight shudder at the word “spicy”. A cursed word if there ever was one between them.
“Lookin’ back it’s pretty obvious it was. Long story short, we were set up with the mission. My gramps was waitin’ for us there. Gave us the shit they’re usin’ to upgrade our machines. And probably as many other AAs as they got, if they ain’t stupid.”
“Somehow I had the sinking feeling things weren’t what they seemed, what with all the redactions in the debriefing.” It was frustrating, maddening even, to put everything on the line without knowing exactly why. “Must’ve been a shock to see your granda in the middle of a mission. Sounds like he left ye with more questions than he answered.”
“Didn’t even know he was alive anymore, to be honest. Barely looked it. Guy was more prosthetics and life support than anything. Talked ‘bout shit goin’ down with Olympus and Tartarus and just kinda left it at that. Apparently they’re makin’ some waves or somethin’. Didn’t give me much else.”
“They the ones responsible for that walking weapon of mass destruction that wrecked my machine?”
“Aye. If we’re lucky, those were prototypes out for a test run and not the new CLUB. Otherwise whatever we got’s gonna have to be damn good to keep us alive when they show up again.”
“We’ll need a whole lot more than a couple new weapons and a shiny new coat of paint if we want to go toe-to-toe with that abomination,” Sean remarked grimly. “So what happened to your granda after he gave ye the black box?”
“Well, someone didn’t take kindly to the conversation we were havin’, it seemed. Busted a hole and flooded the damn place. Team had to book it. Kinda curious if they found anything divin’ down there.”
“Doesn’t sound like there was a whole lot to be found aside from your granda and his tools,” Sean confessed. “The data ye recovered was probably more important than a water-logged factory anyways. From what I hear, they’ve almost finished development on a whole new line of machines with it.”
“Ya never know. Could still be some stuff hidden in the rubble. If the ESU’s smart they’ll be piggybackin’ off the designs to make their own shit instead of just copyin’ Mars. Keep ‘em on their toes and let ‘em know what else is comin’.”
It was somewhat comforting being able to talk shop rather than focus on the more difficult topics. Gave him an excuse to stop. But his expression was still melancholy, and his gaze unfocused.
“Wasn’t great havin’ to remember the family’s involved. Ya know I don’t like thinkin’ ‘bout home. Had to think of it a lot, lately.”