Project Top Gunman: Ace Combat

Chapter 3: A Hellhole But It Has It's Calmness

Everyone who was put in solitary by McKinsey and were later let out after one day, as Trigger was let out last.

Now Trigger is with Prez at their hanger and looking at their plane.

Prez: Trigger about yesterday, where the hell did you learn to fly like that?"

Trigger: Top Gun School, then transferred to IUN Flight Combat School. Taught by two aces.

Prez: Really? "Well then, that explains a lot."

Later Trigger made a request for cans of paint as he then started painting his emblem on the F-16XL's tail, once he got them.

Prez: A yellow gunslinging wolf, huh? (Prez tilted her head in thought.) "Could you do mine as well?"

Trigger looked at her, she was still staring at the tail fin, her eyes had a longing sense to them. ("Absolutely. Sketch it out.") He thought for a moment, they had no idea when the guard would be back. ("Leave it in the cockpit. I'll do them both.")

Prez's eyes lit up. ("Wait! Really? You mean it?!") She smiled brightly and hopped off the tool cabinet she was sitting on.

Trigger just nodded. She deserved at least that if she was going to be his WSO. Who knew how long this war would go on?

Prez pumped her fist. ("Yesssss! You are the best Trigger!") She giggled again and sprinted off. ("I'll be right back, gotta get a notepad. Dumb guard ran off with my other one.")

Prez went to find the guard and get a notebook, after a few minutes she came back. Trigger painted Prez's Emblem from the sketch she made.

Trigger: A seal? Well I'm not to judge probably it suits your callsign I think.

Prez: Thanks? I'll take that as a compliment, but your emblem's not bad I would say the same to you what you said about mine.

Trigger and Prez talked about their experiences from Solitary, and about themselves.

Prez: Well...all of this...it's actually really rough on me."

Trigger raised an eyebrow and pointed to her.

(Yes! You ass!" She gently punched him in the arm. "I'm tough, but...when it comes to this, I'm not as tough as I'd like to be.") She thinks a bit, eyes looking up at the ceiling, kicking her legs forward slightly. ("I became a mercenary for the money originally, I sent most of it to my family back home. Got a big old family, and they need the money.") She chuckled. ("But, eventually it became really fun. I got really good at being a weapons system officer, too good some might say.") She grinned, but it quickly faded.
("But, Monarch...he kinda stopped needing me as much. We got a big job, huge payout. Monarch used his money to get his hands on a nice brand spanking new F-22. That itself was huge, the newest planes we had before that were F-16s and this big one right here. I went from being Monarch's WSO, to just his mechanic.")

Trigger squinted at her slightly. Curious as to where this was going.

(Look it's a long story, so just bare with me.") Prez put her hands out in a mock defensive gesture, then put her hands down, slouching. ("I was always a bit left out before. The rest of our squad was pretty close knit before I joined. Comic and Dip were nice. They'd talk to me every now and then, but...other than that they were always busy talking to each other.") She frowned slightly. ("I never felt like I belonged. I was always just, second to Monarch.") She looked at Trigger. "You know?"

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded slowly.

("Right.") She took a deep breath. ("I tired to connect with them more and more. But they just kept pushing me away. Monarch I could talk with, but after a while even he became disinterested.") Prez took on an angry pout, staring at the ground. ("He Never wanted to take me along to anything anymore. Always in that F-22. I started barely seeing Dip or Comic. I was lucky if I saw them once a week. Then as we were on our way to our next contract...Crimson.") The pout slowly disappeared, just becoming a blank stare.