Plantae Homogenesis, "Riley"

Part 4

Jonas snorted in disgust as he watched the rookies from his self appointed seat at the rear of the plane, as far from the greenhorns as he could get. Marcus glanced up from checking his sidearm and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Jonas gestured at the rookies just as the smaller of the two opened his mouth to ask yet another question. That one had hardly stopped talking since they'd boarded the plane nearly four hours ago. It was irritating, the young man was so bright and cheerful with his red hair and emerald eyes. So full of life and spunk. So ready to take on the world and stand up for that which was right and just. Hell, he probably still had that 'fresh out of the academy and ready to take on the baddies' smell. It was sickening, really.

Marcus followed his gaze, noted Kat's fraying patience and turned back to Jonas. He raised his other eyebrow.

Jonas threw up his hands, "Oh come on, I can't be the only one fighting the compulsion to throw them out the nearest airlock!"

"Hey, none of that!" Kat snapped from the front of the plane. "You heard HQ, they want these ones back alive!"

The ginger visibly wilted into his seat at her words. The other, a hulking black-haired bastard Jonas had found out was on loan from another team, sneered. Jonas' eye twitched and he started towards the younger man only to be violently shoved back into his seat by Darrel. "Cool it, Jonas. We'll deal with it on the ground. For now, chill. The rookie's not worth the reprimand you'll get from Cap if you actually do manage to toss him out the airlock."

"I'd have made sure he was wearing a parachute!" Jonas defended hotly before muttering, "Maybe."

"Leave it. Remember what Cap said, they give us trouble, we take them out."

"That one is giving us trouble!"

"A disrespectful look is not grounds for what you had in mind, Jonas."

"It might be and how do you know what I had in mind?"

"Because its the same thing I have in mind for that one if he doesn't change his attitude real quick. Loan or not. Orders or not." Darrel shot the rookie a menacing glare that wipe the smirk right off the big man's face. The rookie gulped and turned away, focusing his gaze instead on the clouds just outside the window.

Jonas hissed out a breath and leaned back into his seat, folding his arms across his chest and crossing his legs at the ankles. The pose was deceptively casual, but it let everyone around him know he wasn't planning on attacking the rookie. At least not yet. He thunked his head lightly against the headrest and closed his eyes, at least it was quiet now. The only sounds coming from the whirr of the engines and the quiet movements of his teammates as they reviewed their weapons and equipment. Something he should be doing.

With a sigh, he opened his eyes and dragged one of his bags towards him. He pulled a kit from the bag, opening and going over the contents with the quick efficient movements of long practice as the plane dipped and rose through the turbulence, a mild rollercoaster in the skies. Every single member of the team pointedly ignored the 'fasten seatbelts' sign as it flashed in the dimmed cabin. Jonas reached up and flicked on an overhead light, angling it to better illuminate his gear.

He set the kit aside, reaching for another one as the plane dipped, the pack slid across the floor. Growling, Jonas went after it. The plane angled sharply to the left, throwing him into another seat. His head slammed into the cushions. "Fuck!"

Someone snickered.

"You alright?" Julian called from his seat at the front.

"Fine." Jonas rubbed at his skull as he righted himself in his new seat, his pack sliding to rest against the wall at his feet. He scowled.