After the Drift

Chapter Two: So... You come here often?

Did I eat a side of LSD with lunch? Was I hallucinating? Did I really need that eighth cup of coffee this morning?

I wanted to puke.

"Say something, Blackwell." Please, his face said.

"You're ..." I got out in barely a whisper.

He cracked a small grin.

Before I could get another word out the door swooshed again and another man stood next to Chuck. Blonde hair and another cocky grin.

The now infamous yet somewhat reclusive, Raleigh Beckett.

" Well you weren't supposed to meet like this, but I guess the cats outta the bag now, Blackwell."

"Is ... he real?" I finally found my voice, starting to get pissed. Who did they think they were to mess around with science and genes and... whatever else it took to make a clone. Robotics! He could be a droid....

My eye brows were furrowed when I finally stood up and walk a few feet closer. It looked human. Its chest went in and out like it was breathing...

"Yeah, he's not a copy or anything... We meant to tell you a long time ago but... you've gone through a lot and we didn't know if he was truly going to make it until a couple of years ago...We saved him. That day."

I stared up at Raleigh in disbelief. "You mean... you've been with him this whole time? He's been here? You've been here?!"

I moved closer and looked Chuck in the eyes. He had been here, on this Earth, for ten years and didn't give a second thought about telling me a damn thing. My heart was beating so hard. That's it.

Raleigh began to speak but I cut him off with a hand. "No. I don't want to hear it. You both... suck!" I let out exasperated growl with my hands in the air and stomped out of my office.

I could hear them talking angrily to each other. I decided to make a quick exit towards the front bay of the academy, passing two of my cadets on the way.

"Hey CO!" The older of the two boys yelled. That was Prentiss. Loud, kinda cocky but still a smart kid. He should be an excellent pilot but that's not really here nor there now. Maybe the National Defense Corps will have an opening in a few years.

"Good afternoon, Prentiss, Cammon." I kept walking with my teeth clenched tight. The looks on their faces as they turned to each other said I looked pretty scary right now. Ugh!

"I expect you both to be in the combat room at 1700 if you want that dessert Cadet Cassidy made tonight." I gave a half assed smirk over my shoulder. They grinned back.

As much as I complain, those kids were growing on me. I used to be one of those cadets. If Pentecost were here, he would probably say one of the worst.

I chuckled slightly. The Academy was probably one of the best times in my life. Other brats like me running around, only took a couple months to complete, and we learned about my favorite thing in the world- Jaegers.

Ever since the first time I'd seen them on tv in 2014, I had to know more.

Opening the large metal doors at the end of the hallway and stepping out onto the balcony above the front bay, I looked down at the Jaegers waiting in their own bays. Continually being worked on... just in case.

Most just patrolled the coastlines and helped during natural disasters. I'm not complaining about the scary monsters not coming through the earth's crust causing chaos but so many Jaegers and shatterdomes were now decommissioned, it just felt like we were waiting for the end. We were waiting to be told that we in Los Angeles were also done. I couldn't imagine retiring. What's a girl to do with all this fancy J-tech knowledge? Could always join the scrappers... An involuntary shudder ran through me.

Someone cleared their throat behind me as I leaned forward on the railing, causing me to whip around with a panicked look on my face.

"So... you come here often?" That damn sexy voice... again.