After the Drift

Chapter Fourteen: Well Shi-

Tendo had called and told us that the Marshal wanted to see us. Pronto.

Fabulous.

It had almost been a month since Lucie and I had even attempted to drift. The last time I had drifted had been with Mister Stupid and Handsome.

Ugh. I just wanted to punt him over the third floor railing.  It wasn't high enough to kill him, just hurt a hell of a lot.

I curled my fists a little tighter as we walked down the halls to the Marshal's office. I felt like I did the one time Carlo and I blew up the toilet in the F Squad's dorm.

They had called him some unsavory names on his birthday and dumped his birthday lunch on the ground. They deserved for their dorm to smell like swamp ass for a month.

I really should learn more about plumbing...

Lucie and I finally made it, passing a few sour faces coming from his office.

We knocked and got a gruff "Come in!"

I took the left chair, Lucie the right. Pentecost looked at us for a few moments not saying anything.

"Between the two of you...there's so much potential. If times were different you could be doctors, world leaders, CEOs...but alas, this is our lot in life. Yet, you still have so much potential here..."

He looked between the two of us. "You are both smart, clever and damned passionate."

He stood up. This really felt like another disappointed parent talk.

"So why is it, that you can't seem to find a way to make a partnership work? You've grown up together. You know each other inside and out. Yet, you cannot get yourselves together."

I stole a look at Lucie. She was gritting her teeth. It was rare that she ever got blamed for anything.

"Marshal, I just want to say that I'm-"

Marshal held up a hand, silencing her. "No, Lucie. Your parents being who they are, I'm afraid those even above me have noticed your dismal performance. With the wall going up and the pressure on to dismantle the PPDC... well... I regret to inform you both.." He looked at me regretfully. "That you are being demoted from Pilots to crew."

Lucie and I both stood up ready to fight for our positions.

"We can-"

"You can't do-"

He held up a hand to silence us again.

"You will be placed in essential positions for the coming transition. Your parents are aware already of what I'm telling you...Lucie, you'll be in LOCCENT with Tendo. Ruby, you'll be in Jaeger maintenance with your old academy classmate Carlo Montoya, who I'm sure you're well aware is working on Stryker Eureka. You will report there as soon as this meeting is over for a debriefing."

My mouth fell open.

No. Way.

"And I am also afraid that your Jaeger, Sovereign Brave, will be receiving new pilots shortly. Jaegers are still needed until the wall is built. We can't have millions of dollars of tech getting dusty in the garage."

He was quiet a moment. "I am sorry girls. I had hoped to see you flourish."

He sat back into his chair and picked up a pen. He signed off two papers and handed them to us. It was official.

We were not longer pilots.

We no longer had our Jaeger.

We could no longer help mom and dad out in the world.

Lucie snatched the paper from his hand and left in a rush. If I knew her at all, angry tears were forming right now.

I slowly got up and took the paper from the man I really looked up to. I slowly read the text about how disappointing I was.

I looked back up at Marshal who was already looking at me. I swallowed hard and gave a quick nod.

As I walked back down the hall, I felt hollow. Everything I had worked so hard for was now gone.

I stood at the elevator which would normally take me up to Sovereign and hit the down button, towards the crew deck.

I felt tears starting to form as I rode down, no one even glanced sideways at me. I was sure once I got off it would be like a bunch of hens, clucking about the newest gossip.

The doors whooshed open and I stood near the end of the bays, near Stryker's feet.

I looked up at the Jaeger and couldn't decide if I wanted to feel bitterness, anxiousness or a sense of the pressure finally being off.

So instead of analyzing myself to death, I went to find my new superior in the art of Jaeger maintenance.

And hopefully not anyone else.