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Fifteen minutes later, you are inside a place called "Toddy's Tavern", and it certainly has the look of a tavern. You are distinctly out of place, a thin, pale man in a tuxedo in a sea of men and women in t-shirts and tank tops and shorts and flip-flops. Everyone seems to have a can or a glass of something, and you can see in the corner what looks like three people sitting around a table and playing a game of cards. In fact, one of those men looks exactly like Zackary Warwick, the only reason you're here. But damn is it worth it. You're about to meet your childhood hero. You make your way over to him, catching only a few askance looks at your suit. Let them, uncouth masses. You were a man of class, you thought, with neatly slicked-back hair and a spotless black suit.

Halfway there, you catch Zackary's eye, and he sizes you up. Yes, you can already see the intensity of his gaze as he looks at you, peeling away your layers and discovering the core of who you are. And then you think you catch a look of approval, as he likes what he sees. Your professional smile turns a bit giddy. You reach his table, and Zackary shifts his full attention to you, placing one muscled arm on the table, staring at you with one brow cocked inquiringly. Of course he already knew who you were and why you were here, but he was being polite and letting you say it anyway.

"Zackary Warwick, I'm Zane Jacobs, Field Recruiting Agent of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. I'm here to talk to you about the Jaeger Program." you say, voice level and confident. Even in the face of such a legend, you maintain your cool. You're a professional, after all.

(Cont.)

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You are Zack Warwick, and you have no idea what the hell this suited kid is doing staring at you from halfway across the bar while you're in the middle of fleecing these two idiots in a game of Texas Holdem.

He looks like a schoolboy, poor kid. Probably had lofty visions of what a hero you were, just knew you before the... before you left. As he reaches your table, you raise an eyebrow at him as he somehow manages to look even younger than he already does. "Zackary Warwick, I-I'm Zane Jacobs, Field Recruiting Agent of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps." he begins, barely restraining his glee. Oh hell, not these jokers. You don't care what they have to say, you're not going to join their crusade. Not again. Let someone younger, fitter, and better do it in younger, more advanced, and better Jaegers. "I'm here to talk to you about the Jaeger Program." he says, still excited. You frown.

>"Sit down, tell me more over a game 'a cards." If you're gonna turn him away, might as well take him for everything he's worth, first.
>"Alright, spit it out." No need to get up if you're just going to tell him no.
>"Alright then. Let's take this somewhere else." You kinda feel bad for the kid, you shouldn't just embarrass him in front of a bar of strangers.

>>1370303
>>"Alright then. Let's take this somewhere else." You kinda feel bad for the kid, you shouldn't just embarrass him in front of a bar of strangers.

>>1370303
>"Alright then. Let's take this somewhere else." You kinda feel bad for the kid, you shouldn't just embarrass him in front of a bar of strangers.

>>1370303
>"Alright then. Let's take this somewhere else." You kinda feel bad for the kid, you shouldn't just embarrass him in front of a bar of strangers.

>>1370303
>"Alright then. Let's take this somewhere else." You kinda feel bad for the kid, you shouldn't just embarrass him in front of a bar of strangers.

>>1370303
>>"Alright then. Let's take this somewhere else." You kinda feel bad for the kid, you shouldn't just embarrass him in front of a bar of strangers.

>>1370313
>>1370327
>>1370329
>>1370354
>>1370381
Well that was unanimous. Anons are feeling kind. Writing.

You tilt your head and regard the kid in a bit less of a judgmental light. Just because he's trying to do what he's told and is a starstruck fan, doesn't mean you have to be an asshole about saying no. "Alright then. Let's take this somewhere else." You turn to the other two at the table, Old George and Saul. "I fold. Saul, you win this round." George starts to protest but you cut him off. "Don't bullshit me, Georgie, I know that's a shit pair of cards you got." He quietens down and the two show their hands. Saul wins with a straight, while George has a two pair. To tell the truth, you were going to fold anyway. Saul obviously had a winner this round. You look back at Zane and tilt your head towards the back exit. "C'mon, this way."

Outside, Zane seems to instantly start sweating again. Poor bugger, he's clearly from not around here, especially with that accent. Sounded... it didn't really obviously sound like one accent. More a blend of about six or seven. Obviously a globetrotter, then. "I don't mean to be rude," Zane begins, "but it's really hot out here. Can we get in my car? It's nice and cool in there." You shrug and grunt. "Whatever. Just don't try and drive off with me." He nods eagerly, obviously hanging off your every word. That was rapidly getting annoying. The two of you walk to his car, a surprisingly restrained-looking silver car. Must be a company car or something, no way someone with a suit like Zane would pick something like that.

He scurries around and opens the side door for you, and you give him a skeptical look as you get in. Well, he was right about one thing. It was definitely way colder in here. You watch Zane as he makes his way back to the driver's side of the car. He's an alright kind of guy, you're sure. But that starstruck attitude has to stop. He gets in, and before he gets a chance to start his pitch, you stop him. "Look. Kid. I don't know what you think I am, but going by the way you're acting, it's totally wrong." He looks surprised at that. Didn't he know he was practically fawning over you? "You look like you were just a kid when I was piloting, right? Five or six or whatever, right?" you say. "I was, err, eleven actually, when you retired." he corrects you, embarrassed. This guy's twenty seven? He looks about twenty. "Eleven. Whatever. So you saw me giving interviews and saw me and probably idolised me, right? Probably got one of those action figures of me an'... yeah, whatever. Am I close?" you say, a little more intensely than you'd intended. "Ihadaposterofyo-" he blurts out, before biting his lip shut.

(Cont.)

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"...Right... well anyway, what you saw then? That was me sixteen or more years ago, from the perspective of a child. I'm not that guy anymore, I never will be, it's hard to believe I ever was." Zane nods. "Y-yeah, because-" You glare at him, but he's oblivious. "Your wife got killed b-by that Kaiju, right? While you were still-" You don't like anyone talking about your wife. Even after sixteen years, that was a raw wound. And this poor kid just stomped on it, on top of presumably wanting to bring you back to the organisation where you had your life.

You explode. "Don't fucking say it! Don't say any of it! That fucked me up, really bad! So bad I could barely function for months or years afterwards, so bad I lost my fucking daughter because I was so fucked up! Do you have any idea what that was like? Not just the rest of it, but having your daughter that you'd die for hate your guts because you're too screwed up to parent, then get taken away by someone else because you can't look after her properly? It was LIKE SOMEONE FUCKING SHOT ME! I've only just gotten out of that deep shit, and I don't need fuckers like you coming up in MY town and reminding me of what happened to me!" By now you're screaming at him, and your eyes are wet with tears.

...You may have taken that a little too far. You didn't mean to go into that territory in your past, or to go off like that and by the look on the kid's face, he didn't expect you to, either. He looks terrified of you now, and you're not sure if that's better or worse than how he was before. You lean back into your seat, and exhale loudly, looking anywhere but your face in the reflective mirror on the sunshield. There is silence in the car for what seems like hours, just the sound of your deep breathing and the sound of the fans and air-conditioners.

>"I... I'm sorry, you didn't need that."
>"I really needed that."
>"Just... I'm not a hero, okay?"
>"So... what was it you wanted?"
>Stay silent, let him choose when he's ready to keep talking.

Let's see how bad I am at writing emotions.

>>1370608
Sorry about that. So ... what was it you wanted?

>>1370608
>I'm sorry but piss of I'm no hero.

>"Just... I'm not a hero, okay?"

>>1370628
>>1370665
>>1370667
Well... not sure what that adds up to. Those are three different answers.

Unless someone changes or otherwise breaks the tie in the next ten minutes, I'll just mix those and see what happens.

>>1370665
This

>>1370608
>"Just... I'm not a hero, okay?"

>>1370684
>>1370685
Breaking my heart here, anons.

>>1370689
It's the same option, they're saying we're not a hero. One just has sorry beforehand.

>>1370695
True. I guess I just prefer it a little more clean-cut.

Writing.

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"Look... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone off at you like that, I barely know you. But I'm not some great hero to be looked up to, that's my point." you say, eventually. For his part, Zane just looks at his hands, chewing his lip. He seems to have calmed down a little, at least, and hopefully he's processing what you said. You decide on giving him a moment, but he surprises you by speaking up. "O-okay... I think... I think I got the message. I'm sorry for- for bringing it up." He looks up at you tentatively, and seems encouraged by the actual regret he finds on your face.

"So what was it you wanted?" you ask, eager to move on. He straightens up and looks you in the eye. Good, he was already trying to take it to heart. "The Pan Pacific Defense Corps wants you back in to deal with the Kaiju threat." Yeah, that's what you'd thought. But surely they knew you would never just say yes to that, not unless they had something big up their sleeve. "I know you want to say no, but hear me out." he continues. You frown, but can't help being curious. "I'm listening." you say.

Zane seems to weigh something up for a moment, then speaks. "It's your daughter. She's going to be a Ranger." Your heart skips a beat at the thought of that. Your daughter? On the front lines? Why the hell would she want to follow in your footsteps? You struggle to keep a neutral face. "What's that got to do with me?" you say. Zane raises an eyebrow at that, but continues. "She's one of the most capable candidates, but the only person she can drift with is drastically underachieving, so we thought we'd give her father a try."

>"I'm in. Now. Take me there. If she's going to be out there, I need to be there with her.
>"I'm in. If my daughter's going to fight, it's not going to be with someone who'll get her killed."
>"I'm pretty sure that's not going to work. We haven't seen each other for years."
>"Oh? Who is this other person? Tell me about them."
>"Who exactly is 'we', nowadays? Did Stacker's protege get the gig?"
>Write In

>>1370776
>"I'm pretty sure that's not going to work. We haven't seen each other for years."
>"Who exactly is 'we', nowadays? Did Stacker's protege get the gig?"

>>1370781
Second

>"I'm in. Now. Take me there. If she's going to be out there, I need to be there with her.

>>1370781
>>1370793
>"I'm pretty sure that's not going to work. We haven't seen each other for years."
>"Who exactly is 'we', nowadays? Did Stacker's protege get the gig?"

Writing.

"I'm pretty sure that's not going to work. We haven't seen each other for years. We didn't really leave on the best of terms, either." Zane seems to have been expecting something like this, however. "Well, family seems to have a tendency to maintain a better neural handshake in the Drift. You said you loved your daughter, and your daughter... it's been years, Zackary-" You raise a hand. "Call me Zack. Zackary makes me feel like I'm being talked to by a schoolteacher." Zane nods. "Right, Zack. You're right, it, uh, it works better. So anyway, we figured that you two would, y'know, be able to make it work. If you agreed to what we're proposing, that is."

"You know, you keep saying 'we'," you start, "but we both know the PPDC isn't a democracy. Who is 'we' nowadays? I remember Stacker's retirement, so it's not him. Is it his protege? Aaah..." You try and remember the name, it's on the tip of your tongue. Mike? No, it was a woman. And it was an Asian surname. Oh, that's right, it was- "Mako Mori, yeah, she's it." he says, nodding again. He seems to nod a lot.

>"Makes sense. She's kind of the obvious choice, really."
>"Huh. She wasn't really the commanding type, if I recall. Guess she was there during the First Kaiju War, though, so she knows what it's like."
>"I was really hoping not. The two of us never really got along."
>Write In

>>1370843
>"Makes sense. She's kind of the obvious choice, really."

>"Makes sense. She's kind of the obvious choice, really."

>>1370843
>"Makes sense. She's kind of the obvious choice, really.
>What about her partner?

>>1370849
This is kind of an alt-universe, sorta. Things ended better for humanity, and generally went differently. But Raleigh died with his brother or just doesn't exist. I'll decide later.

>>1370847
>>1370848
>>1370849
>"Makes sense. She's kind of the obvious choice, really."

Writing while eating Lasagna. Mmm, lasagna.

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"Makes sense. She's kind of the obvious choice, really." you say. It's all coming back to you now. She wanted to be a ranger, but everyone knew Stacker was grooming her for leadership. And it works, since she has some of both sides of the equation, so the hope is that she'd be able to make better decisions on that. Good call, whoever made that decision.

She'd never really been the most commanding type, but she was definitely serious about her work. Meant business every time she did something. That was both admirable and kind of annoying, since it was truly a challenge to get much camaraderie with her. Especially since Stacker sheltered her, a lot. Girl was basically his daughter. But however highly you thought of her, there was still the consideration that every time you interacted with her, you got the vague indication that she didn't think a whole lot of you. Never really got out of her what the deal was, but she definitely held some kind of distaste for you.

"So, I assume that means you're in, right?" Zane's voice snaps you out of your memories. "Hmm? Oh, uh..."

>"Yes, of course. If my daughter is out there, it'll be with me, and not anyone else." Motivation Gained: Protect My Daughter
>"Absolutely. This is the fate of the world we're talking about, you can't just say no." Motivation Gained: For Humanity
>"I'm in. I've been hankering to give those monsters a little payback for what they took." Motivation Gained: In Loving Memory
>"Yeah, okay. Better a washed-up old wreck like me bites it than someone younger, right?" Motivation Gained: Self-Sacrifice
>"No." (Write in why not)

>"Yes, of course. If my daughter is out there, it'll be with me, and not anyone else." Motivation Gained: Protect My Daughter

>>1370888
>>"I'm in. I've been hankering to give those monsters a little payback for what they took." Motivation Gained: In Loving Memory

revenge is good

>>1370888
>Fuck me, not really much of a choice is there. That's me daughter in that thing. (Protect my daughter)

>>1370889
>>1370896
>>1370903
Now, because this is an important choice, and will colour Zack's choices and motivations for the rest of the quest, I'm going to double the time I give anons to choose. 40 minutes instead of 20. Just to give more time for people to choose.

>>1370888
>>"Yes, of course. If my daughter is out there, it'll be with me, and not anyone else." Motivation Gained: Protect My Daughter
>>1370905
Hopefully the quest doesn't glitch and we start perpetually shouting our daughter's name in every prompt and every update.

>>1370889
>>1370896
>>1370903
>>1370934
Alright then, we're in it for the daughteru. Sounds about right.

Writing.

>>1370934
SHAUN SHAUN SHAUN SHAUN SHAUN SHAUN. SHAUN SHAUN SHAUN SHAUN SHAUN SHAWN SHAWN SHAWN SHAWN

>>1370905
>Now, because this is an important choice, and will colour Zack's choices and motivations for the rest of the quest,
>will colour Zack's choices and motivations for the rest of the quest,
>>1370936
>>1370942
SHAUUUUUN!

You don't even need to think about the answer. "Yes, of course. It's my daughter we're talking about, if she's fighting, it'll be with me and nobody else." And you mean it. No 'underachieving candidate' is going to drift with your daughter, not if you can help it. Damn it you're not going to lose your daughter, too. It's not like you'll be leaving anything behind in the Springs, either. You'd always kept more or less to yourself, beyond eating people alive at various forms of poker.

Zane grins at you. "Excellent! Come on, let's go. There's a helicopter waiting to take us. Long-range, it can take us there in one trip. There's no real way to make it quick, it'll take the day, and we'll arrive at night." He leans over to you. "It's a way cooler-looking approach at night. You'll like it." he says, conspiratorially.

"I know. I was there, son." you tell him, nonchalantly. "Of course, of course." he mutters, leaning away from you again and pulling onto the road.

Anything you want to talk to Zane about?

CHOOSE TWO
>Zane's life
>What the PPDC is like in 2040
>What he thinks of the Second Kaiju War
>What he thinks of your daughter if he's met her
>Who else he's recruited
>Write In A Question?
>Nah, nothing, just watch the scenery for the last time.
>KAREN!
>SHAAAAAAUN!

>>1370963
The only reasonable choices:
>>KAREN!
>>SHAAAAAAUN!

>What he thinks of your daughter if he's met her.
>Zane's life.

>>1370963
>What the PPDC is like in 2040
>Current situation of the Kaiju war

>>1370966
>>1370971
>>1370990
Threeway tie, or two if you discount the joker. You can't just cheat and get four, darn you.

>>1370963
>>1370990
> changing to this

>>1370990
>>1370998
Cheers bruv. Writing.

>>1370963
>>1370994
>>1370971
2nd. Get to know the individuals we're working with.

These anons didn't have enough faith.

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"So, tell me about yourself, Zane. How'd you end up here?" you ask as Zane turns a corner. He's a very careful driver, does everything by exact measures, everything is double-checked. Damned if you're going to sit here in silence.

Zane doesn't look at you, keeping both eyes on the road. "Funny story, actually. My mum and my dad-" You shoot him a look. "No, no, I swear I'm not going down the 'two people loved each other very much' road! I'm not nearly unimaginative enough to do that. That was kind of my thing as a kid. I imagined everything. And as a child growing up, giant robots fighting giant monsters was the biggest thing on, well, anything. And that, that captured my preteen mind! So naturally, I was obsessed with everything Jaeger."

"Not a Kaiju groupie, then?" Kaiju groupies always pissed you off to no end. The thought that someone could actually idolise these things that were destroying cities and ruining people's lives was abhorrent, and you considered every single one of them a complete idiot, or worse.

Zane's face instantly contorts into one of disgust. "Oh hell no, kaijus are nothing to be exalted in any way! Anything that kills on such a large scale as the kaijus is just... I don't get those people." Seems he doesn't like them either. "Well anyway, once the First Kaiju War ended, it kind of dawned on me that I'd have to get, well, other interests. So I did. Travel, cultures and societies around the world, all that sort of stuff. So, well I became a travel agent. But when I became aware that the PPDC were hiring for recruiting agents, that spark of childhood in me hit again, y'know? So I applied, got accepted, and here I am!"

"How does that work, anyway? Surely people sign on if they want to?"

"Well, no. Well, yes. Some do, like your daughter and the Storgaards, but others get scouted and offered the opportunity. Sometimes all people need is that they know that they could be part of it, you know? And it's not all the Jaeger pilots, it's the support staff. J-Tech and K-Science and even the manual workers. Some of them seek it out, some don't but accept when it's offered." Makes sense. You can't just wait for people to come in when so much is at stake. Although...

"Speaking of my daughter, do you know much about her? I'd... err, I'd rather not go in blind, you know?

"I kind of know her. Not well, just in passing. She's... nice? I hear she's rather headstrong. Likes to get her own way, doesn't particularly care for being told what to do or micromanaged. As you can imagine, Mako's having a field day with that. One of the best trainees being such a loose cannon is probably not a great example for others to follow. She's good at heart, though, in it for the future. I remember hearing about her getting into a fight with one of the other trainees because they expressed that they didn't think the PPDC could cut it this time."

(Cont.)

Sorry for taking so long, anons.

>"That's my girl. Definitely my daughter."
>"Definitely a loose cannon. Then again, I was a bit like that, so I can't judge."
>"Points for enthusiasm, I guess."
>"That's going to get her killed. Oh I wish I hadn't said that."

>>1371065
>>1371067
GM is a tool. Please ignore while I write up the actual winning option. Looks like you got 4 after all.

>>1371071
Fuck it, you'll get four. It's a long car ride.

>"Definitely a loose cannon. Then again, I was a bit like that, so I can't judge."

>>1371067
>>"That's my girl. Definitely my daughter."
>>"Definitely a loose cannon. Then again, I was a bit like that, so I can't judge."

>>1371067
>Attitude like that can get you killed in the field.
>Definitely not a side of me I want her to take to

>>1371083
>>1371084
>>1371088

>"Definitely a loose cannon. Then again, I was a bit like that, so I can't judge."
I'll see about incorporating bits of the other options into the post.

Writing.

You nod sagely. "She definitely sounds like a loose cannon. Just like I was."

Zane looks at you for the first time since he started driving. It doesn't take long for him to glue his eyes back to the road. "Was?"

You nod. "Mmm. It's... not something I'm going to talk about."

Zane gets the hint. "Yeah, fair. You know that guy I told you about? Got into a fight with Karen? He went home with a broken leg, and nineteen stitches."

You chuckle. "That's my girl. I'd expect nothing less from my daughter. Of course, I don't condone what she did. But she did me proud."

He laughs along with you and turns another corner, before violently swerving to avoid a car careening the other way. "WHAT THE FUCK!" he shouts.

"That was exciting." you note, deadpan, before carrying on like nothing happened. "But yeah, I'd rather Karen doesn't inherit too much of my hotheadedness. That path bites your head off when you reach the end."

There is silence in the car for a moment, then you speak up again. "Hey, you're on the inside of the PPDC. What's it like these days?"

Zane thinks for a moment "A lot of people were grumpy about the PPDC and the Jaeger Program turning into basically a propaganda machine. Most accept that it's better than it going out all the way, since then they'd be temporarily out of a job. It definitely got downsized once there wasn't a Kaiju threat anymore, or an obvious one. The Jaegers kinda fell behind modern tech, probably weren't kept in the best of shape. Just meant to look pretty I suppose, maybe occasionally salute. Personally, I'm glad that we're back to fighting the Kaijus." He frowns. "Wait, I just implied I'm glad the Kaijus are a threat again. I didn't mean that." he says quickly. "What do you think?"

>"I'd rather the world never saw another Kaiju again. The PPDC can remain defunct for all I care."
>"I'm personally not a fan of having to risk my life again, or anyone's. But I can think of a certain set of pilots that will love it."
>"It's... I don't know, despite what it did to me, I started missing the action after a while. It'll be good to be back, I think."

>"It's... I don't know, despite what it did to me, I started missing the action after a while. It'll be good to be back, I think."

>>1371104
>"I'd rather the world never saw another Kaiju again. The PPDC can remain defunct for all I care."

>>1371104
>"I'd rather the world never saw another Kaiju again. The PPDC can remain defunct for all I care."

>>1371106
>>1371112
>>1371114

>"I'd rather the world never saw another Kaiju again. The PPDC can remain defunct for all I care."

Writing.

>>1371116
Actually, it's past midnight, and I don't have the stamina to keep going. I'll come back tomorrow. If anyone new comes, feel free to vote and participate. Votes are reopened.

>>1371104
>"If they had to come back, I'm glad I can fight them. Maybe this time we can launch a proper invasion."

>>1371106
>>1371112
>>1371114
>>1373423
I have returned. Couldn't really get on much yesterday. I'll wrap up this thread.

>"I'd rather the world never saw another Kaiju again. The PPDC can remain defunct for all I care."
with a smattering of 'but since they are back, it'll be good to be back'

Writing.

You frown. "I'd rather the world never saw another Kaiju ever again. And the PPDC can remain defunct for all I care. But since the Kaijus are back, I think it'll be... good to be back in the action. Despite what piloting did to me... real life was boring after the war."

Zane looks somewhat incredulous. "It was?"

"Yeah. I mean, after you've been in a Jaeger and fought a giant monster, there's not really anywhere to go from there."

"That's... yeah that's fair enough, actually."

There's another moment of silence as both of you absorb that, then you break the silence again.

"How's the war going? I know what the news is telling us, but you surely have a deeper look."

"Surprisingly similar to what everyone's getting told, actually. The Jaegers are kicking ass, even if they're rusty and aren't nearly upgraded to modern standards, yet. Funding's coming in, but a lot of countries are still trying to find an alternative to the Jaeger Program."

>"They're right, though. The Jaeger Program has only ever been a temporary measure."
>"Well, if they can find a better way, more power to them."
>"Idiots. The Jaeger Program would do us just fine, if it got the full funding it needs."
>"At least none of those religious nutters are in power. Kaiju Cults? Gimme a break."
>Write In

>>1377330
>"Idiots. The Jaeger Program would do us just fine, if it got the full funding it needs."

>"Idiots. The Jaeger Program would do us just fine, if it got the full funding it needs."

>>1377330

>"Idiots. The Jaeger Program would do us just fine, if it got the full funding it needs."
>Write In
Unless I dunno they do the smart thing and just have the fucking Jaegers camp the Breach so we can kill them as they come out? Or say we Use fucking big heated Harpoon Guns so we can engage at range again while reducing the risk of Contamination...Who runs R&D these days anyway? Do we even have one?

The other issue we have is that frankly our leaders are more worried about getting reelected than actually solving anything, par the course really.

>>1377338
>>1377340

Writing.

>>1377349
Oh, missed this one.

Having Jaegers camp the breach means it's harder to do maintenance on them. And it's underwater, which makes it harder for Jaegers to fight there. And whatever effect seawater would have on Jaegers. It's just not really feasible.

Heated harpoon guns are an interesting idea, I guess. I might use that, if I run out of ideas.

The Jaeger has J-Tech, which is basically R&D and Engineering and stuff. And that third issue is, well, it's just true.

Anyway, time to write.

"Idiots. The Jaeger Program would do us just fine, if it got the full funding it needs." you say. You have your share of misgivings with the PPDC, but the Jaeger Program isn't one of them.

"I know! I mean, all it needs is the right support, and we'll have a repeat of the First Kaiju War, but quicker." he says, gesturing wildly with one hand.

"And with less deaths." you add, to which Zane hums an agreement. By now you're coming up on a gate at an airfield, guarded by a skin-and-bones security guard who looks at you, then looks at a clipboard, then squints at the car again, then waves you through.

Zane parks in some kind of covered car bay, filled with a whole bunch of identical silver cars, all just as generic as the last. A scruffy-looking man in a shirt that reads "Alice Springs Airfield Staff" comes up to Zane as the two of you get out, and Zane hands him a set of keys. Zane guides you out into the sun, noticeably quickening his pace as he starts sweating again in that damned suit of his.

The two of you scurry-walk around the corner of another building onto a piece of flat tarmac, with a small, sleek-looking black helicopter sitting inside a painted square. Movement in the cockpit draws your attention to the presence of the pilot, a middle-eastern woman in military-ish fatigues with a pilot's helmet on, visor covering her eyes, but not her wide grin of relief.

Zane looks over his shoulder at you, and scurries even faster. "And here's our ride." The two of you climb into the passenger section, a seat on either side, and the pilot starts exchanging some quick jargon back and forth with an air traffic controller. After a moment, she turns back to you, grinning again, gives a thumbs up, then starts flipping switches.

"This is Fariha Air, and it's take-off time. Buckle up and try not to be awed by my piloting skills." the pilot says over her shoulder. Does she ever stop smiling? You roll your eyes and buckle yourself into your seat, and the helicopter takes off.

Time for your life to take a massive turn. For better or worse, you're not sure.
That seems like a decent place to end the thread. Sorry this session was so short. I promise you'll get some kind of action next thread, anons. Thanks for playing in my very first thread!

Actually a really good thread. Looking forward to the next one.