Snippet #2622334

The air was thick, as the girl said her piece, "Ballsy little spitfire," Haeron thought to himself. It was a good indication of just who he was to these people in the complex. She didn't seem that much different from himself, a little rough around the edges but he couldn't blame her for that, a gun pointed at her and all. Crosby was still fuming from under his cage. New guards are prohibited from entering into combat without a superior officer. It was ingrained since day one. But at the sight of the slightest activity, Crosby flew off like a rabid dog.

"Cros.... CROS!" Haeron stepped towards his best friend, "It's okay, just breathe and put down your weapon." He was calm and firm with his request, sounding more like a therapist than soldier. He stepped closer until he could reach Crosby. "Cros..."

"They're the enemy, man! And they are throwing it in our faces." Crosby was at least communicating now, that was progress at least. "We need to report it. Or just off the mouthy one..." he gripped his barrel tighter to prepare for the recoil.

"Are you fucking serious?! Who are you? Cros, look at her. She already looks like it's the worst day of her life, you aren't helping that." Haeron was not going to submit to Crosby's point of view, he could hardly believe that in the first moment of confrontation Crosby would resort to shoot-first-ask-questions-later diplomacy.

"I'm exactly who I should be. I'm the best our class, Brimley. I'm the goddamn paterfamilias!" He turned to his friend, his rage was palpable as Haeron felt the waves of Crosby's anger wash over him. "While we are here, we have one objective, and that is to protect the city from THEM!" Crosby was boisterous as he puffed himself up, as Haeron gripped him by his chest harness and pulled him to the side.

"Cros, this city is FOR them! Don't you see?! They fear us. So calm the fuck down. And disarm. Jesus, you are acting like a 12 year old scout. Get a hold of yourself. Take a minute and think." Haeron scolded Crosby in a hushed whisper, whacked him on the helmet and pushed his friend behind himself. "Carry on everyone. Nothing to see here. Move along, move along." He shouted out to dissolve the scene his comrade had just created. The station began to function like normal slowly but surely. He focused on the girl and her friends. "Hey, smart ass, don't let that mouth of your's get you killed..."

Haeron was pissed that it had escalated that far, there were a lot of things that he didn't like about this city, but for once, the people inside of it were not one of them.