pump'd up kicks

Reblog this meme if your muse is tall! To be sent from short/shorter muses.

"Can you grab that for me?"

"Why do you have to be so damn TALL?"

"How tall are the people in your family?"

"I hope your/our kids get your height."

"How does it feel to stare at the top of my head all the time?"

"There's one thing that's good about you being tall--the hugs."

"You're the tallest person I've ever seen."

Letting the door slide from his fingers and silently close behind them, he stepped further into the office though rather than approaching the desk he paused and half turned to her to listen. It couldn’t be said he wasn’t interested in learning what others had to say about their own abilities. Not everything could be found on paper, and it gave him an idea of what the individual felt confident about. It was information he filed in the back of his mind to be assessed and used later.

“Damn. My sympathies about that. Never easy to lose companions.” That was putting it mildly but, from him, the sentiment was genuine even if it did sound a little trite. He was never really good at consoling people though attempted regardless. He motioned over to the seats lining the area before the wide, semi-circle of a desk then wandered up to the sole person that had the unfortunate late shift. The conversation was quiet and the glance from the woman to Kicker was brief as she turned away to gather the necessary paperwork, which he carried over to the newest recruit with a tuck of a pen beneath the board’s clip.

“Medical processing will have to wait until tomorrow. For now it’s just this. Hopefully the last bit of paperwork you’ll have to do.” After handing over the board he settled nearby, absently patting at his pockets to check for the pack of cigarettes he had hidden away. One was needed but it would have to wait until they left. Propping his forearms against his thighs, he let his hands dangle between his knees.

“Were you the only survivor in that?” His eyes trailed over the office then turned to focus upon the agent next to him. “Wasn’t given many details concerning your previous crew. Didn’t ask for them to be honest. I’d rather hear about that from you.”

     as directed, kicker stepped over to the seats & ( awkwardly ) settled herself down in one, legs stretched out before her. she accepted the board with a quiet thank-you & clicked the pen against her chest, then started on the forms it held. she could feel his eyes on her, studying her, but kept her own focused on the paperwork. lips twisted to the side a bit.

     ❝ ah. . . yessir, i was, ❞ she answered, voice dropping a bit in volume. it was a touchy topic–––understandably so. ❝ there were eight of us, myself included. five didn’t make it outta the rubble, one died en route to the medical center, n’ the last–––– ❞ kicker paused when her voice cracked & swallowed thickly, took a moment to steady herself. ❝ ––––heh–––sorry, i’m an easy crier. hadn’t really thought about this a whole lot since it happened. anyways, last one died in the hospital. ❞

     a few more scratches of the pen, then kicker set it back under the clip & handed the board back to reyes. despite her smile, there was a noticeable shimmer in her eyes, wet from memories she’d repressed & reopened. 

     He glanced over toward Kicker again and found himself hard pressed to keep a smile from curling up the corner of his mouth. Her excitement was definitely contagious. While it was doubtful he’d find a jaunty bounce in his step, it’s enough to subtly pull his expression from the usual resting pose; one that always makes him look like he’s pissed off about something. It’s the scars, mostly.

     “It might be a bit of time before you get your first mission. Since you were out of commission, we’ll want to make sure that you’re ready to go; mentally, physically, so on so forth. It’s a bit of a tedious process but well worth the trouble. Especially since you’re practically itching to get started.” Lifting a hand he motioned off to the side, directing her to take a turn rather than cutting right in front of her. He definitely didn’t want to be trampled by those legs.

      “This also isn’t a permanent placement just yet. We do things a little…differently in our unit. I know you have been specially trained, though I only know as much as I’ve read on paper. Statistics and the like, most of which are heavily stealth based.” Hooking his thumbs into his pockets, he turns his attention to the posters plastered upon the walls, all of which flickered from one picture to another. More propaganda.

    “Which means you might be working closely with Rahn in my main crew, or a number of folk in the others. Get you used to tactics and the like.” After another corner, the sight of a set of double doors welcomed them at the end of the hallway and upon reaching them he opened up one for her to proceed first. “What else you got to offer in case we might need you for more than stealth based missions.”

     ❝ ahh, bummer. ❞ ITCHING indeed; she wanted to get out in the field ASAP, but the procedures made sense. it’d do her well to get acclimated to her new ( and possibly changing ) surroundings first. her smile only faltered for the briefest of moments. 

     following the motions, kicker turned sharply, care taken to keep from nicking her new commander’s heels with her claws. it certainly wouldn’t do to accidentally sever an achilles tendon on her first night. she took note of the posters, recognizing some as pieces she’d seen throughout her travels & service. ah, memories. they’d brought so much hope & inspiration. . ..

     ❝ ––––sorry?? ❞ the question pulled kicker back from her thoughts. she nodded gratefully & proceeded through the door, steps slowed a moment so reyes could match her pace once more. ❝ ah–––right. well, as my files say, stealth is my area a’ expertise. but moreso than that, i–––er, my team & i specialized in INFILTRATION & ESPIONAGE & SABOTAGE. gettin’ it & incapacitatin’ from the inside, y’know?? or just gettin’ in t’ snag some info, then buggin’ out without being detected. & since most places don’t want files stolen & things tampered with, we all learned how t’ hack to an extent.  

He turned his head and tipped his ear toward it a bit when he heard her speaking again then chuckled under his breath. Rather than answering he gave a confirming nod. Addressing her as ‘Kicker’ wouldn’t be much of an issue, if one at all. Many of his agents preferred monikers over their names, be it surname or first. His was kept for the simple fact that it happened to be perfect for his main crew.

It wasn’t excess movement from the truck that caught his attention—Kicker seemed to be able to shift around effortlessly and without disruption—but the lift of something in the corner of his eyes. Rather than tell her to sit back down, he studied what he could see of her face as she took in the sights before her. He remembered a time when he looked upon the scattered buildings with such awe and even joy.

It felt like so long ago now. A life time, really, and he wouldn’t be too far off in those thoughts. He felt like an entirely different person now compared to the still young man that had gotten swept up into the glory and hope Overwatch presented.

The cracking snap of a flag pulled him from his thoughts, drawing his focus to their next destination. Rather than seek out the parking structure, Rahn pulled into the cul-de-sac in front of the building, centered by the saluting figure of the Strike Commander himself. There’s no instructions given to the Omnic, he already knows to return within the hour so they could continue on to their own base.

“Drink it up, kid. You might not be coming in here for a while once you get yourself settled. The two units tend to keep themselves separated.” Climbing from the vehicle, he glanced over to her and let a half smile come to his lips. “Excited, eh? You look like you’re about to jump from your skin. You can leave your stuff behind, Rahn will take care of it.”

Waiting long enough for her to climb out, he wandered off to the double doors that hissed open upon his arrival. As early as it was the number of people that lurked about was minimal. Guards, mostly, each of which either nodded a greeting or saluted. He gave little more than a nod in return as he lead her through the halls and toward processing.

     it was simultaneously disappointing & exciting–––the news that she might not see much of this side of the organization. disappointing in that it was such a lovely view, full of things to learn & discover; exciting in that there was SO MUCH MORE to explore & look in to with the covert-sector, BLACKWATCH. ( & less rules, less red tape. ) 

     ❝ i feel like i just might jump outta my skin, sir!! ❞ & jump she did, from the truck’s bed, clear over the hood, onto the hard pavement without so much as a click of noise. mid-step, she spun around to shoot rahn a parting wave, then continued after reyes, easily catching up &  matching his pace. 

     ❝ it might partially be because i was out of commission for so long, but––but sir, i’m REALLY excited t’ be here!! & honored that i even got the opportunity. ❞ it had been a once-in-a-lifetime deal: overwatch gives her legs back & she joins overwatch. end her career at twenty-one, or keep fighting the good fight until she’s old enough to retire. 

     well, the choice had been obvious. 

There were certain habits of his he had that weren’tbroken in his path from a private in the military to the commander of thisunit, and having hands on interaction with his subordinates was on the top ofthat list. It was something that could be easily seen in the way hespoke with others, at least that’s how it appeared off of the field. Whetherthat’s maintained on it is something left to be seen.

When she stopped him, a question upon her lips, he halfexpected her to mention something about his intentions, as how it wasn’tnecessary. Instead, it was about titles. “Mm…during a mission among hostiles,no. We maintain the use of last names or monikers, so it’ll be ‘Reyes’. It’sbetter if they don’t know who leads the unit and who is, in their eyes, a ‘meregrunt’. This is Rahn,” he began, hitching a thumb to the Omnic who gave a twofingered salute from his brow. Or where a brow should be. “You’ll get to meetthe rest of the main squad later.”

It was doubtful she’d be working with them specifically,but it would be best if she knew of them regardless.  Settling into the truck he reached behind himto open up the window just in case she had more questions to ask of him. Theyneeded to be on their way and he wanted to waste no more time in getting backto the base. He had an assignment to prep for. Until then he was free to do ashe pleased and, apparently, that was to show around the new recruit.

With the truck unlatched and engine started, Rahn waitedto ensure Kicker was settled in before he backed up the vehicle, pulling itfrom the carrier, and gave a turn of the wheel to make their way from thetarmac. Midnight was on the horizon, making the air cool but comfortable enoughwhere there was little to no concern about their passenger freezing.

The domed observatory was like a beacon, glowing brightin the backdrop of the dark; its tinted and mirrored surface caught the lightof the full moon, giving way to the large telescope pointed toward the heavens.The orange and white emblems upon the flags were a welcome sight to many,giving them a sense of hope and protection. In Gabriel, it brought a mildlybitter taste to his mouth.

     made sense. kicker dipped her head, showing she understood, & slinked back into a crouch in the truck’s bed ( but not before granting the now-named omnic a polite nod, of course ). she waited patiently, ready to depart, but did pause again when the back window opened. a sheepish grin on her features, the augmented leaned down a bit further to speak:

     ❝ if i may. . . express my preference for my alias or my first name. . .. ❞ naturally, it was up to them what they chose to call her, but she figured it couldn’t hurt to put the suggestion forth. CLOETE just sounded so harsh & formal; it made her feel like she was in trouble whenever someone used it. 

     with the truck moving once more, kicker leaned back on her haunches & once more settled for watching the scenery fly by. the cooled air, though not unbearable, was a tad chillier than she usually liked, so she pulled her suit’s jacket from her bag & slipped into it, buttoning it all the way up to her neck. patches of orange embedded in the white & grey fabric–––& in the white & grey metal–––glowed faintly in the midnight darkness. perhaps it wasn’t very stealthy, but there was no reason to have her suit active at the moment. she didn’t need to go unseen. 

The hair on the back of her neck stood up, the creeping sensation of being watched crawled up Widowmaker’s back, and she came to a halt from where she had been setting up her sniper’s nest. She couldn’t hear anything, or see anything, but there was something that had unsettled her. She liked to listen to her instincts; it was rare that they were wrong.

Her visor came down to cover her eyes, seeking out any heat signatures, but it was tricky. The visor couldn’t actually see through walls, even if they were thin; the various wires and pipes obscured her vision.

A slow exhale, and she turned her attention to the job ahead of her. Across the way, in a tall, shimmer glass building, was her target. A man who had been giving Talon trouble by not folding to their demands. He had been given enough chances, and now it was time to deal with him.

A smile graced the sniper’s features; a hunger for the kill began to burn in her chest. “I see you…” she said in a soft sing-song voice.

     close. . .. almost too close. kicker released a quiet breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding & s l o w l y eased herself into a stand ( upside-down, of course ) above the sniper. she couldn’t quite get the same vantage point lest she wanted to risk detection, but she could make out a FACE at least. as it so happened, it was a face she recognized: some sleazy businessman she’d investigated in the past. he’d seemed CLEAN at the time, but if he was the target of this operation. . .. 

     ❝ –––!! ❞ that was her cue to intervene. cloak deactivating with her sudden movement, kicker dropped from the ceiling & stomped the barrel of the gun down–––HOPEFULLY before the trigger could be pulled. sleazy or not, the man across the way didn’t deserve a bullet to the brain.