[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Accuracy [Miko, Open]

[Nathan Walker]

Week 2, Day 6...

Late Afternoon...

The key to success was preparedness. For a man like Nathan Walker, in his line of work that meant always having a serviceable weapon at hand.

He had only been there for a day yet many things he had taken for granted seemed to have been challenged. It was…quite the experience…and he just needed to center himself again. So as he walked out of the little room set aside for him he slid over to the couch and coffee table near what he was told was the elevator topside.

Reaching back into the small of his back he withdrew his Glock 19, a handgun chambered in 9mm parabellum ammunition.

Setting the small cleaning kit he had on the coffee table, he dropped the magazine on his pistol and opened the slide, catching the round that flew up in the air as it was extracted from the chamber. Setting those aside, he began to disassemble the pistol down to its base components which he set on the table.

Humming to himself, he pulled out a soft rag from the kit and began a short wipe down of each part. Normally he would have taken each part and wiped it down with gun oil and solvent, but this was just a quick cleaning to help center his mind.

[Miko Nakadai]

Any semblance of calm and quiet would be broken by the sound of heavy metal music.

It was faint, at first - but it was getting louder, meaning that the source was making their way toward the Control Room, and quickly at that.

What was a low drone of noise was now crystal clear - guitars screaming with their impressive riffs, backed by heavy bass and the constant beat of what sounded like a pretty epic drumkit. Then there was the singer, loud and glorious - the words growled and to the untrained ear (or less cultured!) they probably didn’t make much sense.

But to Miko? Aaah~ Perfection!

She was sticking to the edges of the corridor, having learned absolutely nothing from the hundred or so times she’d been nagged about sticking to the catwalks. Even with the music as loud as it was, she’d be able to see - or at least feel the thrum of heavy Cybertronian footsteps looooong before she got squished. Situational awareness was something you had to have here, and so Miko wasn’t worried in the slightest!

“Guitaaaaar Soooolooo!”

The pitter-patter of combat boots could be heard breaking into a run, accompanied by a thud and a whoosh as she slid across the concrete floor into the doorway of the Control Room. Phone securely in her pocket, leaving both arms free for the most epic air-guitar solo ever.

Every note was hit, it was perfect. Miko was absolutely lost in the moment, her eyes closed as she continued on with her playing, until all good things must come to an end, and the solo bridged into the chorus and the rest of the instruments kicked in once more.

Opening her eyes, she expected to see an unimpressed Bumblebee or maybe even Optimus at the Control Panel, buuuut there was nobody around, and with a confused shrug, she would pull herself to her feet. Nobody had witnessed her glory!

With a hum, she would then reach into her pocket, tapping the volume button on the phone to bring the music down to a considerably lower level, and made her way further into the room.

Only to see someone sitting at the table.

UUuh.

“Hello?”

Was he waiting for someone? Had he been sent by Fowler? She didn’t recognize him, but given he was here in the Autobot base, he had to be cool. Right?

[Nathan Walker]

Situational awareness was not just a skill the Wrecker in training had acquired.

Nathan’s ears had perked up and he cocked his head for a moment as he heard the increasing volume of heavy metal come closer before just resuming his cleaning. He wasn’t a fan of this type of music normally, but squad mates in the past had favored it and a chopper pilot he knew used to play it when they were unloading.

“Guitaaaaar Soooolooo!”

The voice caused him to perk up again as he looked over to the source of it. A female teenager on the younger side dressed loudly in punk rock style clothing. Must be one of the children who had found out the government secret…What was her name…oh yeah…Miko Nakadai. Exchange student from Tokyo, Japan.

The girl was currently doing a decently good air guitar while sliding on her knees across the floor like a rockstar. Nathan just chuckled with a shake of his head before returning back to his pistol.

“Hello?”

He looked up again as she had apparently gotten closer. So apparently she wasn’t aware of his presence until now. He gave her a short smile as he put away the soft cloth back into his kit.

“Hey there. You’re Miko, right?”

[Miko Nakadai]

It was always funny to Miko when people knew who she was before she’d even met them. Half the newer bots she’d run into had called her by name, and she was starting to think a handbook was being passed around on the sly with a “BEWARE OF MIKO” page in it.

That'd just be silly, though. 

Then again, if Fowler or Optimus briefed newcomers to the base? The three children were probably mentioned as something to watch out for - or at least be aware of. So... that was probably what happened here. 

Shame, the book would've been cool. Ah well! 

“Yeah, that’s me!” she beamed, thumbing to her chest as she moved forwards, lightly jogging up the small set of concrete stairs to be on the same level as the man, taking note of what he was actually doing. Once she was up there, she would turn the music off fully- not wanting to be rude and have it playing in the background, even if it was quiet! 

“Who are you? You must be new here, right?”

She hadn’t seen him around before, and she was prreeettyy good at remembering faces. The fact he was sitting here and not being escorted around or with Fowler on some official business meant he was probably going to be a frequent sight here at the base, which was whatever- as long as he wasn’t one of those boring stick-to-every-rule-ever types.

But she'd be the judge of that. 

[Nathan Walker]

“Who are you? You must be new here, right?”

Nathan gave out a low chuckle as he reached down and began reassembling his pistol before her eyes. First the barrel back into the slide, then the guide rod and spring before placing the slide into place and closing the disassembly lever.

“Yeah, I just transferred over here. Name’s Sergeant Walker.”

He then slapped the magazine into the butt of the weapon, chambering a round and activating the safety before dropping the magazine and adding the final round to the magazine and slapping it back into the handle of the pistol. He noticed that there didn't seem to be any music playing anymore. So she was respectful.

Good to know.

“You’re on exchange from Japan right?”

He double checked the pistol was safe before sliding it back into its holster in the small of his back and tucking it underneath his shirt so that it was concealed. He spent a few days in Japan about a year ago, a stop over before a mission into a hostile area of Eastern Asia. Great place, lovely people.

[Miko Nakadai]

“Whoa, it isn’t often we get other humans here! I think you’re like, the thirrrrrd one? Maybe?”

She was so used to rocking up after school and finding a random new Autobot or two. It was a TOTALLY good thing, and probably did explain why first Laura, and now this guy were around the base. More bots to keep an eye on, or something like that!

“Nice to meet you, Sergeant Walker!” she smiled at that, giving him a swift salute that may have bordered on a little playful before dropping her arm back to her side. It was a little weird that he didn’t give his first name, but if he was all official and military-esque, then he probably was one of those formal stick to every rule in the history of ever types, and ugggggghhhh. She wasn’t a fan.

Maybe he could still be cool, though.

At the question she’d nod, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

“I am, yup! Come to Jasper Nevada, they said! The entertainment capital of the world, they said! What a load of scrap!” she laughed, leaning up on her tiptoes just slightly to try and get a better look at what he was doing without invading his personal space too much, only to frown in mild disappointment as the gun was swiftly put away. Was that because of her? Or because he was done with putting it back together?

“Eh this place is pretty okay, or it is now I met the Autobots! What about you? You gotta be one of Fowler’s guys, right? How long have you known about Optimus and the others?”

[Nathan Walker]

"That’s not surprising.”

Nathan had a few thoughts as to why he had been selected. One was that it was his skill set being applied directly. The second was that Lt. Alder needed someone to watch her back when in the field.

“Likewise, Miko.”

It was not that he followed the rules to the letter. Being in Army Special Operations meant that while discipline was still expected of every soldier, exact obedience to every rule and regulation the Army had written down was not expected. Hence the longer than regulation hair, civilian clothing, and the facial hair. But he had learned throughout his life that the rules were there for a reason. Usually because someone had screwed up and got killed.

But what was life if you did not live a little, having fun with your friends? He did chuckle and shook his head at her explanation of Jasper as he turned to face in her direction, before looking her in the eye as he spoke.

“It might be dull, but at least it’s calm. I’ve been in worse places where you were always looking over your shoulder and needed eyes in the back of your head.”

Places where you always had to be on your toes, ready for anything. Places ranging from the cities of Eastern Europe and the mountains of the Middle East to the jungles of South America and Asia. He had seen both the best that humanity had to offer, as well as the worst that could come.

This girl was an adrenaline jockey. He had known people like that before joining Special Ops. They were always doing crazy things, breaking regs, usually spent time in the brig on weekends after getting hammered Friday night. This Miko would need to have an eye kept on her. Though he did notice her disappointment as he slid his pistol away back into its holster. A natural curiosity for dangerous things needed to be watched, though it was not inherently bad. Just needed to be...guided...

“Yeah, I’m one of Fowler’s people. I found out about them five months ago, and two weeks ago I found out I was transferring to Autobot central. Kinda humbling when you think about it hard enough...”

[Miko Nakadai]

“Welcome to the cool club, I guess!”

She beamed. While she was sure that there were quite a few in the military - or at least, those that worked with Fowler - that knew about the Autobots, having permission to be at the Omega Base was a rarity indeed! Course, the only reason that she, Raf and Jack were here was because they couldn’t exactly go hang at a military base for protection.

This was waaaay, way cooler anyway.

“Eyes in the back of your head? I’ve heard Bulk say that a few times. Usually about me, though. But uh, yeah! For the most part? This place is as dull as they come, you’ll be craving some sort of action!”

She never really got to go on any fun adventures, at least not ones where there was ample amounts of buttkicking - try as she might to sneak through the Ground Bridge at the last second? It’d only worked a couple of times, and of those couple? It didn’t take long for her to get busted.

Maybe with Sergeant Walker here, though, she could sneak into whatever truck he used when he went off on missions. It wasn’t like it’d be a Cybertronian who would snitch on her instantly.

Definitely thoughts for the future, though.

“Humbling? How so?”

She took her ability to come and go from Omega for granted, sometimes. Fowler’s guys probably had to go through all KINDS of rigorous training, all kinds of boring meetings and other boooooring safety protocols to even be allowed to hear the mere mention of their Cybertronian allies, yet here she was, best friends with the biggest and best of ‘em- all cos she’d been in the right place at the right time!

“Have you met Optimus yet?”

[Nathan Walker]

The cool club...

That was not how he would have put it. While it was certainly an exclusive invitation, much like that invitation to join Special Forces about three years ago. Invitations like these said something to everyone else, at least those who knew about it.

Bulk...who was Bulk? Must have been one of the Autobots, apparently judging from what Miko said he must be the one entrusted with her protection. Nathan leaned back in his seat on the couch, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table and folding his arms across his chest while he regarded Miko. She was definitely one to keep an eye on, because she was starting to remind him of accounts he read of soldiers that were spoiling for a fight.

“Easy there, Miko. Have you ever actually been in a firefight? It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

Firefights were hell. Even the ones you chose to get into. Oh yeah, he and everyone else would need to keep a close eye on this girl, for her own safety. And by extension, everyone else’s safety because if she did get out into the field she could put other people in danger by them trying to save her. But her next question caught him off guard. It was thought out, not impulsive.

“Humbling because...well...how do I say this? To be in Army Special Forces you have to show you’re in peak condition, both mentally and physically; you can shoot damn near perfectly, and that you can adapt. And even then, not everyone who can do that makes it. Only the best. I gathered the same at NEST during the brief time I was there. And now, being asked to serve here at Autobot central? It means someone has a lot of faith in me. And I always try to live up to that expression of faith.”

Optimus Prime? He was supposed to be the Autobot Commander in Chief. Everyone here seemed to think very highly of him.

“No, I have not had the pleasure.”

[Miko Nakadai]

Miko quirked a brow as Nathan changed his position on the couch - he was relaxed, yet the folded arms showed he was also kinda serious. Yeeeet… she didn’t feel like she was in trouble. At least, not yet.

As he asked the question, she would nod - poking her index fingers together sheepishly.

“Uhh, kinda…”

While she had, it hadn’t been the best situation ever. She’d managed to sneak out without Bulkhead noticing, but it wasn’t like she expected to appear in front of the Nemesis and almost every Decepticon ever!

Choosing to leave out the specifics of how and why - as she’d already gotten both herself and Bulkhead into trouble and she didn’t need that again - she would elaborate a little.

“There was this one time that me, Raf, and Jack were on the Decepticon ship! There were Vehicons everywhere and we kiiiinda got caught in the middle of it. Was pretty scary, but oh so cool!” her face practically lit up as she remembered that day. It hadn’t all been bad, too, they’d gotten important intel for Ratchet and managed to save Fowler!

She’d absolutely one hundred percent do it again. Of course, ever since that day people were a tad warier when it came to Miko and Ground Bridges, but never say never.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she would listen as he would then go on to elaborate about why being here was humbling. She'd... honestly never thought of it like that before, she’d just been lucky, but people like him or Lt Adler? They had to train and put in YEARS of work to be allowed here.

One part of what he said seemingly caught her attention though, and she’d tilt her head.

“So you can shoot anything? Like if I asked you to shoot a teeny tiny target you’d hit it?”

Was that what he meant by perfect? Of all the things to learn from what he said, of course she clung to the coolest part of it all.

“As for Optimus, aw, I’m sure you will soon! I’d say we can go and find him but I have nooo idea where he is.”

A partial truth, but uh- hellooo? Tiny possible chance to see this guy shoot things? She’d much rather do that than go and talk to Optimus any day. 

[Nathan Walker]

Nathan Walker was never kinda serious, he was serious.

He listened patiently while she talked about her experience, his eyes always on her. Something about her story made him arch his eyebrow, as he knew that there was no way it had been planned on the part of the bots that they ended up on the warship. The way she was skipping over that part, there was something she was hiding. Was that important though? Not really.

“Well...that kinda is a firefight. But your involvement in it is like the fly on the wall watching it happen. Are you in danger? Yes. But you are not the main focus. It’s not the same.”

Nathan spoke in a soft, quiet tone of voice, while still looking Miko in the eye. It was the voice and eyes of one who had seen combat many times, of one who spoke from experience. Multiple combat deployments as part of the regular army, then hundreds of missions while a member of the Army Special Forces. He was no stranger to violence.

Speaking of which...it seems she was really captivated by one of the last things he had said. While he was no expert on firearms law in Japan, there was a good chance that it was not exactly like the United States. Most likely it was heavily regulated, with certain types of firearms either limited or outright banned for the general public. And since Miko seemed to be fascinated with dangerous things, it was only logical that she would be fascinated with firearms.

“Depends on three things. The target, the weapon, and the conditions I’m shooting in.”

Nathan had qualified ‘expert’ by the United States Army in rifle and pistol, meaning he could hit thirty six to forty targets from fifty to three hundred meters with his rifle, and as well as twenty seven to thirty at twenty five meters with his pistol. Besides his military training he had been shooting with his grandfather and uncle since he was twelve years old.

“I look forward to it, in it’s time and place.”

Last thing a commander needed was distractions with all that was at stake.

[Miko Nakadai]

“Let’s just say I’m a pro when it comes to Decepticon asskicking!” she grinned, proudly thumbing to her chest “You’re new here, but I can definitely give you some tips if you need them!”

The likelihood of Nathan encountering Decepticons was probably very slim. Optimus made a point of keeping humans away from the other faction, but that didn’t mean the ‘Cons cared. All it took was something small like a Vehicon spotting them on a school run and it’d be an impromptu battle!

She didn’t quite get what Nathan had meant with his reply, unfortunately. The battle she’d seen and been involved with? Nothing like what Nathan had. She’d been lucky and had the Autobots there with her, keeping her (for the most part) out of harms way. But Nathan? He’d been on the frontlines.

She could tell just from looking at him that he’d seen and been through some stuff, though, which was probably partly why he’d been tasked with working alongside the Autobots. They needed the best of the best, especially if MECH were getting stronger and stronger!

As he listed the three things, she’d nod along with each ‘requirement’. Target. Weapon. Conditions. Well that seemed simple enough.

“Whaaaat about the targets downstairs in the training room. The weapon you just had. Aaaand uh.. inside conditions?” there was a mischievous glint in her eye. “The targets are for Cybertronians to beat up, bbbbuuut if you’re gonna be on our side, you at least need to know where to shoot the bad guys!”

Not that tiny human bullets would do much against a Cybertroninan, unless it was like a huuuuge rocket launcher or something, but still! She was sure she could find some smaller targets to really try and test just how good this guy was.

“Maybe we’ll see Optimus on the way there!”

She doubted it, but hey, maybe it would be enough to tempt him into at least humoring the idea a little bit.

[Nathan Walker]

He could not help but chuckle at her enthusiasm.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Miko.”

The more Nathan was talking to Mako, the more she was beginning to remind him of a good friend of his who had gone through Special Forces selection with him and then was assigned to the same team alongside him. Jason “Sledge” Barkus, a skinny kid from Pittsburgh who served as the team’s combat engineer and breacher.

The man took blowing open reinforced doors to an artform, and acted like it too.

He could tell there was an idea forming in her mind, it was that same look that Jason would get in his eye when confronted with an unexpected reinforced door blocking their path and he needed to be extra judicious with the C4. Well that or they were on leave outside the base and he was trying to figure out which girl to pick up that night at the bar.

Well...he could safely guess that neither of those options was gonna be what Miko was scheming about. As she finished her...”question” he gave a chuckle.

“I probably could do it. But I would have to see for myself. I assume you want to show me in person?”

He rose to his feet, before realizing something. If he was going to trust the feeling he was getting from Miko, he would need some extra equipment. Fortuanty, he kept spare ear and eye protection in the office with a few extra boxes of 9mm ammo.

“I’ll have to grab some things from the office.”

[Miko Nakadai]

Miko could only smile at Nathan as he spoke, giving an enthusiastic nod.

‘I’ll keep that in mind’ was usually adult-speak for “I’m not going to do that at all” buuuut.. If he was going to be working here at the Omega Base? There were only so many places he could hide, meaning one way or another, Miko would track him down to impart some badass knowledge on how to deal with Decepticons!

She hadn’t been expecting him to humor her idea about going to the training room, and had been waiting for some sort of excuse like they weren’t authorized or this wasn’t the time for ‘messing around’ blablabla, but he seemed to actually be okay with it, and at the question, she would nod again.

“Yeah! While I won’t bore you with a tour of this place, on the way down there I can at least point out some of the cooler rooms if you want!”

Or at least, the direction of the cooler rooms. Things like the rec room, and the general direction of the Autobot quarters. Not that they could reach any of the doors to those, and even if they could? She only knew the doorcode to Carbine and Thunder’s room, but heyo, it was good to know! Downstairs was mostly storage rooms, a generator, boring things like that- of course with these came ample hiding spaces for when Miko was feeling extra mischievous, and as such she wouldn’t point any of them out unless Nathan asked.

As Nathan got to his feet, she would take a step backward, giving him ample room to move first so she could follow.

“Oh? What kind of things? Can I come with you?”

She didn’t get to go to the office much, the door smartly - although frustratingly - kept locked the majority of the time. So any excuse to get close, even if he made her wait outside the door? Was good enough for her!

[Nathan Walker]

(Miko puppeting approved by Ren.)

“Thank you, Miko.”

Nathan had already gotten a tour of the base from Lt. Adler and Jazz, but given that he was going to be interacting with Miko on a day to day basis, it would be beneficial to him to set up a good rapport with her. He’d done the same back on the team, and with locals...

As soon as he spoke, he began to wonder if this girl had been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD...or at least some sort of hyperactivity disorder. Well, it would probably be easier if she helped carry some of the stuff, given that she knew where it was and the office was locked up when not in use.

“Just some essentials. Eye protection, ear protection, extra ammo.”

Nathan walked along the catwalk, taking the key from his front left pocket as he came to the door and inserted it into the lock, opening the door and stepping inside. There was not much in there originally, just a nondescript government desk and chair, as well as a filing cabinet. But with two operators on base and locked rooms being in short supply, this room was doubling as an armory. Two rifle cases were stacked up against the wall as well as a series of steel ammo cans with markings showing what was in the case, be it 5.56x45mm or 9x19mm. Next to those, some boxes holding different types of combat gear and two wall lockers.

Nathan went over to the ammo cans and grabbed one marked 9x19mm, then went to the desk and opened the top drawer. He took out two sets of ear muffs, and a pair of clear ballistic glasses. These he set on the desk and looked at Miko, motioning to them with his chin.

“Take those, please.”

He then went over to the wall locker marked “Walker”, opening it up and taking out three extra magazines for his Glock. These he stuffed into his back pocket then locked up the locker again and headed to the door, waiting for her to exit. the office after him.