The following is a collaboration between
Sharkdragon96 and
PrismaCube that takes place before the events of the transponder mission.
INT. The toilet room located outside the barracks.
Persephone is seen with a mop and soap bucket scrubbing the bathroom floors.
Colin comes into the bathroom, upon noticing Persephone he smiles.
COLIN
"Oh hello, I see you doing your work."
PERSEPHONE
“Yup! It's far from being the most glamorous job on the planet, but... Is it bad that I don't feel any regret for doing what I did to deserve this?”
Colin laughs.
COLIN
"Here let me help you, got nothing better to do anyway."
Colin takes another mop and starts helping.
COLIN
“If you want my opinion I would have done the same thing, maybe even make him lose a few teeth's in the process.”
PERSEPHONE
“HA! That would’ve been pretty satisfying. Though in all seriousness I still can't help but feel I may have acted a little bit... Okay VERY unprofessional. I knew, even while it was happening that there was no way he could've really hurt me. I mean I've had three years of training under my belt meanwhile that guy couldn't fight for shit! I guess he was right about my short temper, I just let my intolerance for people like him get the best of me and here I am now!"
COLIN
"Well that is what makes you special, even if it gives you trouble sometimes it makes you for who you are. But just because you hurt someone who does not know how to defend himself does not mean that you are short tempered, the guy had it clearly coming, you just reacted to his stupidity faster then Ayame or me for example. I was gonna hit him as well but he decided it was best to leave Ayame alone and ran into his room, but if he wouldn’t have, I would probably be the one who would have been accused, and I probably would also have been in the wrong. So in the end if you look at it from my view, you did the right thing and served justice to that Mac guy."
PERSEPHONE
“I guess you’re right, thanks.”
The two continue to mop without saying anything for a minute.
PERSEPHONE
“So I heard you got promoted.”
COLIN
"Oh yeah, its great, I feel like people will be looking up to me more now, I got a big role to fill, I want to look good to my superior Zhang, I wouldn’t do him much of a favor if I represented my role sloppy, although I did not want to be heavy I accept the role, I just have to do a lot of target practice with my gun, still have to get used not having to aim down a sight. Last mission I missed every shot."
PERSEPHONE
"What's it like out there? I mean what's it like actually seeing beings that aren't even of this earth? The best I've seen of them are maybe one or two corpses, and of course I heard about that thing that attacked Anna, but what's it like actually seeing them and why do you do you think they're here?"
COLIN
"Anna? What is wrong with Anna? I did not know she was attacked, I just thought she was injured some other way. Sorry, yeah it's scary out there at first, my first mission I was to scared and stayed behind most of the time. Jorn even scared me during the battle, he was running around inside the house kicking in doors and stuff and I thought it was an alien."
Colin laughs.
COLIN
"But after you know you have friends out there that cover you and you are killing those aliens that want to wipe off the entire human race you start to get courage and face those things with more moral, it's strange to explain but I bet you will know what I'm talking about whenever you go active."
PERSEPHONE
"But can't those friends of yours out there also be your greatest liability? I mean how long has it been since we've had our last casualty? If you ever see one of those friends getting gunned down, it can affect you mentally. That's kind of why I was so reluctant at first to make new friends around here, I just didn't want to see anyone I grew attached to get ray gunned into sandwich-spread."
COLIN
"Yeah I guess you are right there, but in the end it does not really matter, seeing someone gunned down will have the same effect on you either way, does not matter if you are friends with them or not, and even if you were friends with them and they die, its good to know that the memory of them lives on within you. I sure would hate to die and be forgotten, you know what they say about that, you twice in life, once when you are dead and a second time when someone remembers you for the last time."
PERSEPHONE
"I really wish I had your mindset. It would probably give me a much more positive outlook on life. I just wish I could go back and tell that to my sixteen year old self, and maybe I wouldn't even be caught in this whole mess."
COLIN
“What happened to you at sixteen?”
PERSEPHONE
"I really don't feel comfortable talking about it right now. Ever since it happened I've only told one person, and honestly all toilet scrubbing aside I've been in an unusually good mood since the trial ended, I don't feel like ruining it just yet!"
COLIN
“I can except that. By the way, you never told me what happened to Anna, how is she?”
PERSEPHONE
"She seems to be fine for the moment. A few days ago she'd been attacked by an alien in the research labs that they'd thought had been dead. Some kind of giant bug creature, a Chryssalid I think it was called? Again she seems to be fine now, but she's still ordered to report to the med-bay everyday for some kind of checkup."
COLIN
"Dang! I hope I can talk to her some time.”
Colin looks down at the newly cleaned floor.
COLIN
“How does it look?”
PERSEPHONE
“Looks good!”
COLIN
“Thanks. I’d like to stick around but I still have to head to the shooting range, but hey if you ever get bored, come find me I will always be around to have a talk to. And it was nice meeting you Persephone. Maybe we can talk again someday."
PERSEPHONE
“Sure thing! Thanks for the help!”
Colin is about to leave when Persephone calls him back.
PERSEPHONE
Hey! After what you did for Ayame and I, I just want you to know that in case… You know, something happens, you won’t be forgotten.”
Colin get's a warm smile.
COLIN
"Thank you, that means a lot to me, let's just hope I will still stick around for a long time."