Orders From the Top

S1: E4

(June 6th, 2548 - Operation room) [Aoric POV]

**Aoric quietly leaning against a wall as he looks at the board after a failed mission. Having not been wounded this time, but having also stolen the information that they nearly lost on the Op. Keeping this knowledge quiet as he pockets it in his armor once Washington walks towards Connie. Seemingly a fly on the wall as he tries to comfort her.**

Washington: It wasn't your fault, Connie.

Connie: Easy for you to say. You didn't drop the ball.

Washington: The ball got dropped. We were all there, it's everyone's responsibility.

Connie: Dammit, why are you doing that?

Washington: What am I doing?

Connie: Making excuses for me. I'm not making excuses for myself...why are you?

Washington: I'm trying to make you feel better.

Aoric: *quietly chuckling, but not making a sound as he turns around, looking out the window to see how the grunts are doing with his new training regimen.* Hell of a job you're doing at that... David.

Connie: Yeah? Great. Hey, how about you go make Carolina feel better? Go pat Maine on the head. See how that works out for you.

Washington: We all make mistakes.

Connie: No! We don't.

**Connie stands up and faces Wash.**

Connie: That's the point! We don't all make mistakes. Some of us very specifically make mistakes, and others don't seem to make any mistakes at all!

Washington: Connie, come on...

Connie: That's why they're doing all this! These missions! The rankings! They're drawing a line between us Wash. And you're either on one side of that line, or you're on the other. And it's getting pretty goddamn clear which side I'm on.

Aoric: *unimpressed as he watches the grunts struggling, having been forced to substitute the live rounds for rubber bullets. Which required him to scrap the first system and start from scratch.*

Washington: No one thinks like that; we're a team.

Connie: I'm not talking about you guys. I mean them. Him. *glaring at Aoric.* Especially you!

Washington: The Director? He's given us everything. He's helping us!

Connie: Helping us? Wake up! Wake the fuck up! He's filtering us! This is a selection process, Wash. I don't know for what, but, if you're not at the top of that board, you're not worth anything to him.

Aoric: *glancing to them slightly, before speaking softly.* I know my side.

Washington: You're both just overreacting. You've always been hard on yourself, Connie. *looking to Aoric.* And- any you, Raider, you've been a bit different from the others, it's difficult to tell much about you.

Aoric: *nodding.* I just work hard to get the job done. *quietly repeating "The mission always comes first." as he remembers the last moments of those who he watched die during his time as an ODST. Timed almost perfectly with each grunt getting eliminated below.*

Connie: *huffing in anger.* Not as hard as they are. *Handing her helmet to Washington* Not nearly as hard as they're going to be.

**Connie then turns away from Washington**

Connie: And don't call me Connie. Makes me sound like a fucking kid. *Begins walking away* Call me CT. *pausing for just a second.* Oh, and that line that I talked about...? You better hurry up and figure out what side you're on, Agent Washington, before they figure it out for you.

**As Connie exits the room, Washington turns her helmet face up and looks down at it before looking up again. Finding her having already left as he walks over to Aoric.* You... alright, Raider?

Aoric: *nodding as he snaps out of his trance.* Yeah... *looking back at the window as the grunts below are eliminated.* Idiots can't do a damn thing right.

Washington: *trying to cheer up at least one person today, assuming that Aoric isn't exactly focused on their conversation.* Think I could try it out some time?

Aoric: *looking at him, before slowly nodding.* Copy that.