Down the rabbit hole...

[darkageofthelol]

Initiating neural handshake in 30 seconds. 29... 28... 27...

[They must be desperate, Phoenix thinks as he glances sidelong at Klavier. This is the third time they've thrown the pair together since learning they were drift compatible. (And boy, wasn't that a surprise, not least of all to Phoenix and Klavier themselves. Phoenix recalls their first sparring session, which he assumed would end in disaster, or at least mutual frustration. Instead, it ended in mutual bewilderment. The only other times Phoenix had been able to not only predict someone's every move with such accuracy but have his actions anticipated in equal measure were his training sessions with Edgeworth, who'd since climbed the ranks to Marshall.)

With two failed attempts under their belts, one would think the field division would be focusing its attention on pilots who at least get along, thus ensuring a chance at completing a neural handshake.

The fact is, though, they are desperate, and everyone knows it. The last battle came at a high cost, killing two and injuring several more. It would be ridiculous not to exhaust every resource, even at the risk of a third failure.

23... 22.... 21...

Phoenix lets out a lengthy sigh and turns to Klavier with a resigned smile.]

So... Here we are again.

Comments

[achtungbaby]

[ The smile Klavier returns is wry; it's dry and mocking and holds the farce of being similar to the kind of smile one friend would give another right before telling an inside joke. But there are no inside jokes between him and Herr Wright--

(And he is still, stubbornly, "Herr Wright". He is not "Phoenix", because "Phoenix" implies familiarity, the kinds of which Klavier is determined not to have with the man standing next to him.)

--but there can't be any inside jokes between him and Herr Wright, because they spend their alone time avoiding each other, and any time they're forced together, they're never alone. Which, sometimes, Klavier finds ridiculously funny -- that the PPDC is basing so much time and effort on the drift compatibility of two people they don't trust to leave alone in a room. ]

Perhaps this time those so-called "trust exercises" will have cured us, ja?

[ He doubts it. They didn't work the first time -- not that Klavier was expecting them to. Sure, they might look compatible on paper (which is baffling in and of itself. He'd expected to be compatible with Daryan, or with the new recruit with the large forehead. But they'd called his name and Herr Wright's name and Klavier had raised an eyebrow because surely the Marshall knew what putting the two of them together meant. Turns out, the only thing Klavier hadn't been able to predict was the two of them matching blow for blow.) but reality is often different than ideas written down on paper.

He wonders how many times they will have to do this before they prove their incompatibility.

...17...16...15...

[darkageofthelol]

[His smile becomes shy of a grimace, and he snorts, casting his eyes skyward. Please, don't remind me...

Those "trust exercises" had been silly at the best of times and painfully awkward at the worst. How on Earth is holding hands with someone while staring into their eyes supposed to foster anything other than discomfort? Especially when the people in question are practically strangers.

...Well, alright, maybe not strangers, but certainly not friends. Acquaintances, at most.]

Guess we'll see, huh? They do say third time's the charm.

[But he's pretty sure it's going to fail. There's no reason for it not to. He may not understand the exact science behind drifting, but he does know a bond is required for a successful neural handshake, and it's not the sort of bond that's forged through catching someone during a trust fall. The best "charm" Phoenix can hope for is that the PPDC finally realizes just how much this is not going to work and focuses on pilots with more compatibility, leaving him and Gavin to find more suitable partners for themselves.]

[achtungbaby]

[ Klavier does not have a lot of sway within the confines of the PPDC which, of course, only makes sense. He might be a rockstar, yes, and whatever sway he might possibly have within the confines of the law are sort of null and void when it comes to the PPDC.

That doesn't mean he hadn't tried, doesn't mean he hadn't made his way into the Marshall's office after the second failed drift, after they continued to put them through supervised trust exercises so that they could try a third time, so that he could ask why. Why are they continuing to push him and Herr Wright together when they know they're not compatible, he and Herr Wright could have told you that personally, why are you continuing this farce, Marshall Edgeworth you of all people should know why this isn't going to work --

But all that had gotten him was sent out of the Marshall's office and another round of trust exercises.

It wasn't until much later that he'd had it explained to him. That drift compatibility came in level of degrees and yes, he was compatible with Daryan as well as a number of other people, but he was the most compatible with Herr Wright and, after so many failed attacks with the kaiju, they can't afford to send people into Jaegers to fight if they're not under a certain comparability level.

Which, again, makes sense on paper, but perhaps not so much in reality. ]

Ja, [ Klavier holds back a sigh. It's clear he doesn't believe that the third drift will be any luckier than the second. ] So they say.

...7...6...5...

[darkageofthelol]

[With another sigh, Phoenix lapses into silence and awaits the final countdown, his heart like a jackhammer in his chest. Despite his assurance of their failure, the possibility that the connection may succeed is an ever worrying itch in the back of his mind. The last thing he wants is another Gavin in his head.

Don't go there again, Phoenix.

He squeezes his eyes shut, attempting to banish the thought. With hundreds of thousands of lives at stake, anything less than his best effort is incredibly selfish -- but trying not to think is like asking a heart not to beat. From his looks to his arrogance, the younger Gavin's resemblance to his brother is uncanny, and Phoenix can't help but wonder, not for the first time, how similar their minds are. Would he be opening himself up to the same, subtle manipulation? Surely not, now that he knows what to look for, but...]

3... 2... 1...

[...but it's one thing to think that and another to believe it. As the count finishes, he holds his breath. He knows this time will end like all the others, once again thanks to his own, unfounded resentment and--]

Neural handshake initiated. Pilot-to-pilot connection engaged.

[His eyes fly open.] --Huh!?