Birth of a Pilot Supplementary Edition

An eerie silence creeps into the room after the captain left to confront his brother. All that remains is a tense crew, an almost-crying Angelo, and Staff Major Romero. 

Leon hopes the captains being gone will buy the rest enough time to convince the scientist not to take his brother. In the meantime, he calls Angelo back to the group.

“Hey Ángie!” he whispers. “Come over here!”

The younger Summers hurriedly shuffles over to his big brother, wiping away a tear in the process. Leon clamps a hand onto his shoulder for support. Angelo sniffles a little more, bringing a hand up to said shoulder. He must really need the support right now! If he could, Leon would love to ask what made Angelo decide that the medical lessons were more important than his safety, but that will have to wait for later.

“It’s okay, we’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you, alright?”

“Yeah!” Romero adds on, to Leon’s surprise. “I’ll make sure to have you back nice and safe, son.”

“O-oh!” Leon fumbles. “Thanks? But, uhhhhh…”

“He wasn’t talking about you, ya quack.” Surprisingly, Aiden of all people comes to his defense. Jun usually would’ve chastised him for saying something like that, but they just shrug, as if to say ‘He’s not wrong!’

The scientist just laughs. “A quack? Well call me honored! You know, people tend to ridicule those on the cusp of innovation, so you calling me that just means I’m going in the right direction. Now, normally disrespecting superior officers would be a cause for punishment, but I’m in a good mood and you’ve flattered me. Thanks, son!”

Aiden mutters something Leon agrees with, but wouldn’t dare say out loud. He’s been on a no-swear streak for 8 years and running, and he’s certainly not about to break it in front of Angelo!

“Come along now.” the staff major motions to Angelo. “Let’s get you all buckled up and ready to go.”

Angelo’s eyes are filled with terror as he looks to his older brother for an answer. His eyelashes look like dew-strung spider webs, if spider webs were black. Leon tears his thoughts away from what would turn a spider web black to focus on the unfolding situation at hand.

“Wait, what about the captains?” Leon asks, hoping to stall for time. “Shouldn’t we wait for them to get back?”

Romero shrugs. “I don’t really see why I should. They’ve got no more power over me than any of you do. Speaking of,” he adjusts his glasses, and they glare in a way Leon didn’t assume was possible outside of anime, “I’m going to have to ask you all to leave.”

“We can’t stay? At all?” Leon can feel Angelo trembling under his grasp. Normally, he would tell his brother not to worry, but he’s pretty scared too.

“You can if you want an insubordination!” The staff major smiles as if he were offering a prize. “But…” He glances over at the Starwalker. “My baby’s quite tall, and despite my looks, I’m not as in-shape as I used to be. So, I’ll let one of you stay back if you’re willing to hoist the boy in for me.”

“I’ll do it!” The bucktoothed ranger raises his hand to volunteer, faster than his brain can register what Romero is saying. Comprehending wouldn’t change his reaction, anyway.

“How eager!” The scientist claps with glee. He then addresses the rest of the group. “You heard the man, the rest of you are free to go.”

Leon turns to see the rest of the group not making much movement, except for Mia, who stays back upon realizing that the others haven’t made much of an effort to leave. Suddenly, it occurs to Leon that one of them might have not wanted him to volunteer so quickly.

“Did I do something wrong...?”

“Not at all!” Leon doesn’t even look at Romero.

“Did… one of you want to stay back?” the rookie ranger asks again. “I kinda wanna stay with Angelo, but if you guys had something in mind...”

“Nah.” Jun answers, to his relief. “We understand. Plus, I don’t think any of us had any grand master plans, right?”

“Not that I can think of…” Mia looks down in thought. She seems a little guilty.

“There are no machinations in my mind that would be serviceable. I don’t have anything, either.” Despite her words, Roxie sounds very grounded. “Muffinhead. Please. Please do your best to stay safe!” She smiles. “The Great Roxaelia commands you.

Angelo smiles a little, giving her a thumbs-up. He tries to mouth something, but anyone who knows him already knows it’s ‘I’m sorry.’

“Don’t die.” are the last words uttered by Aiden before the group makes their way to the exit. Neither Summers moves a muscle until they’re all gone. Leon has hope that they’ll find a way out of this, sooner or later. They just have to! Until then, he’s going to do everything he can to prevent Angelo from boarding the robot.

The room falls silent again, with the exception of Angelo’s sniffles and the click-clack of the staff major’s shoes on the floor.

“Hey, Staff Major!” Leon scrambles for a conversation topic. His gift of gab tends to save Angelo from bad situations… sometimes. It doesn’t work as often as the older brother would hope, but maybe he can make it stretch this time. “So… Mars! It’s really cool that you guys get to work here. I’m sure there’s so much to discover, you probably never get tired of the place, hm?”

“Correct! It’s amazing how much we still don’t know, even after being here for so long. I’m hoping my Starwalker will make things easier on that front.”

The once impressive machine looks like nothing more than a hazard now. Leon can barely remember why he was excited for it.

“How long did it take to build?” The rookie is genuinely curious.

Romero types away on his computer. “Just a few weeks.”

“Wow, that seems quick! Were you the only one working on it?” Stalling to keep negative attention from Angelo is always tough at first, but when Leon’s curiosity kicks in, it makes the task much easier.

“Oh goodness no, son!” The researcher chuckled. “I put in a lot of love and elbow grease to get her off the ground, but I couldn’t not mention my wonderful crew! They’re the ones in that video I showed you, except for the white-haired guy… but that’s a story for another day! My daughter also pitched in here and there.”

“Awww, that’s sweet. What a nice bonding experience!”

At this, Romero sighs. Leon can’t pinpoint what it is, but something looks sad about his expression. He looks up at the ranger. “I’m a busy man. Even though she was around, I had so much on my plate, I…” He shakes his head, trailing off into a sigh. “Enough about me. You two can get ready to board now!”

With a stunning display of force, Angelo grips his brother’s wrist. His breath hitches, and Leon’s almost afraid he might stop breathing. In order to calm him down, the older Summers gives him a wink, just like a certain lieutenant captain he knows.

“I have an idea!” he tells Romero.

The staff major snaps his head up from his computer, looking entirely confused. “An idea for what, may I ask?”

“We could invite your daughter here! And the rest of your crew. I’m sure they’d love to see it in action!” 

Romero laughs. “Ashley would kill me! And besides, I don’t know if Taji’s out of the hospital yet, and I can’t wait around all day for him.”

“What about your daughter?” Her name slips Leon’s mind, but he doesn’t remember it being Ashley.

“As much as I’d love to invite her over, the dear’s working on a project now, and I shouldn’t disturb her.”

“I’m sure a few minutes wouldn’t hurt!” the rookie rationalizes.

“Of course you’d say that.” Romero rests his chin on his hands. He has a knowing smirk. “You’re trying to stall me, aren’t you?”

Leon’s mouth hangs in shock.

“I… um, stalling, sir?” Leon smiles sheepishly.

“You’re stalling so that my pilot can sneak out from behind you.” The staff major adjusts his glasses. Behind his glasses, his eyes narrow.

“Wha--?” It surprises the ranger to find that his brother is no longer beside him, but behind him. “Oh, there you are!”

Leon loops an arm around Angelo and brings guides him back over to his side. The younger ranger grips at his own arms, not daring to look up from the ground. Tears fall to the floor.

“I don’t think Angelo was trying to sneak away.” the older Summers explains. “He’s just a little shy. And scared. I think he might need a moment to get himself together...” He softly pats his brother on the back.

“But you were trying to stall.”

Leon averts his eyes. “Um.... Yes.” He looks back at Romero, figuring there’s no use in lying now. “Yes, I was. But I’m not trying to sneak him out.”

The staff major relaxes his scrutiny and adjusts his glasses non-threateningly. “What’s your name, son?”

“My name is Leon, sir.”

 “Leon…” He stares into the rookie’s eyes. “So far, you’ve been the most normal member of your crew; no hard feelings toward you, Angie.” The scientist turns his attention back to Leon, smiling. “I like you.”

“Thank… you?” The bucktoothed ranger doesn’t know whether to be flattered or disturbed, but maybe he can use this information to his advantage. Figuring out how is the issue. He has an idea. “Even though I was stalling, I still have a bunch of questions to ask, about your work, what it’s like living here so long, the Starwalker-- so many things! Besides, if it turns out that the Starwalker is safe and we were all worrying ourselves for no reason, you’ll probably still be able to have Ángie pilot it no matter what we say.”

“But why wait when I can do that now?” Romero leans back in his chair, looking between the two. “I don’t know what you guys’ story is, but the kid seems stuck on you like cling wrap. You protect him a lot?”

“I try to. I’m not really successful at it, but I try to.”

“Ahhh, no wonder you’re trying so hard.” He sighs. “Listen. I’m a father. I know how tough it is to let go of someone that needs your protection. But what I’ve learned over the years is that it’s necessary. It helps them grow! And just from the little while I’ve known him, I feel like a chance to grow will do Angelo a ton of good. You can’t hold his hand forever.”

“I know…” Leon looks down at his brother. “But…”

Angelo begins crying even more, for reasons Leon doesn’t understand.

Romero shares his confusion. “Hey son. What’s wrong?”

Angelo doesn’t answer. He can’t.

Leon attempts to explain. “When Angelo starts crying, he loses his voice. He can’t really talk right now, unless he types or something.”

The scientist rubs his temples, and even Leon can tell he’s annoyed. 

“I guess we can ask him later. Maybe walking around in the Starwalker will help him cheer up!”

Judging by Angelo’s reaction, that would have the opposite effect.

“You’re going to have to do this sooner or later, son.” The researcher talks like a father convincing his child to go to the dentist. “If you do it now, it’ll be over and done with, and you’ll be all the better person for it.”

“Wait!” Leon remembers something. “Are you sure it’s good for him to go out on Mars’s surface while he’s crying? We had an incident where crying in a helmet led to someone being blinded by their own tears.”

“Ah. He cried on his first spacewalking mission, didn’t he?” The scientist mutters, barely covering his disdain. He rests a hand on the side of his head.

“That was me, actually.” Leon corrects. At first, he was trying to be vague to save himself from embarrassment, but he would rather Angelo not be targeted, especially right now. “The stars were so beautiful, I couldn’t help myself...” His voice loses some of its pep, trailing off in quiet resentment.

“Whoops, sorry!” Staff Major Romero brushes some hair out of his face. “Still, he should be fine. The helmet might get a little humid, but Mars has gravity, unlike outer space. His tears shouldn’t block his eyes for long. And if you’re worried about what that girl said...” Leon figures that Romero must be talking about Roxie, “as long as he has his helmet on, he won’t crack his skull like Taji, and I doubt if my baby will stop abruptly enough to spear him.”

Leon looks between Angelo and the researcher, uncertain about that last statement.

Suddenly, something resembling sincerity forms on the staff major’s face. “I promise you. I will keep him safe. And I’m only taking the time to reassure you of all this because, like I said, I like you, and you seem like a sensible guy. I don’t wanna send you off for insubordination just because you care a lot.” He then addresses the younger Summers. “You don’t want him to take the fall for you, right?”

The youngest ranger looks down at his helmet, as Leon’s heart freezes with horror. Romero wouldn’t know how low of a blow that is for Angelo, would he? There’s no way.

“Á-Ángie, hold on...” he interrupts. 

Angelo hesitates, staring at his brother.

“You don’t have to do this for me…” pleads Leon.

“You don’t if you want both of you to get in trouble. It’d be a shame!” Romero adds on.

Don’t say that! Leon wants to tell the researcher, but the sight of Angelo donning on his helmet takes the wind out of him.

“No, no, no, Ángie, please, we went over this! I’d rather get in trouble than--” The older Summers trails off in a sigh, knowing his brother can no longer hear him.

You can’t hold his hand forever.

Leon takes another deep breath. Maybe he’s overreacting about all of this. If Angelo has his helmet on, then his mind is already made up. Maybe he really does need this.

“Are you sure he’ll be safe?”

“You have my word.” Romero’s voice and eyes carry so much sincerity, Leon finds it hard not to believe him.

The rookie nods. “Okay.” He turns to his brother, offering a hand. “Let’s go, Ángie.”

Despite Angelo’s resolve, he still shakes, he still cries, and even as he buckles himself into the cockpit, Leon can see visible fear in his eyes. The bucktoothed ranger can only hope things turn out for the better.

“Don’t be too long now!” He gives Angelo a hopefully reassuring smile. “And don’t do anything too dangerous!”

Angelo attempts to smile and wave, unable to hear anything his brother said.

“You’re excused now, Leon!” Romero calls from behind them.

Leon turns around.

“Thanks, son.” continues the researcher, walking over to Leon. He hands over Angelo’s uniform jacket. “He left this behind. Figured you’d wanna keep it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Romero places a hand on Leon’s shoulder. “You did the right thing.”

It sure doesn’t feel like it to Leon.

“Thank you, sir.”