"I'm telling you! It's like he freaking knew who I was or something!" Bay was exclaiming loudly in Jenkins's office. Luca rolled his eyes, he was sat in the chair next to Bay.

"He doesn't know who you are Bay, you were wearing a full blacked out mask. So unless you had an attached name tag like a goddamn Target employee, we're safe,” Jenkins retorted.

Bay opened his mouth to say something else but Jenkins cut across him,

"However, that Smith boy is raising some real hell on Base, won't stop asking questions about the 'listening station' on the north side. He even tried to get past the guards yesterday."

"He's been discredited, everyone thinks he's crazy, it's not our problem, we saved his life," Luca replied bluntly, he looked bored. Although Bay had noticed that Luca always seemed to look bored when he was on the ground.

"Er..." Bay gaped and gestured at him. "It kind of is our problem dude! I mean he's being medically discharged, that's his entire career gone - because of us."

"He's also going home alive. Because of us," Luca retorted whilst flicking something off his jacket.

"There's got to be something we can do?" Bay turned pleadingly to Jenkins, "Can't we just let someone in Medical know..." He trailed off at the look on Jenkins's face. Right. Black ops. Top Secret. Doesn't exist.

"It wouldn't do any good now anyway," Luca huffed, "no one will want to fly with him."

Suddenly a spark of inspiration hit Bay, although the word ‘spark’ did not do it justice, no, it was as if the Fire Nation just barrelled into him.

"Recruit him!" Bay almost yelled at Jenkins.

"...the hell?" Luca muttered, looking up.

"He's a pilot!" Bay explained, "You were saying we were short-staffed on pilots, well - recruit him to the operation!"

"This is black ops, Bay, I can't just go recruiting every freaking guy you rescue 'cause he thinks he's had some anal probing, Jesus," Jenkins spat out his gum into the trash can.

"Just this one guy!" Bay pleaded, his voice going high and strained.

Now Bay sounded like he was thirteen again begging his Dad to let him keep the stray kittens he kept finding in the woods.

Bay continued desperately, "We'll change protocol for rescue operations from now on so this doesn't happen again, up the dosage of Nectar, whatever, so this will be an isolated case!" He paused, "Look, I checked his file, he's got a perfect flying record..."

"How the hell did you get authorisation to check his damn file?" Jenkins was eyeing Bay suspiciously.

"Um..."

"You know what, I don't give a crap, and I don't give a crap about this Smith kid's record either, if I gave a crap about clean records none of you freaks would be here."

Bay swallowed nervously as Luca raised a curious eyebrow.

"C'mon Major, I don't want spend an eternity in the lowest circle of hell because I didn't give this guy a big enough dosage. This is his entire career we're talking about here," Bay groaned desperately.

"He hasn't been trained," Luca stated, shifting in his seat.

"Then train him! He can learn on the job, I know he's a compatible candidate for the cerebral link already," Bay garbled.

"How the fuck do you know that?" Jenkins glared at him.

"All active military personal stationed abroad with flight training were tested during the routine health checks back last year. It was never announced or made common knowledge what the tests were for," Bay rushed out excitedly.

"And yet somehow, you know more about it than I do. Why the fuck am I not surprised," Jenkins muttered, bringing out a new stick of gum. "Jeong, what do you think?"

Luca sighed, his eyes flickered momentarily sideways towards Bay.

"Which aircraft will he be sharing Major?"

"God I dunno, Tegu probably."

"That's fine then," Luca replied.

Bay did an internal victory dance then waited until they were outside in the hallway to do an external one.

"Thanks man!" He called after Luca who was already disappearing down the corridor without a word.

***

"Alright you bunch of girls," Jenkins glanced round the group, "and Merit, Sydney and Lily."

Bay raised his eyebrows, something in there somewhere was politically incorrect or offensive, but hell if he was going be the one to call the Major out on it.

"You are gathered here today to witness the wonder that is a new pilot, with fuck-all training, fuck-all knowledge about the program and is widely regarded by the rest of the Base as a kook."

The Bobcat and Tegu teams were frowning at each other.

"Ibis team, you already know him as 'unconscious guy', so may I present to the rest of you, Benji Smith."

Bay beamed as the young red-headed pilot stepped out round a wall of boxes. He was looking a hell of a lot better than when Bay had first laid eyes on him, the cut on his chin was almost nearly healed and he was already wearing a specialised flight suit.

"Smith's going to need all the help he can get, so I'm relying on you guys to bolster his training, Jeong, Hart and Brown that means you, impart some freaking wisdom or something. He'll be co-captaining Tegu with Brown and..."

"What?" Brent almost shouted with indignation, "He hasn't got SAADARS training and you want him to be a co-captain with me? Seriously? This is ridiculous."

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist Brent," Lily smirked.

"Really, Lily? You want him on Bobcat?" Brent scoffed, he was looking positively apoplectic now.

"He's on Tegu and that's final!" Jenkins shouted to be heard over the squabbling pilots. "Now pull yourselves together."

"Er, Major?" Benji raised his hand, "What's SAADARS?"

"Oh Jesus," Jenkins rubbed between his eyes, "Will someone tell this boy what the hell a SAADARS is?"

"Stealth and advanced drive and rotor system," Sydney piped up.

"It's brave new world sunshine, and you're going to be piloting it," announced Jenkins, shoving his finger into Benji's chest.

Benji looked confused then something, or rather someone caught his eye and he was grinning lopsidedly in Merit Cooper's direction.

"Oh and he's bunking with Pereira seeing as he's had a room to himself for a week. That's all, scatter, go play in the sandbox or whatever it is you kids do when you're not flying multi-million dollar machines." Jenkins shooed them away and Bay could hear Brent muttering more expletives under his breath.

Bay smirked at Benji who took it as a signal that he was okay to approach.

"Hey!" Benji said.

"Hi! I'm Bay, your new roommate."

"Yeah, and from what I've heard from Major Jenkins you're also one of my guardian aliens," Benji smiled at him and Bay laughed,

"Yeah, sure am, sorry about that whole fiasco dude, we just didn't want to leave you hanging out there in the desert!"

Benji's face turned very serious, "No. I mean it, thank you, you saved my life."

Bay could feel the tips of his ears reddening, "Aw, it was nothing, you'll be doing the same for other hapless people soon, although hopefully with less cock-ups of the alien abduction variety."

They walked back through the dorm building to their room.

"So the guy I'm co-captaining with..." Benji began tentatively.

"Brent Brown?"

"Yeah, him, he seems a bit..."

"Oh dude, the guy's got so many chips on his shoulder it's practically a Doritos factory."

Benji laughed loudly as Bay unlocked the bedroom door.

"So here it is," Bay began, "Not exactly palatial but I reckon there's room enough for the two of us, I'm bottom bunk because I don't do well with gravity."

"Yeah this is great - you have an Xbox?" Benji was already crossing the room and dumping his bags in front of the gaming system.

"I do indeed, my friend, I do indeed, why? You play?"

Benji turned round and grinned at Bay wickedly.

Oh yes, they were going to be firm friends.

Two hours of BioShock Infinite later and this was indeed confirmed.

"So where do you come from Bay?"

"California dreaming."

"No way! Me too!"

"Dude seriously, see we're from the same state, we have the same taste in games, I'm sensing a real partnership here, shame you're not in the Ibis team."

"Yeah...but Luca Jeong seems a bit intimidating," Benji winced.

Bay scoffed, "What Luca? Nah you've got it way worse with that douche Brent. Luca's a good guy; it was actually him that helped approve you to be drafted by special ops."

"Seriously?” Benji raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Okay I'll have to thank him then, because I really didn't want to be sent home, tail between my legs.” Benji smiled. "So like who else is on my team? Tell me about them?"

"Well for systems operator you have the beautiful powerhouse that is Sydney Jones, and your winch-man is the enigmatic Merit Cooper-."

"Merit's on Tegu?" Benji sounded seriously excited and Bay couldn't help but crack a grin at him,

"Yeah she's your weapons and ground girl, so watch out for her!"

"This is the best transfer ever," Benji sighed wistfully as he was mashed to a bloody pulp in the game.

"Yeah, well tell me that again tomorrow when we have to wake up at 0500 hours for briefing," Bay laughed. "Because I can guarantee, it won't be pretty, and man I am not a morning person, I rise up from the bed like that scene with Mushu in Mulan, you'll probably see smoke and everything."

Benji laughed and spilled his coke down his front. Bay beamed at him, "But no seriously buddy, welcome to the team."