Work Text:
It wasn’t often that Marissa Faireborn got a break. Working with the government to save the world almost constantly was kind of a full time gig. But a vacation? Marissa would laugh. She never got vacations.
Until her higher ups told her she would be getting a vacation. Effective immediately. “Think of it as thanks for all your help,” they’d assured her, handing her tickets to an all expenses paid train ride to the Big Apple. Marissa was dumbfounded— such a generous gift, so seemingly out of nowhere? It was almost too good to be true.
Until she looked down at the ticket in her hands— or, more accurately, tickets. Plural.
“It’ll be a great opportunity to get to know your new squadron too, huh?”
And there it was. Here Marissa thought her promotion came with a miraculous free vacation, but she should’ve known better than to have hope. This was a team building exercise for the new troop she was assigned to lead. An ice breaker. Nothing more.
Lovely.
So, as she stood at the center of Grand Central Station, luggage in hand, she could hardly enjoy the view as much as her coworkers were. They chattered amongst themselves, clamoring over their tickets to make sure they were waiting for the right train.
There was a faint tremble throughout the station, but no one seemed to notice it. Marissa shrugs it off-- trains passed by here all the time, who wasn’t going to expect a few tremors with so many trains in transit?
But then there was another tremble.
And another.
And Marissa noticed there was a rhythm to every shake-- but just a second too late.
“GET DOWN!”
Marissa’s orders go unheard by the sounds of marble and metal shattering to pieces, followed closely by the screams of countless other civilians. Dust and debris kick up into the air, invading Marissa’s lungs, but she bears through her hacking cough to catch a look at their intruder--
“Thundercracker?”
The dust settles, and the massive figure steps out from the destruction. That same blue seeker, lifting his pede and examining the underside with a grimace. He does a double take, though, when his optics fall on his favorite little agent.
“Marissa?!” His booming voice beams from across the station. “You’re on vacation too?!”
Marissa can only think to sigh, a hand lunging to her face and dragging itself down slowly.