In the Griffin dormitory.

AR-15 Tomorrow will be our first official mission.
I can't allow any mistakes on our first outing, so I'd better turn in early tonight.

An hour later.

AR-15 Dammit... I can't sleep after all...
I'm only going to waste time lying here; I'd better go over the mission briefing again.

AR-15 M16 is sleeping well. A minor mission like this ought to be a piece of cake for someone as experienced as her.
SOP-II's fast asleep. I guess having an empty head like hers is an advantage at a time like this...
M4 should also be...

AR-15 Huh? She's not in bed?

AR-15 The door is slightly ajar... Where has she gone?

AR-15 So that's where you are.

M4A1 Eh!?
Oh, it's you, AR-15...
Weren't you asleep?

AR-15 ...I woke up to get some air.
What about you, why aren't you in bed?

M4A1 I couldn't fall asleep...
I felt restless while lying on my bed, so I thought I might as well do some planning.
That way, at least we'll have a response ready if we encounter any contingencies tomorrow...

AR-15 Do you really need to do so much planning for a simple recon mission?
We might not even get a chance to trade fire with the enemy.

M4A1 I'm the team leader, so it's only natural for me to plan about these things...
Also, since this is our first mission together, I want to complete it flawlessly.

AR-15 If that's what you're really thinking, then I can be somewhat at ease.

M4A1 What do you mean by "at ease"?

AR-15 I was actually kind of worried about whether or not we could successfully complete this mission.
After all, it was a miracle that we made it through our trials with a rookie like you giving orders.

M4A1 (Sighs) Is that so... The weight on my shoulders feels even heavier now.
Oh yes, that also means...you can't sleep because of tomorrow's mission as well, right?

AR-15 ......
...I guess you could say that.
I mean, how could I sleep peacefully when my team leader's on the verge of a mental breakdown over a recon mission?

M4A1 Haha...that means you're just like us, AR-15.

AR-15 I'm not exactly happy to hear you say that.

M4A1 I'm sorry...I wasn't referring to our abilities.
You're serious and capable, and you're very strict with yourself...
In truth, I was kind of afraid of you at first.

AR-15 So you're not scared of me anymore?

M4A1 Ah...well, not as much...
At least I now know that you get nervous about upcoming missions, just like me.
And that you can be so worried that you can't sleep...

M4A1 How shall I say this... It feels like...we're actually quite similar.

AR-15 Similar, huh...

AR-15 I admit, I do have my weaknesses.
But we're warriors. We're weapons...
There's only one thing we need to focus on, which is to devote every part of ourselves to achieving victory.
Uneasiness and uncertainty are weaknesses that should be discarded...

AR-15 Especially in your case, M4A1... You're our leader, so it's even more important that you remain level-headed at all times.

M4A1 ...I've often felt that you might be better suited to be team leader than me, AR-15.

AR-15 But the humans chose you. Those are the orders.
Since you're the team leader, you ought to take responsibility for it.
All you need to do is focus on leadership and bring victory for us...for the members of the team.

M4A1 ...Thank you, AR-15.
I won't disappoint you tomorrow.

AR-15 I believe you. I'm sure you wouldn't want to know what'll happen if you disappoint me.

M4A1 ...I'll keep that in mind.
Also...it's really late now. Want to go back together and turn in?

AR-15 You're done with the contingency planning?

M4A1 Yes, I'm more than well prepared.
...We'll test the results of our training against the mission tomorrow.

AR-15 Alright.

AR-15 leaves.

M4A1 Goodnight, AR-15.
...I'll be counting on you tomorrow.

AR-15 ...
That's...only to be expected.