Un/Lucky Partners (TucanSam x Lenaara)

[Lenaara]

The car halted to a stop abruptly as it pulled up to the parking lot. The car shuddered in protest, almost groaned in displeasure of the rough handling, and remained still and silent, standing wedged between two dark grey cars stained with mud. It had been raining the past few days, the storm hard and endless, coating not only the vehicles but also the roads, buildings, and the packed streets in a dark grey atmosphere.


Ahead, the Guardian Task Force Centre No.4 cast a dark shadow over the parking lot. A block of concrete, dark and plain, with a flat roof big enough to house a helipad or two, the Centre looked like an example of a pristine architecture made by someone with little imagination and a knack for practicality. The lawn was cut short, the area around the Centre pristine and spotless, with a trimmed Escallonia hedge circling the perimeter. Air rippled ever so slightly above the grass, circling the building in a perfect and impenetrable fence of numerous wards cast to protest the building from unwanted guests.


Ellenia shivered in the driver’s seat, her shoulders tense and muscles aching.


I hate wards.


The digital clock on the dashboard ticked two o’clock in the afternoon. The meeting was supposed to have started ten minutes ago. Being late, however, did not bother the woman in the least. Indeed, she remained in the driver’s seat, rolling her shoulders uncomfortably.


Around the Centre, the parking lot was full. It always was these days. The cars were all uniform and dark, all an older model with bright letters of white and blue on the doors that read Guardian Task Force, with a division’s code to which the car belonged to printed at the rear and the front of the car.


Twelve. Twenty. Five? Someone’s important enough to visit?


Ellenia looked around, taking in the printed numbers that begun to fade under the cover of the dried mud and dust. She had to crane her neck and move up an inch on the seat in order look over the car next to hers and spy the number on one of the cars. Sixteen. The numbers meant nothing to her, each represented a division of officers that she did not know personally or on a first name’s basis. After having noted the numbers Ellenia looked away from the cars and her lips were drawn into a thin line.


It is only a classification of divisions. Nothing more. They mean nothing.


But they did not mean nothing. Despite all that she told herself, despite everything that her own partners told her, the numbers meant a great deal in her line of work. They represented the quadrants within the city, beginning from the centre and going outwards. They began from the lowest, one, and ended with thirty-six, and the farther the quadrant was from the centre the bigger was the area as it outstretched to cover more ground. The system was simple, so simple that it could be explained in one mere sentence – the closer you were to the centre, the safer you were. The divisions of the GTF surrounded the areas of offices and penthouses in the heart of the city, the centre, protecting those who had the money, influence and power to reside in the tall skyscrapers and work in the glass giants of office buildings. It was a privilege to work there, in the safety of the city, where muggings and shootings were non-existent and only a rumour. There, wards overlapped one another, casting invisible bubbles of protection.


Thankfully, the Centre was south from the city’s heart, and the wards were only placed around certain establishments where people had the money to hire those gifted with the power to cast the barriers.


Ellenia rested her back against the leather seat and her gloved hands scrunched as she hardened the grip on the steering wheel. The air conditioner was on full blast in her car and yet it was hot. So hot that she had to open one of the windows only to be greeted with hot air that reminded her of how humid the summers could be. She looked up and stared at herself in the rear-view mirror.


Despite her best efforts to look presentable she looked like someone who had just woken up. A tired woman stared back at the driver from the rear-view mirror through narrowed turquoise eyes. Pale skin contrasted with the golden brown hair that fell in messy waves over the woman’s shoulders, reaching down towards her waist. Fine lines fanned out at her almond shaped eyes, upturned ever so slightly at the temples and framed with thin dark brows; she looked to be around thirty. Lack of sleep had done a splendid job in enhancing the woman’s age, tinting the skin dark under her eyes, giving a frown to her features that made her look like she was angry at everything and nothing. High cheekbones and a refined jawline would have been considered to be her best features had they been exposed to the light; the golden waves framed her cheekbones in a way that made the hollows of her cheeks deepen, made the curve of her always set jaw rougher. The hair needed a hairbrush as much as the ends of it needed product.


Searing pain was in her side, her head throbbed with each movement, and her wrist felt like it was being cut open. And she still had to meet her new partner, who was either already waiting for her, or was getting late to the meeting himself.


After running her gloved hands through her hair and rubbing her eyes with her thumb and index finger, Ellenia climbed out of the car, closed the door behind her, and did not bother locking it.


The car was a sleek and clean new model. Not a single scratch, not a single dent or even a speck of dust clung to the smooth doors that lacked a print for one’s hand at the window. It was pristine, with its glossy doors and immaculate windows; the white letters of Guardian Task Force stood out vividly against the black background of the doors. Just as much as the number thirty-six slapped on the rear and the front of the car did. It also had a lock for a key. The rest of the cars in the parking lot lacked such a crevice, as they all had the lock that required a magical imprint. They also lacked most of the machinery installed in the car numbered thirty-six, the only model in existence that required absolutely no magic to use.


Locking this car was pointless. Even if someone dared to steal it, they would not be able to start the engine. And, even if by some miracle, the thief managed to start the car and figure out which button meant what, the car would crash into the nearest object, possibly the Escallonia bush.


The woman headed across the parking lot, her destination the large reinforced doors that served as the main entrance to the Centre. They were closed, with no lock or even a doorknob in sight.


Inwardly, Ellenia sighed and halted by the doors. Her hand hovered over the door, hoping that it would react to an Officer standing before it and open. It did not. Thinking the contraption to react to a bare hand instead of a gloved one, Ellenia removed the glove off her right hand.


Her hand was marked with an odd tattoo of a light blue colour that weaved through her skin in smooth and even, about a centimetre in width, lines. A line began from the bottom of each fingernail and went over top of her hand downwards, meeting somewhere in the middle at the wrist and disappeared beneath the sleeve of the coat. When Ellenia raised her hand and pressed it against the door – which, to her surprise, was warm to touch – the shadows shifted within the markings. They were scars, light blue dents in the skin.


The door did not open. Not surprising.


It took Ellenia another half an hour to enter the building. After pulling on the glove, she stepped onto the evenly cut lawn and rasped a knuckle over the windows of the Centre’s first floor. The first three windows did not open and Ellenia continued, following the curve of the building until, finally, a woman dressed in a business suit opened the window and stared down at Ellenia with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. She probably expected to find children beneath the window of her office, pulling pranks on the officers, despite knowing that the protective wards did not let anyone through unless they were authorized entry.


“Open the door for me?” Ellenia asked and the businesswoman stared.


The phrase was repeated on a daily basis more times than Ellenia could count. She had long stopped sounding polite when asking this question and instead there was a tint of annoyance to her voice each time she asked a stranger to open some door or another that required a magical imprint.


The business woman stared for a while longer, looking Ellenia up and down, taking in the maroon brown leather coat, held close to the woman’s body as to avoid anyone noticing the medical gauze bulging over her side just above the hip; the scarf wrapped around the blonde’s neck in a hurry when she got out of the car; the gloves and the close-cut dark pants. She arched a dark brow at Ellenia and pressed her rouge coloured lips into a line.


“Orlova?” She asked after a moment of silence during which Ellenia shifted her weight from one foot and onto another.


“What gave me away?” Ellenia pulled the scarf closer to her neck.


“The lack of a uniform.”


“Ah.” True, other Officers preferred dark military fatigues to everyday clothing.


“And you are expected.” Before Ellenia could reply, the business woman – whose nametag gleamed Annie in the dim afternoon light– stepped away from the window and closed it. Taking this as way of saying that the main doors would be opened for her, Ellenia headed back towards the entrance.


Annie opened the doors just as Ellenia stepped onto the porch. Beyond the doors, halls of crème coloured walls and navy carpeted floors greeted her. Dressed in a business suit of dark grey, a navy blue blouse peeking over the collar of her tight-fit suit, Annie regarded Ellenia for a moment longer and then jerked her chin at the hallway before turning and walking back to her office.


People scurried about. Some carried boxes with different documents within, others had their hands full with some manila folder or the other, their gazes focused on the words printed on the papers. Just like Annie, most preferred a business suit to the plain grey Guardian fatigues, but Ellenia had spotted one Guardian or two trotting down a hallway as she veered through the corridors of the Centre until the Chief Officer’s door greeted her.


Thankfully, this door was a plain wooden one, with a stained glass in the middle that had the Chief Officer’s name printed with golden letters at the top, and it required no magic to open. Ellenia stopped for no more than a moment to catch her breath, straightened the dark grey shirt, pulled the leather coat closer to her sides, adjusted the scarf and ran a hand through her hair. Then she knocked on the door and was called in with an impatient voice from the other side. She could see the silhouette of the man through the glass, he sat at what appeared to be his desk across from the door.


Air rippled above the threshold. Another ward. When Ellenia stepped over it, entering the office, she felt hairs stand at the back of her neck. It felt like touching a small current of electricity.


“You look like shit, Orlova,” the Chief Officer groaned as he glanced up from the paperwork on his desk to give a quick look to the woman in front of him. “Arthur?”


“Arthur.” It seemed like there had been a mutual understanding between the Chief Officer and the woman, as neither of them mentioned or added anything else as to elaborate further on what Arthur meant.


“Your partner’s got delayed. Something about an attack on the Fourth and the Sixth. We had to change patrols and block the highway an hour ago.” The Chief Officer looked back to his papers after his eyes had lingered on Ellenia’s gloved hand.


“Fourth and Sixth? Isn’t that Leonid’s division?” Ellenia pulled on the bottom of the glove to hide the bright white bandages wrapped around her wrist in a hurry just a few hours ago.


“That it is. Keeping track of competition?” There was a tone of amusement in the Chief Officer’s words, and Ellenia could have sworn she noticed a momentary smirk under the heavy moustache of the man before her.


“Aren’t we all?”


The Chief Officer didn’t reply and continued filling in the paperwork. After a moment of silence, he jerked his chin at the corner of his desk. There, placed on top of a dark blue folder, was a stack of papers. “Transfer order,” the Chief Officer clarified after Ellenia did not reach for the documents, “for your partner. You got informed I hope?”


She was. Well, if giving a piece of paper with a messy handwriting stating a man’s name, age, and transfer I.D was enough of being informed, then she was informed just earlier in the morning. But she could not remember the details at all. She would have looked at the piece of paper before walking into the Centre, but the paper was lost sometime last night.


It had been a very long day, and, prior, a very long night.


As the Chief spoke Ellenia glanced around the office. It was a small room, its crème walls covered with a variety of bookcases and awards encased in metal or polished wooden frames. There was an armoire by the window, by it a cabinet with all sorts of items on top that ranged from a forgotten half emptied coffee cup to a golden goblet, its bottom engraved with 1st Place Golf Open Championship. The desk was covered in stacks upon stacks of paperwork, hiding the smooth polished oak surface beneath; there was a monitor at the corner of the desk, pushed so far to the side that it threatened to fall over onto the floor if the Chief was not careful enough. The nameplate was hidden beneath a stack of manila folders.


“He better be here within the next ten minutes,” the Chief grumbled as he glanced at the clock on his desk. The clock had been covered by some documents and he had to lift the piece of paper up with the end of his pen to look at the time. “I want to get this shit over with.”


@TucanSam

 

[TucanSam]

Do you remember? The pain?


A shrill shriek ran through the air as his car came to a stop in the parking lot, his breaks complaining about needing a replacement soon enough. In the Force there were spots chosen among the lot that were placed further away than normal. The sprawling grounds and buildings used by the city covered at least a mile easily, and for those that drew the political ire of the bureaucracy above these spots at the edge of the campus were reserved as punishment. Walking through the heat in standard government issued fatigues was meant to be a punishment, but he did not wear standard fatigues and he choose this spot on purpose.


Can you still feel the sorrow?





Stepping out of his car, his boots invading the heat mirage slowly rising from the asphalt, he let the door close securely on its own behind him, starting the slow arduous walk to the main building. Birds fluttered by, a rabbit here or there scampered among the taller grass but otherwise the grounds were empty of life; not many were willing to brave the high temperatures to enjoy nature. The weather in District 4 was usually consistent; mild temperatures and short winters were the trademarks and benefits of living near the inner rings. Now though? A heat wave had turned the bustling urban center into a near ghost town. Not that he minded. Places he went tended to turn that way sooner or later regardless.


Can you taste the fear?





A sharp tight turtleneck covered his neck and arms, buried itself under a thick leather jacket that ran from his head to his ankles. Military issue boots came up well over his ankle, and had he been wearing a gas mask you'd have thought he would be preparing for some sort of invasion. For him, this was average wear, normal issue. A way to try to contain himself when his concentration laxed. As it often did. Sweat covered his skin and the jet black hair atop his head, matting it to the sides of his face and forehead. He resisted the urge to reach up and wipe it away, knowing the thick leather gloves he wore would on exacerbate the problem. He would endure, as he always did.


Can you picture their faces?





After minutes of solitary, speechless walking the main building of District 4 finally began to tower over him. At the corners of the lot he could feel the prickle of wards as they reached their tendrils out to probe him. Writhing like tentacles, they wrapped around his body, testing where they could to find out who he was. Everybody experienced the sensation differently; for some walking through a ward was like stepping into a cold shower. Others described it as being placed inside a room with no air, gasping for breath. Very few experienced dread, the feeling as if moving forward would mean certain death for them. In all cases the feelings wore off eventually as the wards did their job, deciding whether the person entering them was permitted to do so, and a moment later the wards decided that he too was able to pass through, and returned to their dormant state.


Do you even remember them anymore?





The steps he was taking towards the main door paused, the small voice in the back of his head finally managing to find a question to cause him to stop and think. Perhaps a half hour ago as he'd made his way here, he had run into road blocks. Cars had lined the road in a deadlock of traffic, waiting for whatever lied ahead to finally clear up and let them pass by. A commotion, an explosion. People screaming. For months he had been trained not to ignore danger, had been trained to react when need be. His body had followed that training with little thought, stepping out of his car and moving towards the noise.


Ahead of the people fleeing towards him stood a single man, his eyes sunken and the expression on his face a mixture of madness and joy. Cars stood on their roofs as he overturned them effortlessly, his sole aim seeming to be chaos and death. A deviant. Someone running amok who had lost touch with sanity in one way or the other. The motivations behind his actions did not matter, what had driven him to this point was meaningless. When a man takes another persons life it is inexcusable, and he was very good at killing people. But there was someone who was better.


Do you remember how it feels?





A stupid question. Does a bird remember how it feels to fly? Does a fish remember how it feels to breathe underwater? He had taken that deviants life without a second thought, dropping his body to the ground with as much effort as it took to get out of bed in the morning. The symbol of the guardians on his chest traditionally inspired hope in the people who saw it; a beacon letting them know that whatever chaos was erupting around them, there was someone there to restore order. People who saw him approaching must have felt some semblance of relief, but that was quickly stripped away from them as they saw what he did, what he was.


Did he remember what it felt like? Yes, he remembered everything. Their faces, names, feelings. What was transferred between the two of them at the moment of death was not something you could forget. He remembered them all.


The main doors groaned under his hand as he pressed it up against them, allowing the wards to read his signature and let him through. Pane on the glass shook slightly at his touch, the handles turning a darker shade of metallic grey as he held them, but they eventually relented, and he entered without incident. Not a single person walked through the halls as he entered, a normal sight for him now a days. Like groupies following a music star around, too many people kept tabs on where he was and what he was doing, making sure that they would be in position to avoid him if at all possible during those moments their paths crossed.


As he paced down the hall towards the chiefs door, he could feel the eyes of the more intrepid peering at him through the cracks in their doors, trying to catch a glimpse of him without having to interact at all. If it wasn't so creepy it would have been funny.


After a moment the chiefs door loomed before him, an ordinary affair that stood in stark contrast to the rest of the building. Wooden doors were largely unheard of, replaced by the rare minerals and metals that responded to magic and could be programmed and protected. Being a high ranking official held its privileged though, one of which apparently being the choice of door. He rapped on it harshly, sending a dull thunking noise echoing down the hallway.


"Justin, reporting sir. May I enter?" Taking a grunt from the other side as a yes, he swung the door outward, walking into the small cramped office. "Following a transfer order sir. Something about a new partner?"


The corner of his eyes landed on the woman to his left, and he had to force himself not to audibly groan.


Here we go again.

 

[Lenaara]

They waited in silence interrupted only by an occasional rustle of papers and folders. The Chief Officer’s pen continued to write down different numbers, words and names onto the paperwork before him, filling in the blank spots where needed; the ink was scratched on loudly, pen squealed each time a word was finished. The noise did not seem to bother the Chief in the slightest. Sometimes he grumbled under his shallow breath, the thick moustache drowned out the words.


Without nothing to do but wait, Ellenia began to pace around the office like a caged animal. The framed pictures on the walls attracted her attention and she stepped closer to inspect them. Silvery light shone through the immaculate glass of the wooden and metal frames, words written in a dark golden ink that was of a magical origin. With her hands clasped behind her back, Ellenia paced by the wall in slow steps, eyes skirting over the different commendations awarded to Jonathan Berwick.


The pen stopped squealing, papers rustled as a sheet was turned. “You are reacting to this better than I thought, Orlova,” The Chief Officer sounded genuinely surprised.


Ellenia looked over her shoulder and quirked a brow at the man. “I shouldn’t be?”


It had become very silent outside of Berwick’s office. When Ellenia glanced at the door quizzically she could not see the dark silhouettes of the Centre’s workers and visitors moving through the hallways. Indeed, the hallway was empty.


“With what happened a year ago? I thought you’d go ballistic,” the man grumbled and cursed silently when a stack toppled over and fell onto the floor. Old leather armchair creaked, as did the owner, when Berwick – still whispering all sorts of curses – pushed it back and reached under his desk to pick up the scattered paperwork.


The transfer order, a stack of papers clipped at the corner and stamped with the official Guardian Task Force seal, still rested atop of the blue folder at the desk’s corner. Intrigued by Berwick’s words, Ellenia stepped away from the wall of commendations and neared the desk. She picked up the paperwork addressed to her and skimmed through the basics, taking in the name of her partner but not giving it much thought. Name, age, physical attributes, evaluation results…she skipped most of it and flipped over the first sheet to skim through the rest of the content. The stack was unusually heavy, heavier than most. Heavier than Ellenia’s. Most Guardians had much less, no more than a page or two of information. It was odd.


Someone knocked on the door, the sound muffled by continuing rustling coming from the Chief’s desk, and Berwick grunted a sound of approval. The lock clicked, door opened, but Ellenia did not look over her shoulder to see who had entered.


She was too busy reading through the seemingly endless list of casualties.


“Finally,” Berwick groaned and Ellenia could see him straightening in his chair, leaning back and further away from the table. The leather seat protested loudly in discomfort. “Let’s get this over with fast, I have other people to process. This is Ellenia Orlova, Leader of Division 36. You are to work under her command.” There was a note of discomfort in Berwick’s voice and he kept fidgeting in his seat, making the leather of his armchair squeak. The end of his pen tapped impatiently against the sole exposed part of the desk.


Ellenia flipped the pages over and forced herself to look away from the names and circumstances of their owners’ deaths. The cause of death was all the same, anyway. The name at the beginning of the document had tugged at her memory but it was the power of the man that had confirmed her suspicions. She had heard of him before. Everyone had.


Tap tap tap tap, the pen continued its dance.


The noise had pulled Ellenia out of shock and brought her back to the reality of the situation. The reality of her situation. The reality of who had just entered the Chief Officer’s office, brought here by the order of their superiors who found it to be a good idea in bringing two most unlikely individuals together and pairing them up for the good of the society.


The transfer order was sent flying like a Frisbee at the Chief Officer. It hit the desk, slid across it, disturbed the other paperwork and made it slide towards the edge of the desk threatening to topple over; the order stopped once it hit the edge of the monitor. Berwick nearly jumped out of his seat, his hands up in the air, the pen angled like a dagger in his sinewy hand. He hovered above his leather old office chair that had seen better days, one hand braced on the table for support, the other still holding the pen as if it were a knife. Even if it had been one, it would not have stopped Ellenia from stepping towards the desk.


Ashen faced and with furrowed brows, the woman stared down at Berwick through narrowed eyes.


“The fuck, Orlova?” Berwick’s deep voice rumbled through the office in anger.


“Is this a fucking joke?” Ellenia demanded, her hands flat on the desk as she leaned over the table and glared at the Chief.


“Am I laughing?” He angled his pen downwards and slumped back into his chair.


“Am I laughing?” Ellenia glanced at, whom she assumed to be, Justin. He looked to be about the same age as her. She had never seen him before, but his name was well known even in this city. His clothes would have been an odd sight had his power been a different one.


“Calm down, Officer,” Berwick hissed. “They,” he pointed upwards with his pen, “came up with a solution to both of your problems. You need a partner; he needs a partner. You were paired up. Everybody’s happy.”


“Yeah, I’m not in the mood to wank around and try making it work. We both know the risks.” Ellenia stepped back from the desk, eyes still narrowed in cold anger. “Out of all the candidates you give me…this?” She jerked her chin at Justin.


“I know what happened a year ago was—“


“Do you now?” Ellenia cut off the Chief Officer before he could continue his thought. “That why you give me someone who can kill me?”


“Not you. Your,” Berwick searched for the right word as he lifted a hand to gesture at Ellenia, and settled on “thing,” there was a hint of disgust in his voice, “should counter his thing.”


The choice of words would have made Ellenia snort in response, had she the humour for it. As it was, she had none; not in this situation.


“What about the rest of my men?” The woman’s voice turned from cool to cold


Berwick did not respond; he ran a hand over his face, rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. The pen resumed tapping against the polished wood. After a moment, Berwick reached down, picked up the transfer order, and extended his arm to pass Ellenia the items. Ellenia did not even glance down at the papers.


“Sign this and get the fuck out of my office, Orlova. Want him out of your Division? File a complaint and come back.” The Chief gave Ellenia a dismissive wave with his pen and leaned forward, jerking his hand up so that the paperwork would be taken.


Silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity. Ellenia continued to stare down at Berwick but not truly focusing on him. Thoughts spun like a chaotic whirlwind in her mind, trying to connect into a solution that could be used to get her out of this situation. She came up with nothing. Berwick was right, the only way to get the Murderer – a nickname given to her new partner by many other Officers – out of her Division was to go through paperwork and wait. Wait to get refused. It was not hard to guess why she was chosen to work with Justin.


With a surprisingly steady hand, Ellenia took the transfer order and the pen offered by Berwick, scratched her signature at the bottom, and turned on her heel to head towards the office door. She gave Justin a wide berth, circled him and yanked the door open.


“Follow me. Or stay here.” That was all she said as she stepped through the door, inwardly cringing at the feeling of passing through the ward, and left the Chief’s office.


Ellenia veered through the empty corridors of the Centre and spotted more than one pair of curious eyes looking at her through the cracks of left open doors, no doubt to be able to see the aftermath of what had happened at the Chief’s office. Main doors were closed, their reinforced pristine steel shining under the bright fluorescent light. Ellenia stopped before the doors and did not bother lifting her palm towards the metal; it wouldn’t work anyway. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing the messy waves back, and sighed. With Justin being in the building, she doubted that anyone would dare leave the safety of their offices to open the door for Ellenia. So, she waited until either her new partner followed her, or some brave soul entered the hallway.

 

[TucanSam]

Silence fell over the office as he paused behind her for a moment, considering the man in at the desk who seemed to have shriveled a good few inches from the encounter. Ellenia Orlova. As vague as his transfer orders had been, he'd had a good idea of what they had meant and where they would be sending them. In a world controlled by what you could do and what kind of benefit it was to society, there was a place you were sent when you met neither of those requirements; District 36. Out beyond the civilized reaches of the inner rings, it was considered a Wild West of misfits and outlaws. If you wanted to disappear, that's where you went ; if you wanted to find someone, that's most likely where they were. The districts name was almost synonymous with the person who "held" order there.


Rumors had circulated for some time now about Ellenia Orlova, a mistake almost as large as had been made when he had been created. Helpless. Burdensome. Smart as she may be, there were limits in this world of what a person could do with little or no ability at all, and Orlova was a stark reminder of them. Justin did not necessarily mind the district assignment. there were bad guys everywhere. But her? His head shook nearly in time with the agitated tapping of the chiefs pen.


"Did somebody put a sign on my door that reads "air your grievances here?" The chief's chair squeaked slightly as he leaned back, the realization that Justin wasn't leaving finally dawning on him. "Or is that just a liberty you are all taking today?"


"Forgive me sir," Justin's voice was low and quiet, as if he was trying to disturb the room as little as possible. "Is there no way for you to reconsider?"


A grunt was his only response for a moment as the Chief leaned forward, resting his chin on his steepled hands. "This is not an order from me. Shit runs downhill. I'm only delivering what has already been decided."


Justin paused for a moment, his mouth half open to say something he probably shouldn't. The Chief had more power than he let on, his years in the service had granted him that liberty. He could block this if he wanted to. If Justin could convince him.


"Sir, I know my past is checkered, but-"


"Checkered?" The chief rocked back in his chair with a snort, gripping the thick manila envelope and slamming it to the table. "This isn't even the only one we have for you! Checkered is a gross understatement, son!"


"Yes, I know sir, and I accept that responsibility. But..." Justin paused, emotion rising as color in his face. "Her?! If you wanted to punish me there must be another way of going about it! I'll be no more than a glorified babysitter! You might as well just assign me to a K9 unit!"


A corner of the chiefs mouth crooked up, whether a smile or a sign of annoyance, Justin wasn't sure, but the expression on his face had quickly turned into one showing he was tiring quickly of this conversation. "If we were sure you wouldn't kill the fucking thing, maybe we would have. Instead, this is the best option we got. And," his left hand shot into a drawer in his desk, pulling out a small badge with the number 36 etched into its side. "This is your last chance. If you can't manage to keep from killing that one," his pen jerked in the general direction of the front doors, "Then we are going to have to figure something a little more drastic out. Get it? Good." his hand waved lazily at the door, and it shot open on command. "Now get the fuck out."


Resisting the urge to say something harsh, Justin turned, flinching only slightly as the door shut violently behind him, the sound of the deadlock engaging echoing loudly into the hall. Keep this one alive, huh? That wasn't entirely up to him though, was it? He shook his head violently, pocketing the badge and walking angrily to the front doors. And there she stood, like a child waiting for an adult to give her permission to leave.


All he uttered was a short "Jesus Christ" as he walked past, pushing the door wide enough open for her to follow out after him.

 

[Lenaara]

At first, Ellenia waited patiently by the main doors. Arms crossed over her chest, she tapped impatiently at her biceps. Minutes went by in silence, interrupted by an occasional sound or two from some office nearby. No one entered the hallway, not even Justin who Ellenia expected to follow her. He did not and she was left standing alone by the main doors.


After another long moment of tense silence, Ellenia stepped away from the reinforced steel and headed towards the nearby office of a clerk. The door was of a matte glass that was opened just a crack so that the female clerk on the other side of the door could see the hallway, and hear the voices drifting from the Chief Officer’s office. It was also a magic-only door, reacting to touch and/or commands. Opening it by force was like ramming one’s head through a bulletproof glass – pointless and time wasting, if not completely moronic.


But the door was opened and Ellenia took her chance to ask the clerk to open the main doors for Ellenia.


“Can you—“ Before Ellenia could finish the sentence she glimpsed a shocked face of the clerk – a plump brunette in a black dress with silver accents – before the door slammed to a close after the clerk waved at it frantically.


Great.


Ellenia retreated back to the main doors and leaned her back against the wall nearby, highly doubting that any other worker is going to react differently. So she waited and the tapping against her biceps resumed. Silence stretched on.


Sadly, it was not some brave soul that opened the door for Ellenia, but Justin himself. The woman stepped away from him, more out of not to be in the way than fearing for her life, and let the man open the doors. He walked past, muttering to himself in annoyance. Ellenia ignored him, used to people’s reaction when it came to such mundane things as opening doors for her.


The two of them headed out of the Centre and went down the few steps that led from the porch and into the parking lot. More than one pair of curious eyes peeked through the blinds or matted glass windows. As before, the parking lot was full and devoid of any people. Some cars had left, others arrived to fill in the spots. Ellenia headed to the only car that stood out like a sore thumb – her own car. She fished out the car keys from the pocket of her coat and unlocked the trunk. Anyone else would have motioned for the car doors to open and the lid of the trunk to lift by just a wave of a hand. Sadly, Ellenia did not have access to such luxury any longer, and had to resort to the mechanical devices that worked half the time.


It was a different story three years ago, when she was no different than any other person.


Ellenia circled around her car and laid her palms flat onto the trunk, silent for a moment as she leaned against the car, and then stepped back to pull up the lid. Inside, the trunk was filled to the brim with all sorts of items. Pieces of odd technology that looks like poor replicas of the magic-imbued models, some scattered clothing, a pair of heavy duty combat boots, a box with ammo and two empty bottles of water. Among the mess also lay a large transparent bag with iron and folded Guardian fatigues in a plain grey colour. The number on the bag matched her partner’s ID, and the Division’s number was printed on the chest and the back of the uniform. The 36 stared at Ellenia through the transparent plastic.


“While I am as enthusiastic as you regarding this arrangement,” Ellenia began as she pulled out the bag, closed the trunk, and tossed the bag at Justin. “We cannot do anything about it. We’re stuck. So I am going to take you to the office, and once we’re there I’m filling for a transfer. You’re not fit for field work and I’m not your nanny to watch over you. Here’s hoping my connections can get you the fuck out of my District.”


Connections. Right. The only two people who were of any importance that knew Ellenia on a first name basis could scarcely be called friends, let alone be dubbed as connections.


Ellenia stepped away from the trunk and headed towards the front passenger seat. She opened the door and sighed inwardly. On top of the seat were various papers, stacked up and taped, and on top of the papers was a half empty water bottle. The back seats were a mess – on the floor of the car, behind the two front seats, were various items such as water bottles, boots for all different kind of weather and nature conditions, an empty duffel bag. The left part of the back seat space was fully occupied with a large black case, closed with a password lock. The right part had clothes, some thrown there as if the owner was changing in a hurry, and another transparent bag with ironed and folded clothing in a plain grey rested atop the leather seat; the ID on the bag matched Ellenia’s, she never opened it ever since getting the uniform handed to her over a year ago.


The car within looked as pristine as it did outside. Not a single scratch, not a single spot. The car was brand new, used for no more than a few weeks.


The passenger’s seat was emptied in a hurry, the contents moved to the back of the car on top of the empty duffel bag. Then Ellenia straightened, one hand braced on the car for support, and jerked her chin at the seat as she looked up at the man. A silent command for her partner to get into the car.


“Program your car to follow mine,” she said as she circled the car and climbed into the driver’s seat.


Once the engine was switched on, Ellenia rested her forehead against the wheel. With a groan the woman took a deep breath and cursed while exhaling. Her hand tugged on the scarf around her neck and she pulled it off and threw it behind her onto the back seats. With the scarf gone and her hair pushed behind her back by the movement, one could see the odd markings going down the woman’s neck. They mimicked the ones on her hands, but there was only one single line going down the left and the right side of Ellenia’s neck. Bright blue and about half an inch in width, they continued down from the back of her ears and vanished beneath the leather coat. Shadows shifted within the dents.

 

[TucanSam]

"You’re not fit for field work and I’m not your nanny to watch over you."


Justin laughed quietly as he bent his frame to fit into her door, a little off put by the way that it operated completely without magic. Vehicles in this day and age were more an extension of their users will than anything, doing what you wanted with little action actually necessary. Even now, as she asked him to program his car to follow hers, all he had to do was pull out a small key fob, think of what it was that he wanted and rest assured that the car would perform that action to its best ability. Technology was advanced, smart. Perhaps smarter than his new "partner" here was.


"I could say the same thing about you Miss Orlova," he said quietly after situating himself in her passenger seat. Filth was one way to describe the way she lived in this car, but perhaps wasn't a strong enough word. Being fresh out of the academy may have given Justin a slightly different view than those who had been on the force for years, but had she forgotten everything they had drilled into her already? A quick glance around the vehicle gave that impression.


"Seeing as I had to open a door simply for you to function, how exactly do you justify your position out here?" A small purr filled the air as the car started, pulling out of the parking lot and heading towards the main roads. Behind, his own car began to follow the same motions. "Not to be rude, but I guess i'm confused as to what exactly it is that you do that contributes to society? Other than having technology move backwards by forcing engineers to figure out ways to deal with your handicap."


The sun shining through the car windows balanced out any relief from the air conditioner he may have gotten, and his body was begging him to strip a layer or two off for relief. Sweat must have been pouring down his neck, and he could feel his back beginning to stick to back of his car seat. Justin simply pulled his turtle neck up higher, and tightened his gloves over his fingers while regarding Ellenia with cold, emotionless eyes.


"You may say or think what you want of me, but I've never lost a suspect because they ran behind doors I couldn't open. Whether you like my methods or not is besides the point. I get the job done when needed." Trees began to zip by as they gathered speed on the road, and he glanced out the window, trying to familiarize himself with the area. "Which is more than can be said about you."

 

[Lenaara]

Well, at least he didn’t visibly groan or fidget in the seat. That was the usual reaction that people had in regards to Ellenia’s car. For one, it was full of items that should really not be within a car – like that black trunk that held more than just one revolver. And then, there was the technology.


People could be silent and drive, operating a car with but a thought. Most of the cars lacked a steering wheel, that spot free of any sort of devices that could turn a car. Why bother cramming a car with useless gadgets when wishing a car to turn left is much easier than actually using your body to perform the task? So most vehicles had dashboards with glowing screens, made of magic-imbued glass or metal, that spread over the entire front of the car in a chrome or matte surface. It was elegant, it was simple, it was preferred to what Ellenia had to deal with.


Her car was one of a few ordered by the Guardian Force. It was some aspiring engineer that made this car for Ellenia and a handful of others who were in the same position as her. That engineer lacked the finesse to make anything without it breaking at least once a day, but the contraptions worked, were ordered and distributed throughout the Force to serve the Officers plagued with the same curse as Ellenia was.


It took her a long time getting used to the car. It took her an even longer time getting used to not relying on magic. She still retained a habit of waving a hand at the door for it to close, or pressing a hand against some window or a door frame to will them to open, or even trying to pay for dinner with a card that only reacted to the owner’s will.


She sometimes wondered if ever participating in that wretched experiment was worth it.


Of course it was. You swore to serve and you did. You still do.


At least, that is what her shrink kept telling her.


Ellenia adjusted the rear-view mirror, met the reflection in her eyes that were framed by a purple colour beneath the turquoise irises, and pulled away from the parking lot and onto the highway. At some point she reached out to turn on the radio and some absent tech melody spread through the car, repeating the same sound over and over and over again. The car barely picked up on the radio waves, “Some disturbances between the plain and magic capable metals,” she was told when she asked the damn thing to be fixed.


“Pleasure to meet you too,” Ellenia said quietly under her breath and turned the wheel to veer to the right. “Got something to tell me? Spit it out. Forget the pleasantries and the ‘no offense’ comments. We are to be working together, no? May as well define our relationship from the start, get to know one another, share some dark secrets that apparently all freaks have.”


There was a tint of annoyance in her voice. She had heard his words before, uttered and whispered by many people either to her face or behind her back. People talked, they always have, spreading rumours both pleasant and not. Everyone was confused to why a person with the power – or the lack thereof – like Ellenia’s was even allowed to work in the field. Everyone was confused by the Force’s eagerness to keep the woman in their ranks, despite knowing better. And, most of all, everyone was confused as to how exactly she came into being.


Air conditioner was on the maximum setting, blasting fresh air through the car that still warmed up quickly from District 4’s weather. They would leave its premises soon, thankfully, and enter the rings of double digit areas.


The car halted to a stop at an intersection as the light turned bright red. While the cars with automatic piloting were preferred, manual handling was not that uncommon. The stop signs and the road lights were common, especially in the single digit districts and up to the 20th ones.


Beside them a bright orange car – sleek and polished, its doors an odd shape that could only be opened upwards – was blasting music beside them. The orange colour kept changing and twisting, turning in whorls of living fire within the magic-imbued alloy. The man at the front seat winked at Ellenia, leaning against the door and waved a hand to open the window. He called out something to her, eagerly trying to get her attention but his words were muted by the windows of her own car. Ellenia was equally determined to ignore the words and focused on the road ahead.


Justin spoke of how she’s lost a suspect because of her inability to open doors and Ellenia snorted in response. “Indeed,” she said. “You’ve lost a suspect because you touched them inappropriately and they fell over dead before you could so much as ask their name. At least I can catch a suspect another day, while you are left with a corpse and another casualty name added to your file.”


They were leaving the main area of District 4 and passed through an invisible boundary that rippled in hot air above the road. The car paused for a fraction of a second at passing through the ward and Ellenia rolled her shoulders. Around them the office buildings gradually changed from large establishments like banks, shops and restaurants to large apartment condos and family homes.


“My contribution to the society goes beyond killing, which is more than can be said about you,” she said, using the man’s own words.


There was tension in the air; it fell over Ellenia and Justin in a heavy blanket that threatened to bring forth emotions much more potent than mistrust and annoyance. She’s read Justin’s file. His power required concentration, a calm state of mind. Being antagonistic to him would only lead to him using his own power on her and Ellenia did not wish to test if her own ability could counter his.


“Look,” Ellenia began. “We can either spit insults at one another, or we can suck it up and wait until the transfer has been approved. While your company is as pleasant as a spider crawling across my lap, I can’t do shit about it other than flick it off and move to another room. So I am going to make some things abundantly clear to you.”


The suburban area changed, expanded. The small houses were not as close to one another, the land around them surrounded by fences or large trees. Once again they passed through a ward and entered an area that was mostly forests and lakes, where houses were a rare sight. Instead, lumber mills, waterwheels and farmhouses were a frequent sight in the area. The road passed a large field of flowers, all bright and vivid, their scent so powerful that it passed through the air conditioner and spread through the car in a fresh smell of wild flowers.


“District 36 is a cesspit that comprises one third of the Outermost Ring. Magic is all over the place there, wild and spun out of control by those who have the balls to reside in the area. It is dangerous there, more so than in District 34 or 35. That is why I was sent there. Either because no one wanted to take one for the team from any other Division, or because no one could live in a cesspit that is on fire half the time or rumbling with earthquakes.”


The field of flowers continued for a mile or so more and then revealed a lake, narrow and bright blue, that passed beneath a bridge of red brick. When the car passed over the bridge the radio stopped working and Ellenia eyed it for a moment, cursing the damn contraption inwardly. Past the bridge was a railway, the gate leading across the tracks was closed off and the lights flickered on the side; somewhere in the distance a train was nearing like a bright silver arrow, gliding soundlessly over the tracks. Ellenia stopped the car, leaned back and propped an elbow on the doorframe to her side.


“A year ago I was assigned to that cesspit and I hold order there as much as the damn area permits me without rioting and laying fucking siege to my Division. I can survive there because this,” she tapped on the side of her neck over the blue line, “lets me walk through the magic thrown at me and apprehend the one responsible. The resistance works for two minutes and thirty-seven seconds. That is my contribution to the society, holding order over the ass-end of this city. Others like me are better off, though I doubt you heard they exist. The events of a year ago made me quite popular in the Force.”


The train was nearing soundlessly, its sides silver with whorls of light shifting within the metal. Like a snake it slithered over the polished tracks.


“You are not going to be a field agent. I have been working without a partner for the past half a year, got a few scars but that’s about it.” And lack of sleep. “I know what I signed up for so I’m doing my job, as are the rest of my men. You,” she looked at Justin for the first time since entering the car, though she did keep the man under constant watch in her peripheral vision. “Are a threat to my entire Division. So I am going to tell you something before we bond over how the fate has been cruel to both of us.”


Ellenia’s eyes narrowed dangerously, her voice turned from cool to cold.


“Those two minutes and thirty-seven seconds is more than enough for me to pull out a gun and shoot you in the head if you ever so much as sneeze wrongly at my men.”


The train passed by, road shook ever so slightly beneath the car. The radio turned on and the music continued its endless loop.


“So what’s your story?” She asked as she looked away from Justin and the car resumed its course.

 

[TucanSam]

Silence was the only answer he would give her during her rant, though Justin doubted she was looking for a response regardless. Scenery changed, the way of living changed, the temperature fluctuated as they moved through the city and its district, but for some reason her stubborn unwillingness to accept that she was powerless was not waning. Justin doubted it ever had, or ever would. Admirable in some cases, foolish in most. He did his best to ignore what she said, focusing on parts of the city he had not seen in years. Despite its flaws, its chaos and the way that the government seemed to relentlessly try to drive it into the ground, parts of the world were still beautiful. Quiet. Serene. Unlike Ellenia Orlova.


"Those two minutes and thirty-seven seconds is more than enough for me to pull out a gun and shoot you in the head"


A short chuckle escaped his mouth before he could stop it at the comment. Was she not aware of how a fight worked? The physical differences between a man and a woman? Or perhaps she was so insanely sure of her skill that she was willing to say such nonsense? Justin wasn't sure, but it brought a smile to his face and lightened his mood tremendously to hear her go on about how great she was despite her severe handicap. Two and a half minutes, huh? He cast a glance her way finally, trying to figure out in his head how many inches he had on her, how many pounds of muscle he beat her by. Six inches? Forty pounds? More? It was hard to tell, but it didn't matter in the end. Unlike her, his ability had no time limit. All he would require was a moment to grab her, a second in time to pin her to the ground and then it became a waiting game of which the outcome would be inevitable.


Justin had been shot before. He'd been stabbed, run over by a car, pushed off of a balcony. There were no imaginative ways to try to kill him that had not been attempted. Not that he was invincible, not by a long shot. But when your sole focus is trying to avoid touching the person that you want to kill, things become much more difficult. He often thought of his power as a curse, but the truth was it had also kept him alive for far longer than he probably should be. Perhaps she hadn't read his file as closely as she thought she had.


The car began to move slowly at the end of her rant, and Justin finally took his eyes off the train he so desperately wanted to be on rather than in this car to look at her, taking her expression in with a slight grin of amusement. If there was a bone in her body that wasn't serious, or a shoulder she did not have a chip on he would be severely surprised.


"My story?" Justin raised his arms above his head in a stretch, knocking his knuckles against the roof and extending his hands back past the head of his seat. "I thought you had read my story. The same training as you, the same treatments. Well," A gloved finger rubbed against the neck of his turtleneck shirt. "Perhaps not the exact same treatments. Twelve counts of civilian deaths, thirty two counts of death of a suspect. Four counts of partner death. One sheep that was in the wrong place at the wrong time."


He brought his arms back over his head, cracking his neck slowly as he lowered them to his lap. "I kill people. And I'm very good at it. Apparently you are good at having people not kill you. It makes sense why they would think this pairing might work. But," Justin rolled down his window slightly, resisting the urge to complain that he had to actually push a button to do so. "Unlike you I do not consider you invincible. If I so desired, I could merely kill you right now with a single touch, and your gun wouldn't have any chance to react."


The glove on his left hand loosened a bit as if to prove a point before he pulled it back taught against his fingers. "My story is I got turned into a weapon that nobody wants, but everybody needs. I'm a deterrent, a reason for convicts to not want to recommit their crimes. My presence lets them know that there are actual consequences other than a simple stay in a jail cell for a few weeks. I scare people, something your district is apparently lacking considering the recidivism rate in 36."


Justin allowed a slight pause before speaking again, considering his words carefully. "Basically, miss, I'm here to do what you are unwilling to do. I'm here to actually stop crime, and stop it for good. Whether you approve of how I do it is not my concern." Whether he believed these words or not, Justin wasn't sure. They were an easy way to justify his existence though.

 

[Lenaara]

Ellenia quirked a brow at Justin’s response. Her warning, threat even, still lingered in the air but it had lost its seriousness. Justin laughed at it, grinning with amusement and chuckling at her words. It was not surprising. With the way how she looked – tired, deprived of sleep, wearing layers upon layers of clothing to hide the markings that people stared at each time the blue brand made an appearance – Ellenia would not have perceived herself as a threat, either.


Instead of wasting her breath or getting angry at the man for not taking her seriously, Ellenia shrugged.


“You won’t be the first partner of mine to think it’s easy to kill me. The other one’s dead,” she said and her voice lacked the usual hint of annoyance. Instead it was cold, quiet.


She gripped the wheel tighter with one hand and let the other slide downwards so that her forearm rested against her lap.


The gun strapped to her hip suddenly seemed very heavy and so very close.


“Different purpose. Different treatment. Different training,” she said. “My group was supposed to be the vanguard, a shield against a threat of uncontrolled magic. That is what we were told, that is, when a man in a fancy suit that I could only afford on a two-year salary walked up to us and began his rant. He conveniently forgot to mention that the treatment can strip magic from us.”


The car turned left on the highway and the road continued past a large field of golden grasses until it met a forest further north. Ward passed through the car, making the radio stutter and turn into static. Once past the ward the road entered into a forest of evergreens. The trees went high up, framing the road with their thin brown trunks and shrubbery; a dense canopy hid the road from the sun and cast a cooling shadow. Up ahead, one could see the exit that led into yet another area of golden fields. Choosing to savour the moment, Ellenia let the car pass slowly beneath the shadow. The air-conditioner did little to nothing to cool down the interior of the car and the inappropriately dressed for summer passengers.


“You,” she let go of the wheel and gestured at Justin, “were made to kill. A glorified murderer. Coat it in pretty words and phrases if you wish, but it doesn’t change what you are. Whatever your methods are, I don’t care. I don’t have time to care. Murdering suspects might be your hobby but it means paperwork for me and then riots in the streets to quell because a man who plays Death decided to waltz into my District.”


A thought occurred to her, an uncomfortable one. Justin was not meant for fieldwork because she thought him to be too unpredictable, too hard to control. Nothing would stop him from running after a suspect that Ellenia herself would lose because of a closed door (which happened more often than she wanted to admit) and leaving her behind. Nothing would stop him from killing said suspect and adding a thirty-third number to his casualty list.


The logical outcome would be to leave him behind, lock him up in the Division and let him sort through the paperwork. They needed a secretary anyway.


But nothing would stop him from killing every single one of the men who worked there, either on accident or because he thought there was a valid reason for it.


Having him in the field was risky but leaving him behind was even worse. At least she had the resistance to his power for those short two and a half minutes. She hoped she did.


“You’re under my command. If I tell you to sit down in a corner and wait for me while I do my job as it should be done, following the protocol that should have been drilled into your head back during training, then you better choose a warm little corner, pick up a book, and be quiet.”


Through yet another ward they went and Ellenia rolled back her shoulders. The markings made passing through wards difficult, uncomfortable, and yet easy. She could ignore any ward, as long as passing through it was within her resistance time limit. Too bad it would also feel like passing through an icy pond.


Fields stretched around them once again and then gave way to houses of pale walls and red roofs. The streets were narrow and veered to left and right at a constant rate, making it difficult to manoeuvre the maze of the District that they entered. Rhododendrons and rose bushes bloomed all around, bright splashes of colour in a background of serene farm life. People walked by, some staring at Ellenia’s car, others at the driver and the passenger within.


Ahead, on the horizon, the fields changed into squat buildings of grey. They were nearing the outer city rings.


“The office is where we live, literally. There are living quarters on the second and third floor. There is a room ready for you. While I’d prefer to keep you as far away from my men as I can, leaving you to rent an apartment in the district is going to lead to deaths. Either yours or the ones who tried to mug you,” Ellenia said and ran a hand over her forehead to wipe off the beads of sweat. Had there not been a person who killed through touch in her car, she long would have taken off the gloves and the coat. As it was, she chose to be careful for the time being.


Justin’s four dead partners reminded her what he is capable of. She did not look forward to being the fifth dead partner on his list.


“So, can you cook?” She asked as they passed through the last street and the car entered the highway once again, leaving behind the miniature town.

 

[TucanSam]

The insistence with which she was trying to make small talk, all the while doing her best to put him in his place was equal parts annoying and confusing. Was she trying to get him to like her? Fear her? Or just obey her? Justin wasn't sure exactly what her end plan was, or even if she had one, so all he could offer her was silence as he contemplated what was going on. It was basic human nature to want to control that which you did not understand, and he'd been dealing with it ever since he had first realized what he could do. Since the first time he had taken a life. She would not be the one to tame him, he was sure of that.


"Of course I can cook," He muttered out of the side of his mouth after a long silence. "What kind of question is that? Everybody can cook. There are stoves out there that will do most of it for you even," His head turned to look at her. "Well, maybe not in your case. I imagine you have to actually try to do things on your own. But yes, I can cook."


Silence returned to the vehicle as he watched the scenery go by, wondering how long he would have to put up with her and her district. Living together was not something he was unfamiliar with, he'd been doing so for quite a while now actually. Doing what he did took an enormous physical and mental strain, and if he was not in control of his emotions at all times he tended to lose control. Drugs were effective about half the time, the other half required something much more powerful. Her name was Alice, and she'd been his live in psychiatrist for about six months now.


"It would be easier for us all if I live on my own," he broached the subject quietly. "There is more to keeping me under control than hoping and praying. I've been assigned another person to watch over me, and I doubt that she is going to want to live in a dormitory with a bunch of other officers. A stipend will be sent in the forces name to find me a suitable place to live if you are worried about the money."

 

[Lenaara]

They continued down the highway for a while longer, going straight and true to their destination that lay ahead. At the sides the fields provided a false sense of serenity and tranquillity that the area beyond them lacked. It felt akin to a calm before a storm; a giant chaotic storm of wild magic and equally wild thugs running rampant in her district. The thought of coming back to that hellhole was not welcoming and Ellenia’s mood soured with more distance covered.


Not that she was in a cheerful mood from the start.


Ellenia watched Justin from the corner of her eye. He seemed civil enough. Calm. Maybe even a good man deep inside beneath the layer of death that stuck to him like a cocoon. He spoke, albeit with annoyance, and behaved as any other person. Strip away the power that cursed him, take away the layers upon layers of clothing that protected the passersby from dropping lifeless onto the ground, and he turned into nothing else but an everyday man. An Officer. Her partner.


But even good men turn bad at a shockingly short period of time.


Ellenia rolled her shoulders and neck in discomfort and set her jaw. Her hand remained limp at the bottom of the driving wheel, close to the side in case she needed to reach for the gun.


“Good. None of my men can cook. They are going to expect you to,” she said.


The radio stuttered, fell silent, and then spat out another series of techno melodies. One melody changed into another flawlessly but the songs were broken, even, with an odd beat to them and broke the tense silence. Without realizing it, Ellenia tapped on the wheel, more out of impatience than in sync with the music. Realizing that, she adjusted the grip on the wheel and the leather of her glove scrunched loudly. She took a deep breath and slowly sighed through her nose.


It was too tense. Being near Justin, trapped in the car, was unnerving. No matter how much she tried to fill the silence with conversation – however unusual – their relationship seemed to deteriorate before it even began.


Making friends wasn’t her strong suit. Making friends with a man, who happened to be her partner, who could kill her at a moment’s notice was impossible.


And she had to rely on him in the field.


What were the higher ups thinking?


When Justin spoke Ellenia willed herself not to reach for the gun at her side.


“Your lover?” Ellenia asked before giving it some thought. Could he even have a lover?


Either to appear calm or force herself to stop being on edge, Ellenia leaned back into her seat. It helped little and the seat dug uncomfortably into her back. The damn chair would need to be adjusted later on. The car was new and she was still getting accustomed to it.


“Money isn’t what we’re worried about. It is the number of deaths that you can rack up if we aren’t supervising you.” It sounded wrong. Too wrong. He was an Officer, one of their own. He was not a child to hold his hand and guide him through life.


No, she told herself. Justin had to be watched, monitored, followed, all to avoid any unnecessary deaths that result from his freedom in the event of it being granted.


He was a time-bomb, ready to blow and take those around with him into the pits of Hell.


“You are staying in the living quarters. End of discussion. Bring your lover with you if you wish. My men are not going to bother her. It is safer with us, regardless,” Ellenia added matter-of-factly.

 

[TucanSam]

A sigh left his lips as he rolled his eyes to himself, turning his attention back to the window and the scenery outside. Most people he had been around or been forced to work with had been far too happy to have him live far away on his own, segregated from the others in their division or force. It figured that this singularly stubborn and annoying woman would be one of the only people he'd met who actually wanted to keep an eye on him. Not that it mattered all that much to Justin in the end; he would be able to control himself enough to avoid slaughtering the entire building he was sure, but without even having to think about it he knew what their reactions would be. Their attitudes, the way they would whisper behind his back and the glances they would shoot him out of the corner of their eyes. Being able to take and handle all of that was one thing, he was used to it. But the worries he had were not for himself.


"I appreciate your concern over my sex life, Officer," his voice was tinged with a bit of amusement over her assumption that he must be living with someone he was sleeping with. "And I'm sure that line of questioning in your head must have several more questions you would like to ask. But no, she is not my lover. Far from it," the last bit came out as a murmur, as if he was either embarrassed or nervous about saying what he had. But Justin offered no more commentary on the matter, engrossing himself in the semi awkward silence as they drove. The engines roar was the only noise that permeated the silence for several moments, aside from the occasional groan as they hit a bump, until a deep and obnoxious buzzing sound penetrated the air of the car.


Justin's gloved hand reached down to his pocket instinctively, trying to grab the comm device out of his pocket before it had the chance to ring more than a couple of times. The lining of his pants was thicker than the normal issue attire that officers wore, a decision made by those in the government who were truly suspicious of him, and because of that fact the normal vibration that would indicate someone trying to contact him often had gone ignored. Fearing he had lost control or simply gone missing, too many times had Justin found himself being chased down by agents of the force, only to have to explain he'd simply missed their seven or eight phone calls on accident.


He wasn't sure if they ever believed him, even though it was the truth, but in their exasperation they had made sure that he would never miss a phone call from them again. A sharp squeak rang out as his glove met the surface of the translucent, egg shaped device, and he held it tightly with both hands as he answered it, trying to corral it as the vibrations physically sent it jumping around in his hands. There was a small beep as his thumb hit an invisible button near the bottom, and a blue light lit up in the center of the device as the connection was made.


"Yes?" Justin said calmly as he raised the device up to the side of his head. "Ten minutes maybe? I'm not entirely sure where we are. I-.. No I've never been here before, why would I know that? Yes, she is here. We are on our way. No. You'll just have to wait." The voice on the other side had been gradually growing louder, and despite the technology applied to the device that intended to keep others from listening in on a conversation, Justin was almost sure that the voice was echoing through the car as he moved it away from his ears to protect his own hearing. "Well then you shouldn't have gone ahead to wait for us. I don't know what to tell you. I can't teleport us there. You're just going to have to wait!"


The device clicked again as he slammed his thumb against the button, disconnecting the call as he thrust it forcefully back into his pocket. Silence fell over them both for a few more minutes before Justin turned to her with a sigh. "We have to pick someone up real quick."

 

[Lenaara]

Ellenia cleared her throat and focused on the road. Watching the cement path drift by beneath the car suddenly seemed all the more interesting than continuing a conversation that would lead to admittance of having had thought of how someone like Justin could have a lover.


The man was not bad looking and was fit just as any other Officer. It was his power that would throw most, if not all, women off and send them running in the opposite direction. Holding hands would be problematic, let alone any sort of intimacy.


They continued on in silence, any attempts of maintaining conversation were given up on. Radio stuttered again and spewed out some melody that was interchanging with static. The constantly breaking device should have been switched off entirely, but the soft murmur of the repeating beats kept Ellenia focused on it and the road ahead. Tension had left her shoulders though she glanced at Justin more than once from the corner of her eye.


Serenity of the farm fields and the off-beat music mixed with static lasted only so long. The sudden buzzing from Justin’s side had made Ellenia turn her head to look at the man with such speed and force that the muscles of her neck protested in a flash of pain. The car jerked as her foot hit the brakes for a fraction of a second.


Calm down.


No apology was given and Ellenia shifted in her seat as if adjusting her position. Acting like it was the car’s fault was better than admitting of being on edge. It made her seem like the madwoman.


She regarded Justin with a raised brow. Whoever that person of his was, it remained of no concern to her. As long as this woman was not a burden, her residing in the Division with the rest of the crew would not be problematic. It was interesting to find out just who exactly could live with Justin. Surely not his mother. She hoped. The way he spoke to the person on the other end of the comm device was enough of an indicator that he was not too fond of them. Ellenia wondered if it was the woman that Justin spoke of.


The comm device was given a wary look. She’s had one of those before. Years ago. They reacted to magic as much as any other technology in their world did. As such, the device now served as a fancy paperweight on her desk. Its replacement was a palm sized heavy block of metal that received radio waves and picked up communications with stutters and lots of background noise and echo in the background. It also was broken half the time or dead from having its battery drained after an hour of use. Needless to say, Ellenia cursed that thing to participate in carnal activities on more times than she liked to admit.


After the conversation ended Ellenia did not say a single word and continued to pat impatiently with the palm of her hand against the bottom of the wheel.


“Someone?” She asked giving Justin a side glance. “That woman?” Who else? It would be surprising if the man knew anyone else in the city. His file claimed he’d just arrived. It was doubtful that his charming and well-mannered personality acquired him new friends so quickly.


Or maybe he’s a good man and your charming and full of outstanding mannerisms personality is driving him into hostility.


Her shrink was going to have a field day with the news of Ellenia’s new partner. She already dreaded the next appointment.


“Fine. Where?” She looked at Justin and then let out a slow sigh through her nose. “There is a convenience store ahead. It is on the District’s border. Can your someone get there? It is the only store outside Thirty-six.” Ellenia jerked her chin ahead.


Some distance ahead, just before the greying mass that was District 36, was the convenience store that was nothing more than a squat cement block at the side of the highway. To their right, across the field, was yet another little farming village that was vivid with its red brick rooftops and crème walls against the backdrop of fields blooming with bright yellow grain. Cut through the field ran a dirt path connecting the store and the village; there appeared to be more roads about, all narrow and framed at the sides with shrubs and short stone fences. Each road veered to the sides, circling the invisible boundary between District 36 and Inner Rings. The only road into the District 36 was the highway.


The car neared the store. From up close, the building looked even more decrepit than from the distance. Grey, dark, a block of stone that shared the non-imaginative design of the Guardian Task Force Centre No.4. The parking lot before the store was utterly empty except for a half a century year old car devoured by rust and dirt; its wheels were missing, as were the windows, and the dashboard housed several profanities carved with something sharp into the once smooth metal.


Ellenia parked the car near the building’s entrance and switched off the engine. They were positioned right beyond a wall where words printed black with magic changed every so often, displaying the changes in the weather, recent news and the prices for the goods inside the store. The right side of the building was occupied by a take-away pizza joint the name of which flashed in bright red letters just beyond the roof; a scent of old spices and cheap ingredients wafted through the air and crept into the car through the opened window on Justin’s side.


The scent made Ellenia’s stomach churn and she pressed a thumb over a button on her side of the car to bring the passenger’s window up.


“For whom are we waiting for?” Ellenia broke the silence and propped her elbow on the car’s door. With her thumb and index finger she rubbed her eyes. She hoped they’d have been in the District by now, where a warm bed and a mountain of paperwork awaited her. There was still so much work to do.


Coffee would be nice.


The convenience store was up ahead but Ellenia knew from experience that buying anything from there would be problematic. For one, the coffee machine was magic-only (surprisingly) and the cashiers refused to accept payment from a shady looking card that was given to her by the Force that did not require her magical imprint; the card worked only half the time and when it did, it claimed that there was no money in her account. Buying coffee would be an adventure of its own. It’d wake her up and leave her with a headache.


This time, however, there was someone in her car who could easily waltz into the store and get her an expresso.


Ellenia looked at Justin with a contemplative look. “Buy me a coffee?” She asked, already expecting a look of annoyance from the man and a possible, “Jesus Christ” muttered under his breath.

 

[TucanSam]

There had been a time in the past where technology had not relied solely on magic, when devices were powered by something other than a persons own power. Ellenia and the way she lived, working with artifacts of an age long gone, were proof that history had not been made up, but the idea of it was still very foreign to Justin. When asked to provide a location of where to meet up, all he'd had to do was hold the egg shaped device in his hands and will it to do what he wanted. Anything requiring more effort than that was absurd, and he felt a small pang of sympathy for the woman he'd been forced together with, though it passed quickly.


His mind was far too busy to consider sympathy as they pulled into the parking lot. Graffiti covered some of the walls, trash piled up on the sidewalks and it was clear that they had left the bustling urban centers of the inner rings for the first time. This was the outer edge, the area where poverty became prevalent and crime rates began to rise. The mood on his face darkened as he watched out the window silently, his eyes unfocused as he retreated into his own thoughts.


"Buy me a coffee?"


Her question cut into his malaise sharply, causing his head to snap to her in surprise. It was almost as if he had forgotten she was there entirely, and he had to calm himself to try and stop from looking awkward. Meeting up with an old friend would normally have been a soothing, happy moment for him. There was nothing normal about this situation though, and he felt his systems kicking into overdrive. Alice was his best friend, his only friend really, and he was incredibly protective of her even when she didn't want him to be. Having her meet up with this person who clearly had made up her own mind about Justin was not a pleasurable thought, for several reasons. He was nervous. He hated being nervous.


A groan resonated from the car door as he opened it wordlessly, wincing slightly as the suns rays struck him in the face. Heat shimmered off the surface of the pavement as he stepped out of the car, shutting the door slowly behind him, and for the first time today his clothes felt heavy, as if they were a burden on his body. The aridity of the air, the intensity of the sun shining on his face. Justin's senses suddenly felt very acute, his mind very aware of what was happening around him. Rubber and leather rubbing against his skin, the soft thud of his boots with every step. He knew the signs of a panic attack, he'd had far too many to not understand what was happening at this point.


Deep breaths, he reminded himself as he stepped through the sliding doors of the convenience store, There's nothing to worry about. Cold, conditioned air welcomed him as he entered, bringing relief from the heat that the cars air conditioning had been unable or unwilling to offer. Sweat that covered his hair and neck suddenly felt like ice, and he allowed himself to revel in the feeling for a moment before moving to the back of the store, weaving between the aisles as he tried to pretend like the clerk wasn't watching him intently. With so many layers of clothing on in the middle of summer, the employee must have immediately considered him a shoplifting threat. It was an assumption that Justin was used to dealing with, and he pushed it to the back of his mind as he searched for the coffee machine.


A small dirty table in the back held two of them, along with some cups and sweeteners, and Justin paused, realizing he had not thought to ask her exactly how she had wanted her coffee. Black? Sweetened? Should he grab some of each and bring them with him? What would he do if she didn't want them, just keep them in his pockets? If they'd exchanged numbers beforehand he could simply call her and ask. Should he go out and ask her? Would the clerk let him leave without buying something? The unreasonable panic from before began to well in his mind, and he shoved it down once more as he calmed himself.


She'll just have to drink it black then, he resolved himself to the decision, slipping the glove slowly off of his right hand and jamming his thumb against the button on the side of the machine. Droplets of sweat covered the back of his hand and wirst, and he shook them gently in the air in an effort to dry them. It felt good to be free of his restraints, and he allowed himself to enjoy it for a moment before a voice interrupted him.


"I thought you weren't supposed to take those off in public."


He froze at the question before quickly rolling the glove back onto his hand. Instinct told him to leave it off, to be ready for anything. Too many times had he followed protocol and been ambushed by somebody hoping for revenge. But they didn't normally know about the restrictions on his clothing, and the voice was familiar. Justin felt himself tensing as he turned, regarding the small redheaded woman who stood at the end of the aisle watching him. The long summer dress she wore was made out of some sort of thin, soft fabric that shimmered as she moved. A dark blue jean jacket covered the top half of her slight frame, and she clutched it tightly against herself as she approached him, trying to ward off the excessive air conditioning of the store.


Freckles covered her cheeks and nose, and given that she was a good foot shorter than he was, it would have been easy to mistake her for a child. She brushed past him, thumbing the same machine off before the cup he had abandoned could overflow. "Though I guess it can't really be helped, can it?" Her lips pursed in a frown as she capped the cup. "Ooh, she's a coffee drinker, huh?"


Her disapproving tone was enough to ease the tension out of Justin's shoulders, and he relaxed his stance, accepting the cup she offered gingerly. "I thought you were going to call before you arrived." He asked her softly.


Alice looked up at him, her faux frown turning again into a glimmering smile. "This seemed like it would be more fun. You've always been way too easy to scare." Her hand snaked into a nearby cooler, grabbing a bottle of water and opening it to the disapproving glances of the clerk at the other end of the store. "So," she said between long drinks of water. "Have you two made friends yet?"


A needless question if there ever was one. Justin didn't make friends, hell he didn't even often make acquaintances. Wherever he had gone his reputation had always preceded him, and those who weren't able to avoid interaction with him had always done so under a cloud of extreme fear. There weren't many fears in the world that were nearly universal, but death was one of them. It was hard to make friends with people who only saw you as a threat. when he didn't offer her a reply she rolled her eyes at him softly, patting him on the shoulder as she headed towards the door.


"Figures. You've never been good with other people. Don't worry, I'll have a talk with her." The protection the tempered glass offered disappeared as the doors slid open, and sunlight filled the room as she stepped out, offering a "Pay for our drinks, won't you?" over her shoulder as she stepped outside. Justin watched her go, the nerves in his body ratcheting up a level once more. Alice, to date, had been the only person who hadn't feared him immediately upon meeting him. She trusted in his self control, in his ability to hold back his own powers when he wanted to, in the fact that he was more than just a killing tool that was uncontrollable. It was completely foolish, and it made her hard to deal with. He wasn't sure what those two would do when they met, but he was in no hurry to return to the car.


~~~~~~~~~


Alice knocked softly on the window of the car, taking in the sorry machine as she did so. Her job and position at the Government Bureau of Personnel had given her access to Ellenia's records, and she had done her fair share of detective work on the woman before coming out, but it was always good to get an impression of someone in person. This vehicle was not a good one. The tips of her fingers gripped the handle gingerly, as if she expected something abnormal to happen, before she pulled the door open without waiting for a response. Folding the edges of her dress down, she slid into the passenger seat and shut the door behind her, fixing Ellenia with a polite but emotionless smile.


"Hello there, officer. Can we talk for a moment?"

 

[Lenaara]

Surprisingly, Justin did not voice his disapproval and just as silently Ellenia watched the man climb out of the car. Only after he had disappeared behind the sliding automatic doors of the convenience store did she realize that he had no idea what sort of coffee she wanted. No matter. At this point, she wouldn’t care if it was a latte with a butterfly picture on the foam. Coffee was coffee and she had not slept in nearly thirty hours.


Leaning back, Ellenia ran her hands through her hair and frowned at the leather sliding through her tangled locks. It was hot in the car and the inside lining of her gloves tugged and rubbed against her skin uncomfortably. Throwing a wary glance at the sliding doors to see if Justin was about to return – he had not and she could not see anything inside the store from the parking lot – Ellenia pulled off the gloves and settled them over her lap.


The wish to take off the coat as well was ignored and Ellenia only pulled her hair back, twisted it around her fingers into a bun and held it there. There was little cool air from the air conditioning within the car, but the breeze still felt pleasant against her bare damp skin.


She set her head back against the headrest of her seat, closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.


With Justin gone, the tension had disappeared. Ellenia let her shoulders relax and her hand slip over her lap, away from the gun.


Maybe she was being paranoid. Maybe Justin was fine.


Or maybe, the clerk in the convenience store was about to drop dead because Justin did not wish to pay for Ellenia’s coffee, or just because he felt like it.


Calm down.


Anxiety was eating away at her mind, spreading distrust and paranoia that was unjustified as of yet. Justin had not tried to kill her, had he?


Well, Anthony was fine for years.


Ellenia shook her head, both to let her hair fall over her shoulders and to force the unpleasant thoughts and memories from her mind.


In a foolish attempt to cool down the car, Ellenia rolled the windows down, only to have the stench of cheap spices and meats assault her nose. The pizza joint did not go anywhere and seemed intent on reminding Ellenia of its presence. With a frown and a curse, she thumbed the buttons to bring the windows back up.


The air conditioning was working to its maximum capacity but it did not stop the woman from turning the switch in the direction of the bright blue arrow that indicated the cool air flow. It was turned to its limit and Ellenia raised her hand to hold it above the vents. A warm current hit her palm.


Beaten by an air conditioner. Great.


Accepting defeat, Ellenia rested her cheek against her knuckles as she propped an elbow against the door and wiped off the beads of sweat that gleamed over her forehead and temples with the back of her hand. With tired eyes she regarded the doors of the convenience store. The reflection of her car stared back at Ellenia and she could see a faint pale silhouette that was the driver.


Repeating off-beat music and the warm conditioned air had nearly lulled her to sleep. No longer the car seat appeared uncomfortable and with Justin out of the car, Ellenia allowed herself a moment of peace even if paranoia still tugged at her mind, urging her to watch the doors lest the man left the store to never return to her car.


The knock had alerted Ellenia and she jerked upright in her seat. Turning her head to look at the door, she expected Justin to be standing outside, waiting to be let in. The man had eyed her car with a disapproving look before. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had little clue as to how the doors opened.


Leaning to the side, Ellenia had nearly reached for the handle of the passenger’s door when she noticed the bright flash of sheer fabric draped over a lean feminine figure. That was not Justin. Taking her hand back, she was about to lean further down to inspect the face of the one knocking on her car’s door. Before she could, the door was yanked open and a redheaded woman slid into the passenger’s seat with ease.


Stunned, Ellenia regarded the stranger, a hand already on her hip by the gun. Caution was never wrong in situations where strangers climbed into your car as if they owned it.


Everything about this woman was assessed, noted, memorized and analysed in Ellenia’s mind. Her instructors at the Academy had called it a Metal Dossier. It was more of a mind map, in reality. A puzzle that was built gradually, slowly or quickly depending on the facts provided and then discovered. An expanse of emptiness that was filled with little bubbles of words that were connected to one another to form an image and a conclusion. It happened automatically ever since Ellenia could remember, and it had helped her tremendously at the Academy and whilst working in the field years after graduating.


The puzzle was forming in her mind the moment the door opened and the redheaded woman entered the car.


The dress was taken in with caution as Ellenia’s eyes darted over the long skirt, looking and searching for the little dents and bumps that could indicate a concealed weapon. The jean jacket shifted on the woman’s shoulders and revealed her sides, empty of any weapons as well. No guns, no knives. While the dress provided more than enough cover to hide a strapped to one’s thigh weapon, Ellenia supposed, it was doubtful anyone would bother with lifting their skirts to their waists to pull out a gun.


With no weapons in sight, Ellenia let her hand slip down an inch from the side of the jacket where her own gun was kept.


State of the clothing indicated someone from outside District 36. It was common for those in 36 to prefer cheap clothing, something comfortable and easily replaceable. The long flowy dress and a fashionable jacket certainly did not fit the fashion of 36.


That brought forth a question – where was this woman from?


Not from the Outer Ring, at least not from this area. People were cautious enough not to enter a car of an officer, but it was possible.


On top of it all, this woman recognized Ellenia’s car as one not requiring a magical input. Car doors slid open softly with but a thought, a will of the owner’s mind directed at the fob that was their car keys. While Ellenia’s car looked different than the others, it retained the standard appearance of a Guardian Task Force vehicle.


Conclusion flashed brightly in the woman’s mind – this unwanted guest might very well be that someone that Justin wished to pick up. They were supposed to meet here.


The thought process took but a moment during which the passenger had offered a smile that did not transfer to her eyes and a question that seemed completely out of place, given the way this woman entered an officer’s car.


Ellenia leaned back into her seat and rested her elbow on the armrest of the car door, careful not to press on some button or another.


“Well, you’re already in my car,” Ellenia said without offering neither a greeting nor a smile in return. “So I guess I don’t have much of a choice. Are you the one Justin wanted to pick up?” A glance was thrown at the sliding doors. Justin was nowhere to be seen. “What is this about?”

 

[TucanSam]

Alice waved her hand dismissfully at Ellenias confusion, either not willing to or not in the mood to ask such questions that seemed pointless. "If I was not that person, what would you do? Detain me? Arrest me? Gun me down?" Her cold green eyes lowered towards Ellenias gun slowly before traveling back up to her face. Red curls that flowed down shortly past her shoulders shook as her head moved back and forth, a pleasant laugh leaving her lips. "Relax, Officer Orlova. My name is Alice, and yes I am the one that Justin had you come to pick up."


She moved gracefully to take the jean jacket off, her moves fluid as if she was attempting not to break something very fragile. Light brown freckles covered the top of her shoulders, but other than those slight blemishes her skin was pale and clear, a sign that she did not spend much time outdoors nor tanning. "I've read your files and talked to Justin shortly. As his assigned psychiatrist and as an officer of the Government, it makes sense that I would take a keen interest in somebody who would be working so closely with him, no? Especially given his-" She paused, looking for the right word to use. "... condition. And yours as well. You are quite fascinating, I must say."


A button on her jacket snapped open loudly as Alice reached her hand inside, producing an egg shaped device similar to the one that Justin had used, albeit a bit larger. Where Justins had seemed to be a simple communication device, the one that alice produced had a large smooth section in the center that was not opaque like the rest of the casing. Swift swiped of her fingers brought the screen to life, displaying words and images that seemed to float half an inch above the surface of the screen. "Top of your class, exceptional in shooting, physical exertion and basic military strategy. Once served as high as the 6th district but," Her lips pursed slightly as she read out loud. "you were demoted rather quickly to as low as the 36th. Quite a fall from grace, wouldn't you say?"


The device disappeared among the folds of her dress as she turned her attention back to Ellenia, her expression never softening despite her casual, familiar tone. "There are a few things you should be aware of if you are to be involved with Justin. Chief among them is that no decision on his whereabouts, assignments or reassignments is made without consultation from me. Him being partnered with you is no exception." A short gust of wind blew by the car, shaking leaves from the nearby trees and hopefully signaling some relief from the heat. "Those of us who have a vested interest in Justin chose you for a reason, and while I know that his reputation precedes him, and that you are likely unhappy with the circumstances, I want you to know that any and all complaints or transfer requests that you submit to the bureau will be denied."


A sharp rattle from the engine broke the silence at the end of her sentence sharply, causing Alice to flinch despite her best efforts to seem intimidating. Being no more than five foot six and weighing in at less than one hundred and twenty pounds often made that task difficult. Getting spooked by loud noises surely did not help. "Secondly is that I give Justin sessions of therapy six times a week, and in doing so need to be near him whenever is convenient. Keeping his mind in tact and his powers under control is a full time job, and one in which I have been tasked to do so. I understand that you and your men live in dorms, something that is... unfavorable to our situation. But we can discuss that at a later point."


The distance between them closed considerably as Alice leaned forward, her hands propping her up on the center console as she attempted to fix Ellenia with a gaze that she would be unable to escape. "The most important thing that you need to know is that Justin is mine I have put a lot of effort and time into making sure that he stays happy, sane and healthy. Despite his reputation, despite his record, I will not allow anyone to affect his mental health. If you are able to contribute to keeping him in a good place, then we can be friends. Otherwise, you will find that I am not a kind person, Miss Orlova. Even your own record has spots that you are not proud of, no?"


She leaned back, straightening her dress as she did and finally breaking eye contact for a moment. The green of her eyes had gone dark for a moment before brightening once more as her firm expression turned into a soft smile. "Other than that, I have a few questions I would like to ask if that is alright. As a psychiatrist, I like to learn about the people I will be working with, and build sort of a profile on them that will enable me to better serve their needs, and the needs of Justin. Would you mind if we talked about your past for a few moments?"

 

[Lenaara]

The stranger was regarded with a quirked brow. “I’d tell you to get the hell out of my car,” Ellenia murmured. Shortly after a brief – albeit forced – introduction followed and Alice was not politely asked to leave an officer’s car. Somehow, Ellenia got the impression that Alice would refuse to get out of the car unless at gunpoint, and even then it’d take quite a lot of convincing.


Not willing to hold a civilian, and someone close to Justin as it would seem, at gunpoint, Ellenia let the intrusion be and relaxed against her seat. Leaning partially against the seat and the door at her side, she watched Alice gingerly. The jean jacket was removed and no weapons were present; there appeared to be no guns strapped to the woman’s torso beneath the dress, either.


Living in the most crime saturated part of the city has made Ellenia paranoid. Rightly so, too. People got creative when they had to hide a weapon from an Officer trained to notice these things.


There was a slight change of expression at the mention of Ellenia’s files. The woman’s eyes narrowed for a moment and settled on Alice in a wary stare. So, this officer of the Government and a psychiatrist has done some digging into Ellenia’s past. That was more than Ellenia herself could claim to have done in regards to Justin. Maybe if she’s read the file when the unofficial leader of her group, Arthur Lake, had presented her the manila folder, the transfer would have been stopped before it ever reached the Centre’s attention.


Not surprised at the confession to have looked into her past, Ellenia gave Alice an are-you-serious look after given a…compliment? It didn’t feel like one. Quite fascinating was a term more appropriate for a guinea pig in a scientist’s lab.


“That’s one way to put it. Thanks?” Ellenia said hesitantly, still wondering if she should feel insulted, ashamed or proud. Neither seemed right and she settled on the usual reaction – acceptance that she was the black sheep that people liked to poke at and wonder how the hell did everything happen.


Watching the woman closely, a glance was thrown at the doors of the convenience store. Partly because she wished to pay attention to Justin’s whereabouts, and partly because she wanted her coffee. There was still no guarantee that the man was even going to buy her a coffee – he neither agreed nor refused – but hope was still there.


A shrug was the response given to Alice after she recited Ellenia’s background. The information was publicly available and if once she used to be proud of her achievements, now they appeared ridiculous given her current position in the Guardian Force.


“I know my background. Get to the point,” Ellenia said sharply.


Lack of coffee and sleep was making her snappy, irritated. The longer they spent at the border, the less time she’d get to rest before being called back on duty. Needless to say, Alice appeared to be the obstacle between Ellenia and a comfortable bed, shower, and some premade food if there was still any left. Maybe she should have asked Justin to go grocery shopping, too.


At the claim that all complaints and requests of transfer will be denied if submitted, Ellenia’s shoulders tensed and she regarded Alice with a cold stare. Remaining silent, Ellenia let the woman continue speaking.


Would this woman, Alice, had that kind of pull? It did not sound like she was bluffing. Neither was it hard to imagine that whoever decided to pair up Ellenia and Justin, to combine their abilities for the greater good of the society and the Force, would budge easily when pressured for a transfer.


Despite Alice’s best efforts to look intimidating, both as she climbed into the car and then leaned closer to Ellenia, closing the distance between the two women, Ellenia did not flinch or appear uncomfortable. She looked at Alice with the same expression of a mixture of fatigue and boredom tinted with annoyance. She did not lean further back against the door and remained seated.


It would take a considerable amount of effort to threaten anyone while wearing a flowy summer’s dress and looking fresh out of the Inner Rings. Except for maybe the usual women who fought over men or some pair of expensive brand shoes on a sale day, Ellenia supposed.


The gun at her side and her training assured her with safety in any situation when facing a woman who had probably been sitting half her life in the Government office printing and stamping paperwork.


Feeling more uncomfortable at the proximity than annoyed, Ellenia cocked her head at the rhetorical question.


“Or what?” Ellenia asked sharply, authoritatively. “Are you going to get me demoted? Dismissed from the force? Or report my story to the press?” The way Ellenia’s eyebrows rose as she spoke hinted that she wished Alice luck if she wished to pursue any of these paths. “Keep your man and dote on him. I am no nanny. I have a job to do. One that his,” she jerked her chin at the convenience store, “presence is going to make extremely difficult.”


The radio stuttered again and Ellenia switched it off entirely. There was more static than music now and it was getting on her nerves as much as Alice and her threats were. Turning to Alice, Ellenia rested a forearm against the top of the steering wheel and the other on the back of her seat. Leaning slightly forward, she pinned the woman to her seat with a cold stare and slightly furrowed brows.


The situation was annoying. And she still wanted coffee.


“Justin is a time bomb. A dangerous one. When it is going to blow, it is going to kill all those near him. My men and me included. While I can survive – which is still a question – others can’t. District 36 is no beach resort but we can deal with it; it is what we signed up for. What we didn’t sign up was a partner that can kill with a handshake.”


If Alice did not understand this, there was nothing else to say. This woman had decided to take a path much more troublesome than the one that Ellenia chosen. Alice wanted to keep Justin in a calm state of mind, giving him a false illusion of love and caring. On the other hand, Ellenia just wanted the man out of her district and away from the men who were at enough risk as it is; keeping the man in a good state of mind required time that she did not have and trust that was hard to come by. Neither of the women were wrong. It was just that Ellenia already experienced having her trust betrayed by someone whom she loved and cared for. Blind trust and faith killed twenty-two men and nearly dragged her to the same fate.


With an irritated sign, Ellenia leaned back against her seat once more and rested her cheek on the back of her hand as she propped her elbow on the door’s armrest. She trained her eyes on the sliding doors and watched Alice from the corner of her eye.


“I already have a shrink,” she said matter-of-factly as if she was speaking to a salesperson who tried their hardest to sell her a vacuum. “My needs are simple – keeping my men safe. That implies getting your man out of my hair.” Raising a hand, Ellenia gestured at the device that Alice had hidden in the folds of her dress moments before. “Everything there is to know of my past is in my records. Just an average by the book Guardian who happens to be immune to magic. What else do you need?”


Was, she supposed, was an average by the book Guardian. It appeared to be hard following protocol when chasing down suspects in District 36; people who live in 36 happen to be quite imaginative when it comes to officers of the law.

 

[TucanSam]

"I already have a shrink"


"Good," Alice pressed a few buttons on her device before smiling at it, and placing it back into the folds of her dress. "That will make it much easier to build my own profile on you then. Having a pre-built folder to read through isn't a luxury I often have in this line of work. You understand. Officers tend to like to bottle things up, keep them inside and pretend like nothing is bothering them." A hand reached up to brush some hair out of her face. "Unfortunately for you and your men, I cannot allow any of you that luxury."


"What else do you need?”





Something akin to a thinking expression fell over her small face as she turned away momentarily, glancing out the window as she struggled to come up with a way to say what she needed to without scaring the woman into not talking at all. The ability to be immune to magic, the ability to kill by touch, they were not the only abilities that the government had coveted in finding a way to cultivate. Among political and military power, there was one more thing that drove the world, and drove the men who ran it into a desperate bid for it. Information. If one had the ability to gain the information they needed, even by force, then it was worthwhile to pursue that opportunity with as much vigor as possible. Ellenia and Justin were not the only ones who had undergone experimentation in a bid to gain incredible power.


"Namely?", Alice interrupted her own thought process, pushing the memories to the back of her mind and returning to the topic at hand. "I need everything. Every piece of information on you, your men and what drives you emotionally, physically. Your memories, your thought processes, your motivations. My job is not nearly to manage Justin, but to also manage the people around him who come into contact with him on a regular basis. I am sure you are a fine officer, Miss Orlova, and I do not presume to say that you have been hiding information from the government willfully. But everybody has secrets that they hold onto, and it is my job to find out what they are."


She sighed, leaning back in her chair as she gazed out the windshield. The light in her eyes had dimmed to a dull shimmer, and it was clear that she was already tiring of the direction this conversation had taken. Alice was very good at her job, one of the better ones that the government had at their disposal, but that didn't mean that it didn't tire her out. "I would appreciate your support in that process, but whether you wish to comply or not is no matter. The force does not wish to see any more needless deaths of their own men, and to facilitate that wish I will gain the information needed by any means necessary." Her head tilted lazily to her left as she regarded Ellenia. "I hope that makes clear the situation."


Another burst of air left her lips in an exaggerated sigh before she grabbed her device once more, pushing a button quickly and raising it to her mouth. "Justin dear, you can return to the car now. Our little talk is over."


~~~~~~~~~~~~


Justin stood at the side of the car moments later, a cup of coffee in his hand and a look of worry on his face. Alice's role and abilities had long been known to him, despite their hidden and guarded nature, and he was more than aware of the lengths she would go, and the lengths she could go to, in order to get her job done. Whatever they had talked about, he was sure it had not been pleasant. The car had been awkward enough before Alice had arrived, and he was in no rush to experience what it was like now.


Before he could act on his impulse to turn and walk away, the front passenger door opened wide and Alice stepped out, hanging her jacket over her shoulder as she moved towards the back seat. "That took you long enough. Are you standing here dawdling again?" She gripped her jacket by the collar, tossing it at him unceremoniously as she climbed into the back seat. "Hurry up now. I prefer not to sweat anymore than necessary. Let's get somewhere that has air conditioning that actually works."

 

[Lenaara]

"I hope that makes clear the situation."


“Crystal,” Ellenia said coolly.


That was the end of their conversation. It was best not to mention that air conditioning has been broken at the Division for over four months now.


After accepting her coffee with an appreciative nod and a muttered, “Thank you,” Ellenia had been quiet. The coffee was held in her hand for the longest time, the cup’s bottom pressed against her thigh as she pulled out of the parking lot and entered the highway. Once on the road again and the convenience store behind them, she lifted the cup to her lips intending to take a sip but paused, eyeing it suspiciously.


Can he affect food that he touches with that ability of his?


All things considered, it was a valid question. She had not read Justin’s file to know the extent of his abilities. About to ask whether or not he’d poisoned the coffee, Ellenia glanced at Justin and thought it better to keep the question to herself. It was silly.


Gingerly she took a sip. Nothing happened. Other than the coffee having gone warm, the bitter brew was not lethal. Only after the thoughts of possibly being killed by coffee had left her mind, going into the corner of silly questions that would never see the light of the day, it had occurred to Ellenia that the coffee was black with no sugar. Just how she liked it.


The highway stretched on for a while longer and passed the last field of bright yellow grain of the Agricultural District. The car went over a small bridge over a narrow canal that appeared to be the border between District 36 and the Inner Rings. They entered the district and the scenery changed from that of tranquillity and bright colours of the fields, to one that depicted…nothing out of the ordinary save for one thing.


When passing between districts, it was easy to know when one ended and the other began. The border was both seen and felt, with its rippling air and the odd sensation that felt more like electricity to Ellenia. No such wards were between the District 36 and the Inner Rings.


It gave an impression of still being in the Inner Rings, where everything was directed towards safety and peace. As if to emphasize that false sensation of security and still being a part of a grand civilization, the buildings at the border were all new and clean, tall in their immaculate glass and steel frames. People were dressed in summer’s clothing and business attire; their expressions about as demonstrative as a rock and they regarded Ellenia’s car with the blandness of a particularly featureless boulder.


They passed tall offices and expensive restaurants, stores that sold clothing similar to that of what Alice was wearing; convenience stores and little café shops. There was even a small school across the street. Everything was wedged closely together, pressing against each other as if fighting for space. It continued on a while still, the car passing one street and entered another, going down the road with the other cars that appeared to be nothing different than those of the Inner Rings. They veered to the left, passed through a narrow street framed by little shops that offered all sorts of trinkets, and then entered an area where the buildings were much smaller and darker in their appearance. Barely anyone was out on the streets and the cars, that were all over the roads by the boarder, had greatly lessened in number.


And then, they neared a ward.


It was in a form of a half bubble of a shimmering brightly in a prismatic light wall that went up as a wall and then curved inwards, protecting the little civilized area by the border. Like an opaque barrier, it hid anything on the other side.


Ellenia’s car slowed to a crawl, as if in anticipation. The remaining coffee – now cold and bearing an unpleasant texture – was finished promptly and the cup was put into a holder on the dashboard. Ellenia rolled back her shoulders and let out an irritated sigh.


Here goes.


They passed the ward and she had to stifle a groan. Electricity coursed through her veins, the markings etched onto her skin felt like fire. The ward spat out the car eagerly, the tendrils of magic leaving the car and its passengers quickly and retreating back into the protective wall. Sensation of having passed a current of electricity disappeared the moment the car passed through. Still, Ellenia had to roll her neck and run a hand over her face uncomfortably, as if to shake off the remaining prismatic tendrils of magic.


Quickly glancing at Justin, Ellenia wondered if the man felt a similar sensation.


Doubtful.


Ever since she’d received the treatment, passing through wards and barriers proved to be more uncomfortable than before. While no protection in any magical form was an obstacle for her – so long as she could pass it within the time limit of her ability – she still felt them. Each ward was different, each barrier its own sensation, intensified tenfold.


Wishing there was more coffee, Ellenia retracted her hand from the empty cup that she was about to take out of habit. She hated passing that ward.


Leaving the opaque wall behind them, the car entered into the true part of District 36, and the passengers were greeted with nothing else but a rotting cesspit of civilization.


Graffiti wrapped around each building like a skirt, stopping only when the wall was too high to reach with a spray can. Gang tags mixed with faded street art and scribbled profanity. Even the few, rotting benches on the side of the road did not escape being tagged and then tagged again.


They passed squat houses long abandoned and ruined. Streets were empty and dirty with trash and dry leaves of trees that were in a state of decay. The grass was tall and uncut, bald in certain spots and covered with weeds. Hot air rippled above the hot cement roads and pavements.


People passed through the streets slowly, their shoulders hunched forward and red from sunburn. Exposed skin was blemished and at times even bruised, glistening with sweat. In the shadows of the eaves, several men sat by a store, smoking and scanning the area gingerly, as if expecting trouble. At seeing Ellenia’s car, several men looked away quickly and another spat in the car’s direction.


Several more cars were on the street, all dusty and rotting with rust. When they stopped by a streetlight, several men in the nearby vehicle had whistled and winked, their attention focused on Alice. Ellenia’s own face was hidden by her hair as she rested her temple on her knuckles, waiting impatiently for the light to change.


The car passed several more streets, all uniform in their decrepit state, and they entered a street much cleaner and quieter than the others. It was also devoid of people. Ahead, a building of grey stone loomed over a gravel courtyard. Painted with black and secured with magic, the words Guardian Task Force Division No.36 were vivid against the blank background of the three storey building that was Ellenia’s home.


A small porch, ruined at the sides and missing half a bottom step – Ellenia made a mental note to get it fixed, again – led to a large reinforced metal door that did not ripple with silvery light. One narrow window was on the eye level, a keypad was mounted into the door above the handle, and a white box resembling a radio was placed beside the door on the stone wall.


A ward shimmered around the premises of the Division 36, rippling over the area in a bubble of hot air. It was the only ward in the area.


As Ellenia pulled towards the building, it became apparent that the Division was as empty as the streets surrounding it. The windows were closed, the covers shut, not a single soul went in or out of the Division. Only when the car rounded the building, entering its parking lot to the right, did any signs of life become present.


There were cars in the parking lot. One small mini-van, its red paint peeling and fading on the roof and sides, was at the back. Then, there were two Task Force issued standard vehicles; one was dirty, the other appeared completely untouched, both proudly sporting the Division’s number on the front and back. Another car, pristine and new, with its white coloured frame and windows so spotless that it was almost painful to look at from the sunlight’s rays reflecting on its surface. It was the last car that had caught Ellenia’s attention the most – another Force standard vehicle, with immaculate dark doors and windows and a number 2 shining brightly on its rear.


Ellenia’s breath caught in her throat and she stopped her own car with a jerk. Eyes wide, she stared at the car belonging to the Division of District 2 with an ashen face and had to remind herself to turn off the engine.


“Let’s go,” she heard herself say with a strained voice, breaking the silence.


The radio had not been turned on since she’d thumbed the button to switch off the stuttering piece of scrap metal. Awkward tension filled the silence instead, broken only by the occasional roar of the engine or the hubbub of the busy streets at the border and not so busy decrepit part of the district.


The silence mattered little to Ellenia and she welcomed it, allowing herself to focus on the road and Justin at her side, watching the man closely from her peripheral vision. Just in case. They did have a bare armed civilian at the back, wedged between empty water bottles and all sorts of other items that needed to be either thrown out or sorted. It was still questionable if it was wise to be so…naked around someone like Justin. Maybe it was Alice’s way of saying that she trusted Justin not to kill her; or, maybe, the woman was stupid.


Leaving the empty coffee cup behind, Ellenia climbed out of the car and headed for the narrow path that circled the building, leading towards the main door. Stopping halfway across the parking lot, Ellenia turned to check if the car had been vacated before she pressed on a button on the key fob and locked the doors. While District 4 was civil enough not to steal items from a car that most did not know how to open, District 36 was a different matter.


Once at the main doors, Ellenia put in the key code, seven numbers in total, and turned the handle. The door automatically opened, slowly, revealing an empty reception area small enough only to hold two chairs by the wall and a secretary table on the far side. The table was empty, apart from a stack of empty pizza boxes that appeared to have taken residence on the table from months ago. Behind the reception area a staircase went up to the second floor.


To the right, the reception area opened to a large open room divided with partitions of matte floor to ceiling glass. Akin to cubicles, the working areas stood divided from one another and within desks, office chairs, and all sorts of cabinets filled the small working spaces. Above, two ceiling fans were working slowly. The room was hot and stuffy, humid. It was much hotter inside the building than it was outside.


Ellenia passed through the room quickly, following the sole hallway in the middle between working areas. Small doorways – openings between partitions – revealed the working areas on Ellenia’s sides as she passed them.


The first two were not ‘working’ areas, as such. The one on her left served as a dining area, where a round table surrounded by metal chairs stood, a coffee machine at the back and a fridge. A stove was there, too, though it appeared to be an older model; it was relatively clean and all sorts of pans and pots framed the small cooking area.


The room on her right was akin to a lounge, where a couch and a TV stand stood across from one another atop a rug of a dull blue colour that had seen better days. Littered with a variety of items that ranged from empty water bottles to discarded pieces of clothing, the lounge appeared to be the most used area of the Division. As Ellenia passed, she glanced into the area to see if it had been cleaned as she’d asked her men almost a week ago. It wasn’t, and draped over the back of the couch, hidden beneath a coat of the officer fatigues, was a piece of female lingerie in a bright fuchsia pink colour.


The area behind the miniature kitchen was Ellenia’s. It was more cluttered than the lounge, though instead of undergarments that were not her own, her office was drowning in paperwork. It was everywhere. The large and made of oak desk was covered with stacks of untouched paperwork, some bound and some scattered over the surface. Cardboard boxes were stacked up onto one another in piles as high as to reach the ceiling; one of such boxes sat on the office chair dragged towards the entrance of the area, away from its designated spot at the desk. Sheets of paper of different colours and sizes were all around her working area; some scattered over the desk, some were on the floor beneath the desk, all scribbled with random notes with a clean but rushed handwriting. Three coffee mugs – one of them half empty – were on the floor under the desk. A medical kit lay open atop another at the corner by the doorway.


Unwilling to look at the still needed to be filled out paperwork, Ellenia turned her attention away from the place that needed thorough cleaning that she called her office, and continued down the hall. Across from her working area was another, empty save for a similar desk and office chair, both collecting dust.


“Your office,” Ellenia waved a hand at the small room as she looked at Justin over her shoulder.


She’d give him a tour later, or tell someone else to do it for her. Their office was small; it wouldn’t take Justin long to understand who was working where. Only three other men worked in the same division and their working areas spoke for themselves. Alice wouldn’t have troubles finding out heaps of information on each of her men just by glancing at the little rooms that they called their offices.


At the back of the hallway, she could hear muffled voices and frenzied typing.


“So then…” Ellenia heard a quiet mutter, “if we take this…”


Ellenia neared the end of the hallway. Two more cubicles were at her sides. At the far end of the hallway, a good five feet away from the rest of the cubicles, was the only true office in the room. It had windows covered by blinds on either side of the metal door that shimmered with magic. A nameplate reading Arthur Lake, Human Resource Management was etched into the door.


Though it was one of the cubicles that Ellenia was interested in. The doorway of the one to her right was closed off by another partition to serve as a door, a red blanket was draped over the matte glass on the other side, closing off any visibility of the office area. The one to her left also had its doorway closed off by the partition – the structure allowed the door to slide to a close by magic – and through the matte glass she could see two figures.


One sat behind a desk and a large square that she presumed to be a monitor; the second figure was standing, leaning against the table with their arms crossed and head tilted to look at the desktop.


Lifting a hand to knock on the partition, Ellenia tried to quell her rapid heartbeat and the chaotic whirlwind that was her mind.


After a short rasp against the matte glass, the typing had stopped and the one sitting at the table jerked their head up, looking at the door with alarm. A wave of their hand and the door slid open, revealing a cluttered with all sorts of technology little working area. Shelves and cabinets housed wires and cables; the desk itself held some paperwork at the corner and sheets of paper with numbers that Ellenia would never be able to understand. At the far back was a white plastic board with a variety of different formulas scribbled on it.


It was the usual sight in Sidonis’s office. The owner himself was the one sitting at the desk, dressed in an oversized blue T-shirt stained with dark spots in random places. His wiry fingers hovered over a touchpad of the keyboard built into the desk in a holographic surface. Tall, pale and bald, the man’s wrinkly skin was nearly translucent; his face was all angles and fine lines, his eyes set deep within their sockets, and black and blue marks under his bright blue irises were so vivid against the paleness of his complexion that the man resembled a skeleton that had never seen daylight.


He beamed at Ellenia with a toothy grin.


“Orlova, finally,” he said in a raspy British accent. He lifted his arms, palms up and bumped the man at his side on accident. He poked the man’s side with two fingers; the man did not seem to have noticed the prodding. “Samuel here decided to pay a visit—“ Noticing the shocked expression that twisted Ellenia’s features, Sidonis cut himself off and looked between the man he called Samuel and Ellenia. “Oh. Right. Gonna give you kids some privacy—“


“No need,” Samuel said, the words were uttered in an undertone, but like everything he said they issued from a mask in a clipped, mechanical way, and had a quality of sound as though being spoken through a tin can.


Then, Samuel stepped forward from the desk and turned around.


Dressed in closely fit dark officer fatigues, every part of his body was covered by the uniform. It appeared to be adjusted to suit his needs, as it lacked the bagginess that the standard attire displayed. As such, the athletic built that the man sported was easily noticeable, as were his broad shoulders and lean physique. Gloves hugged his hands tightly in a thick fabric, and a turtleneck collar of his jacket went under the helmet that the man wore. At the back, the helmet was black and layered and at the front, an opaque silver surface served as the mask through which no one could see the face of the wearer.


“We can talk outside,” Samuel continued and circled the desk. Ellenia stepped aside from the doorway to let him pass. When he did, his head turned to look at the woman and all she could see was her own distorted reflection in the mask’s surface. “You’ve met your partner?”


“Yes,” Ellenia replied, still shaking off the shock of seeing Sam. “There.” She gestured behind her, assuming that Alice and Justin had followed her into the building.


“Good. Wait for me by the car,” Samuel said and nodded at Ellenia. When he passed by her, the back of their hands brushed against each other.


He easily slipped out of the room and headed down the hallway. Ellenia followed him, though when Sam had stopped by the lounge, she continued out of the room and exited the building, throwing a wary glance over her shoulder at the man. It was impossible to see if he had been watching her, his mask covering his entire face, though his head was turned towards her.


***


Sam entered the lounge, careful not to stop onto any discarded water bottles or clothing; he stopped behind the couch and watched the window across the room. His arms crossed over his chest, he looked down and frowned at the female undergarments that were attracting everyone’s attention with their brightness. Not wanting to touch the damn thing, even though his hands were covered by gloves, he stepped aside farther away from the draped over the back of the couch underwear.


In the hallway, typing resumed.


“Sadler,” Sam said, his voice loud and mechanic. “A word?”


Waiting patiently for Justin to either enter the lounge or remain where he was, Sam continued to watch the parking lot. Ellenia entered it moments after, one hand rubbing the back of her neck and the other rested in the pocket of her coat. She headed straight towards his car and sat onto its hood, her arms crossed over her chest and eyes scanning the area around the Division’s premises. She looked none too happy with being told to wait outside.


“How did you kill your previous four partners?” Sam’s question was cold, the mechanical undertone stripping the words of any emotion. If he was wary of Justin’s presence, he did not show it.

 

[TucanSam]

Justin stood at the entrance to their office, watching with mild amusement as Alice made several different expressions of disgust at the condition of the place. As soon as they had stepped into the building, it became painfully clear that the safety from the heat they had hoped the building would provide was not there; either it was broken or it was off, but in any case the place was little more than a sauna. Alice had quietly griped to him about the building as they followed Ellenia wordlessly through the walls of tempered glass, but he had only given her semi-sympathetic looks in response.


Now she had left the two of them alone, and they stood for an agonizing few moments wondering whether it would be worth dealing with the dust to turn the small desk fan on. "Well, this is turning out to be a lot worse than I could possibly ever had hoped for," Alice stepped her way carefully to the edge of the cubicle, dusting a seat off gingerly before setting herself down into it. "At this rate i'd be better off just sleeping in the car outside. At least there I wouldn't bake in this heat."


A feeling of fear crosses Justin's face as he considered the thought. The looks that Alice had garnered on the way in as they had passed people on the street had not escaped him; by all accounts she was a very beautiful woman, and even in the higher districts she had gotten a lot of attention from men. Here, the looks were less ones of admiration and more those of hunger. The men they had passed cared little for admiring her beauty than for obtaining it. Despite knowing she was being sarcastic, he could feel his protective nature welling into an anger inside of him.


"Calm down, calm down," She said, flipping a stack of books off the seat next to her and propping her feet up on it. "I know what you are thinking. I'm a big girl though. Tie my own shoes and everything. Lowlife thugs are nothing I have not dealt with before, and can do so again. Besides," A small hand pulled her hair back behind her slender neck, tying it with a rubber band that had appeared out of nowhere. "Making sure I don't have to deal with those sort of men is half the reason you are here, my shining Knight."


He ignored the playful wink she gave him, focusing his attention on the walls and the soft noises that permeated them. No doubt Ellenia had gone off to some office to complain about his arrival, hoping that she could obtain permission to ship him out of there. Honestly, he didn't really care where he ended up or who he worked with. Even in this "office", where he had yet to see another living being actually at work, he knew that he could survive and do his job. You didn't need to be comfortable to get things done, and crime wasn't stopped in some office.


"Can you really veto any transfer orders she puts through?" His head tilted back to Alice, peering down over her face as she laid motionless on the couch, desperately fanning herself with her hands.


"Who knows?" She replied, her eyes closed and head tilted back. "She has a pretty sterling record, and it is clear to me that somebody high up somewhere is quite fond of her, despite her assignment here. At the very least I could slow it down, and I wasn't the only one pushing for your assignment here." she cracked an eye to glance at him before smiling. "I doubt we will be going anywhere soon, for better or worse.


“Sadler. A word?”


The next words he was about to say stopped at his lips as a voice bellowed over the walls of the cubicle. Despite there having been signs of people living here, the panties had earned a particularly nasty scowl from Alice, there had been very little sightings of actual people anywhere in the building he had looked. They must have been deeper into the building then, doing god knows what.


"I though Ellenia was top dog here."


Alice only shrugged at his remark. "Maybe its one of the beta males trying to assert dominance over you." She sighed heavily as she lifted her legs off of the chair, planting them on the ground as she raised herself into a sitting position. "Try not to pick a fight, would you? I'll be monitoring you closely. This is our first day, don't disappoint me."


Soft as her voice may be, Justin had learned when she was being serious. This was one of those times, and he gave her a serious nod as he turned into the hallway and towards the voice. The lounge he assumed the voice was coming from was only a second away, but he took his time walking there, monitoring his surroundings as carefully as he could. It had not only been once that someone had tried their best to jump him, hoping to scare him into a transfer request on his first day at the office. No phantoms leapt at him from the shadows though, and he turned the corner safely into the lounge, pausing to take in the person in front of him.


Clothing that seemed to be the same sort of fashion as his covered the man head to toe, and a strange mask covered his face, hiding his expression behind it. Warning signals blared in Justin's mind, and he immediately focused his mind to remove any emotion from his body that he could. The man standing before him was less than an inch shorter than him, and much more well built than Justin himself was. With that clothing on, a fight between the two would likely be one sided, and Justin was sure he would not be the winner.


"Yes, can I help you?" His voice was as monotone as possible, almost matching the near machine-like nature of the man before him.


"How did you kill your previous four partners?"


A slight narrowing of his eyes was the only reaction that justin gave the man. Questions like this were pretty commonplace; a rhetorical question followed by anger and yelling. Typical. "You people sure do love your rhetorical questions. I touched them, of course. and they died. I'm sure you have read my file by now, given you know my name."


Incident reports were often submitted alongside the normal humdrum reports that the office received, and often offered details that were not reported in the official document. As far as Justin knew, every incident report on each of his partners had been sealed, deemed inappropriate for public consumption. Perhaps it was out of respect for their families that they were spared the details of their death, or maybe it was a misguided attempt to protect Justin himself by hiding the true nature of what he was actually capable of. If he was a betting man, he would choose the former.


"If you want more details than that, I'm not obligated to give them to you. Should the people up top deem it necessary for you to know, they will unseal the reports. Anything else?"

 

[Lenaara]

Sam did not turn around when Justin arrived. Still as a statue, the man continued to watch the window, his expression hidden beneath the mask. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, what his reaction was to Justin’s words. With squared shoulders and crossed arms, the man did not so much as jerk in response to the cut-to-the-point reply that Justin had given him.


“I’ve read them. They hide the truth.” Sam’s mechanical voice was almost thoughtful, though it was hard to tell. A raspy echo tinted his words as they went through the mask.


A moment of silence passed, interrupted only by the scratching whirling of the fans above. Sam shifted, his hand brushing over the glove of his other, pulling it tightly down as if unsure if it was slipping off. It wasn’t. The glove was a part of the officer fatigues that he wore. His entire attire was that of a bodysuit.


Then, he turned around. The chest part of his fatigues was harder, thicker, in a form of a vest that was sewn into the fabric. On the chest, on the upper left corner, was a nametag reading S. Brown and half an inch below it, written in a silvery thread that shone in the sunlight peeking through the blinds, was GTF 2.


The car, by which Ellenia was standing and at which she had gaped just a short while ago when they pulled into the parking lot, belonged to Samuel Brown, an officer from District 2.


Sam cocked his head at Justin, the other’s distorted reflection staring at him from the mask’s opaque surface.


“Details do not matter. Intention does. Did you kill your previous partners on purpose?” A step was taken towards Justin, then another. The soft soles of Sam’s boots were faint thuds against the polished wooden floor. In the silence of the office, his footfalls sounded much more menacing than they should have been.


A flicker of the man’s wrist was enough to let the partition behind Justin slide to a close and shut off the lounge from the rest of the office. Lock clicked faintly.


Another step and Sam was standing before Justin. “You are fully clothed. There must be skin to skin contact for you to take another’s life. Did you or did you not touch your previous four partners, knowing the consequences of your actions?”


Most of Justin’s background was sealed. It was nearly impossible to get permission to view the reports of how he’d taken the lives of his previous partners. It felt like hitting a brick wall, and once that was broken another was put up on the path to those files. Someone really did not want for the information to get out and be revealed to the public. Not even officers from single digit districts were allowed access. It was…disconcerting.


“Your transfer will happen. What they do with you is none of my concern. You deserve a bullet in your head for what you’ve done. Unfortunately, it is not in my power. Yet.” Tilting his head up ever so slightly, Sam regarded Justin with a cold stare that could be felt even through the mask. “Do not touch her,” Sam said coolly. He did not say “or else.” He did not have to. The threat hung in the air.

 

[TucanSam]

Justin only watched silently as he launched into his monologue, something he was sure that Sam thought must be quite terrifying. An amused smirk was his response as he heard the doors close behind him, and felt the presence of the other man as he stepped uncomfortably close. If Justin had to count the times that somebody had tried to threaten him, to intimidate him into doing what they wanted and claiming that they would kill him it would take him days to get through all of the names. This was nothing new, nothing he had not seen before.


"Would me having killed them on accident make anything different? Does the circumstances surrounding their deaths change the fact that they are dead, or make their death somehow less terrible?" Justin shook his head, gazing into the reflection of himself in this mans mask. "You don't want to hear me explain away their deaths, you don't even want to hear me be sorry about what happened. All you want is to hear something that makes you feel less powerless to stop me, some reason for you to carry out a crusade against me that you know you are unable to do. This?"


He stretched his hand out, waving it around the room. "An enclosed space? You are trying to threaten me inside of an enclosed space? Are you an idiot?" The same hand that had been waving stopped, and he gripped the fingers of it with his other hand, pulling it loose with a leathery scrape. "Oh look, I'm not fully clothed anymore. Your master plan, spoiled."


The smooth skin of his hand felt refreshing as he ran it through his hair. How long had it been since he had taken any part of his wardrobe off? Two days now? Transferring had been nothing but a whirlwind of movement, and despite a few naps that were less than an hour he had not slept in that time, the only part of the day he was permitted to undress. A sigh escaped him as he thrust the palm of his hand into his eye, rubbing furiously.


"Look, I know you must think you are very intimidating, and that somehow you will protect this woman you apparently are very fond of. But," he dropped his hand, letting his eyes adjust before fixing his gaze on that emotionless mask, his reflection almost as cold and emotionless. "The truth is you can't. Fight me here, now, and one of us may survive. But it's more likely neither of us will. If you can have me transferred, go for it. I honestly do not give a single fuck which district I am in or where I go. As for Ellenia?"


Justin shrugged at the man. "She will either die or she won't, that's more in her hands than anything else. But this," A finger lifted to draw an imaginary circle around the man. "This little act here only makes me want to piss you off more, and while I can't promise her safety, I can promise that I do not care at all what happens to her. Perhaps you should think twice about making me angry. I'm quite unstable."


With that he turned, punching his ungloved fist against the door. A soft clicking sound echoed into the hallway as the door slowly slid open. Justin left, closing it behind him and returning to his "office" without another word. His own office door slid open moments later, and Alice sat up a little straighter as he strode in, her face a mixture of concern and anger.


"You let yourself get a little riled up didn't you?"


Justin said nothing, crossing to the desk to sit in the chair behind it. A hand raised towards his door to lock it shut, and he waited a few beats after it had before he allowed himself to relax, leaning back into his chair as it reclined.


"If he was afraid of you, he did a really good job at hiding it. I know how that triggers you. I'm proud that you kept it together."


A soft grunt was the only answer she received. People fearing him was easy to deal with; he'd been doing it for years now. It wasn't that meeting someone who didn't fear him made him angry, it was more of a frustration. When somebody was afraid of him it was easy to predict what they were thinking, what they would try to do. People who operated without that fear were unpredictable, and that made it harder to deal with them. Justin already had a hard enough time dealing with normal people as it was.


"I'll contact the office later and try to get his file. I doubt he's any sort of real threat though."


Another grunt was all he gave again as he focused himself on the noises around him. Down time was a luxury, and if he could fit a nap in here he would jump on the chance.