by P. S. Power
It was almost like he was another person altogether.
That… Probably wasn’t the case though. It could be brainwashing though, or maybe someone substituted him with someone else? That or he being on drugs for a long time. It was hard to see the old him under the fat after all. A switch didn’t sound too likely, but it was worth looking into, if she got time for it.
The agents agreed with the cook and took off to see what they could find on the phone and computer while she lounged around napping. Technically it should have been her on the computer since she actually had some skill there, but she wasn’t going to complain. If Lancaster wanted to do it, she’d let him. He was at least as good as she was at it and had cultivated more connections in other agencies over the years. It was a bit easier for a guy to do that, since a man asking another dude out for a beer was generally accepted as just trying to get in good for some reason, or even just trying to be friends.
When she’d tried it the guys had always wanted to sleep with her. That would have been fine, most of the time, except for the fact that only about half of them were really happy with it just being a casual thing. The other half wanted more. Actual relationships and stuff like that. If that was going to work out she would have been with Conroy again or at least making a play for him. She probably couldn’t handle having a real boyfriend anyway. They’d eventually piss her off and she’d start thinking they were going to cheat on her or something. It was just easier not to care and make sure that she didn’t sleep with anyone that wanted too much of her. If she wasn’t really with them, then it didn’t matter if they saw someone else.
It didn’t take her a long time to get to bed, working fast in the bathroom and dressing in her normal sleep wear, which wasn’t much different from what Bridget wore. A huge t-shirt. Hers was just a forest green men’s undershirt, meant for a giant. It was cheap and they sold them at the base store. It made her shopping a whole lot more simple not having a vast selection. It took a bit of skill to get into the bed once she was ready, because the lights were off already. Hopefully Penny was in bed with Warren, because otherwise things were about to get awkward, she realized, climbing over the foot of the bed and getting under the covers. She didn’t get too hot or cold when she slept, but she liked the feel of having something over her. It was why she didn’t sleep nude for instance. Marcia couldn’t really feel the cloth most of the time, but when it was gone she missed it. A subtle kind of psychological issue no doubt. Before she was totally settled Bridget snuggled into her. Like a puppy or something.
A dangerous, potentially lethal one, with control issues.
Luckily she wasn’t personally in all that much danger from her. The kid was stronger and faster, but there just wasn’t a lot that could hurt her anymore. It made sleeping next to her easier. As she drifted off to sleep Marcia wondered if that was what Bridget had in mind? If she flailed in her sleep and hit Warren, she might just kill the man. If it was Penny they wouldn’t even know she was hurt or dead for hours, maybe longer, until Brian came and found the body.
If Marcia got hit the same way, she might not even bother to wake up, just sleeping through it. It was a moot point, since it turned out that other than being a cuddly sleeper, Bridget didn’t do anything out of bounds at all. No kicking in her sleep or anything. She didn’t even try to make out with her while she was unconscious. Not that the girl would want to, but you never really could tell with her. If the thought struck her, and she didn’t have a reason to fight it, she’d act on it.
In the morning the heavy bedspread was doubled over on top of her and Bridget was sprawled on top of the crisp white sheet, naked. It wouldn’t have been a problem at all, except that Warren and Penny already seemed to be out for the morning. Not that it was a big deal, but when she was fifteen, if other people had seen her like that she would have been mortified. Odds were that wasn’t going to be as big an issue for Bridgie.
She was just different that way. A bit freer than most people.
“Up an at ‘em Kiddo. We have work to do and mysteries to solve. Or at least I have a mystery, you just have work, but that’s the wonder and beauty of being the junior squad member. Just be glad your dad doesn’t have you in washing dishes on Mark’s show yet.” She managed to sound chipper, which was about twenty times better than she really felt.
She’d dreamed of Mike again, all night long. They were pleasant things, for the most part, but she kept ruining them by waking up. Reality was a bitch some days. That didn’t get her out of work and she needed to hit the shower before she went and mingled with people. Not that she could tell that was the case for certain since to her she felt totally normal, but it was just habit to get washed and dressed in the morning. Normally in one of her dozen uniforms, which made it simple, but today it was full make-up and a dress again. One of the two she had left, so the red one today. She hadn’t exactly over packed it seemed. Then, she hadn’t really thought she’d be getting shot the first day either. She unfolded it from her pack and saw the wrinkles. They were bad enough that she’d hear complaints if she tried to wear it in public. She could borrow an iron from Charlot or Scott, but that would have to wait until later in the day.
“Argh. OK, so plan B then.” She had two full uniforms at the bottom of her bag, and pulled one out to take with her to the shower. Cordura didn’t wrinkle easily at all. Then it didn’t really fold either, so was kind of rolled up, but it would work well enough for the early part of the day.
Bridget had stood while she messed with things, and then nodded; looking sleepy and cute like a child, face just a tiny bit puffy and red on one side. It was from the heat her body put off all the time, not pressure, but it looked about right.
She yawned and stretched, hands going over her head, then she folded nearly in half, legs straight, arms wrapped around her legs. Marcia would have been jealous, but she could do that too. After fifteen seconds the girl stood and yawned again.
“Good morning.” Waving at the bundle of white in Marcia’s hand she kept going without a pause. “Workday for us you said? What am I doing again? Warren watch? He really probably doesn’t need a bodyguard you know. The people here run television shows and advertising firms, I don’t think they’re going to be shooting much. Am I supposed to protect him from bad truffles or something? Not that I can’t do that. I’m totally all over the mushroom situation. I have the magic sniffer for that sort of thing.” She was trying to be cute and was probably right, but the fact was Marcia couldn’t babysit all day, so someone else would have to do it.
So she’d assign her partner to the task. Seniority really did have its privileges. Plus, people tended to get in less trouble when they were made responsible for others, didn’t they?
“I want you on the whole cooking show team. If anything happens at all, they shouldn’t be seen using their powers for anything except fun and frolic. Normally the agents would do that, but I think you can start learning the ropes of leadership. Suit up. This is a real work day. Try not to do anything though. If it comes to it, make sure you handle things with minimal use of force and try to use your words first. We don’t need more footage of you kicking the snot out of the police for instance. Though better you doing it than Brian. With you they’d at least live.” It hadn’t been her fault, not overly, since they’d been running a terrorist operation at the time, but the video footage made it look like she’d just tore into a group of helpless uniformed men. It was an illusion, editing tricks mainly, but the girl just nodded.
“Alright. I need a shower and food first though. I get all cranky if I don’t eat regularly.”
“OK. I get first shower though, since I’m ready. Ten minutes.”
It took less than that, and the girl practically darted in as soon as the door opened, but they were headed off to the agents’ room, three doors down on the same side of the hallway, not twenty-three minutes later. They both had make-up on and both wore their Team one outfits, which were totally different from one another. Not like Team two t
hat all wore nearly identical blue jumpsuits or Team three that wore whatever the heck they felt like at the moment. Bridget had on something like spandex that was a dull green with olive colored patches at the shoulder. It was plain and a bit more lackluster than Marcia had thought the girl would have gone with, since she’d been allowed to design her own costume and everything. The shoes were simple running gear, dyed to match the rest of the outfit. It made her look like a tiny foreign commando as played by a ballerina. A very boring one. No sparkles or anything. Not even a tiara.
It made Marcia smile. The idea that the junior partner on Team one had decided to go so far against the expectations of everyone else and focus on practicality was a good thing in her book. A sign that someone, somewhere, was having a positive effect on the girl that had nothing to do with her parents. They were…
Marcia wanted to say they were good people and they weren’t evil or even bad. She really would have liked it to be true, but Scott was about as shallow and self-centered as possible without turning to a life of crime and Charlot, even though they were friends, was basically a bitch twenty-four seven. It didn’t bug her all that much, but they were far from being the best parents ever. How their daughter was ending up being anything more than a wild and fairly spoiled little brat she didn’t know. Whatever it was she needed to find out and make sure it kept going though. Maybe it was Rachel, her grandmother? After all, she was about the only person at the base that could spank Bridget if it came to it.
They were just about out the door when a voice spoke in her ear.
“Hey… What’s the plan for today? Am I on duty or something? I can’t exactly just go and see the sights or anything, can I?” Penny spoke from her bed, which was a tangle of sheets and blankets in odd lumpy patterns. It looked like she and Warren had been wrestling in it all night.
Marcia covered trying to make it seem like she knew the girl was there the whole time.
“Um, actually yeah. What did you find out about the man you followed last night?” After a few seconds something slick forced itself into her right hand. It was a convenience store shopping bag with something inside. It took a second to get the idea.
Penny explained anyway, sounding happy enough.
“Wallet. Its leather, so maybe you can get his fingerprints off of it? I mean, if his identification isn’t correct. I tried to tell you all last night, but everyone kind of ignored me. I was amped up, you know, scared, which kind of sends my power into maximum hide mode. No one could hear me for a long time, or realize I was around, so I figured that trying to share this then was a moot point. Is that good? He was about to get into a car, a blue Ford Torus, and drive off so I didn’t know what else to do.” She sounded shy about the idea, as if it might have been a vast mistake or something.
“Perfect really. It may be fake ID, but if nothing else it gives us a lead and you followed orders really well. Clever making your own evidence bag like this. I’ll take it to Lancaster and tell him that we need to come up with some kind of protocol for when you get jazzed. I didn’t know that your ability could overwhelm the ear buds like that. Kind of cool, since it means that no one can just grab one and use it to track you in the field if you get scared enough.” Wallet in its protective housing she stepped out into the hall then turned to speak into the room.
“Chambers and I are going to head over to the agents’ room for a bit, then she’ll be back in about ten to twenty minutes to get you up to speed on the days plan. She’s in charge of security for the cooking show crew. I’d like you to help her with that. It means following orders, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Any questions yet?”
“Yeah. Are we doing anything fun this trip? I mean, other than not being at the base? I don’t care for me so much, but Brian… It would be cool if we did something that he’d find fun. I don’t know if anyone really gets how bad he feels about the whole thing that happened yesterday. With the police and all that? Denis too. He told me that he feels responsible for not keeping a tighter rein on the cops, like it was his responsibility or something. It’s crazy, but maybe something nice later? A dinner at a place that won’t kick us all out for being Infected maybe? Or… I know! We should have a picnic. On the beach. No one can ruin that. Well, unless the sandwiches suck or someone makes it rain. Would that be OK?” The voice had started to taper off as she went, and ended in no more than a whisper that sounded so shy it was hard to hear.
It was a decent plan though.
“OK, we might have to juggle some schedules around. Get with Warren and see what he says about it. Do you know where he got to? I thought you might be with him, but…” Penny wasn’t his keeper and if the man wanted to sneak out alone, even if it was stupid of him, that was his decision.
“Here…” The man’s voice came from the far side of the nice room, sounding half yelled. It was only picked up by her ear bud, meaning he’d caught some of Cellophane’s field. He wasn’t really invisible then, just really hard to notice at the moment. If she had a camera he’d show up on it, but she wouldn’t be able to see it in real time, only later. It had to be some kind of psychic level effect that Penny had, but it could linger on another person, if she was physically close to them for a while.
“OK. You have conference stuff. Please don’t leave without Chambers and Cooper. You’ll need to get ready first anyway. Half an hour for that. Penny get’s the shower first. Make sure you get an ear bud in, if you don’t have one already.” Then she shut the door, not really caring if they followed her orders or not. She suspected they wouldn’t, but at least Bridget followed her to the room just down the hall. She knocked softly, or at least was trying for soft. Her right fist rather boomed against the cream colored finish of the thing in front of her. That was a side effect of her invulnerability. When something hit her, she had several processes that made her skin and the tissue under it temporarily harden. It was like trying to knock gently with a rock. Doable, but it took skill to get it done correctly all the time. It looked nice, but the whole place did, in a slightly modern way. Clean and nicely decorated, if you liked that kind of thing.
Reyes opened the door, looking rested and chipper enough, and let them in without a word, looking down the hall both ways before shutting the door. Burke was up, and Lancaster was stirring, but still in bed, shirtless and uncovered to the waist. Hopefully he had shorts on, or he’d be trapped until they left. At least if he didn’t want to flash the underage girl. Marcia had seen him naked before, several times, so it wouldn’t faze her at all. They’d never dated or even slept together, since he was too professional for that, but when you did field work together, people saw stuff.
He waved a bit and sat up, standing easily, showing a pair of tight biking shorts. Not naked though, so good enough. He was in his forties, forty-six, which was three years younger than she was, but still had abs going on under the hair on his chest and stomach. It wasn’t bad, but it ruined his look just a bit. She’d never gone in for really hairy men.
“Anything new? Operative Cooper collected some data from the man she followed from the bar last night.” Marcia grinned and hefted the bag in her left hand to about shoulder level.
“His wallet. She tried to preserve it for fingerprints even. Pretty slick, considering she hasn’t had any real training at all yet. We need to get on that.”
Lancaster rubbed his face and stifled a yawn, getting an answering one from Bridget and Burke. Everyone smiled about it, but listened to the blond man.
“Excellent. I agree as far as the training goes for Cooper. Yi has been showing her some hand to hand and fire arms techniques, which we should step up I think. He needs to do something different soon anyway or he’ll burn out. He’s kept up with his practice and is getting better, but teaching can’t hurt at the stage he’s at. For the rest, well, I can do some of it. You want to cover the rest?”
Did she? Marcia was a lot busier day to day than she let on, but Penny was potentially a major asset, now that they could talk to her and communicate what
they wanted. It was worth a little lost sleep to make sure that happened.
“Yes. I’ll get with you and Brian when we get back and work up a schedule.”
The large man nodded and looked at Bridget and then her, gesturing toward the uniforms.
“Photo shoot I don’t know about today? Or is it just that we’ll probably all end up on camera a hundred times before lunch?”
Bridget shook her head.
“Neither, I’m just on duty, working security for the cooking show team. Cooper is with me on that. I’m in charge.” She said it in that half fierce way of hers that generally meant it would be an issue if you disagreed with what she just said, but Marcia backed her up with a nod.
“Right. Who’s running it on the agent side; she needs to coordinate with them on it. I’d like Chambers to take lead, if possible. Training.” Why not? It was real enough, since they needed eyes watching for anything, just in case. The problems the day before had bumped things up to a high alert status as far as she was concerned. Not strictly a Team one activity most of the time, running anything except publicity, but it was one way to keep the girl sharp and ready.
Maybe out of trouble too.
Burke held up his hand, just about mid-chest height.
“That’s me. It’s not a high threat situation, or wasn’t before the events of yesterday. Still, given everything I think having three of us on it can’t hurt. Should we get Ink involved too? He’s security for Goblin’s group.”
Before Marcia could say yes, Reyes sighed.
“Tobin. He really doesn’t like being called Goblin. It was an assigned name, but kind of insulting. He won’t mention it, because of his first mode, but I can tell it bugs the crud out of him. We don’t have a different one for field use yet, but if it’s just us, I think his real name would work better.”