| "Finding Five" | ||
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Paige's Place April 28, 2008 2030 hours Paige mumbled sleepily at the hands that were stroking her cheek. The world snapped back into place suddenly thrusting her into the present and the hand near her. She grabbed it, earning a grin from its owner. "Awake, Sweetness?" She blinked a few times, "yeah, now I am," she mumbled. "Good," Joshua grinned, "I'll make you something to eat...how does bow tie pasta and some vodka sauce sound?" Her stomach turned just listening to him. "I'm really not hungry," she said quietly as she got up and put some clothes on. "You should eat..." She turned towards him the anger rising in her throat, "get off my case Joshua," she snapped at him. His mouth was open the slightest bit with the formation of the next word he was about to say hung on his lips. She noticed he was dressed in jeans and a button down shirt this time, not his usual black gym attire. He set his jaw, stood up and took a step towards the bedroom door and towards her. She did not move holding her ground and breathing just the slightest bit on the heavy side. He passed her silently, never taking those dark blue eyes off hers. When he had left the room she shivered just the slightest bit. He was leaving. She crossed out to the living room the sliding glass doors tugging at her senses. He was in the kitchen making something that usually would have sent her in there begging for the smallest tidbit. But she was not hungry and food was the farthest thing from her mind right now. She fed Michael the Fish and spied the laptop sitting open on the table. The panic settled in momentarily, just working, she convinced herself, he was just working. Joshua brushed past her glancing at her briefly. He had a wicked look about him and she knew he was up to something and that that something included her...and possibly that laptop. She looked around again though this time she looked carefully, for another person. Her Bathroom Tigers picked up speed in her head, "Joshua?" she ventured carefully. He stopped and turned around to face her. She questioned him silently as his face was set with a determined look, the same look held by someone who knew they would be getting what they wanted. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "what this time?" she said quietly. His expression did not change, "addendum...a small one..." She did not let him finish already shaking her head, "no..." He put his hand up, freezing her. "Yes," he said simply. Her emotions melted away under his gaze and she did not protest when he showed her the metal object in his hand. The one from hours ago though she was sure the dose in that particular sedative was much higher. Can't guard if you're not awake, her mind whispered to her. "You don't have to sedate me," she said softly defeated, "I'll memorize your data." He squinted his eyes with concern for the tiniest of moments, before he regained that business like Joshua composure. He slowly took a step back and to the side. She stared at the laptop briefly before walking over to it and sitting down. He moved next to her, slowly but methodically, and called up on the screen the code that promised to be her undoing. Her heart screamed to tell him what it was doing to her, but her mind reminded her that he had spoken the truth. If she didn't do this, she would have to go back, or he would simply kill her. More than likely, she thought, he would send someone to kill her, as he wouldn't be able to do it himself. This, she knew unquestionably. He leaned away from the laptop, "it's not that much, 20 minutes or so tops." She stared at the screen, for a moment, recalling the last of the data given to her previously, and tacked the current data on to the end. They sat in silence as she moved through the screens. She scrolled slowly, more so than needed to do the job as the visual cues required no effort on her part. The shrill creek of a cell phone made them both jump. They both glanced at the table, next to the bowl where the blue fish swam, where the silver folded phone had been placed. It shrieked again and this time Joshua went and picked it up. He tossed it at her as he approached then sat across from her on the other couch. She flipped it open mid shriek placing it against her ear. "Yeah?" she answered wondering who in SIA was calling her. "Paige, it's me Gray," the soft voice said on the other end. "Gray," she looked up at Joshua who was watching her intently. "We've got something to discuss," he said. She did not answer as her eyes dropped from Joshua's to the laptop and the curious code that filled it. "Paige?" "Yes," she mumbled as she scrolled through another screen. "When you were orientated to the SIA you were told of certain requirements that had to be met. One of those requirements was logging in a minimum of 20 hours a month at the training facility...as of right now...you only have 5. In reality it's three, though we overlooked that little problem, and took the five. Do you realize you're 15 hours short?" Paige arched an eyebrow at the laptop in response to Gray's question. 15 hours? Would that count zoning out time as well? Or was it just cognitive actions only? "Paige? Are you there?" Gray's voice tinted in anger now. The Bathroom Tigers roared not happy with splitting time over some trivial matter during a feeding. "Yes," Paige said quietly, almost squinting at the pain the Tigers were causing. She looked up to Joshua who had leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "One sec," she said flatly to Gray and stared at Joshua. She held the phone out to him, "make it go away," she said simply. He looked at her, then the phone, then to her again. She gestured to the phone impatiently and he finally took it. He took a deep breath and put the phone to his ear, "what's the problem, Gray?" he said in that annoyed voice he did so well. She smiled slightly as her mind conjured an image of Gray's mouth dropping open in stunned silence after suddenly finding himself speaking with Joshua. She listened to him as she scrolled again through the data. "Twenty hours?" Joshua leaned back in the chair watching Paige, "you're gonna bust her ass over twenty hours?" Paige's eyes flicked up at the comment momentarily. "I understand it's a requirement..." he said leaning his head on his hand. "No...she was with me." This time Paige stopped what she was doing to stare at him. She had only been kidding when she handed the phone over...she didn't really think he'd make it go away. He looked to her with intensity in his eyes, not unlike what she was used to. "Yes, most of the time. I apologize, I should have let you known." Another long pause. "It was mostly routine things," he watched her and smiled the slightest bit, "some not so routine." "That's correct," Joshua said sitting up again. "You can input the 15 hours into the SIAD...Rebecca doesn't need to know about it. Anyone says anything you send them to me. Understood?" So that was it, the final words that would seal the deal � Joshua would take full responsibility for her. Now wasn't that sweet, she thought bitterly. "Yeah, sure," he said handing the phone back over to her. She stared at the table then, not wanting to look at him or the data. "Yeah," she mumbled quietly. "I know he's watching so I'll make this brief...are you ok?" Gray sounded clearly upset. "Yes," she barely whispered. "You don't sound ok...you didn't during the Samboy assault either." "It's fine," Paige said forcing a smile as she realized Gray had no idea what was happening either. He may suspect something and being a little protective over the Agents when it came to Oversight, that was understandable. But she could tell he was as much in the dark as everyone else was. "Just be careful, I..." "I will," she cut him off, "thanks," and she disconnected the line. She looked up to Joshua expectantly. "He doesn't know what the Directory is," Joshua said quietly, "just that we gave you data and that we would have to do some tweaking to make sure you had it right." He almost sounded guilty telling her this. "Tweaking," she said nodding her head softly before returning to the screens. He went into the kitchen briefly to do whatever he was doing in there. A few minutes later she completed her task and gave Joshua another slash in the win column. "I'm done," she said softly waiting for the thumping to begin that would signify the struggle that would ensue between her trying to bury the data and the Bathroom Tigers trying to figure it out. "What you have is important," he said quietly. She looked to him and almost groaned as the Bathroom Tigers pricked their ears up. Didn't he get it? Why couldn't he see he was only making it worse? Why must he always bait them? "Stop, Joshua," she whispered quietly. "What you can do," he said sitting next to her. He touched her chin lightly tilting her head towards him, "what you can do is protecting hundreds of people..." he was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He clenched his teeth and rolled his eyes before plucking the phone off his belt. "What?" he answered the phone agitated. She watched him carefully as he listened to whoever was on the other end. He then looked at his watch. "Getting it done as usual, huh, Michael? I'll be there." He snapped the phone shut and looked to her. "I have to go," he said as his face softened. "I don't like giving you this stuff and leaving so I'll be back in like two hours, ok?" She shrugged, "whatever," she said flatly. He seemed pleased she believed, that she did not at least protest him coming back. She had already thought ahead and how difficult it would be for her to sleep now with more code for the Tigers to play with. As he used her, she would have to use him, or in the least, get him to sedate her if she planned on getting any sleep tonight. "The sauce is finished, pasta is almost done, just put them together, k?" She nodded her head. "Promise me you'll eat something then try to get some sleep?" "Yes," she said softly. She would try she supposed though she knew neither would come easy. He smiled, leaned into her, and kissed her deeply. She returned the kiss half heartedly. "I'll see you in a bit," he whispered in her ear before kissing it gently. He grabbed his jacket and left her apartment setting the alarm before closing the door. She sighed smelling for the first time the sauce he spoke of. She smiled and moved into the kitchen where the pinkish orange sauce sat quietly as the pasta almost bubbled over. She drained the pasta and finding a large bowl piled it in. She then dumped the sauce on top of it and watched as it drained down through the ridges of the bow ties to the bottom of the bowl. She stood with her back against the counter waiting for the sauce to thicken before she finally noticed him. The Tiger, staring at her. "What? You don't think I have to eat?" The Tiger yawned then lay down. "Thanks," she muttered at him sarcastically and spooned some pasta into a smaller bowl. She covered the larger bowl and put it in the fridge thinking Joshua would eat it later. She, herself, was not hungry, and knew she wouldn't eat, but the perhaps the ritual would do some good. Besides, something was definitely going to break soon. She walked into the living room careful to stay as far away as she could from the Tiger lounging out near her kitchen. She sat down and grabbed the remote as she picked at her food. The television would be blaring, something she reminded herself, that she hated about this tv. No matter how low the volume was set when it was turned off it always was on blaring when turned back on. She braced herself and flicked it on. Not to disappoint the tv was blaring. The brunette woman that never wore the same outfit twice was speaking quickly, "...earlier reports, officials still have no leads in the break in of a government research facility outside Washington DC..." Paige depressed the volume button quickly. "...no word as to what may have been stolen or what the facility's..." Paige grimaced and flicked the channel, "gimme some sports," she mumbled. She tuned in ESPN happy to have caught a hockey game. The Devs were out of it she noted but the playoffs were looking interesting. Her eyes flicked over to the Tiger that sat sniffing the chair across from her. It rubbed its fluffy orange and black face against it making a low purring sound. She watched him carefully, still pushing the pasta around with her fork. Close. Very close...and he knew it, too. She put the bowl on the table, startling the Tiger though she ignored him now, and got up to search for her weapon. She found it in the bedroom back where she usually kept it and dropped the clip out making sure it was full. She then walked out to the sliding glass doors. The Bathroom Tiger was near her, off to the side but she did not need him now. She was curious enough. She worked the code then, setting the strings up in her head in long rows so she might find the connection. It took some effort, more than she thought it would need, but her current condition of fatigue certainly factored into it. An hour later only a single number remained in her mind...the number five. She smiled and glanced over at her Tiger. The beast rolled on its back with its paws in the airs. She giggled, even Bathroom Tigers could be cute when they weren't try to kill her. She stretched her aching muscles knowing the rest of the primers would take time but not be as difficult as the first. "The first one is always the hardest," she lectured to the Tiger who rolled over and shook his head comically. "You'll let me alone now...for awhile?" she asked it. The large striped cat stretched lazily and sauntered off down the hall in the direction of the bedroom. She smiled, pleased with herself, and wriggled under a blanket on the couch. She turned the volume down some more, almost to mute, and drifted off into an untroubled sleep as she waited for Joshua to come back. Return |
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