"Consequesnces"

June 16, 2008
1:30 am

Safehouse 1
NYC

Bella marched into the small conference room that contained Gray and
Rebecca, she saw no sign of Paige or Declan as she entered and so
figured that they had been let go so she could have a special telling
off all of her own. She entered the room, Gray was standing at the
head of the desk, Rebecca was perched all dignified like on the other
end. Bella smiled at the two and comfortably took the only seat
offered her.
It was some time before anyone spoke and when they did it was Rebecca.
It wasn't really surprising that the shrink would try to shrink her
first; the real surprise was in Gray controlling himself to wait his turn.
"What happened out there Isabella?" Rebecca's voice was calm,
inquisitive even, but Bella knew that the tape caught what happened,
they already knew.
"I shot Lachlan in the head. Quit simple really. Not much to unravel
there." Isabella sounded defensive even to herself, so she took a
deep breath and let it out slowly, kind of placing up her defences
which looked a lot like taking them down.
"That was not the mission objective."
"No."
"Were you worried that we might be like section?"
The question was direct, and it didn't surprise Bella that they knew
she would have considered that possibility. The possibility that they
might torture Lachlan to get all the information he might possibly have.
"No, I'm pretty sure you aren't."
"Then Why?"
Ahh there it was, the question she had been waiting for. Why?
She took a deep breath, and thought about what she had to say
carefully. She guessed Rebecca would understand, and that Gray would
not. An understanding between psychs, there's a first.
"Because he was mine to shoot." There was no comprehension on their
faces so she plunged on. "Lachlan was my history, my past rearing
its…well I won't say ugly, head. He was my brother, he was my family,
the only thing left of any past connections I might have. He stalked
my personal butt…just in case you," she pointed at Gray, "were going
to say that this was not a personal mission. He was my
responsibility." She stopped and thought about what she had said, and
satisfied she had said it all she looked up at Rebecca to see that the
woman understood, and was from this point on going to remain silent.
When Bella made eye contact with Gray however she experienced what she
called a brain freeze.
"You directly disobeyed orders Bella. You were to bring him in,
alive. I very specifically said alive."
I was time for Bella to shut up, let the man rant, and when he finally
did ask her a question she would give him what he needed from this
mission.
The rant went on for a few more minutes. To be honest if Bella had
been asked to repeat it she could have only made an educated guess.
But eventually he stopped took a deep breath and looked at her,
perhaps he knew she had heard none of it, or perhaps now he had it out
of his system he just felt better.
"The information he may have given us ig gone, we will have to fine
another way to get what we need." He sat down and sighed, looking at
Bella.
His agent reached inside her jacket pocket and pulled out the disc she
had retrieved from Lachlan's body, waving it around a little.
"I have a present for Simon."
"What is that?" Gray was a little more interested now.
"A disc got it off Lachie."
"Why have you not handed it in before now?"
"Waiting for the opportune moment." She smiled at him as he snatched
it off her and looked at her curiously.
"I will stake my job, hell my life on the fact that that contains all
the information Lachie knew about his organisation."
Gray looked her over, did she detect a smile?
"Why would he keep such information on him like this?"
"He was always forgetful. When we were working together he was the
brawn I was the brains. He was busted in the first place for leaving
a disc just like that one around." She thought about that for a
moment, `Well no, not for leaving it around but for the information it
had on it, the fact he left it around meant he got busted for it."
Gray studied the disc as if he would be able to tell if she were right
of not without the aid of a computer. He sat down again, and put the
trinket on the table.
"If you are right you may have saved yourself a suspension from the
field."
A few moments passed and Bella waited for him to continue.
"Actually I can't afford to suspend you from the field; however you
will be on probation. This kind of disobedience can not be allowed to
go without consequence."
Bella stood, and smiled at Gray.
"Yes yes, alright don't look so pleased with yourself. This disc may
not contain what you say it will. And I would be reluctant to believe
what it does tell us quite frankly."
"Lachie didn't have the brains to set up traps." Bella announced as
she turned to leave.
"Go home get some rest." Gray said quietly.
Her two superiors stood also and accompanied her out of the room.
Gray summoned Paige who was sitting wit the kid in the waiting area.
Call me.
The request was actually the first time she had asked a work mate to
make contact. Paige had a tendency to take responsibility for things
that were not her doing; she needed to talk to the girl about it.
Besides, she might as well make friends while she was here.

Rebecca wandered off in her own direction, probably to her office, and
Bella headed for the change rooms. Declan had been lurking in a
corridor nearby and as she approached he joined her.
"Everything alright?"
"Well I'm not dead or out of a job, so things could be worse." Her
response was immediate and flippant, she instantly realised that
Declan had been showing genuine concern for her and she regretted her
flippancy.
"I see." His confidence had not been shaken.
"You lurking for a reason?"
"Well. I'm new in town you could show me some of the place?"
Bella didn't break stride but she turned to look at him now. "It's two
o'clock in the morning."
He looked at his watch. "Actually it's two fifteen."
She laughed and entered the change room, he followed.
"Didn't realise he'd gone on for so long." She stopped and looked at
him. He was serious about the tour. And then and idea occurred to
her and she grinned.
"Alright, I'll take you on a tour. Don't suppose you have a cycle
helmet huh?"
He nodded, a gleam in his eye.
"Good, meet me downstairs and I'll take you on the ride of your life."
She turned back to her locker and opened it and after a few seconds
she froze and looked back at him where he still stood.
"go Away now."
She seemed to startle him and he responded with a grin and left her
alone.
She sat and took a deep breath. Alone.
Finally.
Her head started to cave in on her, the reality of…all of it. She
closed her eyes, kept her breathing slow, deep, calm. When she opened
her eyes she looked around at the empty room, and simply uttered.
"Oh god."

She wasn't aware of how long she sat there but eventually she stood up
and finished preparing for her ride. It was what she needed, a death
defying ride around the city, and what was better; she could make
someone else's life flash before their eyes too.

On the road. 2am. NYC

She stared the ride of slowly, Declan didn't even hang on to her, he
was comfortable enough on the back of a bike to merely sit. She loved
the feel of the wind rushing past her, it was freeing. But eventually
she decided that she wanted to go a bit harder and faster so turned
her head towards Declan just long enough to say "Hang on".
Once he had taken a hold of her waist she sped the bike up and began
on her dance with death. The bike was heavier with the extra
passenger on it but she handled it with the same ease she always did.
Sharp corners, dodging cars, what few there were around, racing other
bikers who were at lights, running red lights. The cops caught her
tail at one point but she lost them with some wicked driving and easy
double backs.
They had been toying with death for an hour before she slowed down and
pulled over. Bella had been rewarded for some of her moved with
Declan increasing the pressure of his hold on her waist a few times,
but all in all he seemed pretty calm. She got off the bike and
stretched a little.
"You don't like life much do you?" Declan chuckled at her and he took
his helmet off.
"Scare ya?" Her eyes were sparkling and she fought hard to restrain
from laughing.
"Not really no." He looked around and spotted a coffee house across
the way. "Caffeine shot?"
She nodded. They were no where near her house and she had no idea
where he lived. She had decided she wanted coffee.

Coffee Shop. 3am. NYC

She hummed a little tune as Declan retuned to the table with the
coffees. He had insisted on buying and delivering the coffee himself.
Kind of the old style of chivalry she guessed. She didn't care, as
long as she got coffee.
"There we go. Don't know many girls who drink short blacks."
"And how many girls do you know who ride like that?"
He chuckled and sipped his own coffee after he sat across from her.
"So…what do you do when you're not defying death in one way or the other?"
She had closed her eyes as she sipped her drink; the coffee was
strong, and good. After a moment she responded.
"Learn new languages to defy death in."
They sat in silence; she didn't feel like offering conversation.
"So do you feel better?" The question came after some time.
"Huh?"
"The adrenaline rush from the drive, and the caffeine, did it make you
feel better?"
"I felt bad?" His question had been sincere and she sincerely did not
feel like going into it with him.
"Most people do after that sort of thing."
He meant the shooting. He didn't know who the man she shot had been
to her, and yet she was still meant to feel bad. She stood up and
dropped a fifty on the table.
"I'm not most people and you don't belong there."
His turn for a "Huh?" He didn't verbalise it but his eyes conveyed it.
"my head, it's not a place for you. I'm going, catch a cab wherever
you are going."
She left him alone at the table, jumped on her bike and sped off,
heading home.