01-24-2018, 01:13 PM
“Here,” Aello said as she sat a cup of coffee in front of her companion, “looks like you could use it”
Ada glanced at the cup and then watched as Aello pulled up a chair across from her. Aello leaned back in her chair, kicked her feet up on the steel table, and sipped her coffee. Absentmindedly she rubbed the bicep of her mechanical arm as if she actually had any sensation in the metal limb. Aello’s eyes loped throughout the room, taking their time to study every sterile crack and crevice before falling upon Ada’s lithe form. For a moment their eyes locked and reluctantly Aello shifted her gaze to the spy’s untouched coffee.
“Sorry,” Aello spoke up, “wasn’t sure how you liked it so I kept it black, though I’d peg you as the type to drink black coffee, me? I can’t touch the stuff without a fistful of sugar.”
Ada wrapped her blood-stained fingers around the styrofoam cup, “no, it’s alright, just a long day is all.”
“Yeah, ‘bout that,” Aello said, her voice trailing off for a moment before adding, “so what’s the deal with all the blood, you just got done killing somebody?”
Ada smirked. With one hand she played with the nape of the duckling’s neck and with her other she brought the coffee up to her nose. She sniffed at the warm vapors before blowing them away with a curt puff of air.
“Yeah, something like that,” she answered.
“Well come on then,” Aello prodded, “you can’t just leave it at that, you’ve got me curious now.”
Ada took a sip of her coffee and crinkled her nose. It was basically hot muddy water. She set the drink down and pushed it away.
“Well I ran into an old boss of mine,” she said, “things got a bit heated and it ended with him lying unconscious in a puddle of his own blood.”
“Woah, badass,” Aello exclaimed, “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a scrapper.”
“Yeah, well, he started it,” Ada replied.
Before Aello could probe any further a sharply dressed government official burst through the door. He nodded to the two as he moved to the front of the room. In his hand he held two manilla folders.
“Good evening ladies,” he said, his voice adopting a professional tone, “I am Captain Yung, and I hear you two are interested in a job.”
“Sup,” Aello responded.
The Captain eyed Aello, taking particular note of her dusty boots resting on the table. He turned his attention towards Ada and her bloodstained hands. A slight, almost imperceptible, scowl tugged at his lips. Primes were still primes, despite their shabby appearances. He cleared his throat and slid them each a folder.
“In the past twenty-four hours there was an incident on Tier 3...” he said as he began to explain the situation.
Aello’s eyes glazed over as Captain Yung droned on. She grabbed at her folder and leafed through its contents. Pages filled with walls of scientific text and information greeted her. She grimaced at the words and kept flipping through. Eventually she came to a series of gruesome pictures, each more violent than the last. Rats being slaughtered by one of their kin followed by the rodent consuming their corpses. The final picture was a still from a cctv camera that showed a vaguely humanoid blob of muscle and bones scuttling into an alleyway.
“Euugh, what the fuck?” she exclaimed and tossed the folder aside.
Yung cleared his throat and continued, “as I was saying, it is a viral infection, but it is unique in that rather than spreading from host to host it insteads seeks out biomass to consume and assimilate into its being.”
“And you want us to kill it?” Ada asked.
“We’d prefer if you brought it back alive to be studied,” he responded, “but should the need arise I’m sure an autopsy would be just as enlightening.”
Aello piped up, “yeah, thanks for the offer and all, but I’m gonna pass, real nice place you got here and I appreciate the offer, but I’m not game for hunting down whatever that is.”
She stood up and moved towards the door.
“Wait a minute prime,” Yung said.
“Name’s Aello bud,” she said, her hand still on the door.
The captain inhaled through his nose and said, “sorry, Aello, you’re new here, are you not?”
“What if I am?”
“Well, I’m offering you an opportunity to be more than just some wandering prime,” the Captain said, “surely you need a place to stay and food for your stomach, to be honest, whether you think so or not, something like this should be child’s play for two primes you are, after all, immortal.”
Aello turned around and looked at Ada and asked, “what do you think earthling?”
Ada tilted her head back and forth, weighing her options before speaking, “well, I can’t speak for you, but the money would be nice.”
Aello frowned and looked back at the Captain.
“I’ll need a weapon, my blaster didn’t survive the trip here,” she said, “maybe you guys could hook me up with something real spiff.”
The captain smiled and answered, “you would probably feel more comfortable summoning something made for you rather than taking one of our standard issue rifles.”
Aello flashed him an incredulous look, “I… I can do something like that?”
“Of course, you are a prime afterall,” he said.
“Badass.”
“So do we have your cooperation?” Captain Yung asked.
“Sure, but only if the earthling goes too,” she said, “and if things get too dicey I’m free to cut and run.”
“Of course,” Captain Yung nodded.
Ada glanced at the cup and then watched as Aello pulled up a chair across from her. Aello leaned back in her chair, kicked her feet up on the steel table, and sipped her coffee. Absentmindedly she rubbed the bicep of her mechanical arm as if she actually had any sensation in the metal limb. Aello’s eyes loped throughout the room, taking their time to study every sterile crack and crevice before falling upon Ada’s lithe form. For a moment their eyes locked and reluctantly Aello shifted her gaze to the spy’s untouched coffee.
“Sorry,” Aello spoke up, “wasn’t sure how you liked it so I kept it black, though I’d peg you as the type to drink black coffee, me? I can’t touch the stuff without a fistful of sugar.”
Ada wrapped her blood-stained fingers around the styrofoam cup, “no, it’s alright, just a long day is all.”
“Yeah, ‘bout that,” Aello said, her voice trailing off for a moment before adding, “so what’s the deal with all the blood, you just got done killing somebody?”
Ada smirked. With one hand she played with the nape of the duckling’s neck and with her other she brought the coffee up to her nose. She sniffed at the warm vapors before blowing them away with a curt puff of air.
“Yeah, something like that,” she answered.
“Well come on then,” Aello prodded, “you can’t just leave it at that, you’ve got me curious now.”
Ada took a sip of her coffee and crinkled her nose. It was basically hot muddy water. She set the drink down and pushed it away.
“Well I ran into an old boss of mine,” she said, “things got a bit heated and it ended with him lying unconscious in a puddle of his own blood.”
“Woah, badass,” Aello exclaimed, “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a scrapper.”
“Yeah, well, he started it,” Ada replied.
Before Aello could probe any further a sharply dressed government official burst through the door. He nodded to the two as he moved to the front of the room. In his hand he held two manilla folders.
“Good evening ladies,” he said, his voice adopting a professional tone, “I am Captain Yung, and I hear you two are interested in a job.”
“Sup,” Aello responded.
The Captain eyed Aello, taking particular note of her dusty boots resting on the table. He turned his attention towards Ada and her bloodstained hands. A slight, almost imperceptible, scowl tugged at his lips. Primes were still primes, despite their shabby appearances. He cleared his throat and slid them each a folder.
“In the past twenty-four hours there was an incident on Tier 3...” he said as he began to explain the situation.
Aello’s eyes glazed over as Captain Yung droned on. She grabbed at her folder and leafed through its contents. Pages filled with walls of scientific text and information greeted her. She grimaced at the words and kept flipping through. Eventually she came to a series of gruesome pictures, each more violent than the last. Rats being slaughtered by one of their kin followed by the rodent consuming their corpses. The final picture was a still from a cctv camera that showed a vaguely humanoid blob of muscle and bones scuttling into an alleyway.
“Euugh, what the fuck?” she exclaimed and tossed the folder aside.
Yung cleared his throat and continued, “as I was saying, it is a viral infection, but it is unique in that rather than spreading from host to host it insteads seeks out biomass to consume and assimilate into its being.”
“And you want us to kill it?” Ada asked.
“We’d prefer if you brought it back alive to be studied,” he responded, “but should the need arise I’m sure an autopsy would be just as enlightening.”
Aello piped up, “yeah, thanks for the offer and all, but I’m gonna pass, real nice place you got here and I appreciate the offer, but I’m not game for hunting down whatever that is.”
She stood up and moved towards the door.
“Wait a minute prime,” Yung said.
“Name’s Aello bud,” she said, her hand still on the door.
The captain inhaled through his nose and said, “sorry, Aello, you’re new here, are you not?”
“What if I am?”
“Well, I’m offering you an opportunity to be more than just some wandering prime,” the Captain said, “surely you need a place to stay and food for your stomach, to be honest, whether you think so or not, something like this should be child’s play for two primes you are, after all, immortal.”
Aello turned around and looked at Ada and asked, “what do you think earthling?”
Ada tilted her head back and forth, weighing her options before speaking, “well, I can’t speak for you, but the money would be nice.”
Aello frowned and looked back at the Captain.
“I’ll need a weapon, my blaster didn’t survive the trip here,” she said, “maybe you guys could hook me up with something real spiff.”
The captain smiled and answered, “you would probably feel more comfortable summoning something made for you rather than taking one of our standard issue rifles.”
Aello flashed him an incredulous look, “I… I can do something like that?”
“Of course, you are a prime afterall,” he said.
“Badass.”
“So do we have your cooperation?” Captain Yung asked.
“Sure, but only if the earthling goes too,” she said, “and if things get too dicey I’m free to cut and run.”
“Of course,” Captain Yung nodded.