Processor & Prejudice

Summary: "You're alright in my book?" Apparently not. Sky and Sophie are still bumping heads.

Disclaimer: I do not own SPD

Sky Tate walked through the halls of the Delta Base, much like he always did when he was upset. His stride was strong to ward off anyone who might just have an itch to chat with him. On his face, he wore a glare that was hard to rival. To say the least, he was pissed. He had thought she was long gone, but apparently he was wrong. Commander Cruger just informed the team that she was coming back from the Theta Quadrant. 'Sophie,' the name just made him want to cringe. Why his friends wanted to treat her like a person was beyond him. After all what her name stood for: series one processor hyper intelligent encryptor, was what she really was. Call her what you like: a computer, a machine, a cyborg. Any one of those would be fine and accurate in his mind. She was a thing, not a person, and in his mind she should be treated as such. She was a hindrance and even though she had helped the base in the past, she was still a threat. She had lied to her superiors once before, who's to say that she wont do it again. Sky didn't trust her as far as he could throw her, but unfortunately, he had to bite his tongue when the commander said that she would be returning. After all, just before she left, he had told her that she wasokay in his book. It was a white lie, sure, but he didn't think he would be working along side her for a long period of time.

'Stupid irony,' he thought as he shoved his way past a group of cadets one of whom was Z Delgado his fellow ranger. He, unfortunately, was fuming so much that he had missed that she was even there. Not that it was a good excuse or anything.

Z however was never one to be pushed around, by a superior officer or otherwise. Leader or not, she wasn't going to have him treat her that way. So after the initial shock had worn off, she bid goodbye to the other cadets and ran after Sky. It wasn't hard, after all, she just had to follow the sounds of indignation that seemed to be coming from the direction he had walked off in. She hated it when he got like this, mostly because no one was safe from him. Well, no one but the commander who usually got the pleasure of putting Sky back in his place. Today however, Sky was going to learn that one other had no qualms about dressing him down. Z huffed as she stepped over a cadet who was sprawled on his backside. Oh yeah, Sky was going to go down for this one. She couldn't even understand how he could have missed that he knocked someone down. Then again, maybe he didn't. Perhaps the cadet just tripped. Stopping, Z turned and walked back towards the cadet. "Did Sky do this to you?" She asked in a demanding tone of voice.

The cadet's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No ma'am, he just helped it along. I was tying my shoe, and he almost ran into me. I ended up like this because I was in a hurry to get out of his way."

Z stared at the cadet for a second as she processed the information. Then she turned and ran after her prey. She caught up to him as he was exiting the Delta Base. "Sky!" She yelled after him, but she received no answer. Growling under her breath she ran after him again as she repeated his name a few times over loud enough to get his attention.

She knew that he could hear her, but Sky just continued on his way ignoring her. After all, what could she possibly do to him. He was her superior, the only thing she could do was go over his head and he knew Z was more of a fight now talk later kind of person. Going to the commander about a problem would take up too much of her time. Besides, she would rather confront a problem face on, than to skirt around it. For these reasons he chose to ignore her. 'What was she going to do about it?' He thought just before a hard fist connected with his right arm. He winced, pain like that was hard to ignore. As it subsided, he glared, after all, Z's punch was considered assault and she wasn't going to get away with it.

"What the hell was that for?"

Z raised her eyebrow at his tone of voice. "Oh," she purred sarcastically. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

Sky crossed his arms. "That's a lie and we both know it. You were calling my name long before you violated my arm."

"I should have 'violated' more than that with the way you've been acting, neanderthal." She said with a roll of her eyes. Sky fumed at her insult but stayed quiet, which was just fine to her. "You," she emphasized by jabbing her finger into his chest, "mowed me and some other cadetsover in the hallway back there. I should be the one asking you, 'what the hell was that for?' Not the other way around. You," she jabbed him again harder this time, "are supposed to be setting an example for the cadets, Schyler Tate. What is your issue?" She growled out.

'Whoa,' Sky thought. 'Note to self.' he decided. 'Don'tpiss offElizabeth Delgado.' He had never seen her this angry before, and he was pretty sure he didn't want to see it again, at least not directed at him. After all, there was something about the fire in her eyes that seemed appealing to him. Passion was the only way to describe it. She seemed flushed somehow as if her life blood was rushing through her. It was almost captivating in a way. She seemed feral and exotic all at the same time. 'Hot,' came to his mind, but he didn't realize that he had said the word out loud until she jabbed him for a third time. "What?" He asked rubbing the spot that was quickly becoming sore. 'There's gonna be a bruise there in the morning.'

"What did you say?" She said in a low, grating voice. "Were you even listening to me?"

Sky had the decency to look embarrassed, and he nodded. "Yeah, I heard." Z crossed her arms and glared up at him as if she was waiting for him to continue and so he did. "I'm sorry, Z. I'm just kind of miffed with Sophie's return, that's all." A frown crossed over her features. As if she was unsure what he was taking about and then a look of total comprehension flooded over her, but surprisingly she didn't push him any further. Instead she just linked arm's with him and continued to walk in the direction he had been going.

"So," she started. "What did you mean by 'hot?'" She asked him deciding that it would be best to change the subject. She took great delight at the blush that crept onto her friend's face.

A/N: I'm going to try a new writing style. Please, tell me what you think?