ONE
I opened my eyes and sighed then sat up slowly. Another day was burning away while I was in bed. My small apartment wasn't much bigger than a hotel room. I had a closet and a bathroom that were both small and cramped but they worked and they were mine. The screen by my door beeped as a new message came in. I picked up my tablet and opened the message. TRAINING ROOM 5 MINUTES. I sighed again and got out of bed and pulled on my sports bra, t-shirt, and gym pants while eating two of my high protein bars. There had better be a good reason for calling me to work on my day off. Especially since my CO knew I had been sick with a cold lately. I brushed my teeth and put my hair up in a high pony tail and left my room.
I jogged to the center enjoying the morning air. There were others outside. Soldiers like me, almost. I was special even for Special Forces. The men stared at me as I jogged, whistles and 'hey baby' coming from all directions. I ignored them and kept going until I reached the doors of the training facility. I stepped inside the cool building and looked around. My commander was standing at the other end of the crowded room. People were working out on weight benches, sparring in practice rings, climbing ropes that hung from the ceiling, and using the punching bags.
My CO was standing beside one of the weight benches that were being used with another man. The other man was not an officer, hell he wasn't even in the service from what I could tell. My gut told me government suit. I made my way over to the men and stood beside my CO. Jason Adams had been my CO for three years. When needed he was my partner when I was sent out on assignment. We had a comfortable relationship and worked great as a team.
"Christopher Wilkinson, meet Sophia Scott. Sophie, this is Christopher Wilkinson. He is here to observe our program here and make sure everything is running smoothly," Jason said. I nodded and shook hands with Wilkinson.
"Pleased to meet you sir," I said.
"Sophie is my best agent in the program. She and I have been through hell to get here today in one piece," Jason added. He loved to brag about me when there were suits around. Wilkinson nodded.
"I've heard about all of her great accomplishments. Which is why I am here," he said. I looked at Jason puzzled. "We have a previous version of the program you have here that proved to me mildly successful-"
"Explain 'mildly successful'" Jason interrupted. Wilkinson looked away for a moment.
"There was a forty percent success rate. The agents we recruited were either unsuitable for our program or their minds could not acclimate to the GA medicine the agents had to take while in the program. But fortunately, we still have a few agents that have made the full transition through the program and we would like to mix them in with your agents and program here because we are cutting the funding to the original program since the program you have here is more successful," Wilkinson finished.
"What does this have to do with me?" I asked.
"We want our top agent to partner with your top agent, who is you Miss Scott," Wilkinson stated. I looked at Jason, he looked unsure of this idea.
"I want a trial run first. When can your agent be here?" Jason asked. Wilkinson looked over his shoulder at the man on the weight bench.
"He's here already. Aaron?" the man at the weight bench stood and came to us. I studied him quickly. He was damn handsome that was for sure. He was taller than my five foot seven inches with dark brown hair with natural gold highlights running through it. Dark blue eyes, a nose that was sharp but rounded at the same time and very kissable lips. Whoa. I needed to stop right there. No sexual thoughts about my might be partner.
"Sophia Scott, this is Aaron Cross. He is my best agent. Now Commander Adams, if you don't object, we could talk over the new funding?" Wilkinson asked. Jason looked over at me I nodded to let him know I would be ok.
"Sophia, why don't you show Agent Cross around." Jason suggested, I nodded.
"Yes sir. Agent Cross?" I looked back at him into those blue eyes, "If you please?"
"Yes ma'am." I led Aaron out of the main room.
"These are the personal training rooms if someone wants to train alone from the others. Most of us train together though."
"When do you train?" Aaron asked.
"Usually every day but this week is my on base mandatory R&R. We have that once every three months unless we are on assignment. During the R&R the doctors run their annual tests on us to make sure we're not getting burned out," I explained. We came to the outside door and I punched in my code.
"Are you GA?" Aaron asked. I turned to face him and then slowly nodded.
"I was the first successful genetically altered soldier that didn't default in my program. We didn't do program meds like your program, we went straight to the shot," I said quietly. Then went on with the tour.
"We keep most of the training room doors locked and everyone has a code. If you stay here you'll get a code that will work on all the doors on base," I told him. Aaron walked quietly beside me as I showed him the base. Once I had showed him the immediate area we went back to the training center.
"Since I'm here I might as well do something. Do you want to do some sparring?" I asked. Aaron grinned.
"Sure," he replied. We went over to an empty ring and I picked up a roll of tape. I held the tape out to him.
"Do you mind?" I asked. Aaron took the tape from me and positioned my hand so he could tape my wrist. He did a good job but I couldn't think of much besides the feel of his hands on my skin. His fingers were long and skillful but his hands were rough and calloused. Shivers went down my spine. These hands belonged to a man that knew how to survive. I looked up and found Aaron staring at me.
"Is this going to work with you and me?" I asked. Aaron smiled a bit.
"I'll be on my best behavior," he said. Aaron quickly taped my other hand and then he quickly taped around his thumb and two wraps around his wrist on each hand. I slid on a pair of padded gloves that were marked as my gloves that had been specially designed to fit my smaller hands and then I threw a set of bigger gloves to Aaron. I pulled my mouthpiece out of its container and threw Aaron a new sterile one and we were set. As we began to warm up I noticed people in the center start to wander over to watch us. When we began our match I was surprised. Aaron was as fast as I was which isn't what I expected. He blocked every punch I threw at him and I began to get frustrated after we had been fighting for almost fifteen minutes and neither of us had an edge over the other. I retreated into my corner and forced myself to calm down. If I wanted to win I needed to stay calm.
The next time Aaron and I locked up he tried to kick my leg out from under me. I took advantage and threw my weight against him forcing him off balance. We rolled around on the mat for a moment until he had me pinned. I squirmed and then brought my knee up into his back and he fell forward. Aaron recovered and pushed me down into the mat using his full weight to pin me. I realized that I was caught so I went limp and stopped fighting. Aaron stood up and then offered me his hand I took it and he helped me up. Then I clocked him in the jaw. Aaron stumbled back, blood running down his chin.
"That's enough," Jason barked coming into the ring. Wilkinson followed him.
"I think this is going to work out just fine. From now on you two are inseparable, joined at the hip. You will stay in the same room, eat at the same time, train together, and learn to move as a team. Do you understand?" Jason asked. I looked at Aaron and his bloodied lip.
"Yes, sir," we both answered at the same time.
"Good, dismissed for the day. Go relax. Cross, I suggest you make her patch you up," Jason said.
"Yes, sir, looking forward to working with you, sir." Aaron and I took our gloves off and then left the training center. I could already hear the whispers going around the base. I showed Aaron to my…our room. There was a note on my door that said a bed would arrive in an hour.
"This is us. The code is 051387," I said as we went inside. Aaron looked around as I checked my messages.
"Your birthday?" He asked offhand. I looked back and nodded.
"On your left is the bathroom; on the right is the closet. I'll make some room in the closet and dresser for you. There's not a lot of room as you can see so I guess I'll push my bed against this wall and then you can have that wall," I said. I turned around to see Aaron looking at my photos that were taped to my mirror.
"First we should get you looked at though. I don't want blood on my carpet," I teased. Aaron turned around as I went to the bathroom and dampened a washcloth. "Sit," I ordered, pointing to my bed. Aaron complied and sat on the corner. I went to him and gently used the washcloth to wipe the blood away.
"Anyone ever told you that you can punch pretty good…for a girl that is," Aaron said with a smile.
"Keep on with the girl comments and you might wake up with your eyebrows shaved off Agent Cross," I teased back. A bruise and some swelling had already started near the corner of his mouth and he winced when I touched it with the washcloth.
"I'll get you some ice," I started to get up but Aaron wrapped his hand around my wrist.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Aaron said. I nodded and sat back down.
"Okay, what would you like to do then?" I asked.
"What were you going to do today before I came into the picture?" Aaron asked. I grinned.
"Stay in bed and watch movies," I answered. "When was the last time you did that?"
"A couple of years ago I think, I was laid up for two weeks with a broken leg," Aaron replied after some thought. I looked at him amazed.
"Okay, you and I are going to have some serious rest and relaxation today. When did you complete your last mission?" I asked.
"Last night. We came straight here."
"Then you get to pick out a movie. I don't care what you pick I like all of them that I have," I said reaching down under my bed and pulling out my box of movies. I got up and went to my dresser and began to clean it out so that Aaron and I could split it.
"Do you want to split the dressed horizontally or just down the middle?" I asked over my shoulder.
"Down the middle works for me. That way you don't have to move all of your things around," Aaron replied as he read the back of a movie. I moved all of my clothing into one side of the dresser. And then went to the closet. That was easy; I just pushed all my clothes to one side and stacked up my shoes and boots under them.
"Okay all done," I pronounced. Aaron held out a movie to me.
"Me too, I think my bags are coming when they bring the bed. Or at least I hope they come with the bed," Aaron stated.
"If you need a shirt, I have some that will fit you," I told him putting the movie into the DVD player. Aaron moved off of my bed and started to sit in the floor but I shook my head at him.
"Don't even partner. We share the bed until yours gets here," I told him fast forwarding through the previews. Aaron sat back on the bed and leaned back against the head board; once the movie started I sat beside him. We watched the movie in silence for a while and then I glanced over at Aaron out of the corner of my eye. His eyes were closed and he was breathing evenly and deeply. I turned my head and studied him closer once I was sure he was asleep.
Aaron looked in his early or mid thirties. His hair looked soft and thick, I wasn't sure if it had been styled or not it was so perfect. The sides of his hair were flat but the top was messy and the front was spiked. I didn't see Aaron as the type do stand in front of a mirror and spend time doing his hair to get the perfect messy look that he wore perfectly. Long dark eyelashes brushed his cheekbones that were clean shaven. And those lips…I just couldn't keep my mind off of them.
"Staring is rude you know," Aaron mumbled, barely moving those perfect lips.
"I wasn't staring."
"I could feel you watching me," Aaron said opening those perfect blue eyes. He fixed his gaze on me and I watched him as he studied me just as I had done to him.
"Staring is rude," I reiterated. Aaron smiled.
"I'm not staring, I'm admiring," he corrected. "For some reason, I got lucky and I was hitched to a beautiful partner." I'm not a girl who blushes very much but at Aaron's words I felt my face grow warm.
"Well, you're not so bad yourself," I mumbled. Aaron looked at me for another moment and then closed his eyes again.
"Since we're partners I think I should tell you that I don't sleep very much. When I do sleep I usually have some pretty bad dreams and I wake up screaming," Aaron said.
"When was the last time you had a full eight hours?" I asked.
"About a year, I think. Unless you count when the docs put me out."
"I promise I won't shoot you if you wake me up," I said. A smirk grew over Aaron's face.
"Thanks, that means a lot. There is nothing more embarrassing than a person asking how your partner died and the answer is that you shot him because he was screaming in his sleep," Aaron replied. I laughed.
"You got that right. And while we're on the subject of sleeping, I'm a light sleeper usually. I do have a habit of tossing and turning but besides that I have no other issues with sleeping," I told him.
"Noted. Is there anything else I should know about you?"
"I hate broccoli, I love long hot showers or baths especially after I get back from a mission. It's kind of like my way of washing the bad off if that makes sense. I like to keep at least one emergency pint of ice cream in the freezer because I am a woman, sometimes I cry for no reason. When you find me like that just get the ice cream," I said. There was a pounding on the door.
"Delivery for an Aaron Cross!" I laughed getting up.
"Thanks Baker, Anders. You can set everything over there," I said as I pointed to the other side of the room. Aaron stood up and looked each man over.
"Aaron, this is PFC Baker and PFC Anders. Guys, this is my partner, Aaron Cross." Aaron shook hands with each man. After they had set a twin mattress and two duffel bags down on the floor, then they went back out to the hall and brought in box springs a headboard and rails. They quickly set up the bed glancing at the TV screen as they worked.
"Man, Sophie, you've got all the good stuff in your quarters. It must be nice to be a super secret special agent. How do you get to be a super secret agent anyways?" Baker asked.
"You give up everything and then some more," Aaron mumbled as he went to his bags and began unpacking.
"If you guys can handle this I'm going to excuse myself," I said. I reached into the closet and picked a shirt off a hanger and then grabbed jeans and underclothes from the dresser. Aaron caught my eye and gave me a look.
"I'm going to take a shower."
"Then we won't be in the same room," Aaron replied with a smirk.
"You stay," I ordered. "I'm a big girl, I can take a shower by myself." I went to the bathroom and closed the door tightly.