"Let's see," Zed said as he moved down the line, slowly repeating each agent's letter that morning, "Jay, Kay, Elle, X." he glared at the alien agent. "X get down to the end of the line by Agent Vee where you belong!" He glanced at the line again as X moved off grumbling. Why did that alien have to cause so much trouble? Couldn't Lyndon have found a toleratable alien to be made a field agent? Just then he realized something. Although he had said her letter automatically, Agent Elle was missing from the line.
"Kay, have you seen Elle this morning?" Zed asked as he turned to his best agent.
"No. I'll go and check her room. Maybe she overslept," Kay said as he started of.
"Orion probably knocked her alarm clock off again," Jay said as his partner left. The cat had already pulled that trick once that month.
A few minutes later, Kay was knocking on Elle's door but she didn't answer. "Elle?" he called as he knocked again and then begin to pound when there was still no response. This didn't feel right at all. He backed up a bit and threw himself against the door, hitting it with his shoulder and sending it swinging in with a crack.
He hurried in, calling out Elle's name. Even if she had slept through his knocking, she couldn't have missed the door being broke open. Orion twined around his ankle in greeting but Kay ignored the cat as he searched for Elle. Just then he spotted something, a half eaten sandwich, on the coffee table and as he moved closer, he saw Elle laying there crumpled in a heap on the floor.
'Elle!" he cried as he raced to her side and reached down, gathering her into his arms and frantically shaking her shoulders trying to wake her. She was so cold, like a block of ice in his arms and after a moment, he realized her body was slightly stiff. She wouldn't be waking up. He was several hours to late. He felt tears stinging his eyes as he carefully laid her down and pulled out his communicator.
"Zed, I need a medical team in Elle's room," he whispered.
"What's wrong?"
"She wouldn't answer the door. I had to force it. She's dead."