I lived the better part of the last year in solitude. Everything that I was forced to learn about who I am, about what I am, has pushed me beyond the point of being able to relate to another human being. Because I'm not a human being, am I? Or am I? There is nothing special about being a freak. In my last months with the NYPD, it was painfully obvious that my presence there was making everyone uncomfortable. And when the FBI came knocking, even Daniel seemed glad that somebody was finally taking me away. I'm sure that he and all of the other uneasy well-wishers breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of my vacated desk. I'm sure that the very next day they began to pretend that I never existed. Most of them blamed me for everything that happened, anyway. I have never been so lonely in my life.
With MIST I am at least tolerated because I am useful. I'm the dog they let off the chain when the NMCs get out of control. The one person who seems to have received me on a more personal and welcome level is Jodie Bouquet. Am I really welcome, though? Or does she just try harder than the rest to be pleasant for the sake of a positive work environment? I honestly don't care if she is being genuine or not. At this point I am simply desperate for validation as a person, as a woman. She doesn't treat me like a freak show. I need to be close to someone so badly it hurts. She may end up regretting having opened the door to our friendship; I am going to walk right through it and cling to her now no matter what. This is the risk I am willing to take to feel human again.
And if my heart gets shattered to pieces, it will surely destroy me.
-Aya Brea
Eric Baldwin sat behind his desk at MIST Headquarters, sipping a cup of fresh coffee. A couple of his agents would be joining him soon to receive their briefing on the new mission, one that had him a bit worried. Since taking over the MIST project, Baldwin had pretty much seen it all. As such, it was not the nature of this most recent incident that bothered him. No, what had him scratching his head is that he didn't have anything to do with it this time. As part of his arrangement with the developing Neo Ark government, he had been assured that all NMC experimentation plans would be run through him first. It worked out in everyone's best interest if Baldwin was given the opportunity to edit the reports that his team received about NMC attacks. But this time, with no word from Neo Ark confirming or denying involvement, he wasn't sure what to do other than to send in an agent and see how things played out.
There was a knock on his door; it was time to get the show on the road.
"Come in," he said.
He already knew who it was; he could feel that woman's strange presence everywhere he went inside the building, so it was no surprise when agent Brea walked into the room. He eyed her casually. She was smoking hot, to be sure, but she was the damned strangest thing he had ever seen. She creeped him out more than the nastiest NMCs out there, and for that reason Baldwin was always very eager to get her away from him. Secretly, of course; it wouldn't serve him well at all to start acting suspicious.
"Got another one for me?" Aya said sweetly.
She was so creepy! "I do," Baldwin replied clearing his throat uncomfortably, "and this one could be big. Take a seat."
The other agent he was expecting poked his head in, then, and Baldwin waved him in. Pierce Carradine entered the office and took the second seat in front of Baldwin's desk next to Aya. If Baldwin had to pick one of his team to keep the strictest tabs on, it was Carradine. His position as lead data analyst made him the biggest threat to discovering his secret dealings with Neo Ark. While Pierce looked like an idiot and acted like a love-sick school boy around Aya Brea, Baldwin was not so careless as to underestimate a fool's luck.
Baldwin cleared his throat again. "Any chance I could convince you to take those sunglasses off? This isn't the world poker tournament."
Pierce simply straightened his vest and shrugged, earning a little giggle from Aya.
"I didn't think so," Baldwin said with a sigh. "Anyway, we have a situation at the Island Hotel down in Newport Beach. You may have already seen or heard about it on the news. The hotel was hosting a conference for some bio-medical bigwigs when all hell broke loose. The story the press is being given is the standard animal attack bit we always use. A special response team was sent there as soon as the first 9-1-1 call was made, and only one of them lived to tell the tale. Since they handed it off to us, I'm sure you can guess that whatever is going on down there isn't animals."
"NMC action," Aya said.
"What scattered information the lone SRT member was able to bring back seems to point toward activity that can only be classified as NMCs," replied Baldwin. He hated not knowing what was actually going on. The location and timing for something like this just wasn't making sense to him. He was extremely anxious to get this meeting over with and make contact with Neo Ark to get some answers.
"What's the plan?" asked Aya, although she already knew that it involved her going in alone to handle the problem, or, if she couldn't do it alone, to assess the situation and get out with as much intel as she could.
"You're going in alone to handle the problem," Baldwin replied and took note of Aya's little smile. "Of course, you already knew that. Attack this one a little more carefully, Aya. I know that you're… special. But seven highly trained agents lost their lives in there, and one is so traumatized that he can barely talk about what happened. If we are dealing with a brand new NMC threat then we can't afford to take any chances."
He looked at Pierce for the first time. "I want constant surveillance and communication with Agent Brea at all times," he said. "Use whatever resources you need to keep track of her every breath. Main office will have as much technical support as you need on-site, and the local authorities are aware that they will be cooperating with us, whether they want to or not. Got it? Constant surveillance, Carradine."
"Got it, sir," Pierce said. He was more than happy to have a direct order to be in continuous contact with Aya Brea.
"That's all we have until we get down there," Baldwin concluded hurriedly. "Your support unit will be standing by for you outside the perimeter at the hotel. Take any special equipment you think you'll need."
The agents stood and began making their way to the door. "Oh, and Aya," Baldwin called after her. "I almost forgot to tell you that Miss Bouquet wants you to go see her before you leave."
Aya nodded and was on her way, and as soon as the office door closed behind her, Baldwin was making a phone call.
Turning the concepts for Aya's new gear into a reality had consumed almost every waking minute of Jodie Bouquet's time for many months, not to mention an enormous chunk of her research and development funding. It had become an obsession for her, her reason for waking up each day. Every spec had to be perfect for Aya. Testing and retesting, scrapping and redrawing, and then all of it all over again, had finally yielded the results that Jodie was looking for. Her unreasonable performance standards where what made everything she touched golden, and her new products were her best work yet. Jodie was determined to never let Aya go on a mission without the most sophisticated gear on the planet.
As she was setting out Aya's new gear, the steel door to her arms room opened slowly, and Aya peeked her head in.
"You wanted to see me?" Aya said smiling. She came all the way into the room and closed the cage. "I definitely wanted to see you."
Jodie's face flushed and she smiled at Aya, her big brown eyes sparkling happily. "Yes, I did want to see you, Agent Brea," she replied. "I have something very special for you to take on this new mission."
Aya's face lit up excitedly; Jodie's equipment selections were never a disappointment. "Oh, I can't wait," she said moving closer to the beautiful weapons expert. "Show me."
Jodie led Aya over to the table where the gear was waiting for her. There was a vest, a handgun, and an assault rifle, all looking shiny and new. These were some of the most advanced pieces of combat gear in the world, Jodie had made sure of it. She felt a rush of excitement as she prepared to present them to Aya. Jodie had been waiting for this moment since she first met Aya, ever since she had taken her first look into those mesmerizing eyes of hers. These projects were a piece of her, a piece of her that she was now giving to Aya.
"I want to start with your brand new body armor," Jodie said excitedly. "I developed it to fit you and you only. It was made for your precise body dimensions, Aya." It had been a hot and confusing pleasure to have obsessed over Aya's shapeliness in order to get the design just right. However, Jodie was happy to continue admiring the woman now simply because she enjoyed to.
"It carries a protection level far past any body armor available," Jodie continued as her face flushed, "including all unspecified levels given to special operations armor. The material used to create the ballistic plating is an enhanced form of carborundum. This compound is used to develop other types of armor plating, but in those instances the carborundum is all synthetic. Yours, however, is made from pristine, one-hundred percent naturally occurring carborundum, made possible only through my close contacts at NASA. The quantity needed to develop a full set of armor like this can't be found in the small natural deposits on Earth, but is rather common around stars and meteorites. Essentially, your vest is made out of stardust!"
Aya looked at Jodie with amazement. "I don't even know what to say. That's just incredible."
Jodie was beaming with pride. "Also, unlike the overlapping design used by some systems, which places plates partially on top of plates, the carborundum in this vest is intricately woven together and layered. There is no place in this vest where there is only one layer of plating between your body and danger. The enhancement to the carborundum I mentioned makes these weaves as flexible as you need them to be without losing any of its ballistic quality. The aramid outer fabric was prepared using a highly classified process that makes it double the strength of Kevlar and is twice as pliable. It is fire resistant up to temperatures well over five hundred degrees, and it is blast and impact resistant."
Jodie regarded Agent Brea curiously for a moment before adding, "I guess the real test will be seeing if it can withstand the temperatures you seem to produce with your body."
Aya nodded thoughtfully and ran a hand over the shiny fabric of the vest. She could tell that Jodie was still not quite sure what to think about her mitochondria.
"And it's pink, I see," Aya said to shift the focus off of her, and the two girls laughed together.
Jodie nodded. "NMCs don't require the same tactical considerations as humans; they'll see you no matter what color you're wearing, but you know that better than anyone. Besides, I can't very well wrap your beautiful body in an ugly piece of equipment. Now, try it on."
Aya continued to look at the armor, studying the craftsmanship. She picked it up and was surprised at how light it felt. It was designed to go right over her head and then close at the sides, but Aya was having trouble finding where to clasp the straps.
"Oh, let me help you," Jodie offered eagerly. She walked behind Aya and slowly put her arms around the vest. "It's very simple," she said softly.
Aya smelled wonderful. Jodie dared to get even closer as she demonstrated how to secure the body armor.
"You just lift this front flap-"Jodie lifted the Velcro flap- "and stick the bands to it as tight as you want." She slowly strapped on one and then the other, in no real hurry to complete the process. "And then close the flap again to secure it."
She secured the flap over the bands, smoothing it out in exaggerated fashion.
Aya, meanwhile, almost forgot to open her eyes again when the vest was completely on. She had felt a wonderful sensation from the girl's warm breath on her neck as she was explaining the vest. It had been a year since Aya joined the MIST team there, and during that year her feelings about Jodie had be the source of some fascinating confusion for her.
Jodie made Aya's mitochondria ignite in ways that she never experienced while dealing with Eve.
"Aya, you're going to melt all of my hard work if you're not careful."
Jodie's giggling was coming from in front of her now, and Aya shot her eyes open. She could feel the flush in her cheeks, and with her fair complexion she knew there was no hiding it.
"Sorry," was all that Aya could say.
"How does it fit?" Jodie asked to spare Aya the uncomfortable silence. She was absolutely enthralled with Aya's reaction to her. If her own mitochondria were as special as Aya's, they would have already set the place on fire.
Aya had to admit that it felt perfect. Jodie really had applied her measurements to fit it to her body flawlessly. It conformed to her every contour and hugged her flanks comfortably. The bottom of the vest curved around her ribs and below her sternum, leaving her abdomen partly exposed. The material on the inside of the vest was extremely comfortable and breathed well. Aya ran her hand down the front of it, laughing softly as she passed over the swell of her breasts; it looked a bit like an armored sports bra.
"I absolutely love it," Aya said. "Your work is amazing."
Jodie curtsied daintily and blushed. "Why, thank you. So, the loop system covers the broad aspects of the vest and is compatible with all designs of attachable gear. You can customize it according to the requirements of each mission."
Looking at Jodie with admiration Aya unstrapped the vest and placed it back on the table, from which Jodie had just picked up the handgun.
"It's weapons time," Jodie said. "To start we have your side arm. This weapon is a .45 tactical piece that can easily be concealed when necessary. The body is made from a special polymer composite formulated for unmatched durability. It features a custom power extractor, match-grade ramped barrel, and a high capacity double-stack magazine. It comes with a fiber optic sighting system, but it also has railing along the upper receiver to be compatible with nearly any accessory type available. There is a laser sight built into the forward face of the trigger that can be turned on or off with a slight touch of your finger. I designed a very unique trigger mechanism for this gun, so that the trigger squeeze would be as smooth and consistent as possible. Now, most weapons can utilize tungsten carbide ammunition of some type, but this one was designed specifically for tungsten rounds."
Jodie handed Aya the gun. "The texturing is part of the pistol grip instead of being a separate piece to create the best hold."
"It feels great," Aya said.
It was light and a matte dark-grey color. She looked down the sight and was very impressed with the glowing rod on the front end. The dot it created was bright and easy to see. Aya could already tell that rapid target acquisition would be no problem with a sight like that and was looking forward to testing it out on some NMCs.
"My last gift to you is this lovely assault rifle," Jodie said. She picked up the rifle and eyed her own handiwork. "This weapon is an upgrade to the assault rifles used by special forces around the world. It is configured to fire the 6.8mm special purpose cartridge and, like your pistol, is specifically tailored to use tungsten-type ammunition. It is great in close quarters and has a 12-inch barrel. The stock folds in if you want it to. The non-reciprocating charging handle on left side also acts as a forward assist. Top and side rails allow you to mount anything you want. I've placed a fiber optic reflex sight on it for you, my own custom design, but feel free to take it off. I know you prefer the ACOG.
Jodie smiled sweetly and handed Aya the rifle. "It's compatible with a 40mm grenade launcher attachment, too."
Aya laughed and held her second new weapon. It matched her handgun in color and felt well-balanced in her hands. Although some of Jodie's shop talk had gone straight over her head, it was clear that all of the equipment was indeed exceptional.
"I really don't know what to say. You've completely outdone yourself this time, Jodie."
"Yes, well, luckily for you I think I might like you just a little," Jodie said gazing at Aya. "But only just a little, of course."
Aya met Jodie's gaze from across the table and smiled. "I'm glad I have you in my corner," she said. "I kind of like you, too, you know."
There were many long moments of silence between them, then, as they looked at each other and exchanged little smiles. It was a comfortable silence, during which they each seemed to be trying to find a way to say things to each other that they did not know needed to be said until just then.
Jodie looked into Aya's enchanting eyes and dared to break the ice on what each of them was obviously thinking. "Aya, is there something going on between us?"
Aya inhaled deeply and then blew heavily through pursed lips. "I think there is. I hope there is, at least."
"I wasn't sure how you would react if I said anything to you about it," Aya continued anxiously. "Maybe I'm scared of rejection, I don't know. But what I do know is that over the past year I have developed some very real feelings for you."
Aya wiped a hand down her face with a groan. "God, that sounded stupid."
Jodie laughed and walked around the equipment table to stand near Aya. "It's not stupid," she said. Her hands were fidgeting excessively. "Just… here." And she took both of Aya's hands in hers.
Aya smiled broadly as they continued to look at each other with searching expressions. "So," she said to ease the hot tension mounting between them. "Only just a little, huh?"
Jodie shook her head, laughing sheepishly, and then leaned forward to rest it on Aya's chest. "Okay, maybe a lot of bit. You're terrible."
"I know." Aya put her arms around Jodie and rested her check against her soft brown hair.
They remained in the embrace for long moments. Somehow, they both knew that this was how it was going to end up for them. Their relationship had always existed right at the edge of friendship and threatening to jump off into a realm of uncertain desires at any moment. There was so much that still needed to be said, so many pent up feelings and confessions that needed to be shared between them now, and neither of them felt that they could endure to wait any longer.
But it would all have to be said another time.
"I have to go," Aya said reluctantly. "Got some NMCs to take care of."
Jodie finally pulled away from Aya's arms and looked into the blonde girl's eyes. "I know. Take your new gear. You're going to be happy with how it performs."
Aya slowly moved away from her beautiful friend to collect the equipment. She put on her pink vest, tucked the handgun in the waist of her jeans and slung her assault rifle across her back.
"I've always thought you looked really hot all geared up," Jodie said with a shy giggle. "Is it okay to say those kinds of things now?"
"Yes, it's very okay," Aya replied with a smile.
Jodie walked over to Aya once more and faced her closely. "Please be safe, Agent Brea, and come back to me, okay?"
"You can count on it, Agent Bouquet."
The first awkward moments passed between them then. Something was missing but neither of them wanted to draw the other's attention to it.
Finally, Jodie cleared her throat in exaggerated fashion. "Are you going to-"
"Am I supposed to-" Aya said at the same time.
"Yes," Jodie said flatly. "This is the part where the hero kisses the girl before heading into combat- yadda, yadda. Am I going to have to spell these things out for you every time we do this?"
"Shut up," Aya told her, and she pulled her into a deep kiss that lasted for many seconds.
When it was over Jodie sighed dreamily and looked into Aya's brilliant eyes one last time. "Okay, now go kill some bad guys."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Aya walked to the door and opened it, looking back a final time to give Jodie a wink, and then she was off to get the rest of her gear and head to Newport Beach, tingling and feeling giddy all over about their new relationship.
Baldwin didn't have any luck reaching Neo Ark, but the man sitting in his office now was offering him some very interesting information.
"Neo Ark isn't the only party interested in the possibilities of NMC development," the man was saying. "In fact, I have set this incident into motion with your Agent Brea specifically in mind. She will provide excellent data to continue developing more useful specimens in the future. Every military in the world will pay millions for the results."
"I'm interested," Baldwin said. "We will keep in contact, and if this goes as well as you say maybe we can continue a working relationship." He realized that he had been so caught off guard by the man's proposal that he hadn't even gotten his name. "So what do I call you?"
The man stood to leave, putting on his dark shades. "Call me Albert."