Conspiracy
Clarice Starling tapped the Enter key half-heartedly. The computer bleeped inquiringly and she muffled a groan. For fuck's sake, why won't you enter this fucking information? She wondered. The computer had been playing up on her for three weeks now, but Noonan either didn't give a shit or he wasn't lying about the FBI being strapped for cash. She'd tried everything she knew about computers to get hers up and running again, but no, the stupid box just bleeped and made other weird, uncanny noises.
"Hey, Starling!" Richard said, coming into the room. "What's up?"
Clarice turned, regarding him. "Hey Derrington, what's up is my fucking computer again. I seriously don't know what's up with it." She got up from her desk and held out a hand for her mail. Richard gave it to her just as the computer spat sparks out, gave a half-hearted bleep and blew up. It looked quite comical with a steady wisp of smoke floating from it. "Fuck!" Clarice said, waving away the smoke. Richard frowned.
"Did you tell your boss?"
"Yeah. Noonan just doesn't give a shit about me. I'm the freak that sits in the basement all day researching a cannibal, remember?"
"I wouldn't call you a freak, but hey, to each his own." Richard gave her a smile. "Want me to go get a Tech?"
"Nah, I'll get one. I've been down here since six am, I need to get out."
"Careful, Dracula. It's pretty sunny out there."
"Better put on extra strength sunblock then, shouldn't I?" Clarice punched him lightly on the arm and walked up the stairs. Richard watched her go and put her mail on the table before following her. A plain white envelope about A4 size slid from the pile onto the floor.
It didn't take long for Clarice to find a Tech. Samantha Westfield was just coming off her lunch break when Clarice caught her outside the cafeteria.
"Hey Sam!"
"Hey Clare, what's up?" Sam asked, turning around.
"My computer's gone and shit itself. I think it blew up on me. Can you com take a look at it?"
"Sure. Lemme at it!" Sam followed Clarice down to the disarray of the basement workroom. "Damn, girl! How can you find anything in here?"
"I practically live here. It's kinda easy." Clarice grinned. She showed Sam her computer. The Tech raised an eyebrow when she saw it.
"Why the heck have you got an old model, Clare? The whole building has been upgraded."
"I know. I think Noonan just likes seeing me suffer with a shitty second- rate model."
"Second-rate? Clare, I wouldn't even call this third- or forth-rate! It's ancient!"
"Yeah well, life ain't always peaches and cream. It gets my work done. Or did. That's all I need." Clarice grinned again. She started sorting through her mail. She didn't see the white envelope on the floor. Sam chuckled and took a look at the computer.
"Damn, here's your problem, Clarice. Look." Sam pointed out frayed wires near the power point. "Damn, you've basically got your own execution laid out in your office. I reckon that overload could have killed you if you were near the computer when it chucked it's cookies. Or at least put you in hospital for a bit."
Clarice looked at the wires and shrugged. "Oh well. I guess I've got a pretty good reason to get Noonan to get me a new computer for down here, if he wants me to do any work at all."
"I'll go talk to the other Techs. I think we may have a few spare computers somewhere."
"Thanks Sam." Clarice said, opening an envelope.
"No problem. Oh, and you dropped some of your mail." Clarice looked down and saw the envelope. Sam left to talk to her workmates. Clarice picked up the envelope and frowned. She didn't want to open it. Not at work, anyway. Christ, I've only been back here six months and already I'm getting weird envelopes. Part of her wanted to scream. If it was from him, she didn't want to put on a trace. No, she'd tried that before. All she ended up with was a bullet in the shoulder and he escaped again. She looked at her watch. It was already after five, which meant she'd been here for over an extra three hours. She yawned suddenly and shook her head. Packing up her things to take home, including the white envelope, she put on her coat and went upstairs. Sam was talking to another Tech in the hall.
"Oh, hey Clarice! We do have a couple of spare computers. Do you want it now?" Sam asked.
"Nah, I'm going home, thanks Sam. Bring it by tomorrow."
"Okay! See you tomorrow!"
"Bye!" Clarice walked out, holding the box which had files concealing the envelope, and out to her Mustang. Snow was falling and she had to wait a bit for the engine to warm up. Once it got going, though, she backed out and onto the road, driving home. She yawned again. Her eyes began to flutter closed, and she struggled to keep them open.
There was a squeal of tires, and then just blackness...
Clarice Starling tapped the Enter key half-heartedly. The computer bleeped inquiringly and she muffled a groan. For fuck's sake, why won't you enter this fucking information? She wondered. The computer had been playing up on her for three weeks now, but Noonan either didn't give a shit or he wasn't lying about the FBI being strapped for cash. She'd tried everything she knew about computers to get hers up and running again, but no, the stupid box just bleeped and made other weird, uncanny noises.
"Hey, Starling!" Richard said, coming into the room. "What's up?"
Clarice turned, regarding him. "Hey Derrington, what's up is my fucking computer again. I seriously don't know what's up with it." She got up from her desk and held out a hand for her mail. Richard gave it to her just as the computer spat sparks out, gave a half-hearted bleep and blew up. It looked quite comical with a steady wisp of smoke floating from it. "Fuck!" Clarice said, waving away the smoke. Richard frowned.
"Did you tell your boss?"
"Yeah. Noonan just doesn't give a shit about me. I'm the freak that sits in the basement all day researching a cannibal, remember?"
"I wouldn't call you a freak, but hey, to each his own." Richard gave her a smile. "Want me to go get a Tech?"
"Nah, I'll get one. I've been down here since six am, I need to get out."
"Careful, Dracula. It's pretty sunny out there."
"Better put on extra strength sunblock then, shouldn't I?" Clarice punched him lightly on the arm and walked up the stairs. Richard watched her go and put her mail on the table before following her. A plain white envelope about A4 size slid from the pile onto the floor.
It didn't take long for Clarice to find a Tech. Samantha Westfield was just coming off her lunch break when Clarice caught her outside the cafeteria.
"Hey Sam!"
"Hey Clare, what's up?" Sam asked, turning around.
"My computer's gone and shit itself. I think it blew up on me. Can you com take a look at it?"
"Sure. Lemme at it!" Sam followed Clarice down to the disarray of the basement workroom. "Damn, girl! How can you find anything in here?"
"I practically live here. It's kinda easy." Clarice grinned. She showed Sam her computer. The Tech raised an eyebrow when she saw it.
"Why the heck have you got an old model, Clare? The whole building has been upgraded."
"I know. I think Noonan just likes seeing me suffer with a shitty second- rate model."
"Second-rate? Clare, I wouldn't even call this third- or forth-rate! It's ancient!"
"Yeah well, life ain't always peaches and cream. It gets my work done. Or did. That's all I need." Clarice grinned again. She started sorting through her mail. She didn't see the white envelope on the floor. Sam chuckled and took a look at the computer.
"Damn, here's your problem, Clarice. Look." Sam pointed out frayed wires near the power point. "Damn, you've basically got your own execution laid out in your office. I reckon that overload could have killed you if you were near the computer when it chucked it's cookies. Or at least put you in hospital for a bit."
Clarice looked at the wires and shrugged. "Oh well. I guess I've got a pretty good reason to get Noonan to get me a new computer for down here, if he wants me to do any work at all."
"I'll go talk to the other Techs. I think we may have a few spare computers somewhere."
"Thanks Sam." Clarice said, opening an envelope.
"No problem. Oh, and you dropped some of your mail." Clarice looked down and saw the envelope. Sam left to talk to her workmates. Clarice picked up the envelope and frowned. She didn't want to open it. Not at work, anyway. Christ, I've only been back here six months and already I'm getting weird envelopes. Part of her wanted to scream. If it was from him, she didn't want to put on a trace. No, she'd tried that before. All she ended up with was a bullet in the shoulder and he escaped again. She looked at her watch. It was already after five, which meant she'd been here for over an extra three hours. She yawned suddenly and shook her head. Packing up her things to take home, including the white envelope, she put on her coat and went upstairs. Sam was talking to another Tech in the hall.
"Oh, hey Clarice! We do have a couple of spare computers. Do you want it now?" Sam asked.
"Nah, I'm going home, thanks Sam. Bring it by tomorrow."
"Okay! See you tomorrow!"
"Bye!" Clarice walked out, holding the box which had files concealing the envelope, and out to her Mustang. Snow was falling and she had to wait a bit for the engine to warm up. Once it got going, though, she backed out and onto the road, driving home. She yawned again. Her eyes began to flutter closed, and she struggled to keep them open.
There was a squeal of tires, and then just blackness...