9. Microwave Ovens
Goddamnit.
Alex was crouched behind the counter in the spacious kitchen and it was getting very uncomfortable and not just physically. The bright white lighting illuminated every corner, rubbing every fibre of his being the wrong way. He was a spy, made to dwell in the shadows, and he'd never felt more exposed.
Well, okay, it was slightly better than that one time in the Middle East. But still, his heart was pounding with the threat of being discovered.
He heard footsteps, right on time. Good – he hadn't spend days memorizing this guy's daily routine for nothing.
Yes, and now he would prepare his coffee. Alex heard the fridge door open and the sloshing of cream in its carton. Time for the instant oatmeal. The man pulled a bowl out from a cupboard, poured the mix in, and added water. A spoon clinked against the ceramic of the bowl as he stirred. The opening of the microwave door was loud in the silence.
Beep, beep, beep.
Alex held his breath. And…beep.
An explosive hiss filled the room and Alex heard his target's startled exclamation followed by a thud. The spy grinned. He waited for the sleeping gas to dissipate before peeking his head around the counter.
There was a crackle in Alex's ear, and a disapproving voice sounded, "That was far too dramatic, Rider. You could have easily done that without the fanfare."
"Aw, come on, sir. You're never any fun."
"Fun! Dear god…" There was a barely audible sigh. "Alright, junior. Just collect the poor bloke's fingerprint and scram."
"Roger that." Alex chuckled.
Of course, he could admit he'd gone a bit overboard but he wasn't about to let months spent on that computer programming class go to waste.
10. Camouflage
Alex and Tom stared before bursting out into hysterical laughter.
"What the fuck was that?" Tom groaned, clutching his stomach.
To his credit, Alex had already managed to compose himself enough to maintain a straight face, although his mouth kept twitching.
"Shut up, Tom. This is supposed to be a serious moment. Look, they've reunited and they can both live now. And stuff."
"But his face!"
"It's not a bad idea…"
"But his face!"
Alex gave up. Yeah, Peeta did look ridiculous, no matter how much Katniss cried over him.
"Just watch the damn movie."
11. Bubble
"Hang in there, come on!"
Heavy breathing. Wheels scraped the tile floor, metal rattling.
"Get out of the way!"
People scrambled to stand near the walls.
"Shit, you're going to make it. You know that, right? You better be listening to me!"
The man on the gurney laughed a gurgling laugh. A bubble of red popped against the corner of his mouth.
"Shh, don't talk, please. Just…just please."
Blood seeped through cotton and cut through dust and dirt, glistening wet.
"Just hang on, mate. We need you to stay with us."
"It's my fault. Please, I need to tell you that. Let me apologise properly to you…"
"Sirs, we need you to back away now."
Four pairs of desperate hands fell away and found each other instead, gripping tightly.
The doors of the operation room eased close.
[10/18/2015] Prompts 9 and 10 were from T.M.E.B and Brackenfern (oh so long ago). Anyone got anymore?
