Black Up, White Down
Ash, sitting on the desk, sipping her coffee, through the night, thinking whether saving millions worth the price of thousands. Her surly look echoed the necessity for a purpose. Yawned, the monochromic white hue accompanied her, waiting for her wish.
"Eliza, you're done with your coffee?" a man came to her and sat in front.
"Yeah… let's just get into it." she yawned and tasted her lips before looking at the man.
"Did you sleep? It's been two days since you slept." the man worried with her condition, noticing the big blackish sack under her eyelids.
"I'm good….. beside, we have someone to find. He doesn't have time." she resisted the urge and tried to shut the worries.
"Look, you need a sleep. I won't fill you in until you sleep." the man firmly said.
"But, you can take this on your way to the bed." he handed her the dossier file of the women she killed a few hours ago.
"You read that, and tell me what you learn and I'll fill you in." he ordered.
"Fine…." she's being curt with the order and got up to proceed to her bed.
"Make sure you're fully awake and don't lie to me because I can tell. " the man heed her.
"Roger…..." she was annoyed.
"Also, Eliza….. He trusted you. Don't let him down again." the man continued.
"I won't." She firmly replied
She walked to her quarters, through the claustrophobic hallway. White lights kept the hallway with its greyish original, a direct hug for the lonely and broken self. She held the dossier file, staring at the case which showed the picture of the women she tortured and killed.
"Grace Li Tsu." she echoed the name of her kill while contemplating at her face, its familiarity with her acquaintances, an acknowledgment to the identity and relationship with the deceased.
"Should have stayed out of my way." she commented.
Against her draught for rest, she opened the dossier and read the first page, a clarity with the recent past. The quick skim reading of the first pages shed her more knowledge to the person she thought she knew.
Former officer of PLA, a supposed whistleblower in an asylum in UK, entering armed service as SBS, and after yesterday, was an active agent of MSS. The quick profiling from the team psychologist showed a sign of fake response and possible hidden motives when entering R6. The hard truth Ash must bear was the fact, she didn't know the hidden motive while she should've known and it had taken one of her men as consequence.
Inside her room, the bleak greyish walls and floors with a neon light above and a table with a chair across her. Papers, M4, and her reliable colt laid there with bullets and empty mags. Approaching the table, she threw it aside as she undress her outfit of the night. After putting the last fitting on the door with her cap, her sports bra and underwear would kept her warm under the rough linen sheet but soft pillow sufficed for her rest. Snuggling in the bed, she adjusted herself facing up, watching the grey ceiling.
Night-dreaming… if such word exist, it would describe her mind before sleeping. Regrets kept her company as she hoped a reckoning would paid her due for her mistakes for the last year. Her regrets may never fade behind her wanted facade but atonement….. she wanted to be liberated, free and back, in her way to the light against the dark, in a reformed better view, unlike her semantic past.
The sleep deprived her mind carefully before she ready to shut her eyes. But not to her avail, a sudden entrance kept her up.
"Taina, what are you doing?" Ash asked.
"Just checking you in. I know you never torture someone like that before." Caveira sat beside her, checking Ash's injured knuckles.
"I'm fine. I just need a sleep right now." Her drowsy speech hinted her fatigue.
"I understand, I just want to make sure…" Caveira held Ash's face, cruising her hands around her countenance.
"Make sure what?" Ash suddenly awake by the touch sensation.
"And what are you wearing?" Ash, with her awakened state, noticed Caveira's manly T-shirts, noticed some of the buttons where purposely opened, showing her body with nothing sheath it behind the shirt.
"My comfiest clothes of course, something you love to see." Caveira became aggressive, raising herself to the bed, sitting on Ash with a boxer only.
"Taina… I'm sorry, but I'm not interested." Ash declined the offer she would in advance.
"But Captain, don't you want me? Own me like you love to do in missions. I know you love it when someone adore your leading. So captain, lead me!" Caveira's aggression urged Ash to fight, but Caveira's stronger state put her helpless and Caveira started drag her fingers from her stomach all the way to her chest, pressing it softly until Ash moan.
"You like it don't you….. Captain?" Caveira undo her shirt, revealing her barren body.
However, to her dislike, Ash got her remaining energy and shun her by, "Taina….. I don't like this."
But, much to her dismay, Caveira only replied, "Well well well, apparently you like being weak. So I'm gonna make you scream and begged."
Caveira started to kissed her lips, holding it tight with a deep french kiss. Ash tried to let go but got held too. The kiss deepened and she pushed herself to the bed, playing with Ash's body and began dressing her naked for the occasion. Ash squirmed and resisted even though she felt the sensation which she wanted more. Ash felt her tongue being chased by Caveira and the warm from Caveira's body was sensible on her bottom and chest.
Caveira, thought Ash subdued to her will, let go Ash's hands and hugged her all the way to the back. Her kissed shifted towards Ash's cheeks, down through her necks and on the way to her chest. Ash moaned and had a sense of fulfillment for her sexuality.
However, Caveira made a mistake by letting her go. Ash, while enjoyed the sensation, still found the complication with the interest of her morale to evade this encounter. Hence, Ash resisted and finally, break Caveira away from the sexual encounter.
"Taina….. leave…. please." Ash implored and covered herself with the blanket.
"Fine….." Disappointed, Caveira angered by the rejection and slammed the door as she left the room.
Ash sighed….. felt assaulted and aroused, but relieved for the end. Her relation with Caveira was rarely in good terms and losing it in this time of the would cause a serious setback in her mission. Ash needed her more than her needed Ash. Although the encounter was rough, she surprised Caveira didn't rough her up even more after the rejection, considering her state of mind. Ash checked herself where the tight grip reddened in her wrist and some lovemarks through her necks and chest.
Even though the encounter surprised her in her weak state, she was ready to let it be bygone, considering Caveira and the situation around them. Beside, it's not the first for this to happen with her, knowing the deep intimate Caveira had with her, at least on Caveira's mind. After contemplating the encounter and relieved the rushing adrenaline, she moved herself to tidy up. Wearing her bra and panties back, she was finally ready for a good night sleep. She laid her head back to her pillow, closed her eyes, and fell to her dream. By the morning, she would be ready for what to come.
A ray of light beamed through her eyelids. Quickly she was back to her consciousness, after back from a dreamless sleep. Opening her eyes, simplistic creamed ceiling was back becoming bearable for her mind, a rare sense of relief, considering she disliked the bright color when she move in the first time. Looking down, her white pajamas slated for another laundry with the big chocolate stain on the upper and lower clothings. And in her apparent vision, the bed sheets and blanket would join the pajamas as well, as she was slept with the ice cream box opened, smearing it on her bed.
"Damn….." she commented, bearing a work for her morning.
While she love to squirmed and laid on her bed until noon or a call, she dislike the dirt soiled her bed and her pajamas. So, she urged herself up, dumped the box to a trash can, and stretched for a few minutes to start her morning. Afterwards, she stripped naked and took the cover and sheets of her bed where she proceeded to throw everything on the laundry basket.
A visit to the bathroom allures her to the mirror, where her face and hair looked distressed and disorganized. A warm shower would pull her back to her fit state, but the high morning kept her at bay after a night of staying up with caffeine. So, she resorted to a quick wash of her face, a comb on her reddish hair, and a quick look of herself at the mirror, saying, "You got this Cohen…. you got this."
Taking a stroll to her desk, she wore her T-shirt, buttoned it up to her neck but leaving two buttons up, and a training pants before taking her laundry to the laundry room outside. A glanced on her phone showed 07.23, a time too soon for her to wake up at the time. But nonetheless, she had no intent to sleep without sheets and she's not in the mood to put the spare on in the morning, so a continuing her laundry was the only thing she thought. Taking her phone, she proceeded to took the basket and towards the laundry room, but realized the dropped earphones below her. Realizing it's the earphones she borrowed from Zofia, she took it with her, in case she passed her by and considering she was late a month to return it.
And out of her room she went, the sleepy Ash strolled through the empty hallway, yawning and empty like a doll. Fighting against the yawn was easy when hardship she bear for the past weeks became a bigger concern than rest. Glancing over the passing doors, she knew the room which had the occupants still sleeping and the ones where the occupants were awake and left their quarters. A few steps away from the laundry room and there, Zofia's room. Thinking it's the time she remembered to return the earphones, she wasted no time dropping her laundry knocking the door.
No answer…. but she could heard ruckus inside. So she knocked a few times and no answer from behind. Growing impatient, she warned Zofia she'll enter and barged in the room, knowing the door would be unlocked. But, to her surprise, she should had been patient with waiting.
"OH MY GOD ELIZA!" Zofia screamed, surprised by the barged in. To her comfort, her sitting on Keyser's lap, after a lustful kiss, naked and Keyser's hands on her chest.
The surprised couple dropped to the bed and cover themselves with blanket and Ash went red, with the view she would not unseen for a long time. The couple reddened as well, with Zofia being the most embarrassed by the circumstances while Keyser quickly embraced it. Ash took a deep breath and cope herself with the situation.
"Wow! I never thought you'll move on this quick Zo." Ash smirked, looking at the new love of her friend,
"Shut up Cohen!" Zofia embarrassingly replied.
"Hey, it's okay if she knows. As long as she won't tell others." Keyser wrapped his left arm around Zofia and kissed her cheeks.
"Ohhh shut it!" she playfully replied and kissed his lips back.
"Anyway, what are you doing here? Disturbing my private time." Zofia was annoyed but wanted to get straight to the point.
"I just wanted to return this." Ash threw the earphones on the bed.
"Well is that it? I got something to let go here?" Keyser joined in.
"Yeah yeah that's it. Sorry to disturb you guys and welcome to the team Keyser. Hope you like it here." Ash fastened her speech while turning around and ran away from the door, closing the door behind.
The couple looked at the fading surprise and now left once again together.
"Well, that's a bummer." Keyser commented.
"No kidding….." Zofia reddened looks went away but her heart paced quicker than before.
"Zo, calm down, you'll get a heart attack." Keyser felt the pulse on her wrist.
Noticing little Keyser still up, Zofia teased him and said, "You know honey, your stick can relieved my pumping heart. And maybe, your hug and your lips as well."
"Well, I'm still up. So continue?" Keyser checked down below and asked for approval.
A reply was given in form of another episode of lustful kiss, this time tighter and softer than before and they held each other together for a morning coffee.
"We should lock the door." Zofia broke the kiss.
"I don't care." Keyser took it back and they back at love making, putting Zofia's care back only to him.
In the laundry room, Ash threw all in the basket in and waiting for the machine to rinse her dirt. She laid on the side and smirked, thinking about Zofia finally moved on from her ex-husband and the apparent fondness with the newcomer. She may not know Keyser well but if he did her right, she was more than happy to someone to helped her colleague from stress. The surprise which imprinted in her brain became a slight of joy in her sad and stressed months.
"What are you smiling about?" a surprised question shook her.
"Nothing Jordan." Ash answered.
"Hey, it's good for you to smile. I haven't seen that smile in a long time. Beside, a smile in the morning is always a good sign and a blessing for the whole day." said Thermite as he put her laundry in another machine.
"Really? Who said that?" Ash playfully asked.
"Obviously the charm you're talking to." he punched her softly on the arm.
"Haha nice one wisecracker." Ash sarcastically laughed and punched him back.
"So, what are you doing in this early sunday morning? I thought you hate waking up early after missions." Thermite calmly asked.
"Just cleaning some laundry. Spilled an ice cream on it." she replied with a smile.
"Ice cream huh? I never thought you'll become one of this sassy fatty who eat ice cream every time she's sad." Thermite left a laughed in the end.
"As long as I'm keeping myself fit, I don't think milk will make me fat." Ash replied.
"I like the positivity here. I guess you'll be eager meeting the new recruits at the field. Your bf, Fisher, was there and taught everyone some stealth stuffs." Thermite filled her with the morning activities at the training field.
"He's not bf Jordan. He was my trainer and mentor when I was trained in SWAT in the first year of my exchange." Ash reaffirmed her stance with him.
"Ho ho ho. I never thought you could have sex with your trainer to get an approved mark." Thermite sarcastically relayed his thought.
"Nahhhhh. Isn't that you that jerk off captain Holstein so you can get assign in the research lab?" Ash replied with a joke.
"Hush hush Eliza. We don't want to scare the ladies." Thermite laughed afterwards.
"Anyway, you should go down now to the field. Fisher probably give a hard training to the recruits right now and he's also looking for you." Thermite advised.
"Sure. And what about my laundry." Ash replied curtly.
"Don't worry, I'll put it at your door after I'm done." Thermite assured.
"Okay then. Thank you Jordan." Ash left the room to hers.
"And wear some under clothing. I can see your boobs through the shirt." Thermite being lewd a bit.
"Sure." Ash replied in the distance, flustered with shame.
Ash made it back to her room, ready for a shower and a change to a dandy looks for the recruits as she needed to put an example to the recruits. Yawning, a thought to sleep came, but quickly shoved it away for the sake of her former mentor. The thought of her mentor resorted her mind back to the past.
Thinking back about her days with him made her smile. A mentor, colleague, and best friend, Fisher was her guardian, a hand leaning to take her away to the top, the first man who she felt with, within the sphere of romance, even though he rejected her in the end. Nonetheless, she owed him her life now towards him and he never shoved her for any sake.
However, she was driven back to that one mission, a change of their relation, marked by the scars and sins they committed through that mission. The time of reminiscing distressed as she thought about it more. She sat, closing her eyes and undressed her shirt where she held a small thin stretch, a bit of a gap like canyon which marked its spot under her diaphragm and a long one, coming from from her left breast and ended on her stomach. The sound of a swinging steel made her gasped and gasped continuously where she would hear her own breath and calmed. Relieving herself back to her once forgotten memories urged her more to meet him.
For her preparation, she stripped once more, throwing her clothing on the bed. As she charged her phone, a letter was placed on her table, written in cursive with her name on it. Curious, she sat, unfolded the paper, and greeted by more cursive writings.
"To my dearest Eliza Cohen, I want to relay my greatest respect for you as the team leader and I'm sorry to hear your demotion. To cheer you up, please come to my birthday party at Jonessy's pub tomorrow. If you wanted a laugh or drown your sorrow or both under a beer or cider with your compatriots, come and join me! It's not everyday you get free beers lassie! Cheers." Ash read the letter and its sender, Thatcher.
"Well, I'm ready to get drunk right now." Ash describes her mood.
Keeping the letters for its beautiful cursive writings and also reminder, it somewhat made her day with the lovely writing and an invitation, a rare occasion she received, a celebrated birthday party for adults. She thought to take Fisher with her, wanting to rekindle their old times together and introduced him with everyone, even though it would be more about her doing in the team. And also, relieving back to the first time they met yesterday, after years. Radiants of positivity, infecting her when she was close with him, similar with the feel on her training. As such, she embraced him more than Thermite, than anyone. A mentor, colleague, friend, and former lover, the perfect man she had in her live.
