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The Streets of Phoenix, Arizona
Early Afternoon, Xander's POV
"Why is it that whenever a woman has a smile like that on her face and says 'girl time' I get worried?" he muttered as he watched Catherine and Delenn walk away.
It had all started out well enough with the three of them walking down the street, entering whatever shop caught their interest at the time. They didn't buy a lot, mostly browsed, since their dorm rooms didn't have a lot in the way of space and they wouldn't be staying there for more than three months. Nevertheless, mostly at Catherine's urging, he got slated as the pack mule for the shopping but he didn't mind all that much. He'd built up enough muscle, both from slaying as well as MiB training, that it'd take more than the purchases he currently carried to cause him trouble. His plan for the moment was to keep going down the sidewalk he was on for the next hour or two and then head for the pre-arranged meeting place that they'd been given. They'd only been given until five in the evening to walk about town and after that everyone would head back to the facility before classes resumed the next day. Personally he would've preferred another day off but he wouldn't gripe about it since he didn't exactly have the clout to do that and not get sacked for his trouble.
As he walked down the sidewalk, he looked about and tried to figure out which of his fellow pedestrians were humans, which were aliens and which were demons. It was more instinct than anything else because the disguises that MiB provided the non-human residents of the planet under its jurisdiction were nothing if not good. After several big reveals during class, he felt it was safe to say it wouldn't be by looks that he'd be able to tell the humans from the non-humans but rather behavioral anomalies or tech.
Though that may change when the instructor K had acquired for him arrived in two days.
According to the new director of the east coast branch of the MiB, the woman had an ability very similar to his own and would be teaching him how to master control over it. He'd been trying on his own to flick it on and off like a light switch but his results weren't exactly something to gloat about no matter how you tried to rationalize it. He was making SOME progress but, at the rate he was going, he might manage to master it before he hit thirty five years old.
That was WAY too long.
With resolve like that he'd do whatever this lady instructor wanted him to and, if he had anything to say about it, he'd master it by the time he was shipped off to phase two training. Considering he had next to no experience with such things, it might be a tad arrogant to think he could pull it off in three months but he figured that if he could get the hang of demon hunting in three months, he could master some freaky eye ability in the same time. After all, given how long each class usually was back at the facility, his 'eye power' classes would likely be the same length, if not longer, depending on what the headmaster had decided. With that being the case he might have to cope with a reduction in 'me time' but it'd be a sacrifice he was prepared to make to be the best he could be. When you got right down to it, that was all he'd really wanted to be since he'd been enlightened about the truth of the world by Buffy. There was a 'good fight' going on and he wanted to be a part of it, not out of any perceived glory to be had but rather because it was the right thing to do.
'The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that good men do nothing.'
It was quote he'd come across during one of the many research sessions that the gang had had back in Sunnydale and it was a sentiment he believed in wholeheartedly. It was something that Buffy had never quite comprehended or perhaps ever truly accepted especially when it came to herself and her Calling. All she cared about was the fact that she'd been torn from her normal life against her will and forced to fight monsters that would give a lot of people nightmares. It was that fact, that she hadn't been given a choice in the matter, that had caused her to reject her Calling so fiercely as well as react with confusion when faced with people who embraced it. Even if experience had tempered that rejection somewhat, it hadn't extinguished it if her reaction to his tactical decision during the Acathla incident was any indication. He was still bitter towards his former friends and how they'd treated him for making the RIGHT decision but time, plus the opportunity to be a part of something BIGGER than the Scoobies, had dispersed his earlier anger somewhat.
Too bad I'll never get the chance to tell them 'look at me now HUH', he thought as he continued to try and classify who was what. Guess it'll be just me who knows the truth.
That'd be enough.
Just like the adventure with O'Toole, him being the only one who knew the truth would be enough.
It was a little over an hour and a half later, as he made his way across a sidewalk, when out of the blue his special optical power clicked on of its own volition without any action on his part. All at once he found himself surrounded glowing auras emanating from the pedestrians walking around him, with the dominant color being pink. If he remembered the class where the spectral trail scanner was demonstrated, pink meant an organism that thrived in a gas-based environments.
Guess humans would qualify.
However, just as the group of pedestrians moving in the opposite direction as him came to an end, he saw something that stood out like a Hawaiian shirt on Saint Patrick's Day. It was still the color pink but the shade was distinctly different from all of the other people he'd spotted. What did that mean? Just as he turned to try and get a better look at the group of three, his 'aura vision', or whatever it was, switched off and, with the busy traffic on the sidewalks, he soon lost sight of them. For a moment he considered trying to find them but dismissed the idea almost immediately, figuring that if there was anything potentially dangerous in the city, the MiB would already be all over it.
Instead he focused on the McDonalds restaurant a block further down because, with a rumble from his stomach, he realized that he was hungry and decided he'd get a bite to eat before heading to the meeting area to hook up with the rest of the class. The cafeteria in the phase one facility was pretty well stocked but whoever was in charge of the menu was definitely edging more towards the healthy than the tasty.
As a born and bred Californian boy, though, he considered junk food a VERY major food group that could not be ignored.
The Mysterious Woman's POV
"Something wrong, Una?" her father asked from a few feet ahead of her.
"No father. I thought for a moment that a human suspected something," she replied, turning back to face her Dad. "Apparently I was mistaken. Pity. He looked quite delicious!"
"Curb your appetites, daughter," her father commanded in a no nonsense tone of voice. "We must leave this human city immediately before the MiB discern anything of value from Mar-vell's craft. We have a mission to accomplish on this world."
"Yes, father," she said doing her best to appear the dutiful daughter.
In truth she cared little for their mission or the long term objective it would help should they be successful. She had volunteered for this mission for no other reason than to expand her palette beyond the men of her own race and she was quite interested in discovering if the life energy of human men tasted better. Her loyalty to her people was at best a fifth of what her father and brother possessed but it was enough when added to the potential for new varieties of 'food' for her to sample.
However, since they were newly arrived to the planet and had been pursued by Mar-vell, she knew her father would place putting distance between them and this human city at the top of their list of things to do. Therefore, for the time being, she would follow his orders without question.
I hope father has at least thought far enough ahead to counter that Shi'ar witch's inevitable betrayal, she thought as she followed the other two members of her family down the street to where their local transport was waiting for them. That woman might claim to be our ally but even a child could see that she cares only for her own goals and her own life. She will sacrifice all of us the moment the costs of aiding us outweigh the benefits to her personally.
Her father was willing to risk it if it meant freeing their world and their people from occupation by the Shi'ar and that is what the witch claimed she would do once she achieved her objective with their help. Her brother looked at this mission as a chance to prove himself to not only their father, but their people who as a whole only saw him as Yon-Rogg's son. So it was safe to say that all three of them had their reasons for going along with this mission but how long each of them would remain loyal to it… was debatable.
She would just have to wait and see which way the winds of fate blew.
Ten Days Later, A Remote Area Miles Away From Phoenix, Arizona
Early Morning, Agent L's POV
Should be here any minute, she thought as she looked at her watch.
It had certainly taken long enough for the woman to get her affairs in order and make the trip but MiB satellites had confirmed that an Inhuman ship was entering Earth's atmosphere. The Inhuman race was one of the best kept secrets that the MiB had on the books since it used the communications blackout phenomena on the dark side of the moon to keep any other human vessels from reporting them. Whenever a spacecraft left Earth, manned or unmanned, with a course that took it too close to the Inhuman civilization, communications were jammed and the necessary memories or computer records modified. Then, at just the right time, the spacecraft would be released and sent on its way right on schedule, leaving every human outside of the Men in Black clueless about the truth.
Current relations with the Inhumans were mostly amicable except for the treaty with the MiB that stated that the race was under no obligation to aid in the defense of Earth should an alien armada enter the system. Their current ruler, Blackbolt, made in clear during the negotiations that his first priority must always be the safety and prosperity of his people and being forced to send them into battle to fight for a world not their own was not acceptable. The man did, however, make it clear, through a telepathic interpreter, that should the actions of an invader threaten both the Earth and the moon, that the Inhumans would render what aid they could without compromising their own safety.
So basically they'd help when inaction threatened both races or when they could spare the forces without bringing heat down on their own people.
I keep wondering if they would've intervened if J and K hadn't destroyed the missile Vengas had launched at Earth. she thought with a mild bit of bitterness.
While her experience as an agent with the MiB had allowed her a broader understanding of galactic politics and alien cultures, she still didn't like it when Earth wound up getting the short end of the stick. As an apolitical zone, they couldn't take sides in the conflicts or actions of other races. Sadly that also meant that other races had little reason to help them when they needed it, save when they were feeling particularly altruisitic or had an agenda of their own. It sucked but, until Earth officially took its place amongst the empires, federations and republics of the stars, they'd have to be thankful for what they could get and hope it was enough.
Looking up as the sound of advanced engines filled the air, she saw the shuttle carrying Luna Amaquelin coming in for a landing. According to the file, the woman had 'aura vision' that allowed her to perceive the emotions of others much the same way that Xander could perceive the spectral fields generated by all living things. The woman was also a full empath, granting her the ability to remove and alter the emotions of others at will. Much like the rest of her people, that made her very dangerous if provoked but fortunately Luna had proven to be quite approachable when the details of Xander's abilities. True, no crystal clear reason had been given as to why she was interested in taking up the job of instructing the young man but, so long the Inhuman didn't try anything shady, she'd stay friendly.
Holding up her hand slightly to keep the dirt, sand and such from getting to her eyes, she watched as the shuttle touched down fifteen feet away. Half a minute later the rear ramp lowered to the ground but did not allow her a good view of the craft's interior, but she'd been told by K that this had been done by design in order to keep any internal secrets from being discerned by anyone on the outside. While amicable, the Inhumans were still not friendly enough to share their technology and had taken steps to make sure it'd be impossible to learn much unless they allowed it.
Seconds later a pair of booted feet appeared and step by step descended from the ramp, giving her the first look at the person who'd be instructing Recruit A. Clad in a black bodysuit with gold and pink embroidery on it that screamed nobility, perhaps even royalty, was a blonde woman who, surprisingly enough, didn't looked to be much older than Xander himself. Still, this did not mean that the young woman would be incapable of doing the job asked for her since, if she remembered correctly, most Inhumans came into their powers fairly young. Luna Amaquelin likely had years of experience using her ocular ability and so would be quite qualified to do what was asked of her.
If not, then they would politely inform the young woman that her services would no longer be required and hope that this didn't damage relations with the Inhuman civilization.
"Luna Amaquelin?" she asked, just to confirm who she was speaking with. "I'm Agent L with MiB. I'm here to escort you to the facility and introduce you to your student."
"Pleased to meet you, Agent L," Luna said with the required politeness of the situation. "If we could proceed swiftly to the facility, I am quite interested in starting my work with your new recruit."
"Certainly," she said, taking this as a good sign. "Do you have any luggage or belongings with you?"
"No. That'll be taken care of later by Lockjaw," Luna replied without disruption of her walking pace as she made her way to the passenger side door.
Lockjaw? Who's Lockjaw? She thought as she went to the driver's side door and got into the LTD.
She presumed that it was the name of one of the other Inhumans but, if he or she or, well, it was going to bring the luggage later, that could mean anything from another ship to one of their kind who possessed teleportation abilities. She'd have to make sure to warn Headmaster S to expect a teleportation event, most likely in Luna's assigned quarters, so that the whole place wouldn't be thrown into chaos. Internal sensors at all MiB facilities were calibrated to look for anything that might indicate the presence of an intruder or potentially dangerous phenomena. An unexpected teleportation event inside the facility would definitely have a small security force storming Miss Amaquelin's room and that could lead to some sparks. After all, she'd met enough foreign dignitaries to know that barging into their room uninvited with weapons in hand would not provoke a good response.
Hopefully K values Xander enough that we can bend a few rules for his instructor, she thought as she started up the engine and began to head for the main highway.
She'd hate to have to wait another month or more for another instructor to be found and transported to Earth.
The Next Day, Training Room Six-S, A Little After Supper, Luna Amaquelin's POV
Well now… how should I start things off? she thought as she waited for her student to arrive.
It wasn't an easy question to answer since Alexander Harris was the first official student she'd ever had in her life but she knew from her mother that first impressions were crucial in everything you did. They'd stay with you the longest and be the first thing that others will remember when you encounter them again after a period of separation. She'd been considering how she wanted to look to her student, how she wanted him to perceive her, but nothing quite seemed right. She thought about trying to imitate King Blackbolt by saying the absolute minimum necessary and conveying the rest with actions. The only thing wrong with that was that she could not play charades to save her life and there was always the risk that her efforts might be misinterpreted, ruining the whole unassailable image. She'd considered trying for a more warrior queen appearance but all it took was seeing her reflection in the shuttle window to realize that she could not hope to pull it off like her Aunt Medusalith could.
Maybe it was the hair? Or maybe that her aunt was more full figured than her.
Whatever! she thought as she tossed the contemplation into the abyss, where all useless things wound up.
She eventually decided it'd be best just to be herself and let whatever was going to happen to happen, since it'd allow her to focus more on the important things. After all, if she spent too much time acting then she might forget something important and then have to spend extra time correcting the mistake.
That'd be annoying.
With that in mind she removed the first tool of instruction she'd brought with her from the Inhuman capital and then hid it behind her back.
It wouldn't do for her student to see it before she was ready to use it.
A knock at her door made her look up. "Come!" she yelled in invitation before crossing her arms across her chest.
The door opened and on the other side there were two people. One was Agent L but she dismissed the older woman in favor of the young man standing next to her. Black hair, brown eyes, five foot ten inches tall, looked to be in generally good shape though it was hard to tell with the suit on and, for the most part, at ease even after his eyes fell on her.
That wouldn't do for a first reaction between a student and his teacher.
"Try to show some respect, junior!" she growled at him with the tone she usually used to scare those the same age as her. "You're now officially in my territory and that means for the next hour your ass is mine."
"Not seeing the downside of that." Harris said with an annoying lopsided grin on his face.
Man, am I glad he's your typical human teenage male! she thought as she'd predicted that the guy would say something like that sooner or later.
That's why she brought the black rubber coated paddle out from behind her back and slapped it into palm, loud enough for it to be heard across the room.
"You will after I'm done with you," she said with a smile that would only feed the assumption she knew had popped into his head.
The truth was that the paddle was meant for hitting him but not necessarily in the head. It was a common problem with most beings possessing ocular abilities, that they became so distracted by what they saw that they were oblivious to everything else. This often allowed attacks to the side, from behind or, in some rare cases, directly ahead to connect that otherwise would not have if they still had their wits about them. Once she'd successfully managed to teach Harris to turn his ability on and off, she'd use the paddle to teach him to remain aware of what was going on around him despite the dazzling auras. If Harris was to become a member of an organization that monitored, licensed and policed non-human activity on the planet Earth, then he would need sharp situational awareness if he was to survive.
Agent L looked like she knew what was really going on if the smile was anything to go by and it spoke well of her as a member of the MiB.
"Now get in here, sit down and let's get to work!" she ordered before putting the paddle into the suitcase Lockjaw had brought with the rest of her luggage and took something else out. "Your leader only gave me three months to teach you how to control your power and that'll barely be enough, even for someone like me."
Now a little more wary and respectful of her, Harris took a seat behind table in the center of the room while L remained by the door.
"That'll be all for now, Agent L," she said with a slightly imperious tone. "I'll make sure to give you and Headmaster S a full report of his first week when it's done."
"I'll be looking forward to it." Agent L said before leaving, closing the door on the way out.
"Now then…" she said as she casually walked behind Harris with her new toy in hand. "…let's get things started."
She almost broke down into giggles at the look of dread that appeared on his face.
This was going to be as fun as it'd be productive.
A Few Days Later, The Dorm Room of Recruits D and C, Early Evening
Catherine's POV
Time for phase one! she thought as she waited for Delenn to get out of the shower.
She allowed herself a slightly evil chuckle as she imagined how tonight would start the final downward spiral of her roommate and ensure that, even if she didn't get ejected from the MiB, the hybrid's assignment would be as far from field work as possible. She'd gathered the ingredients for tonight during their little excursion into Phoenix and, at the moment, the Minbari hybrid was in the shower using the first one. Covertly she'd slipped a couple drops of a potent aphrodisiac into her roommate's body wash to act as a counter to what almost certainly was going to be an awkward first date. Everything she'd learned about Delenn since she'd confirmed the young woman had romantic feelings for Harris made it clear that the woman had never gone on a single date in her life. That meant things would be awkward, uncomfortable and potentially could obliterate this perfect scenario she had in mind if the situation took a turn for the worst. With the drops in the body wash, it wouldn't be enough to make her want to jump her love interest's bones but it would be enough to loosen the young woman up.
If they got to first base she'd be happy.
If they got to second base she'd be okay with it but this early in her plan that would be the limit of what she desired.
Anything more than that would likely scare Harris off and might even make him suspect that something unnatural might be going on with his 'friend' to make her act that way. Knowing the two of them, they'd probably go straight to either the blonde hag or the headmaster and then she'd have to rely on her own classroom accomplishments to get her the position she wanted.
Hearing the shower being turned off, she put on her 'best friend' face while mentally getting ready her arguments for the provocative outfit choices she thought would suit the evening about to be had. She hadn't gone as far as she could've but, again, dressing her roommate up as a slut wasn't the objective, for now, but rather to package her just right to slide her out of the 'friend' category with Harris. The MiB suits they had all recruits wearing were fine enough for when they were on the job but did nothing for a woman's appearance. When she'd pulled Delenn away from Harris to go shopping, she'd waited at first to see what sort of clothes her roommate would pick out for herself. Not surprisingly, most were dresses of a conservative nature that would fit right in with a nun's wardrobe, making it clear that the young woman only had minimal individuality. That's what tended to happen when you belonged to a religious order: you conformed to the standards and tastes they gave you while sacrificing your freedom of expression. Once she'd concluded this appraisal, she'd begun the careful coaxing of the Minbari hybrid towards more form flattering civilian choices. Throw in some underwear that you'd find in just about any free thinking young woman's dresser and she felt that she'd managed to evolve the young woman's wardrobe respectably.
I believe tonight should be mostly casual mixed with a little spice, she thought as she watched Delenn come out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her torso.
"Well now that you're all clean, let's pick out the right clothes for the occasion." She walked over to the dresser that belonged to the woman. "Sure it's just movie night and you'll have to wear the ID tag to keep from being mistaken for a civvie, but that's no reason to look like a lazy couch potato."
"If you think that's best…" Delenn said, sounding unsure of the idea of 'dressing up'.
"Of course it's for the best! You already admitted you like the guy so why not make yourself look a little nice for him tonight?" she declared before taking out some slightly lacy underwear and putting it on the bed. "Now I know you're not ready to go all out with him yet but there's a softer first step you can take."
Opening the drawer that had the pants in it, she pulled out a pair of spandex pants that on her roommate would come to stop just past her knees. Give Harris a good look at her long, toned legs while still being modest enough that her roomie won't reject them outright. After the pants she debated for a moment before deciding to go with something a little more tent-like while still capable of falling right on Delenn's figure to hint at what lay beneath. It'd show off a bit of her shoulders but would put the shirt in danger of dropping down to her elbows by accident and that would be enough to make her roomie go along with it. Some comfortable shoes and a few accessories later, the Minbari hybrid was dressed for her evening at the movies with Harris. If lady luck chose to favor her tonight, the fuse would be lit for future romantic bliss and then, when the time was right, she'd turn bliss into horror.
"You look great!" she declared in an effort to butter up her ignorant victim. "Just the right amount of allure mixed with a casual night of watching movies."
"Yes… I believe you're right," Delenn said, looking at herself in a full length mirror from various angles. "Thank you, Catherine."
"Hey, what're roommates for?" she asked rhetorically before gently guiding her roomie to the door. "Now get going. You don't want to keep him waiting, do you?"
"No. I do not." Delenn said with a smile before leaving the dorm room.
When the door slid shut she allowed her true feelings to show on her face in the form of a sinister smile that did not bode well for her roommate at all.
Xander's Dorm Room, Xander's POV
Movies? Check. Snacks? Check. Drinks? Check. He thought as he made sure that everything was ready for movie night. All that's missing is my movie buddy and she should be along in any minute now.
He'd been looking forward to this little get together ever since Delenn had agreed to it because it reminded him a lot of the times when he and the Scooby gang hung out between monsters. He found himself…missing…the feeling that came with having a friend like that and so the opportunity to get it back with his study buddy was something to pounce on.
Of course, thanks to his after school classes, he had one more reason why he'd doing his best to get the most enjoyment out of this evening. When he'd originally been told that an instructor was coming in to help him with his special one in a zillion eye power, he'd been interested but otherwise it'd been kept at the back of his mind. After all, it only rarely popped on so it hadn't exactly been a pressing concern for him. When L had escorted him to the first class, though, he'd begun to imagine what the teacher looked like what kind of personality she had. An open door later and he'd laid eyes on a young woman that looked to be roughly the same age as Delenn, with flowing blonde hair, wearing a functional but skintight outfit. Naturally, still being a teenager, he'd appreciated her good looks and then made an ill chosen comment in reference to her good looks.
That had proven to be a mistake.
From that point forward Luna had made it a point to cruelly tease him whenever an opportunity appeared and, if he failed to show the proper restraint, he paid for it with a light jolt of electricity courtesy of a collar she'd snapped around his neck when he hadn't been paying attention. She'd told him that there was a lot to be said for incentive and explained that every time his focus wavered, causing him to get sloppy, she'd use the collar to get back on track. Naturally he'd gone to complain to Agent L and the headmaster first chance he got but, according to them, it was permissible considering the necessity of the situation. Add to that the fact that Luna was apparently from a high ranking family back home and to send her back over something so small would cause problems. Nothing they couldn't handle but it'd still affect diplomatic relations between Earth and the Inhumans and that was something they'd prefer to avoid if at all possible.
In other words, until Luna's methods ventured into torture and permanent injury territory, they'd let it slide and he'd still have to take the classes.
As a result he'd continued to take the classes and had done his best so that the blonde would never have to use the shock collar again. Despite the 'incentive', though, he'd only managed to purposefully to trigger his ability a total of three out of ten tries since the first lesson. That had not pleased Luna and, while she'd almost decided on employing a NEW training method, she'd decided to give him the night off.
He'd been out the door so fast he'd momentarily wondered if super speed was another of his abilities.
There she is, he thought as someone knocked at his door.
Opening it, he marveled at just how different Delenn looked now when compared to the other two outfits she'd seen his friend in. He'd first seen her in the robes of the Religious caste and, to be honest, they bore some serious similarities to what people in Earth religions wore in their temples, so it wasn't all that odd. When he'd later seen her in the standard Men in Black uniform as well as her half human appearance, he'd been surprised at how human she looked. Even the bone band that went around the back of her head could easily be written off as a fashion accessory until you looked a lot closer. Given the fact that just about everyone in the facility wore the same outfit, his mind had even come up with the delusion that it was a school uniform just like in some of his favorite anime. That delusion had caused him to chuckle quite a bit considering some of the 'episodes' his mind managed to come up with.
Now, though… now he was beginning to wonder if there'd be any limits to how her new looks were going to bowl him over. Skintight spandex pants, a billowing shirt that fell over her chest just right but left a little shoulder showing and her hair done up in quite the attractive manner. All in all, even though they were just casual clothes, she looked pretty damn good if he did say so himself, and so tonight was definitely looking up.
"Ready for a night of the classics?" he asked as he stood aside and gestured for her to enter.
"Of course!" she replied as she entered the dorm room.
He then led her over to the two chairs he'd set up in front of the TV he'd been given along with the room all to himself.
"Now, as this is the first time you've watched an Earth movie, there are a few things to know," he said as he passed her a bowl of regular chips. "It is essential to have something like this or a drink handy. After all, most good movies are over an hour and a half long so having something to nibble on would be of the good. It doesn't need to be chips and, to tell you the truth, the traditional movie snack is popcorn but I don't really like the stuff. Too bland."
He then watched as out of curiosity Delenn took a single chip out of the bowl and ate it. Watching her consider the taste and texture, he wondered if he should already move on to one of the alternate snacks he had stashed in his room. However, when an approving grin appeared on her face, he knew he'd made the right choice for the first round of snacks.
"Another thing to keep in mind is that most humans don't like it when someone talks during the movie because it makes it harder to listen to it. In our case, though, talking is gonna be needed if you have any questions," he said, further explaining movie watching to his friend. "Other than that, it's pretty much whatever you and anyone else watching the movie is comfortable with."
"That sounds simple enough," Delenn said before looking at the DVD cases by the TV. "What shall we watch first?"
"Well, I had a hard time picking out which ones would be best but then I decided to fall back on the classics," he replied as he picked up the three he'd chosen. "They're a little old, made over a decade ago, but I'm pretty sure that every human's watched them at least once. Plus you might find it fun to see how humans imagined life in outer space might be like."
"Then I'll trust your judgment, Xander." Delenn said with a trusting smile.
"Then let us begin with this: Star Wars – Episode four – A New Hope!"
He relaxed back into his chair and watched the familiar opening appear on the screen just like he had numerous times before. He'd still find it fun to watch but the priority was helping Delenn become more accustomed to life on Earth, including slang terms and figures of speech. At the moment her grasp of English was amazingly formal and that would only make her stand out, so helping her learn how to speak like your average American was something he'd be happy to do.
As they watched the movie, the reactions that his friend had varied from incredulous amusement to fascinated interest. He figured this'd be her reaction since, for her, space travel, energy weapons and battles were pretty common but that there was almost an equal amount of interest. Seeing all this, he couldn't help but conclude that he'd scored top marks in his first choice of movies for the night. True, they could only afford to watch two more before they'd have to go to bed because of classes the next morning but it'd be enough for their first movie night. Depending on how things went, it might become a once a week thing for the two of them and, honestly, he couldn't think of a better way to spend an evening. While he'd been in the phase one facility for a few months now, he hadn't really connected with anyone the same way he had with Delenn. Sure, favors were asked and help given but they didn't feel like friends or people he'd like to be his friend, so with only the lovely lady sitting next to him to spend time with, there really was no choice at all.
"Did he really have to shoot that Rodian?" Delenn asked with a bit of disapproval. "Couldn't he just have set his weapon to stun?"
"Don't know. Depends on the design, I guess," he replied as he thought about it a moment. "Some blasters might come with a stun setting and some probably don't. Considering Han's a smuggler, just stunning the people trying to kill him wouldn't be very smart."
"I suppose," Delenn said, showing that she was more an advocate of peace than someone who condoned early use of violence.
Some might think that there's no place in the MiB for a peacemaker but for him it was people like that who were the true heroes of the organization. Since he'd begun learning about the extra-terrestrial side of the Earth, he'd come to realize just how much humanity truly relied on the treaties and agreements it had with other races. The human race was just too new to the galaxy to stand on its own two feet and, if they tried to take it on without any outside help, defeat was the most likely outcome. Sure, that might change if the entire world was let in on the secret but that'd only cause chaos, making things that much worse. So until the human race got its act together and matured, it'd be the peacemakers and the diplomats that'd keep the blue ball spinning for the most part.
Let her handle the talking, he thought with an inner promise. I'll be there to introduce those who refuse to listen the business end of my series three de-atomizer… if I'm feeling generous that is.
Five Weeks Later, Agent L's Office, Mid-Afternoon, L's POV
There's something about that Catherine girl I just don't like, she thought as she continued to skim the latest evaluation report from Luna. Sure, on the surface she seems like a friendly woman and a big help to Delenn, but there's just something off about the advice she's been handing out.
Ever since Delenn had come to the phase one facility there had been a steady improvement in the young woman's understanding of humans and adoption of their customs. On the surface this was a good thing since it'd make things easier should the hybrid ever go out in the field for any reason but some things stood out from the main trend. Aside from the suit that all recruits wore during class, Delenn's choice of clothing was going a little too swiftly towards the sexy and the daring. As someone new to Earth and more familiar with robes, there should have been a logical progression from robes to more common human clothes. Instead it looked like the Minbari hybrid was skipping one or more steps and going in a direction that wasn't typical of someone who normally dressed in a reserved manner. That most definitely indicated outside influence and the only person she could think of who'd guide Delenn in that direction would be her roommate Catherine.
The more that she thought about it, the more it seemed likely that the former member of the American Air Force was playing at something but she just couldn't bring all the pieces together.
I'll just have to keep an eye on that one, she thought as she reached the end of Luna's report. Still, at least one part of my assignment is proceeding nicely.
Indeed, the part of her assignment that involved monitoring Alexander Harris' development both as a potential agent for MiB and of his Fore Seer ability was going quite well. Unlike what his transcripts from Sunnydale High would suggest, the young man was being quite diligent in all of his classes and was doing better than some in the combat-oriented ones. Agent U seemed quite optimistic when asked his opinion of the young man and, surprisingly enough, it didn't look like this was due to the man's tendency to brown nose. That was good enough on its own but, when she reviewed a few of Harris' sessions in the V.B.E, with and without a partner, what she saw impressed her. There were still a few areas that Xander needed some refinement in, one of which was minimizing collateral damage to the environment, but that'd come with the phase two training. Once you moved someone out of the virtual environment and into the real world, they tended to realize that their actions had very real consequences. Then they reigned in their destructive tendencies and improved their marksmanship enough that any destruction that happened was kept to a minimum.
Making sure they read the cliff notes version of the MiB manual also helped.
It was something they came up with a year or so after the Ixion invasion when J once again failed to properly identify a perp and wound up needing Zeeltor's medical assistance. While a lot of the old guard in the MiB felt that 'dumbing down' the manual for new recruits would only reduce effectiveness in the field, none were more surprised than them when the opposite proved to be the case with the efficiency of the rookies actually going up. Add to that the addition of a portable interface with a quadruple encrypted link up to the MiB database using Salarian ciphers and committing the contents of the old manual to memory was becoming less and less necessary. There would, of course, be those that'd still continue to go by the old way of doing things for varying reasons but to her it appeared that a time of change was approaching. The old ways were good for an organization that was so new that it was more or less making things up as it went along but, now that the basic foundation had been laid, it was time to choose the direction that the MiB would take.
She personally had no idea what that direction should be but, so long as it didn't go too far south on her moral compass, she'd continue doing her job.
Better see if there's been any progress with Xander's little glove idea, she thought as she typed a command to connect to Doctor Zeeltor's lab.
It only took a minute or so for the brilliant alien's face to appear on the screen built into her desk and, as always, he looked to be in good spirits.
"Why Agent L! How good to see you again!" Zeeltor said with his usual positive tone of voice. "To what do I owe this call?"
"I was just wondering if you'd made any progress with Xander's glove idea," she replied with a polite smile on her face. "It'd be nice if we could give him a working prototype for when he begins phase two."
"Oh, yes indeedy! I've had a fascinating time researching kinetic energy amplification and transference," Zeeltor said, sounding quite enthusiastic about the topic. "Would you believe that there have been numerous studies done on both subjects but no one has considered applying them as Mister Harris suggested? SUCH an oversight!"
"I take it that means you've made progress?" she asked, knowing how her old replacement in the lab could go off on tangents at times.
"Indeed I have. Just give me a moment," Zeeltor replied before going off the screen.
A moment later he returned with something that looked like a cross between a large boxing glove and a pin cushion.
"Isn't that a little…big?" she asked, knowing immediately that what she saw wouldn't be concealable in the standard MiB suit.
"Oh, this is just a proof of concept model," Zeeltor replied as he set the model down someplace off the screen. "I just need to run a few more tests in order to verify a few things and then I can begin miniaturization. As it stands, by the time I'm done the gloves will quite easily be able to fit in your jacket pocket."
"And will they be effective in combat?" she asked, wanting to address the other important matter.
"Oh yes! According to my projections, an agent wearing a set of these gloves will be able to hit their target with a force five times that of an Asari commando's biotic charge." Zeeltor replied happily as he began jotting down a few notes. "Well, at the maximum setting, that is. At the minimum setting the wearer's blows would be roughly the same as a furious Krogan's punch."
"Damaging enough if aimed at the right place," she stated, imagining what such a weapon could do in the right hands.
"Indeed. While I can't give an exact estimate on when the finished prototype will be ready for use, I would hazard a guess that Recruit A should have it either just before or a few days after he begins phase two training." Zeeltor said after a moment of pondering.
"Good. He's doing just fine with standard MiB weaponry but it'll be nice if he gets to use his own idea too," she said, smiling at how the potential agent to be would react.
"Oh, yes, I agree! It'll be nice to get some real life field data from the prototype so I can further refine it." Zeeltor said before a 'ding' similar to that employed by a microwave rang out. "Well, I've got to go. Lucy's dinner is ready and she gets ever so cranky when her meal is late."
"Then I won't keep you. Thanks for the update," she said before severing the communications connection.
Once again the good doctor and her replacement in the lab proved he was just as brilliant as his record made him out to be. For just about anyone else, going from basic idea to a proof of concept model in three months would've been impossible but the eccentric doctor wasn't like most other scientists. A set of gloves as powerful as Zeeltor claimed would be quite the boon to field agents once Xander helped get the kinks out with some testing under field conditions. She'd had the misfortune five years ago to tangle with a group of rogue Asari commandos who'd come to Earth, so she knew what a biotic charge felt like. It'd been enough to send her a good twenty feet backwards and six feet up in the air, with only luck keeping her from hitting something solid in the process. If the gloves could really hit someone with a force five times stronger than that, it'd be a serious boon against criminals that had significant immunities to energy-based weaponry. It didn't happen often but, when such an alien or demon did pop up, they had serious trouble taking them down. They usually had been forced to try the direct approach, like ramming one of the trucks into the perp or dropping something on them, which meant excess collateral damage and that was something that had given Zed ulcers and probably wouldn't meet with K's approval either, save when there truly was no other way to bring down the criminal.
Given the method that Xander chose to take down the ascended Mayor Wilkins… either the young man would learn to reign it in or K would have to stock up on antacids.
Three Days Before the End of Phase One MiB Training
The Classroom, End of the Lessons, Delenn's POV
"Well this is it!" Agent U said from the front of the classroom. "The day you've all been working towards since the moment you were approached by one of our agents. As you've no doubt noticed, the class is considerably smaller than when it began. This is because those that are no longer here have been found lacking in one area or another and have therefore been sent back to their old lives. Each of them has been neuralyzed in order to remove and modify their memories of both their recruitment and training. Those of you who are still here, as you may have guessed, have proven yourself to be precisely the sort of people we're looking for in our agents."
She had suspected that this was the case when she'd entered the classroom this morning.
For the last month or so there had been a steady reduction in the number of students, not only in her class but also in the other ones that she looked into while she travelled through the hallways. As of yesterday she'd only seen the people in this classroom and the other members of the faculty walking about. She'd thought about the reasons for this and the possibility that they'd been sent back to their former lives had been the most likely option in her mind. Xander had agreed with her but had advised to wait until Agent U officially told them the reason for the drop in students.
Now she knew the truth.
"As we speak, our various branch directors and divisions are going over each of your files in order to determine where each of you should be stationed." Agent U said as he stepped out from behind his podium. "It'll be a day or two until they finish but don't worry, I don't plan on having you bored out of your skulls waiting. In honor of your inauguration into the ranks of the MiB, we'll be hosting a graduation dance tomorrow in the V.B.E that will be reconfigured into a dance hall for the evening. If any of you wish to help make preparations with the food or the decoration subroutines, it would be much appreciated.
"You can attend in your usual suits, your off duty clothes or, if you wish, a selection of formal wear will also be available. The formal wear will be located in classroom 1-A if you want to take a look." Agent U said, explaining the graduation dance. "I wish all of you the best of luck with your postings and encourage you to enjoy the dance tomorrow as much as you can. Class dismissed!"
With those words the remaining students began to split off into the groups that had formed in the months since they'd first met just as she walked over to where Xander was getting out of his seat. It had been a wonderful couple of weeks since their first movie night and not just in how it'd improved her grasp of American slang and figures of speech either. She had also made progress in something she never would have dreamed of before coming to Earth: love. While the civil war on her home world had not destroyed that one precious feeling, it had caused people to be more hesitant to explore it with their futures so uncertain. Like most young women her age she had imagined what love would be like, looked at the men around her to determine if the one fated for her was among them, but she'd never been able to act on her imaginings. There was always something that needed to be done or something that took priority over her time, so 'maybe next year' became a very common phrase for her.
Now, though, away from the Religious caste, her people and the civil war… she found that love was no longer something she needed to put off until next year.
She had wanted to refute Catherine's theory after the incident in the V.B.E but the more she'd thought on the matter, the less incorrect it'd seemed. It had taken a while, even with her roommate's help, to make sense of what she what she felt and what she wanted to do but the end result was the first movie night. I had been a night of firsts, more than she'd originally intended, but thankfully nothing had happened that would've made it the last night of firsts. At least once a week since that first time they'd gotten together to watch two or three movies, where she learned what she needed to as Xander patiently answered her questions. At the same time they learned more about each other as they talked about their likes and dislikes but neither of them inquired too deeply about their pasts. There wasn't any particular reason for keeping their minds out of the past but at least from her side of things she preferred to keep her eyes directed to the future.
The past couldn't be changed and was filled with suffering as well as joy, so thinking about the future was preferable with all the opportunities it offered.
As such they had grown closer and she could now safely say that Xander was her best friend on Earth and someone she trusted. Indeed, with Catherine's encouragement, she had strode forward into her emotions regarding her best friend and, as of yesterday, could confidently say she wanted to see if they could become MORE than friends. The logical side of her considered it the next natural step for her after her transition into a Minbari-Human hybrid since the potential benefits outweighed the risks. There existed technologies that could be acquired through Earth where direct acquisition was not an option but, more than that, she believed the humans could be potential allies. They were a young race but through MiB they proved that they could work peacefully with the other races of the galaxy and police visitor's competently. Given two or so centuries it was possible that they too would find their way to the stars and, if a bond could be forged between the humans and Minbari early enough, perhaps something wonderful could come out of that connection.
Or perhaps she was reading more into the future than was actually there.
Enough! Focus on the present! she thought as she reached Xander. "Looks like we both made the cut."
"Yep. Though we're gonna have to wait to see where we get posted," Xander said, turning to look at her. "Personally as long as I don't get sent to the ass end of the planet for some solo gig, I'll be happy."
"You won't. With your Fore Seer ability and how well you do in the V.B.E, you'll make field agent in a major city for sure," she said confident in her point of view.
"What about you? You scored almost as good as me in the V.B.E and, being from outer space, you aced the tests about all the different species out there," he said with a familiar grin. "Bet they make you a diplomat or a field agent like me."
"Oh, so you see me being a diplomat, eh?" she asked with amusement.
"Of course! I figure you already have the right mind for it 'cause you used to be a space nun and since you already know what NOT to do to half the aliens out there, you'll do a better job than I ever could." he replied with mock casualness. "If they made me a diplomat, we'd have six different space fleets with their de-atomizer cannons pointed at Earth."
"I think you might fare better than you think," she said with genuine honesty. "There are species out there who respect a warrior far more than a peacemaker."
"I guess," he said with a nod. "So… you planning on going to that dance thing tomorrow night?"
"I might… but it sort of depends on something." She felt a little anxiety now that the moment had come.
"What?" he asked, sounding interested in learning the answer.
"Well… would you care to go to the dance with me?" she asked, finally getting the question out of her mouth.
She had seen enough movies to know what went on at dances and most of the customs attached to it, such as bringing a date along. Indeed, while not everything she'd seen could be taken at face value, it did indeed seem to be considered something of bad impression to arrive alone. Given that there was only one male in the facility that she felt like asking, that had taken half the work out of the equation, but actually ASKING him… she'd felt a little nervous. Now that her inquiry was out in the open, all that remained was waiting for an answer but that was almost as nerve wracking as asking the question in the first place.
"Sure." he said without hesitation of any kind.
"Sure?" she asked with a little bit of surprise.
"Yeah. I'd been thinking of not going, given how badly my high school graduation dance had gone," he replied with a slight flinch, "but if you want to go then it is my duty as a friend and a gentleman to be your escort for the evening. Plus, I never could say no to a pretty lady."
She couldn't help but smile her biggest smile yet, though whether it was due to Xander agreeing to go to the dance with her or saying she was pretty was debatable.
"So you want to go formal or informal?" he asked, sounding like he'd be content with either option.
"I think formal would be the right choice," she replied as images of how the night would go entered her mind. "After all, graduating from phase one training is an important occasion. Besides, I think you'd look handsome in a tuxedo."
"Then it's decided," he said as he stood up before her. "In fact, let's go now before everyone else grabs the best choices off the rack."
With that he held out his elbow in a gesture she recognized all too well from a few of the movies and graciously she hooked her arm around his, just as the actresses had in the films.
Life was wonderful.
Catherine's POV
Life could be better but thankfully there was still time to improve her situation.
She had made it to the end of the phase one training and now was one of the lucky few to progress onward to the phase two training in MiB. Granted, she was a little annoyed that they hadn't announced her assignment yet but that just provided her with an opportunity to remove her 'roommate' from consideration. Ever since she'd successfully set up Delenn with Harris, she'd been trying to conceive of just the right method to bring the young woman's life crashing back down to Earth and straight to hell. Sadly the fact that Agent U hadn't authorized any more excursions into Phoenix meant she'd had only what she could acquire from INSIDE the facility to use in her scheme. It might've been feasible if they hadn't changed all the passwords and command codes in the place but they had and no other member of the faculty was quite as complacent as U was, so she'd been out of luck. Time had flown by and, before she knew it, today had arrived with nary a scheme to be had but now the mentioning of a dance had given her an idea.
No, she wouldn't be doing something as childish as rigging a bucket of pig's blood to drop on Delenn's head. True, it'd humiliate the hybrid, but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted the woman discredited and seen as too unsuitable for field work, so simply making her look ridiculous in front of everyone else wouldn't do it.
Fortunately there was another dance tradition that would work out just fine and thankfully she already had all she needed to make it work hidden away in her room. She'd have to time it just right, of course, and figure out no less than six or seven lines of argument to make Delenn do what she wanted, but that wouldn't be too hard. For all the young woman's experiences in space, Delenn was still quite naïve and trusting, so manipulating her was almost too easy. As for the timing, it'd have to be perfect since there was no way she'd be able to make it so that only her roommate would be affected by her actions. So while it would be unwise to go too strong in the beginning, she could still get to her goal by taking smaller steps over the course of the entire dance.
And if a few others wound up making fools of themselves in the process… seeing that blonde hag L dancing on the table would be the icing on the cake that was her evening.
Faculty Lounge, Later That Day, Luna's POV
Looks like I was right to take MiB up on its offer and not just for my own personal reasons, she thought as she finished reviewing the footage from her last class with Xander. Definitely more than just aura perception.
Her initial job description had been to instruct young Alexander Harris in how to activate and deactivate his ocular ability, as well as aid him in making sense of what his eyes were telling him. While the thought of being a teacher hadn't really appealed to her, the fact that the request had come from the MiB had provided an opportunity she was always on the watch for and that was to go to Earth. Being an Inhuman was fine for the most part, but the recluse policy that the royal family, HER family, had instituted shortly after their relocation to the moon often gave her a case of cabin fever. Therefore whenever she had an opportunity to get out of the city for whatever reason, she took it instantly, though there were a few times she wished she hadn't. So when the new director of the east coast branch of the MiB contacted her regarding a special new recruit, she'd made some inquiries about the details before accepting. The idea of a human possessing an ability that bore a resemblance to her own intrigued her and even made her wonder if one of her kind had decided to enjoy a one night stand with the young man's mother a little under two decades ago. Funny thing was it'd been this speculation that'd been the tipping point when she'd asked permission from her aunt and uncle to go to Earth.
They weren't overly fond of her trips to Earth, even if they were for legitimate reasons.
Since her first lesson with Xander, though, she felt safe in her belief that she was making good use of her time, regardless of what the rest of her people might think. While Harris would never be called a genius, he was definitely perceptive and often noticed things that the rest of his race overlooked. He did require some… incentive… to stay on task during his lessons, since repetitive tasks tended to bore him, but once he started experiencing some success, she didn't need to shock him quite so often.
It probably didn't hurt that she regularly changed HOW she shocked him so that she could always count on getting the same dumb look on his face over and over again. It never failed to make her laugh when she threw him a curveball somehow to snap him out of whatever daydream he'd slid into. Some of her ideas might've been a bit cruel by some people's standards but they got the results she needed and she got a laugh as a bonus.
In the beginning they'd tried activating the ability by adjusting the position of his eyelids, to how he looked at something, but after the first week they both concluded that it wasn't activated by something physical. They'd then moved on to trying to find a mental trigger by recalling what the young man had been thinking and feeling the last time it'd turned on. This line of thinking had produced some success but the activations were sporadic and often the Fore Seer ability switched off on its own. She'd told him that she believed something in his mind needed to remain constant in order for the ability to stay active.
Weeks passed but it wasn't until about a month ago they'd finally hit pay dirt when they'd been halfway through trying to get him to enter certain mental states, as explained in some books on meditation. Just like some people could enter into a meditative state in order to block out pain or suppress their emotions, they discovered that when Xander did the same his Fore Seer ability snapped on almost immediately. The rest of their time up until last week had been to increase the consistency with which he was able to activate the ability and then see how long he could keep it active. She'd wanted to know if it was something he could keep doing with ease or if it drained his stamina to the point where he couldn't keep it going after a certain point. By the first day of the previous week it was determined that, while some strain did develop after twelve hours of continuous use, it was possible to go as long as eighteen hours before the ability started wavering on its own.
From there she'd asked Agent L to send into the room she'd been assigned for Xander's lessons a series of aliens from different environments to see if the colors used in a spectral trail scanner were what Xander saw. It'd taken some time to get a representative from each environment to come to the facility since some places had precious few races that were on good terms with MiB or were even on Earth. In the end, though, they'd managed and confirmed that the colors that her student could see were a match for those used by the scanner. L had explained that the colors used by the device were not chosen arbitrarily but rather by information gained from more specialized technology that had been employed. Perhaps that meant that there was a technological equivalent to Harris' ability somewhere in the galaxy being used by a species that shared information with the MiB. Whatever the case, it'd helped things along and, after two more lessons, she'd thought that the young man had mastered his ability well enough to be allowed to work in the field.
However it had been in the last class though that something had happened she had not anticipated and only now could be sure of.
An interesting wrinkle in the image she had of Xander Harris.
"So, are you planning on sticking around for the dance?" asked someone who'd approached her while she'd been engrossed in thought.
Looking up, she saw Agent L sipping a cup of coffee while raising an inquiring eyebrow.
"Yes, but not just to see if Xander gets lucky with Delenn." she replied, referring to the most popular topic of discussion amongst the faculty.
While normally the men and women of the faculty didn't take much interest in the personal lives of their students, Xander Harris of Sunnydale and Delenn of the Minbari were oddities. Both had been recruited under unusual circumstances and both of them had unique biological attributes that set them apart from the rest of the recruits. As a result, whenever either recruit did something of note at least one faculty member would let the others know over lunch or dinner. Fortunately for her she'd shown up just when things had started to get interesting with the duo dating each other rather than staying friends. Of course Xander vehemently denied the idea that he and Delenn were now officially a couple whenever she'd brought it up during their lessons but she'd spotted the truth with her empathic abilities the first time she'd seen the two of them talking. It wasn't quite as bad as when her aunt and uncle got all lovey-dovey but their affection levels definitely spiked when they were together going beyond what mere friendship could account for. When she'd mentioned this offhand in the faculty lounge, that had made her a prime source of updated information about how things were developing between the two recruits.
At the moment she felt that conditions were primed to get all the way to third base between the two.
MAYBE even a homerun if Xander played his cards right.
After all, if there was one thing that was synonymous with graduation dances just as much as spiked punch, it was losing your virginity in the backseat of your boyfriend's car.
Or at least that's what American popular culture and media would have you believe and she'd accept that until evidence was presented to the contrary.
"What do you mean?" Agent L asked, sounding interested in any other reasons there may be.
"I think that Xander might be able to do more than just identify non-humans by their spectral residue," she said, revealing her theory for the first time. "In our last class I decided to have one last bit of fun with him by making it look like I was going to give him a 'special' graduation present of my own and he saw right through it. Even though my acting chops have always been good enough to fool him before, he said he could tell I wasn't serious and that I was just messing with him."
"Maybe he's just insightful," Agent L proposed, sounding dismissive of anything unusual going on. "From what I've heard, he does tend to spot things most people miss."
"No. Like I said, it was only in the last class that he didn't fall for my little bit of fun," she said, shaking her head in the negative. "Every other time he fell for my act hook, line and sinker until I started laughing. That's why I was reviewing the footage from the security camera in the room and seeing it from a different angle I know I didn't slip up with my acting."
"Could he have empathic powers like you?" Agent L asked, going for the most obvious of the possibilities.
"No. There are many Inhumans with empathic abilities like me but I can sense when they're using them on me. With Xander, I felt nothing out of the ordinary, not a single thing felt off, and that makes me think it's something different."
"Any idea what it could be?" Agent L asked with increased interest.
"Not enough information but if I had to make a guess I think it might have something to do with body language." Her reply made it clear she wasn't certain of her guess. "People give off all sorts of different tells about what's going on inside their heads without even realizing that they're doing it. If people train themselves hard enough, they can minimize these tells but no one can eliminate them entirely. If Xander can somehow instinctively interpret the body language of others thanks to his Fore Seer ability, that would explain how he saw through my acting."
"Hmmmm…. I'll have to check the database entry on Fore Seers to see if there's any historical information to back it up." Agent L said with a contemplative look in her eyes. "If you're right, Xander could be an even bigger asset in the field than Director One thought."
"Not necessarily. It could be that he can just understand human body language." she said. pointing out a possible flaw. "If that's the case then he won't be able to understand alien body language the further it gets from human body language."
"Point taken. Still, I can see why you'd be interested in sticking around." Agent L said with a nod of agreement.
Then a wicked look came over the blonde woman's face that she soon mirrored on her own face.
"Care to place a wager on how far those two get tomorrow night?" Agent L asked with a mischievous smile on her face.
"I bet we find them with half their clothes off in a storage closet before the end of the night." She was going to play it safe with her prediction just in case.
"I'll see your bet and say they'll make it all the way back to his dorm room." Agent L countered with a smile on her face that spoke of confidence. "Then we'll find Delenn sneaking back to her room in a rumpled dress sometime the next morning."
"Interesting idea. And the prize for the winner?" she asked, wanting to know what she'd lose if she bet wrong.
"Any one wish that is within the power of the loser to grant." Agent L replied, quite confident in her prediction. "Within reason of course. I'm not about to give away MiB secrets or technology."
"Of course. Just as I wouldn't give up any Inhuman secrets or technology." she said, nodding her head in agreement. "May the best woman win."
With that they shook hands to seal the deal and she knew that both of them would be keeping a close watch on the persons at the center of the bet for the next forty-eight hours.
The Next Day, Early Evening, Xander's POV
I hope the dress Delenn chose is worth all the fuss she made over keeping me from seeing it yesterday, he thought as he buttoned up the shirt of his mandarin style tux. I hope she realizes that it's wedding dresses the guys aren't supposed to see, not dance dresses.
That put a thought into his head that made him wonder just how she felt about him.
They had been spending a lot of time together, more so since movie night became a tradition, and that first movie night had been quite… stimulating. He'd expected a good first night when it'd happened but he hadn't expected Delenn's adventurous attitude or actions, given her rather nunnery upbringing. Everything she'd told him about life in the Religious caste suggested bland food, simple clothes that wouldn't be allowed in any major clothing store or on the runway. Not that he expected them to be party animals or anything, since he didn't know of any religion that encouraged its members to party all night long. Still, he'd expected that such a group would teach things like modesty, restraint and avoidance of anything considered sinful or unlawful.
So some of the things his best friend in black had instigated that first movie night had been surprising yet fun.
It'd been a bit odd that the next two movie nights had been somewhat tamer than the first one but still a cut above what he'd expect from an alien nun. From then on things had developed in a way that he hadn't seen coming and had left him wondering if he should see where this took the two of them. He hadn't planned on starting a romantic relationship when he'd left Sunnydale, at least not immediately, but he had to admit that Delenn was definitely pretty enough to catch his interest. Whether it would blossom into true blue love or just be a passing period of lust he didn't know but at least for tonight he wouldn't have to go to the dance by himself. It was majorly awkward and uncomfortable to show up solo since it silently said that you weren't able to woo a lady into being your date for the evening. Such a thing was a significant blow to the ego and would damage his man cred significantly, so Delenn asking him out was a load off his shoulders.
At least this is going better than my last dance, he thought as he looked at the door to his room. It'd been… interesting and everything, but there hadn't been any feelings between us. Well… other than lust, but that might have to do with the fact that she showed up in my room and got naked.
As he slid on his coat and buttoned it up, the doorbell for his room rung, making him wonder if he'd spoken too soon about this night mirroring the one with Anya. While it was true that nothing had officially been said about who'd be picking up who before heading to the V.B.E room, it was kinda traditional for the guy to pick up the gal. Then again, when he really thought about it, it was usually the asker who picked up the askee and, while that was usually the guy, this time it was the gal who'd done the asking, so maybe it was right for her to pick him up.
Besides he didn't want to be accused of implying anything by saying that a woman had to wait with baited breath for her date to pick her up.
Walking over to the door, he picked up the corsage that had been available for purchase along with the formal wear as he walked and, once at the door, pressed the button to open it.
What he saw on the other side took his breath away and made him seriously rethink the direction his off duty hours were taking him.
Standing in the doorway, wearing a strapless blue dress that, while not skintight, definitely hugged her figure and would turn more than few male heads if they saw her, was Delenn. The beauty he saw was different than the sort you'd expect from a swimsuit model or a Playboy playmate but nevertheless struck him with the force of sledgehammer to the back of the head. He must've just stood there, staring with weird look on his face, for a few minutes because before he knew it she reached out and shook him as though trying to snap him out of it.
"Sorry, Delenn," he said, finally coming out of it. "You look GREAT!"
"Well you look pretty good yourself." Delenn said beaming at the compliment. "I take it you're ready to go?"
"Almost," he said before he took out the corsage and tied it to her wrist. "Now we can go."
No light bulb in EXISTANCE could match the way that his date was shining with happiness.
Arm in arm they walked to the V.B.E room, with him half wondering what the place would look like when they arrived and half not particularly caring. After all, so long as he had Delenn on his arm, the place could look and smell like the city dump and he'd still consider this his best date so far. About the only person he'd dated previously that came close was Cordy but, when he thought about it, he had to concede that Queen C fell short of Delenn by just a little. He guessed it was the… the feeling of purity that surrounded the half Minbari and how she considered helping others to be its own reward. It was cleaner than his own reasons for fighting the good fight, avenging Jesse and helping Buffy, and she almost made him want to let go of those reasons so he could be more like her.
He couldn't help but believe that tonight would be the night his life changed for the better.
When they arrived at the doors to the V.B.E, he spotted his friend's roommate Catherine and politely returned the smile she sent him. He had never quite clicked with her the same way that Delenn had. The blonde seemed nice enough but there was an… edge that made him instinctively wary when he was around her. He recognized the guy she'd managed to snag as a date as Matt Daggit, a recruit who was quite good in the science portion of the training, and hoped that the man didn't suffer a repeat of his memorable night with Faith. With the press of a button the doors to the V.B.E opened and what he saw when he got inside made him wonder who'd been in charge of the design.
It looked like a cross between the huge ballroom from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' and a more traditional high school gym dance. Tables with food on them lined one side of the room while the far side there was a grouping of tables for sitting down and then there was a small stage with a podium on it. Decorating the walls and ceiling of the place were streamers that were a mix of pastel colors, with just a dash of red spattered in all the right places. All in all it wasn't a horrible job of decorating the place but he very much doubted that it'd be able to go stride for stride with a professional's work.
Already the place was half filled with his fellow recruits, along with a few members of the faculty, including his taskmaster, Luna. The woman was a sadist without a doubt, but he couldn't argue with the results since, thanks to her 'instruction', he could now not only turn his power on at will but he could do a reasonable job of finding a specific alien in a crowd. Granted, there weren't all that many aliens in the facility so he didn't really get the chance to work with a really big crowd, like the type you'd see in a busy city, but it'd been good enough to satisfy the both of them. What had satisfied only her, though, were the games that she played with him to mess with his head and get a few laughs at his expense. Sometimes it was a play on words that'd leave him flustered while at other times she'd feign that she had romantic interest in him, or at least sexual interest, before revealing her deception. Sure, if it'd happened to someone else he probably would've laughed just as hard but since it'd happened to him, he was glad that his lessons with her were finally over with.
"Well, aren't you the lovely couple." Came Agent L's familiar voice from the side.
"You don't look so bad yourself, L." he said, taking in the purple dress the forty-something agent was wearing.
The woman had definitely aged well in his opinion, though some of it probably had to do with medicines available to MiB personnel.
"Why thank you!" she said with a reserved grin on her face. "I just thought I've come over and congratulate you two on making the final cut. Believe it or not, it's phase one and not phase two where most of our washouts happen. Either they can't cope with the truth or they eventually prove they can't be trusted to abide by the rules."
"Well, no worries for me there," he said with a friendly grin. "I've been coping with the weird for three years now and as for the rules… all I can say is I'll do my best."
Not the most encouraging collection of words but it was the truth.
L seemed to be thinking the same if the look on her face was any indication.
"Well, enjoy the dance, you two." L said as she walked away towards the food table.
"We will," Delenn said before leading him towards the dance floor. "I'll make sure of it."
Well, he couldn't argue with that now could he?