Foreword: I know the last chapter was pretty long, but the flow of it didn't sit well with me after I tried to split it into two parts. I had two of my buddies who were featured in the story go over it for accuracy of a small portion of the events described. I also asked them for an opinion on how dark it was really was. One of my friends believed that a character could have been more sick and darker, but I didn't want to go over board. In my opinion, I thought the scene was utterly screwed up to begin with.

Also I noticed several spelling and phrasing errors despite having gone through it several times with my buddies. So if you readers find anything, don't be afraid to point it out. I am also curious as to whether or not I have truly achieve a dark and twisted tone in the last chapter. If not, what can be done to improve it?

And now, without further disruptions, I present a shorter chapter before the action really kicks into high gear.


Chapter Nine

The Partner Who's Not Dead


Location: Tokonosu City-

House of a Deceased, High Valued Target

Time: Z-Day + 1, 13:00 Hours

My eyes fluttered open under the rays of the afternoon light. Crusty trails of dried up tears were plastered to my cheeks. I groaned as I rolled off the sofa and fell onto the floor boards instead of getting up like a normal person. My right leg was paralyzed and both of my shoulders and my neck were stiff from falling asleep in a weird position. I laid on the floor for a minute as I waited for blood circulation to return to my leg.

I laid on the floor slapping my right leg in attempt to get the blood flowing when a nasty audible growl filled the room. My last meal was over twelve hours ago but I've been going through my pack of cigarettes like a cow eats grass. Smoking does kill your appetite after all, but I have reached a point where I can no longer hold back my hunger by smoking.

I've been through situations like this before. It all begins when the cigarettes taste even more foul than they usually are. This is followed by the taste of stomach bile resting at the tip of my tongue. The final step is the stomach pains caused by hunger, but I lucked out from the painful ordeal when I entered the kitchen.

Sitting right there, on the counter, was a hot meal waiting for me. A bowlful of rice mixed with sliced pieces of spam and egg covered by a plastic wrap. To the side of the bowl was a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a yellow post it note that read:

"Eat up boss man. We got a long day ahead of us. Sorry I couldn't make you soup."

At the end of the note was a smiley face.

I laughed softly at the scene after reading the note. After all this time, I thought I was baby sitting her, but it turns out that it was actually the other way around. The clanking of wood against ceramics filled the room as I tore into the meal like a rabid dog. I recalled all the times I was out late at the office because I was busy pouring over financial spread sheets and mission documents.

It's not that I was dedicated to boring paper work, but it was because somebody had to do it. Alan and Dan were never sober enough to get the job done. Sometimes I would forget to eat while working. Hours would pass and I would still be sitting in the same hunched over position. As the clock ticked to one past midnight, the growl of my stomach was what snapped me out of my working trance. However before I could even call for take out, Queen would just appear with a home cooked meal.


There was one night like every other when I was typing away like a mad man at the office. Tech and I were the only ones who had came into the office that day. Everyone else stayed home because of the tropical storm. Tech came in to utilize the quiet time, so he can finally do some proper maintenance without anyone disturbing him. He was out the door by four in the afternoon.

If there were no jobs lined up, then nobody really had to be in the office. They were all free to do whatever they want. The office was more of a gathering place.

The only sources of light came from the hanging warehouse pendant which filled the middle of the room with a dim yellow glow and my computer screen that emitted a faint white hue on my face. There was still another folder full of mission documents to go through, but it's not like there was a deadline for me to go through them. I yawned as I reached for the phone to order take out again. As usual, the door to the office unlocked itself.

Queen entered the office dressed in one of my spring time pull-over hoodie's. The hood was pulled over her hair, which was damp and hanging down. The garment was a few sizes too big for her, so it covered most of her thighs and anything else she wore underneath it. If, she actually wore anything else underneath it. Queen would have looked like an adorable girlfriend in the outfit if she didn't have a scowl full of annoyance fixed on her face.

THWACK!

Queen dropped a plastic container filled with her home cooked meal on my desk before shutting my monitor off. She loomed over me before speaking in a commanding voice.

"Eat."

I did what I was told. Queen's normal demeanor on nights like this would be like that of a mother who didn't know what to do with her delinquent child. That night was a little different. Queen was pissed. While I was eating, Queen pulled up a chair next to me before sitting down and lighting a cigarette. I felt her eyes burning holes through my back as I devoured the meal.

"You look like shit." Queen said in a harsh tone. "Seriously, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? Look at the monitor right now."

Queen was right. I did looked like shit. My eyes were sunken and surrounded with dark circles. My hair was disheveled. My lips were cracked and dry from the massive amount of chain smoking throughout the day. The fact that I had finished two potfuls of black coffee throughout the day didn't help my appearance either.

I thanked Queen after I finished my meal and proceeded to light another cigarette before she snatched it away from me. Before I could complain, Queen slammed a bottle full of pills on my table.

"What the f_ck... is this?" Queen asked as I looked at my secret stash of sleeping medication. "Jack, what is going on?"

I let out a sigh. There was no point in hiding it from her that night. So I decided to tell her the reasons why I purposefully stayed late at the office. The nightmares were getting worse and I had trouble sleeping. The only way I could cope was to do some mind numbing work that was enough to lull me to sleep, but even then the nightmares would return. Eventually the best way to keep the nightmares at bay was to work until I passed out.

"So you haven't been using these?" Queen asked skeptically.

"Only twice. They never worked." I answered her before I switched my monitor back on.

Queen let out a sigh before she stuck the cigarette back in my mouth and lighting it.

"You could have told me. I'm your partner remember? Your problem is my problem." Queen murmured quietly. "Well at least now I don't have to worry about you becoming addicted to these things."

Queen quietly watched me work for a few minutes. The room was filled with smoke from our cigarettes before she put her's out in the ash tray with a large sigh.

"Whatever. F_ck it. Come with me." Queen said before smacking my hands away from the keyboard.

Queen then shut the monitor off again before dragging me to the briefing room in the back. The room was dark, but the constant flash of lightning was enough for Queen to guide us to the couch without too much difficulty. Queen lightly shoved me onto the couch before she straddled my lap. She slowly began to gyrate her hips back and forth while her hands were placed on my chest.

"Queen, wha-" I began, but she silenced me with her lips pressed up against mine.

I was tired and my mind was hazy as I closed my eyes and returned the embrace by wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her in. Queen stopped gyrating on my lap after she pulled away from our kiss. Her left cheek was pressed up against my own. Her skin was hot and her chest, filled with anticipation, was rising and falling against my body. Queen's steamy breath tickled my ears as she spoke in a mellow and soothing tone.

"You're having trouble sleeping. You're also stressed out. But, did you forget something? I'm your partner, but I'm also a woman. It's my job as your partner and as a woman to help you with your problems."

With that, Queen leaned back slightly before pulling the pull-over hoodie off her body and discarded it on the couch. Queen guided my hands back to her waist as she began to gyrate on my lap again. Lightning flashed once more as I took in Queen's beautiful petite body with my eyes. Something primate and savage started to beat within my chest. I closed my eyes and leaned back to enjoy the ride.

KA-THOOM!

The crack of thunder followed by it's rolling echo brought me back to my senses as my eyes shot open and my muscles stiffened.

"Queen stop," I muttered as I pulled Queen into a hug. "I can't let you do this with me. Not to yourself, nor our friendship. As long as we're team mates, this isn't right. The risk that will follow after this... it's something I can't take. I refuse to take that risk."

Queen stopped moving her hips as she held my head deep in her bosom while gently running her fingers through my hair. We stayed in that position for another five minutes as both of us cooled off. Queen gently got off my lap as she pulled the hoodie over head again as I walked towards the fridge to grab a beer for the both of us. I saw the blue hue appear on the front wall of the room as projector powered up.

Queen sat on the couch with her legs crossed as she fiddled with the remote before pressing play. I sat down right next to her as I handed her a can of beer. With a crack, she popped the can open and drank deeply before resting her head on my left shoulder.

"You know, you're the first guy that said no." Queen whispered sleepily while waiting for the movie to start playing.

"If we weren't team mates I would've said yes." I replied before gulping down a good amount of beer.

"If we weren't partners, I wouldn't have given you that offer so easily in the first place. I was just trying to do my job, besides you're not my type." Queen snapped back at me. "Now hush, the movie is starting."

Queen had chosen the movie "Friends with Benefits" which came out earlier that year. At some point that night, the both of us had fallen asleep. I woke up the next afternoon in her lap while her head rested on the arm chair. The tropical storm had not stopped at all as rain continued to platter against the closed windows. However, despite the noise of the storm, I just had the best sleep I had in a while without nightmares.


I let out a sigh of delight as I finished devouring the meal Queen had left for me. It wasn't her best cooking, but then again, it is the apocalypse. The sound of running water caught my attention as I went left my chair with a screech.

"So that's where she went." I thought to myself as a grin formed on my lips.

The moment I walked in I found myself staring down the barrel of Queen's Beretta. She sighed before placing the weapon back down on the edge of the sink and returned to her bath. She sat in the bathtub facing the door with her legs out in the cold air. The rest of her body was submerged in the hot water with the exception of her hands which held a manga book. I sat down on the toilet to conduct my business.

"They can't use doors remember."

"Well, you can't blame me for being careful around a pervert," Queen said before shutting off the water.

"Not interested," I replied with a smirk on my face before I lit a cigarette.

"Oh right. I forgot that you're only interested in men. Sorry boss." Queen snapped back with a toothy smile on her face.

Queen returned to flipping through the pages of the manga book before tossing it on the floor. With a sigh Queen announced her dissatisfaction with the manga before stepping out of the bath.

"Jesus, I can't even look at the pictures to get the story anymore. It's just tits in my face on every page. I appreciate the fan service, but there's a point where you need to stop. How do people even read these? Like, am I reading this for a story or am I just looking at some soft-core hentai?"

I laughed at her frustration. Queen gave me a weird look as she swiped a towel off the rack.

"That's right! I forgot you used to do a little wet-work in the media for a bit! How did that job work out?"

Wiping a tear away from my eye, I tried my best to answer her question without laughing.

"When you spend days photo-shopping countless images of women just to refine their physical feats, you kind of get desensitized to the more sensitive body parts."

Queen placed the towel on top of her wet hair before grabbing my pack of Newports that sat on the edge of the sink. Looking inside the carton she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Jack. Ease up on the stoges partner." She said before grabbing one for herself.

I flicked my cigarette ash in my sink before I responded.

"You shouldn't be the one to talk. Get suited up. We've wasted enough time here."

Queen leaned back on the wall before crossing her arms in front of her chest. She wasn't trying to hide her feminine body parts. For her, that pose was more of a statement.

"Not after you've taken a shower. You've sweated so much that you reek now. It's disgusting. If those things hunted by smell, you'll be number one on the menu." She said as she tossed me another towel.

Queen was right. My clothes were still soaked with sweat after waking up from that nightmare.

"Hey Jack, I need to clear up something with you first. I'm your partner right?" Queen asked with her tone becoming serious.

"Yeah. You're my partner. What brought this on?" I asked while undressing.

Queen ignored my answer as she started to drive the conversation towards her point.

"You had that dream again. I could never figure out what kind of nightmare it was until you told me what happened on New Years Eve of 2008 two nights ago." Queen said with her head low.

Queen noticed a sudden twitch in my composure when she mentioned the nightmarish event. Before I could even ask her how she knew, she answered my question for me.

"I know you had that dream because your eyes are all puffy. And you only cry in your sleep... among other things."

Queen had caught me red handed. I admitted my guilt with a quiet nod before shifting my gaze away from her.

"Let it go partner. That incident you're holding onto is like a moldy piece of bread you've eaten. It's rotting you from inside out," Queen said in a bleak tone while pointing her right index finger at me.

I shifted my gaze from the bathroom tiles up to her. Queen's eyes were hidden underneath her damp hair as she continued to puff the cigarette in her mouth.

"They're dead. You're not. Simple as that. Live with it. If you still feel guilty about Typo, don't. Miko was the one went bat shit crazy and pulled the trigger." Queen growled.

"But I had the-"

Before I could even finish the sentence Queen had my back pinned against the sink with a violent kick. Leaning forward she grabbed me by the collar. Her head was low and she was shaking with anger and frustration.

"Look at you! Whimpering like a piece a shit. Spend a few years behind a desk in a business suit and you get all soft like a plushy toy. What happened to the bad ass with a machete who cut down thirteen guys to save me from that ditch? Huh?" Queen shouted as she kept me pinned.

Queen took a deep breath before continuing.

"That dumb bitch had it coming when she joined the team without understanding some unwritten rules. She had everything she needed for a good life, but she just had to run off looking for adventure didn't she. Probably never been raped of sold her entire life. Your old team fell apart when she opened her legs and fell in love with two men at the same time!" Queen spat as she bad mouthed my former team mate.

"Queen..." I muttered as I heard her sniffle.

"I knew Jack. I knew you brought her onto the team and she was your partner." Queen replied in a soft voice but her grip on my collar was still firm. "I'm different. I won't end up like Typo. I know the rules just like you. We made it clear that night. That's why we can be so comfortable with each other like this on such a casual basis. You don't f_ck your team mates and most of all... you don't go into relationships with your team mates."

I opened my lips to say something, but I couldn't think of any way to respond. My head was still blank with shock from Queen's outburst. Queen relaxed her grip as she stared at me with her teary eyes as if she was pleading.

"I am your partner right now. I am still alive. I want to stay that way. And in order for that to be possible, I need you to focus on the present! I can't have you distracted by the past. If I can't trust you to watch my back, I'll kill you myself... you got that. Partner?"

I gave Queen a weak laugh before putting my hands on her forearms so she can let me go. Queen was right. Again.

"Sorry, partner. I guess I've been sitting on my ass behind the desk for way too long."

Queen snickered at my comment in disgust.

"Sorry partner? We're a team remember? We take the blame together. Geez, you're such a pain in the ass every time you have that dream. You're still too young to get sentimental."

I heard the door open as Queen stepped outside, but before it closed Queen said one more thing to me. "Hey Jack, until both of us make it back home, you're not allowed to die on me. Not yet. I'd rather be a whore who gets passed around by all the guys at our company than get a replacement."

The door clicked shut, and as I stepped into the shower the door opened again.

Queen taunted me from outside. "Oh by the way boss. You should probably drain the pipe. I heard blue balls get in the way of running."

"Why don't you get in here and help me with that!" I shouted back over the sound of running water.

"You can't afford me boss! I'll see if I can find some magazines with hot guys you can beat off to. Laters!" Queen said as she closed the door laughing.

I grimaced at her remark. She burned me real good with that one. I'll get back at her eventually.


Queen sighed as she leaned against the closed door with a painful smirk on her face.

"Stupid idiot. If we weren't team mates I would have probably helped." Queen thought to herself silently. She recalled the times Jack and her had shared in their little apartment in Roanapur. It was full of teasing, but it never went past that. Of course there were times when things got a little too intimate and they had to rein themselves in.

It's not that relationships between team mates were forbidden within the company, but it was because everyone knew how much of a risk it can become. Nobody wanted to be that one person to take that risk. Especially not Alan, Daniel, Jack or Tech. They already suffered the outcomes once, they were not ready to go through that again.


I crept back into the living room, where Queen was squatting in front of the outlet checking our gear. She was dressed in black lacy panties with a matching bra, both of which she had obviously looted from their previous owners. She had yet to put on her clothes. A grin spread across my face when I registered the opening. I slung my wet towel right at her butt.

TWACK!

Queen let out a yelp as she jumped up and looked at me while rubbing her bottom. She pouted and gave me a finger before returning to check the gear. My clothes reeked as well and there was no time to wash them. So I proceeded upstairs and dug around the in the man's wardrobe. Nothing but suits and pin stripe pants. I was about to give up until I found a pair of tan cargo pants at the end of the rack. I sighed in defeat, as I had suspected, they were too big on me when it came to the waist size.

Strangely enough, I did find some white collar shirts that fit perfectly and they don't seem to have been worn much lately. I supposed that those were the shirts he wore when he was younger and more fit. I finished dressing myself and grabbed the black tie hanging loosely on the rack before wrapping it around myself. I came down to the living room to find Queen fully dressed in black skinny jeans, and a brown ribbed tank top. She was also completely geared up as well and sitting on the couch watching the news.

"You done buttoning up your blouse princess? We got work to do." Queen said nodding at the television which showed the chaos brewing in front of the police blockades that were established on the bridges.