After a quick shower and a small wardrobe change into some casual garb, she had missed her jeans, S drove down to Jeeves' shop and walked in the door. He was talking to some customers when she walked in. He looked at her worriedly and began talking a little faster.
"Jeeves," she greeted happily, "long time no see."
"Yeah, sure," he agreed.
"You're not selling fakes again, are you?" she asked, approaching the nice couple who had probably wandered in here by mistake.
"N-no, Ma'am," he answered. Before he could stop her, she had grabbed one of the watches.
"See, the way you can tell is…"
"I ain't got no fakes," he objected but his quarry was already drifting away and he could tell. He watched them leave somewhat hurriedly then glowered in her direction. "What do you want?" He demanded. She smiled.
"I have a few questions is all."
"Did you have to scare off my customers?"
"Yes, because both you and I know those are fakes." His glower turned into a fierce glare.
"Ask your questions."
"First I want to see that gun you showed us last time; that deatomizer."
"I got rid of all my guns. They weren't good for business anyway."
"You're lying," she pointed out. She watched him reach behind the desk, and press the button. The displays flipped and she walked to the gun she had pointed out before. "Why is this gun so bad?" She waited for an answer, then turned when she heard none. Just in time to get her arm up as he swung something heavy and long at her.
It collided with her arm and she stumbled to the ground with the force of the blow. There was no doubt her arm was broken. He swung down again and this time it collided with her ribs. She felt and heard some of them break.
Quickly, she grabbed one of the random alien guns and shot. His head exploded. The body fell limp on the floor and she struggled to her feet. She put the gun back into place and stared in horror at the dead thing before her. Just before she decided to bolt, the body twitched and she jumped back.
On the stump of the neck was growing something that resembled a head.
"You bitch," the thing gurgled at her, "you tried to kill me."
"You tried it first," she objected. She had drawn her own gun, the one given to her by K, and held it in her left hand as her right arm was broken. "You broke my arm. And at least your head grew back. Now are you going to answer my questions or am I going to have to shoot you somewhere where I'm assuming it won't grow back?" He glared at her.
"Go ahead and shoot me. He'll kill me when he gets here anyways." She frowned darkly.
"If you tell us who he is, we can protect you." He simply gave her a look of derision. "Fine, I'm leaving now. Follow me and I'll kill you myself." She backed slowly to the door then stumbled to her car. She didn't even attempt to put the gun back in its holster but instead threw it on her seat then grabbed her cell phone. Should she call K or an ambulance? If she called the ambulance, pesky questions would be asked and she would be expected to answer them. But if she called K she would surely get an earful.
She gasped as a shot of pain stabbed through her lungs; one or more of her ribs had probably penetrated the soft tissue. It would be filling with blood now. She dialed quickly, then passed out before he could pick up the phone.
"What the hell were you thinking?" He demanded once she had regained a steady, conscious state of being. They had found her via the tracking device in her car. Currently, she was in their private hospital in the recovery ward. They had been forced to operate on her to set her ribs and drain her lung. There was an IV in her arm that was dishing out an alien healing serum they had gotten a few years back in a trade. She would be as good as new in a few days.
"I was out and I happened to pass his shop. I remembered I had some questions I wanted to ask him and stopped by. How was I supposed to know he was going to try to kill me?" She demanded. She felt a sharp pain in her chest but refused to flinch just as she refused to flinch even as K drowned her in questions with a steady glare.
"You shouldn't have gone alone. If you had questions, you should have asked me."
"Well, at least we have information now," she pointed out.
"I don't…" he was interrupted by their boss.
"Let's hear it," Zed ordered.
"Jeeves said 'he'll kill me when he gets here anyways'. Which means whoever he is, he isn't here yet. Don't we monitor incoming vessels and stuff; we could pay extra attention to incoming aliens. Anyone who sends up a red flag could be him."
"Great, any specifications on what exactly we might be looking for?" K demanded.
"Someone or something that would scare a Cepholopoid; those things are supposed to be hardcore aren't they?"
"Good work, Kid," Zed admonished her then turned to walk away. K followed, whispering heatedly to his boss.
"Sir, she almost got herself killed."
"And so have you; several times."
"She went on an investigation without her partner."
"And so have you; several times."
"But I never came back in need of serious medical attention."
"I do recall a few incidents where…"
"That's not the point. We've lost Jeeves; he dug out his own tracking device and skipped out, leaving everything behind him. Whatever it is that she stumbled on, it's big and she let it get away by getting distracted."
"And you've never messed up?" Zed asked, "I think you should worry more about why you're acting so unlike yourself. The K I know never cracks a smile and never gets angry." K frowned at his boss as he watched him walk away. Then he looked back at his partner who was staring at him as if she were a puppy and he had kicked her. When he reentered the room, she looked away from him to the wall which was made of a benign colored, gray brick. He watched her for a few seconds before he broke.
"Sorry I snapped," he apologized. She remained steadfastly looking at the wall.
"You aren't going to erase my memory, are you?" She asked the wall.
"No," he assured her and took a step toward her bed, "Trust me, I've done worse than this and I'm still here."
"But the trust is gone, isn't it?" He was silent for a few seconds. Long enough she turned worriedly to look at him.
"Some of it's still there. Get healed up then we'll talk." He turned and left the room before she could say anything else. His mind was a million miles away but not quite far enough to spot the incoming danger.
