A gloved fist strikes across her face.
Her vision blurs as she collapses onto the cold ground.
The ringing in her ears grow louder and louder as the scenery turns pitch black.
"Stop moving!" Alex digs her nails into Clover's arm, restraining her from wiggling away.
"It stings!" Clover whines.
"Sammy, hold her head."
The red head complies. Together, Sam takes Clover by the sides of her head while Alex clings onto her arm. The blonde tries to flail around, kicking wildly into the air, and screaming bloody murder but all of her fighting is to no avail. Completely being outnumbered, Clover sinks to her seat and gives up.
"Finally, she's tired." Sam sighs.
"It'll take no time, Clover. It stings a little but it's for your own good." Alex reassures her friend, giving her a peck on the cheek for encouragement.
Clover puts on a brave face and allows Alex to continue. Alex squeezes the cream out from the tube and gently applies it on the purple skin around Clover's eye. The girl winces a little but relaxes once she decides to trust Alex.
Their last mission has been a disaster. Following the wrong leads and misunderstanding clues had lead them to accidentally piss off an entire underground fight club. Clover, being the troublemaker that she is, refused to back down and agreed to a fight with the gang leader. The fight, of course, ended up badly for the blonde, resulting in a black eye, a nose bleed, a bruised body, and a blackout. Sam and Alex had to intervene before the damage get worse.
"Ok, ok, stop, ow, that's enough." Clover pushes Alex's hand away and fans at her face, hoping to get rid of the burning feeling on her skin.
"You're lucky WOOHP even has a special medication for bruises. Most of them take at least a week to disappear." Sam says.
"Thanks, Sammy. You're right. I do feel so lucky right now." Clover mocks.
"Do you want me to press on your black eye because I will do it."
"Come on, guys. Stop fighting." Alex butts in and the other two stays quiet. "Because Clover can't get her butt kicked again."
Alex and Sam snicker. Clover crosses her arms and stands up. "I'm telling Jerry to transfer me to another group."
"No, come back, we're just joking, stay." Alex says, pulling Clover by the arm back down onto the sofa. Sam and Alex sit on the floor, examining the bruises on their friend's face.
"Do you think WOOHP insurance will cover this?" Sam asks.
"They better. And they better pay for my facial reconstruction surgery too after this."
Alex snorts. "You look fine! You're still very pretty."
That makes Clover blushes a little. She suddenly sits up. "Wait, wait. What about my eye? Are my baby blue still there?"
"Yes, your baby blues are still there." Alex rolls her eyes and they share a laugh while Sam is still lost in her thoughts. She flips on her compowder and begins typing.
"What's wrong?" Alex asks.
"That fight club that we stumbled upon. There's something off about them. I don't know what it is but I feel like we should investigate more on it." Sam says.
"Maybe it's the fact the fight clubs are illegal." Alex says. "We should just let the police handle that one. We still have our own bigger case to solve."
About 2 weeks ago, the girls were assigned a case of possible abductions. 9 different athletes have gone missing around the world in the past month and while their disappearances might not be linked, WOOHP has a strong case that these are not just pure coindences. With the Olympics coming up, the case is becoming more urgent as sport team managers have begun to breathe down their necks, rushing them to finish the job.
"We still have that trainer to interview." Clover reminds them.
Terry Rogan is a personal trainer for 2 of the missing athletes: Carmen and Troy. Terry was also the last person to see Troy the night he went missing.
"Right, we should prepare for that. I'll come up with a list of questions." Sam excitedly grabs her notebook. Making notes, connecting clues, and prepping questions are her favorite parts of every case. She loves to see how all the pieces fit together. "Clover, are you sure you still want to come tomorrow?"
"Duh, why not? I'm not weak! It was really sudden and the girl was 5 times my siz—"
"No, that's not what I meant. You're still pretty tired and beaten up. Are you sure you'll be fine for a day of interrogation tomorrow?"
"Yes. I feel fine. Stronger even."
Alex rolls her eyes again. "Sure, you are." She flicks Clover's forehead.
"Ow!" Clover rubs the faint red mark left on her face. "Cheater! That was such a sneak attack."
Clover tackles Alex and the two begins play wrestling on the floor. Sam leaves them to it and goes to her room.
Alex is dreaming of a land where people have cotton candy for hair when there's a knock on her door. She groans, pretends to not hear it and wraps the blanket tightly around herself.
"Alex." A quiet whisper.
"Hmm?"
"Can I come in?"
A pause. "Who are you?"
"A murderer."
"No, stay out."
"I'm coming in."
The door pushes in, revealing Clover's silhouette. She quietly tip toes her way to the bed and climbs onto the mattress. Alex lifts up the blanket for the girl to squeeze in.
"Can't sleep?" Alex whispers.
"My eye hurts."
Alex turns around so the two are face to face. They're so close under this blanket that Alex can feel Clover's breath on her skin. Slowly, with her eyes closed, Alex presses her lips on Clover's skin, she gently brushes them against Clover's face until they find the spot that's been bruised. She places a kiss on it.
"That tasted like medicine." Alex whispers.
"It felt good." Clover mumbles.
She pulls Alex closer into a cuddle so the two can feel the warmth of each other's body. Then quietly, they fall into a deep slumber.