Red has been at the Agency for about a week. Darien was taking her down the hallway to the Keeper's lab. Red tucked her unruly red hair behind her ears, "Why does this Keeper woman want to see me now? After not wanting to since I've been here?" Darien shrugged, "Don't know. I've given up trying to figure out how the Keep's head works. Well, we're here." Darien opened the door and ushered Red through. The Keeper looked up from the fish that she was observing, "Ah, Darien, you've finally decided to grace us with your presence. Certainly took you long enough, where was she? Australia?" Darien turned defensive, "No, she was in the middle of meditating. And her name is Red." Red waved her hand between them, "Hello? You don't have to talk about me like I'm not in the room. You know, me, Red, the one who can actually hear every word that you're saying." The Keeper cocked her head, "Red? Your name is Red?" Red snapped her gum, "Yeah, you gotta problem with that?"
"Red's not a name. It's a color." Red grinned a cocky sideways grin, "Yeah, well Keeper's not a name. It's an occupation." Darien was trying not to laugh, "Should I go? This could get ugly." The Keeper had her arms crossed, "I think it will whether you go or not." She said never breaking her eye contact with Red
Darien nodded, "Right. I'm going."
He left, the door swung shut behind him, The Keeper and Red sized each other up, Red blew a large bubble with her gum, snapping it noisily.
"What kind of gum is that anyway?"
"Cherry Cola. Want some?" The Keeper shook her head, "No thank you. Not since I got a mouthful of grape flavor stuck in my hair when I was ten."
"I'm so sorry. Did your mom use mayonnaise?"
"No, peanut butter."
"Uggh." The Keeper set her clipboard on a table, "I suggest that we come to a compromise. You choose something to call me, and I'll choose something to call you." Red shrugged, "I'm fine with this, just as long as you don't think up some girly-girl name." The Keeper nodded, "Alright, the same goes for you." They both think briefly, or at least make a show of thinking. Red perks up, "I'll call you Cora."
"Then I'll call you Shannon." Red wrinkled her nose, "Ick."
"Ick?"
"Shannon?"
"Cora? Let's try again. Leighann?"
"Claire?" The Keeper shook her head, "Not Claire."
"Alright, not Claire. This isn't going to work.
"Let's try once more. Think of something you DON'T want me to call you, and I'll do the same." Red shrugged again, "Okay." The Keeper sprinkled some food into the fish tank, "Not Claire, or 'doc'." Red blew another bubble, "I don't want to be called 'kid' or 'sweetheart' or anything like that."
"Good. Well then, Quicksilver, how are you coming along?" Red was puzzled, "Coming along?" The Keeper picked up her clipboard again, "What have you learned so far?" Red shook her head ruefully, "I've learned not to get Hobbes talking about what I THINK I should and shouldn't know and..." The Keeper cut her off, "No, I mean what have you learned about your gland? Can you control the Quicksilver yet?" Red shrugged, "Sort of."
"What do you mean 'sort of'?" Red began pacing, "Well, I have to meditate first, to calm myself down. Then, once I'm invisible, I have to concentrate to stay that way. My only problem is the fact that I'm easily distracted by bright shiny objects."
"Show me."
"Okay, but I'm warning you now, this might not work." Red closed her eyes, took a deep breath, tensed, and let it out. As she relaxed the Quicksilver spread, and she disappeared. The Keeper applauded, "Very good." Red reappeared in a shower if quicksilver flakes, "Thank yew, thank yew verr much."
"Can you control it the other way?"
"You mean be startled and stay visible? No. Dare's been trying to teach me, but my ingrained natural instinct is to hide, not stay and fight. We think that's why I'm having so much trouble." The Keeper nodded, "Yes, that's called a 'fight or flight' response, apparently you're more flight. I'm going to run a test." The Keeper reached back and snagged a Bunsen burner off the table behind her, she aimed it at Red and turned it on full blast in the same motion. Red jumped back and went invisible, "Whoa, watch it with that flame there Keep."
"I'm sorry. But I had to be sure." Red angrily shook the quicksilver in all directions and snarled, "I've been a good little lab rat. Can I have a treat now?"
"What would you like?"
"I'd like to go if you don't mind, Keep." Red said, calming herself down, "Dare said he'd take me out for lunch." The Keeper was surprised, "Did he?"
"Yeah, he did."
"Well don't let me keep you. We can continue this some other time." Red nodded, "Okay."
"Alright." Red left the room, Darien was waiting for her in the hallway, "I hope you left her in one piece. Hobbes would be very disappointed if the Keeper was maimed, he's kinda got a thing for her." Red snapped her gum and grinned, "Oh, and you don't?" Darien shrugged very unconvincingly and started walking down the hallway, "No, not really." Red snorted derisively, "Yeah, right. She's fine. As am I, in case you care, even AFTER she tried to torch me." Darien stopped in his tracks, "Whoa, she tried to torch you?" Red shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, "It was a test."
"And the names?"
"We came to a compromise." Darien knitted his eyebrows, "What kind of compromise?" Red grinned her sideways grin, " As long as she doesn't call me 'kid' I don't call her 'doc.' And verse-visa." Darien scratched his head, "Don't you mean vice-versa?"
"I meant what I said."
"Of course you did. Let's go eat."
Where are Darien and Red going for lunch? Do they go out together often? Will Red learn that the Keeper's name is 'Claire'? Will Red be an asset to the Agency? Will she meet the Official? When will we get to the kissing?
The answers to these (and any other) burning questions will be answered in future Issue-sodes of 'The Girl Called Red' but only if YOU want to know!
"Red's not a name. It's a color." Red grinned a cocky sideways grin, "Yeah, well Keeper's not a name. It's an occupation." Darien was trying not to laugh, "Should I go? This could get ugly." The Keeper had her arms crossed, "I think it will whether you go or not." She said never breaking her eye contact with Red
Darien nodded, "Right. I'm going."
He left, the door swung shut behind him, The Keeper and Red sized each other up, Red blew a large bubble with her gum, snapping it noisily.
"What kind of gum is that anyway?"
"Cherry Cola. Want some?" The Keeper shook her head, "No thank you. Not since I got a mouthful of grape flavor stuck in my hair when I was ten."
"I'm so sorry. Did your mom use mayonnaise?"
"No, peanut butter."
"Uggh." The Keeper set her clipboard on a table, "I suggest that we come to a compromise. You choose something to call me, and I'll choose something to call you." Red shrugged, "I'm fine with this, just as long as you don't think up some girly-girl name." The Keeper nodded, "Alright, the same goes for you." They both think briefly, or at least make a show of thinking. Red perks up, "I'll call you Cora."
"Then I'll call you Shannon." Red wrinkled her nose, "Ick."
"Ick?"
"Shannon?"
"Cora? Let's try again. Leighann?"
"Claire?" The Keeper shook her head, "Not Claire."
"Alright, not Claire. This isn't going to work.
"Let's try once more. Think of something you DON'T want me to call you, and I'll do the same." Red shrugged again, "Okay." The Keeper sprinkled some food into the fish tank, "Not Claire, or 'doc'." Red blew another bubble, "I don't want to be called 'kid' or 'sweetheart' or anything like that."
"Good. Well then, Quicksilver, how are you coming along?" Red was puzzled, "Coming along?" The Keeper picked up her clipboard again, "What have you learned so far?" Red shook her head ruefully, "I've learned not to get Hobbes talking about what I THINK I should and shouldn't know and..." The Keeper cut her off, "No, I mean what have you learned about your gland? Can you control the Quicksilver yet?" Red shrugged, "Sort of."
"What do you mean 'sort of'?" Red began pacing, "Well, I have to meditate first, to calm myself down. Then, once I'm invisible, I have to concentrate to stay that way. My only problem is the fact that I'm easily distracted by bright shiny objects."
"Show me."
"Okay, but I'm warning you now, this might not work." Red closed her eyes, took a deep breath, tensed, and let it out. As she relaxed the Quicksilver spread, and she disappeared. The Keeper applauded, "Very good." Red reappeared in a shower if quicksilver flakes, "Thank yew, thank yew verr much."
"Can you control it the other way?"
"You mean be startled and stay visible? No. Dare's been trying to teach me, but my ingrained natural instinct is to hide, not stay and fight. We think that's why I'm having so much trouble." The Keeper nodded, "Yes, that's called a 'fight or flight' response, apparently you're more flight. I'm going to run a test." The Keeper reached back and snagged a Bunsen burner off the table behind her, she aimed it at Red and turned it on full blast in the same motion. Red jumped back and went invisible, "Whoa, watch it with that flame there Keep."
"I'm sorry. But I had to be sure." Red angrily shook the quicksilver in all directions and snarled, "I've been a good little lab rat. Can I have a treat now?"
"What would you like?"
"I'd like to go if you don't mind, Keep." Red said, calming herself down, "Dare said he'd take me out for lunch." The Keeper was surprised, "Did he?"
"Yeah, he did."
"Well don't let me keep you. We can continue this some other time." Red nodded, "Okay."
"Alright." Red left the room, Darien was waiting for her in the hallway, "I hope you left her in one piece. Hobbes would be very disappointed if the Keeper was maimed, he's kinda got a thing for her." Red snapped her gum and grinned, "Oh, and you don't?" Darien shrugged very unconvincingly and started walking down the hallway, "No, not really." Red snorted derisively, "Yeah, right. She's fine. As am I, in case you care, even AFTER she tried to torch me." Darien stopped in his tracks, "Whoa, she tried to torch you?" Red shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, "It was a test."
"And the names?"
"We came to a compromise." Darien knitted his eyebrows, "What kind of compromise?" Red grinned her sideways grin, " As long as she doesn't call me 'kid' I don't call her 'doc.' And verse-visa." Darien scratched his head, "Don't you mean vice-versa?"
"I meant what I said."
"Of course you did. Let's go eat."
Where are Darien and Red going for lunch? Do they go out together often? Will Red learn that the Keeper's name is 'Claire'? Will Red be an asset to the Agency? Will she meet the Official? When will we get to the kissing?
The answers to these (and any other) burning questions will be answered in future Issue-sodes of 'The Girl Called Red' but only if YOU want to know!
