"Don't put too much on," I told her. "I don't want to look like a whore."
"You don't need make up to do that," she said with a grin.
"Fuck you," I snapped. I was nervous and in no mood to joke around, but I'd said it too harshly, and I immediately felt bad. "Sorry," I said. "I'm a little edgy today."
"Why are you doing this, anyway?" she asked as she smeared what looked like a ton of concealer across my bruised nose.
"I want Danau to know that he didn't really hurt me. Not where it counts," I said, "and because I worked really hard on this case."
"But your part is over. You don't have to do this," she said.
"I know," I said simply.
"You work too hard, Micala. You put work first, and it's driving all of your friends away from you."
What she said was the truth, but I didn't know how to do anything else. Work was my life. To be the best, I'd always had to work harder than everyone else, and I didn't know any other way to live but to work my ass off. It's just the way I am. That's something I got from mom, I guess, and I don't think I realized then that I was so driven by ambition that it made everyone pull away.
"It's something I have to do, Delcie," I said.
"Yeah, well, Gideon's gone, so you can stop competing with him."
Her words hit me like a two ton heavy thing. It felt like she'd slapped me, but she hadn't and I was angry because she was right. I opened my mouth and prepared to scream at her, but then I stopped myself. Delcie was one of my oldest friends, and she was only being honest with me. It's just that sometimes, the truth hurts. "Delcie, do me a favor," I whispered. "Don't ever mention Gideon around me again."
She was taken aback, but she knew better than to ask questions that weren't her place to ask. Carefully, she painted my lips a deep crimson. "All done," she said and spun me around so that I could see my reflection in the mirror. "What do you think?"
I turned my head from side to side and nodded. "Nice," I said as I stood up and smoothed down my black suede hip hugger pants and tucked my visible bra strap beneath the crimson racer back tank top I wore. "I think I'm ready."
Delcie shook her head and dug around in my jewelry box for a moment. "Needs something."
I rolled my eyes. I hated jewelry, and I wore it only on special occasions. My eyes widened as she produced a spiked leather choker and fastened it around my neck. I'd forgotten about that thing. I hadn't worn it since I was fifteen. Somewhere, there were matching bracelets, but there was no way I'd put those around the casts on my wrists. As I looked in the mirror, I smiled. "Badass," I said and grinned at her.
"Now for the finishing touch," she said and handed me my black trench coat - the one with fire crosses on the sleeves and back and a pair of biker boots.
"You know," Delcie said as she stepped back and looked me over with approval, "this is a really good look for you. Kinda dangerous and sexy. You should dress like this all the time."
I didn't say so, but I agreed with her.
I descended the stairs and stood before mom and Aida, awaiting their reaction. "Hyne, Micala!" my mother gasped and she eyed the spiked choker. "This is an interrogation, not a costume party."
"Is it Halloween already?" Aida asked my mother. "We forgot to get a costume!"
"No honey, it's not Halloween. I was talking about your sister's outfit."
Aida looked me up and down. "What's wrong with it?"
Exasperated, mom sighed and shook her head. "Wait till your father sees you like that."
"Like what?" I asked. "I'm twenty years old, mom. Old enough to choose to wear what I like."
"Old enough to have better taste," she said.
"Why are you jumping down my throat about my clothes?" I asked. She'd never been picky about my clothing before, so it seemed strange that she'd choose now to say something. "It's not like I'm half naked."
"It's just not very ladylike."
"I'm not very ladylike," I reminded her.
"Mommy," Aida said as she turned her big green eyes up at mom. "Why are you mad at Micala? I think she looks pretty."
"Just forget it," mom said with a heavy sigh. "Are you ready to go?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," I said and followed her out the door.
*****
I stepped into the interrogation room, feeling tall and proud as I turned to face Zoran Danau. I paused for a second, to let him get a good look at me. At first, he didn't recognize me. "What's the matter? Have you forgotten your very best Valkiere?" I said softly as I stood before him.
"Rogue?"
I nodded and let him look me up and down. He sighed and looked at his hands, which were handcuffed to his chair, as were his feet. "Hello, Danny. Seems the tables have turned," I said and took a seat on the table in front of him. "Bet you thought you'd killed me."
Danau closed his eyes. "I left you for dead, yes."
"That's not very nice," I said and clucked my tongue. "Lucky for me, I made up my mind to go home. I got out of that chair all by myself." I held up my hands for emphasis to show him the bandages and casts.
He looked away and let his breath out slowly. "I trusted you."
I smiled at him coldly. "That was the point."
"So you're here for your revenge, I suppose."
"As much as I'd like to make you feel every moment of pain you made me feel, sadly, no, that's not why I'm here."
"Then what do you want? They've already asked me everything, and I told them everything."
"I want to know who told you I was a spy." I pulled my legs up and sat cross-legged on the table top.
"I don't have to tell you anything more than what I told them."
"You will," I promised, "because you have no idea what you're up against."
"I know exactly what you are."
I shook my head and smiled. "Look, Danny, this can be easy, or this can be painfully, miserably hard. See, SeeD doesn't believe in torture, but my father, sadly does, and he'd love to tear you limb from limb and I could let him." I said and smiled. "Did you ever wonder what a hot iron brand feels like against your genitals? Hmm? If you don't cooperate, I'll be forced to let my father show you exactly what it feels like. I hope you make the right decision."
Danau swallowed hard and glared at me. "Tell me your real name first."
"My name is Micala. I'm the daughter of a failed Knight. My father is the most feared villain of our time, other than the sorceress of course. Want to venture a guess who he might be?"
The hatred in his eyes turned to fear. "Almasy."
"Very good!" I cried as if he were a small child who'd just discovered how to spell his own name. "Now, are you going to cooperate, or should I let my dad in here and let him rage on you for a while?"
He was cornered. "I'll answer your questions," he said quietly.
"Wonderful. Now, you can start by telling me who told you I was a spy."
"Leon."
It was just as I thought. Gideon Leonhart, my former lover, had sold me out. I felt the fury well up inside of me, and I wanted and needed to take it out on somebody or something. "What did he tell you?" I asked as I tried to keep my anger in check.
"Only that you were a spy and that I should watch my back."
"Do you know his full name?"
"No. Leon's the only name he ever gave me."
"You're sure about that?"
"Yes."
I nodded to myself. "All right. Now, tell me how he got the
plans for the Silo."
"He used to work there."
"You sure?"
"No, I'm not sure. That's just what he told me. Why do
you care?"
"I'm asking the questions, not you," I screamed at him. It was all I could do not to vent my anger upon him. It would have been so gratifying to hurt him as he'd hurt me, but I forced myself to remain calm and keep my hands to myself.
"You know, Miss Almasy, you had me fooled. I thought this toughness of yours was all an act, that somewhere behind that cold exterior was a scared little girl who needed someone to take care of her. I thought you were loyal, that you could be trusted with anything."
"I'm good at my job," I said and shrugged.
"Did they brain wash you?"
"What?" I asked and stared at him, unsure what he was asking.
"You should have broken down in the first fifteen minutes. Most people would have confessed to save their own ass. So why not you? Were you brainwashed?" I knew he was trying to push my buttons. I knew he wanted me to loose my composure, and I refused to give him the satisfaction.
"If I'd given you what you wanted, you would have killed me," I said. "I knew you wanted my confession, so you had to keep me alive. There's no brainwashing involved, only self preservation."
"I suppose that's true, Miss Almasy," he sighed. "It could have been so wonderful, the two of us together, ruling the world. You could have had anything you wanted, you know. But you gave all that up for rules and regulations."
"It gave up nothing," I said.
"You gave up the world."
"I gave up nothing," I said, and then I looked at the two way mirror behind which Squall watched the proceedings. "Commander, I'm through here. If you have no more questions, the Galbadians are waiting to take him into custody."
"We have no more questions," Squall's voice said over the intercom.
"Wait!" Danau cried. "I deserve a fair trial."
I laughed. "You've confessed to everything, which is nothing short of treason. Do you know what the punishment in Galbadia is for treason?" I asked. "It's death."
"No!" he cried. "Your own father committed far worse crimes than I have, but he's still alive. He got a trial! I demand a trial!"
I jumped off the table and leaned forward so that I was inches from his face. "My father was under the influence of a sorceress. You don't have that excuse, so shut your mouth before I hurt you."
"Your father should have been executed," he spat back. "He didn't deserve to live after what he did. He's a murderer!"
That was the final straw, daddy, to hear him saying those things about you. I grew up hearing those things said about you, and to hear them coming from him, a man who planned to take over the world by firing nuclear bombs at metropolitan areas, I lost my temper. I smashed my casted right arm into the side of his head repeatedly and screamed obscenities at him until Squall and Gabriel dragged me out of the room one on each side.
Squall threw me into a chair and glared at me. "Wait outside, Gabriel."
"Dad," he protested.
"I said wait outside."
Gabriel glanced at me and I nodded. "Go, Gabe. This doesn't concern you." He stepped out of the room with a nervous glance at his father and closed the door behind him.
"What the hell was that?" Squall cried.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I lost my temper."
"Lost your temper? Micala, I thought I told you not to get physical with him. You would have killed him if we'd let you!"
"I apologize," I said. I didn't want to further anger him. "I let my temper get the better of me, and I'm sorry."
Squall overturned a chair and turned his back to me. "Damn it, Micala!" he yelled at the wall. I'd never seen him behave this way, and I knew I'd screwed up. "You're too much like your father. You walk around here like you own the place, you do whatever the hell you want, and your attitude is becoming a problem. If you wish to remain a SeeD, this had better not happen again. You can not go against orders unless absolutely necessary."
"It won't do it again."
He sighed and turned around, his arms crossed. He wasn't done. "You're on two week's suspension, without pay."
"What the fuck!" I cried. "I'm already on two weeks medical leave!"
"Make it four."
"But sir!" I cried.
"You want to go for six?" he asked.
"No, sir."
He stared at me and I stared back. "Micala, do yourself a favor," he said, more calm than before. "Get rid of that chip on your shoulder. You are the best operative I have, and I don't want to see you throw it all away because you can't control your emotions. Don't let an idiot like Danau get to you. People have said those things to you since you were a kid, and you will hear them for the rest of your life. You prove everyone right by getting angry when they say them. Be the better person and don't let it hurt you."
"Easy for you to say," I muttered.
He patted my shoulder and shook his head. "I know it's tough for you. It always has been, but you can't let something like that bring you down, especially not when it comes from a nut job like Danau."
"Sir, that nut job almost killed me."
"Just let it go, ok? Take your leave and your suspension to heal up. I'd hate to have to send someone less qualified on the next big mission."
"Yes sir," I said and sighed.
"You're dismissed," he said.
Mom drove me home in silence. I knew she'd seen what had happened, and she was pissed about it. I'd disappointed her, and it made me feel awful. Her silence was worse than if she'd spent the entire trip home screaming at me.
I thought, as we drove home, that the worst was behind me, that things would get better from then on.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
***Notes***
Stay tuned for the next chapter. Things get really bumpy from here on out....
As always, Please R/R.....