Wow its been nearly six months since I updated this story! Holy crap, I'm so sorry its taken me forever to get around to it. I've been so busy with college and my music that I hardly noticed the time go by! So I hope you can all forgive me for having taken my sweet old time on this chapter!
Aya looked interestingly at the buildings of downtown Los Angeles as they drove by. Not quite like Manhattan, she thought with a small shrug of her shoulders. Broderick had just gotten off of his cell phone, turning to look at her.
"We should be there in a few minutes." He said and Aya could hear the relief in his voice and completely sympathized with him.
They hadn't had an easy time on their cross country trek. They'd run into those Golem things three other times after having left the hotel in Cincinnati where they had first been attacked. She was still at a loss for what those things truly were and was frightened by the fact that Broderick didn't seem to have any idea either. She turned to look out the window as Broderick pulled into a small underground garage beneath a dingy, old, brick building.
"This is it." He said, turning to shake Pierce who was asleep, again, in the back seat.
Aya got out of the car and stretched, frowning slightly as her back popped a couple times. Riding in a car for fourteen hours was bad enough, but doing that for several days was even worse. She sighed, moving to the trunk of the car to retrieve her things then stopped.
"Broderick?" She said turning to him. He turned around having just finished stretching himself. "What am I supposed to do with all my stuff?" He frowned.
"Well I guess we haven't thought that far ahead yet…" He looked away slightly embarrassed. Aya sighed again, before walking away from the car.
"I'll just leave it in there for now." As she said this the door along the far side of the spacious garage opened, emitting a rather large, robust man in a dark blue suit. He had dark gray hair with several lighter streaks in it. He reminded her of Captain Baker… sort of.
"Agent Broderick, good to see you again." he said this with a genuine grin on his face. "You too Carradine… what happened to your head?" He asked as his eyes alighted on the gauze that covered the wound he had received at the first hotel.
"Got into a fight." He muttered, unconsciously reaching up to feel the area around the gash.
"Hmmm, you mentioned that over the phone Broderick, any idea who it was yet?" Broderick shook his and Baker sighed, finally turning to look at Aya.
"You must be Miss. Brea." More a statement than a question. She nodded as he made his way across the garage and extended his hand. She shook it, noticing the firm grip. "I take it Agent Broderick explained what this agency is about?" She nodded again. "Good. Now lets get outta this garage and into my office, we have more to discuss."
He motioned for all of them to follow before turning and leading the way into the main part of the building.
………………………………...
Aya sat down on the rather comfortable couch, staring around at her new apartment. Only three buildings down the street from MIST headquarters, this particular place was much better than where she had lived in Manhattan. That had been one of many things they had discussed in Baker's office. The FBI provided housing for all the MIST agents within walking distance of the main office. Expensive, she thought, at the moment though I'm not going to complain.
It had taken her all but an hour to get herself settled in as she hadn't had much left to bring with her from New York to LA and the apartment had already been fully furnished. Pierce Carradine was also in the same building only on the first floor instead of the fifth.
She pulled her feet up and laid down on the couch, thoroughly exhausted after the flight of the past few days. Aya sighed as her eyes slowly drooped shut and finally closed, her breathing evening out into the slow rhythmic feel of a deep sleep. Ten minutes later she was jarred awake by a knock at the door. Grumbling slightly she rolled off the couch and made to look through the peep hole, it was Pierce Carradine.
"Hi." Aya said as she opened the door.
"Hey. Just wanted to check and see if you got settled in alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Didn't have much to unpack." She said with a dry laugh.
"Great." He said with a smile. Aya couldn't tell if it reached his eyes as he was still wearing those dark sunglasses. She supposed it did since he sounded genuinely kind.
"Why do you wear those things?" She asked, indicating his glasses.
"Wha- Oh these things… I don't know, its just my style." He said with a small smirk and Aya was reminded uncannily of Wayne. He turned to leave saying, "I'll see you tomorrow at 9."
"Yeah, bye." She said, closing the door and locking it.
Aya had almost forgotten she had to be back at headquarters by 9 the following morning. Something about orientation. She sighed making her way back to the comfy couch trying to imagine what to expect then giving up as this required too much thought in her tired frame of mind.