Drink With Me

Nina's Decision

Nina scanned her unusually cluttered desk, her impatience quickly turning to frustration. No matter how many times she considered the prospects, she couldn't find anyone suitable to be her partner. She leaned back on her chair, sighing loudly, various faces floating through her mind. Mentally as each face passed she crossed them off the list for some reason or another.

Releasing a noise of obstinacy she pulled open a draw and grabbed a worn folder entitled 'My Biggest Hits'. She smirked as she glanced at the title she had given it in a whimsical moment. She flipped through the pages, each with a photograph and printed information. Most photographs had a large red cross covering the head, and Nina paused briefly on certain pages, fondly remembering her favourite hits.

Finally she came to one of the last pages. It had a picture of Lei, and wealth of information about Geneticks, and newspaper clippings of the various rumours that were connected with the company. Nina stared at the page for what felt like the hundredth time.

Fiddling with the red marker in her hand, Nina's frustration built up as she glared at the picture of Lei. He put her in this predicament. A grunt escaped her mouth as she scribbled over his picture. A moment later, when the ire ebbed, she blinked at her handiwork. She had given him glasses, a monobrow, a moustache, devil horns, and had him holding a pitchfork.

She had to chuckle at her pettiness, and her childish stab at Lei. She finally had to admit that she couldn't choose a partner. Every possibility had been killed, opposed her, or had been deemed unsatisfactory for a reason. The problem was, her contractors had told her that she needed a partner. And in all irony her contractors were the police. So she had formed a plan which required a partner. A plan that could not be completed without a partner.

Nina scrutinised the telephone, weighing up the possibilities. Sighing regretfully, she grabbed a crumpled piece of paper from her wastebasket and dialled the number written on it.

The phone rang loudly, and seemed to echo throughout her room. She waited patiently, and the rings seemed to float on and on. Just as she was about to place the phone back into it's cradle, a voice answered the phone,

"What is it?"

Nina groaned in her apprehension, and murmured reluctantly,

"It's Nina."

After a moment Lei answered,

"What's your problem?"

Nina paused for a moment, and replied,

"I can't find a partner."

There was creaking as Lei sat in a chair, and there was a smile in his voice when he scoffed,

"I'm sure he's out there somewhere, I know a good dating service down at-"

"You're an ass. You know that's not what I meant." She uttered, her tone sardonic and sour.

"Jeez, cool it Nina, I was just joking." Lei jibed, while Nina steamed silently, "What about-"

"Don't suggest! I scoured all possibilities, and none of them will work. All the competent ones are already dead, and the rest are just dumb for-hire criminals." Nina cut him off, beginning to rant all the problems she had encountered over the last two days, when Lei stated in his low voice something that stopped her in her tracks,

"What about Anna?"

Nina halted mid-rant and contemplated screaming down the phone. But she had already been too emotional. She was rarely this worked up.

"Never." She spat, her voice cold and stony

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and when Lei answered tentatively, his voice careful,

"Well, you're not going to like the guy they've picked out. If you can't choose a partner they'll have him assigned to you."

Nina was thoughtful, but her decision was sound. It felt strange to choose the police in a decision, but anything was better than Anna.

Nina was calm and deathly quiet, Lei couldn't even hear her breathing. After what seemed like hours, he heard sounds of life from the other end. "Drink with me, tonight at the ABC Café. Bring him with you." She demanded, before the phone clicked and he heard the dial tone.

She didn't wait for an answer.