La Femme Bella
Chapter 3: Out
After my talk with Newton I started slowly getting better, not only with computers but with rest of my lessons too. I don't know if it was all the soul searching I had been doing or Billy's warnings and the final realization that if I didn't start applying myself I would really die. It wasn't like I had been slacking off during my first year in Section but suffice to say that finally realizing my precarious situation motivated me a lot more.
Edward had changed too…or at least his demeanor towards me had. He still pushed me to my limits and sometimes beyond but he wasn't as cold and as unfriendly as before. Sometimes he even offered a kind word on my progress . Edward wasn't big on compliments so when he said something positive I knew I had deserved it.
My weekly sessions with Esme continued. I was finally growing into my body and getting used to thinking of myself as a pretty, if not exactly dazzling young woman. In my future work I would be likely to need a lot of acting skills and versatility along with my new toned and less clumsy physique. I still hadn't totally rid myself of blushing, but Esme had consoled me that that could also come in handy on some missions and roles I was going to play. Who wouldn't trust (and underestimate!) a blushing young woman…just as long as she didn't blush at the wrong time, like when she was lying. I had gotten better at lying with a straight face. I tested those skills on Esme, and as far as I could tell, she couldn't always detect it.
My days consisted of grueling hours of different kinds of training; martial arts, guns and ammo, target practice, computers and finally history and some other theory classes. I started at 5 AM and was free for the night at 7 PM. Then I usually went to my room on the recruit housing area on level zero. There wasn't any of my personality showing in the stark little space. White walls, a single bed with white linen and an ultra modern reading lamp beside the bed. I also had a stereo and some music. We weren't allowed to listen to radio, but I doubted it would have worked this far under the surface of the ground anyway. The best part of my room was the bookshelf. The books kept me sane and went along well with their plan to educate me in just about everything. Book learning wasn't hard, although I had always liked prose better than theory. It was the first hand combat and Newton's computers that I still sometimes had troubles with.
Among others they had this 3D sim where I had to shoot hostiles while trying to prevent myself from getting shot as long as I could. When the computer generated hostiles shot me, there was a real pain where ever they had managed to hit me. It had taken me months to be able to complete the sequence. I think Edward had almost lost his hope, although he was nicer to me by then than how he had been in the beginning. The last time I had failed and fallen down in terrible pain he had told me to move away from the sim area and then went on and completed the sequence himself. When he did it, it seemed near effortless. Then he came down to me and handed me the gun.
"You are missing the point of this exercise, Isabella." he had said quietly, "The exercise isn't about shooting but getting shot. You need to keep your head when that happens. Now, try it again." he emphasized the word "when" as if forcing me to understand that getting shot during the sequence was inevitable. It probably was.
After one more try I had completed the sequence. I understood it better now, but it made me slightly disgruntled that I hadn't thought of the solution myself.
In summing up, I had progressed a lot and in a strange way I was even starting to feel like I fit in and like I was supposed to be here. Things like learning to extract information sufficiently kept me reminded that this wasn't a perfect world I was living in, but it maybe this was a blessing in disguise. I was one of the good guys.
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"Is she ready?" Esme asked Edward while Operations listened on, standing at his command center and watching his busy minions down below.
"Not yet."
"I'm growing tired of this song and dance with her," Operations said as he turned towards the other two. "She either succeeds of fails. Tonight."
Edward nodded calmly, and Esme smiled.
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"Morning Isabella. I have some news for you." Edward had gripped my arm gently when I was passing him by on my way to Newton. Naturally he couldn't give me all of the computer lessons himself because he was the best in Section, but he gave me a personal lesson once a week.
"What?" I asked varily. Were the news good or bad?
"We're going out tonight."
"Out." I repeated. "Out as in outside? Away from here?"
"Yes." he answered simply, not an expression on his beautiful, still face.
"Why?" I asked, puzzled and perhaps a bit suspicious.
"You've earned it." he said simply, "Esme will help you pick out a nice dress. We will leave at 7 PM."
"Okay." I answered his back. He was already walking away.
Suddenly I felt nervous but very excited. I was going out, for the first time in maybe a little less than two years. And Edward, my handsome trainer was taking me. Like a date. I had never had a date. I was never a popular girl, even before I ran from home. In fact some kids at school had bullied me and no one would take a chance on being ostracized and make friends with me. Not being able to invite anyone home didn't help. First of all my mom never let me, and secondly and more to the point, I was too embarrassed of her and her and the state of our house anyway.
oooo
After my class with Newton I went to see Billy. I wanted to tell him about my date! Er, about being allowed to go out, I hastily corrected myself.
"Hey Sugar. What's got you smiling like that?" Billy greeted me with a smile of his own. He was taking guns out from their cases. I assumed there was a flash mission coming, maybe something to do with Red Cell. Red Cell was Section One's worst enemy; a league of terrorists operating all over the world.
"I'm going out." I swallowed the words 'on a date', but in my head I screamed them repeatedly while jumping up and down like a sixteen year old girl that I suddenly felt like. "With Edward."
Billy's smile ceased up and he looked worried.
"It's been a long time since you've been out there, in the real world. Be careful." he said, patting my shoulder lightly.
"I will be okay." I assured him, but he still seemed thoughtful when I left him five minutes later to go to my karate lesson.
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The dress Esme recommended for me was deep blue and sleeveless and it came right down to my ankle. The hem was so narrow that a long slit at the other side was needed just to be able to take tiny steps. Black, sparkly stilettos and a black beaded handbag completed the outfit.
I put my hair up with a clip and some bobby pins and left a couple of tendrils to curl freely around my face. Then I gave myself a make up treatment the way Esme had taught me. After putting on the lipstick (a dark red shade called 'chili') I was done.
"You look beautiful, Isabella." Esme said as I came out from the dressing room and presented myself. I expected no less from her, but still managed to blush at the compliment. "Edward is already waiting for you in the hall."
I tried to walk confidently and steadily with my stilettos that I still hadn't quite gotten used to. I managed to keep myself upright as I reached Edward. He looked gorgeous in his dark suit and blue shirt. His tie was white. He turned to look at me and declared me beautiful. I felt nervous little tingles in my stomach. He took my arm and lead me to the elevator where he showed his eye to the scanner and punched in a code before the doors closed and the elevator started moving.
After taking me through several doors and an enterprise that looked like a bank, Edward and I finally came outside at the back of a building where a black limo was waiting for us. Edward opened the door for me like a gentleman.
"After you, Isabella."
oooo
The restaurant was so fancy that the old, pre-Section One Bella would have been scared to death of it. That Bella would have been driven away by the staff if caught taking a look inside the window, let alone trying to enter, I lamented.
The maitre d took us to our table ("A reservation for Masen." Edward had stated) and helped me to my seat.
Edward asked the waiter to bring us both a glass of red wine. While we waited, my eyes couldn't decide if they wanted to stare at the impressive scenery of the restaurant or the just as impressive scenery of the man that had brought me here. His coppery hair was in a sexy mess as usual and his green eyes were…warm. I felt my heart starting to palpitate. I knew he was my trainer and that there could never be anything real between us, but I could just look at him, right? Especially on my first date. Our first date, actually.
When the waiter came back with the wine he also had a box on his tray.
"This is for the lovely lady." he said smiling as he placed the box in front of me, next to the wineglass.
I turned to Edward, my eyes wide with surprise.
"Did you get this? For me?" I whispered, my voice sounding hoarse.
Edward nodded an affirmative.
I turned my gaze back to the box. The box was light blue and sparkly and the ribbon was deep red. I couldn't remember the last time I had gotten a present. it must have been when I was little and my mom still cared about birthdays and Christmases.
"Open it." he told me gently.
I closed my eyes in pleasant anticipation and lifted the lid. Then I opened them again and took a look inside. I think I lost my ability to breathe for a few seconds. I stared at the contents of the box in silent shock as Edward started to speak.
"There is a group of men seated at the table behind us. The man in the middle, the one with the green shirt, is supplying new, state of the art weaponry to Red Cell. I want you to kill him, and as many of his associates as you can."
I was finally able to lift my eyes to his. I think there were tears in mine.
"There is a window in the ladies room. The car will wait for you in the back alley exactly ten minutes, starting now. Give me a full minute to make my exit before you assemble the gun."
Gun. There was a gun in the box.
Edward took a drink from his glass and stood up, walking away looking casual.
I trembled, and closed my eyes again.
Ten minutes, I told myself. Ten minutes to put together the gun, shoot a bunch of bad guys and get the hell out. This hadn't been a date after all, not about something I had earned. This was a job. My first one.
I allowed myself thirty seconds to panic until pulling myself together with effort and assembling the gun as covertly as I could. I stood up and realized that I couldn't move fast enough in my long, tight dress. I barely recognized myself as I sat back down and picked up the knife from the table setting and slashed it through my dress to make another long slit. Then I thought, just in case, and made the pre-existing slit longer as well.
I placed the knife back on the table and took a big sip of wine. Then I stood up again, placing my hands next to my body as not to garner any unwanted attention. I took long strides towards the table, wobbling just a bit in my stilettos. As I reached my target, I froze up.
How could I just pull the trigger? How could I end someone's life, or several lives? Forget that, would I even be able to hit anything without missing? Precious seconds kept ticking away and I knew I had to make my decision now. I wanted to live. Live long enough to regret this, maybe, but live all the same.
"What's the matter, doll?" one of the men in the table asked me. I raised my gun, and put a bullet through his head. Then I shot the green shirted man and had a shot at two others before the remaining men caught on and pulled out their own guns.
The restaurant was in a chaos, no matter the silencer I had used, and I started my desperate run towards the bathrooms. I broke a heel and almost fell as a bullet flew right over my head. That heel probably saved my life, I thought as I turned and shot back at the man. I must have hit him somewhere as he fell down. I took off my shoes and continued running barefoot. There was shattered glass on the floor and my feet hurt as I tried to keep up my speed.
As I finally reached the bathroom I was relieved and near the end of my tether. I was shaking and bleeding as I went to the frosted glass window on the back wall next to the stalls. The latch was stuck and I rattled it and punched it hurting my fist before it gave out and opened.
Bars. The window had bars.
"No. NO!!" I wailed, and sank to the floor. My way out was shut and I didn't know how much was left of my ten minutes. This was the end, I thought, the end of Isabella Marie Swan. I would die here, but I would die fighting, kicking and screaming bloody murder. I reloaded my gun, got up and left the bathroom to look for another way out, perhaps a backdoor or something.
I peaked inside the kitchen and nearly got shot. Forget that! I fired a couple of rounds through the door and turned back and ran towards the dining hall where I had started.
The remaining customers were trying to flock out of the restaurant, trampling on each other. I joined the pack as nonchalantly as I could, praying that no one would notice me. Just a little more and I would be out. How much time did I have left; would the car still be waiting for me?
As I got outside I took a deep, relieved breath of the night air before starting to run. I ran towards the back of the restaurant, looking for the right car when a door popped open in a near black van. That's me, I thought, and ran inside.
Edward was looking at me in a curious way as he punched the wall to let the driver know he should go.
For a minute I just sat there and panted, making an assessment of how I was. Somewhere along the line I had skimmed my right knee and it was bleeding profusely. The soles of my feet hurt from the glass shards and some of them were still imbedded on my skin. My right hand was swollen and hurting from punching the latch. My hair had gotten loose and my dress was in shambles.
I was sore all over and in shock but I was lucky to be alive.
"There were bars on the window." I told him, half accusingly, half asking for his sympathy.
"Of course there were." Edward replied simply.
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Glossary:
flash mission= an unplanned mission that comes up very fast