"Unsuccessful." She started to elaborate, but the new operative shook his head in warning. She squinted closer, and with a rush of understanding, she recognized him.

Avaric.

"Um," Elphaba sputtered out, "I just need more time."

Zephyr sent her a searching look, but she didn't elaborate. "Very well." Microscopically, Avaric leaned back. "We can't risk that another night might arouse suspicion. Add your observations to the report, and I'll have it reassigned."

He handed her the file, and she stared at it for an uncomfortable moment. "Um, I know it's not in the bathroom."

Avaric snorted a laugh, which he converted into a cough. Gau was not so polite, but she ignored his catty remarks. Their lieutenant let out a weary breath and passed out their new files. He stared down at his watch, the seconds ticking away.

"Um, Zephyr?" She resisted the urge to raise her hand like some penitent child overlooked by the teacher. "This is the old file. Where's my new one?"

"If there really is nothing else for you to add," he snapped her folder back and gestured toward Avaric with a sharp motion, "see Rho. You're assigned to him this time."

Behind the mask, she knew that bastard was smirking. "I can't be. I mean, I'm not a junior operative." At his blank look, she balked. "Look, I'm not going to be some lackey for an ungrateful little snot like A…Rho," she managed to stop herself, but Avaric had stiffened all the same.

Zephyr shot her a hard, unblinking stare. "You're late, you're cheeky, and your last mission was downright embarrassing. And now you have the nerve to complain?" She flinched at the dangerous ice in his tone. "You'll do what you're assigned, and you'll shut your mouth about it."

He snatched back the files before she could say another word and dismissed them. Avaric caught her arm and hauled her out as fast as he could. Two steps through the door, she snatched her arm away. "Let go of me."

"Why? So you can run back in there and get in more trouble?"

Her arm fell back to her side, but her shoulders stayed tense. "What are you doing here anyway? Stalking me?"

"I've been in the Resistance for years. It's not like I knew you were, too. "

"Right," disdain dripped from the word. "So it's just a coincidence that you show up out of nowhere, inexplicably, just in time to cause me to fail my mission."

"Me? I didn't cause you to-" She rolled her eyes at him, and he wrenched her back to face him. "This again? Must I remind you, again, that you're the one who refused to kiss me? Your damn slap is what lost you the mission, not me."

"Of course I slapped you, you idiot. You kissed me."

He threw his arm wide. "A fate worse than death, I'm sure, but still a fairly believable cover for hiding with a girl in the dark."

"You said you didn't know I was in the Resistance."

"I didn't. I was covering myself."

"Typical." She tucked her arms across her chest. "Well, we can't work together."

"Clearly."

"So tell me the mission, and I'll take care of it."

"You?" He lifted his eyebrows in disbelief. "I think I've got it from here. Why don't you run along and play with your dolls."

What she would give to be able to disintegrate him with one look. "I already had to take one hit for you, I'm not about to let you ruin another."

"Well, I'm the one who's read the briefing, so looks like you're out of options."

"And if I tell Zephyr why I failed last night?"

"Go ahead," he ground through clenched teeth. "Tell him how you ran into a former friend-"

She snorted, "Don't flatter yourself."

His lips compressed as he restrained himself. "You'll seem complicit. After all, you're the one who didn't report it immediately." She started to argue, but he cut her off. "And if he does believe you and reports it to Command, what then? What do you think they'll do when they discover we know each other?"

She thought of Luq and grimaced.

"Exactly. So for once in your life, stow the attitude and keep out of my way."

"Fine. Brief me." His forehead scrunched in confusion, and she struggled to keep enough patience not to throttle him. "You said it, we're stuck. I don't want to bicker about it."

"Great. So go away."

"Look, I don't like it anymore than you do, but they must have assigned both of us for a reason. And I'll be damned if I let your pride jeopardize a mission."

"My pride? Oh, that's rich coming from such a stuck-up little brat."

"Stop being such an idiot. You're wasting time."

Avaric eyed her with a measuring sneer, as if deciding how disgusting an insect she were. In truth, she probably wore a similar expression. "Fine, but you'd better not screw this up."

"Just make sure you're focused this time, not off chasing tail. I don't have time to play babysitter."

"Says the woman in desperate need of getting laid."

Her nose wrinkled as she ran her eyes over him. "Not if you were the last man on the planet."

"Ditto, Thropp. Ditto."

Thick trees hid the dingy, ramshackle building, which provided the pair plenty of cover as they crept to within a few yards of the compound. A high wall of wire strung the edges, but years of disrepair made it more idle threat than actual held a gap wider so she could slip through first, and she wandered toward the building as he made his way after her.

Before she reached more than a yard, a pair of sentinels turned the corner toward them. Avaric ducked into the shadows of a shed as she pressed against a tree. The men stayed engrossed in their conversation, ambling around the meager complex. One propped against the wall and lit a cigarette. "I know, terrible habit."

Avaric shot her an impatient look, and at the first opening she crouched low to dart over. He pulled her behind the shed. "Good thing you're camouflaged."

She dusted herself off with a dry, "Clever."

"I'll take grounds; you try inside." She waved an acknowledgement, and he scuttled off to comb the exterior. She studied the dilapidated structure. It had two doors, each stationed with a pair of sentries in addition to the two roaming the perimeter. The sparse smattering of trees shielded her long enough to reach a few feet from the building, but with no convenient windows, she was no closer to getting inside.

Unless she tried the roof.

She started to climb the nearest tree, but the bark splintered as she gripped it. Rotten. "What was that?" The sentries swung toward her, and she ducked down, mouthing curses at the damned trees. Even the landscape was rundown.

They started toward her, and out of options, she grabbed hold of the next tree, thinner but less damaged. She'd have to hope it held her weight. Up she shimmied from one creaking branch to the next. When she reached the highest she dared, the tree practically trembled under her weight. She eyed the shabby roof a good six feet from her. With a running start, no problem, but from a tree?

The sentries were a few feet away, less than a minute from breaking the canopy that hid her, and with her window closing, she had to act. She sprang out with all the strength she could muster… and landed on the balls of her feet, her knees tucked in a calculated roll that slammed her shoulder-first into an exhaust vent. The roof groaned at the added weight, and for a heart-stopping moment, she thought it might give way.

She edged across and studied the lock. A thick layer of rust seemed to have sealed the lock shut. Elphaba scanned the roof and spotted a thin, narrow twig. It wouldn't do much good on the lock, but the hinges…

She maneuvered it into the weakened hinges and levered it in alternate directions. Little by little the screws loosened in the wood enough to slip free. She pried the panel up and dropped into the abandoned hallway below. With a practiced ease, she searched the rooms off the hallway. The front two were mostly empty, though she liberated a dagger from a footlocker in the third. She'd have preferred a firearm, but so far none had been so obliging. The narrow hallway funneled into a tight staircase, and she toed cautiously down the steps.

This floor also seemed abandoned, though she could hear the voices of the sentinels outside the front entrance. She snuck past the entry and into what must be the office. Four desks were crammed with papers, phones, typewriters and blotters. She idly ruffled through papers littering the nearest one. Worthless. Worthless. A bill. Something about shipments. A file of addresses of Animals residents. Nothing on target.

Voices drew her back to the hallway, but when she crept to the front door, she found it still locked. She listened a breathless moment for anything of relevance. Convinced there was nothing to alarm, she started back to her search when a hand slapped over her mouth from behind and shoved her toward the office.

She twisted, wrenching her dagger toward the unknown attacker. He jumped back with a hiss. "Avaric?"

"Sh!" He eyed the dagger, and she stowed it back against her side. "No luck. You?" She shook her head in answer to his whisper, and he puckered a frown. He plucked a twig from the tangled mess of her braid. "Um, where did you…?"

"Roof. You?"

"Back door. Idiots practically let me in." At her suspicious expression, he shrugged. "What can I say? I'm persuasive."

Elphaba chose to ignore that. "I swept upstairs."

"Yeah, I checked the other end." He paced back toward the door, eyes intent on the hallway. "If I had to guess, I'd say they got wind of us and moved him."

"Hang on, I think I saw a telegram about shipments in here." She located the page as Avaric came to read over her shoulder. "Yeah, looks like weapons, but it might be. We should check it out."

She started to copy it when he plucked it away. "This place is a shamble. I doubt they'll notice one less page."

They heard the front door swing open, and Avaric let loose a curse. He snatched a thick paperweight as she scrambled to retrieve her dagger. In a breath, the guards were upon them.

"Guess you were less persuasive than you thought."

He grunted as he slammed his paperweight to his attacker's temple. "Oh, I never said I used words."

She flung the dagger to catch the second in the gut. He groaned and fell to the side, a dark red stain spreading over his abdomen. The man behind shoved past, and Elphaba found herself distinctly lacking in the weapons department.

She lashed out first, reckless despite their disparate sizes, but her attacker absorbed the punch without so much as a grunt. She threw a second, and he caught her arm. He slammed it into the cabinet, and she yelped at the pain that radiated from her wrist.

"Big mistake. " Avaric taunted as he tossed her the paperweight. She slammed it into the big lump's nose, satisfied at the sickening crunch. "She's a bitch when she's angry."

"Avaric! Watch out!"

He spun back, but not in time to block the other assailant's sharp jab. Avaric reeled, stumbling over a chair, and Elphaba launched herself at the man before he could land another blow.

She locked an arm around his neck as the other hand jerked back on his arm. "Leave him alone!"

The guard shook to break free and slammed a hand against her wounded wrist. She bit back a cry, but when he jabbed her again, she lost her grip and fell back – into the man whose nose she'd certainly broken. She scratched at his hands, but he batted her away without much effort.

Avaric recovered, and he pushed back up with a kick hard to his attacker's groin. With a grunt of pain, the man went down.

He spun to her, and her assailant twisted her injured arm sharply behind her back. "Stop, or I'll break it." Avaric froze, eyes flicking to the pain she couldn't hide from her face. She struggled to get any kind of leverage, but at this angle she couldn't get her balance.

Avaric held up his hands. "Alright, fine. Let her go."

The guard moved his grip to her shoulder, a gesture of good faith, and she cradled her arm with a sullen glare. In a low voice that oozed threat, he asked, "Who sent you?"

She spun on her heel and shoved hard off him. Avaric launched himself at them, but the sentry met him with a quick block. Elphaba grabbed the closest thing she could reach, and slammed the typewriter hard into the man's gut.

The air rushed out of him in a whoosh, and unable to hold her grip, the typewriter toppled to crash into his foot. Avaric snatched her other arm and yanked her after him toward the door. "The other two…" she panted.

"Out of commission," he verified, though he aimed for the front. "At least I hope they are still."

They shot through the door and across level grass until they reached the fence. Avaric ripped at the wire, but leave it to them to flee to a sturdy section. "Come on. No time."

She clutched the wire to haul herself up, and hissed in pain when her wounded arm wouldn't support her weight. Avaric held out a hand and half-pulled her the rest of the way. She leapt off and rolled when she hit the ground. A thud told her Avaric had followed, and he reached toward her. "You alright?"

A pair of wounded sentries had pursued them as far as the fence, and she pushed up hard. "Shut up and run." They sprinted toward the tree-line and didn't slow until, panting and breathless, they reached the strip of stone that served as a road. Their horses still chewed lazily at the grass there, an odd change of pace from their frantic flight.

"So much for subtle." She flopped heavily against a tree, struggling to catch her breath.

"Lucky they didn't have guns," he panted. "We've have been dead for sure."

"Got the paper?"

He patted his pocket in reply. "Your arm alright?"

"Fine," she lied. She gestured toward the blood trickling from his jaw. "You?"

"You should see the other guy." He watched her reach clumsily for the reigns and without bothering for permission, he boosted her up. "Let's get out of here before we have a round two."

They rode along in silence for a while, until she asked, "How soon is the shipment?"

He took out the crumpled page, grimaced, and passed it to her. The message named a shipment, but the details had been redacted. She held it up to the light. "Looks like a couple days, maybe. We'll have to contact Zephyr."

"How?" She eyed him with caution, and he held up his palms. "Still no trust?"

"Of course I don't trust you. You're an egomaniacal jerk whose motives are beyond suspect."

"Yes, because I clearly joined the Resistance for the money, prestige, and women." She lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "Believe whatever you'd like. Just don't screw me on this."

"I have no intention of screwing you in any way."

They reached the farmhouse meant for the supporter they'd failed to rescue, and Avaric helped her dismount. "We'll see how long that lasts." He lingered too close, a hand still on her waist. "You handled yourself well today."

The sudden change in topic drew a suspicious glance from her, and she pushed past him to settle the horses. "I always do."

"Thanks, by the way. For having my back."

Her eyes stayed on the tack, but she grunted a reluctant, "You, too."

He lifted off the saddle and blanket, and then stepped back to her. "You know, we don't make such an awful team." His hand came back to her arm. "Why don't you let me look at that?"

She spun away. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing." He held up his hands in mock surprise, and she bristled. "I'm not going to fall for your 'let's make friends, oh, oops I fell in your bed routine.' I know you. I know what a scheming lout you are."

"What have I done that's so terrible? You've had a bad temper with me from the start."

"Do you honestly not remember what you were like at Shiz? All your bullying, bratty little insults."

He took a step back. "I was teasing. It was all in good fun."

"Yeah, some fun. I know I loved being called a different vegetable every day."

"You're overreacting. Besides, that was ages ago." She turned a cold shoulder to him, and he huffed a sigh. "Are you really so upset still?"

"No, it just opens my eyes to your little game."

"Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings back in school. I apologize. I never meant to offend you."

Her tone dripped with venom. "Yes, constant persecution was a gesture of your friendship."

"You're being dramatic. I teased you. I didn't hate you. I didn't really know you."

"That makes it worse! You tormented me for no other reason than idle boredom!"

He finished grooming her horse and led him to the stall. "It's late. We'll ride back in the morning."

"That's it? No apology?"

"What's the use?" He set the brush down with more energy than necessary. "You wouldn't forgive me if I offered the most sincere, heartfelt apology the world has ever known. You're stuck on me as this jackass, and to be honest, it's not worth it to try to prove you wrong." She felt a twinge of guilt until he pushed past her. "I learned a long time ago there's never any point arguing with a woman."

"Yeah, they're all smarter than you, huh?" she tossed back. But it was weak, and she knew it.