Chapter Nineteen

Ginta growled unintelligibly under his breath as he stalked along the corridor, clutching his work-use screen in one hand. Those that passed him by, glanced to him once and quickly looked away. His eyes shot to the report on the screen that had him in such a tizzy.

"Stupid, creepy, sadistic…bastard!" He ground out between clenched teeth, scowling at whoever happened to meet his eyes. Turning a corner, his eyes narrowed as he realized he was finally in the sector said bastard's office was located. Glaring at each name plate hung on the walls, he stopped as he reached a certain door.

N. Hadani

He placed his hand on the bio-scanner and his mood darkened when the rejection noticed flashed by his fingers. Raising a fist, he pounded on the locked door.

"I know you're in there, Hadani! Open up!"

When there was no immediate response, he raised his fist once again. Before it had the chance to strike, the door slid open and he was met with a raised brow.

"Is there something I can help you with, Kaiyo?" Naraku asked lazily, eyeing the fist Ginta still held aloft.

Ginta sneered and pushed past the other psychic. His eyes glanced around the near empty office, taking note of a box packed with miscellaneous items. "Going somewhere?"

Naraku, brow still raised though his expression was darker than before, turned to follow Ginta's gaze. "Yes. I have been temporarily reassigned. Though, that's hardly any of your business."

"It is if you plan to jump ship before signing off on these reports."

A lazy smirk curled his lips as he watched the agitation broil off of the R&D psychic he had come to work with while on the Poseidon. "Reports?"

Ginta turned to face the smirking scientist and shook the screen at him. "Yeah! The reports on the newest equipment you were so fascinated with! You know, the stuff you had me build to torture the freaking Baasratu?!"

Naraku, smirk still in place, leaned against the wall beside his office door. "If I recall, Kaiyo, you were more than eager to build said 'torture stuff'."

Ginta scowled and thrust the work screen at him, holding out a stylus with his other hand. "Your signature, Hadani."

Letting out a sigh, now that their verbal match was over, Naraku deftly scrawled his signature over the bottom of the report he had submitted to R&D. "Can't get government approval without it." He lightly taunted as he handed the screen back to him.

Ginta scoffed and swiped the report to officially send it in. "Can't get paid without it. The government already signed off on production. Your report was the only thing holding back the money." The scowl on his face lessened in severity now that he was assured a paycheck. He looked to the box on the desk and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Reassignment? To where?"

Naraku allowed the smirk on his face to drop and his expression to become something more neutral. "As I said: temporary. And it's none of your business where and for what. If that's all you needed, then you can leave, Kaiyo."

Ginta shrugged and headed for the door, his dark mood nearly evaporated with the signature and a confirmation that the creepy bastard was leaving. "Well, see ya, Hadani."

Naraku chuckled at how easy the other psychic was to read. "Don't get too comfortable, Kaiyo. I'll be back within the month."

He watched as Ginta scowled over his shoulder and the door slid closed behind him. Turning back to his desk, he opened up the last drawer he had to clean out. Just as he was setting the last of his things in the box, his personal screen chimed. 'Ah. The debate between the Eastern candidates is starting.' He thought with glee as he pulled the screen over to himself and opened the live feed. 'I do so love politics.'


"Senator Keegan. That does not explain why you didn't follow your own policy in regards to the distribution of resources in the past."

The question aimed at her opposition from the moderator stressed the key words she had hoped it would and her confidence took another boost at the short silence from the senator. Though she was definitely in top form, and more than likely killing the debate, Adriana Cortez couldn't seem to shake the nervous feeling she got whenever she looked at the calm visage of Senator James Keegan.

Throughout the entirety of the debate, he had never once shown an overly emotional reaction to any of the questions and rebuttals thrown at him. A faint smile played at the edges of his mouth and the sheer amount of confidence he exuded intimidated the moderators asking the questions.

It was getting up on the time for the both of them to ask their own questions to each other and Adriana's palms were starting to sweat. Her team hadn't been able to find near the amount of dirt on the senator as she would have liked. It seemed all his skeletons were already in full view of the public. Or so it seemed. There was no way a senator of his stature was as squeaky clean as he appeared, but her campaign manager hadn't been able to dig up anything substantial in the time they had to gather information.

"…Councilor Cortez?"

Adriana blinked at her name and met the eyes of the moderator. Slightly embarrassed she had been lost in thought for the few minutes it took Senator Keegan to answer the inquiry, she politely smiled to play it off. Judging by the time and the expectant looks coming from the staff in front of her, they had just asked if she was ready to start the next round. "Yes, of course."

"Excellent! By rights, Keegan has asked to go first."

Adriana worked to brighten the faint smile on her face as she turned to face the senator. The composed smile on his own face made her feel like an underdeveloped child. "Fire away, senator." She boldly started, going for confidence and friendly rivalry.

Before the senator had the chance to respond, a man behind him leaned forward to whisper something to him urgently. The composed expression on his face creased into something more and Adriana felt a shiver of dread trace its way up her spine. Turning to face her once more, the cool smile on his face curled into something predatory that had her mouth drying and her stomach dropping.

"Councilor Cortez. You were on the board of prosecutors that allowed the one responsible for the Valena massacre to walk free, were you not?"

And just like that, Adriana felt as if she had been dropped into a bottomless hole.


"Well, shit." Inu no Taisho muttered as he paused the recording of the debate and looked to the deflated expression on Perez's face.

"You can say that again." The older commander mumbled as he sank further in his chair.

"Well, shit." Taisho said again, crooking a brow at the rolled eyes he received. "And this was aired live?"

Perez nodded, bringing his scotch closer to his face. "Yep. You saw the way the girl froze. Hell, the whole of the Eastern Fleet saw the way she turned white as a sheet." He took a slow sip and met his long-time friend's gaze over the rim of the glass.

"No way she could have recovered from that point. If she hadn't shown she was affected by the question, maybe there could have been damage control. But to stand there, mouth gaping and white as a sheet?" He snorted and took another sip of his alcohol of choice.

Taisho hummed his own agreement and looked to the horrified expression frozen on the councilor's face. "How'd he get ahold of those records, anyway? Weren't those on the board of prosecutors supposed to remain confidential?" His eyes scanned the screen as he rewound the feed, watching as, again, the man approached the senator from behind. "Who is the guy that spoke to the senator before he asked the question?"

"Hmph. The senator's secretary. Byakuya Hirestuna. Already looking into that one."

Taisho nodded and studied the way the senators face sharpened as he was told whatever it was. The man was definitely a good politician. He kept his hand close to his chest and had a poker face a gambler would kill for.

"What's Cortez planning now?" He asked idly, turning his eyes away from the screen and towards his own glass of alcohol.

Perez shrugged his shoulders and set his hands on the table in front of him. "No clue. I was told, politely as can be, to keep my nose out of the race by her stingy campaign manager. The mudslinging on the feed channels is rather fierce and one-sided at the moment. Senator Keegan is definitely killing any chance Adriana would have of recovering, let alone winning."

"As one would expect." Taisho murmured, sharing a look with Perez. "The council certainly picked a tough one this time around."

Perez grinned, memories resurfacing. "Just like that time you and Ryukotsusei battled it out for the Western Fleet."

Inu no Taisho scoffed, setting his sake down. "Keh. That old bastard. Don't remind me! One large pain in the ass, that was!"

Perez chuckled to himself, remembering the slander that had bandied about during that election. "Heh. A cheating womanizer, I believe, was your unofficial campaign slogan."

"Perez. Not another word." Inu no Taisho growled, glaring into the screen as Perez continued to chortle over the memories. "Izayoi still has problems remembering that time."

The Eastern Fleet Commander sobered up immediately. "Ah, yes. Your youngest was born around that time."

Taisho let out a harsh sigh, past regrets over how things were handled flitted over his face. "Enough of the dirty laundry. Let's talk about something else." He shifted forward, determined to change the flow of the conversation.

"Myouga sent me a report on the energy being sent to the Baasratu."

Perez leaned forward in his own chair, shifting his weight to one side, using his arm on the armrest to stabilize himself. "Oh? Anything new?"

"We've recruited a specialist in Baasratu energy. Naraku Hadani." He paused to gauge the other commander's expression, continuing when there was no visible sign of recognition at the name. "He claims he'll be able to decipher the means and message of the energy. We have him enroot to the lab now."

"Well, that's a step in the right direction. About time! All this tension over the traitor in our ranks makes me feel like I'm sitting on needles." Perez sniffed as he received a report on his screen explaining the same details. "And this Hadani can be trusted?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

Perez shot his gaze back to the military commander and raised a brow. "You aren't sure? You?"

Taisho set his elbows onto his desk and his head onto his laced fingers. "I've heard the name before, but I can't quite recall where. It's bothering me more than it should."

"Intuition?"

"Instincts! At least call it instincts!" Inu no Taisho growled again, disliking the feminine connotation intuition evoked. "Something about his name is important…"

Perez shrugged his shoulders and poured himself another round. "Well, here's to conspiracies and botched campaigns. May it all end well."

Taisho snorted, but lifted his glass all the same. "Yeah. Like they always do." His sarcasm rang through the line as the both of them downed their drinks.


Kagome walked slowly towards the hothouse laboratories located four sectors over from where she currently was. The talk she had had with Micah still churning in her mind. After the resource planet discussion had ended, and the council had been notified of their decision, Anderson had stood from the table and settled a hand on her shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"You ever need someone to talk too, for advice or whatever, my office doors are open. I'll let my secretary know to give you clearance."

Kagome had modestly protested such an allowance, but Anderson had laughed and reaffirmed her statement. As she had walked away, Kagome had gradually come down from the surrealism the woman seemed to inspire in her. Or maybe she was still really tired from the mission? Either way, she had crashed landed back into reality when Micah's bright red hair came into her vision and she remembered Anderson's comment on a report. A report she was supposed to have received instead.

Her eyes had fixed onto Micah's face as the oblivious botanist made her way through the thinning crowds to get to her. The fact that Micah had sent the report to Anderson and not to her could have several meanings. The first, and what she hoped was the most likely, was that Micah had absently sent it to the wrong address. Another option was that she had indeed sent her the report but it had been lost somewhere in the feeds. Unlikely however it may be, it still does happen on occasion.

Worst case scenario…Micah was trying to claim credit on her plant and research.

Her heart thudded in her chest over the foul thoughts she was having of her friend, but Kagome wasn't an idiot. Blindly believing in a friendly face, in such a competitive field, was foolish. It was one of the many lessons Kitakawa-sensei had drilled into her head. With this thought firmly stamped into the fore of her mind, Kagome had waited for Micah to reach her side, already building her walls in her own defense.

The conversation had started out innocuously enough. The both of them had talked over their impressions of the meeting, noting the different components the extraction was going to bring back.

"I'm a little curious over this metal they were talking about. You know the stuff found on one of the land masses?"

Micah had gushed over the soil they could be getting in and paused when she had glanced over to see that Kagome had been sitting next to an M. Anderson. When she had tentatively brought it up, Kagome had decided to start her own inquiry.

"Yeah, speaking of Anderson, she mentioned something to me that I found kind of strange." Kagome started, putting the whole of her focus on the woman in front of her. "She said she read the report recently sent in and congratulated me on the blooming flowers."

Micah stiffened at the end of Kagome's sentence. An expression she couldn't decipher flying across her face only to be covered with what Kagome knew to be slight bafflement and genuine panic.

"What? Andersonread the report?" The emphasis placed on Anderson's name told Kagome more than Micah probably knew.

"Yeah. I looked in my work inbox and all I found was the message detailing the meeting. Why wasn't the report sent to me?" Kagome continued, leading Micah into the silent trap she had thought up. Her eyes caught the shift of expression on the other botanist's face and her worst fears were confirmed.

"Oh man! I'm so sorry! I must have put the wrong address in! I've been so over worked recently! Jess has me looking after his plants too now, and I guess the stress has me a little out of it! I'll send you the report now!"

She was lying. Right to her face, the bitch was lying. Kagome hid the sick feeling she had inside and instead pasted on a bright smile. "Don't worry about it, Micah. I'm heading to the lab anyway. I'll see her for myself."

Kagome had ended the conversation quickly at that, waving off the apologies that had tumbled from Micah's mouth one after the other. The short ride in the lift ended just as Kagome was replaying the way Micah's energy had fluctuated with each word spoken. She had never before used her extra gift to examine the older woman who had been a friend for the past two years, but now she wished she had done it the moment they had met.

Perhaps it would have prevented the pain she was feeling now.

Micah had indeed sent in a report claiming her plant to a higher up, but not Anderson. Micah had definitely been mortified that Anderson had read the report. Probably because Anderson was one of the few who knew what Kagome had been experimenting with in her lab. Only four people knew what she had been doing in-depth. Jess, Micah, Anderson and herself. Trying to claim credit on her research wouldn't have been possible through Anderson.

Who was Micah trying to submit the report to and how, then, did Anderson get ahold of it?

Walking faster down the corridor with each thought, Kagome spotted Jess behind the counter leading to the oxygen regulated chambers. 'Might as well cover all your bases, girl.' She thought to herself as she smiled faintly at the constantly tired-looking botanist.

"Hey, Jess. Quick question."

Jessup Rodgers lifted a brow and waited as Kagome caught her breath.

"Was Micah watching over your hothouse?"

The myriad of expressions crossing Jess's face had Kagome watching in shock. She had never seen the man show anything other than fatigue for the two years she had known him. The deepening disgust and downright rejection she was witnessing now told her more than she wanted to know.

"That bitch isn't allowed near my lab."

He must have seen the pole-axed look on her face because he went on to explain. "Can't trust her with anything, the sneaky serpent she is. She likes to poke her nose where it isn't wanted, trying to brown-nose and lie her way to the top."

"W…why didn't you say anything sooner?!"

Jess shrugged his shoulders, his face finally settling back into its default: sleep-deprived. "She latched onto you right away. Didn't seem as if you'd believe me if I told you." He paused as he studied the conflicted emotions she was expressing. "Kept track of your stuff, though. I was the one that redirected the report to Anderson. Rozzen didn't realize that all submitted reports pertaining to the chambers have to be finalized at this desk."

Kagome looked up at the tall and thin botanist behind the counter, at a loss for words as tears filled her eyes.

"Th-thank-!" Her voice cut off as she realized she was crying. A warm heavy hand settled firmly on her shoulder, giving a slight squeeze.

"It was only right. You're a sweet girl, Miss Kagome. I hate to see that kind of sincerity taken advantage of." There was a slight buzz as Jess placed his hand on a panel below the desk. "Now go on in and take a look at your beautiful baby. She's growing up right fine."

Kagome choked back her tears and put on a strained smile for the awkward way Jess was trying to cheer her up. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and marched through the doors, making her way quickly to pod room number four.

And there she was, the culmination of over seven years of research, spanning back to the time she had been a kid under the tutelage of Kitakawa-sensei. The vines were thicker and longer, coiling about on the floor in large puddles. Dotting along the vines were bright purple buds and flowers, in various stages of blooming. Each fully bloomed flower was easily larger than the span of her own hand.

Taking out her screen, she brought up the function she always used when she wrote her notes and dissertations. She glanced over to the monitor that oversaw the level of oxygen in the room and her lips stretched into a wide grin to see the fluctuation of the numbers. Her baby was doing exactly what she had been hoping for.

In the right soil, the plant she had created was able to produce large amounts of oxygen. However, it was only the blooms that were able to do so, and to get the plant to bloom, it needed a space that contained as little oxygen as possible. In essence, she had created a plant that could possibly prove invaluable to the process of terraforming a planet with no sustainable atmosphere.

The genomes she had obtained from a moss-like plant found on their last resource planet had proved to be a pivotal point in her research. The fact that she was now staring at the end product of her long hours in the lab had tears building in her eyes once more. And lord was she beautiful.

A slight beep sounded from the pod room to her right and she shook off the pride-filled wonder she was struck with. Of course, this didn't mean it was all done. She still need to keep track of the gestation of the blooms and their effect on the oxygen levels as well as the effects pollination would have. Her stylus flew across the screen as she hurriedly scribbled her findings, thoughts and theories over the next couple of stages.

Finishing the sloppy notes, she checked them over with a critical eye. She would type up the official report at the desk and send it in to Anderson herself, she decided. Her eyes came to her contact list and she moved Micah's address to the blocked list. Filing a complaint wouldn't really work in her favor, seeing as all she had on Micah Rozzen was suspicion. The report she had "accidentally" sent to the wrong person could be seen as an honest mistake.

The best way she could deal with the back-stabber was at a distance.

Jess looked up from the desk as Kagome sidled up and set her screen on the counter top. "She really is beautiful." Kagome breathed out, sharing a smile with the older man. "I can't believe how well she's doing."

"Hard work finally paying off." Jess agreed, taking a sip of his ever-full coffee mug.

"Yeah, but I still got a long way to go. She'll be under observation for months." She slid a glance at Jess sideways. "I'd like to restrict Micah from being able to interact with pod room four."

"Anderson already authorized that. You don't have to worry on that end. Your research is now highly valued by the higher ups. They'll protect it, especially considering Anderson is aware of how Micah is."

Kagome nodded pensively. "You don't think she'd try to steal my work again, do you?"

Jess snorted. "That bitch is still trying to steal Anderson's work. And she does it in a way that looks completely legitimate too." He set down the coffee mug and stood from his chair. "A snake to the bone, that one."

All Kagome could do was nod in agreement.


Byakuya let out a silent sigh as he walked slowly down the deserted corridor leading to a pharmaceutical lab located at the far end of the ship he and his employer were currently on. His thoughts stirred darkly over the amount of time his extra-curricular sleuthing was taking up. He would much rather be eating dinner now, than heading into what was promising to be a spooky lab.

Reaching a door, he had memorized from his investigation, he knocked politely beside the bio-scanner. When no one answered, he placed his palm on the scanner, grinning at the easy admittance he had gained after hacking the panel earlier. The door slid open silently and he peered around the dimly lit laboratory. The sound of something knocking about from the back caught his attention and he headed in that direction on silent feet.

A man in a lab coat, with rather long messy hair, stood at a far table, seeming to peer into a microscope. A rather large collection of slides sat in three separate containers, half of which appeared to have already been looked at.

Coming up behind the man, he opened his mouth in anticipation of startling the scientist, but found himself swallowing his own shock as the man calmly turned to face him instead.

"I assume you have a reason for entering my lab without permission?"

Taking the change sudden change in plans in stride, Byakuya allowed his default polite smile to cover his face.

"Why, yes, indeed." His voice was light in levity and his smile creeping toward the bright end of the spectrum. "I am here representing my employer." His eyes opened from the slits they had closed to during his smile, the sharp sheen to them had the scientist turning around to fully face the man.

"Is that so? Your 'employer' in desperate need of calcium and iron? How about zinc? Seeing as he can't go through the regular channels to obtain vitamins, it must be dire indeed." The heavy sarcasm echoed through the nearly empty room.

Byakuya tilted his head to the side, as if in confusion. Though his expression was anything but confused. "Ah. I'm not here about vitamins, Mr. Magatsuhi Nise. I'm here about a fabulous drug you have recently begun developing."

Magatsuhi stiffened, the slide in his hand cracking at the sudden amount of pressure his was exerting on it from his tightened fingers. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Byakuya had to give him credit; he sounded completely serious. If it hadn't been for his body language, he would have thought he had made a mistake in his investigation. However, his hands and shoulders had given him away, so Byakuya pressed on.

"Oh, I believe you do. You are also aware of which employer I am speaking of." He said simply and raised the bit-screen he had brought for this specific reason.

Dr. Magatsuhi Nise glanced at the screen and his brows lowered in a frown. "The next batch isn't ready yet." He stated simply, bringing his eyes back up to meet Byakuya's.

"That's fine, that's fine." Byakuya chirped, almost sing-song like, and placed the bit-screen on the table-top beside him. "This contains the contact information. Let us know when it is."

He turned from the scowling pharmacist and walked toward the door, pausing when he got to it to turn and look at him once more. "And doctor, payment will only be made on delivery."

The sunny smile he shot to the silent man stayed on his face the entire way back to the lift. 'I wonder what I'll have for dinner?' He contemplated to himself as he selected the floor he wanted.


They had landed ten minutes ago and the unloading process was driving her up the wall. Her hands were shaking and her breath was coming out in heavy pants. The tremors hadn't started yet, but she knew she was on the verge of a full freak out.

She had sent an emergency message to her new western contact, requesting the pills immediately. Her only lifeline was the short message sent back detailing who to look for and where. Long blue hooded jacket, black pants, in front of the Izzy Brand ad right outside the gate. She repeated this over and over in a bid to drown out the mental garbage she was picking up from the man beside her.

Finally, the lines were moving and she could see the light at the end of the tunnel. People were slowly milling around the end of the terminal and she pushed past them, her impatience finally getting the best of her. Seeing the ad mentioned in the message she began her frantic search for a blue hooded jacket and black pants.

Out of the corner of her eye, the crowds shifted and she caught sight of what she was looking for. Her breath whooshed out in relief as she started a stumbling jog towards the person standing off to the side fitting the description. Just before she reached the person of interest, her foot caught in the carpeting and she fell forward, her hands clawing at anything for purchase.

The hood of the jacket came down as she grabbed onto her target and she was slightly stunned at the cascade of red curls that came tumbling out. The last thing she thought before losing consciousness was that she didn't realize her dealer would be a woman.

Micah scowled down into her screen as the message she had tried to send to Kagome Higurashi was sent back. Damn. She had been so close! If it hadn't been for the report being sent to Anderson, she would be well on her way to raking in the money. What the hell had gone wrong?! Her eyes narrowed as she tried to narrow down the possibilities.

Tch. Two years wasted. She clicked her tongue to herself, closing out of her screen and settling it back into her jacket pocket. For two years she had sucked the Higurashi girl in, with absolutely no interference. So what the hell had happened?

Her thoughts derailed when there was a sharp gasp behind her and hands were suddenly yanking on her jacket. She jerked around as her hood fell down and stared into a pale sweaty face and glazed eyes. She reflexively caught the girl in her arms, trying to keep the both of them from toppling onto the floor. The girl flopped backwards and Micah realized she was unconscious.

Placing her arm around her waist, she threw the girls arm over her shoulders, clicking her tongue in disgust for the second time. "Damn druggies!" She muttered to herself, waving off the concerned looks she was getting from those around her. "This is why they tell you to make sure you have enough supply while traveling!"

Her scathing words weren't reaching the unconscious girl, which made her more irritable. She turned to head towards her unit, half dragging the girl with her and dissuading the military personnel from helping her.

"My cousin!" She tried to chirp brightly, her teeth grit behind her smile. "She gets sick when she travels!"

By the dubious looks she was getting, she doubted they fully believed her, but they weren't pressing the issue to Micah hurried on, relieved when she finally got them to the nearest lift. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed it was empty and pushed the girl over to the wall of the lift, not wanting to touch her more than she had too.

When she had received the message from her new client stating an emergency, she had been irritated over the nuisance it would be to meet her at the port. Now the little junky was unconscious, her hands shaking and legs twitching. Looked like the tremors were setting in. 'Jeez. Did the dumb broad forget to take her pills for a whole day, or what?!'

The chime of the lift had her hoisting the girl back into her arms, thankful she didn't live far from the lifts. Though she got a lot of looks from the few people milling about the residential area, she reached her door with relative ease and practically tossed the girl on her floor once they were through the door.

She took the pills she had brought with her out of her pocket and tossed them on her bed, heading for the bathroom. The girl wouldn't be able to swallow the pill and judging by the symptoms she was exuding, she needed it immediately. She placed her hand on a hidden panel on the wall by her shower and took out the small bottle filled with a milky liquid and one of the disposable needles she had on hand.

She filled the needle with the correct dosage and place the bottle back in the hidden cubby, making sure to close it back up.

She made quick work of shooting up the girl and tossing the needle into the incendiary by the door. While she waited for the girl to come to, she sat on the bed and observed her. The shaking had stopped, and while she was still sweating, her pallor was fading. Taking a closer look, she cursed as she realized the girl's nose was bleeding, a darker stain of purple spreading on her carpet.

Wonderful. More mess to clean up, she snarled mentally and sent a kick at the girl's side. The girl let out a groan and curled up around where she had kicked her.

"Get up. You're bleeding all over my floor." Micah hissed, her eyes narrowed as she watched the girl pull herself up, first sitting, then to her knees and finally wobbling to her feet.

"Wha-?"

Before she could start asking annoying questions, Micah launched into her rant. "For crying out loud, the hell is wrong with you?! Are you too stupid to plan a trip and bring enough of the drug to tide you over? Christ, the number of people who saw you and me! What the hell was I supposed to do if the militia tried to bring you to med-bay?!"

The girl turned steadily sharpening eyes to her, but didn't say anything. Micah grudgingly approved. At least the little freak knew her place.

"You're lucky I got my hands on the new shit, or you'd be a mumbling puddle of mindless flesh right about now…not that it would be much of a difference. And, god do you smell! Have you not bathed in a week, or what?! I hope you know you are scrubbing the blood stain out of my-!"

Her diatribe ended on a squeak as she suddenly found herself suspended above the bed, her air passage cut off by an unseen force. The girl let out a breath, rather calmly, and walked over to look in the bathroom, grimacing at her appearance.

"Your voice is too loud." She said simply, her monotone voice sending a shiver down her spine even as she tried to gasp for air.

"I don't know why all you born-psychics feel so superior. Your talent is only sub-par, anyway." The girl continued, pacing around Micah's room, fiddling with whatever caught her attention. "Did you know, even while unconscious, I could hear your thoughts?"

The girl's eyes snapped to Micah hanging midair above her bed. "Know what I hate? Pity."

Micah's throat worked frantically as if she was trying to answer. The girl cocked her head to the side, already knowing the psychic's thoughts.

"Know what I hate more than pity?" She walked closer to the bed, watching as the invisible energy she was manipulating twisted around Micah tighter. "A condescending attitude."

There was a sharp snap and Micah's head flopped back, her neck broken and her horrified expression still etched on her face. The girl allowed the body to drop onto the bed and her eyes were drawn to the bottle of pills that rolled off the side. She bent down to pick it up, counting the pills inside.

She turned her eyes back to the bed and lifted the bottle, shaking it slightly. "Thanks for these." She turned to the bathroom door, deciding it would probably be best if she cleaned herself up. "You don't mind if I borrow your shower, do you?" She listened attentively to the silence and a sick grin curled over her lips.

"Thanks."

xXx

Augh! I know! A lot of you are probably like: "What?! No S/K action?!" Sorry. Plot won me over. I've got a lot of stuff I gotta start tying in, but I promise it will all be worth the wait! Thank you all for reading and please leave a review! It's no joke when I say the reviews are sometimes the only thing that keeps me motivated.