Hello everyone! Sorry for the really late update, but it's been a very hectic and I'm feeling quite unmotivated to write. I was actually a little disappointed in the last chapter, so I figured I'd give Mouse and the gang a second shot. Anyway, enjoy!
Mouse walked out of the control room, absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair around her finger while she was lost in thought. Her shoes made no sound on white tiled floor as she walked hurriedly to the door at the end. A spark of irritation shot through her. She had a very good reason to be agitated. Their employer hadn't sent them any new missions for quite a few months, and anxiety was started to eat away at her conscience from the lack of communication. Mouse paused halfway down the corridor, hand resting lightly on metal. Without a second pause, she tapped lightly on the door.
Mouse sighed when there was no response behind the door. V must be upstairs then… she mused, stepping away from the door. She was a few yards away when she heard the metal door slide open and stopped to look back. V was leaning against the edge of the doorway, arms crossed and uniform coat wrapped around his waist, wearing a pair of jeans and one of his favorite black v-necks. He raised an eyebrow at her as if waiting for an answer.
"What do you want Shorty? I'm a little busy." He asked, voice drawling out lazily.
"Yeah right," Mouse shot back, placing her hands on her hips. "You were probably reading some shojo manga again instead of doing what you were supposed to." V glared in annoyance.
"I do not, for the last fucking time, read girly ass manga." V growled out. Mouse smirked widely before letting it slid away into a look of complete seriousness. She opened her mouth to speak, but V cut her off.
"No, I haven't heard anything from her yet." He said, mouth falling into a slight frown. Mouse frowned too, eyebrows coming together in thought, allowing a bit of anxiety to seep out. Mouse was used to the regular jobs her new correspondent had been sending them, and also knew that said correspondent was usually punctual on her, well, corresponding. Mouse turned and started walking back to the door that led to the rest of the hideout, still deep in thought, running over every possible reason for the late job offer.
"Thanks V…" she said vaguely, throwing an absentminded wave over her shoulder, not noticing the slightly worried look on his face. Stopping in front of the metal door at the end of the hallway, Mouse took a black plastic card from her jacket pocket and slid it through the card reader, punching in a code and placing her fingertips on a green-gridded pad. Walking quickly, she walked up a long flight of stone steps ending in yet another door. She turned the knob without pause, still engrossed completely in her thoughts.
Only when Mouse had traveled down the next hallway, taken a left, and had traversed the entrance hall of the hideout did she stop. Ahead of her to the right was the entrance into the room that they used as a lounge, the soft sounds of turning pages and pool being played reached her ears. She leaned against the doorframe and looked into the room, arms crossed over her chest.
The room was pretty spacious, containing a few chairs and couches, along with a tv and pool table. Currently two men were around said table, one leaning against the wall, wearing an utterly bored/slightly stoned expression, blue jeans, sandals and a band t-shirt. The other was leaning over the table, pool stick in hand. He wore blue jeans and a dark blue v neck, his uniform trench coat open, black combat boots peeking out from underneath his pants. Pinocchio and Cash; they were her best weapons experts and techies. The two of them could tell you just about anything you needed to know about the inner workings of a semiautomatic, whether a bayonet or trench knife is better for close range fights, and together, could bring down all but the most advanced security systems of the Pentagon (not that they had done it before or anything).
Mouse smiled, a small sense of pride rushing through her. Her eyes slid over to the couch, where the last of her boys was present. Weasel sat almost completely still, one ankle crossed over his knee and a book poised elegantly in one hand. His uniform coat was draped over his shoulders, and he wore black straight-legs and a black shirt with sleeves that ended midway down his forearms. One elbow was rested on the couch's arm, hand propping his head up while he read. He looked like a statue carved by God himself, with lean, graceful features and the longest lashes ever to grace a person's eyes. A small smile twitched at the ends of Mouse's lips; She knew Weasel was off limits, but damned if she couldn't look!
Mouse sauntered over to Weasel and plopped down beside him, peering over his arm to see what he was reading. As her eyes scrolled down the page, Mouse frowned and looked up at Weasel.
"You and your damn French." She said. Cash and Pinocchio snorted, trying to cover their laugh at her random outburst. A small smile appeared on Weasel's face as he looked up from the page.
"Don't you ever read anything in English?"
"No." He stated simply, lips twitching in amusement at the scowl adorning Mouse's face. She crossed her arms and wiggled down deeper into the couch, falling into an indignant pout. The room fell quiet once more, silence broken only by the sound of pages turning and the small click! that came from the pool table. Mouse hid a small smile of contentment, almost forgetting her current anxiety, and simply enjoyed the silent companionship of her boys. At some point, Mouse let her head fall against Weasel's arm, breathing in the smell of Axe and whatever else it was that seemed to be floating around him. Her eyes drooped and her mind began drifting in and out of focus.
Her contentment didn't last much longer though. Mouse was suddenly jerking upright, body stiffening in shock as a loud screech split the air. Her eyes instantly found the source, a large black raven that swooped through the doorway and flew straight for her. Resisting the primal instinct to lash at the bird in defense, Mouse held still, allowing it to stop inches from her faces, wings softly buffering her face.
"It just arrived when I came in." A voice called from the doorway. Mouse's eyes flicked up to inspect the only other female in the room. Crow wore an old pair of jeans, holes reaching from the middle of her leg up to well past her knees. She wore a black tank top much like the rest of the group, a dirty old DC hat turned sideways on her head. Bright red converse contrasted her other clothes. Crow was currently leaning against the doorframe, bored expression focused solely on Mouse, V standing in the hallway behind her.
Mouse gave a nod, reaching her hand out for the raven to gently land on, its leg held out to her expectantly. She untied the scroll attached to the birds' leg by a strip of leather and the bird took flight again, giving a shriek that made Mouse seize up again. She looked down at the message in her hand, sealed with blood red wax and a familiar seal stamped into it. As the raven landed on a cabinet on the far side of the room, Mouse unfurled the scroll of parchment and quickly ran her eyes down the page. After a few moments, Mouse looked up into the expectant faces of her subordinates, a grin spreading its jagged way across her face.
"Well boys and girls, looks like we have ourselves a job."
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ok, so for the sake of having something to update, that's all I'm updating for now. The next chapter will be much longer hopefully, and maybe I can get it up within a few days. Please review dearies; it's what keeps me motivated to write!