Hey everyone, here's chapter 2. Thanks for the reviews, by the way. It's nice to know that people enjoy my work. :) Well, let's get started!
As she piloted the small helicopter over the city, Ada's mind mulled over the events of the past few weeks. About a month earlier Carla Radames, who she had believed was dead, had appeared out of nowhere asking for help obtaining Jake Muller's antibodies. After they had succeeded in obtaining a sample of these antibodies, Carla had, much to Ada's annoyance, moved into her safe house. Carla had also installed a research facility directly below the safe house, saying it was for "convenience." However, Ada had suspected it was more of a statement. Basically, Carla was saying "You can't get rid of me." So, Ada had grudgingly allowed the other woman to stay.
The two hadn't had much time to get used to one another, however. Several missions had kept Ada away from her Asia-based safe house. Now, she was finally returning after being away for a month. Still wary of Carla, she was somewhat apprehensive of what she would be coming home to. She braced herself as she approached the helipad to land. The helicopter touched down gracefully in her skilled hands. Since the safe house was on the top floor of the building, it was easy to use a large section of flat roof space for a helipad. Fortunately, there was more than enough room. Ada even had some patio furniture set out there for relaxing on warm, pleasant evenings.
The rotors slowly decelerated and Ada grabbed the briefcase next to her that contained the payment for her last mission. 1.2 million dollars in cold hard cash. It was a decent haul for a relatively simple mission, so there was probably some sort of scandal involved with the information she had collected. Not that she really cared. She was there for the money and only if something truly reprehensible had been going on would she have interfered. It was only on the rare occasions where her work involved an outbreak of the virus that she would consider abandoning a mission or even fight against her employer.
As she walked to the large glass doors (bulletproof, of course), she wondered what she would find Carla doing. It was early evening, so the woman should be done with her work for the evening. Ada keyed in the door code and opened the door as it clicked open. She was immediately hit by a delicious smell that permeated the entire safe house.
The door shut behind her as she stepped further into the living room. There had been some additions while she was gone. Some throw pillows and a blanket lay on the couch, as well as a couple magazines and an art book on the glass coffee table. Carla's constant presence in the safe house probably factored into the "lived-in" appearance of the place. There were coats on the coat rack and shoes neatly arranged in the entryway. Soft piano music drifted from the entertainment system, somehow making the place seem cozy. It all seemed a bit surreal and unfamiliar to Ada.
Turning her head in the direction of the kitchen, Ada spotted Carla in front of the professional grade gas stovetop. It seemed that she was putting it to good use with several pots and pans brewing an unknown, but wonderfully scented dish. What Carla was wearing on the other hand, had Ada staring stunned and slack-jawed. The woman was wearing a cotton floral dress with a frilled apron. She must've heard Ada come in because she turned and smiled at Ada.
"Oh good, you're home. Dinner is almost ready," Carla greeted her. She gestured with the wooden spoon in her hand. "Go put your stuff down and wash your hands."
Ada blinked a few times before the woman's words set in. When they did, she huffed indignantly. "First of all, don't talk to me like I'm a child. Secondly, what in god's name are you wearing woman?"
Carla glanced down with a perplexed expression. "An apron."
"It's pink and frilly."
"So?"
"So, no one in their right mind would wear an apron with that much girly shit on it."
Carla rolled her eyes. "Oh, get over yourself. I'll wear what I damn well please, thank you very much."
Ada threw her hands up exasperated and walked away towards her room.
"Wash your hands," Carla reminded her.
Shutting the door to those words, Ada tossed her briefcase onto her bed. She sat down to recount the money, making sure it was all there. It was also to calm her temper. This living arrangement would be tedious if she couldn't spend two minutes in the room with Carla without starting an argument. As she counted out all the bills, she wondered exactly what it was about Carla that got under her skin. At about the tenth stack of bills, she had decided that it was the fact that they both looked alike. Sure Carla's hair had grown out to about an inch or two past her shoulders, but it was still like looking in a mirror sometimes. Her uneasiness was amplified by Carla wearing or doing something that Ada herself would never do, like wear pink frilly aprons or run pigeon-toed. She had noticed the way Carla ran when they had broken into the facility together. The woman ran like a sissy.
Ada shook her head and sighed. Just thinking about it frayed her already thin nerves. She continued to count out her money until she was finished. All of it was present and accounted for. She replaced it all back in the briefcase and sat for a moment. The smell of dinner cooking wafted into the room, causing her stomach to grumble. She rolled her eyes and slid off the bed, making her way to the master bath attached to her room.
The master bath was almost entirely made of marble from floor to ceiling with a whirlpool bathtub and separate walk-in shower. The shower had a glass door that opened on a hinge, with glass that was clear save for a frosted band in the middle just large enough to cover the interesting parts. Ada walked over to the sink and washed her hands, grumbling about Carla being too catty for her own good. She dried them on the hand towel hanging next to the sink and left to go eat dinner.
As she walked into the dining room, Ada saw Carla dishing out portions for the both of them. Carla looked up at her and crossed her arms.
"Are you ready to play nice?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.
Ada smirked and took a seat opposite Carla. "I will if you will."
A wry smile tugged at Carla's lips. "Alright. We're having Pad Thai and Lemongrass soup with squid," she said, putting the plates and bowls in front of each of them.
Ada raised an eyebrow. "Interesting choice."
"I've been using more Asian recipes since the ingredients are easier to come by out here," Carla replied as she sat down and began eating.
"Makes sense." Ada took a bite of the Pad Thai, surprised at the exquisite taste. "This is delicious."
Carla smiled. "Glad you like it."
"I honestly didn't think you could cook," Ada said with a low chuckle.
"Why's that?" Carla asked, brows furrowed.
"Well," Ada began carefully as she sipped a spoonful of soup. "I would have thought Simmons had provided for your every want and need, that you were his pampered pet."
Carla flinched slightly at the mention of Simmons' name. "Simmons may have doted on me, but cooking and baking have always been a favorite hobby of mine," she explained, a hint of anger in her voice.
"My apologies. I didn't mean anything by it."
Carla waived it off. "It's not that. Just the thought of Simmons makes my skin crawl."
Ada smiled, blowing lightly on her soup. "That makes two of us."
Picking up her wineglass, Carla let out a small laugh. "Now that's something I'll drink to."
Ada picked up her own and they clinked glasses, both wearing the same wry grin. They drank and ate in silence for a few minutes, the smile on Carla's face remaining. After a while, Ada noticed that there was something different about the other woman. Something about her features had changed. With a little thought, she realized that Carla had an air of joy about her, something Ada had never really seen on the woman.
"You seem cheery. What's the occasion?" she asked.
Carla looked up and smiled softly. "You think so? Well, my research is going far better than expected. I already have a prototype serum that I started using yesterday. I feel much more in control now."
"That was fast," Ada commented as she finished off her soup.
Carla shrugged. "I had recovered some research data on the serum Albert Wesker used on himself and applied it to my own data. It helped give me a foundation to work from."
"Well, make sure you're careful with your experiments. I'd rather not have a viral outbreak underneath my living room," Ada said as she gathered her dishes.
The other woman smiled deviously. "The only reason there would ever be an outbreak from that facility is if I planned for it to happen."
Ada stared her down for a few moments as Carla began to giggle. "You have the worst sense of humor."
Ignoring the other woman's continued laughter, Ada took her dishes to the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher. Carla soon followed, carrying her own dishes to the dishwasher.
"It's funny because it's true. I make sure to take every precaution to ensure against any eventuality. Otherwise, my plans back in China would've never even gotten off the ground."
"Well, I suppose you're right. You very nearly succeeded, even after you died," Ada conceded.
"Planning is key," Carla lilted in a musical tone as she turned towards the living room. "So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?"
"I was going to do my periodic security sweep of all my computer files and check the security feeds from all my other safe houses to make sure they're not compromised."
Carla turned to her with a frown. "That sounds terribly uninteresting."
"Thanks for the assessment," Ada replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Tapping her lips in thought, the other woman hummed quietly. Then, she seemed to be struck with an idea.
"We'll watch a movie," she announced.
Ada frowned at her. "I already told you what I'd be doing tonight."
"Well it's boring and it can wait a day. I think a movie would be splendid for bonding time."
"Bonding time?" Ada asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. We need to be able to get used to each other since we'll be living together for the foreseeable future," Carla explained as she turned on the TV.
Sighing, Ada rubbed the bridge of her nose. She didn't want to admit it, but Carla was right about them needing to get used to one another. Trudging over to the couch, she watched as her roommate pulled out a wireless keyboard and opened Netflix on the television.
"You hooked a computer up to the TV while I was gone."
Carla nodded as she scrolled through the selections. "It isn't very powerful. I mostly use it for entertainment purposes. The real behemoth is downstairs in my lab. I've basically installed a supercomputer in my office," she boasted. "Most of the hardware isn't even available to the public."
Sitting down on the opposite end of the couch, Ada eyed at the movies on the screen. "You've got a lot of sappy romances in your queue," she commented with a sideways glance.
"A girl can dream, can't she?" the woman asked in a wistful tone. "I take it you won't be up for watching any of those. You don't seem the type."
She switched over to the Horror category and gave Ada a knowing smile. Ada glared daggers at the woman.
"Don't even think about it," she warned.
Carla chuckled. "Believe me, I wouldn't. I just wanted to see the look on your face." She flipped to the Action/Adventure category. "Any of these appeal to you?"
Scanning the titles on the screen, Ada found one she was familiar with. "That one," she said, pointing at the title card.
Carla smirked. "Die Hard it is, then."
Ada made herself comfortable as the movie started up.
"Question."
She turned her head to the other woman. "Yes?"
"Why do you like this movie? I'm not bashing it, but it seems a bit too over-the-top for you," Carla wondered.
Ada smiled. "Bruce Willis' character reminds me of a certain agent named Leon Kennedy. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time."
A sultry smiled curved Carla's lips. "I think I remember running into him in China. He's pretty cute. You two ever…?" She left Ada to fill in the blank.
Laughing lightly, Ada shook her head. "We kissed once in Raccoon City, but nothing more. He's been chasing my shadow ever since." She got up to grab a bottle of wine and some glasses for the both of them. Carla paused the movie for her. "The poor man has no idea what he'd be getting himself into if he decided to tango with me. My work is too dangerous and unstable for a serious relationship."
She set the glasses on the coffee table and poured them both some wine. Setting the bottle down and taking a sip from her glass, Ada continued. "Although I must admit, it's just so fun teasing him."
Carla took the other wineglass. "And they say I'm the evil one."
Ada shrugged her shoulders. "A guy like him would want a woman to settle down and grow old with. I have no plans of doing so. He'll figure it out one day."
"Well with that, we should get back to the movie," Carla suggested as she pressed play.
The two returned to watching, periodically sipping their wine. About forty minutes in, a thought occurred to Ada. It had been longer than she could remember since she had watched a movie, even longer since watching one with company. This entire situation seemed far too normal to be her life. With all the shadowy organizations, unsavory politicians, and B.O.W.s she had to deal with on an almost daily basis, the simple act of sitting back and watching a movie seemed completely foreign. She decided not to overthink it and just enjoy the moment.
The movie progressed with explosions and gunshots, something Ada was well accustomed to hearing. All the over-the-top action was a nice change of pace from the scheming and intrigue of her work. She even found herself chuckling at all the cheesy one-liners. The knowledge that, in the end, the hero would prevail was a sweet lie that was only true in these movies. The villains of the real would often go unpunished.
Lifting her glass to take another sip, she realized it was empty. Before she could reach for the bottle to refill it, Carla had her hand on the empty wineglass.
"Let me get that for you," she said softly.
The woman's fingers grazed over Ada's, holding the glass as she refilled it. Ada noticed that they appeared to be more delicate and felt softer than her own. The touch was warm and gentle, the gesture a bit too intimate for her comfort. And yet, she didn't protest. Her gaze shifted to Carla's face to try and read the woman, but her head was bowed to focus on the task of the wine in their hands. Only when she had filled the glass did Carla lift her gaze, and when she did, Ada was taken aback. The way those amber eyes seemed to look straight through her left Ada unnerved. Something stirred in the depths of that gaze, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Their eyes were locked, neither one stirring even the slightest. A small voice in the back of her mind seemed to shout a warning, although she wasn't exactly sure why.
An explosion on the TV seemed to break whatever trance had held the two. Carla's hand slipped away, fingertips trailing over Ada's skin. She replaced the bottle on the glass coffee table and returned to her position on the opposite side of the couch, those intense eyes turning toward the movie.
Ada, however, remained stationary, her mind racing wildly to try and sort out what just happened. What the fuck? Just what the hell is she playing at? I can't get a good read on her. At every turn she continues to baffle me. She finally readjusted her position to face the television. God, this must be what other people feel when they try and figure me out. She smirked at that. I almost feel sorry for Leon, now.
They finished the movie in silence, Ada fighting the urge to glance at the other woman. When the credits rolled, she stood and stretched.
"Thank you for the movie. It was a good distraction, like all films should be."
Carla shook her head. "What a jaded view of the cinematic arts. Although somehow I'm not surprised."
"I'm off to bed. Goodnight," Ada called over her shoulder as she headed to her room.
"Goodnight," the other woman replied, still seated on the couch.
Shutting the door behind her, Ada ran her fingers through her hair. Whatever Carla was up to, Ada didn't want to be a part of it. Feeling cautious, she locked the bedroom door. It was once again an easy obstacle for the other woman to overcome, but it made her feel better. As she got ready for bed, she decided to analyze what had happened in the morning, when she was well rested and more alert. Clad in a red silk nightgown, she slipped underneath the covers and turned off the lamp on her nightstand. As she drifted off to sleep, those molten amber eyes burned in her mind and colored her dreams.
Well then, things are getting interesting eh?Carla seems to have something up her sleeve. Wonder what it is? Anyway, things are gonna heat up a tad bit next chapter. But until then, see you next time!