Alright everyone, here's the next bit. I particularly enjoyed writing this one. I hope you all enjoy it as well. Thank you for the reviews. I love hearing from my readers. :)
The days had passed in a sort of routine. Ada had gotten an infiltration assignment that was relatively close to her safe house, so she would come home there every evening. She would arrive to see Carla whipping up something in the kitchen. It was kind of strange having someone there to greet her when she got home. Strange, but nice. The rest of the evening would be spent watching a movie or two, usually action flicks with a few comedies thrown in.
Talking to Carla had become a bit easier as she felt herself relaxing her guard a bit around the other woman. There were, however, moments when she would find herself staring at the woman, searching her features for that alien emotion that had smoldered in those amber eyes a week earlier. It was getting under her skin that she couldn't figure Carla out. On the surface, their interactions had become friendlier. But, something had shifted between them. The atmosphere seemed charged whenever the two shared a glance or idle chatter. There was also the fact that Carla seemed to know exactly how to annoy her. Two steps forward, one step back.
As the elevator to Ada's safe house arrived at its destination, she shook her head to clear her mind. Stepping out of the elevator she prepared herself for another night of dealing with Carla. She approached the door and keyed in the code, waiting as the locks disengaged. When it opened, she entered to find Carla sitting at the breakfast bar with a bottle of tequila next to her.
She turned to Ada. "Heeeeyyy. There's mah fav'rite roomie," Carla slurred with a wide smile, her cheeks rosy with intoxication.
Ada groaned. Now she'd have to deal with a drunken Carla. "How much have you had, Carla?"
Carla glanced at the nearly empty bottle next to her. "Well, thiss was full when I started…" She poured another shot for herself. "Dinner's in th' kitchen."
Ada walked into the kitchen to see a casserole sitting on the counter covered in foil. She set her guns and grappling hook down next to it and retrieved a plate for herself.
"So is there any occasion or are you just having a day?" Ada asked her.
"Experimen' actually. I was seein' how the virus affect'd my tolerance. Bein' that it took the whole bottle to get me tipsy, I'd say it's higher," she said as she poured the last shot of tequila.
Ada chuckled as she sat down next to Carla with her dinner. "I'd say you're more than tipsy."
Carla waved her off. "Nah. I'm fine." She squinted at the empty bottle. "I'll get more tequila."
The woman walked unevenly to the pantry as Ada ate. This might actually work to her advantage. With Carla inebriated, she might actually get some answers out of the woman. She smirked as the other woman returned from the bar with a new bottle and a second shot glass. Ada sent her a questioning glance.
"I didn't feel like drinkin' alone." Carla opened the bottle and poured a shot for each of them.
Ada took it and drank, the familiar burn searing her throat. She had to stay on her toes. Even drunk, questioning Carla could still be dangerous.
"So," Ada began. "You seem to be getting comfortable. You plan on staying long?"
"As long as you'll have me," Carla answered with surprising clarity.
The answer was puzzling and seemed a bit too demure for Carla. "You seemed a bit more forceful a few weeks ago."
"I think we both know that if you really wanted me gone, you would've forced me out." Carla poured another round as she spoke, a knowing smile gracing her features. "Now somethin' tells me there's another question you wanted to ask."
Ada smirked and drank the shot. "Perceptive for a drunk woman."
"I told you I'm only buzzed."
"Right. There is something I wanted to ask you." Ada paused, unsure of how to proceed. "It might be a sensitive subject though."
Carla gave an exasperated sigh and poured yet another round. "Just ask. I hardly think anything would be too awkward considering what we've been through."
Ada supposed that was true. She might as well ask. "What happened to you? I mean, I know that Simmons used the C-virus to turn you into me. I can understand your hatred for him. But why take it out on the whole world? What happened to drive you to such extreme measures?"
Carla was quiet for a few moments, her eyes swirling in deep thought. Then, she drank her shot and began. "I was 15 when I started working for Simmons. He was a brilliant man that actually understood the research I was doing. I wanted to impress him, so I began my work on the C-virus." She shook her head. "I was just a girl. Naïve."
"As my research progressed, he paid more attention to me. Simmons moved me into a top secret lab, telling me to limit my contact with friends and family. For "security's sake". I didn't know at the time that he was beginning to mold me to his own purposes. He would spend a lot of time around me, showering me with gifts and compliments. He hid his true intentions well."
She looked at Ada, on the verge of tears. "I had no one to tell me that it wasn't right, no one to protect me from him. When you're that young and someone tells you that you're beautiful, you feel so special. I wanted to be special to someone, to him."
With every word, Ada felt her heart breaking. She had suspected some of these things from the files she had discovered. But as Carla spoke, images of Simmons doing terrible things to that woman flooded her mind. Ada had been lucky and was able to escape Simmons' schemes, but Carla didn't. Ada felt a little responsible for what happened to Carla. If she had never worked for the man to begin with, this terrible tragedy might've been avoided. She tossed back her shot of tequila and poured another, hoping the alcohol would dull the pain of guilt inside her.
Carla continued. "I got involved with him. He told me he loved me and I believed him. I was a fool."
Ada put her hand on Carla's shoulder. "It's not your fault Carla. You didn't know any better. Simmons took advantage of your innocence and trust."
The woman patted Ada's hand. "Thank you. But, what happened after I found out about his betrayal is on my head. I was so angry and hurt. I didn't just hate Simmons, I hated the whole world. I hated the world that he and his Family had made." She took a swig of tequila straight from the bottle. "I didn't want to just kill him. I wanted him to suffer, wanted him to watch everything he had made burn. I didn't care who got hurt in the process. Luckily, even while blinded by my own hatred I had a tiny shred of humanity left. I reached out to you, the real Ada, to stop my plans and, eventually, to kill me."
Ada was shocked by that last part. "What?"
"The last piece of my humanity couldn't live with the monster I had become, yet it was unable to break to the surface of my consciousness and stop my plans. I knew that you were the only one capable of killing me. I sometimes wish you had succeeded," she said, regret ringing in her words.
Ada was about to speak, but Carla held up a hand. "I carry the last of the enhanced C-virus. Even if I don't launch an attack myself, if someone were to discover that I'm still alive they'd try to capture and use me. I'm a danger to mankind, just like any other B.O.W."
"You're a person Carla. Never forget that." Ada said softly.
"Am I?" Carla wondered as she got up and zigzagged her way to the couch. The woman looked quite drunk despite the clarity of her words.
Ada sighed and took another shot, finally feeling the alcohol hit her. The buzz began to cloud her mind as she tried to remember how many shots she had drank. It had been seven in less than a half-hour. Uh-oh. Ada could usually handle her alcohol, but she hadn't paced herself this time and drank too much, too fast. With each minute, she knew the affects would increase. The good thing was that Carla looked more inebriated than her, so she could stay in control of the situation as best she could.
Looking over to the couch, she saw that Carla had decided to lie down for a bit. Ada was curious to see just how drunk the woman had gotten. So, she made her way into the living room and sat on the floor in front of the couch. Carla was lying on her side. Her eyes were barely open, cheeks flushed red from the tequila. She seemed be rambling to herself, hardly aware of Ada's presence.
"Who am I? I'm not the me I was…before Simmons changed me. I'm not Ada anymore, either. So…who am I? What am I? Not human…not anymore. What's my purpose? Why…am I even…alive?" She drifted off at the end, eyes fluttering closed
The stream of questions actually gave Ada some answers to her own. She's probably here because I'm all that she has left to hold on to. Simmons took her entire identity from her. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for her to move forward after all that.
Ada folded her arms on the edge of the couch, resting her head on them. Being this close to Carla allowed her to see the woman's features more clearly. If she looked closely, there were subtle differences in their facial features that others wouldn't notice. The slightly wider nose, a barely noticeable laugh line. Not to mention that Carla had let her hair grow out straight, falling just past her shoulders. Each difference Ada found made her feel better. They gave her back what that bastard had taken.
A lock of hair fell on Carla's face, causing the woman to stir. Without a thought, Ada brushed it aside. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she jerked her hand away. What was she doing? That kind of gesture was intimate, meant for lovers. She had no business coming into any kind of contact with Carla.
As her eyes returned to see if the action had awakened the woman, Ada found herself relieved as Carla looked to be in a deep slumber. She then returned to contemplating the woman's face, eyes oddly drawn to the lips. They were a rosy color, slightly parted by shallow breaths. A haze seemed to enter Ada's mind as she couldn't help but stare. It was probably just the effects of the tequila.
She was mere inches away from the other woman's face, feeling the warm breath lightly brush against her skin. Ada felt herself being pulled in like a magnet. Before she knew it, her lips pressed softly against Carla's. They were warm and wondrously soft. Heat spread through her body, as if a fire had been lit within.
A moment of clarity cut through the haze in her mind, making her jump back. She stood and ran stumbling out through the sliding glass door. The cool night breeze felt good against her blazing skin. Steadying herself on the railing, Ada came to terms with what she had just done. She told herself that the alcohol had made her confused. She told herself that it was the tequila that made her body hot as a furnace. She repeated those words in her head, however, deep down she knew they were just excuses. The truth that she so desperately denied frightened her beyond comprehension.
Inside on the couch, Carla stirred. A devious smile curved her lips.
"How very interesting," she murmured. "This changes things, now doesn't it?"
She shifted onto her back, interlacing her fingers. "I believe I'm going to enjoy this."
With that, Carla closed her eyes for some real sleep. She'd need it for what she had in store for Ada.
Well, there you go. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. I want to get as much of this out before school gets busy. I so enjoy writing the interactions between these two. The back-and-forth that happens is just so much fun. Tune in next time to see how it all plays out!