Fallen Angel: Sadly not about L as expected. Breakup angst for Vandham, with gratuitous Nagi.

No editing because it is that kind of day.

All the good things belong to Monolith

Kentaro Nagi didn't flinch as the ceramic shards burst around him. He'd heard a commotion in the comms room and had turned directly into the trouble. In the corridor, He passed a few lower level BLADEs that were fleeing the scene. At the door of the office, he'd needed to push one stunned young man to the side in order to enter the room. He slipped in as the door closed, arriving just as a chunky coffee mug lost structural integrity due to a high speed collision with the door frame.

"God dammit!" shouted Commander Vandham.

"Not that H.B. doesn't deserve it, but you'll still need fill out the paperwork for destruction of military property."

"Not in the mood, Ken!" roared Vandham. He was standing, gripping the back of his chair with both hands. His fingers were sinking deep into the limited padding of the uncomfortable chair.

Papers everywhere, an trash can knocked flying, a pen snapped. Nagi considered whether he'd duck if Vandham threw the office chair. The other man spun it viciously. It buzzed on its bearings before toppling with a crash. Vandham steamed air from his nose like a bull, the tendons in his neck bulging, but he jammed his hands under his arms, almost hugging himself, and stood still for the moment.

"You had words with..." Nagi began.

"NOT IN THE MOOD!" Jack shouted back. He kept his arms crossed, clearly struggling to keep himself under control. With one kick of his booted foot he sent the chair flying across the room, almost but not quite directly at Nagi.

Nagi decided that there was no fixing the situation, not right now. Now was the time for damage control. "You're relieved of duty."

"You ain't captain anymore!"

"Tell me you're in control."

Vandham huffed and puffed and glared venom at Nagi, who remained calm and expectant. Vandham had been his Chief for longer than the journey, and he was relying on that obedience and trust. Vandham looked away, his massive jaw tight. He struggled to swallow, probably in order to curse Nagi one more time. Indeed, that was the correct guess, but also the hoped for response. He moved like a truck toward the door, and Nagi cleared the way so that he only staggered a little when Vandham slammed past with a parting "go to hell."

Nagi waited for his own hidden smile to surface. Vandham's angel had finally shown her true self, and Vandham was reacting just about as badly as Nagi had expected. The only thing that surprised him was how long it had taken to set the hook (years, not weeks), and how fast Vandham had noticed (days, not months). That the woman had been working for ECP security before reaching Mira didn't make her less of a professional liar. She'd become an uncontrolled element on Mira, supporting the most unsavory teams. Jack would be better off.

Nagi's smile failed to appear. He'd expected this outcome and yet ...

a/n: Did I mention that Jack and Lila Brown the OC NPC had a thing on Mira? Go see The Lily and the BLADE if you don't believe me.

Next up: Time Travel. I feel that I have done this before, he he.