A/N: I am alive lol. Just been super hectic with work and a small child and some family stuff. Hoping to update more frequently! :)
Hensley had been through a lot of hard things in life.
She had dealt with unspeakable situations, went through intense pain, and had seen more than any person her age…possibly with the exception of her brothers. But nothing prepared her for the feelings she had when leaving Forks.
Every muscle in her body, not just her chest, as previously experienced, seized up and stiffened to combat the excruciating pain. This led to her movements being slow and jerky, a heavy hunch in her spine to help her muscles constrict in order to ease the stabbing. Rooney asked Kaufmann what was wrong with Hensley but was told that the girl had just been feeling sick. She supposed it wasn't exactly a lie.
Food was unappetizing, sleep escaped her. Every time she closed her eyes, Jasper's face filled her brain. Her nose played tricks on her, teasing her with Jasper's non-existent scent. Even her ears often confused Kaufmann's southern drawl for her mates. The heavy heart in her chest sunk lower and lower with each disappointment.
The Agency wouldn't even allow her tangible memories of the past; phone confiscated and returned with text messages and photos deleted. That day had been the second hardest.
Each boy tried their hardest to lift her spirits following the move.
As they walked through the Agency halls, Kaufmann told her of his latest relational escapade, with some woman who Hensley thought Kaufmann had called Becky. She couldn't be quoted or quizzed, but she really hadn't been listening. It made him feel better, like he was helping, when he told of her the events though, so she didn't actively dissuade him. As if she had the energy to do so anyway.
"Then I knocked out this guy's tooth because he tried to get between us. S'like he didn't have eyes and couldn't see that I was makin' my move on her. We'd already made out for fifteen-fuckin' minutes. Pretty sure after ten it's guy code to keep your hands off, ya know?"
Hensley just nodded, watching the white tiles pass by as she walked.
"Wait, so you made out with the dude or Becca?" Anderson asked, nudging Hensley at the joke. Becca. Becky. Hensley had been close.
Anderson's joke had been clever as well. Kaufmann hadn't specified who he had been making out with.
Still, Hensley couldn't muster a smile. Her face felt too heavy.
On days when Hensley didn't have to work, or in the hours before and after, she was content to lay in her bed in their shared room. It wasn't like there was anything of interest outside the cement walls. Especially since she wasn't allowed to attend public schools anymore.
To avoid any other potential rule breaking, as Davidson called it, Hensley was to be "homeschooled" within the Agency. She had no teacher, just a bulky laptop with no access to anything other than her schoolwork. Thankfully, it was enough to blindly click through the lessons.
She was assigned homework, but since it was last on her list of things to do, it did not get turned in. No one seemed to care. Likely because Hensley had already graduated twice already. If it hadn't been for the rule that every person under the age of eighteen had to attend school, they probably wouldn't have made Hensley attend at all. But as Davidson liked to say with a sadistic smirk and a casual wave of his hand, 'Rules are rules.'
Anderson often sat with her while she pretended to work on school stuff, and she wasn't sure if that was because he felt bad for her or because he wanted to spend time with her before he left in a few days. Not that it really mattered. Hensley wasn't going to do anything differently in terms of their interactions, but if it had been for the latter reason, Hensley did feel a little guilty. She wasn't good company.
Hensley determined that she really looked pitiful when Red began cooking meals for her and leaving them in her vicinity. It wasn't her fault that food was wholly unappetizing. Though it wasn't often she did, thinking about eating food made her stomach churn and do all sorts of topsy-turvy things. She found the best way to not make herself sick was to not eat…or to pick at various foods that were provided to her.
When Red began cooking, she wished they had a dog to feed the meals too, just so it didn't go to waste. Had Hensley had any semblance of a heart left, she would've felt bad about not accepting the kindness that Red showed her. Unfortunately for them both, her heart had recently died, the last bit of feeling slowly leaving her body.
It was the whole reason she was able to avoid crying or even showing a hint of sadness as Anderson packed and discussed his plans following his release from the Agency. She loved him a lot, she knew logically that she did, but her mind and body did anything except cooperate in showing that to him.
The night before the Board Meeting, Anderson sat beside her on the couch, once again just offering his presence as she mechanically clicked through lesson screens. He watched her rhythmically tap on the laptop trackpad for a while before leaning his head back against the couch cushion.
"You should apply for early release." He whispered, still staring at her laptop. "Only a few more days until you're eligible."
Anderson put his arm around her, a new gesture. The tips of his fingers brushed her upper arm.
Leave while you still have the chance.
~.~
"The United States Specialized Services Agency hereby abolishes Xavier Robert Anderson from duty and strips him of his rank as a Technologically Enhanced Squadron Member. The Board, against my better judgement, has agreed to waive their right to equipment removal. Consider it your parting gift, Mr. Anderson.
"The last order of business is the contract stating the rules of your release. I am obligated to read them to you to ensure your understanding. They are as follows: You are not to have contact with any current member of this Agency. You are not to step foot on Agency property following this meeting. You are to return all Agency property in your possession to an Agency appointed representative, as I believe you have done already. Should you use the abilities that have been granted to you in a manner that violates United States federal or state law, you will be subject to prosecution by the Agency and its courts. You will waive your right to a jury of your outside peers, but will be granted a jury of agents, and might I remind you that the death penalty is still a favorable choice among us." Davidson gave Anderson…Xavier…a faux smile.
Hensley stared at the table in front of her.
"You are not to discuss your position, job duties, or living conditions in the Agency with anyone following this meeting. You are not to disclose any confidential information you have knowledge of to any party, internal or external, unless subpoenaed by an Agency-appointed judge in an Agency court of law. You are not to imply, gesture, or otherwise express any connection or knowledge of this Agency and its workings to any party, both internal and external. You are to comply with all other areas of the written contract you have signed prior to this meeting. Do you understand these circumstances as I have read them to you?"
"I do." Anderson gave Davidson the same faux smile. Kaufmann covered his chuckle with a cough.
"Does the board any have final comments?"
Rooney spoke up, eyeing Anderson with an odd sort of look Hensley didn't care to read. "The Board thanks you for your years of service. You'll be missed around here, especially by these three, I'm sure." Rooney gesture to Hensley and the boys. "You are dismissed."
Normally such a sentiment would be true. But Hensley didn't feel much of anything, wading through her responsibilities with a tingly numbness in her bones.
Anderson stood up, giving Kaufmann a shaky smile as he did so. The other man stood too so he could provide his brother one last hug. Anderson moved then to Red and finally Hensley. He placed one hand around her waist, slipping a single finger under her shirt so he could speak to her.
There's a secret compartment in that apartment. Find it.
Hensley wasn't sure what to do with that information. Her fuzzy mind hardly processed normal situations, let alone secret, sketchy ones. Therefore, she simply hugged him tighter before taking her seat once more.
Anderson had packed all of his things, leaving with one duffle bag full of personal belongings. Eighteen years all came down to one bag. It was a little depressing to think about. Hensley understood they had to travel light because they didn't have a lot of space, but eighteen years of memories fitting into one bag? She hoped there were intangible items that would fill far more than that. Hensley knew she had ones that would fill libraries, even if she couldn't recall them at present.
Hensley took Red and Kaufmann's hands after the meeting, on their walk back to the apartment. It was a gesture that surprised them, both men looking at her with concern and confusion. Kaufmann opened his mouth to provide a snarky comment but paused when Hensley silently spoke to them. Once she filled them in on what Anderson had told her, she dropped her hands and walked away in silence.
They spent the night tearing the apartment upside down. Kaufmann and Red, that was. Hensley moved when required, but otherwise stayed put on her bed to stare at the blank white wall.
"This'd go faster if ya helped." Kaufmann teased her while he dug around the bedroom, "Fast as ya are, that is."
She didn't respond.
~.~
"What's wrong with Hensley?" Red could hear Rooney ask from across the training all. It was a fair question. Hensley looked rough. Or at least like she hadn't slept in a few months. Which she hadn't.
It had been a hard summer.
"She's been quiet. Sticks to her training, does work without complaint. Whatever it is, I like it." Red's blood boiled with every word Davidson spoke. Dark circles around her eyes, pale, grey skin, 1000-yard stare in her eyes; Hensley was obviously not well. And while he knew that Davidson didn't actually care, he could've at least fucking pretended in front of Rooney and the others.
Even Rooney seemed displeased with Davidson's response, thank God. He frowned at the man, a sharp side eye analyzing his face. Davidson was too far up his own ass to notice, continuing to walk about the facility and prattle on about metrics and OPEX and shit Red didn't care about a sliver as much as he cared about Hensley.
"Major General. A word?"
Rooney stopped in his tracks, turning to locate Red easily. "Lyrette, good to see you son. Hear you're doing good work."
"Thank you, Sir. May I have a moment?"
Rooney agreed, always willing to take time to talk if he had free moments. Davidson, not so much. The man stayed rooted in place, despite Red's eyes watching him and willing him to go anywhere else. Finally Red gestured away from Davidson, "In private, Sir?"
Davidson looked as though he could fire Red on the spot. Eyes hard and face heating up as he held his breath. Red wanted to roll his eyes. If Davidson was that worried about a private conversation with Rooney, then maybe he should have been better at his job.
"Of course." Rooney told him, turning to Davidson slow enough that the other man had time to school his features, "Davidson, I'll meet you back in your office."
There was nothing to say, which made Red's plan impenetrable. Once they were truly alone, Rooney asked what was on Red's mind.
"It's Hensley, Sir. She's not doing well. I'm not sure what's wrong with her, the doctors here can't find anything wrong with her, but she's not well."
Rooney found Hensley in the group of trainees, watching her do the bare minimum to keep herself out of trouble. Red frowned at the sight of her glum expression, her eyes almost dead.
"I noticed that. Well, that she wasn't herself. We'll keep an eye on her. I'll ask Davidson-"
"I don't mean to be disrespectful, Sir, but she's been like this for months now. I've asked Davidson about it and he's got no other ideas on what to do. You've been here longer, so I was hoping you would have a better plan on what we can do next." Red looked around, leaning forward so he could keep his voice down. "I don't want to start anything, but is there a chance we get Dr. Cullen involved? I mean, if our doctors can't find anything wrong with her-"
"I'll look into it." Rooney placed a silencing hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for letting me know."
~.~
Red knew Davidson had heard about his conversation with Rooney. A week spent in solitary told him as much.