PRIES (HotCider & HotKittygirl)

It wasn’t what she was expecting. Instead of slipping into the consciousness of the redheaded girl before her, she somehow found herself in the minds of two separate beings. Fiona wasn’t use to it, being able to see through two sets of eyes, to try and register that much at once; it was all too much too quickly. It remaindered her briefly of when her powers first manifested, the sensory overload that had brought her to her knees when her powers first manifested.

Yet now, it was a momentary tingle, albeit an uncomfortable one. She saw Nick and felt the undeniable surge of malevolence that came from the other consciousness. It didn’t last long though, almost instantly it was replaced by a detached sense of confusion, one that Fiona echoed. It all came together in a sick sense of realization, one that made Fiona’s grip on her powers loosen if only slightly. It was enough, one could only strain their consciousness in so many directions at once before it became too much to bear. It was hard to tell just what emotions and thoughts were her own, one reason why she so loathed to delve into more than one mind at a time. If she had known, not that it mattered much now. The host was identified, along with a second. Nick relayed the information as best he could, though none of them were prepared for something like this. For a moment Fiona thought that perhaps it was some kind of parasite that could transfer itself into another body. Did that mean that the girl before her was just a pawn?

Fiona’s questions were answered with a peeling scream that tore the link between them. Fiona’s mind reeled briefly as the connection was severed and her consciousness snapped back within her own brain. She grit her teeth and squinted, the pain was very real as it reverberated through the stairwell and her body. The appearance of the bat, if only in her mind, was enough for Fiona to make her decision. Fiona reached for her gun, though by the time she managed to pull it from the holster the girl had bolted. Her reaction time was obviously off, still the vivid image of the massive bat haunted her third eye and the pain of the scream was still very real. Her joints felt stiff and her muscles ached, though Fiona wouldn’t let something as minor as pain stop her. Nick’s voice continued to ring in her ear, Michael had been identified as the carrier of the signal, and he was the one that had wanted to splatter Nick all over the wall. Now he was heading in her direction, time was running out.

“We got a runner. It’s a girl, red hair, baggy clothing. She must have Van Buren under her control somehow!” Fiona barked out as she started to move, stiffly following after the girl as she ran down the stairs. Fiona took them three at a time, using the railing for balance and hitting the wall hard as she took the turns far quicker than she could. The girl could be setting up some kind of trap, it could all be some kind of sick game, though Fiona gauged from the girl’s initial panic that nothing she was doing was planned out.

“Stop!” Fiona called out as she caught sight of red hair whipping about. Her words were wasted on the wind as she continued to pursue the girl. It didn’t take much, just a hint of an opening, Fiona caught sight of the girl again as she pushed her well-disciplined body to the brink. She raised her service pistol and took aim for just a second; though in Fiona’s mind it was an achingly slow process. She lined up the sight and squeezed the trigger, the resounding explosion of the gun in the confined stairwell just as deafening as the bat’s shrill scream. While many of the operatives used the more advanced plasma weapons, Fiona had an affinity for the more old fashion kind of firearms. Her powers seemed to work better with physical bullets as well, though she had no idea why. Perhaps she could focus her energies onto the actual projectile and make those nearly impossible shots a reality. It wasn’t the first time Fiona had taken that desperate shot that even highly skilled marksmen couldn’t manage, but it surely wouldn’t be the last.

It was a perfect shot, at little too perfect it seemed. Fiona had only meant to stop her, a grazing shot or just through the soft tissue. But it couldn't have been better, the bullet exited right between the poor girl's eyes. Fiona saw the spray of blood and bits of brains on the door before they swung open. The sight of Bill and the other agents should have been welcoming, but all Fiona could feel was a distinguishable sense of failure. Their orders were to take the girl alive, though even when a plan went as planned sticking to it exactly was rarely an option. The operation had gone south big time, two other agents were still unconscious in the back of her car, something was affecting Michael and she had just blown a hole in the head of their target.

All in all Fiona wasn’t a happy camper.

She expected more than the praise she was offered, the last bit of information snapped her out of her fugue quite quickly. Those cornflower blue eyes snapped up just in time to see the tall man step over the body, blood pooling about her head from the generous head wound. The smile he wore was disturbing at best, given the scene that he overlooked and the condition of the body. Fiona reacted regardless of her feelings, there would be time to absorb it all and deal with the consequences (even if they were just in her head). She holstered her gun and took a calming breath before she descended the stairs and offered the Director a salute.

“I apologize for the mess, Sir. She ran…I took the shot. I’ll take any flak over this,” Fiona didn’t hesitate to spout out the truth even if it didn’t paint her in the best of light. She wasn’t the type to exaggerate or find fault where there was none, though she might be a bit too eager to let the blame fall on her when things didn’t go as expected.

There was little else for her to do. Fiona exited through the fire escape and made her way towards her car. The PRIES agents had already collected Gloria and Kevin, she certainly hoped the two would be alright, or at least not have any serious conditions from the sound blast. Fiona was no scientist; she didn’t try to fathom the mysteries of the things she fought. It wasn’t her job; she kept her mind on her duty and at times like this, that was all she could do. Without thinking about it she pulled out the crumbled pack from her bag in the back and withdrew a partially bent cigarette. Her index finger was brought to the tip as she pursed her lips about the butt and inhaled. The tip caught fire quickly; Fiona inhaled and held it for several minutes before she exhaled the smoke through her nostrils. She would quit tomorrow.

Nick and Bill emerged soon after; Fiona was back on the scene with her arms crossed over her chest, watching the stiff body of Michael being dragged off. There was a disturbing sense of veja vu, it was only days ago that he was in a similar condition, burnt to a crisp and smelling of fried bologna. Fiona couldn’t help the tense feeling in her chest as she thought back on those moments, when Michael saved her life and she had glimpsed into his mind. She offered a shake of her head as Nick drifted closer and asked what was going on. Fiona honestly had no idea, though the Director was upon them before Fiona realized it. She offered a silent nod, there simply wasn’t enough to go on at the moment, and Fiona’s mind was already torn in several ways. She couldn’t fathom the Director’s intentions for Michael, nor was it her place to question. When Bill gave the order Fiona didn’t hesitate. She took a final puff on her cigarette before tossing the butt aside.

“C’mon, Nick. I’ll give you a ride back to your bike,” She said lightly and turned to trace her steps back to her car.


Fiona was even more withdrawn and dour after the whole incident. She had expected some kind of follow up after the entire thing, yet she heard nothing the next day or the day after that. All too quickly they were given direct orders to not even talk about it, it was as if Michael and the girl had never existed. Fiona was too well-disciplined to disobey direct orders though it left a bad taste in her mouth. Her cigarettes were used up by the end of the first day and by today she had already bought a whole carton. She was on and couldn’t rightly figure out what. It was more than just the obvious, for the first time she felt like she was purposefully being left out of the loop. She had been a part of this from the beginning, why leave her out now? The thought was gnawing at the back of her mind all this time, it seemed especially true today as she stalked the halls in her crisp and immaculate business suit, cut perfectly for her tall, athletic frame. Her thick heels thumped against the floor with each step, her slender but sure fingers gripped a bottle as she started to twist off the plastic top. It was then as she rounded a corner that familiar voice of her partner, Kevin, caught her attention. There should have been a water cooler standing right next to him, the very sight of the agent starting in on his gossip talk sent a jolt of anger up her spine. She moved with a decided purpose, long, even strides carried her towards the agent and his little gaggle of bored housewives. She knew Nick and Gloria were around as well; both Kevin and Gloria had missed the unfolding of the night and just couldn’t seem to drop it.

“Weren’t you given an order to keep your big mouth shut, Chase?” Fiona rode up on him with a calm fury. Her beautiful visage was contorted with a subtle, seething anger and the look in those blue eyes could set the office on fire (which wasn’t far from the truth for Fiona).

Someone might have found Fiona's expression of barely subdued rage comical. At least someone it wasn't presently directed at. Her left brow twitched slightly, a distinct tick as she felt a vein popping across her forehead. Her throat tensed, the tendons and muscles going taut against her pale flesh. The moments were few and far between when Fiona felt like punching a fellow agent, she usually kept her anger down to a simmering loathing. But right now, Kevin was asking for a throat punch. Her hand tightened upon the bottle, a loud crinkle of plastic followed Kevin's words and Fiona simply snapped.

“That fucking rookie saved your life, Chase. He might have been a rookie and completely reckless but the next time I hear you bad mouthing him...or anyone else, I'm going to personally take you outside and clean your clock. You got that, Agent?”

Her words were as subtle as a viper's hiss, a warning with promise for deadly retribution if one continued closer. Fiona could stand for a lot of things, but the way that Chase so off-handedly disregarded the man that saved his life was simply appalling. Fiona knew all too well how hard training was and the distinct sense of detachment that one had to apply to new recruits. It wasn't the first time an agent was liquidated or killed, the taste of her fellow agent's ashes from the Pastor were still bitter on her lips. Her lips twitched and parted, a sharp breath taken and Fiona was about to let Kevin have another bout of anger when Gloria peaked over cubicle and joined in. She chastised Kevin as well, though her last bit threw her off guard. Her eyes went wide and her brows arched above them. Her words fell flat on her tongue and she let out nothing more than a light huff of air from the attempt.

“I don't have feelings for him,” She quickly interjected, as if she had to defend herself from the slandering of her good name. “Unlike some Agents, I have a certain sense of respect for those that risk their own lives to save me. A lot of good agents died, but there could have been two less standing here if it weren't for him.”

Fiona quickly turned it back to her original statement. She purposefully let her steely gaze linger on Kevin as she finished. It lingered for a few moments, trying to force that smirk on Kevin's lips into something a little more respectable. All too quickly though Fiona felt a familiar pang behind her eyes, a flash of pain that arced through her nasal cavities and stabbed at the back of her eyes. With a sigh she pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to calm herself. She wasn't sure if it were her powers trying to manifest against her will or simply a need for more nicotine, but either way she was done with the conversation. Without anything more than a contemptuous sigh Fiona turned on her heels and stalked back the way she came. She took a direct route to her desk, unlocked her desk and rummaged around inside her drawers for a spare pack of cigarettes she had stashed there for this very purpose. Fuck it, Fiona decided, it was time for a smoke break.

Fiona strode forward with long, aggressive strides, the thick heels of her shoes clicking sharply with each step. She clutched the patch tightly in her grasp, crinkling it briefly as she felt a tingle at the base of her neck. Despite her radiating anger her extrasensory abilities were keen and sharp, if not even more so than normal. She could feel the tension following her, Kevin was never good at keeping his emotions in check and at the moment after Fiona chastised him in front of Nick and Gloria she could taste the aggravation. She didn't pry further, reading surface thoughts was an unconscious ability really, but to really know what someone was thinking and feeling she had to actively reach into their mind. Fiona didn't want to know what Kevin was thinking, she didn't want to feel his own emotions a top her own and with a deep breath she shut herself off completely.

It was like flexing a muscle and holding it. Fiona could only do it for so long, had to make a conscious effort to keep herself from reaching out. For now she focused on the pack of cigarettes in her hand. The doors swished open and Fiona found herself in the parking garage near the designated smoking area. Already a slender cancer stick was withdrawn from the pack and brought to her lips. Her long strides carried her to the far edge of the smoking pit, the scent of tobacco thick and fresh. Already the tip of her cigarette smoldered between her lips, drawing in a relaxing puff of smoke that she held for several long moments. Fiona found a seat on the edge of a concrete table, letting her rump rest against it just enough to take the weight off her feet. One hand smoothed out over the surface and the other curled about her cigarette, drawing it back from her lips as a burst of smoke erupted forth. She breathed it out with a sigh, cornflower blue eyes flashed in the harsh lighting of the garage as they fell upon Kevin. He leaned against a wall, his hands in his pockets and wore a look on his handsome face that just screamed he wanted to say something. He didn't smoke, so why else would he have followed her out here? Fiona didn't speak, even if she wanted to scream at him to just spit out whatever he wanted to say. She never liked to beat around the bush, it just wasn't her thing, perhaps her little explosion had inspired him to finally get something off his chest. Still, she kept her gaze on him, if anything that accusing stare might prompt him to say his piece or chicken out.

A slender crimson brow arched as Kevin started. Their gaze met and Kevin proceeded to say his piece, ending it with an apology of all things.

“Relationship?” Fiona interjected, catching the word as if it were a dagger flung at her face. She couldn't help but think of Gloria's comments and twitch of annoyance returned to her face briefly. “I'm not sure what Gloria thinks is going on, but he was a rookie he needed to be kept on a short leash. That's it. And don't worry about it.”

Her tone broached no room for argument, nor did it leave anyone listening with any doubt. She hastily added the default acceptance of an apology. Fiona didn't mix business with pleasure, the very idea hadn't crossed her mind until everyone else brought it up. The very thought made her cringe, her face scrunching up as if she had inhaled a foul scent. Besides, Michael was a big bulky lug, he wasn't really her type. She still vividly recalled the scent of his burning flesh and the flashes of his memories as they assaulted her (or was it the other way around?). She took another drag of her cigarette, though the silence was filled easily by Kevin's words. He always did like to talk, or so Fiona thought. She wasn't one to hold lengthy conversations, she liked to state her opinion and move on. An over abundance of words just made things needlessly complex. Kevin brought up the comment she had made previously, her eyebrows arched once more as it slowly dawned upon her that Kevin honestly didn't have a clue what had happened. It wasn't as if he was in a good position to be observant, the fact that he was even conscious at that point was impressive enough.


“It fell into place because he kicked it. He jumped on top of me as well. He saved us both.” Fiona put it simply, there wasn't much of a need to go into details. It didn't really seem like Kevin wanted to hear them anyway, the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice made that plainly obvious. Fiona didn't need any supernatural abilities to tell just what that look meant. She felt herself going rigid, her shoulders and back straightened and she almost bit down on her cigarette.

“Kevin...” Fiona began to argue, her walls erecting instantly at the slightest hint of what was to come. It was too late though, Fiona couldn't do a damn thing as Kevin moved closer and started in after an awkward pause. Fiona had managed to scramble to her feet, the cigarette dangling from her fingers as her blue gaze lingered upon him. It started out all so horribly, Fiona felt an undeniable trickle of anger in the pit of her stomach. The very nerve of this man, to think that she needed to be protected like some damsel in distress. That was her first thought, though Fiona bit her tongue and let him go on. She was thankful that she did, as it took a most unexpected turn. The look on Fiona's pretty face was almost comical, for the most part she kept on a stoic mask intermingled with brow furrowing angry glares. Now, it was a mixture of surprise, confusion and more than a little bit of awkward indecision. The last thing she wanted was this. While Fiona was an excellent Agent, she wasn't exactly the best human being. Real emotions like this wasn't something she dealt much with; anger and rage, sure, but not this. Her mouth opened and closed several times before Fiona actually managed to swallow, her blue gaze lingered upon Kevin for long, silent moments. Finally she remembered her cigarette and gratefully brought it to her lips for another puff. She took that moment to think, or at least try to compose herself and not make a further fool with any emotional outburst.

“Kevin,” Fiona repeated his name once more as she released a puff of smoke. She took another breath before she flicked her ashes to the left. “We've been partners for some time. You're a hot head and your cocksure attitude has grated on me since we first met.”

It didn't exactly sound like she was going to return the favor. The look on her face didn't belie any trace of where she was going, that stoic mask was back in place and her tone was as even and sure as it was when she was giving a mission briefing.

“But you've always been there for me and I appreciate it. Despite being a dick you are a good partner and a great Agent. How many years has it been? You know me...I'm not big on...feelings and talking.” Fiona offered a slow rolling shrug of her proud shoulders and her gaze broke from him. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of his words, she could just have said thanks and left it at that. That just felt like a asshat move and Fiona couldn't help but feel like she had been a hard on Kevin lately.

“I'm not a big talker. But there is one thing I've been dying to do,” She suddenly changed the pace and that knowing smirk returned to her lips as if it had never been gone. “I could go for a pint and a bloody steak. How 'bout you?”

Fiona almost expected a cartoonish cloud of smoke in the shape of Kevin to take his place as he rushed off. Though before she could fully commit to finding the idea humorous he was back, signing them both out and freeing them up for awhile. Before Fiona could change her mind he was there literally bouncing his way towards the door with the excitement and energy of a puppy. Hell, his eagerness rivaled one too, at least Fiona didn't have to clean up any puddles when he got too excited. She gave a slow roll of her cornflower blue eyes and started off towards her car, keeping her pace intentionally easy going and slow. Her keys were drawn from her jacket pocket, jingling lightly as long, deft digits curled about the small black box dangling from the keychain.

“Shut yer face or I'm going to make you run there,” Fiona muttered as she approached the car, her blue eyes flashing as Kevin slapped the roof of her baby all too harshly (at least in her mind). She glowered at him from over the car for a moment before she clicked the unseen button in her grasp, the car giving a honk and the familiar click of the locks unlatching.

“What how you treat my car, Speedy Gonzales. She's worth more than your life,” Fiona said before she opened her door and slid into the driver's seat with a sigh. One hand slid over the steering wheel while the other positioned the key before the ignition. Fiona waited for Kevin to climb before she slid the key in, scrunching up her nose and giving her bottom lip a little bite before she turned it and brought the engine roaring to life.

“You gotta treat her with a little respect and gentleness. Save the slapping for when she's warmed up,” It was hard to tell what purred more, the car engine of Fiona's voice at that moment. She had her moments, she wasn't a complete ice queen all the time. That lopsided smirk split her plush lips before a resounding bout of laughter caused her lips to part fully. Without another word she threw it in reverse and eased out of the parking space.

It didn't take long for Fiona to leave the building in the rear view mirror; the harsh glare of the sun a reminder to put on her reflective sunglasses. The drive was pleasant enough, she even let Kevin play his 'wub wub' music for awhile; it was obvious to all but the most oblivious she was trying to take it easy on him. The situation had left her in a peculiar mood, one she was deathly afraid of confronting and yet a tiny bit of her felt an undeniable excitement to it all. If anything, it made her feel normal, if only for a few minutes.

By the time they rolled into the parking lot of “Shitter's Bar and Grill” Fiona's stomach was rumbling loudly. The place wasn't that busy, though it was late enough that they missed most of the lunch rush. It was a familiar hangout for Fiona, they had reasonable prices and decent stuff on tap. Finding a parking spot Fiona didn't waste anytime exiting the car and trotting towards the entrance. Shitter's had a decent patio, which at the moment was all but barren. Fiona claimed a table without a second thought. She shrugged off her jacket and hung it over the back of the chair before she collapsed into it with a grunt. An eager waitress in a shirt one size too small was soon on them, her bustline distorting the Shitter logo considerably, a toilet overflowing with foaming beer (or piss – depending on ones perspective). Fiona gave the impressive rack a glance before she readily put in her order, a rare steak and a pint of whatever was dark and bitter on tap. The waitress took their orders and left, leaving the two sitting out on the patio in the pleasant breeze. Fiona sat with her legs crossed, one arm thrown over the back of her chair and the other fiddling with her phone.

“So...” She finally said, feeling the sudden weight of starting a conversation building. She glanced around for a second before she settled her gaze back on her partner, her eyes hidden behind her shades. Despite them being hidden she wore an expectant look upon her face, as if waiting for Kevin to fill in the void.