Assassin of Steele

Chapter 7

*By: amy_bda*

Alex surveyed his son for a while. He didn't say anything, merely looked at Ace, but he could tell with just the look that his father was disappointed.

Eventually, Ace could bear it no longer. "Look, Dad, I'm sorry. It's just..."

Alex sighed. "Just what, Ace? What possible reason could you have to try to break into Rina's personal files?"

"It's just...she's just so...difficult. One minute she's stone-faced, the next she's beating me up!"

Alex merely looked at his son. "Rina doesn't attack if unprovoked. Unless you're a hit, of course. And I'm fairly certain that I didn't order a hit of my own son," he said dryly. "So did you do anything?"

Ace winced. "No."

Once again, there was a long interlude of silence. This time, Ace didn't try to break it. 

Finally, Alex spoke. "I'm disappointed in you Ace. For a multitude of reasons. You attempt to bribe my guards and break into my office, rather clumsily I might add. On top of that, when you're caught, you lie to me."

"Wh...bu...ho..." Ace spluttered.

"Have you forgotten that my guards are chosen specifically to prevent against bribes? They are among the most loyal in the Agency." Alex continued, ignoring Ace's half-formed protests. "The minute you left, they alerted me."

"But...then how?"

"How did I know you were trying to access Rina's files? Do you not think that as the Chief, I can access and see what all users are doing across the Agency computers? Ace, really. You're disappointing me. Now, I want you to go and apologize to Rina. For both things you have done today."

"What...what do you mean, 'both things'?"

Alex sighed again. "Ace, I thought you would have figured it out at this point that I know. Rina contacted me an hour ago demanding that she get a different partner. Are you really so naïve so as to assume I wouldn't ask her for a reason?"

"No," Ace sighed.

"That's what I thought. Now go apologize to Rina. I expect you two to be past this by tomorrow. I have a mission for you."

Ace perked up. "A mission?"

"Thank you, Ace," his father said, then he pulled the computer towards him, opened it up, and started typing.

At the clear dismissal, Ace got up and left, his mind churning. How was he going to apologize to Rina? And what was his mission?

When he went past the two guards by the elevator, they wouldn't look him in the eye. "Sorry, mate," one of them tried halfheartedly. "But it's our job, you know?"

He spent the whole walk to Rina's room trying to figure out what he would say to her. But even when he got there, he had no idea what to say.

"Rina, I'm really sorry about what I did, even though you did beat me up so we're even...no. That's bad. Um...Rina, I want to apologize for breaking into your files and stuff...definitely not. You know what! I just won't tell her."

"You won't tell me what?"

Ace gulped. Rina had opened her door and was leaning in the doorway. "Nothing."

Rina stared him down.

"I'msorryIkissedyouandthatIbrokeintoyourfilesonmyDad'scomputer," Ace blurted out in a rush.

Rina's face contorted into one of fury, and Ace decided that Rina showing emotions was indeed more scary than her blank mask.

"You did what?!"

"Um..." Ace tried to think of what to say. "I didn't see anything, I promise."

"Oh, you promise. That's reassuring." She got up in his face and hissed, "Next time, Striker or no, you'll find your throat slit in the middle of the night."

Then, Rina moved back stiffly, her face wiped clean. The only display of her emotions was the slamming of the door. Ace gulped again. He knew with 100% certainty that she would carry out the threat if he crossed another line. The problem was, he couldn't help but want to take that as a dare, and cross them all.