We walked past other mission rooms. And turned into the last room like clockwork.
"Sooo..... You’re gonna have to save me again, someone tried to kill me before I came into the agency."
I nodded. "Ugg again? Steven. Cant you go through one day without almost dying?" I smiled at him.
He pressed some buttons on the console making a bathtub come out of the floor. "Mmmm nah, you rescuing me is too much fun."
I stepped behind the curtain stripping.
"Uh hold on, I gotta get this guy out, he's done with his mission." More buttons are pressed another tub is raised. His shoes clack against the floor then stop hmm oh there we go I assume he removed the IV. "Shorts, or pants?" he asks.
"Shorts" a strangely familiar voice answers.
I slip into the dark water pressing myself lower until I’m snug. I tie my arm off and wait.
"That was a hard one the voice says I almost didn't get it done."
"Yeah it was a 4 you usually only take 2’s or 3’s." He chuckled pulling back our curtains.
A blond guy sat facing away from me but that was enough for me to connect the voice to a face. A soft gasp escaped my lips as I realized who it was. I thrust my arm into Steven’s lap, my vein finally visible. Hearing my gasp the guy turns as I face down and away nervously "Izzy? I. is that you?"
Steven furrowed his eyebrows "oh, do you know each other?"
I gave a swift nod while the other said "oh yeah we were friends a looong time ago."
I pulled my knees towards me curling into myself.
"Izzy I’m sorry about before." Steven patted my hand signaling he was done with the iv and walked away. "I didn’t mean to hurt you" he said sadly looking down. He sighed heavily staring into the water, I looked straight ahead as he talked I. I just" he stuttered before stopping as I turned away. "Can you..." He started but I shook my head before tugging my curtain past my face and turning away.
Steven put his hand on the mans shoulder "she’s said no besides she’s going under."
My eyes were closed and my breathing soft as the still water comforted me.
He sighed dejected "yeah ok."
Steven pov
"Hey Steven, what’s her mission?"
"Hehe" I chuckled nervously "she’s gotta go save me again."
"Oh." he answered "Will it be hard?" "Mmm not for her maybe half an hour. So a friend?"
"Yeah" a blush coming over his cheeks "She was a friend a really good one. She wouldn't ever let me pay for anything. If I did she’d slip it into my wallet or bag so I couldn't give it back easily. She pick pocketed me so much I started to notice how she was doing it. After that it became a game to see who could keep the bill at the end of the day." He said smiling fondly.
"Doesn't seem like just a friend to me."
"No she wasn't, we dated for a while in high school. How’s her fam? Did her bro ever get into art school?"
"N not that we know of. Her fam is still living if that's what you mean."
"Living? What do you mean living? Did they move? Does she still talk to them. Her mom seemed really nice."
I cleared my throat, "um no she hasn’t spoken with them for years."
"Years? what do you mean years?"
"Yeah years, she left them when she was 16 um" I glanced at her body "um she hasn’t really... she wont talk about that but we know where she lived but we cant do anything to change the situation legally."
"What do you mean legally" he raised his eyebrow.
"Well she did her research and got married in Mississippi and that emancipated her, so she went to live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, worked her butt off, and got divorced. Legally we can't do anything she took care of any loop holes we could've exploited."
"What about using the tubs and helping her."
I chuckled, “yeah.... That aint happening."
"Why not!?"
"She's wary of strangers, and that’s not even counting the fact that she escapes anyone we sent after her."
"She escapes?"
"Well she incapacitates all our agents is a better way to put it. She... But anyway I interrupt, what about your mission. Why was it so hard?"
"Oh no the hard thing was this really hot chick who kept coming onto me and I almost forgot what I went for. She had these great big..."
"Gah" I held my head in pain a new memory coming in.
I was sitting behind a crate looking on as Isolde fought off my attackers she was coming back to me when she stopped she wiped a tear away chuckling to herself "welp I guess his taste in women changed." A shot rang out echoing through the alleyway. She flinched her hand went to her side, she pulled away picking up a bat and hurling it at the shooters head. "Come on you're safe now." I looked back to see the mans deformed head the bat laying a few feet away. I remember being led home by her, my favorite takeout waiting outside my door.
"Shit! Shit sol! Isolde!" I ran up to her tub her eyes flickering open.
"You really shouldn't talk in here you know I can hear what you say."
"Yeah I know I know I wasn't thinking I’m sorry I’m so sorry."
"Hey" she smiled "its fine no harm done you're ok aren’t you?"
"Yeah but you aren’t." I sniffled tears blurring my sight.
"Hey look at me" she said softly, placing her hand on my cheek "its ok you should know by now that our bodies only receive a low percent of the original injury."
"Yeah, yeah I know you don't have to lecture me again. But you got hurt again."
"A bullet is nothing" she shrugs "I've dealt with much worse, you know that." Her gentle smile calmed me. "Now give me some clothes please."
"Yeah, um I forgot to get them. Andrew could you get some clothes for her? Its in the storage room."
"Yeah" he shouted as he ran out the room.
"Steven?"
"Hmm?"
"You know he doesn’t know my name right?" She asked slowly.
"Oh” I blinked “Ooh why not? Wait how is he going to get the clothes."
She smiled nodding.
"I can page Sistine she's in the storage room today."
"Yeah you do that I'm going to stay here and rest." I closed my eyes. Letting the warm water relax my muscles.
