The Most Adorable Creature

The Mouse

That night Killjoy found that she could not sleep. She loved being back in her room, but it didn't feel safe. The glow in the dark stars that Omen had helped her place now seemed too bright at this time of night. Giving up on sleep entirely, she gingerly stood up and made her way out of the room.

Limping down the halls she eventually found the room she was looking for– the cafeteria. Careful not to trip over any chairs she snuck into the kitchen. The protocol kitchen had a walk-in refrigerator and freezer. The German managed to pull the door to the fridge open with moderate difficulty and stepped inside scanning the shelves. And there it was, a glorious plastic tub of individually wrapped cheese wedges. Choosing a nice block of white cheddar, she left the fridge and sat on one of the cafeteria seats.

Kingdom never gave her cheese, and nor had Viper or Sage, so it was safe to say that it had been months since she had had cheese. It was every bit as rich and glorious as she had originally imagined while lying in bed.

"Can I join you for a midnight cheese?"

A familiar voice broke into KJ's blissful thoughts. Cypher, the Moroccan surveillance specialist peered down at her.

"Scheiße, you scared me Cypher," Killjoy blurted out, almost choking on her cheese, "I would love it if you joined me for a midnight cheese."

"Ahh, sorry for scaring you, my dear," the masked agent walked into the kitchen, reappearing with a cheese wedge in his hand.

"How are you gonna eat that with your mask on?" Killjoy asked him, taking another bite of cheese.

Cypher replied to her question by removing his hat and pulling off his mask, which seemed to be made of a far softer and more flexible material than KJ thought. Morrocan's face was weathered and shaven, his skin and eyes were a brown color.

"Echt jetzt! I never thought you'd take off your mask," the engineer exclaimed, nearly choking on her cheese a second time.

"I don't like to take off my mask, but if I keep it on, I cannot participate in moments like these," Cyper tilted his head indicating the cheese wedge in his hand.

"I have missed you, little engineer," he continued, "and I'm grateful to be able to share midnight cheese moments with you."

A small grin worked its way on the young woman's face, "Midnight cheese," she repeated.

The two of them ate in a peaceful silence.

"If you cannot sleep, sometimes it helps to be around others," Cypher advised, standing up to leave. He gave the engineer a pat on the head before leaving, his steps making no sound.

Killjoy sat there, processing the advice the Moroccan had given her. Who would be up at this time?

A single person popped into her head. Shoving the last of the cheese into her mouth, Killjoy started her journey out of the cafeteria and down the hall. Minutes later, she arrived at her destination, and just as predicted, all the lights inside were still on. The engineer did her best to quietly open the door and walk through, but almost immediately after entering, she lost her balance on the smooth floor of the lab and fell face down.

"Scheiße!" she muttered under her breath.

The sound of an office swivel chair rolling backwards brought her attention off the floor. Upon the chair, a confused Viper looked down at the sentinel.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded in an annoyed tone. Walking into the lab like this was like entering a snake's den.

Killjoy froze, dread filled her senses. "I– umm– cheese–"