Lucky Shot (A Warrior Nun Story)

The Girl in the Hot Seat

"Why don't we start at the beginning." Beatrice said while settling herself more into the stiff, wooden nook seat in Ava's room and setting her notepad on her knee.

When Beatrice had entered Ava's room this morning she had almost expected Ava to be withdrawn and reserved because of the moment they had shared the night before. Beatrice, to her own knowledge, had certainly tried her best to steel herself into her professional role going into today in hopes of being able to contain her emotions while being around the other woman.

However, Ava had greeted Beatrice upon entering the room with a light 'What's hap'nin, Cap'nin' and a teasing smile, clearly impressed with her own word-play. Beatrice had answered back with a simple 'Good morning, Ava' and the two had quickly settled into the nook where they now sat with Beatrice rod-stiff on one side and Ava sitting casually with her legs crossed on the other.

Ava gave Beatrice a small smile, "Jeez, no foreplay with you, huh? Just straight into the hot seat." Ava teased. Beatrice willed herself not to blush at Ava's innuendo and simply shook her head giving Ava a small sympathetic smile.

"Yes, well, there is a lot of information we have to go over during our time together today so it's probably best that we get started right away." She said with an air of superiority. If Ava noticed the way that her voice slightly trembled halfway through her sentence then she didn't comment on it.

Ava seemed to be expecting this sort of response seeing as how she simply gave Beatrice a slight nod before settling her arms on her knees and slouching a bit further into the nook. It was funny, Beatrice thought, how she almost looked like she was trying to sink into the wood and melt away right before Beatrice's eyes. To Beatrice's disappointment, Ava seemed to be closing herself off right before her eyes.

Beatrice had noticed that anytime she had tried to bring up Ava's past and connection to HALO, Ava would enter into this closed-off headspace where she spoke sharply and eliminated any emotion from her face.

This was concerning to Beatrice only because she knew what would happen in Ava was uncooperative in any way during Beatrice's interrogation. Superion would deem Beatrice's attempts a failure and assign Ava to a different agent; an agent who would surely employ vastly different tactics than Beatrice.

Needless to say, Beatrice really wanted Ava to cooperate.

She flipped her notepad open and clicked her pen once before resting it on the page and looking back up at Ava who, she had noticed, was no longer meeting Beatrice's eyes in return.

"Our intelligence indicates that you were once a patient at St. Michael's, is that correct?" Beatrice asked, thinking that throwing out a few softballs would be easier on Ava than jumping straight into the harder stuff.

Beatrice was almost insulted when Ava rolled her eyes and scoffed at Beatrice's question before crossing her arms across her chest and leaning back against the wall of the nook.

"Yes." Ava answered simply through gritted teeth. Beatrice was beaming increasingly nervous both at Ava's sudden change in demeanor, as well as by the lack of information that she started to feel she should expect from this interrogation.

Beatrice cleared her throat before continuing, "We also have reason to believe that you were involved in some sort of special experiment or project." Beatrice paused here, knowing that she was probably about to enter into a territory that Ava would not be happy with, "What can you tell me about that?" Beatrice finished.

Ava didn't say anything for a moment and took to looking out of the window inside the nook. Beatrice was about to repeat the question, fearing that Ava had zoned out and missed it when she started talking.