Bonnie stood silently, swaying with the movements, watching the horizon. The serene waters were broken by the motors on either side of her, churned and spat out like a nasty drink. The white, frothy waters sprayed out and joined again to eventually become one. Feet firmly planted on the buzzing deck, sending vibrations up through her body and calming her. With the wind and sea rushing past, she had not a care in the world. Bonnie took a deep breath of air, the freshest you'll find for miles. Stuck in her daydream of the mysteries of the ocean and thoughts of nature, Bonnie was brought crashing back to reality with a thump on the back.
"She's a beaut 'ey?" Bonnie blinked and looked up into the aging face. It wasn't one she recognised. She nodded politely and gripped the railings tighter. She had not yet grown used to random's attempting polite conversations with her. The man looked out at the horizon and murmured half to himself, half to Bonnie; "Wondrous thing, the ocean. This particular section contains up to 1,500 different species of fish. And it's only about 50 square metres... Spectacular thing... Tis nature, innit?" Bonnie agreed politely and the man made eye contact with her for the first time. Her appearance must have startled him, as he took a double take. He stared deeply into her turquoise-pink eyes with a fascinated look upon his face, transforming it into one you might find belonging to a child in a sweet shop. Bonnie blushed, looking away. "I'm sorry, i's jus', I've never seen eyes of that colour before..." Thinking it best not let him ask any questions, Bonnie muttered something about needing the bathroom and strode away without a backwards glance. She marched down the stairs to the restricted section with confidence and ease. It was always so hard to avoid confrontation and weird glances when you looked like Bonnie did. As a way of distracting herself, Bonnie found a mirror on the wall to the right and flattened her jet-black hair. She looked at her own eyes, noticing the almost fluorescent turquoise green, with speckles of pink amongst the rich green-blue colour. She didn't understand what was so odd about the way she looked. Surely many other people had similar eyes and hair so dark that it was hard to distinguish anything at night. She rearranged the red ribbon propped on the top of her sleek hair and took a deep breath. This whole ordeal would have been a million times easier if Enzi had opted to go with her, but of course he had stayed behind. He didn't like too much alone time with Bonnie, and he definitely didn't like getting his hands dirty, that's for sure.
Bonnie checked her pager, an acquisition requirement for all protégé's new on the field. This was Bonnie's first experience of the outside world and first taste of what all of her training was for. She quietly closed the door of the staff lavatory and started the journey to the area for the public. A bony hand clasped around her arm and sent shivers down her spine. "'Scuse me miss, but you're not supposed to be here." Bonnie turned around to take in the gangly features of her captor. His hollow cheeks, the wispy stubble over his pubescent face, all the way to his nobly knees. She quickly turned on the charm that she had been practising for weeks, in case of a scenario just like the one that had arose. Bonnie fluttered her extraordinary eyes and turned her head slightly to the left, touching her chin onto her shoulder. Showing mock abashment, she stuttered in her most confident Swedish accent, "Oh, I am much sorry. I couldn't find powder room. Much sorry, I shall return to seat now." After the crewmember relinquished the poor girl, she scurried down the hallway back to the rear of the large vessel.
Having completed the task at hand, Bonnie tapped her right ear and muttered "Blissful." A tall, blond haired man linked his arm through hers and led her to the maintenance room. They both clambered into the wetsuits and fitted the tanks securely to their backs. All geared up, the pair launched themselves into the water on the count of four. As their hands broke the surface, the boat lit up. It was torn apart from the inside, out. Bonnie couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt. All of those innocent civilians, the sweet old man. But this was what had to be done. They fled from the scene of the explosion, their time running short. As the two reached the assigned waterfall and cave, they removed their suits and grabbed the towels waiting for them. Bonnie was silent and stared down at her feet.
"What's the matter Bon? You should be relieved. Not many of our first timers missions go quite that well." The man consoled the young girl.
"No, I am happy, really I am. It's just... That man I was talking to. Why did he have to die too?"
"Ah, well see the amazing thing is Bon, is that being who we are and doing what we do, comes with drawbacks, oh yes it does. But also has its benefits. This, dear Bonnie just happens to mean disguises." The blonde man Bonnie so much admired reached inside his pocket and lifted up a very realistic aged mask. Bonnie's eyes widened and she breathed a sigh of relief. Although she hadn't spoken to the kind man, she felt a sort of vibe about him. She was glad it had been her teacher.
"You see, we need to teach you guys a certain set of skills. And one of those is learning to cope under pressure. This disguise was a test. A test you passed."
***
Surrounded by pristine, white walls, Bonnie awoke with a shudder. The drugs had caused her arms to feel like a ton of bricks. She staggered out of the makeshift beds they all got and rested her throbbing head against the wall, next to the door. A deep voice resonated through the square, clean room. "Look sharp! What have I said about vigilance?"
Bonnie propped herself up, feeling faint. It never seemed to cease. The outline of a motorised door appeared on a wall that was blank as of ten seconds ago. Unlike previous experiences, no one infiltrated the recovery room brandishing weapons. Instead, wafts of dinner floated to Bonnie's nose. As if in response, her stomach gurgled. Her nose led her cautiously out of the room into the confined, long hallway. As she rushed towards the smell of food longingly, another door appeared and a dazed boy stumbled out. He tumbled after her, intent the same. They both reached the cafeteria, faces pale. The room had a high ceiling and a long, metal food bar at the front of the room. Each person in the room must have been around the same age; teenagers. Every movement in the room was meticulously in time, like a well-oiled machine. There was even a sort of rhythm about it. The queue shifted, food was plopped onto their plates and in beat, they would move on. Each table ate synchronistically, arms moving to mouths and back to the plates. There was an unnatural feel about the place. The oddness of it all did not seem to faze Bonnie or the boy, and they proceeded towards the queue.
At the conclusion of the meal, every person within the spotless, white cafeteria stood up, tucked their chair in and formed a line. They marched out, unnervingly silent. One by one, the front of the line turned off, left then right, into doors all along the corridor until all but Bonnie had disappeared. At last, her room appeared and she entered. The steel-framed bed was in the centre and was made up with thin, hospital sheets. She approached the left side, folded the corner down and slipped in. Lying on her back, Bonnie pressed the button on the head of the bed and all of the lights shut off. She closed her eyes, dreams only of total and utter darkness.
***
"King... must be commenced.... She would...."
"No.... she is not yet ready for another."
"Trust me on this, this one is different from the rest...."
Voices murmured in the distance. Bonnie was not yet supposed to be awake. This never happened. From the corner of her eye, she saw glimpses and shadows through the window on her right. Two undistinguishable men in white coats were arguing. Hard as she tried to catch the rest of their short conversation, she unwillingly faded into unconsciousness.
***
