Arlington

Third Chapter

Location: (DARPA) Headquarters

Address: 675 North Randolph Street, Arlington, VA, 22203

Date: 8/27/2013

Time: 11:23 a.m.

There, in her office, she raced against the clock. Valery jotted down her calculations, her new developments. Her hair was a mess, and barely any makeup was on her face; she didn't even know how to cover those bags under her eyes, anyway. Her excuse was good, running on 5 hours of sleep for 3 days weighs you down. Even though she was receiving pressure from her superior, she was pleased with her progress. That education was being put to work; Valery earned a doctorate in engineering from Princeton back in 2006. But her skills to create were a gift from God, a natural ability. It was her superpower, to bring to life ideas from her imagination.

Feeling smug, Valery invited Arati to her office. The director walked in with a look of displeasure; the sheer sight of Valery gave her a slight headache. Rubbing her temples, she said, "I better hear good news."

Valery, without looking at her boss, and replied with one word, "Finished."

"What? You said you had months of work ahead of you."

Valery typed away on her computer, and replied once again, "Finished." She resisted the urge to smile, but a little smirk crept onto her face anyway. The computer monitor was turned to face Arati. On the screen was Malachi. He was firing rounds into the air, which curved downwards to hit their target. Arati took her eyes off the screen. Right after he flashed the hand signal that suggested everything was okay, he converted the same hand to flip the bird. Valery quickly clicked him off.

"I'm...." Arati started. "Blatantly impressed."

"I know you are. I'm really impressed with myself."

"However, you directly disobeyed me."

"I did." Valery chuckled. "That's the part that impresses me the most."

Arati put her head down. "That actually impressed me also. Good job." She turned around and headed out. In a cheerful voice Valery thanked her, while giving her the finger. Malachi returned on the screen with a smile.

"What if Arati saw that?" asked Valery.

"I wouldn't have cared. What can she do to me?"

"She would ask me to fire you."

"Oh, would you?"

"If you ever did something that would make her want me to fire you, you'd get a raise."

"Don't tempt me," Malachi laughed. She shot him a look.

"I will see you in a second; I'm heading down there."

"Jesus Christ. Now?"

"Yes, now. I got to film some glory shots for the presentation."

"Shouldn't you get some rest? You look tired."

"Well, thank you. I'm too engaged right now. I strike when the iron is hot." Malachi shook his head. "See you in a bit, nutty buddy."

The phone on the desk rang; Valery moaned. She reluctantly answered, but her voice was cordial. It was her assistant Bed. Bed earned her cruel nickname because of her tall form, thick body, and pasty white skin. Her actual name was Deborah. It was an inside joke that she wasn't in on.

"Hey," started Bed. "There are two police officers here that are looking for you." A wave of heat struck Valery; her organs felt heavier.

"Bring them in."