A Mind To Kill The Average Joe

Incriminating Conversations

"I think I'm about to be cleared..." Betty said unwillingly. Samantha took more than a second to realize what that meant. Her eyes were basically glued to the TV. But Betty had the remote. She sat upright, crossed her legs and prepared herself to say it again before switching off the TV. "Hey... I'm leaving."

Samantha's attention was on Betty right away. And the first thing that made her silent, was how her whole body faced her direction. It frightened her a bit. She looked like herself, but different. Samantha stifled a swift, "Oh daaamm..." There was silence. Betty didn't want to lie to her any further and Samantha just felt abandoned.

"...". There was more Betty wanted to tell her. But she didn't accept it herself. And definitely knew she'd loose her as a friend.

Just like that, 'Riley' became a ghost in the silence. She couldn't leave just yet, not unless she was escorted out in a wheelchair. They had some time left. But their interactions were wooden. Samantha was just, sad. Betty didn't feel the same way. She'd still be here with her, see her, hear her, just not talk to her, maybe sad.

                                *

"How do you know Jerry's not my guy?" Robert confronted Betty I the cafeteria's kitchen, still a bit suspicious about her.

"Well, you're here." she said, chopping vegetables to steam them, "And then they were here."

"That didn't answer my question." he responded.

Betty glanced over the counter. She smirked seeing how much she made him break character. She guessed that what she said bothered his mental image of the organization more than he liked, then again maybe it was because of her lying just as good as he did. "He's not bord. Not eager to help...and definitely not going against the organization." she proposed, "He suspected you, didn't he? I bet, if you were really shady, he would have blew the whistle on you the moment he confirmed it."

"Is that it? No one, ever really knows somebody." he calmly stated at her sure opinion, oblivious to the ulterior motives of Danish's friendly exterior towards her, "Do you know? Heee-"

It was a recognizable atmosphere that Betty's experienced before. The slight hesitation, the prolonged syllable of the pronoun, the interested eyes and suppressed smile untamed by it's excitement. He was acting like a school girl ready to tell her friend that someone likes them, as if she was happy for them and expecting too much. Needless to say, his mannerisms took her back to the most embarrassing part of being a tween. A part that she hoped would die as she got older. She interrupted, "--Yeah! I know he's got a crush on me." She didn't want to add anything on that statement. It already made her feel bad that she didn't feel the same way and that being her normal friendly self both looked and felt like she was leading him on, in her mind that is. "...".

"...". Robert was disappointed. She wasn't oblivious to the poor guys feelings, just acted that way. And it was the wild card he was going to use to throw her off, his only card. "So, you've got him all figured out." he mocked, "Mind telling me how?"

"Chop these up into same sized pieces if you can." she responded referring to the bowl of prewashed veggies. Robert took it over. Now she focused on defrosting the packed raspberries and checking the chicken she was boiling away in a tall pot. There was only silence in the kitchen, besides the sound of boiling water and the impatients Robert channeled into his chopping. "Okay blue-eyed butcher." she said as she took the knife away from his hands, "I don't want any groves on my chopping board."

"Sorry..." he commented, "How am I supposed to know if the broccoli and carrots are cut the same size...?"

"I'm guessing you're also underestimating how hard raw vegetables are too..." she responded at his fear of failure, "...You did it, good."

"..." he stayed silent. She had dropped the conversation and started a new one. He wasn't even obligated to talk to her anymore. And maybe her secret ranking and status was because of it. He would have given up on her if she wasn't so sure her co-worker was innocent and not telling him why.

"Call him out on him, liking me." she suggested, "You can build your friendship from there." She washed the chopped veggies again. "I can't tell how or why I know he's not, guilty of what you're accusing him of, not without spilling secrets. Stories you won't believe." She paused for a moment. "Well, I can tell you how one ends." She had a faint smile. "I'm going to die here, in a room with three people."

Robert thought that she was messing with him on that last part. But he took her idea. And that lead to him becoming friends with Danish.

                                *

"Hey Will." Beverly contacted him on one of the secure phones in the bunker. "She's recovering well." She humoured him, "With some luck, I might get her ready for our mission."

"I don't think that's a good idea." he responded.

Delighted at the sound of his voice that indicated she lightened his mood, she commented, "Well I think it is...What are you afraid of ?"

"I'm afraid she'd kill me Babe." he answered light-hearted. "Aren't you?"

"Of course." she responded swiftly, "But you gotta admit, when you watch over the video. She's actually pretty fucking rad. And, there's one more thing..."

"Make it quick." he uttered referring to his cover being blown, "This mission's two shakes away from being a shit storm."

"Having trouble all by yourself." she teased knowing very well he's at an invite only party with the intent t steal information from the host. "I could 'hack' their security system if you want. But I'd just be watching you."

"Jane!?" he urged her not to fool around. "Are you, doing that now?"

"Yeah." she answered, viewing him from the bunkers laptop. "A bowtie would have made you classy." He was leaving the chatty crowd.

"It would have made me stand out." he replied. "What did you want me to do again?"

"I needed you to-" she noticed suspicious activity with one of the guess. "--There's someone coming." Observing the waiter, she realized that he was here to steal too, maybe not information, but maybe one or four or all the priceless decor. He was casing the place. "Okay. You're clear... Bolt this time." He entered a room with no video footage unless the view from the windows counted.

"You can talk now." he consulted, "I'm all alone."

"I need you to check out one of Dorian's partners." she finally told him, "I'll email you the details I've got. But I need you to ask around."

"What's this about?" he sincerely asked her.

"I'm being blackmailed by one of them." she said secretly as if the walls had ears.

"What?!" he contained his voice, "What are they making you do?"

"It's in the email." She saw someone's shadow. "I think someone's coming." she said before hanging up, "Love you bye."

                                *

Riley's absence was noticed. The room became bigger and more quiet, maybe too much of both for Samantha. So she decided to get up, though strenuous it may be for her and manage to walk to the door. And that's what she did, though she hurt herself falling to the ground. But she had been doing so well in physical therapy, that she figured out she just had to put her mind to it. Why lifting such little weights made her whole body feel like it had the workout of a lifetime was beyond her.

When she reached the door, it was so heavy for her pull it open. She had felt so proud of herself till this moment. Now she realized how weak she truly is. She layed on the floor waiting for someone to walk in, silently crying and getting angry. For some reason what she did that day meant that she'd be confined to that bed until the doctors say otherwise. She wasn't familiar with hospital's, this was the longest she had ever stayed in one to her knowledge. So she didn't question it.