MARIEL

19~ Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. ~

It was Friday, and unlike many people in the workforce, Tira was in a horrible mood. She'd been annoyed with the recruits all day, even though she was aware that they were exhausted from the week of training. During inspection, she had smelled alcohol on Recruit Thompson's breath and, while it was something that could easily get one kicked from the academy, she knew she had to let it slide. The reasons: he was a senator's son, she had directed enough attention to their feud, and his eventual assignment of protection would belong to none other than Kaemon Spears himself. This was a humorous irony to Tira, especially since Thompson had no clue he would be protecting the man running against his own father in the primaries. That, at least, gave Tira a brief snort of humor.

Many things consumed her mind. Tonight, she'd be occupied with activities in which she had no desire to participate, but they were necessary. First, she needed to retrieve the new chip from Michael. She had also contacted Jacob Caravan in an attempt to schedule a meeting with him; it was vital to assess that situation as well. Also scheduled for tonight, Tira had a business "date" with Esther Caravan.

Agent 4 looked forward to none of it. For that reason, she scowled throughout the day. Furiously, Tira stormed about. Barked orders. Forced the recruits to run the stairs. Today, the recruits feared her even more than usual. Even Recruit Thompson reduced his typical glances of disdain.

On her lunch break, Tira warmed her lunch in the back office and then sat upright on the desk. Swinging her legs, she chewed her food methodically as she stared at her phone.

'I'm looking forward to kicking your ass tonight at bowling,' Esther had messaged her, earlier in the morning.

Sipping her water with one hand, Tira typed with the other hand's thumb. 'Hmm. You seem confident.'

The office door creaked and Miels stepped inside the room. Glancing at Tira, she marched straight to the microwave and slipped the food inside of it. "Who are you texting?" The buttons beeped as she struck them.

Tira didn't look up from her phone. "That's a personal question, don't you think?" She spoke coolly.

"You know," Miels said softly, moving closer. Her eyes darted to the door. "We've been much more personal."

"Miels, stop it. Your overly sensitive boyfriend is here."

"He's not my boyfriend anymore."

"Either way," Tira finally looked up from her phone. "Until you're graduated, we can't get too personal again. Understood? Now take your food and leave. You don't need to be in here alone with me."

Smirking, Miels retrieved her food and gestured towards Tira's phone. "Well, whoever she is, I hope she gets you laid."

Tira's head shot up.

Miels winked and moved across the room. "Because you really need it. And toys don't count." Quickly, she hopped onto the desk next to Tira, who scowled at her with a reddening face.

"Miels, if you don't get out of this room, you're going to run laps again. I mean it."

"Relax, I'm just eating. Jesus."

Tira let it go and returned her attention to her phone. Esther had responded. 'I'll bet you. That's how confident I am.'

"What the hell is going on over Lake Michigan?" Miels spoke abruptly, bringing her phone closer to her face.

"Hmm?" Tira glanced up.

"Look." Miels leaned closer and showed her a live feed video. "What the hell is that?"