MARIEL

23~ Duty ~(END OF PART 2)

Tira Arcelin had nearly kissed her. At least twice that night, the desire had struck her like a bolt of lightning, and it came with a consequence: it had distracted her from her original mission.

She hadn't inserted the chip.

Tira was furious with herself for multiple reasons. She'd even had the chip pressed against Esther's wrist, ready to penetrate the skin as she waited for the snow to numb the subject's body but... she hadn't completed the job. Her duty.

Agent 4 had never left a job incomplete. Now, it was her duty to revisit the mission and prove to herself and her country that she had the capability to do this. The idea of this filled her with dread. It would mean seeing Esther again, and facing the undoubted attraction to her. It was there, and it was strong, stronger than she'd ever experienced before. It made her outraged and rigid in the moment, especially when Esther teased her and disrespected her unlike anyone she'd ever met before.

Ultimately, Tira simply did not wish to be attracted to a girl as weak and idiotic as Esther.

Nevertheless, Tira found it hard to convince herself that she hadn't had fun. That bothered her as well. Naturally, Agent 4 could understand the concept of 'fun' outside of work. Shooting. Fitness. Casual sex. But, within work? Unless it involved high risk activities and physical danger, fun did not fit inside of work.

Yes, she'd had a moment of weakness, and Tira would have to forgive herself and move on. Now, the sooner she could insert the new chip and withdraw the old one, the sooner she could avoid Esther Caravan again.

It was Sunday, 10:30pm. Tira Arcelin's patrol in the city was almost complete. Hard rock played softly through the speakers of the cruiser as it sat with dimmed lights in a 'NO PARKING' zone near the Ogden Slip river. As Tira sat in the cruiser, dispatch spoke frequently through the radio. The area was fairly quiet. The river was very close to the mysterious, lakefront building where the lightning storm and explosion had occurred. Her curiosity had been ignited, and so she had chosen to finish the remainder of her shift close to the area. Multiple buildings and alleyways that were close to the river had had their share of activities, so she hadn't been bored in the last hour.

Sipping her coffee, Tira's eyes darted over the streets, listening to anything that might capture her interest. Cars screeching. Drunks yelling. People laughing. The air was warm tonight, warmer than usual, and more people bustled about the streets due to the change in climate.

Leaning her head back against the seat, Tira finished the rest of her coffee and thought about the afternoon. She'd arrived at the church to meet the priest, Fr. Jerome, but had met another priest instead. When she had inquired about Fr. Jerome, the black-haired priest had insisted that Fr. Jerome would not be with the church much longer, due to unethical activities.

Tira didn't believe him. She was not usually wrong in determining the class and respect of certain individuals and, despite not knowing him, she was confident in admitting that Fr. Jerome was a good man, and it was unlike him to miss their meeting.

"I'm certain everything will work out for Fr. Jerome," she had said, tartly, piercing the priest's blue eyes with hers. Something had darkened in those eyes, something akin to fear, and then it had flickered away.

"We'll see," the priest had said, turning away from her. "Bad things don't happen to good people. At least, isn't that how it... should be?"

Tira had raised her upper lip in scorn and then left. Something about the air of the priest had reminded her of her papa.

As if on cue, Aleksey had sent her a message this afternoon, congratulating her on her success as the top agent. The Russian president had told her that he knew he wouldn't be disappointed in her, and had even expressed pride. Subsequently, he had asked Tira if she wanted anything as a reward for her hard work.