Page 5 of Girl, Undone
Another body moved into their orbit, and despite its tiny stature, it still somehow managed to dwarf both Ella and Luca.‘Good morning, agents.More bad-mouthing of the UVCU, is it?’
Director Vernon.The new big man.His black hair was slicked to the nines, and he’d opted for a colorful suit that seemed at odds with his status.Ella always noticed that new higher-ups did everything they could to distinguish themselves from the people they replaced, and Vernon was no exception.His skin was tanned and moisturized to a high sheen, and Ella was almost envious of the glow.
‘Not us, sir.’
‘No siree,’ Luca added.
‘Glad to hear it.’Vernon rotated a finger between Ella and Luca.‘You two are an item, is that correct?’
‘Sort of.Is it obvious?’Luca asked.
‘No, it isn’t, and I encourage you to keep it that way.’Vernon leaned in and lowered his voice.‘It makes things easier, believe me.’
‘Roger that,’ Ella said.‘I better get going.The paperwork is mounting.’
‘Ah, not so fast, Miss Dark.I’m glad to see that you’re healing up from your last assignment, but would you be able to see me upstairs in ten minutes?There’s something I need to talk to you about.’
Luca shot her a look that she couldn’t read.It reminded her of the look a teenager would give their friend when the teacher asked to speak to them after class.‘Of course.I’ll be up there ASAP.’
‘Excellent.I’ve summoned Agent Ripley too, although she never replies to my emails, so it’s fifty-fifty whether she appears or not.’
‘Hence what we were saying about the UVCU,’ Luca said.
‘I’m afraid she’ll have to get used to it, because the UVCU is here to stay.’Vernon regarded Luca and sized him up like he was a juicy piece of meat.‘Agent Hawkins, you’re yet to commit to a silo, is that right?’
‘Right, sir.’
Rookie agents weren't assigned a permanent division until completing their first probationary year.The Bureau wanted its agents to have a broad foundation of general fieldwork before they vanished into a silo, and that could be any area that required fieldwork, be it Counter Terrorism, Organized Crime, Hostage Rescue, or Ultra-Violent Crime.
‘Well, you look a good fit for the UVCU, given your past.How’d you feel about working beside Miss Dark?’
‘Uh,’ Luca said.‘We tried that before.It sucked.’
Vernon turned to Ella.‘Did it?’
‘Yeah.We ended up getting annoyed with each other.’
‘To be fair, Ell, you get annoyed at everyone,’ said Luca.He leaned in to Vernon, ‘Short fuse, you see.’
She gave him a stare that said they’d be sleeping separately for at least one night.‘He’s just joking, sir.We worked fine together, but it wasn’t optimal, if you know what I mean.’
Luca said, ‘Yeah, that’s what I meant.It sucked.’
‘Well, we’ll see what the future holds.I’ll let you go, and Miss Dark I’ll see you shortly.’
Vernon disappeared up the staircase in a blur, and other rookie agents began queuing up behind Luca.Ella turned to him and said, ‘You could be more tactful, you know that?’
‘I do know that.’
‘A short fuse?What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Isn’t it true?’
‘No.I only have a short fuse with you.’
‘I’d love to debate this, Ell, but I’ve got a nine-thirty with the Rated-R guys.See you at home?’
‘Rated-R?You were the R-Vengers a minute ago.Consistency, Hawkins, you know it?’
