#043: Sixteen years of mild paranoia

[the-one-and-only-043]

...I thought you implying that if an Operative overheard, it would be bad.

[They are...so confused.]

Is that not what you meant??

Return to a Baby Chick

Florian returns to meet their sister under cover. Old memories get stirred up.

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"Are you doing alright? You don't look too happy to be here." A woman with grey eyes met her younger sister as the latter came with a modest smile.

Brown hair was put up in a simple bun, matching the white long sleeves and black pants Florian was wearing. Their brown eyes dulled, hiding the silver specks in them further. "Not really. You know how it is."

She looked at them with worry as she embraced them with caution. "I know. But can you bear it for a little while?"

They nodded after some deliberation and held her hand. They'd adjusted the tiny brooch on their right to make sure Reginald can hear what's happening. Their feet felt damp as the thought that their handler can't warn them for any dangers soon settled in their mind.

"Now, remember, agent, your goal here is to find out if she's involved in any Zoraxis activity. She's quite known to be reclusive, and quite franky, overly cautious."

Despite the firm grip, Florian can only feel how detached they are to their actual sister, their mind wandering to the set of siblings they have back at headquarters.

"You can stay here in this room. It's closest to our room so you can come by any time." Her other hand touched their shoulder, forcing them to look at her in the eye.

"... You don't need to do this, Liz."

"You're my younger sister. Of course I'm going to make sure you get taken care of." Her eyes narrowed, looking over their form, grip tightening slightly at the way their shrink under her gaze. "Get some rest. I'll see you later."

"... I'll see you later." They waved as she walked away, sighing in relief as they entered the room and checked their belongings for any sign of tampering.

Their eyes darted around, checking the underside of the bed and dresser to look for any bugs and hidden cameras. The solid thud gave them slight anxiety as the thought of accidentally damaging them crossed their mind.

"She seems quite the assertive one," Reginald stated as soon as they put on the earpiece. "Good luck, Agent."

"I know..." They groaned. "I'll be off for a while. It's hot and I'd rather get my sweat washed off sooner than later."

Florian took their earpiece off and gently covered their earpiece with the soft pink sheets on the bed. The microphone was gently placed under their drawer.

The ringing from their phone caught their attention as they used their TK to bring it and their earpiece close while wiping their hair down after a quick shower.

A smile formed on their face as they saw the caller ID, only for them to not answer when they heard knocking.

"Flor, open the door."

They got up and opened the door, revealing their sister with a brush and towel. Her smile soon faltered when she saw the faint traces of scars on their, now ungloved, hands.

Her eyes narrowed as they covered their arms with the robe sleeve. "What is that?" The tone practically bit at them as she yanked their hand. "... What is this?" Her steps gained weight as her grey eyes kicked up a storm.

"Liz, let go." They turned their head away as they were forced to sit by the dresser to look at their reflection.

"I'm not letting this go. These scars are from your experiments, aren't they? Why are you like this? Don't you know how dangerous this is? You could die any time!"

Their shoulders slumped, fringes covering their eyes as they felt the towel dry their hair further.

"... You could've been alone in your laboratory on that day for all I know. If that building didn't blow up, if the nukes detonated... I don't know. You could have been crushed by the rubble of your own making. You could've been in your own grave without anyone knowing for months, if at all. Bleeding to death, asking for help and no one will be there to save you."

"... I can handle myself, besides I told you, I retired from-"

"But you'll never let it go. Just like how you can't ever shake away the role everyone else assigned you." She evaded their eyes as her gentle hands untangled their brown locks. "You have family here, Florian. You don't have to do this."

Silence brewed between the two sisters as the older made her way slowly to their scalp. The sight of the tangles in her baby sister's hair made her heart ache.

"... But I want to. And... Ameri can't really stop me now, can he?"

Liz took a sharp breath as she tried to look at their expression in the mirror.

"... Are you okay with his disappearance being considered a cold case?"

"Given the amount of blood they found at the scene, unless something interfered, I doubt he'd be alive." They clenched the robe on their lap as their head lowered further.

"... Just like that agent. I doubt they'd survived. Falling that many floors, possibly trapped under rubble? Thinking about their likely fate led me back to think about you. What were you doing that day?"

"I was too caught up in my work and suffered these for it." They rotated their arms, looking at the scars on them. Part of them were thankful that the faded burns covered the slashes and bullet wounds. "What do you think of John Juniper?"

"We attended his funeral," she said, curling their hair with gentleness. "There's not much to say."

"... What about Zoraxis?"

"Hearing the rumors didn't help give a positive impression of the company. I suppose it was a surprise but also not at all if you think about it. I suggest you avoid associating with anyone who could be involved with them. Get dressed. I'm not going to help you because I will blow a gasket if I look at you."

Liz felt a slight shiver at how swift her sister changed, only for it to die down slightly when she saw them twirling a bit to settle the skirt properly.

The sleeves of the red dress barely reached past the elbow as white gloves covered the scars. The skirt brushed past their knees, flowing downward to cover up more scars.

A silence took hold of them again, only the sound of a brush filling the space. Her deft hands made sure the two side strands of red were set aside, only for theirs to push it towards the rest of the hair.

She notes how they now preferred to keep their ears hidden by their hair but refused to comment on it. She missed the chance of having her little sister getting dressed up and she intends to not prod any more at the moment.

They wiped their golden framed glasses after they secured the brooch from their long sleeves on their top.

They took away her chance of noticing any more problems on their face by applying cosmetics while distracted.

The pair of sisters walked outside the room, heels clicking as she made sure they wouldn't get lost.

Only when Liz saw the Fabricator did she let them go their own way. Florian immediately left the area as soon as they could.

It was an open secret that Liz and the Fabricator did not get along.

"Reggie, why is the Fabricator here? Is she the organizer for the event?"

"That's not the problem we have at the moment, Agent. Your siblings are on their way there because you didn't answer the phone for over an hour. And yes, she is."

"What." They took a sharp breath as they checked their phone to see multiple missed calls and a text saying they're on their way.

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@phoenix-and-found-family, I'm inclined to believe Wy was the one who called them and got 043 to check on Flor.

@the-one-and-only-043, gotta love a misunderstanding plot.

(This was took quite a while. Sorry if the thing's a bit incoherent. Trying to get out of the writing slump at the moment.)