Present Day: 3034
**
Tiara stood there, motionless, on the precipice of the man-made monstrosity. Crackling bits of energy gushed forth from the giant engine; blue sparks that cascaded down the featureless walls of the reactor. Raw energy bit the night air, the brilliant flashes of light giving brief moments of illumination to the otherwise self-run facility. It was different, she knew. She could spy them, huddling beneath the canvases of the rafters and overhangs. The rain... that rain gave her that edge.
The strap bit on her thighs, a sharp abrasion that annoyed more than hurt. The suit felt tight, just as usual... just like every time. Tiara didn't appreciate the leotard, a black seamless cloth-like material hand-woven just for her.
I should have shaved.
A nagging sense of duty, that's all that thought was. But she had been hesitant to bear off her flame red hair, even for the benefit of the mission.
That's it, Hold on Tiara. Delude yourself into thinking that one-day you might have a life.
She wished it was more than that; wished that it was more than her pathetic self-worth that was endangering the mission.
Calm. Calm and truth. By the numbers.
She vaulted into the rain from her overwatch position on the water tower nearly ninety feet apart from the sheer face of the reactor.
How hard it had been to climb that damn thing.
The rain splashed at her feet as she pitter-pattered across the narrow beam.
Concentrate... Concentrate on the task at hand and you might live another day.
It was the voice of her father, whispering in her ear... giving her strength. She didn't think about how the rain might slip beneath her, nor did she dwell on the ten-story drop that no-doubt would lead to her death.
Run Tiara. Run.
That's when she spied him, that sniper on the far outcropping on the connected warehouse. She could fix on the flash of his scope; a vision that was no doubt locked on her every movement.
Wait. A Flash?
Something wasn't correct, that abstract horror of miscalculation when one realized the error of their ways nagging her brain.
That's when she slipped. She felt the jerk of her foot, the swing of her body and the crackle of energy that brushed the side of her face.
Missed...
She felt the rush of wind sweep across her body, the rain as it soaked every inch of body like a crutch. She was falling, squirming vainly in the air in that hope that she could do something... that she could prevent her own death. She fell into the shadows of the reactor, the moonlight blocked by the immense wire-engraved mountain.
My gun!
Tiara reached for it on the far side of her belt. She was spinning now, spiraling revolving twist that she could neither avoid nor embrace.
The Sniper! He's still out there!
That's when she hit the plasma injector, feeling the cool liquid course through the veins of her suit. A rippling sensation shot through her body, like ice touching a warm hand it bit into her skin.
No time. No time to think.
She reached for her gun this time, recognizing the ground coming closer and closer with each passing second. That's when the suit kicked in; her waist disappearing just like her contact had promised it would. She felt another crackle of energy, just inches from her face.
Did he miss?
She didn't have time. She upholstered the gun, twisting in mid air.
Two Seconds. Two seconds more and I'm dead.
She aimed, then pulled the trigger.
**
Two Years Before...
**
"Are you faking now?"
Tiara grinned, "Am I ever?" The small apartment was nearly two hundred stories far above the poison clouds of the surface, was a small respite. She couldn't help but feeling the warmth of home, what little that meant anymore.
Hovel,
she reminded herself. It was a Hovel and nothing more. Four walls... another place to leave after my mission is accomplished.
"You've never told me if you faked it with me." David asked, smiling meekly in that way he did when he was unsure of himself.
"Your pathetic don't you know that?"
"Oh?" David slipped forward, his arms encircling her waist.
"Fishing for compliments like that, It's a wonder I'd put up with you for as long as I have." She responded smugly.
That's when he kissed her, a deep wanting kiss as his hands slipped under her tight fit skirt, feeling the contours of her bottom. Tiara felt that tingle too. And, while she'd never admit it to his face, she felt safe.
Safe.
She laughed at that, as if that was true anymore... as if they were truly safe and it was as simple as their secret moments at night.
"Is something funny?"
"Oh nothing," she responded "I'm just amused that you'd let it come this far."
David grinned, that wide arrogant smile that told others he was privy to information they had no access to. "And what else might two spies do during the off hours?"
"Your shirt..." Tiara changed the subject.
He stepped back, holding her at arms length. "What?"
"Your shirt," she continued, "It feels rough against my skin. I told you never to wear silk."
"Oh, am I to blame now?" He kissed the nape of her neck, just above the collarbone.
She squirmed against him, feeling that rush of adrenaline she'd only experienced in combat...in combat and in..."Your feisty today." She stated pointingly.
"Ok," He relented. His dark brows creased as he calmly pushed her back against the soft cushions of his brown comforter. "You don't like the shirt, then there's no shirt." He unclasped the buttons, one by one as he stood above her.
Tiara felt her nipples harden, erect against her satin white blouse. She bit her bottom lip, tossing her hair back as she stared, brazenly as he undressed before her.
He's a specimen.
She'd no doubt that, if given the chance, she'd be drooling. Her hands moved as if on their own, wiggling out of her tight skirt. It was a tight fit...
This is taking too long.
That's when his fingers slipped along that hardened nub between her thighs. She licked her lips, felt the anticipation tingle along... just above her skin.
