Language/Violence Disclaimer: There is violence here. There is also some heavy language here. If this bothers you I suggest you don't read this.
Love/Sex Disclaimer: There is same sex relationship here between two consenting adult women. If this offends you or if you are under age please don't read this.
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Part 6
It was just getting dark when Alexia arrived at Casey's home. This was going to be the last stop of the day before she left to speak with Angel. The dark woman was only slightly surprised when she found the house to be empty (she had let herself in thinking she'd keep Casey on her toes).
Alexia took a quick tour of the house needing to calm her discomfort of being in a foreign atmosphere. The dark woman always liked to know every possible escape route she could immediately take in case of an emergency or just in case she didn't delight in her present company.
Casey's home had three bedrooms. Two of which were bare except one had a computer housed on the far wall with a pleasant view out the window. Only one room housed any type of furniture that would indicate the home was lived in. Alexia assumed it to be the master bedroom, it being the largest. A queen-sized bed filled the room with a nightstand next to it. Other then that, the room was as bare as the others. The room had an adjoined bathroom with only shampoo, conditioner, and soap within its walls.
'You must be living out of a bag woman,' Alexia thought. She knew Casey had only been renting the house for a month and it was painfully obvious that the woman didn't have a great interest in staying. The house itself had good potential to be a home, but it just felt cold and distant due to its current tenants' lack of care.
The living room was no more furnished then the rooms had been. A single couch rested against a wall and a wooden coffee table lay before it. There was a television in the room, but it was so small Alexia wasn't even sure if it could be called a real television.
Alexia moved her tour to the kitchen, which had a dining table with four chairs. A single coffee machine only covered the kitchen counters. There were no pots or pans. There were no dirty dishes in the sink, and the place was extremely clean.
There was a knock at the front door that ended Alexia's tour. The dark woman wasn't that disappointed. There wasn't anything for her to really see except an empty home.
Alexia opened the front door, not caring who could be on the other side. Two men stood before the door both in dark business suits. One was a rather tall balding man who was almost the same height of Alexia. The other man was much shorter only reaching Alexia's chest. They both wore dark sunglasses that obstructed the full view of their eyes.
"Who are you?" Alexia asked grinning. "The men in black?"
The shorter man stood up to his full height. "Is Casey here?" He asked unsuccessfully trying to look intimidating.
Alexia stepped back from the door and indicated the empty room behind her. "Does it look like she's here?"
The shorter man stepped inside the house and his taller companion fell into step behind him. They both took a cursory glance of the living room then looked back to the tall smirking woman.
"Can you tell us when she might be back?"
Alexia decided the shorter one reminded her of Rocky while the taller one would be Bullwinkle. She chuckled slightly but was able to pass it off as just clearing her throat.
"May I ask who's asking?" The dark woman leaned her tall frame against the still open door.
The shorter man looked to his companion then turned to face Alexia. "Tell her Sam was here."
"As in Uncle Sam?"
The shorter man's eyebrows made an appearance above the lenses of his sunglasses. "Excuse me?"
Alexia didn't bother to hide her laughter this time. "Come on you two are the epitome of government goons." She winked at the taller of the two men. "What agency are you working for? Come on you can tell me." Alexia crossed her heart. "I promise I won't tell anyone."
"What is your name ma'am?" The shorter man seemed to be the only one of the two whom could speak.
The dark woman leaned in close to the shorter man. "I could tell you," she whispered into his ear, "but then I would have to kill ya."
"Ma'am," the man said brusquely, "I am not in the mood to play any type of game. So I'll ask you one more time, what is your name?"
It would be impossible for this man to intimidate or threaten the tall woman to a point where she would take him seriously. Alexia was often the type who would laugh at any government official often labeling them as not very competent, no matter what department they worked for. Her respect for government authority was more than lacking. It bordered on just being nonexistent.
"Sir," Alexia mocked, "I am not in the mood to play any type of game. So I'll ask you one more time, what agency are you working for?"
"If you wish to be put under arrest I suggest you just keep on playing your little games." The short man pulled down on his jacket straightening out the wrinkles. "Otherwise I suggest you cooperate."
"You two really are no fun." The dark woman feigned a pout.
The man gritted his teeth while his taller companion looked on and grinned. "You are trying my patience."
"Then I'm just short of reaching my lifetime goal of pissing of a short man who probably needs to carry a really big gun to appease some personal issues."
The taller man chuckled and tried to cover it up as just clearing his throat, but his partner had already heard him. The small man turned and glared at his partner and the taller man just shrugged his shoulders in response. Apparently the short man had had enough. He reached around his back and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
"Ma'am please put your hands behind your back. You are being put under arrest for obstruction of justice. You have the right to remain silent."
"Let me get this straight." Alexia raised her hand and forestalled any movement the man made towards her. "You are putting me under arrest for not telling you my name? Don't you think you're abusing your power?"
The short man looked at her for a moment then continued reading her Miranda rights and handcuffed her without much resistance. He gave her a quick pat down not too surprised when he found a gun hidden under her leather trench coat.
"I will be wanting that back." Alexia told the man smugly.
The taller man took his partners place and grabbed Alexia's arm roughly. He leaned in close to Alexia and spoke softly so only she could hear him. "If you give me any small excuse at all I will kill you. I'd be doing the world a favor."
Alexia looked over at the short man who was busy examining her weapon. "Since you obviously know who I am you probably already know that I'd kill you before you even could lay a finger on me."
"Adam let's go." The shorter man called from the doorway. "We'll bring her back to headquarters and question her there."
Two hours later Alexia found herself sitting alone in the director of the Dee's office. At the moment he was away making sure Agent Adam Douglas and Agent Richard Goodman knew the exact mistake they made when they decided to arrest the one person who could cause more hell in the department then a man coming in with a bomb strapped to his chest. Agent Douglas would be the one getting most of the brunt of their superior's anger because he had actually known who Alexia was.
The dark woman sat back in her chair and yawned. It had already been a very long day and she really just wanting to go to Angel's and get some rest. The only problem with that though, was that she wasn't really sure what kind of reception to expect from her friend. Angel could be a very forgiving person, but Alexia knew she had been pushing the woman's patience a lot lately.
The door to the office opened and a dark skinned man with graying hair stepped through. This was not the DEA's director this man was someone else entirely. Alexia knew him of course.
The dark woman stood up slowly and stood in attention.
"8266 you've been really busy lately." The man walked over to Alexia and pulled off her trench coat. "You last requested information on Victoria Garza. I'd like to know why."
Alexia looked straight ahead and stood perfectly still. "Sir, I promise you she has nothing to do with the operation."
The man backhanded Alexia across her face cutting her with the ring he wore on his middle finger. It was a simple silver ring with a single ruby stone. "I asked you question so answer it." He said harshly.
Alexia licked her lips and lowered her eyes. "I've given you my entire life without questioning a single order. I believe I deserve a certain amount of privacy." The man backhanded her again and raised his brow clearly expecting a different answer. "She'll take my place."
"You will elaborate."
The dark woman sighed. "I have responsibilities that will need to be taken care of after I leave." She explained. "Garza will see they are taken care of."
"Alexia let's take a walk." The man walked out of the office expecting the dark woman to just follow him, which she did without comment. He led them to another room that had no windows and no furniture. Two men were already there standing in the back corners. Alexia walked to the middle of the room and took off the black sweater that covered her torso leaving on her bra. She had been through this many times before and knew already what to expect.
"You are to only be devoted to our cause Alexia. Thinking about your other responsibilities deviates from your ability to do that." The nodded his head to one of the men in the corner. The other man reached into his jacket and pulled out a small metal piece that lengthened into a baton. He stepped up to Alexia and viciously hit her on the back. Alexia didn't move.
"I'd like you tell me about our cause Alexia." Alexia looked deep into the man's dark brown eyes. She debated whether or not she should answer him. The man nodded his head again at the man with the baton and again the man hit her on the back. "Tell me of our cause."
"We are to bring order to chaos. We must better our world for the future generations and purify our life for the better of our nation."
The man caressed Alexia's check. "And how do we accomplish this?"
"By any means necessary."
"You have done a good job Alexia. Do not fail me now."
"No sir."
"You have sacrificed like we all have Alexia. Your sacrifices will not be in vain."
"Yes sir."
"I will see you again in three days." With that the man left the room. The two men did not follow they were waiting for something from the woman standing partially naked in the room.
Alexia put her sweater back on. She took a moment to collect her thoughts. She could feel the sting of where the baton had hit her and wondered how badly her back had been bruised. The man who had hit her was strong, and he showed her no mercy. It was the only situation where he could hit the woman without fear of retaliation.
"Is everything set up for our departure?" Alexia looked directly into the eyes of the man who had just hit her and silently hoped he would give her just a small reason to punish him for what he had done to her. Any type of slip on his part could prove to be fatal and he knew that.
The man just stood up taller eager to meet the challenge of his superior. "Everything is done to your specific orders."
It was very difficult for Alexia to just turn away, but she did. There was a fire burning just beneath the surface that was calling for her to shed the man's blood. The satisfaction she knew the action would give her caused an almost giddy delight in her mind's eye. Now, however, was not the time to let her more animalistic behavior to surface.
So, Alexia turned away and walked out of the room. She didn't dare follow the man who had the ability to make her feel like a small insignificant child again. Being beaten while that man watched was nothing new to her. Over her lifetime it had happened way too often for her to care anymore. There would never be any vengeance for the beatings and there would never be a time when he had to answer to her for his actions.
How often does it happen where a daughter would question her father?
The dark woman shook her head in an effort to rid her self of the memories seeing him had caused. 'Daddy?' Alexia chuckled at thought, 'he calls me 8266 why the hell would I ever call him Daddy?' Of course he had never demanded she address him as anything but sir. Only in certain circles would he force her to call him Father, even then the term was cold and unaffectionate.
'We have all sacrificed he says,' she thought derisively, 'the only things he's sacrificed is his time and me, well I sacrifice my heart, my soul…' "My Sanity!" she yelled aloud. More then one person she passed on her way out of the government building turned and gave her an odd look. Alexia didn't seem to notice that other people surrounded her.
She reached the exit and rushed out into the cool breeze of the evening. The stress of her situation was finally getting to her. Her body craved release from the emotions seeing Daddy had caused. She knew he would meet his end soon, but it would never be soon enough and would never be what he truly deserved.
Alexia ran her hand through her braids roughly, just trying to make the memories that were surfacing go away. She hadn't seen him in almost three months and that time had been bliss or as close to bliss she could get.
The dark woman was walking down the sidewalk of the city mindless of where she was going or whom she passed on the street. Her thoughts quickly turned to the dark haired blue-eyed woman she had just take under her wing per se. 'Casey I pray for you. If you're a thing like me I pray for you.'
Fifteen Years Ago
The air was dry and the intense heat of the day could still be felt in the night air. Despite the heat however, the young teenage girl still ran across the camps grounds. Her tutors had always told her how important it was to keep her body fit and her mind quick. Sweat trickled down her back and could be seen through her black tank top. The heavy camouflage pants she wore did nothing to ease the heat of the night neither did the combat boots she wore. Still she ran her hardest until she had run a full lap across the camps grounds and the camp was rather large.
A young man was watching her long form glide through the air. He adorned the same clothes the girl wore and had an automatic rifle hanging loosely by its strap across his back. Once the girl reached him he looked at her intently for a moment then broke out into a ridiculous grin. "Alexia," he said cheerfully, "you are like no other."
Mawbiki was the first man who had ever had the confidence to approach her in this godforsaken desert. All the other men would speak amongst themselves, thinking she didn't understand them because she was raised in America. They would speak in their own language cursing her name and cursing the fact a girl was had more power then they themselves had. Alexia did understand them however, but saw no reason to tell them so. She had found out many things by them thinking her ignorant and she would not give up that advantage.
The young man who spoke to her now however knew all this. He would speak to her in Swahili and treated her better then any other individual in their camp. Mawbiki had told her that he would not let the Americans dictate his life by being forced to speak their language. "I think sometimes, maybe, that you are crazy."
Alexia narrowed her eyes at the man, but broke off into a grin. "I am crazy Mawbiki," she answered speaking Swahili fluently, "you know who I am."
"Yes, I know who you are and I like you despite of it. So, I must be the one who is crazy." Mawbiki laughed heavily the idea striking him very funny.
The young woman couldn't help but laugh at her companion. It wasn't often she got the chance to interact with people on a normal basis. There was that young girl she had met in America, but she would hardly call those interactions normal. Having to pretend to be someone else all the time wouldn't fall under the category of being normal.
"Is there some reason you have decided to watch me run tonight?" She asked cockily knowing he would always watch her run. He was always amazed by what she was capable of doing and sometimes, not often, but sometimes she like that he enjoyed watching her. It was strictly against her training to get any pleasure of showing off, because that would show independence, but sometimes she didn't get pleasure from it. Being looked at as a common ignorant woman could grate on her nerves at times.
"It isn't often a man of my place is able to look onto the form of a goddess." Mawbiki explained. "I have decided to not take this privilege for granted."
Alexia chased a blush from her face not used to such a treatment from a person of the opposite sex. "You try to flatter me so you will be promoted."
"No I do not flatter." He said seriously. "I only tell the truth and if the truth is flattery then I can not help it."
"8266!" A voice shouted from across the yard. "What are you doing?"
The girl stood at attention immediately knowing she had been caught doing something improper, something strictly against her given rules. A man approached them from the darkness with a weapon firmly in his grasp. Two other men shadowed his arrival each carrying a rifle much like Mawbiki's.
"I was maintaining my optimum fitness." Alexia yelled into the air making sure to not achieve eye contact with the man who approached her.
The man walked up directly into Alexia's face and eyed her carefully. He then turned and looked at Mawbiki who also stood at attention. "It this true soldier? Be reminded if you get caught lying then you will immediately be terminated."
'Why is it he can never use the word death?' Alexia wondered briefly quickly chastising herself for doing so. It was paramount your thoughts were on nothing when being approached by Leader. Focusing on the darkness was much safer then getting caught having thoughts of your own.
Mawbiki stood up straighter, if possible, and answered his superior. "She speaks the truth sir."
The man looked from Alexia's face to Mawbiki's then back again. "How many laps did you do?" He asked almost accusingly.
Alexia swallowed audibly quickly chastising herself for what she knew her answer would be. Always work harder then necessary, wasn't that what she had always been told. The area she had run was only fifteen miles in diameter. "Just one sir."
"What was your time?" Still he was accusing.
"Sixty minutes sir." She knew her answer would be deemed inefficient. It always was no matter what answer she gave.
"Not good enough." He motioned for his two shadows to step forward and she knew what was going to happen. Like every other time before, she went through the ritual of taking off her shirt and dropped to her knees on the dirt ground.
The first hit she received was expected; the force of it however was not. She turned her head and looked into the eyes of the man who would be beating her but did not recognize him. This man was a fool and he would be punished for it. Alexia had learned to enjoy the time after the beatings when she would be left with her tormentor and would be allowed to punish him for his foolishness.
Then there was the second hit with more force then the first. Alexia again turned her head and looked into the eyes of the second man who beat her. He was another soldier she had did not immediately recognize. He was also another fool. They would learn their lesson.
Her thoughts turned to what punishment they would receive. It was easier to bare the strikes she was given fixating her thoughts somewhere else. The pain didn't reach that part of her mind so her body wouldn't ache as much. The burning of her back wouldn't be as strong. So, the fools would pay.
One blow forced the teenage girl to the ground and one soldier took it upon himself to kick her for falling. The other seemed to think this was a good idea. Alexia didn't yell out in pain, and didn't move in her own defense. She remained still knowing the idiots' time would come, and the pain would eventually fade away.
She was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed Mawbiki's voice yelling at the two soldiers to stop. 'Is he trying to protect me?' She thought. The concept was a foreign one to her.
"Soldier stand down." That "man's" voice penetrated the night air ordering Mawbiki to remember his place.
The beating was over now, so Alexia put her shirt back on. The two idiots were holding down Mawbiki whose face was contorted in rage. The idiots looked like they were having problems keeping the younger man under control. "How?" Mawbiki yelled. "How can you watch your own daughter be beaten like that? You are a monster!"
'He still tries to protect me, he must not understand the rules.' Alexia again thought to herself. 'This is normal punishment.' Alexia stepped next to her father and waited for what how he would handle the situation.
"Remember your place boy!" He yelled. "You are in no position to question me."
"And you are in no position to think you are God!" The young man yelled fiercely being fueled by his rage.
The man laughed harshly seeing humor where no one else did. "I am God."
It was a simple statement that made something in Alexia's mind snap into place. This maniac whom had controlled her since she had taken her first breath was God. For her, there was no higher power or higher cause. Alexia found out she didn't much like that. This was the first moment she didn't much like the thought of being her "father's" pawn.
"Kill him Alexia." His voice brought her back to the moment. "Let him see his faults for ever trying to be your friend." Then he just walked away. His two shadows followed. Mawbiki lay on the ground before her trying to catch his breath from his struggle. He looked up into Alexia's eyes and was surprised to see his own death. They had all warned him about trying to get close to the girl. They had all told him it would mean his death, but he didn't pay them any attention. Mawbiki firmly believed Alexia was just another person like anyone else. She need friends and people who would stand up for since she seemed to be unable to do so for herself at times.
Mawbiki seemed to forget however, that Alexia was a killer, a betrayer, a thief, a liar, and a pretender. Alexia wasn't a person who had a personality of her own. She would form a personality when she first met a person. She would mold herself into what the other person expected and never would show herself to them. Mawbiki knew this. Mawbiki had seen her do this a countless amount of times before and he thought deep in his heart she would never be doing that to him. He had shown her nothing but honesty and kindness.
Alexia looked down at the young man lying at her feet. She was ordered to kill him so that is what she would do. That was what she was supposed to do and she always did what that man said. He had just said that he was God so why wouldn't she do what he ordered?
They had left her no weapons so Mawbiki's death would have to be by her bare hands. It wasn't something she hadn't done before. There was a countless amount of ways to kill a man with only hands as weapons. Alexia looked down to her own hands and clenched and unclenched her fist. "Why did you do that?" Mawbiki's actions still puzzled her. Normally, she wouldn't care to fill her curiosity but Mawbiki had always made her very curious with his actions and she need to know his reasons for so readily risking his life.
"What kind of person would I be if I didn't do anything?" Was his only answer. He knew his fate had been sealed when his superior walked away. Alexia always followed orders and he expected no less from her now. If anything, Alexia would always be remembered as a good soldier.
She didn't fully understand his response, but knew he most likely wasn't going to elaborate. Mawbiki had left it to where she would have to figure out this one on her own. He had already taught Alexia much about emotions and life outside of her father's control and just being thought of as number 8266. Even now, when he knew he was going to die he was still teaching her.
"I do not think I like it much when he calls himself God." She said conversationally. "And I know I do not like it much that he actually believes he is." Mawbiki looked at her confused. "If he were God he would not have left me to kill you alone, because he would have known I would not do it." Mawbiki's big brown eyes widened. "You must leave now. If I see you again I will be forced to kill you." With that Alexia ran off into the night and didn't once look back at the young man who remained lying on the ground.
After a few moments Mawbiki stood up and ran in the opposite direction. He would return to his family where his sister's were waiting for him to come home. Alexia had given him a second chance and he would take it and do right by the gift she had given him. He would never forget that he was most likely the first person to see Alexia as a person instead of just a soldier.
Her chest hurt from running. At some point, she couldn't remember quite when, the memories had become too much so she began to run. She had never heard from Mawbiki again and everyone had just assumed she had killed him. They had no reason to think differently. Alexia wasn't sure if she regretted letting him live or regretted letting him see her humanity more. She was sure that if Mawbiki had never entered life she would never have gotten involved with a particular blonde woman who now carried part of her humanity.
In her training she had always been taught that allowing herself to get close to people would make her fail. Her training had been all she had known for much of her life, and it still played a vital roll to all the decisions she made. Yet, against her training she had become friends with Mawbiki, she had become friends with Angel, and she had now taken a young woman under her wings in need of guidance. Alexia couldn't decide if she was helping Casey out more because she saw it as a chance towards her own redemption or because the woman just needed help.
Alexia had known the minute the dark haired woman had told her her name who she was and exactly whom she was working for. 'What's in a name?' Alexia wondered, 'just your entire life's story of who you are, who you were, who you want to be. It's all in a name.'
She looked up into the sky her dark brown eyes not seeking something beyond the stars. Alexia for the first time in her life hoped she could be the soldier everyone had thought her to be. Her time had gone by so quickly and she didn't want to forget any of this. She didn't want to forget this city and didn't want to forget the people in it.
Alexia had stopped running and eased into a slow walk. Her back still slightly ached, but it wasn't anything too severe. Her mind ached at well, but she that pain had always existed. It was the kind of ache she just had to get used to and get over.
The dark woman continued to walk not caring where she went. Eventually she ended up standing in front of Angel's house and saw Casey's car parked outside. She wasn't in the least surprised by it. It was better if Angel and Casey got along because it would make her own job easier. She walked up to the house and sat down on the front porch steps. It wasn't the right time to go in yet. Alexia needed a few more moments of the open night air before the going inside to where the walls would be closing in.
The front door opened and Casey stepped outside. She saw Alexia sitting on the steps and decided to just take a seat beside. Angel was inside talking on the phone with her friend. 'I think her name was Lindsey.' They had come back to Angel's home after their time in the park. Casey had followed Angel into the house with every intent on them talking, but the phone had rang and the opportunity was lost.
When she first sat down, Casey thought Alexia was just going to ignore her completely. For some reason that thought bothered her so she spoke first. "I got a package for you from that guy. Angel and I ran into each other there. She seemed pretty pissed, I'm not sure what about though. We had something to eat and took a walk into the park." Casey babbled. "Nothing else happened though. I wasn't sure how to get in touch with you. Angel's inside talking with someone named Lindsey, I think."
Alexia turned her head and looked at the woman who sat beside her. "Casey just shut up." The other woman nodded her head and looked down at her feet. "Tomorrow you're going to be on your own. Do whatever the hell you feel like. I'd suggest you get in touch with that DEA director. He was pretty pissed off last time we talked."
Casey's jaw dropped. She was more then a little surprised. Her involvement with the Santiago case was supposed to be completely confidential. No more then three people knew of her involvement and she was one of the three. After the shock wore off Casey realized she really shouldn't be so surprised. Alexia had known about every other damn thing that had gone on in her life why wouldn't she know about this? 'The woman can gather information faster then I can tie my own damn shoes. Why the hell should I be surprised?' She thought to herself.
Alexia didn't turn and look at Casey but she had already predicted the woman's reaction. In all truth she really hadn't known about Casey's involvement with the DEA until they showed up at Casey's doorstep earlier that day. She probably would have found out about it eventually, but she didn't having an overwhelming desire to investigate the woman, too much was already covering her plate. It was nice having the information in case it helped her in the future, but right now she could care less about it.
The American government wasn't something Alexia liked to mess with. Only on certain occasion when she was ordered would she would with the Americans. It seems Mawbiki's mistrust for their government had rubbed off on her. It wasn't that she had anything against The United States in particular. She would actually live here if she could, but their government made her itchy. It some ways they were way too predictable and in others they were not.
The two women sat on the porch of Angel's house for a long while both lost in their own thoughts. Things were changing for them both and the idea of being caught off guard was bothersome. For Alexia everything had to work out to precision. Otherwise, her life wouldn't be the only one that would be lost. It some weighs she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. Casey however, knew she was loosing control but figured that Alexia had to have everything under control in some way or another.
The front door opened again and Angel stepped out surprised to find Alexia and Casey both sitting down looking at nowhere in particular. She walked down a few steps until she was before them both and took a seat. "What are we looking at?"
"Nothing." Both women answered.
"Okay then what are we thinking about?" The blonde responded.
"I have to go." Alexia stood up abruptly and looked to Angel. "I'll call you later." The dark woman walked down the rest of the stairs half expecting Angel to call her back. She was somewhat disappointed when her friend just let her go. She pushed aside the thought that maybe her friend just didn't care anymore.
Alexia reached her car and drove away. She could always talk to Angel tomorrow. The dark woman didn't have much time left with her friend, but spending what time she had left lamenting the loss of her friendship with Angel, wouldn't be the best way to spend her time.
The two women left on the porch watched Alexia drive away. "I'm surprised you let her go."
"What choice do I have anymore?" Angel dropped her head into her hands. "She's in that stage where reaching her or asking her to slow down isn't possible."
"What do you mean?"
The blonde lifted her head and looked in the direction Alexia's BMW had disappeared to. "Just take my advice and don't mess with her right now." Angel stood and walked back into her home. Casey looked out into the night not sure in what direction she was supposed to go. Everyone around her was doing a dance, which she had never seen before and she wasn't quite sure she had the time to learn it.