demons || james conrad

top secret

"Thanks tips," Estella muttered under her breath and sank lower into her chair.

The room fell into a silence as the information fully sunk in. Soldiers and scientists alike were fiddling with the edge of their shirts and scratching the back of their heads. They were all visibly nervous.

"Alright," Jack finally spoke once again, "Now get a good sleep, we've got a lot to do in the morning."

Estella had never exited a room so fast in her life. The large group of men were not far behind as she snaked through the busy hallways.

"Hey!" a sharp voice called.

Estella stopped in her tracks and turned around. Mason Weaver was hurrying towards her and was visibly struggling. Her large pack and camera strung around her neck was weighing her down.

"Can I help you m'am?" Estella inquired.

"You're Estella Moran right?" Mason inquired.

Estella cocked an eyebrow and slowly nodded.

"I just wanted to talk to you, get to know you," Mason explained, "You know you're kinda one of my heroes."

Estella's eyebrow just kept inching closer to her hairline.

"First female soldier, and a damn good one at that," Mason praised.

The pair began to walk down the ship together, the heavy pounding of worker boots not spoiling their conversation. They talked about everything under the sun; from family life to the impact of the war. It wasn't until Estella noticed Conrad determinedly making his way down into the depths of the ship that she broke the conversation off.

"Sorry to break this up but I've just seen someone that I need to talk to," Estella explained and began to follow Conrad, "I'll talk to you later!"

Mason sighed heavily and waved goodbye to her new friend.

Estella was silent as she bounded after a serious looking Conrad. They descended deeper into the ship, the lights getting darker and the dust piling on thicker. Conrad's lighter flickered with a steady flame as they entered a secret room packed with long boxes.

"What is he looking for?" Estella whispered to herself.

Conrad moved his lighter across the boxes, the light illuminating the words. Estella recognized them as bomb containers and wondered why there was so many. As much as she tried to hide her shuffling footsteps, Conrad's head popped up and found her lurking in the shadows.

"What are you doing down here?" he inquired.

"I could ask you the same thing," Estella flirted, her voice light and airy.

Conrad sent her a sideways look and then returned to staring at the bombs. Estella took the moment of silence to slowly walk in front of him.

"Why does a geological mapping mission need explosives?" Estella asked in a compelling voice.

Conrad smiled slightly and began to follow behind her as she sauntered down the lines of bombs.

"You weren't listening in class," he teased, "Seismic charges for the geological survey."

"Uh huh, you believe that?" Estella prodded, looking over her shoulder.

"Well I didn't say that," Conrad flirted.

Estella couldn't help a shadow of a smile creep onto her face. She forced herself to keep walking to keep him talking.

"Have you met Colonel Packard yet?" Estella asked, wondering what he thought of her superior.

"Yeah," he said, his face tense.

"He's wound pretty tight," Estella added, trying to get him to speak.

"But as a decorated war hero, it's the package they come in. And you?" Conrad spoke gently, "Isn't working on a mapping mission a step down from the Vietnam War?"

Estella scoffed and smirked.

"Okay Captain Conrad," Estella countered, "How did British Special forces get dragged into this?"

"Just Conrad, I'm decommissioned," Conrad added.

"Oh right, sorry to offend," Estella mocked.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "They offered me money."

"You don't strike me as a mercenary," Estella said, surprised.

"You don't strike me as a war soldier," Conrad defended.

The space between them had become alight with tension. Estella stepped forward, her head barely meeting his neck.

"Not sure if I should take that as a compliment," Estella whispered.

"Take it however you like," Conrad spoke before turning and walking back down the aisle of explosives, leaving Estella in the dark.

AHHH! I FOUND A WAY TO WATCH THE MOVIE SO I ACTUALLY HAVE THE CORRECT DIALOGUE!

-Em ;)