After confirming that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, I let out a ragged scoff as Pierce's figure blocked my doorway. The door to my room was wide open, which meant he had full view of... everything.
The tension in the room rose and both Pierce and I oddly waited for the other to make the first move, say the first word. I realized we were both stubborn in our own ways. He with his controlled face, mine with all the emotions flickering through my eyes.
I snapped out of my trance when I noticed his eyes were staring at me. The dream resurfaced back through my head and my heart suddenly sped up.
I gave in.
"Get out of my room."
"Give me back my papers."
There was a short moment of awkward silence that followed after that double confrontation. We both groaned simultaneously at the fact that either of us could have held out longer had we known that we were both going to give in that quickly.
I repressed a disheveled breath as I sat up straighter on my bed and pointed a finger at the man before me. "How long have you been there??"
Pierce eyed the pointing as childish and shook his head in disappointment, glancing at his wrist. Tilting his head back and forth like he was weighing his better option, he shortly after replied with, "Like, 2 minutes?"
"2 minutes," I nodded before muttering the last part, "I'll be sure to include that in the police's report."
This man was always showing up unexpectedly. There's something about him that irks me, and I was going to get all my answers in the next twenty minutes.
"There was no way you were only there for two minutes," I proceeded under my breath, "You were definitely there longer. That's it. That must be why I was dreaming of—"
Pierce raised his eyebrows and dared me to finish my sentence. "'Of?'" His emphasis on the word made me purse my lips in regret. He seemed equally frustrated as he surveyed my room, as if he was searching for something.
"Cut it out." I snarled, getting back to my senses.
Pierce turned back to me. "Where did you hide the papers?"
It took me a moment to fully understand what he meant.
"... That's it?" I gave him a funny look that slowly turned into an vexed one, "You busted into my place like the ignorant asshole you are just for some sheets of homework?" Realizing I was in my jammies and my cover had slid down to reveal my upper half [even though there was nothing impressive] I retreated back behind the covers and glared at the man.
"Did I ask to meet a thief in the first place?" Pierce refuted, "Also, those covers don't have much to hide."
"How did you break in?"
"There's many ways. I chose one. And you won't know how."
"Try me," I frowned.
"Front door." He stated matter-of-factly.
Huh? "Front door?" I repeated.
He forced a simple smile. "Yeah. The one entrance that should always be kept shut at night? That one. You left the damn door wide open for the world to come in. Is security so insignificant to you just because you live solo and you can snap back a few smart-ass words?"
I let out a laugh of disbelief. Would you look at that hypocrite, acting like he's all that. Who does this numb-nut, douche-crease twat think he is, lecturing me for leaving the door open and possibly letting a prick in when he fits the description perfectly?
"Hold on a second," I groaned, rubbing my forehead, "I don't deserve your accusation. Just quiet down for a moment." I racked my memory for what happened.
I... never leave the door open. Who opened it? If it was from outside, like Pierce, it was a break-in. If it was from inside, like me, it's someone trying to figure out where they were so the only way was to walk outside to check.
"It wasn't me." I stated at the end, still puzzled.
Pierce peered at me for a moment before furrowing his brows. "And I guess you're going to say you didn't take my papers too?"
"Now that," I smiled, "that was intentional." I remembered where I placed his sheets too and forced myself not to glance in its direction in case the sheets were in plain sight.
Why did he want the papers so bad?
Those sheets were, without a doubt, anything but 'homework.' I regret falling asleep after talking to Pooh last night, otherwise, I would've been able to snoop through its content before he showed up.
Pierce cleared his throat and my attention directed back to him. "Okay, okay," he held up his hand as if slowly surrendering, "Let's rewind, alright? Pause for a second."
// "Risa, stop."
"Just... show me you have the papers, and we can talk. I won't rip it away from you." He sighed, eyeing me carefully afterwards.
// "Get off me, and let's talk."
The dream. I'm remembering snippets of it. I stared back at Pierce's eyes and it clicked to me. This time for sure.
Pierce was Beta.
This whole time, while Pierce was directing a monologue right in my bedroom trying to find his papers, my heart was racing at the fact that I might have... met a T6 teammate. Not through my dream, but this time in real life.
But my hopes and excitement had to be subdued momentarily, because my instincts to distrust people took over. Just how would I know if he was 'real Beta,' or 'fake Beta?'
Why did our Commander go missing in the first place? It causes all kinds of issues that I, Risa Kennedy, a college student, do not want to deal with.
Alright, let's get down to business.
... To defeat, the Huns.
—What was something only the real Beta would know?
Right before I exposed our secret code, I had to take a step back and realize that even if Pierce turned out to be my team leader... I could not reveal my identity to him, at any cost. Why? Because that's risking too many dangers. Dangers from what? The future.
"You know," I started, keeping a vague understanding that his papers had to be hidden in order for me to confirm my theory, "I read the papers."
And the facade begins.
Pierce's eyes turned dead serious and he seemed to have forgotten how to speak.
"You didn't." He frowned suspiciously.
I nodded quietly and clicked my pointer finger against the side of my forehead. "This head of mine," I spoke carefully, "It's really something. A mini trouble-maker. My Jiminy Cricket seems to have gone into depression and gave up on coaching me. So my head goes, 'Oh! Suspicious papers! Let's inspect two and spare the rest!' It was harmless really," I shrugged for effect, "I kind of figured what it said."
"You're not fooling anyone." The man deadpanned. His breathing changed rhythm and he had shifted weight from one leg to the other, a bit uneasy.
I breathed out slowly and then gave him a smile. "Let's see," I sang as I looked up and pretended to be recalling the papers' content, "Where should I start? Ah, how about at... 'K2 dispatched the following report in regards to the world-renowned hacker, code name BETA, overseer of government-assembled team: T6-GEO@...— should I continue?"
The man unconsciously took a step forward before restraining himself after he had seen my eyebrows rise. "How dare you read into government papers?" Pierce's voice had an edgy, roughness to it that imposed authority, I discovered, because right after he said that, I flinched ever so slightly.
"Oh?" I looked innocent as I frowned, "How did 'homework' magically turn into 'government papers' over night, hm? Also, I think I spotted your name somewhere in there... strange."
"I can explain." He gritted his teeth. I could tell he regretted giving in at the cost of someone like me.
I held back a smirk. "Then try me... Commander."
"..."
A satisfied smile spread across my lips when the man kept quiet.
... Bingo.
That was too easy. A little mind trick and a guessing game was all it took? Hacker's life in a sentence. I can't believe I actually managed to one, guess the papers' content, and two, actually got lucky enough to steal those exact papers.
None other than the real Beta would receive government papers, and especially from our old government official? Coincidences are out of the picture.
And on second thought, he didn't get to read the papers I had did he... so I really could lead him on with false information. And for him to believe it so quickly... the folder he was holding had to be regarding T6's business.
Somewhere in the midst of half-joking and half-playing around with Pierce, one powerful woman from inside me took over and I found myself turning dead serious. Because it was a team matter, 'Risa' disappeared as soon as I took on my identity for T6's world.
Welcome to the party, Venus.
"You give me an answer, one answer, and the correct answer from here on out." My voice dropped an octave as I shifted on my bed and draped my arm over my knee, cocking my head at Pierce.
He frowned, not knowing what to expect from my sudden change in personality.
I set my mouth firmly closed as I looked the man up and down before asking my question.
"Are you T6's Beta?"
"Keep in mind that I said, 'T6's Beta'," I continued slowly just as my eyes shifted into deadly orbs while I glared into the man's eyes, "Because anyone who tries to play games with the Team and hack into the system, is not Beta. And I will arrest you faster than your mouth can repent, 'I'm guilty.'"
The atmosphere became dangerously quiet and tense as I found a curious glint from Pierce's eyes that showed that he understood what was going on and what I was telling him.
Suddenly, the man shook his head and looked up at me casually with a smirk. "Arrest me, again?"
I frowned. Why was he unfazed?
"And what authority do you have to arrest me? Are you the police, I ask this young, college student before me?"
"You're talking to the daughter of one."
Try me, fake Beta, I thought in triumph as I watched him consider his risks and backed down a bit, I've been dying to crack another skull.
Even if he denied his identity and tried to fake it around Risa Kennedy, there was no more hiding from one person. Venus had found him. Risa, on the other hand, could keep pretending.
Pierce looked frustrated before his eyes traveled around the room, as if checking to see we weren't being watched. Slowly, quietly, and hesitantly, the man seemed to reach the conclusion that he had met his match.
Maybe with Risa he could've kept rambling and stalling until midnight, but when Venus entered the picture, she was his equal. She had always been his equal, that's how the woman kept their commander in check from time to time. If they had really met in real life, then that relationship still wouldn't change.
He met my eyes and with a soft sigh, stopped with his stalling.
"I am Beta. The real one."
His words were sincere and he didn't seem to be in the lying mood. It seems as if he understood that there was something different about me. He'll figure out in the future that the reason why is because I am closer to him than he thought.
A team stays a team. The heart will know, even when the eyes deceive.
"It really is you," I whispered absentmindedly, relief rushing over me that our team leader was safe and in my proximity.
Pierce studied my reaction with an interested expression on his face before it wiped away. Noticing his stare, I quickly recovered myself and covered it up with, "So you lied to me when we first met."
The atmosphere began to loosen up and the two of us finally found it comfortable to talk a bit more casually.
"Well of course," Pierce spoke up awkwardly as he ran a hand through his hair, "You can't really expect me to tell everyone who I am just because they threaten me into it?"
"I didn't threaten you..." I avoided his eyes.
He rolled his eyes with a low sigh. "Says the daughter of a policeman."
Now it was my turn to remain quiet as he gave me a hard look. After a few seconds, I was hit with another ridiculing question.
"On second thought, how are you certain I am Beta even if the papers said my name? I could be any of the Errors." He wanted to test me now. Was I becoming suspicious?
But the answer to that was as easy as anything else but Calculus.
"Let's start," I felt like I was suddenly presenting a presentation to this man as I counted down one finger at a time from my left hand, "M&M. Female. Curves. Has a butt. You—"
I raised my eyebrows regrettably as I viewed the side view of Pierce.
Curves, check. Butt, check.
Goddammit.
He waited for me with a smile planted on his lips, enjoying the sight of me struggling to reciprocate an answer this time.
"—you're not female." I concluded lamely, looking elsewhere as I moved on. "L01. Male. Well-fit. Snappy. Takes Calc. You—"
I bit my lips back once again when I realized I wasn't helping myself in any way, shape, or form.
Male, check. Well-fit, aha... definitely a fat check. Snappy, straight through the roof check.
I glared at him chuckling to himself. "Well obviously you don't take Calc," I made a face at him, "Since the folder from Mrs. Island wasn't even homework for her class."
I'm safe.
Sighing in embarrassment at myself, I continue on less confidently with the next member. "Reflective whatchamatoolazytofinishhisname Soul. Incorporates profanity in every sentence as often as humans need O2. And you barely curse."
"'Cause I only cuss when I need to." He replied, folding his arms across his chest.
I nodded awkwardly at him agreeing with me and proceeded down the list. "And Pooh is mute and if I've been calling someone like you 'baby' this whole time..."
I couldn't even finish my sentence. Just the mere thought was horrific.
"And that's all of them." I tried to conclude too soon.
—No, wrong. I should have caught myself.
Pierce took in all the analysis I had just done and looked like he had a malfunction in his system because the man stood so still and quiet, as if I had blown his mind.
I quickly added the one person I had unconsciously left out due to personal circumstances. "Oh, and the planet girl. Let me assume, once again, that you're not female. Now I'm done."
The man gave me a weird look as if he realized that I knew too well what was coming out of my own two lips. I was surprised with myself too. I had never said those things out loud before about my team. It had always been a rather quiet, mysterious field in the world of T6.
"You know too much," Pierce said the exact words that I had ran through my head, eyeing me down as I turned smaller, "You might actually be the dangerous one here..."
After a tense, suspenseful silence as I held my breath, half-hoping that he wouldn't figure me out, and half-hoping that he would, the man raised his eyebrows on a thought and nodded as he accepted his conclusion in his head.
"What?" I asked anxiously.
"I know who you are now," he stated while he pointed at me. His arms unfolded and he took a step forward.
I swallowed and my heart sped up. "No you don't," I challenged.
"Actually, I think I do." There. That smug look I hated so much on my best guy friend Cody, now it was on his face too. Great.
"You're our fan, aren't you?"
I blinked. I blinked again.
Letting out fake haha's, I cleared my throat awkwardly before barely coughing out, "What?"
The man was dead serious, though.
"Stop denying, Risa," he rolled his eyes, "I suspected it too the first time we met. How else would you have known so much about us? Maybe you're an obsessive fan, no wonder I couldn't win against you."
I stared dumbly at him, because he was dumb.
Imagine being a fan of your own team.
Crazing over my Commander and someone like Arsomis or L01? Funniest joke I've heard this morning.
Speaking of morning...
—I. Was. Still. In. My. Pajamas. And. Pierce. Is. In. My. Room. And. Pierce. Is. Beta. And. Beta. Is. Seeing. Me. In. My. Pajamas. Oh. My. Fucking. God.
"—Let's get coffee and talk about the papers," I scratched my head, "Can you wait for me in the living room? I need to bang my head a few times to wake up."
Knowing where my medical kit was, Pierce dramatized, "Should Bob get you some of that bandaid and ointment to-go after you get a concussion?"
"Hold your tongue because when I pass out it'll look like a murder scene. You up to the task of calling up my police pops?" I mirrored his sly smile, not moving an inch until I saw the man roll his eyes and shut the door firmly.
There were two damn lessons to take from today, ladies and gents.'
Beta has an ass.
Pierce is an ass.
Class is fucking dismissed.
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