This was ridiculous.
Cate'd trained for years to be the best at her job.
Driving herself to — and well past — her limits.
A rigid, exhausting, daily regimen.
To make sure she was in peak condition.
Physical and mental.
To make sure she could, for example, leap extremely high from a standing start, at a moment's notice.
Knew exactly how much pressure to apply to walls, and at what angle, so she could climb higher, quickly.
Had the stamina to steady herself and stay up there for as long as necessary.
The self-control to become a ghost.
Disappear in the shadows.
Cate was a fly on the wall.
In the ointment.
Unseen.
Unheard.
That didn't mean it was pleasant.
Or even vaguely comfortable.
Especially when she was well and truly stuck up there until the two guards right below her moved on... which, given that Karl had picked up steam and seemed intent on giving his buddy Tony a blow by blow, year by year, month by month account of his pathetic non-existent love life... might be for all eternity. Who starts their tale of woe in kindergarten?!
Poor Tony.
Poor Cate.
If she was going to be forced to listen to Karl's whining for much longer, she was going to do something violent. Lethal. Which she wasn't allowed to.
The whole point, as had been painstakingly explained to her in excruciating detail, as if this was her first mission, was that nobody could know she'd been there. Had infiltrated a foreign embassy and stolen some of their state secrets. She had to be a ghost — and a couple of dead bodies would give the game away. More's the pity.
Besides, she didn't bear Tony any ill will.
Still, she had to do something, because at this rate, her state of the art infiltration suit would have disappeared all the way up her ass within the next few minutes. Once she got out of here, she was going to have a serious talk with the boffins in R&D. One that would probably involve extremely painful wedgies. For them, for once.
If she got out of here.
Take a deep breath.
Assess the field.
Take stock of your tools.
Find a solution.
Just then, Karl mentioned something she could use. A lever to lean on. Hard.
Rebalancing herself awkwardly, trying to make sure she didn't slip, Cate freed up the fingers of her left hand to briefly type a message to her woman in the van, her thumb tapping the other digits as quickly as possible, flicking through each joint's options. Letter after laborious letter appeared on her smart contact lens HUD.
Arrow:
ned u
The reply came back almost instantly.
ScriptKitty:
Oh, did the big bad spy
run into something SHE
can't hack and needs MY
expert skills for?
Sure, just lemme know
what we're looking at,
and I'll get you in
in seconds.
Arrow:
no ur tinder
A long pause. Too long for Cate, who was getting beyond sick and tired of listening to Karl's woes, and could feel her muscles complain ever more loudly. There was no way the woman didn't have one.
Arrow:
ned u to drw awy gurd
ScriptKitty:
Wow. How romantic.
You really know how to
make a girl feel valued.
What does this guard look like?
Is he cute at least?
Cate rolled her eyes. They'd never worked together before, and she didn't appreciate the woman's attitude, or priorities. And hadn't she read Cate's file? Cate had read hers, and everyone else on the team's, like she always did.
Arrow:
name karl nd how shd I kno
not my typ rmbmr
ScriptKitty:
Ugh. Fine. But you'll owe me.
ScriptKitty:
Big time.
ScriptKitty:
Lemme hack their personnel database.
Cate tried to work a crick out of her neck while she waited... For someone that kept bragging how she was the best hacker to ever have lived, it was taking waaay too long for her supposed support to get back to her and actually support her.
ScriptKitty:
Oh god I just found his profile.
ScriptKitty:
THIS dweeb? You want me to
go out with THIS dweeb?
The offence came through loud and clear. Did the woman not get the point?
Arrow:
distrct
Arrow:
nt dat
Arrow:
nw do it
Arrow:
swip
More tense seconds passed.
ScriptKitty:
Fine.
ScriptKitty:
Done.
Karl's phone dinged, and he excitedly showed it to his buddy. Tony clapped him on the shoulder and told him to go, he'd cover for him. When Karl was gone, Tony heaved a small sigh of relief, muttered something under his breath, and continued his patrol. Cate understood how he felt.
ScriptKitty:
Well now I kinda feel bad for him.
Cate groaned. What had she done to deserve this?
Corridor finally clear, she slowly, silently unlimbered her locked split, and sinuously descended back to the ground... the badassery of the moment almost immediately ruined by some truly undignified digging for fabric where fabric shouldn't be. Sweet, sweet relief. After shaking some feeling back in her limbs and with both hands now free, she shot back a message.
Arrow:
Then why don't you go meet him?
It's not like I might need you
for the mission.
ScriptKitty:
Okay! Thanks! I will!
User Has Disconnected
Cate blinked.
Did nobody understand sarcasm anymore?
She'd been planning on requesting the woman the next time she was sent somewhere tropical, as a thank you of sorts, but now she was thinking maybe she should get her sent somewhere really cold and miserable instead...
Her and Karl.
