Zelgadis clicked off his alarm clock as it screamed it's morning's toll stealing him away from his dream-induced heaven of sleep. He blinked cursed the morning sun, his eyes sore from its bright light.
Yesterday had been such a busy day for him and body was suffering as a result. He was tired, very tired. The registration proved to be a lot longer than he was expecting. On top of going through interviews to find out personal information, they had to have various 'minor' physical and mental tests done. Then they all had to go through a two-hour lecture about STF. The whole procedure was at least six hours long.
I wonder if Gourry, Martina or Zangulus are feeling as worn out as I am? But Zelgadis took comfort in the fact that since they were signing on to be temporary red agents they weren't going through the normal process to become an agent. So in reality they were getting it off easy, because going through the system normally is a lot more tough. That doesn't mean that they weren't going to be strict on them. Oh no they still had to follow orders or their asses would be booted out of there.
Getting up out of his bed Zelgadis made a startling realization. He had forgot the STF trainee pack that he had been given yesterday at STF headquarters. This pack had his map of STF HQ, a list of STF rules and regulations, his calendar schedule, his new STF retractable communicator, his ID pack, and directions to STF HQ. Yeah some of those things he needed but they could easily be replaced so it wasn't a big deal that didn't have them, but it was his ID pack that he was mentally kicking himself about. For every new orange agent they are all given an ID pack. This ID pack is a little computer that can be only used by who it is assigned to that identifies an orange agent and allows him or her entrance into STF headquarters. Without this little pack a trainee couldn't enter headquarters. This wouldn't be so bad if he could just get in with Gourry or the others when they went, but an orange agent doesn't have authorization to let non-STF personal in the complex. Only blue, green, yellow or red agents could bring in a guest.
Shit what am I going to do?! I can't get in with anyone else and I don't have my communicator to call someone who could let me in with them... Zelgadis grimly thought, as he got ready. It didn't matter even if he had his communicator, he didn't have authorization to call any other people than orange agents. He didn't know what he was going to do was he was going to find out someway to get around his problem.
Zelgadis was just finishing up the last bit of his breakfast when someone rang his doorbell. 'Now who could that be?'
Upon opening his door he found Lina grinning at him holding his trainee pack in her hands.
"I'd expect Gourry to forget his but you? I'm a bit surprised Zelgadis..." Her grin broadened and turned mischievous.
"Um, please come in." He was notably nervous and embarrassed too but that only made Lina smile wider. She scanned around his apartment suit with interest, but found very little to catch her attention. The living room was quite bare, it had white walls, gray carpet floors, gray furniture and it had no pictures or works of art around. Not saying that his décor was bad, it looked nice, it was just a little plain.
Zelgadis watched her like a hawk as she walked around examining his place. He liked the way his place looked and it never bothered him before what other people thought about his decoration choices. And that's exactly what would and should be the case here, but for whatever reason he was feeling a bit defensive about his home and Lina's opinion of it.
"Nice place you have here. It looks okay but why don't you have any pictures or anything around for extra decoration?"
"I'm not here that often, working at the station and all. Plus a LPD's wages aren't exactly the highest in the world..."
"So a picture frame is too expensive for you?"
"Huh?"
"Well it's just that you could put up a few photos you have lying around. Might not look too bad."
"Hmm... I don't have too many photographs 'lying around'."
"Oh come on you must have a few."
"I never really did much with my family growing up, and with my work the only friends that I've made are other people working at the station and when I see them we are working."
"Guess we'll just have to change that. Anyway are you coming?"
"What?"
"You don't want to be late for your first day as an orange agent now do you?" She flashed him a big smile. Lina didn't wait for an answer; she just went out the door. Zelgadis blinked a few times before he snapped back to reality and ran to catch up to her.
"So Lina, do you visit every orange agent that forgets their pack?" They were walking down the hallway that lead outside of Zel's apartment building.
"Considering the special nature of your registration into the STF and my having to work with you on this assignment I figured that maybe I should help you out. But no I don't usually do this for orange agents who forget their packs. And I have to say I'm very surprised that you forgot it yesterday. What was on your mind that day?" She teased him playfully punching him on the side.
He blushed, mostly out of embarrassment. Great first impression to give them, huh Zel? A respected LPD officer like myself can't even remember to bring home a dumb pack! And yet Gourry was able to remember his!
Lina almost laughed at the expression on his face. You could just tell that he was kicking himself for his forgetfulness.
"Zelgadis, it's not uncommon for a newly signed on orange agent to forget their pack on their first day. It happens to a lot of people."
He didn't answer her, he just continued to scowl.
"You're annoyed because Gourry didn't forget his and you did aren't you?"
Silence.
"Oh my god you are."
Silence, yet again.
"He would have forgotten his if I hadn't got Zangulus to make sure that he wouldn't forget it. And I had Martina remind Zangulus not to forget his either. Plus I was nagging on her to make sure that she didn't forget hers. I didn't bother getting anyone to remind you because I thought you would be able to remember. But I'm not surprised that you didn't. You did have a lot of stuff on your mind yesterday. Not every orange agent has that much thrown at them before they sign up."
"..."
This time Lina couldn't help it she started laughing. He gave her a sour smile trying to hold onto his bitterness but soon he too was laughing.
"Alright I know, I know, I'm just being stupid about it. I shouldn't be so irritated."
"Yeah but you have a nice laugh..." Lina hopped onto her new jet bike that was parked right in front of Zel's.
"You just ruined your other one yesterday! They gave you a new one already?!" The jet bike was black with flames painted on it. It looked fast and it probably was considering the obvious add ons it had. Let's just say it wasn't one of your average run of the mill jet bikes.
"No they didn't. They are going to issue me another one next week. This one is my own personal jet bike that I don't use for STF work... normally."
"Only when you damage your work issued ones? So how many of them have you destroyed so far?" Zelgadis smugly smiled, hopping onto his own jet bike.
"Never you mind that! Now let's roll! Oh and do try and keep up with me. If you thought I was fast yesterday prepare to have your mind blown away!" With that Lina zoomed onto the road at a dangerously high speed with Zel following close behind.
And the two of them drove to STF headquarters like normal red agents would. Recklessly but with so much skill that no accidents happened.
"Well I managed to keep up with you, and even with my normal jet bike." Zelgadis turned off his engine and put his jet bike into park.
"Normal my ass! Yours is souped up as much as mine is!" Lina was close to throwing her bag at him.
"Hello Lina. And hello again Zelgadis." Xellos stepped out his black jaguar.
Lina glared at him with her usual accusing glare that Xellos received so very often. "'Hello again Zelgadis'? And just how did you know that he was going to be here today!"
"Why Lina I was merely saying hello to the young chap. What harm is there in that?"
"That's not what I was talking about! Yesterday you knew that Zel, Gourry, Zangulus and Martina were going to be here today! How?! How did you know?!" She grabbed the grinning monster by the collar shoved him against his car.
"Now, now there Lina you really must learn to control that temper of yours."
"They told you didn't they?!"
"Who are you talking about? I wasn't told anything." Xellos grinned at her without even breaking his cool.
"Why do they always tell me last? And how the hell would you find out in the first place?!" Lina could have pressed him further but she just threw him into an empty garbage can and went with Zelgadis through the first of many doors leading into STF HQ.
"My you can never doubt Lina's observation skills or her temper either." Xellos dusted himself off. His communicator activated its' self, he was being called.
"Xellos how is everything going so far?" A woman spoke from Xellos' communicator.
"Everything seems to be going well. Lina seems to be getting along quite well with his grandson. But why is it so important that Lina and these people deal with Vernas? It does seem a bit odd, doesn't it?"
"Considering what is at stake these six should do fine. But Xellos you'll need to watch out for them when the real danger starts to occur."
"Yes Master..." Xellos' com shut it's self off, leaving him with the problem of how to explain to Filia why he was late coming into the med lab.
"Hey Lina what time is it?" Zelgadis was a bit confused. Yesterday when he was at STF headquarters it was packed with tones of people. Currently it was almost empty.
"We are a bit early, but the personal schedule differs every day. Today is what we call a skeleton day. Most people don't have work today except for a few. We use these days to train orange agents. But we do still have some of our higher officials here."
"But what happens if there is an emergency?"
"We just do what you guys would do if there was a problem and there wasn't enough people in. We call in some of our agents who are off duty. Actually with the STF you are really never off duty you just are not at HQ. Every person who isn't at assigned to work is on call and ready to be called in at any given moment. That's why most of us have jet bikes that are just as powerful as a normal STF jet bike. So if we need to get somewhere fast to help we can. I assume that is why your jet bike isn't so 'standard'."
"Oh yeah I'm been called to work many times when it was my day off. Too often in fact. Makes me kinda wonder why I joined to be a LPD officer in the first place."
"Why did you join the LPD Zel?"
"Why did you become a red STF agent?"
"I asked you first."
"Okay when I was young I never got to see much of my family. My father was always busy at work with my grandfather. I guess my great-grandfather Rezo was working here the whole time, and my mother disappeared a long time ago. Rotamis was like an older brother to my father so I was left in Rotamis' care a lot. Something about my father's work being too dangerous for me to be around him. But I don't hate my father for it. I was nearly killed one time when I was at the park with him when I was seven. Someone tried to killed him with a plasma bomb."
"You're kidding me! A plasma bomb?! In a park?!" Lina was very shocked. Usually if some person was going to assassinate someone else they would do it a place where no one can identify the source and use a weapon that will only attack their target and few people around it. Now attempting to kill someone in a public place wasn't too out of the norm, but using a plasma bomb was. With its wide dispersible explosion it has the capability to hurt if not kill lots of people around it. Only a madman would try something like that.
"Yeah it was after that incident that my dad realized how dangerous it was fro me to be around him. But growing up with Rotamis was really interesting. He was such a great agent in his day. He was my idol when I was growing up and I wanted to be a LPD officer just like him. Now your turn."
"Okay well my whole family as you know is part of the STF in some way so it was just natural that I would end up working here too. But I guess the reason that I wanted to be a red agent was because of my older sister. Everyone always praised her as an agent and I wanted to be better than her."
"How are you doing so far? Are you as good as she was at her age?"
"Not even close. I quit trying to be better than her a long time ago. I'm a red agent now not because I want to beat her, but because I want to be one. But why are you still a LPD if it's so annoying to you?"
Zelgadis laughed which in turn confused Lina. She didn't know what was so funny about what she said.
"I can't even call in sick without them breathing down my neck. Do you really think that they would let me quit? I'd have to have a pretty damn good reason to not want to be a LPD officer anymore in order for them to let me go. And I'm sorry to say this but wanting to quit just because I don't feel like working there as one isn't a good enough reason for them."
Lina raised an eyebrow. "What do they do when you call in sick?"
"They send over a stupid nursebot to go to my home and assess my health. If I'm not sick enough by their standards then they send me back to work. But working at the station isn't all that bad. I really do like the job, it's just working with Gourry that's a pain in the neck."
"Yes I would imagine so." Lina chuckled going into the orange agent report station.
Vernas squinted over his work mixing various chemicals into different flasks. But he was having trouble concentrating.
"Damn that red-blond haired annoying STF brat!" Vernas muttered to himself in the empty dimly lit underground lab that had become his main research area.
"Who are you talking about?" Vernas jumped and dropped his flasks on the floor. Ozer who had jut popped up behind him darkly smiled.
"Ozer I've told you time in and time again to stop sneaking up on me! What if I happened to be working on explosive or possibly radioactive materials and you did that?! We could get killed."
"But you weren't working with dangerous materials, you were just trying to make coffee."
Vernas cringed. I should have known that he would know the difference. He too smart for his own good! Damnit I never get the recognition and respect that I deserve.
"Well in any case you have caused me to make this mess that I now am going to have to clean up!" Vernas spat out at Ozer. Ozer didn't even blink an eye. He was calm and emotionless.
"The progress on the plan?"
"We're being delayed because of that little STF brat! I never got a chance to get our last supply shipment and I really needed some of those materials!"
"This 'brat' you speak of, whom are you talking about?"
"Lina Inverse!"
"Inverse? As in Blitz Inverse's youngest daughter?"
"Yeah one of his middle children. Why do you know him?"
"You could say that." Ozer's emotionless face turned dark. Blitz had been one of the main people who managed to put him in jail. It gave Ozer a little bit of satisfaction that he would have the chance to deal with one of his kids. This is going to be a lot more fun than what I was expecting. He laughed darkly and Vernas just rolled his eyes.
"I feel like my arms are going to fall off..." Zangulus groaned collapsed on the locker room floor.
"What are you tired Zangulus? You guys only did the easy course." Leviathan loomed over him. Lina and Leviathan had taken Martina, Zangulus, Zelgadis and Gourry on a STF 'beginners' obstacle course. Needless to say they were wiped out.
"I can't even move..."
"But Gourry it's almost lunch time..."
"FOOD!" Gourry jumped to his feet and ran out the door.
"How the hell does he do that?" Leviathan looked a bit mystified at the display. Everyone one else in the room just gave him a tired glare.
Gourry came back a minute later looking quite sheepish.
"What's wrong Gourry? Aren't you going to go eat lunch?"
"Yeah but um, where is the cafeteria again?"
Everyone facefaults.