Red File

Surprisingly, I wake up by my own volition, and I stretch cattily atop my bed. The fact that Mariam didn't wake me up means something, but I'm too tired to care. I yawn loudly and run a hand through my messy hair, already moving to get out of bed.

From the living room I hear the TV switch on and the volume lower, not that that stops me from listening in. Mariam's watching the news, local if my ears are right, which they are. Only a stickler like Mariam would want to watch the news in the morning instead of cartoons. Her parents must be so proud.

Groaning, I decide to take a shower. I want to wash the stink of old blood off me, and if i'm in the bathroom, Mariam won't bother me. Lucky for me, the bathroom is in the opposite direction of the living room, so she won't see me. I quickly grab a towel and a change of clothes then pad over to bathroom. I shut the door, lock it, and place my belongings on the sink. The news is still running at the same volume as when I woke up so Mariam hasn't noticed that I'm awake. Good. I might be able to take a long shower just for the fun of it.

Turning the handle to an outrageously hot setting, I step into the tub without waiting for the water to warm. My body was modified to withstand extreme temperatures so the water doesn't bother me in the least. I stand under the freezing stream, unmoving, until I recognize a change. Soon enough the water is scalding and the bathroom quickly fills with steam. It's nice to be engulfed by white heat, and it's almost like I have no problems.

But, of course, that's not the case.

"Hurry up!" Mariam shouts, knocking on the bathroom door. "We need to talk to you. Now!"

'We'? Damn. That means Khan must be here. He's the only person who ever visits so I know it's him. Mariam didn't sound upset, exactly, so I'm not sure what I'm in for. Usually, though, Khan only comes around because he has a job for me, or I'm in trouble. I desperately hope he has a job for me.

I wash and shave in record time, then shut off the shower before Mariam can come back and yell at me again. I step out of the tub and dry my body briskly, then put on my clothes; a plain white t-shirt and pair of black jeans. Brushing my teeth, I swipe away the condensation from my mirror and stare at myself. I waggle my eyebrows and make funny faces. For some reason it makes me feel good. I never figured out why, but why change what works?

I spit out the bubbly toothpaste that Mariam insisted we buy and rinse out my mouth, placing my toothbrush in its holder, another thing that Mariam insisted we buy. Chuckling, I shake out my hair like a dog and leave it how it falls. I like when my hair sticks out every which way. As wild on the outside as I am on the inside. It's fitting.

I exit the bathroom, steam billowing out around me, and make my way to the living room, where the TV is still droning. Sitting on the couch is Mariam and standing beside her is Kahn, their eyes locking on me as I come closer. There's not a job for me, I can already tell.

"The police have your description," Kahn says bluntly, shifting his body to face me. He's a hard ass, but I do love how truthful he is. He never beats around the bush.

I lean against the wall and cross my arms under my breasts, attempting to act nonchalant. "What are you talking about?"

Mariam pushes her glasses up her nose and speaks. "Yesterday you said no one saw you. You lied." She glares at me. "A nurse saw you leave. He gave a description of you to the police.

I growl and curse under my breath. "I bumped into him. I didn't think he got a good look at me."

"Well, he did," Kahn says gruffly. His huge frame is tense, his massive muscles rippling under his suit. I would knock him on his backside if I knew I'd get away with it. But he was pretty high up on the latter if government secrets, and he could make my life hell if he wanted to.

I roll my eyes and brush my hair off my forehead. "You can just shut them up, make them forget about me."

Kahn leans heavily on his right foot. "I know that, but people will wonder why you dropped off an unconscious woman in front of a hospital. They will want answers. I know what you did was good, you know what you did was good, but it was reckless to let yourself be seen. Did that nurse see what you could do?"

I scratch the back of my neck. "I may have thrown him a little..."

Both Mariam and Kahn let out an exasperated sigh. I chuckle nervously, embarrassed. Okay, so maybe I was recklessly stupid.

"You're lucky he was the only one to witness you. No one will believe him when he says that a girl threw him," Kahn says through gritted teeth. He's dealt with enough of my idiotic behavior that he doesn't yell at me anymore. Mariam does that for him. "This better not happen again."

"Trust me, it won't," Mariam answers for me. Then she turns her glare on me, somehow scarier behind her glasses. "Or we'll take you back to the facility, and you can live there. Permanently."

I gape at her threat. She wouldn't really make me go back and live there, would she? She can't. She's not that cruel. She knows how I feel about the facility...

"It wont happen again," I mumble sadly. I may not be sorry for what I did, but I sure as hell won't do it again. I'll never live in the facility again. Never.

"Good," says Kahn, unaware of the painful words Mariam just uttered. "I have another mission for you. You will be given the information at the facility. Come on, I have a car waiting outside."

I nod and pick up my shoes that I left in the living room last night, then start for the front door. I wait outside for Mariam and Kahn and slip on my shoes on the sidewalk. I don't mind going to the facility to get information and check ups and all that, but I refuse to stay there for extended periods of time. Mariam knows that better than anyone else. It was a low blow for her to threaten me that way.

Grumbling nonsense, I'm ushered into a black SUV to be squished between Mariam and Kahn. I know it's because Kahn doesn't trust me, but it's really annoying. It's not like I'm going to jump out of the vehicle to flag down an ice cream truck and buy almost all of the candy in it.

That happened once. I'm not going to do it again.

Mariam puts her hand over mine as we're driven to the outskirts of town, to the warehouse district. She comforts me this way whenever we have to go to the facility, and even though I'm irked by her threat, I allow her to touch me. Truth be told, she's the only one that can calm me. I'm not ashamed to admit that.

Squeezing Mariam's hand, I let my eyes wander out the window. The facility is an underground network that covers most of the warehouse district and little bit of town. I'm not even sure when it was built, but I know its old. I did a little snooping once, and let's just say a lot of conspiracies were concocted there. I'm not supposed to know that, though.

When we reach the appropriate warehouse, Mariam lets go of my hand and we step out of the car. Service workers eye us, but don't approach or bother with us. I smile and wave at a few of them but only get nods in return. They're used to my presence, though they don't know why I'm around so much, but they know better than to pry. They all truly do work in the warehouse and have nothing to do with the government, but they are aware that something weird happens when they're not looking. Money shuts their mouths.

Near the back of the warehouse there is an elevator door precariously placed so that you don't know its there unless you're looking for it. Kahn, Mariam, and I step in and start to descend. Kahn's cologne is overbearing so I step closer to Mariam. She smells of green things and dirt, which I like. She uses that scent for me to help keep me calm, and it works. It was easy to figure out that that particular aroma kept me level headed but harder to bottle it up so Mariam could wear it. She has a limited supply so she only wears it when she feels it's necessary. Otherwise she smells of lavender perfume and cocoa butter lotion.

Feeling better, I rock back and forth on my feet as the elevator continues to descend. Eventually the silver doors slide open and Khan allows Mariam and I to step out first. Just in front of us is a large curved wooden desk with a petite redhead sitting behind it. The redhead, Ali, looks up at our presence and I smile at her. She averts her eyes from mine, scared. Though I dislike her reaction I can totally understand it. I'm the only successful test subject to properly have all the desired traits with no negative side effects. Not only that, I'm a rule breaker. Extreme power and a rebellious mind tends to scare people. I've attempted to talk to Ali multiple times but she always finds some way to avoid me, so I've stopped trying. She smiles at Mariam, though. Talk about hurtful.

Kahn takes the lead, nodding at Ali, and walks out of the elevator and to the right. A long, pristine white hallway is in his path and he dominates it like he owns it. Mariam and I follow suit without questions or comments. We've been through this many times already.

Footsteps echoing, we pass multiple doors with other test subjects behind them. Failures. I've seen them before and they're not pretty. Some subjects go crazy, others get sick and die. I only hope that these people at least volunteered for this like I did.

Kahn stops if front of double doors and straightens his suit, then gently opens the doors for Mariam and I. We step through silently. Inside is a long, oak table surrounded by blue chairs, almost all of them empty. There's also a large screen on the left wall, dark and not in use. Sitting on the far end of the oak table is the General.

That's it, just the General, or simply General. I would ask him his real name but I really don't care. Besides, I'm already used to General.

"Glad you could make it," he says in a booming voice. It's entirely unnecessary but he likes to feel powerful. I'll give him that little bit of happiness.

I scoff and get up onto the table, sitting indian style. Its comfortable and better than sitting in one of those ugly blue chairs. Whoever picked them should be fired. "Like I had any choice," I mutter.

The General glares at me, his distaste noticeable from even here. He hates it when I sit like this, which is one of the reasons why I do it. He chews the inside of his cheek for a moment then slides a red folder across the desk, pushing hard so it makes it all the way to me. It slides smoothly, stopping when it touches my foot. I stare down at it in wonder. Red means something dangerous, something vastly important. How exciting!

Without picking the folder up, I open it carefully. Inside is a bunch of papers i'm going to pretend to read. I don't care how important something is, I don't like paperwork. Never have, never will. That's what Mariam is for.

True to my word, I fan out the various papers and pretend to scan them thoughtfully, nodding once in a while to give the illusion that I understand what's before me. But then a small picture attached to one of the papers catches my eye and I'm paying attention for real. I remove the clip holding it to the paper and bring the small square to my face. I don't need to have the picture so close, my eyesight is perfect, but I want to be sure that my eyes aren't deceiving me.

They're not.

Shocked, I blink stupidly at the picture. No way. Smiling at me is the girl from last night, the one I dropped off at the hospital. She doesn't have blood covering her face nor glass in her cheeks, but this is definitely her. There's no mistaking her. I look up at the General and wag the picture.

"What the fuck is this?" I snarl. "I'm not going to kill some girl."

He scoffs and steeples his fingers. Arrogant jerk. "You obviously didn't read the papers. You're not going to kill her." He pauses, making me narrow my eyes. I'm always killing someone. Always. It's what I do, what I was modified for. I've never had a job that required anything else of me.

"You're going to protect her," the General finishes.

I stare at him, disbelief no doubt all over my face. Protect someone? Me? That's not possible. No one would hire me for a delicate job like that. I'm not qualified for it. "So now you're selling me as a bodyguard?" I say belligerently. I'm not opposed to being the good guy for once, but what if I fail? I don't want to have that weighing me down. "What kind of crap is that?"

The General purses his lips. "Your job is to do whatever the government asks of you and someone very high up wants this girl protected."

"So what?" I look to Mariam for help but she provides none. Sighing, I slap my hands on my knees. I can't protect someone, it's not in me. Besides, why does this girl need me specifically? There are many other qualified people that would do much better than me. "What could this girl possibly need protection from that requires me?"

The General sighs in frustration then grabs the remote lying next to him and turns on the screen. It blares to life, the volume too high. No one says anything, though. The local news is showing a segment about a car crash late last night.

"The woman has yet to be identified. She was left last last night in front of SaDian Hospital. Only one person, a nurse, was able to give a description of the culprit responsible for leaving the young woman alone. The police have released a rough sketch of what the person looks like. If you have any information about this person, please call the police."

The newscaster fades out and a sketch of someone that looks a little like me pops up. I groan internally. Looks like that nurse did get a good look at me. The sketch is dark, thanks to the jacket I was wearing, but you can make me out well enough. My hood is up, but you can clearly see my features. This nurse guy must have an awesome memory, unfortunately for me. The sketch artist even got my hair looking all shaggy on my forehead. I look at Mariam and shrug. She glares daggers at me from behind her glasses and I flinch. She's the only person in the world who can make me do that with just a look. Skinny little Mariam has complete control over a government monstrosity who can easily tear her limb from limb. Who would have thunk?

The General clicks off the screen and clears his throat. "It seems as though you have already started your job."

I grumble and stretch out my legs. Damn. I promised myself that I'd help that woman, but how far did I have to go? "I guess she could use some protection," I admit. "Her car was upside down when I found her. No other cars around. I thought it was weird."

The General nods slowly. "This will be the only thing you have to deal with for a while. The person who demanded your services wants you to watch this woman 24/7."

Mariam and I both yell in disbelief at the same time. "What?" I've never been bought for jobs more than a few hours.

"A lot of money is being given to us for this," the General states matter of factly. "A lot. So yes, 24/7."

"What if I refuse?" I ask seriously. I just got let out into the free world, I really don't want to be chained down again. I'd rather hang out in the apartment with Mariam.

The Generals face darkens. "You wouldn't dare."

I bare my teeth and growl. Thanks to all the scary things done to my body, my growl sounds as ferocious as a lion's. I can roar like a lion, too, but I don't think that will be necessary. The General gets my drift. I can kill him right now if I desired it.

I stand up fully on the desk. "You know for a fact you can't make me do anything." Mariam? Maybe. But the General? No.

The General tsks and splays his hands out on the table. "You like to protect people don't you? Here's your chance. For once i'm not asking you to kill someone. I'm asking you to protect someone. This girl is innocent. She's only targeted because of who's daughter she is. Don't you want to help her out?"

Play on my humanity, hm? Deep down I really do want to protect and be seen as good. Mariam sighs from behind me as my weight shifts. She knows what my answer is already. Tossing my hair out of my face, I jump off the table. "Fine," I say.

"Good." The General stands up. "You are going to be doing this alone. They only want you. So Mariam isn't your caretaker anymore. You're going to get a new one, someone that the person who hired you trusts."

I cross my arms under my breasts. I don't do a job without Mariam. If I did, things would get out of control, no doubt. "No. Mariam is coming with me," I state simply. Before the General can object, I continue. "This little blondie here is the only person in the world who can control me. I know that. She knows that. You know that. Some random isn't going to be able to handle me." I look at Mariam for support. She smiles at me and pushes her glasses further up her nose. Oh, great, she doesn't want to get involved in this. She's too compliant to go up against the General. Whatever. Mariam might be a pain in the ass, but I still like having her around.

Surprisingly, the General seems to agree with me. "I know that, Cas. But they only want you. What am I supposed to do?"

"Tell them to shove it and let me bring Mariam along with me. I'm not going to protect this woman without her." And I really won't if Mariam isn't allowed to come along.

The General sighs irritably and grumbles to himself. He must know that I'm serious. "I'll see what I can do."

I hum. "You do that."

The General takes out his cell phone and starts to make a call. While he talks I turn to Mariam. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Mariam shrugs. "I can't go against my superior. You know that."

"You have control of the damn Hulk. You can ask to live in his house and he couldn't refuse."

"I've got control over you, huh?" She fingers the collar of my shirt playfully.

"You know what I mean," I grumble, running my hand through my hair. She's a real friend and I do care what she thinks. Her opinions matter to me, even if I don't heed them half the time. My respect and admiration for her is what gives her the power to have my attention. She's the only one that does in this damn place.

She laughs at me and rolls her eyes. "Yes, I know. Thank for defending me, though. I appreciate it," she says. I wink at her and she laughs. "You're ridiculous."

I feign distress and hold my hands over my heart. "Oh, Mariam! How thou have hurteth me. Or whatever Willy would say."

Kahn, silent this whole time, breaks his tough guy facade and laughs. He looks away in embarrassment but is chuckling. Mariam and I look at him in surprise, then laugh along with him, not at him.

"If you guys are finished," the General interrupts. "I've got good news. Mariam, you can go along with Cas, but there's still going to be another caretaker."

I groan but Mariam smiles. Mariam is bad enough, I really don't want another person pissing on my parade. But I'm going to get one according to the General.

"So how old is this woman?" I ask idly. "I'd really like to know how far I can go with my shenanigans." If I'm going to get two caretakers, I'm going to have some fun.

"You really didn't read the file did you?" the General asks, then sighs. "She's eighteen, and you better not pull any shenanigans. I wouldn't want her to tell her father that you're a waste of money."

Eighteen? I'm only twenty and a little, no good trouble maker. I can only imagine what this girl will be like. Worse, probably. Especially with all the money her father has. She must be a spoiled brat.

"Also," the General continues, "She has a name. It's Emma Hall. She's still in the hospital, so go there. You're going to start by protecting here there."

"Won't people recognize Cas?" Mariam asks, already in on-the-job caretaker mode. Always worrying.

"Don't worry about that," the General tells her. "We're already feeding the cops and press a cover story. She's free to roam around."

I nod and start walking out of the office, even though I wasn't dismissed. Mariam apologizes for me and quickly makes it to my side. Kahn is nowhere to be seen so I know he trusts Mariam to get me up top without incident.

As I stalk the pristine white halls I begin to think. What is this mission going to be like? It could go either way. I hope Emma isn't a pain in the ass. I hope the other caretaker isn't a pain in the ass. If they are, I could put a scare into them. Mariam probably won't like it, I know she won't like it, but whatever. I said I'd protect Emma, and I will, but I didn't say she was going to like having me around. Mariam and this mysterious second caretaker are going to have their hands full.

I smile to myself as I step into the elevator. This might be a fun little venture after all.