Chapter 33:
Two Lying Liars
The main room of the hive looked much different than usual, definitely much busier, which was saying something for a Hornet hive.
While Hornets were everywhere, preparing weapons and maintaining armour, several people in grey uniforms were there with their own monsters, and those not likewise preparing were talking quietly while referring to a bulletin board that had various pieces of intelligence pinned to it.
As Oldeera had promised, a pair of Undines had been drafted into helping, both were sleeping in a large tub in the corner after expending so much energy communicating with the Aegis command in Garland.
Rebecca and Miranda were given a wide birth, the pair of them standing by the exit as the courier received her final instructions.
“All I want you to do today is be curious, you were just assaulted and you’re trying not to think about it, so ask a few questions, but don’t really hear the answers.”
The Lapine nodded along, one foot tapping anxiously.
“Be distracted and listless, I can do that.”
“Who attacked you?” The operative demanded suddenly.
“It-it was two woman, they were so dirty.” She said with a shudder; “One of them had grey hair I think, I don’t know, I was just so scared.”
“Dial it down a bit, we both know you have bigger balls. And you can leave out the dirty part.” Miranda said with a smirk; “Plenty of places in the slums have running water, especially with the spring thaw not yet over in the mountains. Even muggers have self-respect.”
“Right, two well-bathed muggers.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass, focus.” She said firmly.
Rebecca swallowed and shifted to one side, her ears once more going flat to her head.
“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know, I’m just trying not to think too much about this.”
With a gentle grip on her shoulders Miranda turned the bunny to face her, eyes concerned.
“Becks… if you aren’t up for-”
“I am.” She said firmly; “I can do this.”
The gruff woman looked at her a long time, measuring the resolve in her pink eyes until she was satisfied.
“Alright, remember, this is a game of patience, so no risks today. The most I want you to find out is the general layout of the place, especially how many exits there are and where to find them. We have the original blueprints, just confirm them for us.”
“Right.”
With her hands still on her shoulders, Miranda gave the Lapine a reassuring squeeze.
“First and foremost I want you focused on getting out of there safely! Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
Again the bunny nodded.
“Necessary risks only. Gotcha.”
That got a laugh from the older operative.
“Smart-ass.”
Without thinking she pulled her into a hug.
The impulsive move surprised them both, but the stressed-out monster girl hugged her back firmly, their breasts pressing together as she drew on the other woman’s strength.
A minute later the hive went silent as everyone watched the brave Lapine hop her way out of the room.
Jan gave Miranda a sly look, causing her to roll her eyes.
“Don’t start puppy, if anyone deserved a hug it was her.”
__________
Rebecca straightened her shirt for probably the fourth time as she stood before the door to the machine shop.
The last time she was here she was witness to a murder.
She still struggled to reconcile the woman who had so recently shared her bed with the woman who could kill someone so casually.
Her hand shook slightly as she rapped her knuckles against the door and she had to take another long breath to steady her nerve.
Remember what’s at stake.
“A-Algrade Courier Service!” She announced with only the slightest hitch in her voice.
A few moments later and the night manager Gregory opened the door for her.
“Look who it is! The boss’s favourite courier! We’ve all been worried about you.”
His attempts at being disarming were painfully awkward before Rebecca knew he was a criminal.
“Uh yeah, hey. Is she here? I have a parcel for her.”
He gave her a funny look at her nervous demeanor, his eyes pausing on the bruise under her eye.
She did her best not to squirm under his gaze, and eventually he nodded.
“Good, hopefully it’s the one she’s been waiting on. You might have to leave it with me for now though, she’s in a meeting.”
“Oh, uh, okay.”
She reached into her bag, feeling decidedly trapped as she wracked her brains for some way to get inside.
Fortunately it wasn’t necessary.
“On second thought…” Once again his eyes were on her injured face; “Why don’t you go and wait in her office? I’m sure she’d love to see you.”
She swallowed the terror that came with the invitation, feeling as if she were standing on the precipice.
Instead of saying anything, she nodded her agreement while mentally reminding herself that she was supposed to be nervous.
She stepped inside and walked up the stairs; once he saw her enter the office Gregory left to let Carol know she was here.
In the office, Rebecca did her best to control her nerves; she had been there many times, she knew the boundaries, knew that it would be normal for her to raid the little ice box, that Carol had started keeping carrot juice in there for her.
But she couldn’t bring herself to act normal, fear and doubt chasing each other around in her mind until her girlfriend arrived.
Having been forewarned of the wayward Lapine’s appearance and behaviour by Gregory, the buxom woman was at Rebecca’s side immediately, her hands cupping her bruised face.
“What happened?” She asked in a level town while turning her head slightly to get a better look at the bruise.
The Lapine could tell that she was working to not be too pushy with her, which was just as well, given her nerves. For a moment she was deeply conflicted: she almost thought she could recognize the Carol that she knew in the concerned look on her face and the worry in her voice.
But at the same time she couldn’t shake off the memory of what this woman was capable of.
Though the Lapine didn’t know it, her hesitance and the way she automatically flinched back from the memory actually served to reinforce her cover as she tried to remember the lie.
“I-I, it was, I was a-attacked.” She swallowed as the details she had rehearsed over and over with Miranda came back; “Two women jumped me in the slums, it’s no big deal, I’m okay.”
Carol’s eyes narrowed and for a moment Becks thought she was done for, but it quickly became apparent that the other woman’s anger wasn’t directed at her.
“No big- are you serious?! This is a huge deal baby! Come on, sit down, I’ll get you some ice.”
She did as instructed while Carol turned to the little ice box in the corner.
“What were you thinking going into the slums alone?”
She was ready for the question, her mind having retrieved all of the details she needed.
“I wasn’t, thinking I mean, one of the other couriers hurt her leg. I was covering her route and I was way behind.”
Carol was frowning when she turned around with a bunch of ice wrapped in a cloth.
“So it was a short cut?”
Becks had to swallow her nerves again as she felt the chill of the ice press to her face.
“It was supposed to be. Didn’t end up that way.”
“Did you go to the Aegis?”
Though she had rehearsed over and over with Miranda’s help, the timeline they came up with was a jumbled mess in her head, and she couldn’t keep her eyes from widening as she tried to remember which lie to tell next.
Rebecca knew that without the ice covering half of her face, Carol would see her alarm, so she did something drastic.
She started to cry.
She knew her ploy had worked when she felt arms wrap around her, though the embrace brought her little in the way of actual comfort.
“Ah shit, baby. You’re okay now, I promise.”
“I-I’m sorry, I had your parcel on me too.”
The buxom woman sucked in a breath.
“Did they take it?” Her voice was level as she clearly sought to hide her own deceptions.
Rebecca sniffled and pulled away from the embrace, reaching for her bag as the phony-facts once more got straightened in her head.
“No, I have it here. I just couldn’t bring it while the lawkeepers had me in a safe-house waiting for the Aegis to send someone. I only got out of there last night. I was going to surprise you with it.”
She handed the parcel off to Carol, who set it on the desk with a grateful smile.
It was painfully obvious that she wanted to open the parcel immediately and be sure of its contents; Rebecca could see her fighting down the urge as they spoke.
“It’s here now, and thank you by the way, for finding it. But I’m just glad that you’re safe.”
In that moment she knew without a doubt that Carol cared more for the little box and its contents than she did for the Lapine in front of her. And even though the cherry-haired stunner’s greed served as a distraction and helped her maintain her cover, the bunny hated the lying woman before her as her heart finally finished breaking.
“Do you have any more deliveries? Maybe you could sit with me for a bit.”
Again she could tell that Carol would rather she left immediately, she was only keeping up with the charade to ensure Rebecca stayed in the dark.
“I have one more delivery after this, but I’d like to see you, at least for a little while.”
“Why don’t I take you out tonight?”Carol offered; “We’ll go someplace fancy and get ourselves pampered.”
“That sounds…nice.” Her reticence was painfully apparent, but once again it only served to reinforce her story; “Um, I have to pee, i-is there a bathroom somewhere?”
“Yeah but it’s for employee’s only.” Carol said seriously.
Rebecca blinked in surprise, panic flooding her momentarily before she caught the twitch at the corner of the woman’s mouth.
Humour Becks, go for humour.
“Okay then, do you have a bucket I could borrow? Or maybe keep?”
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Carol laughed, having to take a moment to remind herself to smile at the success of her joke.
“Down the stairs and around the left behind the presses, just keep to the wall, you’ll find it.”
“Thanks!” She chirped and leaned in to kiss Carol on the cheek.
It turned her stomach to do it, but it was the right play.
“Hmmm, hurry back and maybe I’ll put that wonderful piercing of yours to work before you have to get back to your route.”
She was dearly grateful that the woman pulled her into another hug and therefore missed the sickened expression that blossomed on her face.
“R-right.” She said airily.
Something in her tone must have seemed off though, and Carol pulled away from her before the Lapine could fully school her features.
“Is something wrong?”
Once again she felt that surge of panic.
Behind the ‘concerned’ face Carol wore, she could clearly see her real face, the calculating face of a cold-blooded murderer.
“N-no. No.” She brought her hand up to cradle her cheek as she felt her ears go flat to her head under the weight of her gaze; “I just can’t stop thinking about… the other night.”
It wasn’t a lie: she was thinking about the night that she saw Carol shoot the old woman.
Her gratitude for Cordelia punching her in the face knew no bounds in that moment as her girlfiend’s expression softened and she took the bunny’s hands in hers.
“If I ever find out who these shitheads were I promise you their tits will end up in the presses downstairs.”
Rebecca threw her arms around her shoulders and held her tight once more, her skin crawling all the while as their breasts pressed together.
“Thank you.” She whispered, kissing her on the cheek again with tight lips.
“You’re welcome baby. You’re so tense from this, why don’t we forget about going out? I’ll send that tubby roommate of yours packing and we can stay in, so that you can feel safe at home.”
Becks held the hug for another couple of seconds as Carol rubbed her back in a bid to comfort her that had the exact opposite effect.
“That would be great actually, I’m sorry.” She sniffed as she worked to bring her priorities back into order.
“Don’t be, whatever you need.”
Their eyes were locked together.
I need to see you in chains you evil bitch!
She swallowed bile and wiped away sudden anxious tears.
“Well, anyways, I better go, um, to the bathroom, then I guess back to work.”
By this point they had broken apart and Carol’s eyes were tracking her every move.
Keep it together Becks.
She looked straight into her one-time lover’s face and lied her ass off.
“I love you.” She said with all of the sincerity and passion she could muster.
It was the first time she had said the words out loud, and they hit the mark.
The cherry-haired woman looked surprised at first, but smiled wolfishly as her eyes hooded.
“I love you too baby, now scoot before you lose control of your bladder!”
Fuck you.
Rebecca smiled as brightly as she could before ducking out of the office and heading down the stairs.
She had to restrain herself from heaving an enormous sigh of relief though: she wasn’t out of the woods yet.
Gregory was coming up the stairs as she was coming down, and she couldn’t help but flinch as they passed each other.
In her office Carol was in the midst of opening the parcel when she looked up at the night manager’s frowning face as he entered the room.
Her orders were to the point.
“Find me the slum rats stupid enough to touch my little pet. Make an example of them.”
“Right.” He looked out the door and down the stairs, to ensure the rabbit was out of earshot; “And… if I can’t find them?”
She scowled as her eyes narrowed.
“What, you think they’re stupid enough to jump her, yet somehow smart enough to get out of my city afterwards?”
“That, or… maybe they don’t exist.”
She opened her mouth to snap at him, but then closed it slowly as her canny mind began to mull over the Lapine’s nervous behaviour in a different light.
With a sour look on her face she was forced to admit that she had to consider every possibility.
“Alright, come at it from both angles then. What was the name of that fat lawkeeper, the one who has a soft spot for little boys?”
“Wainwright. I think his first name was Christopher.”
She nodded, unconcerned by the man’s vices, her only interest in how they could be exploited.
“Reach out to him, check her story.”
“Will do boss.”
Oblivious to the critical conversation in the office above her, Rebecca was following Carol’s directions and heading towards the bathroom, all the while looking around and taking mental notes about the place.
But as she did she quickly spotted one of the workers following her.
She imagined it was not unlike being stalked by a hungry wolf, the greasy-faced man shadowing her steps might have just been trying to make sure she wasn’t lost, but…
What should I do? What would I do?
Her eyes widened as inspiration struck and she whirled to face him.
“I’m sorry but very recently some people attacked me, and now you seem like you’re following me to the bathroom, so can you go away or something?”
His mouth fell open and his face reddened as he scowled at her.
“I was just going to show you where it is!”
“I know where it is!” She snapped back, her stress adding vehemence to her words; “Carol told me. You know Miss Reindel right? My girlfriend, your boss!”
She had never been one to name drop, but she landed this one perfectly: the flushing man backing off almost immediately, as fully aware as Rebecca what his cold-hearted employer was capable of.
He muttered something about her overreacting, but turned on his heel and went back to wherever he was supposed to be.
Alright Becks, that’s one hurdle overcome.
Courage filled her as she watched the man’s departure, waiting for him to round the corner of the press before she turned back to her task.
Her eyes never stopped moving. Whenever someone looked to her she pretended to be fascinated by the presses, or by the massive kiln in the middle of the main room.
Occasionally someone would leer at her, her response then was to make a rude gesture until they laughed and looked elsewhere.
Within a few minutes she knew the layout of most of the place as Miranda wanted, but no one was bothering her, her face a familiar enough sight, so she got bold.
There was a closed door marked storage just past the hall that led to the bathroom.
In her mind she could hear Miranda repeating herself: no unnecessary risks. But she reasoned that it was close enough and she was distracted enough to make an ‘innocent’ mistake.
I’m just looking for the bathroom, like Carol said, nothing suspicious about that. I opened the wrong door, that’s all.
With her heart beating in her ears she pushed the door open and slipped into the dimly lit storage area.