Snippet #2250348

By the time they had reached Buckley, Darcy had the whole convoy – consisting of three armed Soldiers who just happened to be guarding the Air Base – eating out of the palms of her hands. She did not care for any of them. Men . . . They were so easy . . . none of them could compare to Richard. But she could not think about him.

She had managed to divert the attention of one of the Soldiers who was keenly interested in poor frightened Zanetta. The girl looked like a deer caught in the headlights with burst of angry stares in between.

Passing through the checkpoint without any hindrance Darcy looked out off the window. The Base was a typical, cold, sterile place. Conveys pulled up to one side while people went about their jobs in the gloomy weather.

Hmm, she wouldn't have had much problem getting in here even without arriving with these Soldier Darcy guessed as she hopped out of the truck, heels clicking on the ground and placed a protective motherly arm around Zanetta's waist, keeping the men at bay.

“You alright sweety?” Darcy smiled at the girl.

Zanetta nodded slowly with a weak smile with a quick peer from the corner of her eyes to the three men coming out of the vehicle.

“Don't worry I won't let anything happen to you.” Darcy whispered when the men where out of ear shot. “So can one of you capable gentlemen point me towards the access to the underground Facility.” She smiled bewitchingly at the lead GI Joe.

“Sure can Alison, it's right this way . . .”

They began walking as the Solider led the way. Heart race increasing, palms sweating. Naturally she was nervous. Okay, you can do this Darcy told herself. Panicking on the inside while her exterior was solid as steel. She had to act like she rightfully belonged in this place. And I do. The only way one could convince another was to convince yourself first.

Stopping abruptly. What the hell?! Darcy stared at the figure that had stopped them. That was one mean looking women. She looked butch but that Darcy guessed was because of her choice of dress, leather and biker sort of gear and she had a mean looking face too.

“Who the fuck are you?” Said the Soldier at their side while Darcy looked on with a raised brow and folded her arms across her chest. “And you wanna get out the way.”

The women extended a cold stare at the Soldier while she flashed a badge quicker then lightning.

“Jessica Monroe, NSA. Where are you folks heading?”

Instantly Darcy became wary . . . NSA . . . The women didn't look like NSA just as Richard hadn't appeared NSA. That's when Darcy knew. If this women was a member of the NSA then she was Christina Aguilera . . . and Darcy couldn't hold a note if her life depended on it . . . Luckily it didn't . . . it just depended on her passing off as Dr. Alison Mackinley. Peachy!

“I'm based here.” The Soldier replied, his fatigues allowing for no further evidence. “This is Dr. Mackinley. She's just arrived to work down in the laboratory.”

“I'll take it from here.” The women told the Soldier.

“But-”

“I said, I'll take it from here.” The women restated with a voice that allowed for no argument.

The Soldier straightened and left without saying another word.

"Bitch." Darcy heard him say over his shoulder.

Ignoring the comment and turning her attention from the disappearing Soldier, Jessica Monroe gave Darcy a cold once over, much like many women gave her. One filled with jealous and envy as her cold brown eyes flickered back to Darcy's smokey gray ones.

Darcy smirked in return innocently with a pout.

“I've no information on anyone being allowed entrance into the Facility.” Jessica stated.

“Why would you?” Darcy countered matter of factually “What jurisdiction would the NSA have here?” She added with a cold laugh.

“That's none of your damn business Princess.” Jessica Monroe replied scathingly “If I don't say so you don't fucking go in!”

This bitch was getting on Darcy's nervous real fast. NSA my ass! Thought Darcy aggrievedly. Did she work for the same Agency Richard worked for? . . . Did she know Richard?! That last thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. . . . Or did Scott send her? If he had, she should be worried but Darcy couldn't help an inner smile.

“Listen up Monroe,” Darcy said coldly moving into Jessica's space “I don't give a shit who you are, you got it? And I'm not here to argue with you. I'm here to do my job so that if people like you are bitten or worse injured in some way– whether I like it or not - don't turn into one of those things out there.”

Yeah right! If there was a Zombie attack here right now, this bitch would be the first one she would throw to the Walkers without a single regret.

Jessica looked like she wanted to punch Darcy in the face right there. Darcy could see the control she was holding over herself as the woman's left eye twitched ever so slightly. Darcy lips curled up smugly to the left in response.

“ID.” Monroe ground out through clenched teeth.

Darcy flashed the woman the badge around her neck. Jessica yanked her forward by it as she examined it. Darcy smiled further with a tilt of her head. Be cool . . . you look exactly like the picture . . . She knew she didn't but it was only a small thumbnail photograph, she could get away with it.

“That's not you?” The women said looking up with a raised eye brow . . . she was testing Darcy.

Darcy scoffed incredulously. “Then who is it?” She challenged back.

The women smiled back calmly still holding the identification badge. “ID Number?”

“5432179.” Darcy reiterated the number she had learned off by heart without a stutter.

Jessica let go of the badge. The metal clip holding the laminated card clinked with the crystal under Darcy's shirt and before she new it Jessica's hand was down her shirt pulling the crystal out. She tried fighting back but the women was too strong.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Darcy shouted as she tried pulling the necklace back but didn't pull too hard not wanting to break the delicate chain. She hated this bitch touching something so dear to her heart.

“Just making sure you're not carrying anything lethal.” The women smirked cruelly as she looked across at Darcy. “And what's this?”

“A gift . . .” Darcy murmured mournfully “. . . from . . . my husband.”

Dr. Mackinley was married, she reminded herself.

“He dead?” The women asked with sick smile, knowing the answer was a yes and it pleased her.

“Yes.” Darcy replied through clenched teeth, noticeably gulping trying to hold her anger in check.

She wanted to throttle this bitch!

“And who is this?” Jessica asked as she dropped the crystal and focused her attention on Zenetta now.

“This is my daughter Alice.” Darcy offered sedately as she pressed an extremely frightened looking Zanetta forward with a palm to her back. “I couldn't leave her by herself.”

“You don't look old enough to have a daughter this big.”

“Why thank you, but I'm thirty nine." She lied "Plenty old to have children older then this.”

“It wasn't a complement.” Jessica stated. “And she can't go down in the Facility with you. You should know that Doctor.”

“Fine.” Darcy said with a false smile “You can babysit her then . . . I'll be only ten or twelve hours at the most.”

Darcy ignored the panicked looks Zanetta was throwing her way. She was bluffing . . . would Jessica take the bate . . . it didn't look promising as the women stared between them for a moment.

“Go.” Said the NSA Agent at last.

At first Darcy wasn't sure whether she was telling her to leave the Base altogether or allowing them entrance into the Facility, until Jessica moved aside a mere inch.

Breathing an internal sigh of relief. “Finally!” Darcy said snobbishly with a lift of her chin as she swept past the so called self-proclaimed NSA Agent but not before purposely pushing into the woman's shoulder.

Jessica swung Darcy around by the arm to face her and then there was a gun pointed right in her face.

She wasn't afraid of this bitch. Taking a step forward, a grin tracing her lips. “I dare you.” taunted Darcy “. . . Yes and then you can tell Director Scott - ” Jessica noticeably straightened at the mention of Andrew Scott's name . . . Oh yeah! That was the key . . . “Oh! You know Director Scott?” Darcy asked innocently “Yes, well you can tell him why his best researcher and the women, if I do say so myself, who single-handedly found a permanent cure to the Parasite that is ravaging the world, was shot dead at the hands of a common NSA agent.”

Okay she was totally bullshitting but she had a feeling Jessica Monroe was eating up every piece even as her face gave away the workings of her mind . . . whether to trust Dr. Mackinley's words or not.

“Yes, indeed,” Darcy continued with a smile as she took another step forward and pushed the gun away with a single finger “you can also tell him why my cure which will put the United States at the top of the World's food chain once again, which is the Directors dream is dead, again like I would be at your hands . . . No? I didn't think so.” Darcy said when Jessica gave no response just a cold burning stare that could kill. “Well, we'll be on our way then. So why don't you do your damn job and stay out of my way, got that . . . Monroe?” She finished with a Barbie smile.

Just as she was beginning to turn away, Darcy was swung around my her arm once again. Fuck! But all this twirling was making her nauseous. Face to face with Jessica Monroe a breaths space away, almost breathing the same air, Jessica threatened lowly with a whisper “Just some advice Dr Mackinley,” she said pressing the cold steel of a blade against Darcy throat “you might want to watch that mouth of yours . . . wouldn't want you losing that sharp tongue or something more vital . . . you might want to watch your back to while your at it.”

The grip the woman had on Darcy arm stung badly. These sorts of people thrived on the fear in their preys eyes. Darcy wouldn't give this bitch that satisfaction as she held Jessica's gaze.

“It isn't my back you should be worried about.” Darcy said calmly “It's what the Director's going to do to you . . .” when he find's out that I slipped through your fingers so easily “that's what you should be worried about.” Darcy finished with an equally cold smile.

The tension between the two women was so very palpable in the air and could be cut with a knife as they shoved away from each other viciously.

“Say hello to Director Scott from me,” Darcy said calmly as she straightened her white button up office shirt and adjusted the pencil skirt. “I'll be emailing him very soon with my findings . . do let him know.” She said over her shoulder as she walked towards the door, a smug smile tracing her ruby lips.

She held her breathed, feeling the eyes of Jessica Monroe bore into her back like fiery daggers as she swiped the bar-coded edge of the ID Badge in the small machine on the wall next to the secure heavy metallic door.

The light on the machine flashed green as a computerized female voice echoed. “Access Granted . . . Welcome, Dr. Alison Mackinley”

Yes! . . . Yes! Yes! Yes! Darcy shouted in her brain as the metallic door slid aside and closed behind her and Zanetta.

The threat of Jessica Monroe also dissipated as the Solider had kindly informed Darcy earlier in the Convoy that no one in the base except the Scientist had any means of access into the underground Facility.

Breathing an audible sigh of relief. Darcy grinned as she looked over at Zanetta . . . “Told you it would be a piece of cake.”



((OOC: Jessica Monroe is an alias for Priestess, I can't seem to tag her in the post for some reason.))