Chapter Text
The chandeliers glittered overhead, each one glowing brighter than the last. The room dripped in glamor and gold with towering mirrors reflecting the shine of the chandeliers. Among the trickle of guests, walking slowly arm-in-arm, was a scientist busily weaving her way through the crowd. Dr. Bellum paid no notice to the guests she bumped into as she hurried down the hallway.
She arrived at the top of the staircase leading into the ballroom and surveyed the crowd. The guests milled around, an endless current of the elite mingling, moving passively from one person to another, swapping empty champagne glasses for filled ones in the process. From her viewpoint, it was impossible to make out who was who.
Her hands adjusted her tie and straightened the lapels of her coat before facing the crowd that greeted her at the bottom of the stairs. It wasn’t that Dr. Bellum disliked people. Their ideas, their endless creations fascinated her. And if there weren’t people, there wouldn’t be anything to steal. But crowds...crowds were different. She could appreciate the feeling of anonymity they gave, swallowing her up amongst the plastic smiling faces of the elite. But as she began winding through the crowd, the pressed-suits and velvety dresses rubbed up against her arms. Her skin touched lace, velvet, fur, corduroy, silk, each additional texture setting her more and more on edge. It was like her experiments: she accidentally opened too many programs and no matter how many times she tried to restart, her computer remained frozen.
She vaguely heard someone calling her name. Taking in a deep breath to steady herself, she turned around towards the voice and ran straight into Countess Cleo.
“Cleo? What are you doing here?” Dr. Bellum asked, shaking her head as she tried to clear her thoughts.
“Here, take this” Cleo reached out and placed her glass of champagne into Dr. Bellum’s hand with a strange look on her face. If she didn’t know any better, Bellum would even say Cleo look worried.
“You look like you need it more than I do,” Cleo said, before placing her hand on the other woman’s back and leading her to the side of the room. Dr. Bellum took another deep breath in and let herself be led away.
The cold of the glass in her hand and the feel of Cleo’s hand on her back grounded her as her breath evened out. When they reached the side of the room, Bellum leaned against the wallpaper and fully took in what the other woman was wearing. Cleo was donned in a stunning deep blue dress, clinging to her shoulders and flaring out at the waist. She looked perfectly in her element and was more stunning than any other guest at the event. Her signature eyeliner made her eyes glitter dangerously as Cleo stared down anyone that dared to approach the two of them while waiting for Dr. Bellum to say something.
Bellum took a sip of her drink before looking up questioningly at the other women. She and Cleo have known each other for years, and Cleo was accustomed to reading her often racing mind.
Cleo just looked back down at her with a wry smile. “I’d like to have one of the members of our esteemed faculty maintain her threatening reputation,” she said, answering Dr. Bellum’s unvoiced question.
Bellum dipped her head in silent thanks. She wondered who Cleo came to these events with. It was unlike her to be here without a potential suitor. She usually found some young man to prey on, who would discover that his bank, business, or art gallery was mysteriously robbed by the end of the evening. “What are you doing here?” Bellum asked instead.
“Why wouldn’t I be here? Another opportunity to wear my finest silk dress was just too great to pass up.”
Dr. Bellum just smirked. “We both know that you gave up on coming solo to these events a long time ago. If you don’t host or bring along your target, you never properly enjoy these things. Always complaining about the hors d’oeuvres, the drinks, the crowd, the men.”
Cleo just eyed her and said nothing. “Countess?” Bellum asked, raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Who says I’m not here with anyone? I’m here with you, aren’t I?”
At this, Dr. Bellum’s face flushed slightly. She distracted herself by swirling her champagne in her glass and listening to the quiet pop of rising bubbles before looking back up.
“I would hope I make better company than the cookie-cutter men you find, with each one more average-looking than the last. Not one has proven themselves deserving of a countess.”
In response, Cleo met her eyes briefly before looking away again.
“Dr. Bellum, why are you here? I’ve never seen you in a tux before.” Cleo said, changing the conversation. “I wasn’t even sure you owned something other than those lab coats of yours.”
“If you must know, I’m here to steal a watch.”
At this, Cleo’s eyes widened in surprise. “A watch?” she asked in disbelief, “why would you need to steal a watch?”
Dr. Bellum raised her chin defensively. “I’m here to steal it back. Have you heard of Franklin Esvanir?”
“That lunatic that sent the car into space?”
“The very one. I knew him back from my university days.” Dr. Bellum scowled. “He was always talented with the more code-oriented side of robotics. You know I prefer hardware and tinkering in my workshop.”
“But what’s so special about the watch?”
“It’s not about the watch. It’s about what the watch contains. Two of our agents discovered that the microchip containing the particular camouflage code I developed was taken by Esvanir. Rumor is, he keeps it under the face of the watch.
“I always thought the code was lost in the university fire, along with everything else.” Cleo saw something dark flash over her face before Dr. Bellum continued. “It was my best work. But I gave up reproducing the exact product years ago, moving on to other projects.”
“I still don’t understand. We have minions, agents, anyone to take out a target. Why are you here?”
“My dear Countess, you already know the answer to your question. It’s why you attend these events. “ Bellum smirked. “To witness their demise first-hand.”
“But,” Bellum realized. “You have no such target tonight. So why are you here?” she asked, a curious lilt to her voice as she stepped closer to Cleo. “Pray tell, Countess. What are you running away from? Or rather, running away to?
Cleo tensed. “I don’t see the need to tell you.”
“Very well.” Dr. Bellum suddenly took a step back. “If my company is not wanted, I’ll leave you to enjoy your evening.”
Cleo felt the absence of the other’s presence immediately. She felt like she could finally breathe, yet she didn’t want to, and found herself missing the smell of Dr. Bellum’s cologne instantly. The space between the two of them suddenly left Cleo feeling strangely vulnerable. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this way. “Saira,” she said, before the other women could leave. “I’d like to propose a deal.”