Work Text:
She used to have a tee shirt. “Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.” It was a symptom of the world and of the time that she was growing up in. No place was free from their prying eyes and ears. In her car, at work, even at home, they were always spying on her.
It wasn’t like Bea had anything to hide, just the opposite, in fact. Her life was an open book. She got up in the morning and fed her cat, had breakfast, went to work, came home and had dinner. After that, she would watch TV until it was time to go to bed.
So, why did she suddenly feel like they had to always spy on her? What did they want? She could sense them everywhere. They watched her in the car, at work, going back and forth to the store.
There was only one place where she felt safe and well away from prying eyes. That was at home. It was a celebration of all things pink and she decorated it in flamboyant pinks and reds. Her mother said it looked a bordello, but Bea didn’t care. It was her sanctuary. It was safe. It was hers and she reveled in it. She pulled the heavy curtains shut and closed out the world.
It had been a gut-wrenching Tuesday. Not only was it the worst day of the week, it was the end of the month and all the crazies came out. Her job as a teller was to help people, but when these two days collided, it was all she could do to hold on.
Pasting a fake grin on her face, she checked and rechecked accounts drained of nearly all their assets and tried to reassure the bank’s patrons that their accounts wouldn’t be closed. It was always the same people, always the same complaint, always sure it was the bank’s problem, not their spending, that had caused the problem and what was she going to do about it?
Bea could feel the tension coiling up inside her to the point of where she was ready to explode when the bell chimed and the doors closed. Quickly, she counted out her drawer and said her goodbyes. There were no invitations to go out for a “Fancy a quick one” or “Let’s grab a bite.” No one really noticed her, unless she made a mistake and that was rare. Now she just needed to get home and change into something more appropriate – I’m not dead yet -seemed a good choice.
She hurried home, playing her radio as loud as she could stand to shut out the nagging in her head and cover up her own conversation with herself.
“Stupid morons. You don’t want to get into arrears, stop spending money on crap,” she said out loud, happy that no one could really hear her. It helped ease the stress and who was she hurting now?
Bea stumbled into her tiny house and resisted the urge to collapse upon entering. First things first, she had to wash the stupid from her.
She started the shower and quickly disrobed, dumping her clothes directing into the washing machine. She didn’t bother with a laundry basket, much to the chagrin of her mother. Why she cared how Bea treated her laundry was beyond Bea’s grasp.
Normally, she would opt for a bath, letting the lavender scented Epsom salts soak her troubles away, but tonight, she just wanted to feel free. A fast shower, her favorite sweats and a nice glass of wine in front of the TV.
With a sigh of happiness, Bea stepped into the stream of water and let it sluice over her, washing away the day and the tension. She was free, she was finally alone and…
“I see you.”
The whisper startled her to her very core. “Wh---what?”
She looked down and there was an eye looking up at her from the drain. “I see you.”
All irregularities will be handled by the force controlling each dimension; Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life.
Medium atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamond, Radium, Sapphire, Silver, and Steel.
Sapphire and Steel have been assigned.
With a scream, Bea stumbled from the shower and suddenly a thick towel surrounded her while confident, reassuring arms guided her to her bed. She was too rattled for the immediate reality of another person being in her apartment to cause her alarm bells to chime.
Then she pulled away determined to put as much space between her and the stranger as possible. She slid off the opposite side of her bed and cowered.
“What do you want?”
“Nothing. I heard you scream and came to help you?”
“How did you get in here?”
“Your door was unlocked.”
“No, it wasn’t. Who are you?”
The stranger, a woman with long blonde hair stared off into the distance. “Patience, Steel.” She returned to Bea. “I am Sapphire. You are Bea Adams.”
“Yes. Yes, I am.”
“You have been fighting the sensation that you are being watched.”
“How did you—are you the one watching me?” Bea pulled the towel closer and tried to keep from shivering, although she wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or fear.
“No, that is something… else.”
“What?”
“Time.” Sapphire stood. “I will permit you to dress. Please join us when you are through.”
“Us?”
“Yes, we will be waiting for you and please hurry. Steel is not patient.”
With that, Sapphire walked from the room and closed the door behind her. Bea could her the water still running in the shower, but she lacked the nerve to turn it off.
Quickly, she dried off and dressed in her most comfortable jeans and a tee shirt. Honesty is the best policy, but insanity makes for a better defense. It always made her laugh.
She felt a bit more courageous now and even dared to reach into the shower and turn off the water, keeping the shower curtain between her and the drain, just in case.
That accomplished, she walked slowly into the main room of her small apartment and sat down on her dumpy couch. It sagged in inappropriate places and that made Bea love it even more, especially since her mother hated it so much. The woman, Sapphire, was carrying a tray to the coffee table. It had a pot, some cups and a variety of cookies on it.
She smiled when she saw Bea. “I thought some tea might help to calm your nerves.”
“Thank you.” Bea stared at the man across the room. As welcoming and kind as the woman appeared, he was the opposite. He looked cold and hard, dressed all in gray and determination.
“We don’t have time for this,” he muttered as Sapphire poured out a cup of tea and offered it to Bea. She took it and sank down to the couch, sipping.
“Then we will make it. Would you like a cup, Steel?”
“What I would like--” he half shouted, causing Bea cowered back against the sofa cushions.
“Steel!” He stopped and Bea was amazed. The men in her life would never have listened to a woman. Sapphire smiled kindly at her. “Forgive him. He found his manners in a Cracker Jack box.” Bea giggled at that and Sapphire’s smile grew more understanding. “He can be a bit off putting, however, we are on a rather severe time constraint and it would appear that you might be our key.”
“I’m more than willing to help, but what can I possibly do for you?”
“Over the past few days, you have been experiencing a sense of being watched.” Steel’s voice was cold, just like his name.
“Was that you two? I haven’t done anything! Are you from the Government? The Federal Reserve? I’ve done nothing wrong and there’s nothing inappropriate going on.”
“I’m sure there isn’t.” Sapphire seemed the nicer of the two. “Towards the end, it has been us. You see, a friend of ours got into a bit of trouble and disappeared. For some reason, you seem to be the last person who saw him.”
“When?”
“About a week ago.”
“Do you know how many people I deal with at the bank?”
“He looked like this.” Steel shoved a photograph into her hand as if it burned him.
“I don’t think…” Then she stopped, concentration causing her brow to furrow. “I think… maybe…” She remember smelling the fear on him as he stumbled up to her window and Sapphire leaned forward, her eyes an even more startling blue.
“Can you help me?”
“I’ll certainly try. The name on the account?”
“No, can YOU help me?” He looked fearfully back at the door. Bea’s finger drifted towards the alarm button.
“I don’t know what you mean?”
“Can you hide me?”
“If I could do that, I’d go into hiding myself.” She laughed and looked down at her cash drawer, making sure it was closed and locked. “I’d wash all my troubles down the drain.”
When she looked up, he was gone and Security was arguing with two people at the front door. A minute later another security guard appeared and they left. Well, they loitered outside and Management was none too pleased about it.
Bea sank back against the cushions of the couch, feeling suddenly faint. “Sorry, I’m feeling a little lightheaded.”
“She saw him.”
“Where is he?” Steel was suddenly in front of her. It was scary how fast he moved. She tried to shrink into herself, anything to get away from him.
“Honestly, Steel, you have the delicacy of a steam roller.” Sapphire moved him aside. “Bea, it’s very important that we find him. Has anything odd happened over the last few days?”
“Besides the feeling of being constantly watched? I think a car has been following me, but I don’t know why.”
“At work?”
“No more so than usual. Security has been beefed up because someone tried to break in.”
“What about here?”
“What about here? Bea felt defensive now. “This is my home and you come in and act like you own the place.”
“Sapphire, we have so little time. Another ten minutes and it will be too late. Silver will be lost to us.”
“Bea?”
“Aside from the voice in my shower. Someone said they could see me. it was creepy.”
“Steel?”
“I’m there.”
“What’s going on?”
Sapphire smiled and sipped her tea. “Nothing. Everything is fine.”
Bea came to with a start. She had fallen asleep on the couch, still in her bathrobe. The TV had gone off air and there was only white static on it. She felt lost and ill at ease. Slowly, she got to her feet and made her way to the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place, but something was different.
For no reason, she looked at the bathroom. For the briefest of seconds, she saw a woman in blue and a man in grey. There was a second man, with them. He smiled at her and nodded, then they were gone.
“What the hell?” She ran to the bathroom door and looked in. There was no one. “Oh, boy, I can’t wait to tell Julie about this. Imagine, ghosts wanting to haunt me.” She stumbled off towards her bed.
“Will she be all right?” Silver asked, genuinely concerned.
“In time, her mind will weave a tale that will convince her we were never there. At least we got to you in time.” Sapphire took Silver’s arm and squeezed it affectionately. “I would have missed you.”
“I wouldn’t have. That drainpipe was filthy.” Steel wiped his hands clean on a handkerchief. “If you would stop pretending you’re an agent, we will all be happy.”
“Yes, you would miss me, admit it,” Silver said.
“Trust me on this one.” Sapphire dragged the man away. “No, he wouldn’t.”
“Who would be around to annoy him?”
Sapphire smiled at that. At least life as she knew it was back to rights. This time.