The Mission

"I need you to come into the office, Kori!"

"I can't right now, you know this. You can't pull me out of this right now,"

"What if I told you the building was flooded and I had to spend millions on fixing it? Would you come in then? To stop me?"

"No. Number one, you would never do that, Roxie, so stop lying. And number two, darling, this is more important than all that useless paper is. And don’t you remember? It’s just a cover, it doesn’t mean anything.” 

“You did not just say that, we spent thousands on that building. It means something to us. And what’s so important that you need to change buses about twenty thousand times and bring your biggest flamethrower?” 

“How many times have I told you that my missions are confidential? And this isn’t even my biggest flamethrower, that one’s in the back of my closet. Right next to your favorite shoes and if you don’t stop stalking me, I will burn them.” 

“Now who’s the lying one? You would never burn my shoes.” 

“I really don’t have time for this, Roxie--”

“Why not? You never tell me where you’re going and I’m so scared that you aren’t going to come home and, I, as your girlfriend, deserve to know where you are going.” 

“We joined a rebel group knowing the risks, knowing that one day, one of us might not come home. But this is for a good cause, to take down the tyrannical reign of the Scholars. I’m sorry, Rox,” 

“You tried to soften me up, but it did not work! I care about you, Kori. I know you are in the high ranks of the rebellion, and you have some really important mission, but--”

“Shut up!”

“What? What do you mean ‘shut up’? How could you say that to me?” 

“Scholars just entered the bus, we have to stop talking about rebellion.” 

“Oh, what markings do they have on them?” 

“They’re definitely high ranking. They have seven streaks on their faces, and their robes are maroon,” 

“Really? I’ve never met someone that close to black before. How close are you to them?” 

“They’re sitting about three or four seats ahead of me, in ‘Scholar Reserved’ seats.” 

“How full is the bus? Is there any chance that you could plant something on them?” 

“Hmm, maybe? We’re the only people on the bus, other than the bus driver. I could pretend to trip...and snag their robes?” 

“That would lead to a death sentence and you know it, Kori, and I like you very much alive.” 

“Only like?” 

“Oh, you know what I mean, you idiot. And yes, I love you a lot better alive than dead,” 

“My next bus change is coming up, what do you suggest I use, Roxie?” 

“The new tracker Maverik made. It won’t show up on any scanner, it’s practically untraceable…Hold on…Mav just ran a couple of tests and there’s a chance that it could be seen.” 

“I don’t have time for this, I have to overthrow a government.”

“Ha! I knew you would admit what your ‘mission’ was. Will you just put the tracker on already? The longer you wait the smaller your window gets.” 

“Are we really going to try and get ourselves killed? I need to blow up some Scholar buildings before I die,” 

“Not me, you are going to try and put yourself in the line of fire.” 

“I really hate you at the moment. And now one of the Scholars is looking at me… I think that’s bad, Rox. What should I do?” 

“You’re the one with the flamethrower, how am I supposed to know? This wasn’t in training! I’m sure you will do fine.” 

“Well, here goes nothing. Roxie, if this is the last time I speak to you, know that I love you.”

“Stop being so melodramatic, this won’t be the last time I see you, okay? That’s not what is set in stone and as long as you don’t touch anything, you’ll be fine.”

“I have to touch one of their robes--which alone is a death sentence--to put the tracker on them. Are we sure we want to do this?” 

“Well… It’s too late to go back now, there is no turning back!”

“What? Really? We’re really doing this… Are there any other options? Truly any other ways? We’re going to fail.” 

“Stop being so pessimistic, there’s a thirty-four point seven percent chance that you won’t die. And a twenty point one percent chance that you will succeed.” 

“Rox?”

“Yes…?” 

“You aren’t helping. At. All.”

“Oh, well. You are being a chicken and won’t just try, so--”

“Alright, alright, I’ll do it. I’ll do it. Geez…” 

“You’re just scared you’ll fail,” 

“Is it weird that I want to punch my own girlfriend?” 

“Nope! Especially when it’s me!” 

“Rox, you’re not helping,”

“Just go and plant the tracker already, we’re wasting time!”

“The bus is pulling up to the stop and they’re getting off now,”

“Follow them! How were you assigned to this mission?” 

“Is the tracker supposed to be beeping and kind of getting warmer in my hands?” 

“KORI!”

“This simulation has ended.”

--

“What the h-e-double hockey sticks were you thinking, pulling out a bomb like that?” 

“We had lost our window, so I thought it would be best to just end it.”

“Liar. What really happened?”

“Well, what really happened is in the past and what’s in the past should be forgotten and--”

“Stop stalling and tell me, Kori. I promise I won’t judge you.” 

“Hmmm… How do I phrase this in the best way possible? So, the tracker and a bomb look very similar, that means whatever happened wasn’t my fault. It’s whoever designed the two devices.”

“Really? You confused a tracker with a freaking bomb? And I designed the simulation’s bombs and trackers!”

“Oh, well that makes this worse. But how are you supposed to tell the difference from a circular metal thing with a blue button and a circular metal thing with a red button?” 

“You’re lucky I love you ‘cause otherwise I would have kicked your butt and not brought you to the Medical Wing after. Mind telling me more about how I can change the design of the simulation over some coffee?” 

“Yes, coffee, let’s go! And those things need major adjustments, major adjustments. Oh and Rox?”

“What?”

“I love you too.”