Perfect School

Jonah:

"I know. You would never have chosen me over Marie. If I had told you what I wanted, you would have refused me. If I had asked you to go along with me, you would have refused me. You likely would have tried to prevent me. You would have done everything you could to have accomplished the mission you were given. Even if it cost me something for you to do so. How is that different from what I did?" My hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.

"My objective was different from yours. I am not Marie's weapon. I want to be free of her. I have to do whatever I can to accomplish that. I'm sorry that it cost you, but I had to do it. In the same situation, you would have done the same." I sighed.

"I wanted you to be with me. I would have wanted you to help me. I would have asked you if I thought there was the slightest chance you would have chosen me."

"You did ask me. Not even an hour after you lied to me. Tell me Jonah, why I should join with someone who when they had the desire to have me with them, decided it was fine to lie first? Amazingly you see yourself as this better person, and yet remarkably you are almost worse than Marie. Be free of her? Please. You want to sit on her throne." I looked at him again.

"Everything comes with a price. I asked for your help knowing you'd want something in return. I offered you me at the end of it. And figured that if it came down to it I could look the other way if things didn't go the way Marie wanted them too. But you're right. Our objectives were different. I was trying to repair something done by my family by doing a mission for someone who controls me and could make it all go away. I hoped that my partner and friend would have had my back, trusted he would stand with me, believed him when he said he would help me. Only to learn that he had no intention it seems of helping me at all."

I huffed a bitter laugh. "And do you want to know the best part Jonah? For all you say I wouldn't have chosen you. Remarkably here you still are. Marie knows nothing from me about your plots and plans to usurp her from my end. I've kept your secret, protected your back, and still will. Shame that you don't care to do the same if it doesn't benefit you."

I didn't want his excuses. I didn't care to hear anymore lies. I didn't want to agree in the back of my mind that he wasn't wrong with everything he was saying. Pulling out my headphones I slipped them over my ears and fled to the safety of my music.

Jonah:

I glanced at her and let out a frustrated breath. I knew she was still on my side. I knew she would still continue to keep secrets from Marie on my behalf. She cared too much now to give me up. But still, she refused to turn away from Maire completely.

I made the decision to drive a wedge between us when I threw the mission. I knew she would not take kindly to my actions. But her stubbornness still grated on my nerves. For the time being though, I would give her some space.
F

Kira:

With the music's help it was easy to ignore him until we arrived at the school, and I didn't wait for him in grabbing my bags. Shouldering a duffle bag and dragging a pair of suitcases behind me I weaved my way through the corridors towards my room. I paused only long enough to send Kira, Andrew, and Paublo a message to let them know we were back.

Kyra:

I saw Kira's text as soon as I was finished teaching a class.  After the students left, I headed straight for her room.  I knocked and opened the door when I heard her tell me to come in.  "How did it go?" I asked then stopped where I was in the doorway.  The last time I had seen her looking so beat up, she was in a hospital bed and had fallen off a rooftop.  "What happened to you?"

Since getting back I had spent most of my time unpacking. Spending only a few minutes in the shower just to rinse off from the travel. I got half dressed after reapplying all my bandages and meds, forgoing a shirt in the annoyance of putting it on. At the knock I reached for the button up I'd grabbed, intending to pull it on before Kyra came into the room.

"Enter." I called but I spasm of pain passed through me. I had to clutch my side while fighting just to breathe. My back was too her and I forced myself to pull the shirt on. "We were sent on a mission. It wasn't easy." I turned to face her while fumbling with the buttons.

I could have lied, said I was fine. Explained away that even though I was physically hurt and bruised, that was it. But I couldn't bring the words to my lips. They died in my throat and I only tucked my chin to stare at the buttons that foiled my attempts.

Kyra:

There was something different about her. It wasn’t just that she had been hurt. She was demoralized. Something more than a mission not going well had happened. “But what happened?” I asked again. I couldn’t help think of what I had gone through and wonder if something similar had happened.

I forced myself to calm down until I could do up the buttons properly. Sitting down I rubbed my forehead a moment, "It didn't go well. We were tasked with extracting an individual for Marie." I stared at the ground. "We failed to. Jonah killed the target. We barely escaped with our lives."

I opened my mouth to tell her about Jonah's betrayal but I couldn't bring myself to let the words fill the air. So I focused on what I'd told her. "I never cared before if I died. It's part of the game, part of what we are. But now? I find myself caring. I have things to lose and people I'd hurt if I did."

Kyra:

My expression softened, and I stepped closer to comfort her. I knew she didn’t like physical affection, and besides I didn’t want to hurt her in her state, so I touched her arm gently. “It’s not a bad thing to want to live. To have a reason to want to live. That just makes you human, Kira,” I said.

I started to open my mouth to remark that I wasn't supposed to act human.  A tool or a doll aren't supposed to care.  But I closed my mouth instead, brow furrowing.  What I was and what I was supposed to be were two different things.  I didn't know what I was, and what I was supposed to be depended on who you asked.

Letting the thoughts go with a tired breath I moved a step closer to Kyra and let my forehead thunk into her shoulder.  I remained there, letting the little bit of contact still my head before I pulled back.  

"I'm hungry."  I stated softly.  "If I'm human can we go grab something to eat?"

Jonah:

Over the next few days I gave Kira the space she wanted. I didn’t avoid her but I didn’t attempt to get her alone either. Kyra was always with her when I was around anyway.

Five days after we got back the school informed us that we would be going on a team mission. After dinner I went to Kira’s room and knocked softly. I couldn’t have her against me on a mission.

Kyra was usually pretty good lately about knocking before she entered, and so without thinking it could be anyone else I called for them to enter. I had been reading, some novel borrowed fro Kyra's collections. Pleasure reading was new, Marie hadn't wanted me to spend time on such frivolous pursuits. But I had been much younger last time such a situation had come up.

Sliding a makeshift bookmark between the pages I closed the book and looked up, raising a brow slightly as I looked up at Jonah instead of Kyra.

Jonah:

I stepped into her room and closed the door behind me so we would not be over heard. “Hello Kira,” I said, leaning against the closed door. “I know you no longer trust me to the degree that you did before, but I wanted to ensure that it would not hamper our upcoming mission.” Two weeks ago I would not have been quite so formal. And I would have likely sat on her bed to talk to her rather than keep my distance.

I blinked once at his words then let out a slow breath that wasn't quite a sigh. "I will follow orders and I will perform to my best during the mission Jonah. And it's not a degree of trust. I can't trust you at all. You proved that all on your own. But I'm not interested in another debate over it."

"Do you have any details of the mission or shall I wait for the team meeting?" I asked after a few seconds. Though I asked the question I wasn't fully focused on whatever he was going to say. My thoughts were more inward, trying to ease the irritation of having him come to my room, let alone close the door behind him.

Jonah:

“We are clearing out a compound. It’s a cult, but they’re heavily armed and trained. Several members are ex-military. They’re training people to strike back. There are several incidents of terrorism related to the group. About thirty or so that we need to take care of,” I told her. We had done something similar on a smaller scale before, I wasn’t concerned.

I blinked slowly. "They must have funds to burn if they are hiring a team of assassins instead of mercenaries." I remarked tonelessly. It would have been cheaper to do it that way. Even a drone strike with some of the new bunker bombs would have been a better choice. Still what people did with their money was on them.

Jonah:

“They tried that,” I said with a little shrug. “They need the place and information preserved, that’s why they aren’t simply bombing the place. They’ve tried to take them out a couple times. Once by targeting the leaders, another by infiltrating. Neither produced favorable results. That’s why they want us for it. They want them all gone. No one spared.” I watched her as I spoke. I knew she hadn’t forgiven me, and I didn’t fully believe that it wouldn’t influence her actions on this mission.

"Hm. I assume we have full access to the armory and arsenal?" Shifting on the bed I let my legs dangle, one crossed over the other. I stared at the floor, trying to picture the various events that could transpire. We couldn't bring everything we could ever need. It was impossible to account for everything.

Then it hit me, what was Jonah going to gain from this? Was it possible to gain something? Raising my eyes up to him I cocked my head, "What position are you assigning everyone?"

Jonah:

Kira had once been a mystery to me. A grand puzzle I was driven wild putting together. But now I could read her micro expression and almost know what she was thinking. She doubted me. I didn’t need to understand her to know that.

“You, Kyra, Andrew, and I will go in in sets of two. You with me and Kyra with Andrew. I would split it up differently, but you know Andrew works best when he is with his sister. Paublo will remain outside serving as surveillance and stopping anyone who tries to escape,” I told her.

I blinked and nodded. It wasn't the configuration I'd have picked, but he was better at tactics than I was. It was surprising he wanted the two of us working together. "That's fine. Any gear designations or personal choice? Were you wanting to do this as a night ops or some other time? And when do we leave?"

Jonah:

I explained my plan to her, not giving every detail, but enough to satisfy her questions.  I crossed my arms, leaning against her door.  For a moment, I wondered what life would be like now if the mission Marie had given us had gone to plan.  If I had never betrayed Kira’s trust.

I listened to his plan, asking a few clarifying questions as we went but eventually I had nothing left to ask and he didn't seem keen on giving me anything else. As the silence stretched I let out a long breath through my nose as I looked up at him. With his arms crossed and the calculating look in his eyes I figured this was the Jonah that the world didn't see. Calculating, separated and closed off in what he was thinking.

This was the Jonah I was all too familiar with, and didn't feel like dealing with anymore. I didn't feel that companionable silence I'd once felt being around him. "Is there a reason you are still here?" I asked bluntly, leaning back on my hands as I simply observed him. "I know about the mission and have no more questions. Plus I've already explained that while I don't trust you I'm not about to fail another mission. I might not be an emotionless doll like Marie wanted, but spite still isn't something in me to do."

Jonah:

“You’re my closest friend and you have barely looked at me, much less spoken to me this past week. Is it wrong that I wanted to spend a little time in your company?” I asked after a slight dely. I watched her face closely for any flash of sympathy, guilt, or other emotional response.

I blinked at his words. "I didn't think you thought of me like a friend. How much of your view is a chess board? Everyone little pieces to control and move." Dry amusement colored my tone but nothing else stirred. Acceptance flashed through me at his words. Either he was brushing over what he'd done like it was nothing, or he was testing the waters to see how I'd react. Both cases were simply a part of who he was, nothing was ever simple with him.

Jonah:

“It’s part of who I am to strategize, Kira. Every interaction, every move so to speak. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel for people. I am not completely objective. I care for you, more than any other living thing and for that reason, I crave your company,” I said. I was honest with her. Often, I was more honest with her than she realized.

“If I were nothing more than a calculating machine, weighing the value of every action, I might simply cut my losses. As you are, you aren’t of much use to me. I could do what Marie did when she couldn’t have your father. I could attempt to recreate you. I think I might have a better chance of success than she if I did. But I care for you. I want to be near you, not because of your value as a weapon, but because of the way I feel when I’m with you.” I looked at her for a moment. “In that hotel in bed with you, that was real. It wasn’t part of a game.”