The elevator chimed softly as the two stepped back into headquarters, the quiet hum of the underground facility settling around them.
They made their way down the long corridor to the office of Theodore Lovinski, their superior.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of cigar smoke and old leather. Papers cluttered Theodore's desk in organized chaos, but the man himself wasn't in the room.
Mikael and Tatiana slipped in, their boots muffled by the thick carpet, and sank into the couch that faced the desk.
Tatiana leaned back, crossing her legs with a sigh. "Another clean sweep. Think he'll actually commend us this time?"
Mikael flipped open the comic book he'd carried like a shield through every lull in their missions. "Commend? No. Toss us into the next mess? Absolutely."
Tatiana smirked. "At least you're consistent."
The silence stretched, broken only by the faint scratch of a pen echoing down the hall. Then, without warning, the door swung open.
Lorraine Blackerman strolled in like she owned the place. Her hips swayed with practiced ease, her black dress hugging curves that seemed designed to mock Tatiana's more athletic frame.
She dropped a bloodstained folder onto Theodore's desk with a soft thud, her crimson-painted lips curving into a smirk.
"Well, well," Lorraine purred, her voice dripping like honey. "If it isn't the golden duo. Fresh back from painting the town red?"
Tatiana's jaw tightened instantly. "Lorraine."
Mikael didn't look up, turning a page in his comic. "You're loud."
Lorraine laughed, stepping closer, circling them like a cat eyeing prey.
"Loud? Darling, I'm vibrant. Unlike some people." Her gaze slid deliberately over Tatiana before lingering on Mikael. "But look at you, still buried in those silly pages. Don't you ever get bored of hiding behind ink and paper?"
Mikael's eyes flicked up briefly, calm but cutting. "No."
Tatiana sat forward, voice sharp. "Back off, Lorraine."
"Oh, don't be so uptight, Tatiana," Lorraine cooed, leaning down just enough that her perfume invaded Mikael's air. "I'm only saying hello. Unless, of course, you're afraid he might actually look my way."
Tatiana's bloodlust stirred, faint but palpable. The air around her thickened, and the shadows in the corners of the room seemed to grow teeth.
Lorraine chuckled low in her throat, clearly entertained. "There it is. That temper of yours."
Mikael sighed, finally lowering the comic just enough to expose his eyes. His glare was sharp, steady, glowing faintly as if daring Lorraine to push further. It was a wordless warning, one he'd perfected: enough.
Lorraine froze for a second, then grinned. "Ah, there it is. The Mikael death-glare. Terrifying, as always. No wonder Tatiana's hooked."
Tatiana's knuckles tightened on the couch arm, the bloodlust sharpening until Mikael reached over casually, almost lazily, and placed his hand on hers.
His touch was cool, grounding, pulling her back before she could erupt.
Lorraine straightened, laughing as she made her way to the door.
"Don't be so serious, both of you. Life's short, missions are deadly, and someone has to make the waiting fun." She winked at Mikael before tossing her hair back. "Until next time, lovers."
The door clicked shut behind her.
Tatiana exhaled slowly, still fuming. "I hate her."
Mikael turned another page in his comic. "She knows."
"Then why does she keep trying?"
He shrugged. "Because she's bored. And you make it easy."
Tatiana shot him a glare. "Excuse me?"
"You flare up every time," Mikael said, eyes still glued to the panels. "She pokes. You bite. It entertains her."
Tatiana groaned, throwing her head back against the couch. "One day, I'll put her through the wall."
Mikael smirked faintly. "And one day, I'll run out of comics."
That earned him a sharp look, but the corner of Tatiana's mouth tugged upward despite herself.
The door hadn't been closed for more than a heartbeat when it swung open again, this time revealing Theodore Lovinski. Impeccably dressed in a dark three-piece suit, his silver hair slicked back, he looked every bit the composed, weary commander of killers.
He paused, glancing at the faint thrum of bloodlust still clinging to the air. His sharp eyes landed on Tatiana first, then shifted to Mikael, who was calmly back to his comic. "I see Lorraine's been here."
Tatiana scoffed. "She was-"
"I don't want to know," Theodore cut her off, brushing past and settling behind his desk. His gaze fell on the folder Lorraine had dropped, its corner blotched with drying crimson.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket with obvious distaste and set it aside. "Bloodstained reports. Charming. At least she remembers to bring them."
He looked up at Mikael and Tatiana. "Speaking of which, where's yours?"
Tatiana stiffened, suddenly remembering. "We… might have left it."
"Where?" Theodore's voice was flat, already tired.
Mikael didn't bother looking up. "Buried. In the mansion."
Theodore's eyes closed briefly, like a man fighting off a migraine.
"Of course. Naturally." He drummed his fingers once against the desk, then pushed a blank sheet of bond paper toward them along with a pen. "You'll write another. Now."
Tatiana opened her mouth to protest, but Mikael was already setting his comic aside with a resigned sigh.
He took the pen, the scratch of ink filling the silence as he began: Arrival at perimeter, 1900 hours.
Tatiana leaned toward him, whispering, "You actually remember the time?"
"Unlike some people," Mikael muttered, not pausing his writing.
Theodore leaned back in his chair, watching them with an expression caught between irritation and amusement.
When Mikael finally slid the finished report across the desk, Theodore read it in silence, eyes skimming over the concise, matter-of-fact handwriting.
At length, he set it down, exhaling. "Just like every time. Chaos, fire, bodies in the halls." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "And yet, somehow, you two crawl back in one piece."
Tatiana smirked. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Theodore ignored her, his lips twitching faintly as he shuffled the papers. "This time, at least, no cleanup crew will complain.
The commissioner specifically requested the mansion be burned. You actually followed the script for once."
Tatiana blinked. "Wait… so all that destruction, was authorized?"
Theodore arched a brow. "You're surprised?"
Mikael leaned back into the couch, retrieving his comic without a word.
"Figures. All that effort, and it still comes down to paperwork."
Theodore shot him a look. "Paperwork keeps this organization from collapsing into the gutter."
"Paperwork," Mikael said evenly, turning a page, "is the real assassin here."
Tatiana laughed, earning her a sharp glare from Theodore. She quickly coughed into her hand, trying to look composed, while Mikael just hid a smirk behind the comic.