The Offer
“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.”
- T.E. LAWRENCE
Bel tightened the sash of her jacket after she stepped out of the truck, her eyes moving around before settling on a man sitting alone on a bench. He fit the description. Black hair, scary looking, dressed in black. She took a deep breath and glanced at Walter, he nodded and stayed at the car while she walked over, her boots stomping lightly in the puddles of the street before she finally turned and sat down on the bench next to the man.
A few minutes went by before she spoke, her head turned to watch him out of the corner of her eye. “Mr. Miraconi?”
“Miss Belize Carver. Daughter of Jonas and Geneva Carver. At last we meet.” His voice was soft and silky and it made Bel’s muscles tense and ache as she sat there, wondering how this man knew of her. “You have been difficult to get a handle on, Miss Carver. I trust you wont be using that on me today?”
Bel looked down at her hand, the booster gun already in hand. Her finger on the trigger, hand shaking and making the dark green goo in the syringe wiggle and shake with the vibration. She knew her face showed calm even though her mind was tense with awareness.
She pulled the gun away and put it in her pocket before pulling out her hand; she could sense the man’s eyes watching her. She glanced back up at him and took a good look at him. Brown eyes, black hair with touches of white at the temples and peppered along the short military cut. He looked harmless. But Bel had been deceived before and she leaned back to look at him fully. “What do you want with me, Mr. Miraconi? If its money, Im afraid it wont be easy.” Her arms crossed and she saw him smile bemusedly at her.
“No, not money. I want you to work with us. I know your distaste of the Alliance. But we aren’t exactly Alliance. We sort of work with them.” He must of noticed the look on her face before continuing. “You wont be working for the Alliance. That we can assure you right now. You will be working with the Alliance.”
“Mr. Miraconi…” She started before being interrupted.
“Call me Alex, Miss Carver.”
Bel looked at him and didn’t offer him to use her first name, that fact noted as she continued on and he smiled a bit roguishly.
“Mr. Miraconi. Trust me when I say that I can make one cortex call and find out about you and what… organization you are working for.”
He chuckled and looked over his shoulder before leaning in a bit and smiling. “I know all about her. Who do you think pointed me your way?”
Bel’s eyes widened and her cool and calm look fell as she stared at him in surprise. “Really?” Her mind scrambled and she controlled her look. “So you know about…”
“Your cousin not being dead, how you took care of one Otis Miley and a Sergeant Lewis Armstrong. We know of a lot of things, Belize.” She was too surprised to notice he didn’t say Miss Carver.
“How?” She finally stammered after a few minutes of silence.
“Its what we do, Belize. We find out everything there is to know about a person we want to recruit. I know that you are the best damned doctor in the verse and you are basically self taught.”
Bel huffed and shook her head. “I am not the best damned doctor in the verse. Im mediocre at best. Im a spaghetti doctor. Work with what I have around me. And I am not even a doctor.”
“You can be.”
Bel’s eyes widened for the second time and then she narrowed her eyes. “What do I have to do?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You will come with us on… missions as medical help.” He stood up and smiled before handing Bel a card. She grasped it with her fingers and turned it to look at it. The only thing printed on the small card of white was a cortex number.
It took her completely by surprise when he leaned in and smiled at her. “There is something else we know as well.” He leaned in closer and Bel could smell the soft scent of soap and shampoo and something minty and clean from him as he whispered in her ear, the fan of his breath making her hair wiggle against her ear.
Bel gasped at the words and her mind exploded in knowledge as she tried to process it. The words were heard, but it just didn’t sink in as he straightened up and smiled down at her. She must of looked shocked because he nodded, his features softening as he looked down at her. “Call us, Belize Carver. We need you as much as you need us. Especially now that you lost your home.”
With a turn, he walked away, slipping into the shadows as Bel sat there at the bench, the card between her fingers while she looked out over at some random things. Not really focusing. Her mind processing the knowledge, the idea.
She must have been sitting there for awhile because Walter finally walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. She tore her gaze from the card in her fingers and looked up at him with a blank look before she blinked and smiled at him. “Are you okay, Miss Bel?”
Bel nodded as she stood up and slipped the card into her pocket before looking at Walter. “I… have some things to think about.” She took a deep breath as she walked slowly to the car. She didn’t know what to think of the events that transpired. Instead, she slipped into the car and sat back as Walter walked around and climbed in beside her.
She had already made up her mind. She was not returning to Hale’s. She was no longer needed and she knew it was time to move on. Maybe this was the best thing to happen. She pulled the card from her pocket and looked at it, rubbing her thumb across the digits in black while she mentally tossed the coin in her head again.
- T.E. LAWRENCE
Bel tightened the sash of her jacket after she stepped out of the truck, her eyes moving around before settling on a man sitting alone on a bench. He fit the description. Black hair, scary looking, dressed in black. She took a deep breath and glanced at Walter, he nodded and stayed at the car while she walked over, her boots stomping lightly in the puddles of the street before she finally turned and sat down on the bench next to the man.
A few minutes went by before she spoke, her head turned to watch him out of the corner of her eye. “Mr. Miraconi?”
“Miss Belize Carver. Daughter of Jonas and Geneva Carver. At last we meet.” His voice was soft and silky and it made Bel’s muscles tense and ache as she sat there, wondering how this man knew of her. “You have been difficult to get a handle on, Miss Carver. I trust you wont be using that on me today?”
Bel looked down at her hand, the booster gun already in hand. Her finger on the trigger, hand shaking and making the dark green goo in the syringe wiggle and shake with the vibration. She knew her face showed calm even though her mind was tense with awareness.
She pulled the gun away and put it in her pocket before pulling out her hand; she could sense the man’s eyes watching her. She glanced back up at him and took a good look at him. Brown eyes, black hair with touches of white at the temples and peppered along the short military cut. He looked harmless. But Bel had been deceived before and she leaned back to look at him fully. “What do you want with me, Mr. Miraconi? If its money, Im afraid it wont be easy.” Her arms crossed and she saw him smile bemusedly at her.
“No, not money. I want you to work with us. I know your distaste of the Alliance. But we aren’t exactly Alliance. We sort of work with them.” He must of noticed the look on her face before continuing. “You wont be working for the Alliance. That we can assure you right now. You will be working with the Alliance.”
“Mr. Miraconi…” She started before being interrupted.
“Call me Alex, Miss Carver.”
Bel looked at him and didn’t offer him to use her first name, that fact noted as she continued on and he smiled a bit roguishly.
“Mr. Miraconi. Trust me when I say that I can make one cortex call and find out about you and what… organization you are working for.”
He chuckled and looked over his shoulder before leaning in a bit and smiling. “I know all about her. Who do you think pointed me your way?”
Bel’s eyes widened and her cool and calm look fell as she stared at him in surprise. “Really?” Her mind scrambled and she controlled her look. “So you know about…”
“Your cousin not being dead, how you took care of one Otis Miley and a Sergeant Lewis Armstrong. We know of a lot of things, Belize.” She was too surprised to notice he didn’t say Miss Carver.
“How?” She finally stammered after a few minutes of silence.
“Its what we do, Belize. We find out everything there is to know about a person we want to recruit. I know that you are the best damned doctor in the verse and you are basically self taught.”
Bel huffed and shook her head. “I am not the best damned doctor in the verse. Im mediocre at best. Im a spaghetti doctor. Work with what I have around me. And I am not even a doctor.”
“You can be.”
Bel’s eyes widened for the second time and then she narrowed her eyes. “What do I have to do?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You will come with us on… missions as medical help.” He stood up and smiled before handing Bel a card. She grasped it with her fingers and turned it to look at it. The only thing printed on the small card of white was a cortex number.
It took her completely by surprise when he leaned in and smiled at her. “There is something else we know as well.” He leaned in closer and Bel could smell the soft scent of soap and shampoo and something minty and clean from him as he whispered in her ear, the fan of his breath making her hair wiggle against her ear.
Bel gasped at the words and her mind exploded in knowledge as she tried to process it. The words were heard, but it just didn’t sink in as he straightened up and smiled down at her. She must of looked shocked because he nodded, his features softening as he looked down at her. “Call us, Belize Carver. We need you as much as you need us. Especially now that you lost your home.”
With a turn, he walked away, slipping into the shadows as Bel sat there at the bench, the card between her fingers while she looked out over at some random things. Not really focusing. Her mind processing the knowledge, the idea.
She must have been sitting there for awhile because Walter finally walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. She tore her gaze from the card in her fingers and looked up at him with a blank look before she blinked and smiled at him. “Are you okay, Miss Bel?”
Bel nodded as she stood up and slipped the card into her pocket before looking at Walter. “I… have some things to think about.” She took a deep breath as she walked slowly to the car. She didn’t know what to think of the events that transpired. Instead, she slipped into the car and sat back as Walter walked around and climbed in beside her.
She had already made up her mind. She was not returning to Hale’s. She was no longer needed and she knew it was time to move on. Maybe this was the best thing to happen. She pulled the card from her pocket and looked at it, rubbing her thumb across the digits in black while she mentally tossed the coin in her head again.
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