Booty Shorts - Beyond The Red Room

"No." Obiya would have flushed if her dark skin were capable of showing it.

"Then we shouldn't assume she will. We should probably stay in the building tonight. She'll be watching it."

"Going to be cold tonight."

"We've been colder."

"Too bad we can't risk a fire. You could practice your baking for me."

"Shut up!" Chhaya said with a laugh, swinging her pack up onto her back. "She'll be on the fifth or sixth floor. Better angles for the shot. See if you can find a hidden place for us to sleep, up higher. Maybe nine or ten. I'll install motion sensors downstairs."

"Yes, boss lady."

As the sun was setting over Tbilisi, Obiya had spread her sleeping bag out in a sheltered area behind some stacks of drywall and was busy warming some ration packets when Chhaya rejoined her on the tenth floor, dropping her pack next to Obiya's.

"Curry, your favorite," Obiya said, indicating the plastic pouch. The chemical warming pack was almost done heating the contents.

"Gah, don't even call that curry. It's barely digestible."

"You need to eat."

"I will. One moment." Chhaya touched her earpiece to activate it. Obiya did the same while her partner called the other team in the city. "One to Two, status."

"Observing the nest. No sign of the target." Anya's voice crackled over the encrypted channel. She and Dolce were keeping watch on the target's apartment.

Chhaya checked her chronometer. "Eighteen-hundred hours. Okay, keep observing until midnight. If she's a no-show by then, go ahead and move to location B and plan to stay there until show time. Be careful. If you see her, do not attempt extraction, call me immediately."

"Copy, One. Observation only. We've also set up a few surprises in the district opposite your intended extraction path. Should divert most of the police away from you, should you need it."

Chhaya and Obiya exchanged grins. "Copy Two, good thinking. Stay warm tonight."

"Not a problem, One. Our building has heat. You two are going to freeze your asses off."

Chhaya chuckled. "Check in if there are any status updates. One, out."

"Two, out." The comm went silent.

"Anya's good," Chhaya said approvingly.

"She should be. She was embedded in Seoul for two years before coming here and was feeding intel to the Kims for Dreykov the whole time. South Korea takes their counter intelligence seriously," Obiya said, ignoring Chhaya's spitting on the floor at the mention of the General.

"She's good, but she's never gone up against a fully-controlled Widow who's trying to kill her while not having lethal force as an available option."

"The kids all have to grow up some time, mama. You know some of our sestras call you that, yes?"

"Hmph. No, I didn't. I don't like it, Melina is mama."

"If Malina ever leaves, you're next in line."

"No, Yelena is! She's the one who freed us!"

"Cha-Cha, Yelena has her own thing going on. She's a free agent, not boss material. When was the last time you saw her at the safe house? Eight months?"

"Hmm," Chhaya mused.

"I've been wondering, why do you always say Yelena freed us? Natasha was there too."

"Because we were about a minute away from beating Natasha to death," Chhaya said seriously, "If Yelena hadn't freed us when she did, Natasha would be dead."

"I guess you have a point. But Yelena wouldn't have been there at all without Natasha setting the plan in motion."

"You also have a point. Now stop the yik-yak and hand me my dinner. I'm so hungry that this slop almost smells good."

Obiya awoke hours later to find the sleeping bag next to her empty. She checked her chronometer. "Oh-two-thirty? Where has she gotten to now?" she muttered to herself.

A quick check of the perimeter found Chhaya, standing at a window, looking down at the square. She may as well have been a statue, as still as she was in the darkness.

"Sestra, you need rest," Obiya whispered, standing behind the shorter woman and putting her hands on her shoulders.

"Can't sleep."

"Anxious for tomorrow?"

"Impatient."

"Is that all that troubles you?"

"No."

No further response seemed imminent, and Obiya was content to simply stand beside her for comfort.

They stood in companionable silence, watching the night. After a while, Obiya stepped nearer to Chhaya and put her arm around her shoulders, sharing warmth.

"We should get some rest," Obiya said, after maybe half an hour of watching the streets.

Chhaya was silent for so long, Obiya thought she might not have heard.

Chhaya turned to face her. "Do you know how many?"

"How many what?" Obiya asked.

"How many you killed. When Dreykov was pulling your strings?"

"Six," Obiya said without hesitation.

"Six."

"Yes. I think about them all the time. I can see their faces when I close my eyes. But I tell myself, it's not my fault. I had no choice. Dreykov killed them, as surely as if he'd pulled the trigger himself."

"Twenty-three, for me," Chhaya said, turning back to the window.

"Twenty-three!?" Obiya exclaimed, then immediately regretted it, seeing the pain on her partner's face. "Cha-cha, it was not our fault."

"Yes, I know, I had no choice either. I was an automaton, answering to a madman. But it was still my hand that pulled the trigger. Plunged in the knife. Broke the neck. Set off the explosives." Her voice cracked on the last word. "I assassinated a man in Pakistan once. I don't really even know why, he was just a mid-level government functionary. But for some reason it was urgent that he died, and died immediately."

Obiya rubbed her shoulder as comfortingly as she could.

"Dreykov wanted it to look like he was a terrorist. I planted a bomb in his car, and I was to blow him up as he passed through the market. But he didn't leave by himself that morning. He put his whole family in the car. His wife. His two sons. His little baby girl."

"Oh, Chhaya," Obiya breathed.

"I was going to wait, get him later. Dreykov said no, do it now. And I did, without hesitation. I killed him and his entire family, and four bystanders at the market and injured dozens more, and then I just walked away, like it was nothing."

"It's not your--"

"Not my fault, I know. But I still have blood on my hands, Obiya. You asked if I would ever try to find a partner, should I ever try to find a normal life. How could I ever be honest with someone else about my past? I could never tell them all the things I've done. Even if I did tell them, who would accept me? Who could forgive me? No, it wasn't my fault, but I'm still a monster. My ledger is dripping with red."

Obiya smiled a little smile and shook her head. "Oh, my poor Cha-Cha. So wise, yet still so dim sometimes."

"What?" Chhaya looked up at her.

"You want to know who would accept someone like you? In spite of all you've done? All you've been through? Someone who's been through the same thing, you sweet, wise, lovable idiot."

"Obiya, I--"

Obiya interrupted her by leaned in and kissing her softly on the lips. Obiya's breath was warm, her lips soft, her tongue sweet. Minutes seemed to race by, while time simultaneously stood still. Chhaya felt Obiya's strong arms slip around her, her hands running over the muscles in the smaller woman's back.

Finally pulling away, Obiya looked into Chhaya's liquid brown eyes. "Someone like me."

Chhaya cleared her throat.

"Sorry for coming on strong, but I've been waiting for you to notice for too long," Obiya said. "I have red in my ledger too, sestra. You and I, life has walked us into the same fire. And we've both come out the other side, tempered and hardened. I am the same as you. No man will ever be in charge of me again. But you are not in charge of me. We are comrades. We could be more."

"Obiya..." Chhaya floundered.

"It's okay, sestra. This is not the time and place for this I know. And I sprang this on you like an ambush. We can discuss later, after the mission. Da?"

"Obiya..."

"What, sestra?" Obiya said, then held her breath. Waiting.

"I do not think it appropriate for you to call me sestra any longer," Chhaya said breathlessly, grabbing Obiya and pulling her back towards her.

They kissed again. This time Chhaya's arms were around Obiya first. After an interminable time, Chhaya came up for air.

"How long?" she asked, stroking Obiya's cheek with her fingertips.

"Since the day Malina put us together. Since our first mission. Of course, back then I dared not show it."

"How long have you been trying to get me to notice your interest?"

Obiya grinned, her cheeks swelling with amusement. "Four months, maybe?"

Chhaya grimaced. "I guess I am quite the idiot then."

"No! Not at all. You are the most focused person I know. You are focused on the mission, focused on rescuing our sestras. Who has time for things like a crush when you have more important things to worry about?"

"Obiya, you are the most important person in the world to me, you know that, yes? Even before... this." She waved her hand up and down Obiya's body, eliciting a laugh. "You have saved my life... I don't know how many times."

"And you mine, sestra."

"Seriously, I don't think we should call each other that anymore. That seems an... inappropriate term... as we explore whatever this is."

Obiya's teeth flashed white in the darkness. "So, we are going to explore this? See what comes of it?"

"Of course, प्रेमिका."

Obiya frowned, sounding the syllables out in her head. "I don't know that one."

Chhaya smirked at her. "Context should tell you, Podruga."

It didn't seem possible, but Obiya's smile grew broader. She reached for Chhaya again, who stopped her.

"We are still on mission, Obiya. As much as... As interesting as you and I have just become, we can't lose focus."

"We have five hours before sunrise," Obiya complained. She leaned down and kissed Chhaya's neck.

Chhaya laughed. "And we should get at least a little sleep... oh!...and be in place two hours before... Obi, stop... before then. She won't come strolling in when the church bells ring for the first mass. Obi, stop!" she gasped as Obiya sucked on her earlobe.

"Fine," Obiya said, "These suits take ten minutes to get in and out of, anyway. I'd hate to be naked when she shows up."

"Not to mention it's below freezing."

"Speaking of weather, you've promised me the last three missions we could go lay on a beach afterwards. When we get Daria back to the safe house, we are going to Mallorca. I don't care if the Avengers come knocking, we are going to the beach."

"I promise," Chhaya said, holding her hand up as if taking an oath.

"I'm getting a villa right on the water, too. Because I want to be able to hear the ocean every second I'm awake. Even while I'm pouring over every inch of you."

Chhaya smiled. "Sounds... intriguing," she said, tracing Obiya's cheek with her fingers again. "In the meantime, we should get some rest. Go get a couple hours sleep, I'll keep watch."

"As if there's any chance of sleep now," Obiya said with a grin. "At least kiss me goodnight."

The two embraced once more, their breath fogging around their heads in the icy air as they kissed. Once Chhaya tried to stop, but Obiya's tongue pursued her, convincing Chhaya's mouth to return to hers. A few minutes later, Obiya reluctantly pulled back, only for Chhaya to pull her closer, her knee sliding between Obiya's legs. Obiya trapped it, the heat from their bodies seeping through their tactical winter suits.

"Obi, really we must stop," Chhaya breathed finally.

"If we must, vozlyublennyy" Obiya said. She kissed Chhaya on her forehead. "Wake me in two hours, then I'll stand watch until daybreak."

"I will." Chhaya watched her partner vanish into the gloom of the building towards their makeshift camp, then turned back to watch the streets below.

I can't believe I didn't notice her interest before now, Chhaya thought. It makes perfect sense, she and I. We would make a perfect pair. I already love her. Her eyes idly followed the lights of an airplane climbing out of Tbilisi International Airport. I love her. I have for quite some time. I just never thought... A grin split her face. She's been flirting with me for months, and I just chalked it up to the banter than comes from being with a partner for so long.

"Obi, wake up, it's time," Chhya said, shaking her partner's shoulder hours later.

Obiya rose up on an elbow in her sleeping bag, looking blearily towards the windows. "It's almost dawn! Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Someone gave me too much to think about last night."

"No sign of her yet?" Obiya said, as rolled to her feet and stretched, then quickly rolled up her sleeping bag and stuffed it in her pack.

"Yes, she got here two hours ago. She's downstairs having tea and scones."

"Sarcasm is one of your finer qualities, vozlyublennyy."

"Did you think I'd let you sleep through her arrival? No sign of her here or at Anya and Dolce's location.

"Good, at least I'll have time for coffee." Obiya pulled a foil packet of instant coffee out of her bag, ripped it open and dumped the contents into her insulated water bottle.

"How can you drink that cold? Your water must be almost frozen," Chhaya asked. "What I wouldn't give for a hot cuppa."

"I just need the caffeine," Obiya replied, shaking her bottle. She uncapped it, took a long drink then grimaced.

"That's revolting, I--" Chhaya stopped as a chirping alert sounded on their earpieces. She pulled out her portable display pad from her thigh pocket. "She's here."

Obiya stood behind her and looked over her shoulder. The display showed the grid of motion sensors that Chhaya had placed the night before. The one for the fire exit in the alley the side of the building opposite the public square had tripped. As they watched, another in the fire stairs going up alerted as well.

"I put a micro camera on both the fifth and sixth floors," Chhaya said, not taking her eyes off the display. When the motion sensor on the fifth floor tripped, she touched the pad and the display switched to a grainy black and white video feed.

Daria was recognizable, even with the poor quality of the video. They watched as she moved into the frame and started pulling construction materials together to form a sniper's nest in front of the window overlooking the square.

"She's setting up exactly where you predicted," Obiya said, pride in her voice. She checked her chronometer. "Six hours before the rally."

"I'd have been here last night, if it were me."

"We aren't all as diligent as you, vozlyublennyy." They watched Daria for a few more minutes as she set up a circular glass cutter on the window and marked a six-inch circle to cut out. "Smart."

"None of the Widows are dumb, प्रेमिका. Let's take her now, while the city still sleeps."

"How do you want to do it?" Obiya said.

Chhaya touched her earpiece. "One to Two."

"Two here," Anya answered immediately.

"She's here. Have you found any of her distractions?"

"We have, in fact. She had enough explosives wired up over here to bring down half the building."

"Bit of overkill."

"We suspect she wanted to kill as many of his supporters as she could after she shot him."

"Have you disabled them?"

"Naturally." Anya sounded a little put out that Chhaya hadn't assumed as much.

"Can you set up a small one, somewhere it won't hurt anyone? We're going to need a distraction."

"Five minutes?"

"That's fine. We're five floors above her. Moving down now."

Chhaya tapped her ear, then she and Obiya double checked their gas guns and other weapons. They left their packs. There was nothing in them that could be traced back to the Widows, so they could abandon them if they needed to make a fast escape.

"She'll have booby-trapped the east stairway where she came up. I'll take the central stairs, you take the west. Don't move in without me," Chhaya said.

"We've been doing this together long enough that you don't need to be clucking at me like a mother hen, don't you think?" Obiya sniffed.

"I have more of an interest in making sure you don't get killed now, because I really want to go to Mallorca afterwards. What do you have to say to that?"

"Don't teach your babushka to suck eggs."

Chhaya snorted.

"Be careful, vozlyublennyy." Obiya said, kissed her on the cheek, then padded silently towards the west end of the building.

Minutes later, Chhaya crept up to the door that entered the vast, open space on the fifth floor from the main stairway. She'd been careful to make sure that Daria hadn't planted motion sensors or traps of her own. She lay down on the floor, using a mirror fixed to the end of a tiny telescoping handle to look underneath the door into the room. She saw no lethal booby traps, but as she expected, Daria hadn't been careless. She could see a sledgehammer had been leaned against the edge of the door frame, so it would fall to the floor if the door was opened. Fortunately for Chhaya, the building's architects were working against Daria and had designed this door to open outward.

She touched her earpiece and whispered, "In position."

"In position," Obiya's voice said in her ear.

"We're ready, One. Signal when you want a big boom." Anya said.

"On my mark, Two. Moving in on two taps, on three taps blow it as soon as your area's clear."

The door was almost all the way across the building from the sniper's nest, she was pretty sure she could open it unnoticed if she could manage to... She eased the door open with one hand and soundlessly caught the sledgehammer as it fell towards her. She carefully set it on the floor, then slipped inside and silently closed the door behind her, drawing her gas gun from her belt.

Chhaya tapped her earpiece twice, then crept forward, her feet ghostly silent on the concrete floor. Two clicks of static sounded in her ear, letting her know Obiya was moving in as well, although she had a further distance to close the gap from the west stairs.

There was a stack of drywall near the far window, behind which they'd seen Daria pull additional construction material on which to set up her rifle. As Chhaya approached the edge of the stack, she could hear rustling sounds on the other side. She turned her head, and saw Obiya thirty yards away, creeping along the interior wall towards her. She took a silent breath, then tapped her earpiece three times.

"Roger One, clear in three... two... one... mark!"

The sun, which was just coming up over the buildings to Chhaya's left, was briefly outshone by a fireball blooming out of the second-floor windows of the building on the other side of the currently empty public square below, followed a second later by a rolling boom that rattled the windows of the room. Chhaya lunged around the corner of the stack of drywall, her gas gun at the ready.

Her eyes widened in surprise to find a sniper rifle set up facing the window, but no Daria. A small recorder on the ground was playing soft shuffling noises, and in a split second she realized what was happening. She threw herself forward into a roll, as two bullets tore through the space she'd just occupied, one of them close enough to tug at the material of her pants, two loud pops and the clacking of a pistol slide accompanyed the slugs.

Thank Vishnu she's using a suppressed weapon, Chhaya thought as she completed her roll by diving to the other side of the pile of building materials for cover. Hopefully she won't alert the police and have them running into the building while she tries to kill us.