Ballroom Blitz

[Kinsey Calhoun]

“Because they’re boring.” Kinsey said as she emerged from the back room carrying a tray full of shinny glasses.

“About time.” Joe called.

Kinsey rolled her eyes eyes as she stacked the glasses on the bar.

“Bella will be plus two tonight. Clint and Selene are going to come up.”

[Cece Ryder]

"Yeah I think that was the only way Bella was coming, even though you, me, dad, Eli and half an intel team are here." Cece said as she walked in and held a small wrapped package under her arm and then handed a smaller box to her mother. "Just a little something for you mom." she said with a smile and pecked her cheek. "It's the first sample of that new Xenexian perfume that Jv'ali was working on. She wants to call it Kinsey. I told her that she'd have to talk to you about it."

[Ophelia]

Meanwhile -

Ophelia arrived in Capitol City, just near the Presidential Compound. Even though she was already seen, her face was not entirely common knowledge. Nor did she want to draw attention. She had a mission, retrieve Cece Ryder for Lady Seig'Ajem and take her mother for other... research. She was going to use the other Ajem'dasis that was embedded in the State department, but she felt she wanted to get as much intel and as far as she could go on her own, without help. As much a test of her own skill as it was a way of proving her skill in the real world, plus... she knew full well that the more were involved, the more hassle there would be.

Waiting outside the Compound, she saw a tall, well built dark skinned man with a Secret Service badge. She got a sense that he was the one her target was close to. There was always at least one in every kind of office like this. Carly may have been the stoic former Fleet Captain of the TAS Athena, future commander of the TAS Huntington, one of the few survivors of a very dark alternate future. But... even people like that still had needs. Like she told her mother, there's someone she raises her skirt for at the office. And this was that someone.

Quietly approaching the towncar that RJ was getting into, she used the iljuna to shatter one of the power coils and kept it from turning over.

"Not starting?" she inquired as she leaned closer to the window.

"Yeah, damnedest thing." RJ said as he tried to pull up the self diagnostic. "Just got this thing like two weeks ago."

"Where you headed Agent? I could give you a ride." Ophelia said as she flashed a smile and gave him the impression she worked for Intel as well by making him 'see' a badge.

"That would actually help a lot." RJ said as he got out of the car. "Girlfriend's at some thing at Joe's, was going to surprise her."

"I was just heading there myself." Ophelia lied through her teeth, but her training was correct, act like you belong and you get everywhere. Although a bit of cleavage and her winning smile didn't hurt either.

"You're a life saver." RJ said as he followed her.

"You have no idea." Ophelia said under her breath and overrode the locks on one of the town cars parked across the road. "Hop in."

Driving toward Joe's, a place her intel told her was a common haunt of Kinsey Calhoun but also where a number of their intelligence operatives worked out of. "So what's your name Agent?"

"RJ Fletcher. Your's? You look new here." RJ replied as he opened the door.

"Everyone calls me Phe." she said casually and slid into the driver's seat. "So who's your girlfriend or is that something that I should know? I just started today."

"Ah, welcome aboard. It's not a state secret, we just don't like to make it super well know since she IS kinda the President's Chief of Staff." RJ said and looked at her. "Luckily Cece isn't the jealous type."

"Whatever would she have to be jealous of?" Ophelia said with a laugh. "Unless you think I'm someone she could be jealous of."

"Honestly, no idea if she'd get jealous or not. Not like we're exclusive." RJ said and winced. "I didn't mean it like that I mean... we're not married or anything."

"Good, I was worried you were hitting on me. Giving the old 'oh we're not exclusive' when you damn well are, you just want to see if the ass is creamier on the other side." Ophelia said with a chuckle.

"I wouldn't treat her like that." RJ said firmly. "I have too much respect for her and she doesn't deserve to have someone who plays games."

"I'm just messing with you. Mostly." Ophelia said as she sped up and headed down the highway to Joe's. "So if anywhere to say... happen to you... would she be crushed or just mildly inconvenienced?"

"I'm pretty sure it would affect her, course she lost her entire reality and everyone in it except for a ship full of survivors." RJ replied and raised an eyebrow. "Why would you ask that?"

"For a smart guy you aren't entirely swift." Ophelia said as she looked at him. "Dominus is my father. Bellatrix is my mother. And you... are just a pretty bit of collateral damage." she gunned the engine and put it into a skid and opened his door causing him to fly out. She used the iljuna to push him to the ground and then closed the door. "Now... you have two seconds to run or I run you over... One... "

RJ got up and tried to run, but Ophelia hit him from behind with the car and send him flying into a guard rail. "No..." he muttered

"Oh yes... yes..." Ophelia exclaimed with almost orgasmic joy at his pain. Gunning the engine she hit him again and rolled over his leg, shattering it and twisting the other leg in an unnatural angle. "I hope you don't feel like this is just because you're with Miss Ryder... you've just seen me and well, I cannot have that." she said and used the iljuna to throw him over the guard rail down the face of the hill.

Satisfied that RJ wouldn't contact Cece, she made her way to Joe's, ready to make more people suffer.

[Catarina Peters]

As Ophelia sped away into the night a pair of headlights flicked on at the side of the road. The car sped over to the damaged guardrail and skidded to a halt. A man in a wrinkled suit jumped out of the car his tie loose and white shirt unbuttoned. He peered over the edge, and glanced nervously back at his car.

"Is he alive Gary?" A nearly panicked female voice shouted from the car.

"I can't tell."

"What do we do?" She pleaded. "My husband can't find out."

"You think my wife would be forgiving?" Gary asked an edge to his voice. "Jesus what the fuck was I thinking?"

"Let's just get out of here," the woman pleaded.

"Jesus Lois. What if this man had a family?" Gary hurried to the passenger side of the car where Lois was stuffing her ample bosom into a lacy pink bra. "Give me the gloves in the glove box."

"Why?"

"Jesus fucking Christ Lois. For once stop thinking about yourself and give me the damn gloves!"

She blinked in surprise. Never before had Gary spoken to her in that way. Sulking she flipped open the glovebox and handed Gary a pair of heavy winter gloves. "What are you doing."

"I'm going to see if he has a comm unit. We can't use our own, they'll be able to trace it back to us."

"No, don't. Let's just get out of here."

Gary scowled at her before picking his way down the rocky embankment. At the bottom he pulled on his gloves and dug through the man's pockets until he found the comm unit. Flipping it open he had to take one glove off the press the emergency button which he immediately wiped away with his shirt tail.

"Capital City Emergency, what is the nature of the emergency?" A female voice stated on the other end.

"Uh, yeah... I just witnessed a hit and run. I uh.... oh God he looks bad."

"Calm down sir. Can you give me your location?"

"Uh... Route 12... Christ I don't know where exactly."

"That's fine, I just pinged your Comm unit Mr. Fletcher. Can you see the victim? Is he conscience?"

"Uh... no... the car. The car that hit him was a dark colored, black maybe, sedan. License plate FGH-324, Capital Plates."

"Did you get a look at the driver?"

"Not really... it was dark . I'm pretty sure it was a she though."

"Okay Mr. Fletcher units are on the way. Stay on the line with me."

Gary tossed the comm unit in the ground next to RJ and scrambled up the embankment and over the guardrail and practically fell into his car as he slammed it into gear and took off.

* * *

Detective Catalina Peters sat in the passenger seat of her department cruiser. Her partner drove across town heading for Leo's.

Catalina flipped from picture to picture. The damaged guardrail. Tire marks on the pavement matching the description of the vehicle in question. The police report of a stolen car that came in only moments before the victim had apparently reported his own attack. Which, of course made little sense. Of course she suspected there was a witness out there.

"We'll have to go back to the scene after daylight. We're missing a piece of evidence somewhere."


"But where is it?"

"No clue, but that's why they pay us the big bucks," Catarina said.

"Yeah, big bucks," her partner scoffed.

They pulled up to Leo's and both detectives stepped out of the car and entered the club. They were both in plaib clothes, but the badges, and phasers on their belts, immediately drew attention to them from the patrons.


Approaching Cece she flashed her credentials, "Ms. Ryder I'm Detective Peters and this is Detective Anthony of the Capitol City Police Department." She held up a photo from an ID badge displayed on her PADD. "Do you recognize this man?"

[Kinsey Calhoun]

“The last thing I need is something else named after me.” Kinsey said just as the detectives walked into Joe’s. The hairs on the back of her neck stood in end warning her of danger.

“Is that a police car parked outside?” Bella inquired as she walked through the door with Eli, Inara, and her parents.

[Cece Ryder]

"Yes, of course, that's RJ Fletcher, one of the President's secret service agents." Cece replied professionally. It wasn't public knowledge they were dating and she wanted to keep it that way. "What seems to be the problem? Don't tell me, he ran some little old lady off the road when he was speeding. I assure you, I've been on the agents to use hover instead of wheels when they're responding to an emergency."

"Eli Mathers, head of Secret Service..." he said as he flashed his badge. "What's going on?"

Clint gestured with his head and found a booth. "C'mon Bells... let's sit down."

Cece had to restrain herself from reading the Detective's mind, but she had a pit in her stomach that this was not just about speeding...

[Catarina Peters]

"That's what I'm here to find out Mr. Mathers." She extended a hand, "Detective Peters CCPD." Turning her attention back to Cece, "Mr. Fletcher has been involved in an incident. He was transported to Memorial Hospital in critical condition. The doctors aren't overly optimistic."

[Kinsey Calhoun]

"That's terrible we should post pone Eli and go see him." Inara said look up at Eli concern in her eyes and took his hand.

Kinsey set the glasses she'd been arranging aside and came around the bar. Her mind reached out and brushed against Carly's trying to comfort her as best she could.

"I take it you have a led of some kind." Selene stated as she rested a hand on Carly's back. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

[Cece Ryder]

Cece closed her eyes. "Just be honest with us detective. None of us are fragile. I watched this planet get sucked into a black hole five minutes before I came here. So seriously... you can be blunt."

[Catarina Peters]

"Everyone is a suspect," Catarina said honestly, but unwilling to play her whole hand. "Anyone come in within the lasr hour?"