kiss kiss, bang bang

“I don’t think it would bother anyone really – not after that screech you just let out,” he teases her and takes a step closer to her petite frame. It almost made Marshall curious just how small she was. How did a strong wind not break her– or at least not knock her off balance? So petite she seems almost frail. 

“–Well if I don’t get to pick you up, will you at least want with me? If I have to get to medical I wouldn’t mind the company – besides if I pass out before I can get there I can at least count on you to run and get Agent Madison to come take care of me.”

“Well, since you're injured and all ...” Tesla kept a playful lilt about her lips, capitulating without actually saying the words. Marshall was so close now that she had to tilt her head up to be able to look him in the eye. The nearness also made his injury look that much worse and she couldn't hide the slight wince in her features as she peered over it.

There was something about Tesla that unsettled Madison–maybe it was her demeanor, or maybe her talent bothered Madison somewhere deep inside. She wasn’t so much able to pinpoint it, but she knew it was there. But, she should at least give the girl a chance, right? “I’ve got enough for the bunker,” she confided, shrugging as she stretched her legs along the couch.

“Nope–I don’t cry in front of people.” Only Hamilton. But she doesn’t need to know that, does she? “Honestly, I’m on a two glass limit,” Mads spoke, wiggling a brow at her. “If I have more, I may end up in someone’s bed.”

Tesla felt her eyebrows go up at Madison’s confession about how much booze she had. It wasn’t like there was a rule that prevented them from bringing alcohol, but looking at Madison, all put together, even in repose, Tesla wouldn’t have assumed she drank a lot. In fact, she’d just thought the agents around here weren’t much for drinking since everyone was supposed to stay fit. For all her talk about getting drunk, Tesla had been given strict orders to ‘stop consuming copious amounts of alcohol’ because the calories were crazy.

She notices when Tesla starts fidgeting, Jefferson follows her movement quickly before turning her eyes back to the other agent. Jefferson keeps still while the other agent avoids looking at her, lets her get her agitation out, she’d noticed the nervous tick almost immediately, filing it away in the back of her head, it’s nothing that needs addressing so she never mentions it. When the girl finally meets her eyes again Jefferson can see the tension. When she points to the work in front of her Jefferson follows where she points, she knows what it’s supposed to be, but there’s a reason Jefferson went into field instead of tech.

Nodding along when the younger agent speaks, Jefferson is relieved to hear the there aren’t any worries, and Jefferson moves to adjust her jacket, she’d gone for a three piece today, and she fingers the buttons before answering, “good, as I said, you’re very skilled, one of the most talented agents I’ve recruited. You have potential to go far in this Agency, and if you feel confident about it, I trust you.”

She tries her best for Tesla to understand, she’d not here to bully her or pick at her, she always does her best to get her mentees to understand that she wants them to get as far as they can. “If you ever have any concerns, feel free to say something. Passing the specialization test is the first step, but again, I do have faith that you’ll do well.” Jefferson has made her feelings clear, she always lets her mentees know how she feels about the structure and rules of the agency, and Tesla was no different. She was often difficult to deal with, but Jefferson did her best to stay calm and collected whenever they interacted.

Tesla felt a small smile curve her lips, though it never really reached her eyes – she wasn’t really sure how she felt at her Jefferson’s words. Relieved, for sure, that her mentor wouldn’t prod her anymore; happy, kind of, that Jefferson had faith in her abilities; yet she also felt this strange sort of pressure in her chest that she couldn’t quite place. It was just sitting there, a dead weight, pulling her down, making her feel heavier somehow. It wasn’t anxiety, per se, but it wasn’t all that comfortable either.

The unfamiliar feeling had come with the unfamiliar words. Tesla had never really had anyone expect much of her before; certainly, her aunt and uncle didn’t think she was capable of much except being rude and keeping to herself. And it wasn’t like Tesla had the chance to share her specified talents with anyone else. The last time she could remember feeling this way was nearly a decade ago when her chemistry professor had praised her on a job well-done on a class project. It had been a fleeting though, nothing like the heavy cloak that clung to her now and threatened to soak into her skin.

Tesla parted her lips, cracked a smile that didn’t fully reach her eyes; the key was in the crinkle in the corners – her aunt had often told her she’d get crow’s feet if she kept doing that no purpose, but it was the only way to tell when she was really smiling or just stretching her lips. “I mean, yeah, I know what a fish is.” Her eyebrows winging up in a ‘no offense’ gesture.

Her expression morphed as the other agent’s words sunk in, Tesla’s nose scrunching up in a snicker. “You’d get so much crap for bringing a dog in here, I can’t even imagine.” Though the truth was she could, and she was tempted. Shrugging her shoulders, Tesla ambled backwards towards the door, moving to leave and catch up on sleep herself. Her shoulder was also majorly hurting and she couldn’t wait to down the pill. “Thanks for this again,” she raised her hand with the pill still in it. “I’ll probably be back for more tomorrow.”

Hearing the recruit retreat towards the door put the agent to ease, she could finally rest. Curling up in her blankets, her eyes settled on her goldfish, Robinson, her closest friend, and companion. When days were negative the simple goldfish was the one to get her through them. 

Eyes fluttered with the idea of sleep, Tesla’s form becoming a mere shadow in the hall. “If you show up here again tomorrow,” Ruth mumbles out, her accent –even after months of vocal coaching to weaken it –became thick as she approached sleep. “I will drag you down to medical myself.” And with that, Ruth silenced and hoped that the recruit would be kind enough to close the door on her way out. 

After the pills were handed off to the tech-recruit, Agent Ruth was already retreating back into her bed. It was not often that she wasn’t involved in active missions, and she valued her time to heal and rest. Her features were near lost in the fluff of her pillow when she realized that the tiny-tech remained lingering in the room. Why new recruits became so fascinated by a goldfish was beyond Ruth. Pets were allowed in the bunker, and to Ruth a fish was ideal. 

“The fish, if my pet,” Ruth stated, her tiny form pushing up to sit upright on the bed, “Robinson. He stays here with me, keeps me company. Isn’t loud, doesn’t need too much work. Not like I’m dragging a messy mutt or a cat in here to get white fur all over my black suits. Would never hear the end of it if I did – and nothing is really up with him. He just swims, fish don’t really do much of anything.”

Tesla parted her lips, cracked a smile that didn’t fully reach her eyes; the key was in the crinkle in the corners – her aunt had often told her she’d get crow’s feet if she kept doing that no purpose, but it was the only way to tell when she was really smiling or just stretching her lips. “I mean, yeah, I know what a fish is.” Her eyebrows winging up in a ‘no offense’ gesture.

Jefferson could see the tension in Tesla, could see the moment the younger woman realized she was in the room. Walking around the work station Jefferson ignored her tone, she was used to Agents not giving her a warm greeting, she knew a lot about Tesla from her files, she knew most all her life from her background checks and FBI files. Jefferson knew when she recruited Tesla they weren’t going to get along perfectly. “What’s up with my is wanting to find out how your’re doing?”

She walks around to the front of Tesla’s station and looks at her work, it was her job to make sure Tesla was settling in well, that she was working properly and not finding anything too difficult to handle. “How do you feel about your upcoming specialization test?”

Jefferson knew the many rumors about her, that she was a robot, or just there to tell Washington about all that went on, as if anyone needed to spy for Washington. She ignored the all, others could think whatever they wanted, Jefferson just wanted to get her job done, make sure things were done right and clean. Right now was an important time for Tesla, and Jefferson wanted to make sure she had everything in a row, and that she was prepared for what was ahead.

“You have skill, it would be a shame if you weren’t able to make it to the next phase.”

Tesla’s fingertips instinctively reached into the pockets of her overalls; a habit she had whenever her hands weren’t busy doing anything else or if she didn’t want to be too focused on whatever conversation she was having. It was her headphones in her pockets this time, and she twiddled the wire between her fingers wrapping them, then unwrapping them. Her mouth turned down in a grimace as Jefferson approached, and turned her own question back on her. Tesla didn’t do deep conversations or heart to hearts, which may not necessarily been what Jefferson was after right now, but even revealing a bit about how she was doing felt like a bit too much.

She glanced briefly down at her wire-wrapped fingers for a moment, though her avoidance of eye contact made her feel even more trapped, weak, so Tesla raised her head and met Jefferson’s eyes again. As if trying to prove to herself that she was fine, and didn’t feel the least bit threatened, she forced herself to shrug casually.  “It’s fine.” The tips of her fingers turning red then white with how hard the earphone cords were wrapped around them. “I mean, this stuff’s my shit, so it’s not like I’m worried.” She cocked an eyebrow and pointed a finger, from the hand that wasn’t currently tied to her pocket, at Jefferson, “So you don’t need to be either.”

“Only time will tell.” Jay will be surprised if they both pass the training. They probably aren’t the first Edison and Tesla he’ll meet. Hell, they definitely aren’t the first Edison and Tesla. There’s no way that no one else has ever had those codenames. Jay assumes, just like the others, that the previous Tesla and Edison couldn’t make the cut. Jay’s always wondered if there was an Agent Boone before he joined up, but he’s never had the guts to peek through the Founder files. Something about other people failing makes him feel uncomfortable.

“You’re not going to like the answer,” Jay warns, before following up instantly. “Lot’s of training and repetition. Doing the same thing over and over and over until your body does it without thinking.” Jay’s been in martial arts training since he was a young boy. It started as an outlet for his aggression and energy after school, but quickly turned form hobby to art form. Training gave him discipline, developed his patience, and focused his energy; Jay wouldn’t be the same man he is today without his childhood steeped in judo classes. In his experience, most people want the perks without putting in the hours of blood, sweat, and practice that come with fighting. Jay doesn’t know her well enough, but he assumes there’s a reason Tesla hasn’t taken to any style already.

“Also follow your meal plan. They’re supposed to be designed specifically for your body and optimal performance.” Jay’s bad at keeping to his meal plan, but she doesn’t need to know that. What’s the old adage? Do as I say, not as I do. It’s not Jay’s fault that Susie B. is the best baker he’s ever met. Jay takes another forkful of eggs, close to clearing off his plate.

Tesla resisted, only barely, rolling her eyes at Jay’s advice; not because she didn’t think it’s true though. She had no doubt that training and repetition were key in developing ass-kicking skills – only because she never did either and was thus, very poor at any sort of ass-kicking. Any time after a particularly brutal day though, she’d lie in her bed, sore and in pain, and vow that she’d get better so she wouldn’t feel like bad again, though she had yet to make that promise with herself stick.

Tesla is young, one of the youngest recruits the Agency has. When Jefferson had found her she’d been watched over by the FBI heavily. The girl had a skill that Jefferson knew given time and proper training would be a huge addition to the Agency. It had been easy to clear the girls name, it cost the agency money but Jefferson knew it would be worth it, it was what the Agency did, especially if they wanted a potential agent as good as Tesla, and Jefferson hadn’t been disappointed, at least not in her skills.

As everyone in the Agency knows, Jefferson likes rules, she likes when people follow rules and structure, Tesla is one of the few agents who doesn’t exactly follow them, she’s a little more rebellious than Jefferson would like, but the potential was there.

Yet, Tesla couldn’t dismiss the other woman either, not when she was a founder, not when she was so clearly a superior agent — one Tesla could learn a lot from if she gave it just a little bit of a shot. However, Tesla had never dealt with authority comfortably, or even appropriately, before, and she wasn’t about to start now. It resulted in an uncomfortable sort of respect that Tesla tried her best to mask in sarcastic, snarky comments and disobedience. 

“I’m not disclosing how much alcohol I have in my bedroom,” she warned, shaking her head, leaving dark hair tousling. Madison’s someone that keeps more alcohol than she should in her bedroom, but her defense is that her techs make her need a nightly drink. “I have enough–that’s all you need to know.”

Tesla’s eagerness makes  her raise a brow, but Madison let herself stay settled on the couch. “Drunk?” A laugh came next, her slender frame shooting up to attention. “Really? You don’t want to get drunk with me,” she warned. Madison turned into a completely different person after a certain point, and honestly Mads wasn’t very fond of that person.

Tesla arched a brow, shooting the other woman a coy look, before shrugging her shoulders and gingerly padding on the soft carpet to fill up her wine glass again. “No need to get touchy,” she said as she walked back over to her spot, placing her hands up in a placating gesture, though it was marred a bit by the wine glass in her left hand. “As long as you’ve got enough, that’s all I care about.”

Madison observed her carefully–Tesla was one that she was wary of still, but as the Founder in charge of tech, she did what she could to make the girl at home. However, Tesla’s talents haven’t gone unnoticed by the older woman, nor anyone in the agency. “Who were you sparring with?” The question was good-natured enough as she poured some of the wine into another glass. Getting up, she padded over to the younger, a tired smile on her face.

“First rule of fight club? We don’t have fight club here,” she chuckled. “If you’re bruised, come down to the medical bay with me and I can give you something to take some of that out–it won’t heal them outright, but it’ll take the soreness out for a while.” Though she was slightly intoxicated, she could still read the labels, right?

Tesla groaned titling back slightly before it became a gasp as she put pressure on the part of her ass that had the bruise. Quickly righting herself, she shook her head, “I don’t want to talk about it; thinking about it makes it hurt even more.” She chuckled softly, no humor to the sound, as she reached out for the glass in Madison’s hands, mumbling a quick thanks before taking a huge gulp. 

“If it’s good coffee, it doesn’t need cream or sugar.” Jay punctuates his statement by pouring a large cup out for himself, filling it up to the brim. He takes a small sip, letting out a sigh of contentment at the taste. Agency coffee makes everything else taste like garbage water.

“Did they not give you a perks package before you signed your life away?” Jay teases, filling up a plate until it’s overflowing. He keeps to his meal plan too, mostly, but Jay loves food and it generally tends to love him, or his metabolism, back. 

“Tesla…. with a name like that, you have to be tech.” There’s no harm in playing dumb. Just because Jay has access files to every recruit doesn’t mean he has them memorized. His two mentees are both level one, which means he wasn’t eligible to look after any of the new class. Parks and King keep Jay’s hands full, but that’s not the only reason he hasn’t poured over the file. The truth is, out of all of the recruits that have made it this far, only a couple of them will have what it takes to finish training. 

The rest will be memory-wiped, Men In Black style, and Jay’s a little selfish and vain, but he doesn’t want to get attached to someone to have them forget all about them. It makes it easier to distance yourself from trainees, even if it isn’t the right thing to do.

“Wait…” Jay stops eating long enough for a large grin to take over his face. “Did they seriously recruit a Tesla and Edison in the same class? That’s rich.”

“With a name like that, you have to be tech.” Tesla snorted, quite unladylike, into her steaming cup of coffee as she trailed after Jay, adding things onto her plate but also directly putting whatever looked good — and still fit with her meal plan — into her mouth. He was quite the sharp one, huh, she thought sarcastically, but kept that thought to herself. She’d already stuck her foot in her mouth too many times this morning, and even though she didn’t particularly ever try to make a good first impression (whatever she did next would immediately counter it anyways), she at least didn’t want to piss off one of the big bosses, even if he hadn’t admitted he was one.

Creases formed between Tesla’s brows, even as she popped another granola piece into her mouth, trying to put a face to the name: Edison. “Huh, I guess you’re right.” She hadn’t given much though to them, honestly, though Tesla never really gave much thought to anyone else unless they were immediately in front of her, or she needed something from them. All she knew was that they were good with cars, a point she’d made a note of; definitely not because she wanted to tinker with some, take them out on a joy ride, and race up the mountain or anything. “Though only one of us has the same name as Elon Musk’s company, so maybe that says something.” She arched an eyebrow, attempting to apply that she was obviously the better recruit, though she was pretty sure the opposite was true. 

@agenttesla

Tesla was a firecracker, just as explosive as the bombs she created, and yet she was always a welcome face in Ride’s lab. There was something about the girl’s erratic (and borderline insane) ideas which managed to bring another side out of Ride, something no one else had quite managed to do. The girl would tease her often about her uptight ways, just as Ride would often chide her about taking her little side ventures just a little too far and their friendship worked.

Down time is a rare treat–downtime is usually spent in the garden of the living quarters or the entertainment room. The evening brings a glass of wine to her hand, fingers caressing the stem affectionately as she lounges on the couch in the entertainment room. Gone is her suit, and her lab coat at that, replaced by the soft fabric of yoga pants and a cotton tank top. The brunette powerhouse is without her signature heels and carmine-painted lips. Hair down, feet up, Madison just knows the glass of wine will be interrupted with some emergency down in medical–it never fails to happen.