#blitzq

Monika quickly got annoyed with snow.  It was beautiful to look at, but there was always the annoyance of extra tasks tied with it, such as shoveling, being mindful of ice in the roads and sidewalks, and the annoying threat of getting sick if one stayed outside for just a bit too long.  Gloves made things difficult at times, but she also much preferred being able to feel her hands.  

Elias, on the other hand, adored the winter wonderland that was currently outside of their base.  It had been his idea to lighten up and play in the snow, an idea that was met with a sly grin from Dominic, a curious tilt of the head from Marius, and a roll of the eyes from Monika.  

“We are not children.”

“Clearly, you’ve never been one either, Monika.”

Elias wasn’t surprised that Monika and Dominic were already going at each other.  Marius was content to simply watch, leaving Elias to step in again.  

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

Monika crossed her arms, turning her narrowed gaze to Elias.

“We could all end up horribly sick and in the medbay, restricted from our duties?”

Dominic crossed his arms, voice more monotone than normal.  “Oh no, how horrible.  We get a cold.  It’s the apocalypse.”

“We won’t get sick, unless Dominic decides to shove snow in my shirt again.”

Marius turned to Dominic, who simply gave a grin.  Elias shook his head with a thinly veiled smile.

“We can have a snowball fight, at the very least!  Instead of fighting in here.”

Dominic shrugged, turning to grab a heavier coat.  

“You can, I won’t.  I’d rather not have a snowball with ice in the center be thrown at my face, Monika.”  

“Stop being such a whiny little brat, Dominic.”

Elias shook his head.  “We’ll find something to do that won’t end in disaster.”  Elias could clearly see the way Marius’ eyebrows raised.

“What?”

“Nothing.  Just that it’ll be a miracle for none of us to walk away without some embarrassing mark.”

Elias opened his mouth to say something, but quickly stopped.  He knew better by now than to ask what Marius meant, especially with how close he and Dominic were.  A recipe for trouble.  He went to get a heavier coat, not keen on getting sick anytime soon on account of what was intending to be a fun day out.  

They agreed to meet outside, in the expansive courtyard covered in a fluffy layer of thick snow.  Marius and Dominic were already talking, and Monika had her arms crossed talking to them.  Elias was quick to join them.  

“Being the Ice Queen, you have a surprising hatred of the cold.’

“Why does everyone assume that the cold doesn’t bother me in the slightest?”

“Perhaps you should let it go.”

It took them all a moment to realize what Dominic was referencing with his deadpan tone, but Monika’s realization was the most obvious when she harshly pushed him into a snowbank.  Marius couldn’t hold back loud laughter, which prompted Dominic to reach out of the snow and pull him in.  Monika smirked at the undignified yelp Marius let out, leaving Elias to simply shake his head in amusement.

“That’s a new record, ja?  Not even a minute and someone’s already on the ground.”

Dominic poked his head out from the snowbank, wiping snow away from his face.  

“Not my fault the hellhounds’ owner can’t take a joke.”

“It isn’t my fault you are all insufferable idiots.”

“I haven’t even done anything, liebling!”  Elias was quick to retort.  Monika turned to say something back to Elias, before she was met with a face full of snow from a grinning Dominic and Marius.  He’s too slow to stop Monika from grabbing armfuls of snow and dumping it on top of them, effectively burying Dominic and Marius in snow, but still picks her up before she can sit on top of the snowbank.

“Elias!  Put me down!”

“Not a chance, kätzchen.”

“Elias!”

He simply laughed as Marius dug himself out of the snow hill, Dominic showing his head shortly after.  Monika gives up trying to free herself from over Elias’ shoulder, letting out a sigh.  Elias adjusted his grip, holding Monika bridal style now and grinning to her before letting himself fall back into another snowbank with a flurry of snow.  

“Elias…  Are you serious?”

“Of course!  Isn’t this nice?”

“It’s cold.”

“It’s snow, liebling.  It’s not supposed to be warm.”  

She huffed, grabbing a handful of snow and shoving it into his face.  He shook his head to get away from the cold, still laughing.  

“Come on, Monika!”

IQ wasn’t a fan of the cold.  Even though her common nickname was ‘Ice Queen’, she despised frigid temperatures.  This didn’t change on missions, especially when sent to one of the colder areas of the world, but she tended to keep quiet until the mission was done.  This mission on a yacht frozen in Canadian ice was a prime example.  

Blitz had been more than happy to offer to sit close and keep her warm, but she had adamantly refused.  He made sure to still stay as close as she allowed, not wanting her to get sick on account of her pride.  They simply had to clear out the yacht, with a few White Masks occupying the derelict ship.  

“Little chilly for the Ice Queen, hm?”

“I’m not immune to the elements.”

He chuckled quietly, then stood when their helicopter touched down.  

“I’ll check the second floor, if you’d like to join me.”

“It will be faster if we clear rooms separately.”

“Do you despise my company?  I’m hurt, IQ.”

“I would rather get this done as soon as possible and not waste time.”

He couldn’t help quiet laughs, adjusting his grip on his shield and moving forward without another second of hesitation. IQ made her way to the closed gate, readying a breach charge to make an entrance inside.  A quick check on her scanner told her there were no electronics inside.  With the charge detonating, she moved off to the side and sent her drone in first.  Several hostiles, all waiting for a target.  She kept moving her drone around, using it to distract them and give her the opportunity to move in safely.  

They were easy to handle, giving her the chance to move in out of the snow.  Gunfire above her told her that Blitz was handling terrorists on the upper floor, in a far faster and more reckless manner.  As always.  Her intention was to check the top floor together, but it might not be necessary with how fast he was moving.  

“Call if you need my assistance, Blitz.”

“Everything will be fine!  I’ve got this covered, IQ.”

She nodded and gave a simply confirmation that she heard his call, moving carefully to the doorway out of what seemed to be a supply room.  She heard the unmistakable beep of a bomber suit before she felt the distinct burning pain of bullets piercing her side, letting out a loud cry of pain.  She moved behind a stack of crates, collapsing behind it and putting pressure on her side and hearing the heavy footsteps get closer.  It was close, looming just on the other side of the crates, and she was sure her failure to notice the bomber behind her or even check would be fatal.  

The footsteps storming closer were barely audible to her over the pounding heartbeat in her head.  She closed her eyes, pressing down harder and hoping maybe, she got a few moments longer before the terrorists closed in.  

“Lächeln!”  

She looked up from behind the crates, seeing Blitz rushing in and activating his shield to blind the bomber before he could take another step.  A few bullet shots to the facemask meant one less threat.  He quickly moved over to her, pressing his hand down on her side and giving a cheeky grin at her wince.  

“If you wanted my attention so bad, you could have just said so, ja?”

She rolled her eyes as she felt him press harder to stifle the blood flow.  At the hiss of pain, his smile softened.  

“You’ll be alright, don’t worry.”

“We still need to-”

“No, we will be fine.  I’m more concerned about you than our mission.”

He saw clearly how she bit her lip, biting back another retort.  

“They are few and far between, IQ.  Any targets left can be handled by the team that will swap with us when we get extracted out.”

She hesitantly nodding, accepting his help to her feet.  She hated how quickly she faltered in the blink of an eye, but grateful that Blitz was there, remarkably like how he tended to be anytime she misstepped.