She fell into step beside him, cutting a swath through the crowd.  She lessened her pace cautiously, so that he wouldn't run into anything while his eyes were on the paperwork. Passing through splendid marble hall after splendid marble hall, they finally reached a back exit, locked by a keycard reader.  She dug into her back pocket, sliding her coded card through the slot, and the door cycled to allow them to exit. While he was reading up on their mission, she lapsed into thought. His personality made it difficult for others to work with him, sometimes, but the Captain and Major respected each other deeply. Even if he did get on her last nerve, he was a damn good agent.<em>And she needed him.</em><br/><br/>"So what exactly are we looking at here? Some kook believes that the lance that pierced the Son of God will grant him power?  Major, you pulled me from a beautiful girls arms for this?"  The stark contrast of her pale crystalline eyes tightened on him. She gently maneuvered a small child from her path, her voice was low and sharp "This isn't a time for jokes, Captain." The sun was brilliant, and she blinked, allowing her vision to adjust. The parking lot was a few meters from the door.<br/><br/>"I get it, haha, good for you, you got Yousef.  You even let some color to your cheek to make it real.  I get it, good job Boss.  You had me going for a second.  I was afraid you would bring out the whip for real!"<br/><br/>She halted suddenly, whipping her arm across where his chest would be, to stop him in his tracks.  "Captain! This isn't a prank. This isn't a joke, or a gag. This shit-" she stabbed her finger at the papers in his hand, her white teeth bared in a half-snarl. "is going down as we speak. Christoph's DEAD...his whole team, wiped out by the Illunimati. Jenny, David, Marcus...you knew them. You were<em>friends</em>with them...and they're gone. And if you want to keep your job with the Vatican, I suggest you straighten the<em>fuck</em>up.<em>Now</em>."<br/><br/>She wasn't hateful when she spoke to Yousef, but serious, cold, and desperate. She had liked Christoph, he had been a good agent, and a good man. His kid's didn't deserve this. Neither did his wife.<br/><br/>"So...you with me? Or are you going to stay here with your thumb up your ass and watch the entire world go to hell...LITERALLY?"<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>