There was another knock at the door, louder this time.
"Shouldn't you answer it?" asked the rookie below her. She looked down at his face, having already forgotten who she'd taken into her bed this time. Clearly he was a fool, though, unable to enjoy the moment she had chosen to bless him with.
"Come in," she called out, getting out of the bed. The door began to open and the rookie quickly tried to cover up in the blanket. "Men," thought the Queen of Hearts, "they pretend to be brave, yet are afraid of others seeing their body. Cowards, the lot of them."
The door now open, her second-in-command took one look at the room before staring intently at his own feet. Prince Charming was one of her best field agents, but the queen enjoyed torturing him with discomfort. His modesty was outdated, and he was becoming so as well.
The rookie, meanwhile, had bundled up in blankets trying to make it look like he wasn't present.
"Your majesty, an agent is here from Monochromatic Dawn. She says it was attacked."
"And I told you I was busy. That was a mere half hour ago," she said with clear disgust, her eyes focusing on the pile of blankets. "Do you forget so readily, Prince Charming?"
"She's a Red, your majesty."
Her eyes grew wide, and she blurred into motion. She grabbed her bra from her trophy cabinet, it was among her collection of skulls. Her pants slipped on in a flash, the leather nearly skin-tight. Her eyes swept the room for her other missing apparel before she grunted in frustration and headed for the door.
"You should have gotten me sooner. What do we know about her, Charming?"
"Nothing. There was nothing about her in the database, and," but he was cut off.
"Of course there wasn't. Reds aren't given a file. As far as paperwork is concerned, Reds don't even exist. Admitting that they do would be admitting the mission is failing. What has she said or done? Tell me everything. Every detail. And send the videos to my room so I can review whatever you miss, Charming."
"We first spotted her in the woods, walking here with a briefcase. She announced herself as Agent Red, and did genuflect. I opened the lake, and she entered the waiting room, sat facing away from the door. She says he partner broke protocol and was taken out by a landmine, so she's alone. Possibly the last survivor."
"It could be a trick. When was the last check-in from Monochromatic Dawn?"
"They failed to check in this morning, your majesty."
"Damn it. Do you have any good news?"
"No activity behind her in the woods. She wasn't followed."
The Queen of Hearts opened the door to the welcome room, and looked through the sliding glass wall at the mysterious Red.
"Charming. Why is there a crack in my waiting room's wall?"
"She slammed a document against it. The White Rabbit Protocol."
"Great. Not only a Red agent, but one that thinks she's a lawyer." The Queen took a deep breath and lightly massaged her forehead, collecting her thoughts. Being half-naked would not go over well with such a rule monger, especially one that had already been given the run-around by someone lacking authority.
"Give me your jacket, Charming."
"What?"
"I said hand me your top. You already screwed this situation up more than enough, we need to show her we're on the up and up."
Prince Charming mumbled, but unbuttoned his uniform and handed it to the Queen.
"Make sure I get videos of the events, ready the rookie's room for her, and let him know he's on standby to give her the tour, Charming. Now get out of here," she said, pressing the button to slide open the glass wall. "It's time I do some girl-talk."
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