Buzz...Buzz

Alizeh's phone vibrated on her desk just as she was in the middle of untangling a long string of words which were looking out of place. Irritated, she cut the call without looking and shoved the phone into her pocket.

"I'm done with this piece of writing," Alizeh announced just as Arya entered her office with her sketching pad in tow. She had poured out her heart's anger in the piece where she had talked about the prejudices and the cold war between the nations that incited the battle of humanity's destruction.

"Well then maybe you could help me choose the fabric for the dress. Do you want rayon, silk or satin?" Arya settled into the chair beside her, dumping the art supplies with a sigh.

"I guess I'd like something coarse. How about rayon? I want this piece to be less costly also," her phone vibrated in her pocket again and she ignored it.

"Mmhmm!" Arya mumbled, scribbling quickly.

"Colour?"

"Blood red."

Arya looked up. Alizeh blushed and adjusted her glasses, "Sorry ..."

"White script," Arya confirmed, jotting both down.

"Good. Then I'll go back to the designing. You grab some coffee and meet me at my office, will you?" Arya dragged the chair noisily and strode to the door, her heels making a clip-clop noise on the wooden flooring.

Alizeh's phone vibrated again and the screen flashed 'LEAN' in bold letters. She propped up the phone so that her face was visible.

"Aileana I was busy...I,"

"Where have you been? I was so worried about you? You never called after reaching there," Aileana cut her off, waving her hands wildly, "I've been trying to reach you but it showed out of network and for a split second I thought your plane had some accident and you never reached the cloud."

"Calm down girl! I'm okay," Alizeh tried to pacify her agitated friend. "Actually it was out of charge..."

Alizeh didn't have the heart to tell a friend that she had been kidnapped and her phone lost in the process. Arya had to use her contacts to retrieve her phone and all the luggage from the car that originally picked her up.

"Actually. I'm sorry for venting on you. It's just that Nina's phone is unreachable too. And I'm handicapped without you both."

"Ahh girl. She must be doing work too. It's the middle of the day," Alizeh twirled in her chair once before asking, "Besides why aren't you at your classes?

"Didn't feel like it," Aileana looked down, playing with her hands.

"I know that look. What happened?" Alizeh purred, soft and cajoling.

"Well, the lights went out yesterday."

"Oh no! Did you have seizures again?"

Aileana paused at the other end.

"Yes, kinda. The dark triggers those panic attacks too," she said finally.

"I wish I was there with you," Alizeh wheeled her chair closer.

"Weirdly after it passed, I was remembering how you held me close. The feeling of your soft arms and the smell of your hair..."

"You sound as if you're my boyfriend, girl. Stop it," Alizeh giggled, interrupting her. "You're making me blush."

"I'm sorry," Aileana said in a small voice.

"Oh no. Did I hurt your feelings?" Alizeh looked at her friend for signs of confirmation. Aileana didn't say anything, just sat there, fidgeting with her hands.

"Aileana, talk to me," Alizeh crooned as if to a five-year-old.

"Nothing. It's just that I lied to you about something. I'm a lesbian," she blurted.

"Uhh...huh," Alizeh was at a loss for words for a moment before she gained composure and said, "We never talked about our sexual preferences, did we?" her heart raced so wildly that she was afraid Aileana would hear it.

"Yeah we didn't," an uncomfortable silence hung around them as they both grappled for a conversation. The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only sound heard.

"So..." Aileana broke the silence," I guess you should go back to work"

"Yeah... I need to visit my boss," Alizeh chirped in unison and they both cut the call at the same time. She collapsed into her seat thinking about Aileana. It all seemed so messy and weird, what was all that about?

Her alarm rang out just then, making her jump out of her skin. Rapidly she exited her office, setting up the pass lock. All the offices in Lady A's establishment has systems to protect against unnecessary intrusion. Only the ones that knew the code could enter an office, occupied or not.

"Ma'am," Alizeh spoke over the microphone, asking permission to be let in.

"I didn't give you the password, no? Aa jao (come in)," Arya's voice spoke from the other side as the door slid open. Alizeh thankfully made her way in and it closed behind her.

Her boss nudged the laptop towards her and pressed a button. The three-dimensional representation of her dream dress appeared in front of her, the fabric gleaming. It looked almost a shade of dark pink due to the white calligraphy. Alizeh touched the stylus to specific points and lines after lines popped up on a big screen, all immortalized on the dress.

"It's a genius," Alizeh breathed. Arya's eyes were soft as she looked at her with pride, "You know. I had a sister like you. She was a writer too."

Alizeh kept quiet, not knowing how to respond.

"She was killed in the war. Her home ravaged by the nuclear attacks," Arya's eyes moved erratically away. Alizeh had never noticed them but they looked alluring, in spite of the unusual nature. Her eyes were liquid pools of hate now.

"Look Alizeh. Would you like to work with the inner circle? I mean go to our base and operate directly?" Arya suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Well. What would I need?"

Arya tossed a mask at her. It was made of red lace, its edges lined with gold braided trim. Arya had even kept enough space for her spectacles to fit in. It looked sharp and tantalizing. "Just a mask and you are ready Agent Z."

Alizeh looked up to see her beaming.

"That's cool and all but so soon..."

"I trust you," Arya confirmed.

"And that's the only thing left, on which the last dying shreds of humanity is surviving. Let's go and earn our way to freedom then," Alizeh secured her mask.

Her reflection appeared on one of the glass walls and she was surprised at the woman staring back at her. Gone was the innocent girl who rolled in her dad's riches. She was going to fight a war to survive with dignity.