It All Started With Magnets

.25.

I tugged at the neckline of the bullet proof vest, making a face. It was heavy and uncomfortable and I didn't like it. I glanced at Hudson and he was staring at me, his eyes narrowed and I sank slightly in my seat. When the dude was in full gear he was fucking intimidating and the look he was giving me was practically daring me to complain about the vest. I wasn't stupid enough to take him up on it.

As it was I didn't know quite what to think about the guy, he was so closed off, but I was at least happy he wanted to see the videos of the dragons I had. I only really saw Tel'bak'gorth in the fights. They rotated ever quarter year, mainly because the winged horrors did not get along with each other. As a semi-sentient species, they could hold massive grudges and the arena dragons were worse. Apparently when it came to the ones in the wild they were more likely to get along but the arena ones straight up would hold decade long grudges and preferred not to be around the others.

"We will arrive in ten minutes." Commander Hollister said it a touch louder than the loud engine of the military vehicle we were in. I wasn't sure which one and I didn't particularly care. It was just loud and big and it made me miss my ship. I had even offered that we could use it but Hollister said no. Which I had argued with before he stated that keeping us mostly separate when outside of the hidden military base meant that if something were to happen to one, the other would be 'safe'. Although he stated that I was vastly more important than my ship and that if I got hurt on his watch, he would kill me himself. Which was... comforting. Not.

"Is there a specific reason I have to be there?" I looked at the Vice-Admiral and he nodded.

"As you're the foremost expert on the Galactic Union, your presence is required to debrief the Prime Minister on what you know." He called it out, nodding as he did so and I pursed my lips.

"Do I have to wear the helmet the entire time?" I pointed to the offending thing I had set as far away from me as I could. Hudson had shoved it on my head after he had nearly forced me into the bullet proof vest and told me I was to wear it. The Commander said I didn't need to in transit, so the moment I was able to, I had shoved it as far away from me as possible. I understood why I needed it but at the same time I wanted to avoid all of it because I felt like if I accepted it, then there was no going back, I could no longer pretend that I could be just Roxie Matthews.

"Just until you get into the debrief room." The Commander said it and I nodded before looking at the metal floor. Everything felt just so... I wasn't quite sure how to say it but it felt so wrong to me. I wasn't the type of person who needed bullet proof vests, helmets, a twenty-four hour special ops guard, and a fully armed military escort. I was a weirdo who built stupid shit in my garage because I was bored. I was the weirdo who had been and still was hyperfocused on astronomy. I was the weirdo who wanted to make the world a better place. The worst part of it was, I was beginning to realize I would never again be that simple of a person. And that fucking sucked.

As it was, I was going to need to speak to Prime Minister Lawrence, someone I had absolutely no use for and I was supposed to be nice. I could barely hide my expression of distaste, the dude was fucking useless. I had zero use for him, he did a lot of flip flopping and he never did what he said he was going to do and blamed all his problems on the opposition and it was just exhausting listening to him on his bid to get re-elected. I was just thankful that the election campaigns lasted only four weeks, anymore than that and I was pretty sure most people would go postal.

So I was fairly positive, the dude was going to be yelling at me. Mainly because of the government tensions and everything else that might mess with his probability of re-election. Which was just great. I couldn't call him a fuckwit so I had to just take it, which was... I honestly was weighing the thought of was it worth the jail time to junk punch him.