How the hell did I let myself get in this situation?

Right now I'm perched down the hall and around the corner from Red's room. I don't even have any inclination or experience with stealth, in fact, I would say I have the complete opposite of it, but this is what I have to do. Red has something that Veronica wants so I'm her delivery boy, or more like purse snatcher.

Part of me can't believe that I'm the only one capable of doing it, but the other part thinks that Veronica phrased it that way just to make me feel better. It's probably the case that no one else is willing or would be willing to do it, they'd have to risk pissing off Red after all. From what I've seen everybody leaves Red alone and lets her do whatever she wants, for the most part. Even Jason will go out of his way so he doesn't get on her bad side for no reason. The only exceptions being Carine and myself.

I peer down the hallway attempting not to look suspicious while I do it. Red's door is cracked open just like most of the other doors on this hall are. This is the sign that she's out and about, our cell doors are only closed if we're in there or if the room is empty. I've attempted to close my cell door from the outside just to see what happens, but once it reaches a certain point the door locks itself in place until I enter the room.

I've never tried it with another person's cell so I hope it doesn't shut on me, that would be the worst-case scenario.

I make my way down the hall as I scan my surroundings, no one around. As I get closer to the door I slowly make my way to its side of the hallway, and once close enough I slip in. I make sure to close the door as much as possible so no one sees me if they walk by, hopefully.

Now in her room, the first thing I notice is the stuff. It's everywhere! The room's not dirty but rather filled with things. There's a dresser-looking piece of furniture and shelves, branching off of the shelves is a poll that has a bunch of ripped-up uniforms hanging on it.

It looks like... a room, not a cell but an actual room. You can definitely see the cell-like features since there's no hiding them but they are nicely covered up. There is even stuff hanging on the walls, it all looks hand made of course but still.

Something else about the room surprises me along with all the stuff, the room is a lot girlier than I would expect. This is Red's room after all. I was kinda expecting more... well, not this.

My base perception has been on this whole time so I haven't lost too much time to my thoughts, but I quickly get back on track. My base perception is just the percentage of my ability that I can keep on continuously. I find the more I keep my perception on continuously, the more my thoughts wander to try and fill in the extra, extremely boring, time. I've even started talking to myself--Dammit, I'm doing it again! Focus.

I move around the room trying to locate what Veronica described to me. She said it was a small cylinder that's slightly bigger than a finger. She also told me I know I will have found it if I can pull the cylinder apart, it separates towards the middle. I was also told where it would probably be but I'm hoping I can find it somewhere else in here, that location will be my last resort if I end up not seeing it anywhere else. I move towards the bed and lift it up, making sure to check under and around it.

Nothing.

Moving towards the toilet I scan around it. I even check under and in the sink.

Nothing.

I go to the uniforms and check their pockets.

Dammit, nothing!

I glance over at the dresser. I search through it making sure to stay away from a certain drawer, sticking to the ones that look like they're meant for random stuff, and quite a lot of random stuff they have, but not what I want. Finally, I look at a certain drawer and open it. Small pieces of cloth practically burst out when I open it. Why would one person need so many, you can only wear one a day? They even have different colors and designs! How did she get these in here? Are there more perks that I don't know about?

I cautiously move the pieces of cloth as I search through the drawer. For some reason, my hands start to sweat and I can feel my face getting hotter, it's all a result of the dramatic increase in my heart rate that happened once I decided to open this drawer. In the back, right corner of the drawer I find it. A light gray piece of plastic in the shape of a cylinder. Finally!

I grab each end of it and tug lightly, it separates. Perfect!

Out of curiosity, I pull the pieces completely apart to see what's on the inside.

I couldn't help but utter it aloud, "You've got to be kidding me!" I clamp the two pieces back together when I hear some voices down the hall. I quickly turn to the door and open it up to leave.

"What are you?" Red now stands in front of me and is staring at me intensely. I can see her face go from surprise, to confusion, then to anger. She's looking over my shoulder almost seeming dumbfounded whilst exuding her obvious anger.

Oh, no... I glance back to where she was looking at, confirming what I already knew. I had left the drawer I was in open as when I rushed away because of the voices. All she had to go on was me in her room and her underwear drawer open, I knew exactly what it looked like, it was what I had feared from the beginning.

"Red, it's not what it looks like--oh-shit!" She reached out for me, I tried to instinctively move to the side but all I did was hit the door frame. Her hand grabbed hold of me as she charged into the room and she didn't stop until I was pinned against the wall. I hit it so hard it felt like if she let go of me I'd still hang to it.

"Red... please."

"Why, the hell, are you in my room?"

"I..." I can't think of shit, so, "Veronica asked me to steal this." She lets me move one of my arms after I gestured, I pull out the cylinder, "She said if I gave this to her she would help me."

Red looks at me, her face displayed her lack of belief in my answer. At this point, the only thing I can think of to do is to keep telling her shit until she believes me.

"Please I know we don't get along well, but... I need this. I have to kill someone and to do that I need Veronica's help. I'm sure you heard about what happened with me in the training room. The agent who took me down, John, I have to kill him. I'll do anything so that I can accomplish that... so please, tell me what I can do to pay for this."

As soon as she heard his name her expression changed to something I couldn't quite read, "...You can't kill John."

Is this my chance? "I know, that's why I need Veronica's help, if I can just get stronger I'll be able to. I can resist his ability." As I spoke I could see it click in her head, what I planned to do, and as a result by the time I finished speaking she had set me back onto the ground.

Now looking up to her I spoke with my best pleading voice, "So will you help me?"

She remained silent for a while before she spoke, "Tell me your ability."

"What?"

"You said you'd do anything right? So prove it, tell me your ability."