There weren't many priests like him: protectors of the weak, guardians of those who couldn't care for themselves. The Legion had revived the idea of the warrior priest, and Sinclair was one of the best. He'd been named Imperator, or the highest-ranked Legate, because of it. Those who followed the religion knew what the winged symbol on his armor meant. Those who didn't still probably knew - they simply refused to believe he was anything but a gun for hire.
He arrived at the receiving area long before his client was ready. In the time he'd been babysitting his angel, he'd learned her identification number well enough to pick it out of the list. She was downloading, so it shouldn't be too long of a wait. Sinking into a chair, he slipped on his sunglasses and closed his eyes for a bit, catching up on the sleep he'd lost the night before helping his fellow priests.
The click of the door woke him. Glancing at the screen, he saw she was still receiving data, but he glanced at the door regardless. Another woman in a blue robe glided out, as calm and manicured as his own Ingénue, but this one was short. Like his Princess, she was also lean, but this girl's eyes were definitely brown. Mr. Briggs had readily admitted many were clones, but he'd carefully avoided saying if his client was one,and Sin couldn't help but wonder. His gut said she wasn't, which was why she'd managed to survive the data wipe. Then again, OutLink probably hoped he didn't know about that.
A man entered, nodded to the Ingénue once, and grabbed her elbow, guiding her out of the room. He basically manhandled the poor girl, but she didn't even flinch, accepting the treatment as normal. Then there was how the man had never even thought of Sin as a possible threat. It seemed the company handlers were as inept as the executives.
A moment later the door opened again, and this time the girl was his responsibility. "Ingénue," he said politely.
"Legate," she responded formally.
"So, where are we going today?"
Those creases made another appearance around her eyes. "SiSec LLC," she said, the faintest hint of amusement in her voice.
He reached his hand up, gently resting his fingers against the delicate flesh of her arm, and guided her from the building. "Princess, you pick the strangest places," he teased, trying to be humorous.
He could never tell when his words offended her—not usually—because she kept her emotions too tightly controlled. He assumed those crinkles meant she was smiling, but it could have easily been a grimace, and she hadn't exactly felt the need to tell him. Since he'd never even seen most of her face, her eyes were all he had to go on.
"What's our time frame?" he asked.
"Six hours for completion."
He made an affirmative noise, showing he understood. "And how long will you need?"
That twitch of her eyes again. "Twenty-one minutes, approximately."
Since she typically solved her problems in under ten minutes, that meant this had to be a big or complicated one. He couldn't ask about it. That would get her in trouble, but the stillness when they were under surveillance always felt wrong to him.
So he said, "Princess, you're getting quick. Did you want to walk or catch a ride?" They were almost a block away from the OutLink building now—which should be outside their surveillance—at the junction where he'd need to pick a direction. Left for public transit, right if they decided to walk.
He'd obviously confused her. "I get to choose?"
"Yeah, why not? Or is that too simple of a problem for your precious mind?" He winked, hoping she'd take that for the joke it was meant to be.
"Is it ok if we walk?" She refused to look at him.
"Yeah. That's why I asked. Shit, girl. I'm notthatbig of a dick."
"Usually," she muttered, finally flicking her eyes his way.
He stopped, pulling her around to face him. "Was that a bad attempt at a joke?"
He watched her pupils flare. "Was the comment about my mind one?"
"Yes!" He huffed out a sound which could only be described as a growl. "I was trying to make you smile under that veil. Shit, what more do you want from me?"
The stoic facade crumbled in seconds. She clenched her right hand at her side, and snapped, "I was trying to do the same thing you were, and you didn't like it, so why did you think I would?" She pulled in a deep breath. "You're supposed to be my friend. The only person I can talk to freely, but every time I try, I feel like I'm making a complete mess of it. I didn't learn how to do this in my training, ok?"
He paused, his mouth hanging half open. "You're trying to mimic me?"
"You're the only example I have," she mumbled. "No one else talks to me."
He nodded his head once. "Yeah. Princess, I'm probably not the best example of how to be nice, just so you know." He lifted his hand and scrubbed at his mouth. "Maybe try thinking about how something would make you feel before you say it? Sarcasm's probably going to take a bit."
"I was trying," she said, shuffling along beside him.
"And you thought calling me a dick was ok?" he asked, lifting a brow to make his point.
