Bittersweet Endings

I groaned loudly as Jacoby turned up the volume once again. His tastes in music needed some improvement, at least in my opinion. I will never understand how someone screaming into a microphone was considered singing.

I glanced over at Jacoby, my partner in crime. He was dancing in his seat while swerving through traffic.

Jacoby, Jacoby Watson. The idiot I had been paired up with for years, centuries, decades. At times I couldn't stand him, but he was the best partner I could ask for. He was always getting into trouble, picking fights when they were not needed. He acts like the boss on any two person mission. Saying how we'll do things. I let him, knowing he wouldn't listen to me even if I try. His fighting skills, even I would admit they were remarkable. His brain power, not so much. He was incredible intelligent, but likes the thrill of fighting too much to think things completely through.

My gaze drifts to the cut above his eye. Our mission from last night. A vampire that had recently been created had gotten loose, his creator up and left him. We tried to contain him, but he kept running away. Jacoby got upset and just went at him. I couldn't help but laugh, Jacoby almost never got hurt.

I turned my attention back to the road. I smiled slightly when the office building came into view. Freedom from Jacoby's car and music.

The office building, looked like it was made completely out of glass. It looked very sophisticated. Average height, about fifty stories. It was exactly like any other office building, with a few differences. A normal office building had the higher power at the top, this office building was the opposite. The higher power you held the lower the level you were on. Mainly because it was what was under the building that was the most important.

Our entire operation took place underground, hidden from the eyes of humans. Seven floors of underground workings. Two flight hangers that held almost every type of aviation vehicle known to man, and a few not known to humans. A water hanger, a place where boats and submarines were held. A testing floor, where experiments in new weaponry took place. A huge pool where submarine training took place. Six fighting dojos and gun practice rooms. An infirmary and a weaponry. Also the preparation room, where all information on missions was given out. All of that was spread out over the seven floors underneath the office building.

Jacoby parked in our designated parking space. Only a few spaces from the entrance of the building. I hoped out quickly, my heels clicking against the pavement. I noticed a few others arriving at the same time.

I followed Jacoby into the building.

The receptionist, Kelsey, smiled politely as we walked into the room.

"Good morning Jacoby, good morning Nicolette."

"Good morning Kelsey." I said politely, Jacoby just nodded in her direction.

"Your paperwork is waiting for you on your desk."

"Thank you."

Jacoby hit the elevator button. It took only a few seconds for the doors to swing open. Jacoby quickly got in and pressed the second floor button. We were that high up, our floor was the first of the actual offices.

I tapped my heels impatiently. Jacoby looked over at me, then to my shoes and back up to my face.

"They only cost one-hundred and ten dollars, and they were on sale." I answered the unasked question.

He turned back to the elevator doors. I sensed that he had rolled his eyes at me. I just sighed and shook my head. Jacoby never liked my fashion sense, saying it was way to expensive to keep up. Like his cars were any cheaper to maintain then my clothing choices. At least I always look professional on the job.

"I should have gotten some coffee." Jacoby muttered as the elevator stopped.

He quickly got off and walked off in the directions of our desks. I spotted Victor walking past with an empty mail cart.

"Hey Victor." I said getting his attention.

"Yes Nicolette."

"Can you please get Jacoby a dark chocolate turtle mocha with whip cream? I can't stand to hear him complain all day long." I asked as he stepped into the elevator.

Victor smiled and nodded.

Yes, we are able to eat human food. It doesn't make us sick, it doesn't really do anything for us. We only need to drink blood twice a month to keep ourselves going. We eat human food to keep up our appearances, specially while on missions.

Jacoby was already at his desk, shifting through paperwork, when I arrived. He was shaking his head and mumbling something. He had always hated paperwork.

I sat down in the desk next to his, mine. Our boss found it hilarious to have us together twenty four seven. Dimitri had a sick sense of humor. Dimitri had been our boss, for as long as I can remember. He was the oldest vampire in the operation, Jacoby always cracked jokes about Dimitri's age.

"Stop complaining. The sooner you start the sooner you finish." I stated picking up my stack of manila folders.

Victor came by a few minutes later and placed Jacoby's coffee next to him. I thanked him as he walked away. Jacoby stared at the coffee before picking it up and taking a drink. I smiled to myself.

My smile didn't last. Jacoby let out a belch seconds later.

"Disgusting." I said, able to smell the coffee burp.

"Sorry." He said laughing.

I looked up at him only to see him smile. I rolled my eyes and shifted through the papers.

After a few hours of filling out paperwork the phone rang. Jacoby and I both looked up at it, both not wanting to answer it. Finally I reached over and pressed the speaker button. Bettina's annoying high pitched voice came through seconds later.

"Report to level three immediately."

Then she hung up.

"One day I will kill her." Jacoby said standing up.

I shook my head at him and followed.

Jacoby made sure the elevator doors were completely shut before opening the secret panel. It held the buttons to the basement floors. All marked in negatives to indicate descending downstairs.

Jacoby pressed negative three. The panel closed as the elevator began to descending.

Neither of us said much. Wondering why we were being called down so soon after a mission. Normally teams were given an entire day, twenty-four hours, to recover and rest. Must be important.