Prank Wars

Monday came, again. His weekend was non-existent. He worked again.

He followed his usual routine of getting up, going towards the company building, gym, and then finding a way towards his office.

The only deviation, once again, was that he took the long way round to his office to pass by the open space.

Rosa wasn't there yet. He wasn't sure why he expected there or why he hoped to see her. Maybe 'hope' isn't quite the right word. He didn't really do it consciously. He 'needed' to see her.

There was something throbbing inside of him. She kicked off his instincts and he wanted to work out why.

He slowly walked into his little and depressing office, getting on with his work. Another case solved, another case in. Another day, another gory case.

Hours later, he managed to narrow down the suspects for his new case. He walked across to Bilodeau's office letting him know of his progress.

"Good. Get the suspects in for interrogation." Bilodeau ordered. "Do you need anyone to assist you?"

"No. I'll get Michaelson in first, and then go after Jeffrey. Michealson seems like a more likely fit into the profile."

"Alright. Just say if you need help. I can send someone out with you. Leave the info with Grace so we can get in touch if need be." Bilodeau already looked away back at his computer screen.

"Thank you, sir." Alex left his office and passed by the open office space. Grace was a petite woman in the black suit who was mostly in control of the agents in the field. Any risky mission and she would be the one watching cams and be connected to the microphone so she can pass on any information needed during the action. Alex was quick to pass her the address he was heading to to Grace. He was thankful to not see Benjamin around. He didn't have time or will to talk to him.

Beside Grace there were very few people in the office. He glanced quickly around but he didn't notice Rosa. Her computer was turned off.

As soon as Grace noted in the database the information he just passed her, he made his way to the stock room which was hidden in the basement of the building.

He had a gun on himself at almost all time, but he still needed bulletproof vest, official jacket, and stock of ammunition. He had to be prepared for things to go south.

He put on an ear piece and mic, to make it easy for Grace to contact him if needed.

He took the company car and made his way towards the suspect's address. He parked out of sight and watched the house for a while.

There wasn't anyone around so he made his way towards the door. He knocked while having his hand on the gun.

As he knocked he heard someone moving on the other side of the door. He carefully listened out and heard the noise shifting through the house. He quietly made his way to the back of the house just in time to spot a man jumping out through the window and running towards the fence. Alex was quick and he caught up with the man at the fence, with some force he pulled the man off the fence as he tried to climb over it, making him fall to the ground with a thud.

He handcuffed him and walked him into the car.

Within an hour he was sitting in front of him in the interrogation room.

Because of the case's background it was easy for him to get the information he needed. The man did admit to minor offences and was quick to blame his accomplice for the worse ones.

Once interrogation was over, he send the man with police and went back to his office to write up the report for Bilodeau.

At last, he left the office at 22:00. As he walked into the corridor he noticed that there was a faint light on in the open office. One of his colleagues must be also working late. He turned his back to the faint light and walked around the corridor towards the lift. He was too tired right now.

He didn't live far from his work so he decided to walk back home, breathing fresh cool air.

The following couple of days weren't much different, even though he found himself doing more paperwork recently than any fieldwork. Maybe for the better, after all, he was getting older. As he thought that, he looked at his reflection wondering why he felt as old as he did at a mere age of 25. Sometimes he barely recognised himself in the mirror.

Alexander sighed and walked back into his office, trying to mentally prepare himself for another day.

On Sunday, he tried to catch up on his paperwork. Bilodeau approved a few of his reports last night and he needed to file them properly. He walked towards the archives with a small pile in his hands.

Archives was a badly lit room with layers of dust and a smell of decomposing paper. Alex quickly found the right spot and started shifting the papers on the shelf to fit the new folders in between.

"You, again." Rosa smiled at him as she picked up a folder from the other side of the shelf making a gap in it.

"Good to see you, too." Alex answered sarcastically as he couldn't help noting her rather unpleasant remark. Rosa didn't seem to pay much more attention to him. She let out a frustrated groan as she looked down at something. "Everything alright?" Alex asked without thought. He bit his tongue after realising that he might have shown too much concern.

"Yes. I'm just annoyed at whoever filed this thing."

"Why?"

Rosa lifted the file and loose paper fell out onto the floor.

"Not even a paper clip!" She said irritably, picking up the paper. As she stood back up her black curls fell onto her face. She shook her head lightly to get her hair out of the way but it was only slightly successful. One strand of curls still rested across her face, sticking to her cheek.

"You're not going to get much better around here." Alex smirked. He was used to his colleagues disorganisation. They were smart, but they didn't like the paperwork. It wasn't challenging enough.

"So you didn't do it?" Rosa said with a slight tease in her voice. Her gaze moved back up at him, piercing through him. She must've known the answer just by looking at him.

"No." Alex opened the folder he had in hand with a nearly organised paper in it, each section stapled carefully in the top left corner.

"That's good." Rosa said, turning away and leaving him behind in the archives. Once again, he found himself looking behind her.

She was peculiar. But he was glad to see her again. It was a bit of relief to know that she was still okay. It wouldn't be the first time someone passed away in service, and after nearly a week of not seeing her he started to wonder if that wasn't the case.

But there she was, in archives with him, on Sunday morning.

He passed by the open office later in a day but she disappeared again.

The next morning, he walked into the building and noticed Rosa walking a few steps ahead, walking towards the stairs. She was wearing a gym kit. Alex maintained his pace behind her. He didn't want to seem eager to see her nor like he wanted to avoid her.

He was also going to the gym which made for an awkward conundrum.

He was regular with his exercise routine - five days a week in the gym and a few sessions of physio to keep his joint moving.

When he came out of the changing room wearing his gym kit, he noticed Rosa in the furthest corner running on the treadmill. He decided to go on a treadmill that was furthest away from her as to not disturb her.

Alex put earphones on and fully focused on his workout.

It was when he left the changing room after his shower, wearing his suit, that he noticed Rosa again. She left the changing room at the same time, wearing a suit herself. It was the first time he had seen her in a formal outfit.

"Morning." Rosa smiled at him gently as she walked into the lift.

"Good morning." Alex said realising that he was smiling back at her. As soon as he entered the lift after her, she pressed the button for the 11th floor. "Early riser?"

"Never-sleeper." Rosa replied

"Mhmm." Alex couldn't agree with Rosa more. He definitely never got a recommended amount of sleep in his lifetime, and getting any sleep at times felt like an impossible task. "Did you work out who swapped the coffee creamer for effervescent tablets yet?"

"Yes."

"Who was it?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Rosa said with a devilish spark in her eye.

"Did you come up with an idea for a revenge?"

"Yes." They've walked out of the lift on the 11th floor. Without thought Alex followed Rosa through to the open space.

"Am I allowed in on the secret?"

"No." Rosa said sternly. "As I've said, you'll see soon enough."

It was about two hours later that he indeed knew who played a prank on Rosa.

"Alex!" Benjamin roared loud enough that the entire floor heard him. Good thing Bilodeau was out to attend a meeting. He wouldn't have been best impressed with them right now.

"What on Earth?" Alex walked out of his office He looked around to face Ben rushing towards him.

"Don't play stupid! You did it, didn't you?"

Everyone else was belly laughing. Ben was covered in fine glitter from top to bottom. It was almost a perfect layer of pink shimmer, and it was so fine that it seemed to ingrain itself between every thread of his clothing.

"No." Alex replied trying to stop himself from laughing. "It suits you though."

"Bullshit. It must've been you. You're the first one in and last one out. It could only be you!"

"Actually, it was Rosa." Alex grinned widely and pointed at Rosa.

"No way!" Rosa said defensively. Alex watched her lie. She did it effortlessly.

"Blaming it on a newbie? Real classy, Alex." Ben said coldly. "But fine, I'll check the CCTV monitoring and if it was you, I'll get you." Ben waved his hands erratically.

"I thought that you're lesson should have been that you shouldn't prank others, not that you should continue on." Alex said furrowing his brows.

Ben scowled at him and walked away. As he disappeared everyone was still laughing.

"How could you throw me under the bus like that?" Rosa asked Alex with crossed arms and a shake of her head as soon as the rest walked away. Disapproval showed in her eyes.

"So, it's okay if I'm blamed for this?" Alex asked.

"It's definitely more fun." Rosa answered.

"I'd advise you to hide. If he works out it's you from the CCTV you might find something worse than effervescent tablets in your coffee." Alex pit on a soft smile but a slight threat could be heard in his voice.

"He isn't going to find any CCTV footage. I've had it all deleted." Rosa said with a wide grin and pride. "At the end of the day, it's my word against yours."

Within moments Ben came back fuming.

"Someone deleted the CCTV monitoring footage. Agent Davey, using your senior position to prank your colleague is utterly unprofessional."

"Why the heck would I do that?"

"You're the only one with the access to the security room." Ben said. "I'll get you back." Ben passed by him with some glitter still in his hair. He went to get the shower downstairs.

"Rosa?" Alex called as she was about to leave. Rosa hesitantly turned to face him and stayed behind. "How did you get CCTV footage deleted?"

"I feel like I should keep this a secret."

"Come on."

"Everything has a price."

"How much did it cost you?"

"A coffee and a chocolate cake. Our night security guard is rather cheap."

Alex stared at her blankly before he laughed.

"With that train of thought, you'd be one heck of a criminal."

"I guess that it's a good thing that I'm not."

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want to search for the evidence of your crimes."

"You do learn a lot on the job. And one thing I've learnt about is how not to get caught. After catching people due to their smallest mistakes, you know what to avoid."

"That makes you sound so suspicious."

"Am I not right?"

"That's not what I've said. How did Ben end up like this?"

"Remote control drone and a balloon full of glitter. Remote was fixed under his chair, so when he sat down the blades popped the balloon full of glitter over his head."

"That's quite a deliberate plan."

"What else did you expect? More effervescent tablets?" Rosa asked in an offended tone.

"No, of course not."

"Wait until he opens the drawers of his desk." Rosa giggled with yet another devilish spark in her eye.

"What did you do?" Alex furrowed his brow in curiosity.

"I can't spoil the surprise." Rosa said with a cheeky grin and walked away.

Alex never before was involved in any of the office shenanigans, so it was weird for him. Now, he was unintentionally involved in a silly prank war and he was fully aware that he will be soon targeted by Ben.

"Was glitter not enough, you snake?" Benjamin swung the door open to Alex's office after about half an hour. His hair was wet and still shimmering in pink.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Alex said honestly.

"Maybe you know where I can get a vacuum cleaner?"

"Janitor?"

Ben left with a huff. Alex walked out a few moments later walking towards the open office to investigate what has occurred. All around Ben's desk was broken up styrofoam. And it was everywhere. Sticking due to static to anything it touched.

His colleagues were chuckling under their noses. "How did it spread so much?" Alex held his hand by his chin in deep contemplation, truly amused.

"I might've put a party popper filled with styrofoam into his desk tied to the back of the drawer. When Ben pulled the drawer open it went off spreading the styrofoam everywhere." Rosa explained. She was all red from the laughter.

"It was you?!" Grace exclaimed in surprise as she looked at Rosa. Rosa managed to nod through her laughter.

"I am so glad that I'm not on your bad side." Diego was quick to say.

"Admiring your work, aren't you?" Ben asked irritated, carrying a vacuum cleaner under his arm.

"It wasn't me." Alex said sternlyz

"As if I was to believe that. All evidence points at you."

"What evidence?"

"You're the last one out and first one in the office. No one else would see you do this. The CCTV has been tempered with, and you're the only one with an easy access. And you're probably the only one who would be so calculated with a prank. I'm sorry about the coffee creamer but that was a single prank. I don't think I've deserved two pranks." Even though Ben said it in a rather irritated tone, he spoke in an exaggerated manner. He wasn't as bothered about the pranks, and if anything he was very ready for the prank war that was just starting. Alex was his only worthy opponent looking at what he have done this morning.

"Don't be so narrow minded. It could've been anyone."

"Not blaming it solely on Rosa then?" Ben asked curiously.

"She did it, but you ain't going to believe that. I wonder why though."

"Look at her! She's the most innocent person I've ever met!" Ben spat out without thought.

"Yeah, right." Alex answered with sarcasm leaving the open office. "And so are tenths of the serial killers that we come across."

"She's not a serial killer." Ben grumbled as he tried to tidy up around his desk. His swearing continued for a while, and yet, many hours later he was still finding bits of styrofoam between his files.