Surrender

Kallie walked into her office and closed the door behind her with a sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she wandered back over to her seat. This was all gettting to be too much for her for the moment.

For once Kallie was ready for a break. Running a hand through her hair, pulling it out of its holds, she fiddled with a small photograph that had recently made an appearance on her desk, smiling slightly at Eli's image. Maybe she would stop by the Cauldron tonight. If he wasn't too busy with Lainey they could...

Shaking her head and rubbing her eyes, she pushed back such distractig thoughts, took a deep breath and began to pull her long curly hair back into a secure bun at the top of her head, keeping it out of her face.

Now wasn't the time for daydreaming. That wasn't how she got this job. Now was time for a work.

Pulling her hand back down happy with the state of her hair, she set her wand beside her on the desk and pulled out some files.

Time to get back to work.

Archer was irritated, to say in the least.

The Ministry kept intervening, somehow always managing to get in the way of business. The Minister was, to Archer's dismay, doing a better job than her predecessor. Of course, she hadn't been caught yet- she would never be caught- but her clients were dropping like flies. There was no one to sell her weapons to. And with no one to sell weapons to, there was no business.

And her business was her life.

But what had irritated her the most was something that had only crossed her mind last evening. Most of her clients were, quite frankly, idiots. Spineless cowards who would hide behind the weapons they purchased from her in a duel. They would tell the Ministry anything to get out of Azkaban. Anything. Including information about herself. Much to her frustration, it was too late for her to take back anything that they had already said. So, it was time to scare the Ministry.

More specifically the Minister herself. Shake them to the core.

Archer knocked on the door of the Minister's office, after already having passed security under the name of Barbra Raynard with the Daily Prophet, and awaited patiently.

Her wand was in her back pocket.

Kallie's head went up sharply at the knock on her door. She looked at the clock on her far wall and then back at the door.

She hadn't been expecting anyone to interupt her. She had no meetings, and her staff knew better than to interupt her for just any old thing. So instantly the figured that something must be up.

However, Kallie, ever the rationalist did not like to jump to conclusions. So, with great effort, she surpressed her desire to grab for her wand, and when she spoke her voice sounded rather disgruntled for being interupted.

"Come in."

"Gladly." Archer said through the door in response, before swinging it open easily and accioed the wand that was lying on her desk. She'd thought that this Minister was more careful than this. Sharper than the rest of them, even. Evidently not. She smirked at the woman, knowing that she would recognise her from the one time they had met in a street.

Archer kicked the door firmly shut behind her with her left heel and it clicked close softly, breaking the silence in the room. She said nothing for a while, but continued to smirk before speaking;

"Remember me, Miss Minister?" she drawled, twirling the other woman's wand in her hands casually, almost gloating at the power she had over her. It would be so easy just to snap it, right now. Maybe later.

"Oh." she said suddenly, as if something had just occurred to her. "Don't try to call for help. There's a silencing charm around this office." Archer shook her head gravely. "You really ought to improve your security." she tutted.

Kallie made a grab for her wand but it was too late. It was already in the other woman's hand. Her lips thinned with displeasure, but she did not give the other woman another responces - even though she was sure the woman was hoping for it.

"Of course Ms. Archer," she stated simply, setting aside her papers and standing up from her desk. "And I wouldn't expect anything less from you. I did not take you for a fool that day, and neither will I take you for one now."

"Evidently," she breathed in response to her security. "Now, what do I owe this ... pleasure to??"

"Oh, Merlin, that's such an honour." she said dramatically, resting her left palm over her heart as if she were touched. "The Minister doesn't think I'm a fool." Archer smiled slyly and shrugged one shoulder, then proceeded to peer around the office with a mild curiosity. "I suppose you're not completely stupid then, are you?" she murmured, feigning that she was uninterested.

"The Ministry's getting on my nerves, Kal." she said, turning her gaze back to her, in such a tone that it suggested it was only small talk. She leaned against the wall of the office and crossed her arms over her chest casually. "So, I'd thought a good scare would do the trick. Also-" she frowned and shook her head, then kicked herself off of the wall. "-I'm getting rather bored."

Archer whipped out her wand and pointed it around the abdominal area of her victim's body.

"Sectumsempra." she hissed, flicking her wand in one sharp, fluid movement.

Kallie watched her with blank eyes, her voice completely controlled as she gave a delicate shrug, "Well I suppose I'm not."

Despite her rather casual stance, Kallie was on high alert, her gaze never straying from the woman in front of her even as her mind began to rage against how this had happened. Wasn't she supposed to have aurors? Lower minstiers? Shouldn't somebody have been able to recognize the woman for what she really was.

So she was prepared when she saw the wand swish and flash - however without her own wand there was only so much she could do - she could only attempt to get out of the way. However her natural practical nature - her inablity to do anything on the fly - put her at a disadvantage at the last moment.

She hesitated too long.

The woman froze as she felt her side erupt in pain. It was like someone had set her on fire - no it was like someone had cut her open.

Because someone had.

One shaking hand was brought up to the wound stretching from somewere around her navel to her back, wrapping around the right side of her body. Her doging had merely served to open more of her body to the attack rather than get out of the way.

Her face became as pale as sheet as her whole body began to shake. Using the hand that wasn't busy trying to keep her blood and other organs where they were supposed to be, she braced herself up on her desk. The only thing keeping her semi upright.

"Well-I-" Kallie's words came out in gasps, barely keeping herself together. "hope-hope- you've-you've a-a-a-a-mused-ed your-r-r s-s-s-s-se-se-se-self-f-f-f."

Archer tilted her head thoughtfully at the woman. She was very controlled, calm even. Of course, she understood that she was about to be attacked, or at least threatened. If Archer were to be in the same situation, she wouldn't be panicking, but at least be trying to look for a way out. Some way to turn the tables.

Alright, so maybe this one was a bit dim after all. "Don't feel too bad." she said, mocking sympathy. "I did use a bit of polyjuice potion. I just planned it so you'd get to see me properly." she winked. This was fun- it had been far too long.

"Oh Kall, darling." she said slowly, making her way over to her so that she stood on the opposite side of the desk. "It's nothing personal. It's just business." she smirked and turned on her heel to leave the room.

Just as she reached the door, she tossed the Minister's wand to the side of the room and called over her shoulder;

"Hope we've got the message clear, Minister."

Though, Archer herself wasn't entirely sure what it was.

Maybe she was just asking for trouble. Trouble was always fun, though.

Kallie didn't respond. She didn't have the strength to do so. Instead all she could do was attempt to keep her eyes focused as she watched the woman leave the room. Her arm that was holding her up began to shake more violently than it already had been. Her whole body was shaking so bad, her head wouldn't stop spinning.

She was losing blood, and losing it fast. If she didn't get help soon...

Her vision was already going.

"P-p-p-paul-paul-e-t-tt-te!" Her voice was weak, it was an effort to raise it above a simple croak, but if the secretary had been sitting where she was supposed to be she would have already saw Archer leave the premise - she should have known...

Hunting over, pain painstakingly careful, Kallie used her desk to drag her self closer to where her wand had been thrown. She too one stumbling step away from it, and with nothing to brace herself up with she fell, making a pathetic picture, crumpled on the floor.

But she couldn't stop. She had to get that wand.

Her body was almost convulsing now, she could barely control any of her movements but she couldn't stop now.

She began to slowly drag herself across the floor, letting out calls of pain as each drag disturb her shredded skin.

If she could just get her wand...

She could feel herself going. Stretching an arm out her fingers just barely grazed the piece of wood. Draining all her energy into it, a bright flash of light filled the room.

The last thing Kallie heard as she passed out was the shrieking of her assistant.

Eli dipped his quill in the ink bottle for what must have been the two-hundredth time, and sighed. He never thought that being an auror would require this much paperwork. He hadn't done anything exciting in at least a week.

He frowned and tried to remember what that hollow feeling in his stomach meant, still dipping his quill absentmindedly into the ink. Finally realizing he was hungry, Eli stopped and looked around the office at his busy coworkers. How long have I been here? he thought, trying to count the hours. His eyes widened as he realized he'd been working for two days straight.

Dropping his quill, he strode across the room and yanked his cloak off of the large rack at the front of the office and looked out accusingly at the others, "The things I do for you."

He walked into the hallway, a smile on his face at the prospect of going home. He decided to stop by Kallie's office, maybe invite her out to dinner again.... maybe... He fingered the small box that he'd been keeping in his cloak pocket for weeks. No, he thought quickly, You're too tired to make your own dinner, let alone make a proposal to someone.

He was about to make a smart comeback to the voice in his head about how he couldn't even eat dinner while he was well-rested, when he saw a woman walking out of Kallie's office. She seemed so familiar, but he knew he'd seen her somewhere before.

He stopped for a moment, trying to rememb- "KALLIE!!" His voice was full of excitement, a hint of fear, and just a tinge of whininess similar to that of a tattling four-year-old. That woman was wanted, she was some sort of weapons dealer. Shouldn't he chase after her? A scream from the office caught his attention.

Eli burst into the door and saw... everything. The blood, Kallie, her hysterical assistant, it was all there. "No... no, no, no, no, no...." he bolted to the woman's side, his breathing becoming heavy at the sight of Kallie just... lying there. He grabbed her assistant's arm, "Get some help, okay? Some guards, some healers- anything!"

He turned back to the body, pulling out his wand. This was the work of Sectumsempra, it was unmistakeable, "Vulnera Sanentur!" he shouted. The flow of blood lessened, "Vulnera Sanentur.... Vulnera Sanentur!!!" The stains of blood on her clothes finally stopped growing, and he let out a shaky sigh of relief.

Kallie's breath, which had been laboured with the pain of her wound and the growing weakness in her body began to level out slightly as the wounds. Her wounds were now closed, but the blood that has spilled out was already gone, left on a trail on her floor from where she had dragged herself, and finally pooling around her body where she had fallen.

The woman would not be happy about the mess when she returned.

However if she didn't get to the hospital soon, she wouldn't be returning. She had lost a lot of blood. Which is exactly what the healer the panicked assistant had brought from the hospital itself said when he saw the mess.

"I'll apparate her myself sir, if you would just step aside."

Not quite waiting for the man to respond, he moved his aside as repectably he could, and then he and the minister were gone, leaving Eli free to follow should he wish.