In the same room

"Valerie, come in.", said a voice. "You have to leave the room. Valerie!"

Hearing her own name startled Valerie, and she groggily opened her eyes. Her head felt heavy, like she had been hit with a baseball bat. "What's going on?", she mumbled.

"Good, you're awake."

Hang on a second. That wasn't Iris, she thought. Suddenly, the events of the night came flooding back into memory. She felt the cold floor against her skin, making her shiver. How long had she been **** for?

"It's me, Hawk.", said the voice through the earpiece. "Before you go ballistic on me, please understand that I had to do this." He must have replaced her earpiece with another one, thought Valerie.

She looked down, and almost shrieked with surprise. She was completely naked. Instinctively, she sat up and covered her chest with her arms. "Where are my clothes?", she exclaimed, her mind filling with anger and embarrassment. The worst part was, this wasn't the first time - she remembered a previous mission where she had been entirely naked and at the mercy of Hawk. She couldn't believe it was happening again.

"Look, I only did it because I had to. Just please, hear me out. That's all.", he replied.

Valerie cursed under her breath. "What do you want?", she asked, her voice dripping with venom.

"Here's the thing - we both want to reach Lang. I know a way you can do it, but I need your cooperation. But before anything else, you must leave the room - now."