All That Glitters - Recruitment

Ava had been sitting in her house for a week now. She hadn’t spoken to anyone or seen anyone. She hadn’t even gone shopping for food. There was no reason to, she wasn’t eating. Her cupboards had stayed untouched and unopened ever since she walked into the door. She went right to her room and lay down. And that’s where she had stayed. She figured that she would either die of starvation or just fade away into nothingness. A Saiyan not eating wasn’t healthy. Everyday she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker from the lack of food and training. She didn’t want to do anything anymore.

Over the past few days, her phone had rung on many separate occasions, but she didn’t really care to get up and pick it up. It was probably someone wanting to know how she was or what she was doing for lunch. The simple answer was nothing and she didn’t want to do anything either. She was far from fine. She was thinking of leaving the planet, and heading back to Namek. At least there was no one there that knew of her shame and the events she had caused of earth. Or maybe she would just let the ship float around in space.

She rolled over in her bed and tear ran down her face onto her pillow. Then she heard the damn phone ringing again. She sighed. Maybe she should pick it up this time. Maybe it was someone trying to tell her something important. She threw herself open and walked over to the phone. She could already feel that most of the strength in her legs had waned away. She picked up the headpiece and held it to her ear.

“Hello.” She said.

“Hello, this is the Museum for Ancient History in Central City.” The man on the other end said to Ava.
She rolled her eyes at him. If it wasn’t bad enough that she had given up on life and everything it entailed, now they were going to ask her for a donation.
“I’m looking for Ava Redwidow.” The man asked.
Her eyes suddenly shot open. Red widow was the name she used when Shen entered her into the Dragon’s Heath Tournament.

“This is she…” she said, somewhat reluctantly.

“Good, we’ve been calling for days. I’m so glad we finally got through to you.” The man sounded visibly relieved.
“How have you been?” he asked.

The words rolled through her head.
Lonely, depressed, sad, suicidal, hungry, so many to choose from.

“Good.” She replied shortly.

“I’m glad to hear that. If you’re not busy, we would like for you to come up to Central City and see us. We have a very enticing deal for you.” The man said.

“If it’s not a double cheese burger, I’m not interested.” She said sadly, almost putting the phone down.

“Please, please we have no one else to ask.” The man begged her.

She lifted the phone back to her ear.

“Tomorrow, bring the burger.” She said, putting the phone down.

She sighed. Now she had something else to do. At least it would keep her busy. She went back to bed, already dreading the fact that she had agreed to it.

The next day, she got up early and got dressed. She went outside and called for Nimbus. He zoomed down to her and she climbed up onto him.

“Museum for Ancient History in Central City.” She said despondently to him.
He began to fly off towards Central City.

After arriving at the doors on nimbus, much to the dismay of passing pedestrians, she climbed off. She didn’t really care about what any one thought anymore, even taking her tail out of hiding and letting it hang loosely behind her. She got the doors and looked up at them. They were carved wooden doors at least three stories high. It was carved with scenes of ancient lives. Humans that other humans believed to be special in some kind of way. She shrugged and pushed the doors open.

She walked in to see an empty museum. She frowned and looked around, and then she heard footsteps. Suddenly a man came walking around a corner. In his hands, he held a paper bag that smelled of cheese burgers. She walked up to him.

“Ava I presume. I’m Charlie Smith, curator of the Museum for Ancient History.” The man asked her, holding out the bag to her. She took it from him and looked inside. There was indeed a cheese burger in the bag.

“Yes.” she said, closing the bag and looking at the man.
“So this deal that is so enticing, what is it?” she asked him.

He looked around the museum as if it were full of artefacts and treasures.
“As you can see, this is a new museum.” He said, his arms open wide.

“Yes.” she nodded.
“But how does that concern me?” she asked him.

“We need someone to fill it.” he smiled at her.
“And we want that someone… to be you.” He smiled widely.

She thought about that for a second. This might actually be fun.

“Sure it means long hours away from home, months sometimes, but I assure you the pay is worth it.” he added, sensing her apprehension.

“I don’t mind long hours away from home, I’ll take my home with me.” she said to him.

“So you’ll do it?” he asked her.

After thinking for a while, she came to the conclusion that she had nothing better to do with her time. Besides, what would her mother and father think if they knew she had given up on life, given what they gave up for her? she might as well make some money for he time and exploration.

“Yes. Anything to get away from the situation I am in now.” she sighed.

“Great. We have the contract already drawn up, this way, if you will.” He said, gesturing to the offices adjacent to the entrance hall. She followed him into the office, where, on the desk, was a contract with her name on it waiting for her. She signed it, and stood up, clutching her cheese burger bag.

“Your first assignment will be in Egypt. Basically, we will send you to different countries, where you will find all the different artefacts to be found. So you’re not travelling back and forth.” He said, picking up and backpack off the floor and handing it to her.

She took it from him and unzipped it. Inside, was a laptop, cell phone, satellite phone, all capsule corp. she sighed. It seemed she would never get away from Bulma. There were also papers and maps. And money, lots of money.
“We will send you reports on what item you need to find next.” He explained.
“You will diplomatic immunity and full rights to the government institutions where ever you go.” He explained further.

“Sounds perfect.” She said, pulling out a map of her first location. It was deep in the desert of Egypt, away from everyone and everything. Perfect. Almost idyllic.

“How soon can I leave?” she asked him.

“Whenever you’re ready.” He smiled.

“I’m ready now.” she said, looking at him.
He smiled. He knew he had made a good choice in treasure hunter.

“All the things you need are programmed into the laptop. Call me when you’re there.” He smiled at her. She nodded and turned to leave.

“Ava…” he called out to her.
She stopped and turned to look at him.
“The first thing you’ll be going after will be the Sun Disc of Ra.” He smiled at him.

This knowledge meant nothing to her, being a Saiyan. She nodded and walked off.

She went back home and packed up her house into its capsule. She excused herself from Aria’s life for a while, telling her she was going on holiday.

This was a holiday for a Saiyan warrior anyway. She took off on Nimbus, heading north, towards Egypt.
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WC - 1334