Author's Note: Woo Hoo, new fic time! I got a little bored the other day and I started to just think to myself and an idea for a spy fic jammed itself into my brain. I haven't been able to dislodge it since so I'm going to start writing one. I hope the readers like it!
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Jessica Lynch lifted her sunglasses from her golden eyes and stared up at the large building in front of her. "Why do I always get that adrenaline rush right before I enter these doors?" she asked herself, smiling widely before entering the plain, glass doors. But what was so special about these doors? Or the building for that matter? To the average New Yorker, it looked like any ordinary building downtown. But this one was special. This building was NHQ.
NHQ - or the Newsies Head Quarters - was where the most important agents and spies met each day to receive assignments and share classified information. The "Newsies", nicknamed such due to their tendency to gather the most interesting news on those they spy on, were a very respected, though not well-known group; Only a handful knew of it's existence. Jessica, a leading agent, was one of them.
"Morning, Stress." A dashing man wearing a black cowboy hat and red bandana walked over to Jessica as she entered the building and approached the sign in desk.
"Morning, Cowboy. I see you're back from your last assignment in Santa Fe. Did you have fun?" She asked as she pulled a pen from her pants pocket and signed in for the day. With an over exaggerated flourish, she signed in with one name: Stress. Here at NHQ, all the agents went by a nickname for security purposes. It was easier to be allusive if one used a nickname.
Cowboy wrapped his arms around her and moved some of her long blondish-brown curls away from her face so that he could whisper in her ear. "I would have had more fun if you would have come too, honey."
Stress swatted his arm playfully. "C'mon, Cowboy. Not at work. You know that we're not allowed to mix work and pleasure."
Cowboy kissed her cheek and let her go. "It isn't like Kloppy doesn't know that we are engaged or anything, Stress. And besides, Race and Bookie work together and they're married!"
"I know, I know. But we can't let any of our enemies know that we're together, or that Race and Bookie are together, or Martini and Blink, or any of the other couples here for that matter. If they know that we have a weakness, I'm sure they're going to strike."
Cowboy ruffled her hair affectionately. "I knew that I was marrying the smart one."
Stress looked from side to side, ensuring that nobody was watching the two of them, and gave him a quick kiss. "I did miss you, Cowboy."
"Well, a month is a long time, Stress. But, let me tell you, I did kick some butt out in New Mexico. It seems like the Delancey gang was up to no good out there, but me and my partner for that assignment, Spot, were able to find out what was happening and put a stop to it. All in a days work for one of the top 'Newsies.'" Cowboy puffed out his chest in pride.
"Good job, Cowboy. It's been kind of slow around here. I haven't had a mission in almost three weeks. It is so--" But what is was, Cowboy never did find out because Stress never got to finish her thought. Instead, Boots, one of the messengers for the Chief of NHQ, a man simply known as "Kloppy", came rushing forward with a stack of letters. "Stress, Cowboy. Urgent message from Kloppy." He separated two of the bulletins from his stack and handed one apiece to the couple.
Stress and Cowboy looked at each other questioningly. Kloppy never gave more than one person the same letter. And from the looks of it, this time, he was. Stress shrugged her shoulders and turned the envelope over. On the front read four words: To - Stress, TOP SECRET.
She pointed that out to Cowboy, who immediately turned his letter over. It read: To - Cowboy, TOP SECRET. "I guess we should read these letters and find out what they say."
"Good idea, Cowboy." Stress' curiosity was peaked. Ever since their first assignment as "Newsies", the assignment that paired the two and led them to begin a relationship, they had yet to be paired together again. Kloppy felt it not too wise to pair up lovers when he had more than enough "Newsies" to pair up acquaintances. Yet, from the looks of the identical letters they had received, it looked like they might be working together again.
Stress ripped her envelope open, and pulled the letter out:
"Congratulations to the Agent reading this letter.
If you are reading this, you have been chosen as one of the top six agents working at NHQ. Therefore you have been entrusted with a most dangerous mission. Should you choose to accept it, which you will because you really do not have a choice, you will have the chance to prove yourself to millions. Upon reading this bulletin, please destroy it at once and head straight to the office. More instructions will be available there.
--- Kloppy"
After reading her own letter she snatched Cowboy's out of his hands and read it quickly. "It is the same." she murmured as she scratched her head.
Cowboy nodded and snatched it back. Then, with a grimace on his face, he proceeded to destroy the bulletin by placing it in his mouth and chewing it a few times before swallowing. "Blech!"
Stress copied his gesture and destroyed her bulletin in the same way. "That is nasty. You think that with all the money this place makes we might afford some yummy tasting bulletin paper once in a while."
Cowboy reached out and rubbed her shoulder. "Now that you've finished your complaining, hun, are you ready to go? You know how much Kloppy hates to be kept waiting."
"I know." Stress took the sunglasses that had been dangling carelessly in her left hand all the while and placed them in her shirt pocket. "Let's go to the office."
