Explotaro: Hey, long time, no story. Sorry about that. Between work, school, and a social life, I've been falling behind in all my fanfiction writing. Plus I've been not enjoying my own work, so I've decided to split International Affairs into two parts. Not to worry though, part one is nearly as long as my previous PokePlush Diary, so grab a drink and enjoy!
Story Two: International Affairs
Part 1: Masked Scars
Green adjusted the dark green tie around his neck and looked his reflection over in the window. His chestnut brown hair refused to stay flat no matter how much he had combed it earlier that night, always springing back up to its spiky self in a matter of minutes. His black tuxedo made him blend right into the shadows of the darkened hallway. Shifting his gaze to look past the large corridor window, Green looked out over the darkening city. Dark clouds had started to roll in, threatening to snow on this cold December night.
The sun was almost completely gone now, only a sliver of it clung to the horizon. The rest of New York City was cast in darkness, but that didn't keep the city from disappearing. Neon lights dotted the 'shady' parts of the city while other skyscrapers began to come to life as well. It was a little different from what he was used to; the downtown streets of Washington DC with security so tight the president would know if a fly had broken wind.
"Earth to Green." A voice said into his ear, drawing Green's look away from the window.
"Aw leave him alone." A younger voice snickered. "He's probably watching some woman change her clothes."
Green sighed irritably and brushed some hair behind his ear while at the same time pushing the practically invisible earwig a little farther into his ear. "Shut up Gold. Just because you make a habit of spying on Crystal doesn't mean all men do the same thing."
"I do not spy on Crystal!" Gold yelled into the earwig, causing Green to flinch slightly. He could hear the younger man blush.
The first voice laughed, "Gold, everyone in the agency knows. Even Crystal."
"What?" Gold also squeaked, "how long has she known?" He paused for a moment, the new thought dawning on him. "...And more importantly why hasn't she killed me yet?"
"As much as I'd love to help Gold with his love life," Green sighed, "when is that package of yours getting here Red? The party started almost an hour ago."
"It's in the elevator, riding up to you as we speak." Red replied.
Green straightened his tie again, looking once again at the reflection of himself over in the window. Down the hall the elevator dinged and a small man stepped into the hallways, dressed in a USP uniform. Green recognized him as Jagura, the technical wiz at from Langley. Jagura tipped his hat and nodded at Green. "Beautiful evening, isn't it?" He asked.
Green turned back to the window. "It is, but I prefer the weather when it's snowing."
"Well then you've got to go visit Lady Liberty sometime. The view is just breathtaking." Jagura placed the small package he was carrying on one of the few stands that decorated the hallway. "Could you watch this please? I've gotta take a leak."
"Not a problem." Green said as Jagura walked back down the hallway. Green looked both left and right to make sure he was alone in the hallway. Satisfied that he was alone, Green walked over to the stand and took out a small box, identical to the one on the stand, and switched the two.
Placing the package in his pocket, Green walked down the hallway, heading for the very last door. "You know, these little skits that you write are getting dumber by the day."
"Hey!" Gold yelled, through the earpiece, sounding slightly offended. "I put a lot of work into that!"
"Well how many postmen do you know leave their deliveries with complete strangers?" Green retorted. Taking Gold's silence as an end to the little fight. "So what is it anyways?" Green asked, running his fingers along the cardboard package.
"Open it up and find out." Red's confided voice said.
Now at the front of the door, Green could hear Christmas music playing softly on the other side. It reminded him that the holidays were just as busy as any other day for him, despite the fact that it was Christmas Eve. Green quickly tore open the package and the contents slid into his hands. "Glasses?"
"Yep!" Red said excitedly. "The eyepieces have been outfitted with micro-thin cameras, allowing us to see what you see."
"So warn us if you're about to take a leak," Gold added.
Green ignored the comment and put the glasses on. "Is it working?"
"Sorry, but batteries are not included," Gold cackled at his own humor.
Green heard something a 'thump' and assumed that Red had pushed younger man from the mike. "There should be a tiny switch at the back of the left arm." Red told him.
Green brushed his hand over his ear, his fingertips running along the arm until he felt something move. A gray haze fell quickly over the lens before disappearing as quickly as it came. "Okay, everything looks good." Red's voice said into Green's ear again. "Go ahead. Make sure you get a good look at the face of everyone attending."
"And full body shots of all the women!" Gold yelled quickly before Red cut the connection to the earpiece.
Green rolled his eyes and knocked on the door. A minute passed before it opened slightly to reveal a very tall and menacing looking man. His chin was clubbed and Green had the feeling this man could take on a wild bear bare-handed. "Invitation," the door-man grunted.
Green pulled a small envelope out of his inside pocket and handed it to the grunt. It was a forgery of course, but it was as good as the real thing. After reading and examining it, the grunts face changed into a smile and opened the door fully before bowing. "Welcome, Mr. Smith."
Green forced a smile and walked in. John Smith, his greatly overused alias for anything in New York. Green walked the length of the hallways, stopping to take in the view of the room before him. The hallway led to a small balcony that looked over the rest of the room. People milled about below, chatting quietly with each other while sipping on campaign or wine. Two of the walls were completely made up of glass, giving the same view of the city that Green had seen earlier. A very tall and lavishly decorated Christmas tree stood in the opposite corner; reaching from the floor to the ceiling, the tinsel glistening in the failing light.
As Green made his way down the spiral staircase, a voice from the other side of the room drew his attention. "Hello to all my cherished guests!" Every head in the room turned to the direction of the voice. A woman with purple hair, tied back and pointing in four different directions, stood next to the large Christmas tree in front of a mike stand. A wine glass was in her right hand, like most of the others in the room. Her lavender dress glittered in the dismissing sunlight, making it look as if she were twinkling in the twilight.
Her name was Storc, and she was Green's target. Age, 31. Nationality, German. As of this moment she was currently at the head of all black-market weapon sales, a super-star in the underworld. Storc's lecherous eyes scanned over the crowd and Green turned away to reach for an abandoned glass. He had been chasing this woman for two years now and it was a miracle that she hadn't gotten wind of him yet. Two years was too long for Green. This woman had something like a vacuum for evidence and hid everything in an impenetrable darkness. Green was going to be the light for that darkness.
Storc lowered her arms and continued to smile. "I'm sorry for the delay in music, but now I welcome you to enjoy the beautiful voice of Ms. Kurukku."
Green chanced a look back at the tree and Storc had stepped down from the microphone. Instead another woman stepped up, one that, while he didn't like to admit it, stole Green's attention from all else in the room. Her skin seemed to radiate in the diminishing sunlight and that little black dress fit her body so tightly that every man's eyes were drawn to her luscious curves. Her brown hair seemed to bounce slightly with every step - along with another feature of her body that earned her a few cat-calls - and those blue eyes of her glowed mischievously like a fox.
Reaching a hand out to take the microphone, the woman opened her mouth and began to sing. Green didn't even hear the lyrics, only the soothing and calm sound that was her voice. The melody infiltrated his ears like a sleeper cell.
It wasn't until she had stopped singing and the audience had started to applaud her that Green noticed the voice in his ear. "Earth to Green!" Red's voice came again.
"It's useless," Gold's voice snickered. "He's undressing that woman with his eyes."
Green quickly grabbed a wine glass and pretended to take a drink. He needed to conceal his mouth when he was talking into the microphone embedded in his sleeve. "I was not," Green retorted first. "What do you want?"
"While you were mentally undressing that woman," Green rolled his eyes at Red's comment, "we ran a facial recognition on her."
"And?"
"And, we were rejected."
Green frowned and lowered the glass, instead turning away from the woman and everyone else in the room. "How is that possible? We're at the top the CIA. We have clearance above the president." Green muttered quietly.
"That's what I said." Gold exclaimed. "I mean we have clearance to see that aliens at Area 51!"
"Red and I have the clearance. You're just the lucky newbie that got paired with us whenever we need three people for an op. And there are no aliens." Green added.
"Lies!"
There was a scuffle though his earpiece, and a smile crept to Green's lips as he imagined Gold getting shoved to the floor. "Anyways, getting back on track," Red said, "I noticed something before we were kicked out. It didn't say where, but I saw she wasn't born in the US."
"You think she's a foreign agent?" Green whispered, noting that the woman had started another song.
"There's that possibility, but I don't have any knowledge of any foreign ops going on in New York right now." Red mused. "In any case, be careful around her. I don't recommend approaching her but see if you can pick anything out about her behavior. There's also the possibility that she's a rouge agent that's been covered-up."
"Sure thing." Green said. The brown-haired man turned back to watch the mysterious woman sing. She was like Marylyn Monroe, moving only her bottom lip as she sang. Green realized with a slight shock that she was watching him, softly singing Winter Wonderland. Butterflies danced about his stomach.
Green felt the need to take an actual drink from his wine glass.
It wasn't for another hour that the Kurukku woman stopped singing. She received much applause as she stepped down from the microphone and was immediately swamped by at least half of the men, all complementing her singing. Green watched her as she laughed and accepted the applause. She seemed to live in the limelight and each complement was swelling her ego.
Her blue eyes meet Greens and he turned away to avoid her gaze, instead taking another drink and finishing off his second glass of wine. What did he see in her before? She had the body and looks of a supermodel but from what he had seen, her personality was far from anything he could stand; an attention lover. "What and annoying woman," Green muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
Green turned around and found that the Kurukku woman was standing directly behind him now. She was about a head shorter than him and from Green's lofty position it was very easy to see down her dress. "N-Nothing." Green said, tearing his eyes away from her chest.
"Hmm," The woman pursed her lips and looked Green up and down. "Is that so?"
"So are you two having fun?"
Both Green and the Kurukku woman turned their heads as Storc walked up to them. She smiled at both Green and the other woman.
The singer was first to answer, nodding her head. "I'm just getting to know this hunk a little better." She giggled.
Storc laughed in that annoying, nasally voice of her. "Well don't get too carried away. The real festivities start soon."
Green turned back to look at Storc and almost jumped out of his skin. Her dark eyes were narrowed on him, her mouth caught up in a sly grin like a fox before it was about to catch its first meal in a week. "Excuse me for a minute." Green said quickly, turning away from the two women and heading for the back of the room. He had noticed another door, apart from the one guarded by the massive door-stop, and quickly ducked inside. He found himself in a narrow hallway, lined with multiple other doors.
Pushing his way into what looked like a bathroom, Green locked the door and placed the glasses next to the sink. Red's voice came into his ear as Green splashed some water onto his face. "What's wrong Green?"
"…I think I've been made." Green said, drying his face. "Prepare escape plan C."
"I'm on it!" Gold's voice shouted excitedly, followed by the sound of a door banging.
"We'll need ten minutes." Red said, the sound of tiny little clicks filled the earpiece as Red's fingers flew across a keyboard. "In the meantime, try and collect as much data as possible."
"Right." Green replaced the glasses and reached for the door handle.
"Knock knock!" A voice yelled from the other side of the door. Green didn't even have time to flinch before the door shattered in front of him. He was pushed back a few inches, the glasses knocked off his face. Wiping the splinters from his face, Green saw the fist of the giant man who had let him into the apparent. Grabbing the edges of the hole he had just made in the door, the man ripped what was left of it off of its hinges.
This guy is not human. Green thought wildly as the over-sized ape glared at him.
"It seems we have a rat!" The large man laughed. "It's time for Oca to exterminate!" The man lunged at Green.
But then again neither am I.
He was large, but slow. Green easily dodged to the left, pressing his body against the wall. Oca brought his thick arm to the wall, thinking he had smashed Green's ribs into his lungs. In reality, Green had dodged below the arm and was now crouching below Oca's chin. Before the ape realized where Green really was, he had already brought his left leg up and drove his foot into Oca's jaw.
Green felt Oca's jaw shatter, and the large man stumbled out into the hallways. Using this opportunity Green dashed out of the room and past Oca, making his way away from the bathroom. He couldn't believe how long this hallway was. It was like this apartment took up the entire floor.
"Wheze de o?" Oca gurgled from down the hall, which Green figured translated to 'Where'd he go?' He tried every door along his way until he finally found one that wasn't locked. Quickly getting inside, Green silently slammed the door shut and locked it.
Green gave a short sigh of relief and looked around the room. At least that Oca guy didn't have a gun. Green thought to himself. But of course, that was when he noticed the gun pointing him in the face.
"Turn around and pretend that you didn't see anything. Otherwise I'll blow your head off." The gunman said. Or rather, gunwoman. Green sifted his eyes past the black barrel of the gun and focused his eyes onto the gunman's piercing blue eyes. That Kurukku woman, still in her tight fitting dress, was holding him at gunpoint.
The first thought to cross his mind was very Goldish. Where did she keep the gun?
Green put up his hands and turned around. "Okay I'll go then."
"Good." The woman smiled as Green stood to face the door. "Well go on and get out."
Green had no intention of leaving. He spun around and snapped his left hand into the gun, knocking it to the floor. Green had expected her to be somewhat surprised and would use that to push her back, but the songstress looked like she was expecting as much. She grabbed Green's wrist and twisted it over once before slamming a fist into Green's chest. Caught off-guard, Green staggered backwards enough for the woman to reach down and grab the gun. She aimed it at Green, and fired.
If she had been aiming for Green, she was a terrible shot. It flew clear past Green and into the now open door where Oca had just appeared. The bullet embedded itself into Oca's skull, and the man crumbled to the ground. Green watched Oca in amazement as he bleed out into the floor.
"Who are you?" Green asked, turning to the woman.
His answer; getting pistol whipped from the left side of his face. It wasn't very strong, but it still hurt like hell and rendered him unable to do anything as he felt his arms lifted up and heard a quiet 'click.'
After a minute Green managed to open his eyes again. As his vision slowly steadied itself, he saw arms were handcuffed to a desk. Kurukku was busy fiddling with something on the other side of the room.
"Ah-ha!" The woman laughed as a door swung open in front of her. From Green's position on the floor, it looked like she was raiding a safe of some sorts. But he couldn't make out what she was stuffing into her small bag. Once she was satisfied, she closed the safe's door and turned around. "Oh, you're awake." She smiled. Green blinked at her. She spoke in a completely different voice now. One with a very thick British accent.
"Who are you?" Green repeated, struggling as he sat up as best he could.
"Hm." The brown-haired beauty pursed her lips and walked over to Green. "Just call me a frienemy for now." She leaned over and tightened the handcuffs slightly.
"You know, most women aren't so rough with men." Green said, blowing some of her hair out of his face. She was leaning over directly over him now, and Green couldn't help the heat that slightly rose to his cheeks when he caught a glance down her dress.
"I'm not like most women." She smirked at him, tightening the handcuffs even harder.
Green flinched. "You know, this is kinda painful."
"It might be painful for you," She whispered. "But this is foreplay for me." She moved in and placed her lips on Green's, causing his eyes to widened in surprise. Kurukku got up and smiled down at him. "I'd hurry up if I were you. Those men coming down the hallway sound pretty angry." Kurukku walked out of the room and turned for the opposite direction. "It was nice meeting you. You're rather good looking for an American."
Green was dumbfounded as she walked away, his mind still trying to process exactly what had just happened. As the voices suddenly grew louder, Green snapped back to reality and realized something had been placed in his hand. Opening it, he found a small key had been placed there. Green jammed it into the handcuffs and freed himself, realizing that Kurukku must have put it there when she kissed him.
He placed the handcuffs into his pocket, not paying any attention to them as he tried thinking of how much time had passed. The earwig had a tracker in it for Red and Gold so they should know exactly what room he was in.
From outside, Green heard a parade of feet stampede around the corner and voices exclaim as Oca's body was spotted. Green slammed the door shut, not caring that they heard, and shoved the desk, as quick as he could, in front of the door. The doors handle was tried, and when they realized it was locked, the gunfire came.
Bullets flew through the wooden door as Green ducked to the left. Thankfully they weren't the smartest and concentrated all their fire on the door, rather than spraying them through the wall.
Green's mind raced, trying to think of what to do next. He had lost track of how much time had passed, and Green was drawing a blank right now. It would only be half a minute before the door would be vaporized.
But lady luck hadn't given up on him yet. A bright light flashed past the window for a second before quickly coming back and centering itself on Green's position. It flickered once, and Green hit the floor.
Just as the last of the door was blasted off of its hinges, the large window shattered inwards, shattering broken glass everywhere. The man who first ran in the room screamed and brought his hands to his face, blood running from a deep gash in his cheek. The sound of a helicopter's rotating wings filled the room, as well as a single voice barely heard. "Jump now Green!"
Green shot up, ignoring the men taking aim behind him. His feet carried him to the broken window and he jumped into the blinding light. A helicopter's rotating blades attacked his eardrums, buffeting out the sound of gunfire behind Green. Hands clamping onto cold steel, Green hung on to the helicopter for dear life.
"Take us out of here!" A voice yelled over the rotating blades.
Green's body lurched as the helicopter veered around the edge of the building. Gunfire faded away as the building grew smaller in the distance. Several sets of hands gripped Green, his back, his arms, any part of his body, and pulled him up to safety. Red handed him a headset while Gold flashed him a cheesy grin.
"That was close, wasn't it?" Gold asked once Green had put his headset on.
"You weren't the one who had to deal with some crazy woman." Green retorted.
"That's enough chatter." Red spoke up. "After we patch you up you'll be debriefed back at Langley." Green raised an eyebrow at the patched up part. Seeing this, Red smiled and tapped his left arm. Green looked to his own arm and realized it was bleeding, and heavily too. He hadn't even noticed it.
"…and then she left." After getting patched up, Red and Gold had brought Green into an interrogation room. A new, now standard, procedure. All debriefs were to happen on tape now, with several others watching in the room through the one-way glass. It was supposed to do something with cutting out possible spies, but Green didn't see it that way.
"Well that's kinky." Gold smiled, picking up the handcuffs they had taken from Green's pocket. He wasn't even sure why he kept them.
"Focus." Red scolded, glaring at the rookie of their group. "So do you think she's a foreign agent?"
"Not likely." Green sighed. "It's possible she's a freelance, or just a cat burglar."
"Hm…" Red seemed to ponder this before moving on. "Well, in any case, how do you think your cover was blown?"
"I'm not sure." Green reached up and scratched his nose. Red and Gold both noticed this, with a rather surprising look, but then left the topic alone. Red continued with the questioning, while Gold made his usual, perverted remarks. But the three of them were just buying time until they could be alone, away from the eyes of the rest of the CIA. Because the scratch on his nose was a sign the three of them decided a few years ago. A sign, that there was a spy.
"You're absolutely sure?" Red asked, cracking open a beer. Red, Gold, and Green sat at the bar of their favorite drinking spot, a place called Loner's Respite. Slow and soft Christmas music played from the television set that hung from the ceiling.
"Positive." Green took a drink from his Miller Lite. "I've been under her nose several times at least, and not once have I caught Storc's eye before."
"So before we run around pointing fingers, do you have any sort of idea who might be the leak?" asked Red.
"Honestly you two are the only ones I really trust," Green sighed.
"Ah, ain't that cute!" Gold giggled.
Green sighed, placing his face in his hand, "You're drunk already, aren't you?"
"Course no!" Gold slurred. He turned to the barkeep, who was busy polishing an already clean glass. "Hey buddy! Next round is on my buddy Mr. Giant Lizard!" The barkeep looked up and smiled. It was already past two in the morning and most of the bar's patrons had already left, but he was used to these three.
The barkeep placed the glass on the counter and filled it with water before sliding it to Gold. "This one's on the house," he called.
"Awesume!" Gold quickly grabbed the glass and downed half of it. "Best 'tuff ever!" Gold exclaimed.
Red and Green ignored their drunken friend for now. Before Red could continue, his 'special' cell phone began to ring. He and Green exchanged a knowing look, knowing that Red couldn't blow off the call. "Be back in a minute."
Green waved to him as Red walked away and turned his attention on the television. Gold had gotten ahold of the television remote and it was now playing some Christmas Special on the Disney Channel. From what he could tell, it was about some kid trying to confess his feelings to the girl he liked.
Green snorted and took another drink from his bottle. Love was just an illusion, a distraction from the world. A distraction that he didn't need. He had been with a woman before, but all of them had been one-night stands while he was off on missions. After all, men did have needs sometimes and he wasn't the ugliest man around either. But love, caring deeply for someone, was just a weakness that would get you killed, or put your country in danger.
Weather it was from the beer or the movie Gold was laughing hilariously at, the British woman from before came into his mind. He had to admit, she was one hell of a looker. And that kiss…
Green took another drink.
He didn't need these thoughts. He needed to keep thinking about who the leak could be. That was his biggest problem right now.
Someone took the spot next to him, and Green assumed it to be Red. But when he turned to her, he was surprised to see a woman sitting there instead. She rested her elbow on the bar and held her head in her hand. The sly grin on her face made her look like she was the child of a fox. Long chocolate brown hair spilled down her neck and shoulders, casting a light shadow across her fox-face. Sparkling blue eyes met his own and Green had to blink a few times. "Hello again, handsome American." She chuckled with a smooth British accent.
He looked to his bottle, and then back at the woman, before looking back at the bottle. "I need to stop drinking." Green pushed the bottle away.
The British woman frowned and smacked Green over the head. "Is that any way to greet a woman?" She frowned at him and crossed her arms.
Green rubbed the spot she had hit gingerly, and glared at her. She may be good looking, but her attitude was something he could do without. "Who are you?"
She cross her arms and turned her back to him, clearly very cross with him. "I'm apparently the hallucination of a drunkard."
Green frowned, unsatisfied with her answer. He snatched at her hand and quickly twisted the British woman's arm behind her back. The barkeep almost dropped the glass he was polishing. At a nod of his head, Green sent him away. He didn't want to involve a civilian in case this got dirty. The only other person here was Gold now, still laughing hilariously at Disney channel. "I'll ask again," Green leaned in so his lips were next to her ear, "who are you?"
"Is this how you treat every woman you meet?"
Green never had patience for people dodging answers; even less now that he was slightly intoxicated. "Only the ones that put me in handcuffs," Green replied. Before he got a chance to twist her arm to the breaking point, another voice spoke up.
"Green, stop it."
Green gave Red a dirty look, finding his friend was walking calmly back into the bar. The usually level-headed man looked almost as annoyed Green was. Reluctantly, Green let the woman go.
The woman took her arm back gratefully and stretched it out, "You're very violent, aren't you?"
Green ignored her and turned to Red. "Red this is the woman who was singing tonight."
"I know," Red sighed. "I just got word from British Intelligence. She's,"
A hand in the air interrupted Red. "I'd like to do my own introduction," the woman smiled, "if you don't mind that is."
Red threw up his hands, clearly not caring about the current situation. As he took a stool next to Gold at the bar, the woman spun on the spot and stuck a hand out to Green. She tilted her head and smiled like a silly school-girl. "The name's Kurukku. Blue Kurukku. 007's replacement."
Green was still not convinced that this whole situation was not just a drunken fantasy. "Please tell me you're joking."
Blue frowned and retracted her hand. "Well, I guess I am just a regular field agent. But I like to think I'm as good as James Bond," she added.
Green looked to Red, silently pleading for an explanation. Red held up his hands in defense. "Don't look at me. I'm just as baffled as you are."
"Perhaps if we went to a secure location I could shed a little light on the situation." Blue offered.
Green looked her up and down. She had changed out of the elegant party dress she had been wearing earlier and had chosen instead a black skirt and dark blue blouse. A black and blue winter-coat was draped around her shoulders, barely hiding the gold chain of a necklace. When Blue crossed one of her legs over the other, Green noticed an ankle bracelet-strung with several exotic shells-resting above her black heels. The man couldn't help but let his eyes travel up her exposed leg until the flesh disappeared into the folds of the skirt. The thought of where she kept her gun crossed Green's mind again.
Realizing he had been staring, Green looked up quickly.
Blue wore a smirk on her face.
Green swore under his breath. She had noticed him staring.
Blue rose slowly and stepped over to Green. She placed a hand gently on Green's chest, "Like what you see?" she whispered sensually into his ear. "Perhaps that secure location could be your place?"
Green blushed at her boldness, and was thankful for the buzzing sound that startled Blue away from noticing. Iron plates slid across the windows and doors, heavy-duty locks clicked together in the walls around them, and the electricity was cut to be replaced a second later with dim lights that glowed from several crevices of the room. Gold looks around, confused as to why his cartoons had been cut off.
"Here will be fine." Red said. He retracted his hand, which had gone to press a small button on the underside of the barman's side of the bar. "This bar moonlights as a bunker for the president in the case that the white house ever falls. Now, why don't you tell us why we heard nothing about your or your mission until a few minutes ago?"
Blue rolled her eyes and sat down at the bar again. "You American's need to loosen up a bit. I was kidding about the secure location." She sighed before continuing, "but, since you're so desperate for information, I might as well give it to you.
"As you know, Storc is on the top ten wanted list for nearly every country in the northern hemisphere," Blue continued. "She's number one in the underground world of arms trade and has been supplying all the revolts that have been breaking out in South America, the Middle East, and Africa."
"Yes, we know that." Green sighed.
"Hush, oh patient one," Blue shot him a look before continuing. "Anyways, I'm informed that you've been on her tail for the past two years, correct?" Green nodded. "Well we've been chasing Storc for five years. British intelligence had managed to sneak one of our men, my brother, into Storc's group about the same time she appeared on our radar, but she's careful. Storc only trusts those in her inner circle, leaving all the grunts in the dark.
"About a month ago, our man on the inside managed to reach the upper circle of Storc's group. A week later, we found out she was going to host an auction in New York on Christmas Eve."
A fist was brought down onto the bar's counter. "You knew nearly a month in advance this was going to happen? Why didn't you alert us?!" Red demanded.
"Whoa there," Gold placed his hands on Red's shoulders to try and calm the older man. "Need to get angry."
"There is a need!" Red snapped at Gold, pushing the golden-eyed man's hand off of him. "We found out by accident two days ago! It was a miracle that the plan didn't turn out any worse than it did."
The intoxicated Gold threw his arms around Red, "I think someone needs a hug."
As Red wrestled Gold off of himself, Green watched Blue. She was gripping the edge of her seat to tightly that her knuckles were turning white. A dark look had fallen across her face. "It became personal." Green guessed.
Gold and Red fell instantly silent, and Blue nodded her head. "His…His body was found in the Themes the next day."
Red ran a hand through his hair. "I understand how you feel, but that's no excuse for keeping us out of the loop."
"It wasn't exactly my decision." Blue pointed out. "Besides, the higher-ups didn't feel they could trust you American's."
Green, Gold, and Red all instantly tensed up. Gold, in his drunken state, spoke up first. "What'cha saying? We can't be trusted?"
"You know what I'm saying." Blue refused to look any of the men eye-to-eye. "Every agency has a leak or two to plug, but the CIA has gotten sloppy recently."
Green and Red exchanged a glance. If she had information on the potential leak back at Langley, then they needed that information. But before either of them could press for information, Blue continued, pulling a wad of papers out of the inside pocket of her coat. "Besides, I couldn't risk losing a chance at getting my hands on this little beauty."
"What exactly is it?"
Blue smiled, slapping the papers down on the counter. "These little babies are going to tell us where the winners of tonight's auctions are hiding."
Hot water rained down Green's body. Despite how much he willed it, the water couldn't wash away the memories of tonight. With the information Blue had given them, this was likely going to be his last night he would spend in his own apartment. They had their work cut out for them if they wanted to stop the shipment of those guns.
Reluctantly, Green turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He reached blindly through the steam for a towel before quickly drying himself. When he was done, Green tossed the used towel back over the towel rack and walked back into his bedroom. The colder arm kissed his skin as he walked over to the closet. His room was mostly bare; Green had never really found much need for material possessions. A television set and laptop sat at his desk, mostly used and turned on only for work and current events. A bookshelf was set up next to his closet, filled with books never opened - gifts from his sister - and a small plush toy from his childhood acting as a book end.
As Green opened his closet door, something crossed his hazy mind. There was something in his room that wasn't supposed to be there. He spun around quickly, grabbing the gun he kept hidden in his closet and pointed it at his bed. Lying across his bed, smiling at him, was Blue. "Hello sweetie," she smiled at him. Her eyes traveled downward, and Green felt heat rise to his cheeks.
He grabbed at the plush toy and covered himself with it, his gun still pointed at Blue. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.
Blue ignored the question, "Aw, it's so tiny and adorable." She brought her eyes back to Green's and smirked. "The Charmader is cute too."
Green had half a mind to pull the trigger now, but repeated his question. "What are you doing here?"
"I followed you," Blue replied, not caring about the gun as she flipped herself onto her back. "We are going to be working together. I like to get to know my partners before I start shooting up some bad guys with them." Blue turned her eyes on Green's naked body again. "I must say you're the best looking one I've had."
Green ignored her and put his gun down on the dresser. He turned his back, ignoring Blue's wolf whistle, and slipped on a pair of boxers. Charmander was replaced on the shelf and Green quickly pulled on a sleeveless tee and a pair of sweats.
"You know, I have a Squirtle doll just like that." Blue said as he dressed. "My brother gave it to me when we were still kids at the orphanage."
Green turned around. Blue was staring at the ceiling now, lost in thought. "You were in an orphanage?"
"Yeah, parents died in a fire when I was five." Blue sighed. "It's part of the reason why I was requited in the first place. No family, no attachments holding me to the world."
"What about your brother?"
"Well, he isn't my actual brother," Blue confessed. "We actually just entered the orphanage around the same time and became attached to each other. But we're as close as real siblings can be."
Green wondered who she was referencing. He hadn't spoken to his own sister in several years. She knew he was a spy, it was a family business, and he had been so busy that he had forgotten to even call her. "So, you can tell the truth."
Blue blinked. "What?"
"When you spoke just now, you were sincere. However, when you answered my question of what you're doing here, you lied to me."
Blue sat up and swung her legs off the bed. "Oh fine, you caught me," she pouted. "I flashed your friend and he gushed like a broken water vein."
Green made a mental note to kill Gold the next time he saw the golden-eyed pervert.
"Well, I would expect you to give up the bed, like any gentleman would, but it's just so improper to sleep in a man's bed when you just met him." Blue stood up and strode over to the door. "I'll make due on the couch."
Green watched her walk out of the room, ignoring the obvious fact that she was swinging her hips. She had the equipment to cripple any normal man, and she knew it. "Blue."
The woman stopped, a hand rested on his doorframe. Blue turned her head slightly towards him, "Yes?"
"…Can I trust you?"
Green held his stone-hard gaze as Blue tensed slightly. "What makes you ask?"
"Just now, you referred to your brother in the present tense, as if he were still alive." Green's gaze flickered down to his gun for a moment, only an arm's length away.
"…" Blue was silent for a moment. She made no movements. "I guess I still just haven't come to terms with is death." She turned to face him fully and smiled. It was so genuine that Green almost felt sorry for doubting her. "So, to answer your question…yes. You can trust me."
A smirk crossed Blue's mouth and her usual playfulness came back. "But where would the fun be in that?"
"Don't you just love this city?" Blue smiled, scooping a bit of parfait into her mouth.
"If you eat sweets this early in the morning, you'll get fat...honey." Green strained to say the word honey, like it had been lodged into his throat and refused to come out.
Blue flicked a bit of ice cream at him, the smile on her face as forced as the one on his. For the last week they had been forced to play the innocent, lovey-dovey couple who were honeymooning in Pairs. Thanks to the ruckus she and Green had cause at the Christmas Eve party a few months ago the shipments Storc had planned to send out had been delayed.
It was June now, and Green was sick of playing cat and mouse. They had the addresses of the auction winners, but according to Red it may as well be useless information. Storc had more than likely contacted the winners and rescheduled both the time and place. Now, their first lead since Christmas Eve resulted in them wandering Pairs for ages.
"It's my body and I'll do what I want with it," Blue replied bitterly before taking another spoonful.
Green rolled his eyes and rested his head in his hands. He turned his gaze to the river that drifted by lazily. The name escaped Green, but he couldn't care less. France had never been his favorite country to visit, much less Pairs, the so-called city of love. All around them couples were busy staring into each others eyes, giggling at private jokes, and one rather strange couple was taking a picture of dog poop on the side of the street.
"Green honey," Blue flicked another bit of ice cream at him, drawing his attention away from the dog poop couple and back to herself. "Where should we go next?" She asked in French.
"I don't care." Green replied in English.
Blue frowned at him. "You know, you should really speak more French. After all, it is the language of love."
Green scoffed. "Only to the French."
"Enough you two." Red's voice spoke into both their ears.
"Yeah, if the love gets any thicker you're gonna need to get a room!" Gold's annoying voice laughed.
Green shot an annoyed look across the river to where he could barely make out Red and Gold feeding the ducks. He turned his gaze back to Blue, "Well it's not like we have much else to do."
"Down boy." Blue giggled, tapping his nose gently with her spoon.
Green smiled at her.
And that's when he walked by, Ryu; the man who was supposed to be the number one customer on Storc's list. He was dressed in a violet colored suit, a red scarf hanging loosely around his neck. Ryu was flanked by several large men, each of whom could probably bench press a tank, while he chattered away on an IPhone.
As Ryu walked by their table, Green had decided that Blue was done eating and pushed her parfait off the table. The glass shattered and the sweet was splattered all over Ryu's expensive looking shoes.
"Hey!" Blue shot up, her hand on her hips, not realizing who was standing next to her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Green said, switching his voice to that of a nervous Frenchman. "I'm just so clumsy." Green pulled out a handkerchief and began whipping the food off of Ryu's shoes and pants.
"Ugh," Ryu looked down at Green with disgust. The taller man kicked Green's hand away, "it's fine, just get off me."
"I'm sorry sir." Green apologized again. If Ryu, or his entourage of guards heard him, he didn't give any notice. Ryu simply continued to focus on his IPhone as he walked away. "I hope a flock of bird's shit on you." Green muttered under his voice.
"I get the feeling he'd enjoy that." Blue said, coming up next to Green. "Do you think he saw my face?"
Green shook his head, "No, he was too busy playing around with his phone. I think the guards were too focused on me touching their precious boss to notice you either."
Blue giggled, drawing Green's gaze away from Ryu's back. The brunette was too busy playing around with a phone of her own. "Oh I don't think they noticed me at all."
"I thought you didn't have an IPhone."
"I don't," Blue smiled. "I pick-pocketed one of his bodyguards. I can get my hand into a man's pants without him even knowing I was there." She looked up from the phone and winked at him.
Green turned away, hiding his blush. He found himself doing that a lot around her. In the time they had spent training and gathering intellegence together, Blue seemed to have picked up the ablity to push all of his buttons, in all the ways that she wanted. And it drove him crazy that she knew how to do that.
"Oh, look at this."
Green had half a mind to keep staring at the brick wall, but looked anyways. He was met with Blue shoving the phone into his face. Brought up on the IPhone's screen was a calendar. Blue had today's date pulled up, "See that?"
Green irritably pushed her hand away, "I can't see anything when it's shoved into my face."
Blue ignored him. "Seven o'clock," She read, "Meeting with the Bird."
Now she had his attention. "Did you get that Red?"
"Loud and clear!" Gold's voice rang into Green and Blue's ears. The two spies flinched slightly as their earpieces shrieked.
"Gold," Green muttered, grinding his teeth. "Where the hell is Red?"
"We got hungry so he went to get lunch." Gold replied willy-nilly, "Put me in charge. Does it say anything about a meeting place?"
"In fact, it does," Blue smirked up at Green, a look that sent a chill down his spine. "And it looks like a formal party. Time to break out the Italian suit, American."
Green pulled irritably at the tie around his next. No matter how many times he wore one of these things, he never got used to the stuffy feeling. Casting his gaze down the street to the entrance of a hotel, Green watched as men and women in elegant clothing paraded in. The corsage's adorned on the women's wrists made it look like a high school prom.
Green passed his hand over his ear one last time to double check his earwig wasn't showing. Satisfied, the spy looked away to the setting sun. Sunlight bled across the sky, casting out a multitude of colors; the sky turned from orange to pink, the clouds different shades of purple. He almost-
"Enjoying the view?"
Green looked down from the sky to see Blue walking towards him. If it was possible, she looked even better than she did during Christmas Eve. She wore a strapless navy blue dress, covered in sequins that glittered in the quickly diminishing light. Her chocolate brown hair was tied to the side, letting it cascade along her neckline. Two golden hoops decorated her ears, finishing her outfit.
Blue moved gracefully up to him, moving as she did at the Christmas party. She drew the attention of everyone around her, basking in the attention. Her heels clicked softly on the stone sidewalk, finally coming to a stop in front of him.
She placed her hands on his chest and straightened Green's tie, "You certainly do know how to clean up nice." Blue smiled up at him and then tapped his chin lightly with her finger. "Close your mouth," she giggled, "or else you'll catch flies, honey."
Green didn't even realize his jaw was hanging open, and quickly snapped it shut.
"So, did you bring it?" Blue asked.
"Y-Yeah," Green dug a hand into his pocket quickly and pulled out a necklace. "I've got it. Turn around," he ordered.
Blue did as he said and gently pushed her hair aside, exposing her sublet skin. Green reached around, ignoring the butterflies, and carefully placed the necklace around her neck. He hooked the golden chain around her neck and then turned her around.
"It's beautiful," Blue was examining the necklace, playing with it gently in her fingers.
"It was my mothers." Green explained. He had seen it so often that it didn't seem beautiful to him, just normal. It was a small, rhinestone dove hanging off the golden chain.
"Your mothers?" Blue raised an eyebrow, "I had assumed this was going to be a hidden video camera and recorder."
"It is." Green scratched the back of his head and looked away, "This gig is kind of a family business."
"Was she beautiful?"
"Who?"
Blue giggled, "Your mother."
"Oh," Green blinked and then slimed, "Yeah, I guess she was. Gramps always called her a kind soul, always looking helping out anyone who needed it. Whenever I saw her she had a smile on her face."
"…You sound like you adored her." Blue
"I did," Green admitted. His gaze was locked on a pair of birds that rested on a nearby streetlamp. "She wasn't any sort of acceptation to our family business. She was barely home, and my sister and grandfather pretty much ended up raising me."
"Is she still…" Blue trailed off her question, not sure if she had gone too far this time.
Green shook his head, answering her unfinished question. "She took a bullet when I was seven. They never found the body." He sighed, and then put a smile on his face, "Enough of this depressing crap. We have a party to attend."
Green extended his elbow, and Blue took it with slight giggle. Green raised an eyebrow as they started walking towards the party. "What's so funny?"
"Oh nothing," Blue rested her head on his arm, and only then had Green realized how much taller he was than her. "It's just, you know how to act like a gentleman, you can genuinely smile; I'm beginning to think I pegged you as the wrong type of man."
"And what do you mean by that?"
The British woman laughed slightly, "Oh nothing."
Green had a feeling that 'nothing' was always going to be something with this woman, but dropped the question. He handed the bouncers their stolen invitations, and walked right in.
The grand entryway was enough to leave Green wordless. A large glass chandelier hung from the ceiling, the light bouncing around the room like an energetic child. Hand-painted murals covered the walls and ceiling, depicting a party on Mt. Olympus. All around, exotic flowers rested in jade vases. Green had a feeling that one of these vases would cost him at least three years pay. "No matter how many times…" Green murmured under his voice.
"Oh stop looking around like you're a tourist," Blue chided. "Are you not used to this sort of setting yet?"
Green cast her an annoyed look, "Well not everyone has a bank account like George Clooney."
Blue laughed, "Well when you put it that way…" She set her face and began looking around, "When you're done, do you feel like doing a bit of snooping?"
Green swept his hand out in front of himself, "Ladies first then."
Blue smiled at him and made her way into the ballroom. Before she disappeared from view though, she brushed a piece of hair behind her ear to signal to meet back her in ten minutes; Green could hear a violin though the open doorway.
He did his own form of recon, stopping to chat with several couples, laughing and gossiping about stories that he made up on the fly. He made each conversation quick, making sure he spent no longer than a minute chatting with the different groups that were still milling about the entryway.
Blue's chocolate brown hair emerged from the flood of people within the ballroom. However, she had brought someone with her. Ryu, clearly intoxicated, had his arm draped across Blue's shoulder, an empty wineglass in his other hand.
Green immediately ducked behind a crowd of people, pretending to be a part of the conversation. He kept an eye on Blue and Ryu, both of whom were making their way to the grand staircase at the back of the room.
"Green, can you hear me?" Red's voice finally spoke up in his earpiece.
Green snatched a drink from a passing waiter and raised it to his lips. "About time Red," he muttered.
"Sorry about that, we had a bit of technical difficulties."
"Gold?"
"Hey!" Gold's hurt voice shouted. "I take offense that you automatically assume it's my fault."
"Spilling soda on the keyboard does make it your fault," Red remarked.
Green smirked.
"So did you and Blue get into position?"
Green turned his gaze back to the staircase, his smirk disappearing when he saw Ryu had his hand on Blue's behind. "You could say that," he muttered. Green was prepared to follow, when a resounding applause traveled across the room. He paused and turned, nearly having a heart attack at the sight of Storc, who had just walked into the party.
"Please," she called out, over the applause, "you flatter me!"
"Was that Storc?" Red's voice exclaimed though the earpiece.
"Yeah," Green muttered. As another waiter passed by, Green follow behind him, making sure Storc didn't see him. "She's here alright." He cast a look up at grand staircase. Blue and Ryu had just disappeared onto the second floor, Storc completely forgotten. "But Ryu looked like he was completely smashed. We might not be able to get a conversation between the two down on tape."
"It doesn't matter, about Ryu. We just need Storc!" Red's voice rose with each word. "Where's the recorder?"
"Blue has it."
"Where's Blue?"
"With Ryu."
"Then go get her!"
Green pulled out the earpiece as he walked through the kitchen door. If Red was just going to yell at him, there was no need to keep it in. He maneuvered through the cooks and servers, dodging the knives and ingredients that seemed to fly around the air. A chief once tried to stop him, but Green merely pushed though.
Exiting the kitchen, Green discovered himself in a plain white hallway. A few abandoned carts lay against the walls, extra dishware standing by in case an order of room service arrived. Following instinct, Green ducked down hallways and up staircases until he had finally reached the grand entryway again; only this time he was on the second floor, overlooking the party.
Storc was busy shaking hands and chatting with virtually anyone that crossed her path. Green watched the woman with disgust, envisioning momentarily the many different ways he might take her down.
And that's when the gunshot rang out.
Bodyguards massed around Storc and those without protection screamed, running for the door. The men who had been guarding the grand staircase immediately turned and ran up it, their pistols already pulled out.
Green was already flying down the hallways when the second shot followed. As he skidded around a corner, Green reached for his own weapon. He muttered a curse under his breath upon realizing he had left it back in the safe-house.
As he turned another corner, Green almost came face to face with one of Ryu's bodyguards. Green ducked back around the corner, dodging a volley of bullets. "That's clearly not an option," he muttered.
Before he could think for even a second, one of the bodyguards yelled out, "Stop you!"
Green tensed up, ready to meet his end, but he failed to see a gun anywhere. Instead, another volley of bullets flew down the hallway. Blue whipped around the corner, blood staining the front of her dress. Fear welled up inside of Green, his heart dropping to the floor, "Blue!"
"Green!" Blue almost jumped at the sight of him.
"You're bleeding-"
"It's not mine," Blue said quickly. She grabbed ahold of his arm and yanked Green down the hallways. "We have to get out of here!"
Green gave no argument as several large men brandishing automatic weapons appeared behind them. He tackled Blue out of the way just as the trigger-happy went to work. The two rolled behind an oak table, which Green quickly knocked over to form a barrier. "You armed?"
Blue sighed, "I was."
Green knitted his brow in frustration. "Then how do you propose we get out of this situation?"
"Easy," Blue ripped the hem of her dress, the rip traveling all the way to her thigh. "We make a mad dash for it." Before Green could object, Blue shot up and crossed the hallway. She crashed into a door, which buckled in under her weight. "Come on!" She called from inside the room.
Green smirked at her recklessness before following her example. A bullet grazed his shoulder, but the adrenaline coursing through his body made it so he didn't even feel it. Blue had already thrown the balcony doors open and was looking down, "Ever leapt from the fourth floor?" She called back to him.
Despite the gunman only seconds behind, Green had an idea. He ignored Blue and dashed right on the balcony. Putting all of his strength into it, the American spy pushed off the balcony ledge and flew towards a tree in the back garden. He caught one of the branches, and used the others as rungs to swing himself down.
Mush to his pleasure, Blue looked rather annoyed before following in his example. Only she added a step; her heel got caught on the ledge. She fell right into Green's outstretched arms; a smug look was painted across his face. "Well look at what fell into my arms."
"Oh put me down," Blue smacked his chest lightly. "You were just trying to show off."
"Maybe," Green shrugged.
"There they are!" A voice shouted from above.
Wasting no time, Green dropped Blue onto the ground, and the two disappeared into the night.
"What do you mean Ryu's dead?"
Blue flinched away from the phone, Red's voice so loud that even Green could hear it from the other side of the room. "I told you," Blue sighed into the phone, "Ryu was smashed and wanted to get kinky with a gun. I said no, and then he fired off a shot. Then I did the logical thing, took the gun from him and shot him back."
Green tuned her out, turning his attention back on his copy of Tales from the 1001 Nights. He had to admit, he was rather upset with Blue as well. Thanks to this little fiasco Storc would likely disappear into the underground again.
After a while, Green heard the phone snap shut and Blue collapse onto the bed. "I swear, all you American's have a bloody stick up your arse." She attempted to sit up, but gave a hiss of pain when she tried to put weight on her leg. "Ah, I think I pulled a muscle." Blue moaned, rubbing her leg. "I might need you to do a rub down."
Green didn't even bat an eye. "What you need is a cold shower," he remarked, turning the page.
Blue rolled over the bed and frowned at him. "Oh come on, not even a little? I haven't been with anyone since we started this bloody mission. Don't you want to add a little flare to your love life?"
"My love life involves me and me alone." Green snapped, his eye twitching slightly. Truthfully, his mind was in recoil. Blue was attractive, he would give her that, but his logical head was screaming in protest to what his other head was thinking.
"Well if you love that, wait till you add another person!" Blue giggled.
Green kept his eyes locked on the page, despite the fact that he had forgotten what he was even reading. "Why would I want to sleep with you? I don't feel the slightest bit of love for you."
A pair of arms snaked around Green's neck, causing him to jump slightly. Blue's hands slowly made their way down his body until they rested on his stomach, twirling some of the extra fabric of his shirt in her finger. She rested her head on the now paralyzed Green's shoulder, "Love and pleasure are two entirely different things," she blew into Green's ear.
Green felt his ears flare red, and Blue's hands left him. "I think I'm going to take that cold shower now," she announced. The sounds of her clothes dropping to the floor reached Green's ears and the man in him was urging him on to turn around. Without thinking, Green glanced at the window, taking in the almost invisible reflection of her naked body.
"You're free to join me," Blue remarked.
The door to the bathroom clicked shut, but the lock was never engaged. Green bit the inside of his cheek and tried his best to focus on the book in his hands. The only problem was that the images of 'that woman,' her body dripping wet, now penetrated his brain.
Admitting defeat, Green sighed and set down the book. "Why do I get the feeling that if I threw her into a pit of snakes, they would be the first ones out?"
Before he even realized it, Green's shirt was gone, and he was standing at the door to the bathroom. As his hand rested on the handle, Green's mind went num. The door swung open silently.
Steam had already started building up and was fogging the mirror. Green could see the image of Blue washing herself behind the thin shower curtain. Her body turned towards his as he stepped up to the curtain.
"Green…" Her voice was quiet, somewhat hesitant. She sounded so innocent like this, "I'm sorry."
A gunshot echoed in the room, and pain shot through Green's abdomen. He fell instantly to his knees, and his hand moved to cover the wound. The blood rushed through his fingers and Green's vision was already starting to blur.
Blue's hand pulled aside the curtain, and Green instantly focused in on the small, single shot handgun she held. The image of water running down her stone-set face burned itself into his mind, only moments before Green blacked out.
Explotaro: And G'night everyone! I'll try and get part two up soon~
