If you haven't read the M series, here's a bit of background info for you. When Raphael was five, he snuck out on his own and got lost. He was found over a month later by Jake, tied up the back room of a drug house. He had suffered some trauma and couldn't remember anything and there was some major damage to his shell. As a result, some drastic surgery was done and now the shell pieces are fused directly to his back, making it flat like a human. He has to under go steroid treatments to encourage the growth of the shell pieces. As a result, he's now six foot tall, muscular, and the steroids tend to make his short temper even shorter. Anyway, all this takes place before my story M, where Raph's family found him and he was reunited with them.
Jake was working hard at trying to defeat his opponent. The sandy haired agent had fought with this particular rival on many occasions, but in recent years, it had become harder than ever to beat him. The CIA agent was working up a sweat that was certain. Every time he tried a strike, it was blocked with swiftness and efficiency. M had certainly improved over time.
"Jacob!" a harsh voice came over the loudspeaker in the training room.
Immediately both Jake and his young companion stopped. Weapons lowered, they look expectantly at the booth above them. Mirrored one way windows leaned out on the second level, hiding the occupants from those that were on the first level. Immediately, M bared his teeth and growled at the silhouette that he knew wasn't Caitlin. A glare from Jake made the mutant silence his vocalization.
"Yes sir?" Jake quickly answered the page.
"I need to see you in my office immediately," the voice answered back. "We have a situation." After speaking, the shadow turned to leave.
"Caitlin?" Jake called out to the box above him.
"Yes Jake," Caitlin answered.
Jake grinned at M and ran his fingers through his hair before looking back up to the control room above him. "Run the kid through a simulation," and he glanced back at the green skinned mutant, the grin now becoming mischievous. "Make it a……"
"Street fight," M leaned over and whispered. "Haven't been through one of those in awhile."
Jake nodded. "Make it a street fight," he finished his previous sentence. "Give the kid about ten guys, one hostage. Nighttime," he paused to think of anything else he could add. "Location Central park, disadvantages," he turned back to M and held out his hand. "No weapons."
Glaring, M turned over any and all items he had on his person. "Thanks a lot," he muttered.
"Hey," Jake walked backwards to the door, still talking to the large mutant turtle. "I can't let you go and get soft now can I? Have fun." The human turned and exited the room, leaving his young charge to fend for himself against some very real feeling holograms.
"Stupid alien technology," M muttered as a scene of central park emerged around him. "Stupid government agency stealing the stupid alien technology."
Caitlin laughed as she heard his complaints come over the speaker. She was sitting in the booth above the first floor, monitoring the young agent below. She turned as Jake poked his head in the door.
"I'll come straight back as soon as I'm done," he flashed a quick grin. "If he finishes before I get back….."
"He'll be studying," Caitlin interrupted, pointing her finger at him. "He's got a chemistry test tomorrow." She turned around and continued looking down at the floor below. Absentmindedly, she pulled her jet black hair back and put it into a ponytail, out of the way. "Jake," she said to the figure still standing behind her, a pencil wiggled it's way in and out of her fingertips as she got more comfortable in the chair. "You'd better go," she warned. "Overseer did say immediately."
Embarrassed that he was caught staring; Jake quickly turned and made his way down the hall to the office of the man called Overseer. Caitlin was correct. He was sitting in his large leather chair waiting, impatiently.
Arms folded, Overseer glared at Jake as he walked into the room. "I believe I said immediately," the older man arched his eyebrows and sat up.
Jake stared at his boss, or superior, or supervisor, or person in charge, however you wanted to put it.
Andrew Wallace, or Overseer, was not a pleasant man. He was in his early fifties. His age showed in his face. Fine lines augmented his frowning lips. They never seemed to change position except for when he spoke. His eyes in small slits, they shone icily and added to his imposing air. Even when Jake knew he wasn't to be the subject of conversation, he still felt nervous coming into this man's office. M often called it being sent to the principal's office. Never the less, there he was, being stared down by Overseer, a man who held Jake's life and those of his friends in his hand.
Overseer glanced down at his watch and then back at Jake, letting out a huff of impatience in the process. "We've been contacted by the main office," he began. Overseer pulled out a large manila envelope and slid it over to Jake. "Keisling has resurfaced."
Jake looked up, surprised. "We haven't heard from him in several years, what does he want?" Jake asked as he sifted through the pictures and transcripts of phone calls.
"He has apparently come up with a new bit of germ warfare and a vaccine for it," Overseer leaned forward on his desk. His tone changed from one of superiority to one of seriousness. He rubbed at his chin as he pulled out a photograph of a young girl. "He was offering it to the highest bidder," the older gentlemen continued his conversation.
"And that would be us," Jake sighed. He knew Keisling and how greedy the man could be. "What is he asking for?"
"Keisling wants safe transport for himself and his daughter Mai," Overseer slid her photo forward. "He's managed to avoid capture by changing his appearance," he tapped on a photo of a heavy set man with short curly black hair and a mustache.
Jake's eyes went wide. It was a difference from what he had seen five years ago. The last time he and M had contact with Keisling, the man was quite thin, had stringy blonde hair and couldn't get a five o'clock shadow even if he waited a week before shaving. "Plastic surgery?" he held up the black and white picture.
"Augmenting his nose and chin yes," Overseer nodded. "We've been in contact with him over the past week, making arrangements for his return to the states." He leaned back in his chair. "But he disappeared two days ago and no one has heard from him."
"Where was he seen last?" Jake continued sifting through photos, not looking up. The gears in his mind had already started turning, sorting through possible scenarios.
Overseer sat up and pointed to a particular photo. Keisling and his daughter were walking through a busy city street, worried looks on both their faces. "Paris," Overseer stated flatly. "If his experiment has fallen into the wrong hands….." The old man didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to.
Jake looked at the seriousness on the man's face and nodded in agreement. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning, before light," Overseer answered. "Alexander will meet you and the mutant in Paris, I've already informed him you were on your way." The old man leaned back in his chair and folded his hands. "I told him you would be calling with a supply list."
Again Jake nodded and started collecting photographs and the file on Keisling.
Overseer continued his instructions. "He has been doing surveillance on Mai, we know where she is. When you get there Alexander will have transportation waiting and hopefully will have information as to where Keisling has gone."
"Yes sir," Jake answered, standing up with the manila envelope tucked securely under his arm. "I'll tell the kid and we'll start packing." Quickly he left the room, on his way to talk to his young friend.
M was sitting at a table in his room studying. Already showered and changed, he was wearing a pair of black sweat pants and a white t-shirt. He didn't even look up when he heard the door open. "Hey," he said softly, stretching and taking his eyes off his books. He let out a small grunt as he extended his hands above his head and straightened his legs out. His toes pushed back the chair on the other side of the table. Finally finished, he withdrew his limbs from the air and looked over at the door. "What's up?" he questioned.
Jake walked over to the table and plopped down on the empty chair. He answered M's question in one word. "Keisling," he said flatly and tossed the envelope across the table.
His interest perked, M's eyes opened a little wider and he sat up. "Seriously?" he spoke out. "He's been off the radar for what? Five years?" He started sifting through the photos and stopped on the picture of the portly man with a thin teenaged blonde. The girl he recognized as Mai, but the man he questioned. M held the picture up to Jakes line of sight, "Keisling?" His brow furrowed in line with his question.
"Yep," Jake answered. "Time to get to work." He reached across the table and took the envelope. He pulled out the transcripts and started reading.
Nodding in understanding, M stood up and cleared off his small table, stacking his books and notes off to the side on the counter top. Out of habit the young mutant immediately pulled out two mugs and began fixing a pot of coffee. That task finished, he went across the room to his bed where his backpack was laying. He pulled out his laptop and walked back over. "Where are we headed?" he asked as he sat back down.
"Paris," Jake looked up. "According to Overseer, Keisling has developed some new bit of germ warfare and a vaccine for it. Now, he's selling his little experiment to the country willing to pay the highest." He pulled out a computer disc and passed it over to M. "The highest bidder being us," Jake continued.
A low rumble and hiss of steam from the coffee pot interrupted the two. M started to get up but Jake stopped him. "I'll get it," he said. "Just put that disc in and see what you can find out. A portion of his notes and a couple of surveillance photos are on there."
M nodded and went back to the screen on his computer, his eyes searching the words and formulas for clues about the supposed virus. A brief overview from Keisling explained the illness but not in any detail. "It seems like a simple virus," M muttered mainly to himself. He scratched at his chin and leaned in closer to the screen. "Some of his notes aren't' making sense though," he tapped at the screen.
Jake sat the coffee cup down and leaned over M's shoulder looking at where the thick green finger was pointing. "Well," Jake started to explain. "I'm sure we're not looking at the virus in its entirety. He probably only sent over a small overview. If he gave out the whole makeup of this disease along with the cure, he wouldn't have much leverage would he?"
"Yeah, I guess," M admitted. He went back to the photos and looked around at the various scenes. "Haven't been to Paris in awhile," He grinned. "This could be fun."
"Easy kid," Jake cautioned. "This isn't pleasure, strictly business." Jake went back to his seat. "We have to find Keisling first. He disappeared two days ago. The only one any body has seen has been Mai." He sipped at his coffee and went back to the phone transcripts. "Alexander's been maintaining a watch on her. He's going to pick us up when we fly in tomorrow morning."
M scrolled through a few a more files on the cd, eyeing them curiously. "What time do we leave?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen as he picked up his cup and took a sip.
"4 AM," Jake responded. "We'll need to pack soon so we can catch a few hours sleep before we head out." Jake flipped to another page. So far, nothing on the phone conversations was telling him anything. The statements were all very vague. "I'll have to call Alex soon and make sure he's got everything we need over there. You want a bike or are you gonna ride with us?"
"Bike," M said flatly. Something catching his eye, M leaned in even further. Curious as to what exactly he was looking at, he slid his fingers across the track pad on the laptop and highlighted an area of the photo. Two quick taps of his fingers on the little pad blew the selected area of the photo up, revealing two figures off in the distance. Going on a hunch, he minimized the photo and pulled up another one, repeating the same action. "Jake?" he finally spoke up.
"Yeah?" Jake looked up from his reading.
"How recent are these photos on the disc?" M turned the laptop around enough for both him and Jake to see.
"Those are the last one's taken before Keisling disappeared," Jake explained. Quickly he moved his chair over to get a better view. "What am I looking at?"
"These two," M moved his finger around so that the arrow on the screen circled around two faces. They were blurry at best and the faces were covered with sunglasses. "Now," M minimized the photo and went back to the first one. "Look here," he pointed to what seemed to be the same two men. "Who are they?"
"Don't know," Jake answered. "I've not seen them before." He scratched at his chin and thought for a moment. "Run the photos through the agency database. See if it can make a match."
"As blurry as they are, that could take awhile." M looked up at Jake as he stood up from his chair, coffee cup in hand.
Jake nodded. "Let it run, we can pack while the computer is searching."
M agreed and stood up from the table, stretching once more and letting out a groan as he did. "So much for the chemistry test tomorrow."
"Not quite," he heard Caitlin's voice as she walked in the room. "You can take it while you're on the plane and then email it back to me."
M and Jake looked over to see Caitlin carrying a large bag. "Dinner," she announced. "I can't have the two of you running of tomorrow to save the world without a little food in your stomachs."
"When did the agency start offering June Cleaver courses?" M asked in jest. He took the photos off the table and stacked them on an empty chair along with the transcripts and envelope.
Caitlin stuck her tongue out as she set dinner on the table. "Hey," she shrugged her shoulders. "You looked like you had worked up a good appetite in the training room. I didn't think a simple snack was going to take care of it."
Jake was already packing what looked like a small briefcase but that was from the outside. The inside was cushioned and had several spaces inside it for a few handguns and clips. At the mention of the simulation he had his young charge go through, he looked up at Caitlin. "How did he do?"
Caught off guard by the question, Caitlin look over at M and watched as an evil grin came across his face. "Oh……Uh ….Fine." She answered. "He did fine." Quickly she went back to pulling out the food and tried to change the subject. "Weather report says the high in Paris for the next week is only in the low thirties so make sure you two pack warm."
"Caitlin," Jake's voice had a suspicious tone. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. "When I asked how he did, I would expect to hear more than just 'Fine."
"Well…….." Caitlin tried to stall and gave an innocent look. She was struggling to find the right words.
M beat her to it. He stopped his packing and looked directly at Jake, arms folded and a triumphant grin on his face. "I beat your time by ten seconds, no harm done to the hostage." M just stood there, enjoying the astonished look on Jake's face.
The whole situation had become a bit of a competition for the two. Months ago, Jake had beaten M's best time by five seconds. M was determined to get his 'title' back. He did too, for a brief amount of time. He had gone and beaten jakes best time by seven seconds then Jake beat his again by another eight. Now, M had earned gloating rights, again.
Finally regaining his composure, Jake just shook his head and laughed. "I'm getting to old for this." Grinning he closed up his gun case and walked over to the table.
"If that's the case," M walked over to eat as well. "You could just stay here and I'll go on my own."
"Oh No," both Jake and Caitlin answered emphatically.
"What?!" M gave an innocent look.
"You," Caitlin pointed a finger. "Do not need to be left alone, unsupervised to run around France. There's no telling what kind of trouble you'll get into."
"Yes mother," M muttered sarcastically as he stuck a fork into his plate of food. He chewed a little on his lasagna as he thought. "What's the plan when we get there?"
"Well," Jake took a sip of his soda. "We find Mai and get her to a safe place, then locate Keisling. After that, we get them back to the states." He took another bite. "If we have any trouble, you can take Mai on your bike and I'll take Keisling in the car. We'll split up and meet up in a few days at the air field."
"You gonna get a dummy car?" M asked with a fork full of food in his mouth.
"Yeah," Jake agreed. "I should have one waiting just in case."
Caitlin had been sitting quietly, watching the conversation take place. These types of things always made her nervous. She was always afraid that one or even the both of them would not return to her. It was the one part of her job she hated. When she and Jake were given the job of the mutant's upbringing, she was told what he was being trained for. It was recommended that she not get attached to the creature, but she couldn't help it. All it took was the first look he gave her with his big brown eyes and she was hooked. Mutant or not, he was the cutest little boy she had ever seen. And then there was Jake. She had grown quite fond of him as well. He was a good guy, down to earth, level headed, and had a good sense of humor. He didn't let his job harden him like so many other agents had. Jake was definitely someone she could fall for. She already had. She just wasn't ready to admit it to herself yet.
Noticing her silence, Jake gave Caitlin a small nudge with foot. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she smiled. "I just get nervous every time you guys go out." She pulled at a piece of her bread and popped it in her mouth. "Be careful okay?"
So what do ya'll think? I have a few other plot bunnies of stuff Raph/M and Jake did to "save the world." If anyone thinks this is any good, I'll post the other stories after this one. Also, I'm not to fond of the title, so if anyone has a better idea, I'm open to suggestions.