"You have entered District 21, Agent Agreste. The briefing will now commence."
Felix adjusted his tie and leaned back in the leather seat, glancing out the tinted windows as the holographic driver turned left to pass a large school. Anyone who cast a glance back would see nothing more than a sleek black limousine. He ran a hand over his platinum blonde hair and turned his eyes back to the large screen popping out of the roof. With a click there appeared on the other end a woman of thin stature and not a cell out of place, black hair in two buns and dark eyes examining Felix in his entirety. Then she took a breath and brushed a fleck of dust off the shoulder of her navy blue suit.
"I take it the limousine's holographic projection and computer voicing are running?"
Felix almost managed a smirk. Almost. Then he remembered that he was being addressed by the head of Supernatural and Paranormal Investigation and Extraction Sector, Ms. Hiarthanu. "My destination will be reached without incident."
She clasped her hands together without a sound. "I expect you to have already become familiar with the dire situation befalling Paris, France."
Of course he was familiar. No one gathered vital information faster than Agent Agreste. He felt the need, a need born out of pride, to straighten his shoulders in her presence. "The arrival of self-proclaimed superheroes Ladybug and Chat Noir, and villainous counterpart HawkMoth, have brought about a surge in criminal activity. Prior investigations have connected all accounts of destruction to a form of long-range hypnosis and a transfer of seemingly unlimited meta-abilities."
She gave a sharp nod. "Research indicates the events to be spread over a span of ten months, one week and four days."
"We have yet to intervene?"
"Preparation for sending in an agent has been rigorous. I leave you to the briefing. One of our private sponsors is on the other line." Her image clicked off, replaced by a beige folder. Felix relaxed again, a weakness of his when out of her sight. Ms. Hiarthanu may have been young, but like himself, she had steely eyes and an almost inhuman lack of fear.
"Open folder and initiate briefing."
The folder flipped open. Images from newspaper articles and online blogs popped up as a huge, organised collage: Ladybug fighting, Chat Noir subduing, and crowds cheering. The voice of the limousine spoke up through hidden speakers. "Shall I begin without interruption, Agent Agreste?"
He winced. That was a jab from the technicians back home. His habit of asking questions galore during briefings was coming back to bite him. "Of course."
An image of the superhero duo enlarged. "Subjects in question: Ladybug and Chat Noir, French tenth graders whose work has an 87.43% location focus in the 21st District of Paris, France." An image of a large gathering purple butterflies, in the shape of a masked face, took the left side. "Current threat: HawkMoth, unknown assailant with a 96.21% chance of being located in the 21st District of Paris, France. Wanted for blackmail, kidnapping, burglary, attempted manslaughter, attempted murder-"
The voice went on to list over a dozen different crimes. Felix opened his mouth to ask how the victims, those transformed, were being dealt with, but kept quiet for the sake of his reputation. Besides, he figured those hypnotized and empowered by HawkMoth were left in the dark due to having no recollection of said crimes.
"Current chance of encountering HawkMoth during your time in the 21st District of Paris, France is calculated at 34.78% - the highest of all S.P.I.E.S. agents."
If he hadn't spent five years learning to keep his emotions under control he would have shown some form of annoyance. "I was chosen for this mission because Ms. Hiarthanu suspects that I am the most likely to apprehend HawkMoth…by first drawing him out."
"I have been programmed to tell you not to be insulted, Agent Agreste. S.P.I.E.S. has their full trust in your skills." An image of a blurry purple butterfly flying towards the school he'd passed popped up. "Victims are infected by an unspecified species of butterfly. Footage gathered from security systems has yet to locate an origin point."
The limousine was coming to its destination. Felix knew his luggage would have arrived ahead and his guest room would be prepared. His ride stopped just before the final road turn and put the brakes on. A list of objectives overtook the screen. "Your mission, Agent Agreste, authorized by the heads of S.P.I.E.S., cannot be refused: locate the alternate identities of Ladybug, Chat Noir and HawkMoth without revealing your own. Apprehend HawkMoth for extraction. Gather any and all evidence of their relations to the supernatural group known as Kwami."
"Kwami? There was no mention of a…a Kwami in your briefing."
The voice did not give him an answer. Instead the screen clicked again to one of S.P.I.E.S' top researchers, Mr. Noital, as his usual disheveled self. He sat at a table covered in a scattering of papers and tools. He kept his wild orange curls back with a pair of cracked goggles and stared at Felix through the screen. "Ah, there you are, Agent Agreste."
"Tell me you have information regarding this Kwami group."
The screen rose as a panel slid back on the floor. A long tray sprung up with a varied selection of equipment. Felix had seen movies as a child where secret agents were given super special tools of justice, from phones in shoes to camera the size of pinkies. Mr. Noital had obsessed over them and made every impossible spy tool a reality, no matter the absurdity. He got familiar with the tools as Ms. Noital gave him the basics. The researcher looked happier today than he had at his wedding.
"It took some serious investigation in over a hundred countries, but S.P.I.E.S. has finally found the source of the powers of our Parisian vigilantes and their devious defiant – soon they shall have no secrets to hide from us."
It feels like forever since I've written a ML fanfic! I've been tinkering with this idea for a while now. Just to be clear, this Felix is not the same Felix from my "Quantic Squad" trilogy. He is an entirely new take on the character...well, occupation wise. He's still pretty stern and calculating. Think ML meets James Bond, kinda. Chapters willed be released when possible, as I am heading out to camp in the next few days, but I promise to keep things updated!
Until the next chapter!