Prologue: Infiltration
She didn't understand it.
They were still here. Even after she'd shown them no kindness, or emotion of any kind other than disdain, they stayed.
It had been nearly a year since they arrived on her doorstep, saying they wanted to help. In that time they proved useful.
They were hard-working, loyal, and adept learners. They proved quite skillful at any task they were given.
Annoying as they could constantly be, they did what they were told, without too many questions. Especially after they were assured she would not kill them.
The girl was her very image. The only differences were the red streaks in her eyes that replaced the woman's own orange ones. And that the girl still retained the joy and naïveté that came with youth and the wonders of young love.
And the two of them were very much in love. Their eyes shone with it, every gesture and smile filled with it. Because of that, they were also an unwelcome reminder of her old life, of what she'd lost in the start of her new one.
The boy more than anything.
John Allerdyce. That was his name. Like from the X-Men comics.
Strange.
She'd only ever referred to him as 'Blondie'.
He had the face of one she'd tried with every fiber of her being to forget.
He even sounded like him, down to the sarcasm and slight arrogance that colored every word and the amusement that rang in his laughter.
His smirk, even his actual smile was an exact copy.
And she hated him for it.
Or at least that's what she told herself. She wanted to hate him for he was the unwelcome reminder that she could still feel pain.
It tore her heart—what was left of it anyway—out to look at him. And as a result of that, she was short and often harsh with him.
A small part of her, one she often ignored, told her that her resentment towards him was unfounded.
He was still just a child, though his eyes told her both he and the girl had seen more in their short lives than most would ever want to.
It wasn't his fault she'd lost everything all those years ago.
It was her own... and Amanda's.
If Amanda had never found out and ran to Percy, none of this would have ever happened. They would have been free, they would have escaped Division and made a life together, instead of her being there, carefully plotting her revenge.
Division, 2003
Percy had been aware of the situation from its inception. Normally he wouldn't have tolerated it, but she was his daughter and though one would be hard-pressed to get him to admit it, he wanted to see her happy.
So, in his own way, he approved of the relationship. It made them both sharper, more productive and somehow, even better at their jobs.
And they were discreet, never showing the slightest hint of their relationship while on duty.
Yet, somehow, Amanda had discovered their secret. Then she came running to inform him and demand that he rectify the situation. She was upset, her anger at the two of them was oddly personal, as though she thought they had done it to spite her, when in reality it had nothing to do with her.
Percy sighed heavily. Now he'd have to take action.
Underground HQ, 2011
It was time to set her plan in motion and see what her young double was capable of.
The girl wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of being separate from her boyfriend for such an extended time but she understood the necessity and was excited at the prospect of spying.
Her enthusiasm would have been amusing if the woman had still been capable of feeling such things.
She needed Silver to infiltrate their ranks, do what she could to watch over him and keep them all out of the way as her vengeance began to take its course.
And she needed Blondie here for mission assistance. She couldn't send him as his appearance would likely spook them and cause unnecessary questioning.
This was the first time she required Silver carry out a mission on her own. She would not be there to save her if she got into trouble this time.
New Jersey, 2011
She watched him for a while before making her move.
For someone who had just escaped the clutches of Division, he was quite foolishly still frequenting that favorite comic book shop of his.
Silver had his routine down to the minute and timed her actions accordingly. She rounded the corner, sunglasses on, head down, pretending to be off in her own little world as he came out of the store.
Unfortunately, like she had predicted, Division had picked up on his routine too. They were ready to swoop in at any moment.
She was going to have to improvise.
With practiced precision, she slammed into him, almost knocking them both over, and grabbed his shoulders to brace herself.
"I am so sorry!" She put on her best innocent, half-embarrassed face.
"No, it's alri—"
He did a double-take, his eyes widening as he looked at her face.
"Are you ok?"
She smiled, trying not to show too much amusement.
Birkhoff couldn't quite believe his eyes. Her face was like a knife to the heart. But at least he retained the presence of mind to answer the girl's question.
"Y-yeah. You just look like someone... but it's impossible."
In his distraction, he didn't notice the not exactly inconspicuous Division agents heading their way.
The girl looked directly into his eyes and lowered her voice, her lips barely moving.
"Look, Birkhoff I'm gonna need you to do me a favor."
His gaze sharpened. How did she—
"No, now don't dwell on my knowing your name just now. I'm gonna need you to follow my lead, keep quiet and above all, stay calm. Oh, and don't struggle. You're really good-looking and I'd hate to have to rough up that lovely face just to convince these goons what side I'm on."
Pulling her gun out, she raised her voice. "Now turn around and start walking. And don't even think of giving me problems." She nudged him with the barrel and he turned as the agents approached.
They had their hands in their coats, concealing their guns. "Excuse me miss, FBI," one of them addressed the girl, "what are you doing with our suspect?"
He could hear the smirk in her voice.
"You mean Seymour Birkhoff? Relax, boys, we're all Division here. I've got orders to deliver him to Amanda. Alive is preferable, I'm told."
They relaxed and dropped the phony FBI act, though they didn't remove their hands from their jackets. "Oh really? Amanda didn't say anything about you when she gave us our orders."
"Yeah, because she's totally known for laying all her cards out on the table for us grunts to see."
One of them made a noise of agreement, while another nodded. They all released their guns.
Birkhoff had to admit she was convincing. But he still didn't understand who she was.
"Look, since I'm not all that interested in nabbing credit for this, seeing as I'm in rather excellent standing with Amanda as it is, I propose a deal."
They seemed interested.
"I'll let Amanda know what excellent work you did, getting hold of Birkhoff here, and you drive us back in that sweet ride of yours."
"That's it?" They all exchanged looks. "Deal. But where's your car?"
"Back around that corner there." She gestured with her free hand. "But I'm tired of driving and don't want to have to worry about that and keeping an eye on this guy at the same time."
"Alright then. Let's go."
The agents turned and walked towards the car. The two heading to the driver's side never noticed the three walking behind them drop one by one as silent bullets embedded themselves in the men's brains, killing them instantly.
As the last two went down without much more than a soft thud on the street, a man shouted, noticing the bodies.
The girl let go of Birkhoff, rolling her eyes in irritation and put three neatly clustered bullets in the man's chest.
Birkhoff stared at her as she pickpocketed one of the downed agents for the keys. "Was that last one Division too?"
"Hm?" She found the keys and smiled. "Oh, yes. Their plain clothes lookout. What a stellar job he did, don't you agree? Now, let's get out of here before these civilians snap out of their shock and call the police. That's a problem I'd rather not deal with."
He shook himself out of his own temporary shock and got in the passenger seat of the black SUV that was standard of Division.
The girl knelt under the car momentarily. When she got into the driver's seat, she tossed the locator out the window and stuck an odd device into an empty jack near the GPS system.
He raised a brow at her.
"Scrambler. If there's a backup locator or any sort of Division tech on board, this'll jam the signal till we ditch the ride." She grinned and they took off.
Silver had left quite a mess on the street.
Isobella Bedeau, known as Iz, smiled cruelly. Her young double had done well.
She had Blondie and a few others discreetly carry off the bodies to the Underground where they'd be prepared before being sent back to Amanda.
In pieces.
