The Blue Sun Research Facility was located in the industrial district of Capital City on Osiris. It was a non-descript, five story, white stucco building on the outside, but on the inside it was so much more. Just like their agents.
Agent Smith and Agent White were two persons that no one would dare to cross. Aside from the matching attire, right down to the blue gloves on their hands, nothing about them was memorable. And that's how it was suppose to be. If something went wrong on a mission, the government would disavow them. They did not exist. No families waited for their return. No friends to go out with on Friday nights for drinks. If someone found out about them, and their jobs…. well, they were squashed out of existence like a fly with a swatter. Along with any immediate family and friends.
Secrets were their business. Keeping secrets safe was their life. The only blemish on a spotless record was the losing of the most expensive weapon unknown to man. One River Marie Tam; R. Tam #6116. The weapons program had gone through so many failures until the day the neuroscientists found the perfect prototype in her. Some would call it an obsession of Smith and White wanting to get her back. But blind determination was one of many attributes they were unrivaled at. They were going to get back their weapon no matter whom they needed to go through, or kill.
The agents found themselves just outside an interrogation room, watching two individuals that they had brought in earlier.
"Do you believe them, Smith?"
"I think they are as clueless about this as they would be about living on the Rim. The Government says what is what, and as far as I can tell, that's what they seem to still believe."
"That's as may be, but with the recent goings on I see the hold we have on their 'truth' to be slipping."
As they were talking, they watched the couple's lawyer counseling the man in a corner of the room away from a cot that was set up for the woman to lay on in between rounds of grueling questioning that had been going on.
"White, turn up the volume for the room. I want to hear what's being said."
"You think we can break them?"
"If not, we will use their lawyer. See if you can find something to hold over him to get past that pesky confidentiality clause."
"With pleasure."
That said, Smith left to research Mr. Zheng, DC. Lawyers always had some kind of dirty laundry. They would get what they wanted one way or another. That's why they were perfect for their job.
For Smith, there was a personal yearning to get R. Tam back. She was unlike anything he had ever seen before. She was graceful, and yet so powerful; so strong. He had been the one chosen to break her, and he enjoyed the thought immensely of doing so again. After all she was a precious commodity, and in more ways than one. An oil slick smile was plastered on his face as he put the name Michael Zheng in the search engine for the Alliance Cortex, and waited for the hidden gems of information to appear.
The interrogation room was made of concrete, and was as cold as a meat locker. It was an average government room meant to scare the living go se out of anyone thrown into this hell.
The man paced back and forth while he listened to his lawyer talk in hushed tones trying not to waken the woman who had passed out from exhaustion. How had this happened? How did they end up in here?
"Zheng, what in Buddha's name are we still doing here? Why haven't they released us yet? We have been detained in this antediluvian cell for days!"
"Gabriel, you and Reagan are the parents of two people who were, until recently, on the Alliance's Most Wanted list. I know as much as you do at this point. Now as far as you are concerned, them thinking that you disowned Simon when he took River out of the Academy is a good thing right now. In order to get yourselves out of this place I believe you need to state what you know of their where abouts, or that of Serenity. As much as you know anyway."
"You're privy to what I know Michael, and that is absolutely ling!"
"What I would like to know is why you said one thing, and then did another. Why on earth-that-was did you tell Simon that he was cut off, and then not do it? I do not understand your actions, and I'm your lawyer. Not to mention one of your closest family friends."
"Oh come now, Michael! I may be a rich man with a 'great' family name, but I do love my children no matter what they have done, and no matter what they happen to think of me. I did what I did because I was standing in the middle of an Alliance Law Enforcement Office with everyone of my words being recorded. Not to mention the fact that my being there was put onto my personal record. I may not have helped them personally, and for that I hope they can forgive me, but I never once gave up information on them, and I won't be starting now! Besides, I only know what everyone else in the verse knows about them, and that is all."
Looking through the glass, listening to every word, Mr. White seemed to have finally found the angle they had been waiting for for days. Mr. Smith came in with a look of contentment, and satisfaction on his face as he handed a portable cortex to Mr. White with the information he had just retrieved about their quarry.
"It seems that our Mr. Zheng is the exception to the rule where lawyers are concerned. At no time in his illustrious career did he ever do anything disreputable. Not even an unpaid parking ticket for his rather expensive hover car. What is the verse coming to these days?"
"And how is it that this news has put a smile on your face?"
"If you'll just look, I did happen to find that he has a wife and young son living on Sihnon. He seems to feel that, what with his line of work, them living there, in secret, would be much safer for them in the long run. No one even knows that he is married. Not even his clients, or friends. It's not even registered properly, and aliases were used. Apparently, he visits as often as he can under the guise of going to the Companion House located there."
"Excellent work Smith as usual! I too have discovered the most viable approach for us to get R. Tam back where she belongs."
"Really? Good news! Pray, please continue."
"We shall post on the cortex list that the parents are among those that are dead in the recent upheaval. The Subject and her brother will be contacted by our Mr. Michael Zheng letting them know of their inheritance in a weeks time to make it not look to hastily done. All that is required of them is the signing of documents to make the proper transfers complete. What do you think?"
"That is a brilliant way to accomplish our objective, Mr. White. Very well planned, I must say!"
"Thank you, Mr. Smith. I think I will leave the coercion of the lawyer in your capable hands."
"I believe I shall enjoy that greatly. Within a month's time R. Tam will be back where she belongs no matter who, or what, stands in our way. Let the games begin, Mr. White!"
"Just so, Mr. Smith!"