I'd disguise myself as one of the many tourists that were already infesting the place, skulk around for some dirt on The Brotherhood, bring it back to our headquarters in Redaen, and get paid. Simple enough. The only things I'd be fighting in a place like Alto Mare would be my own vices.
I breathed a deep sigh and stood up to look out the window. The sun was setting by that point, what with all of my reflective thinking... I knew I had to call it quits and start from square one tomorrow. So I said "Screw it," and flopped back down. Sleep would come to me, one way or another.
"Gordon? Gordon, you there? Over."
As soon as my eyes felt like opening, I noticed that my chest of supplies was vibrating. The muffled sounds coming from inside only furthered my suspicions, and I reached over to unlatch the box. I brushed my hand around on the inside until I came across my communicator, also known as my only means of contacting headquarters. Not a pleasant thought, but... that's the price to pay if you don't want The Brotherhood finding out who you work for.
"...Yeah?" I brought the device up to my ear and yawned loudly.
"He slacking again?" A voice in the background asked.
"Gordon! I was waiting all morning for you to answer! What time did you get up?"
I knew that voice- the second one, that is. It was my good friend Thomas, grandson of The General, and unlike said old grouch, a good man. Thomas was my student for who knows how many years before he eventually 'climbed the ladder' like his old man to become a commander like myself. As for why he of all people would be calling, though, I had no clue.
"Uh..." I shot a glance at the clock and shrunk back at what I saw. "...Eleven..." I muttered.
"Drragh! Eleven?! I could've completed twice as many missions by then! Lousy slacker!" The General could still be heard in the background.
Thomas could be heard sighing. "Gordon... You know my grandfather's right. You've got to pick up the pace! We can't afford to have you over there dozing off while The Brotherhood could be doing God only knows what."
"I know! I know!" I instinctively pushed back with my hands. "I hear you loud and clear!"
"If he heard me 'loud and clear', then why didn't he pull his head out of his ass and-"
"Grandpop, I think he gets it." Thomas paused for a moment. "Right. You know what to do, Gordon. Don't let us keep you." There was a crackling noise and the communicator switched off.
I let the realization hit me that I was already behind schedule and rushed over to my supplies to catch up. Digging through the bag, I removed a clean set of clothes and ran to the bathroom. I was probably a bit too frantic at that point, but, hey, when General Johnston gets pissed... you don't want to make it worse. I at least had the advantage of being far, far away from the old man then and there.
I eyed the badge on my black and white uniform that read 'Gordon Richard' and immediately tore it off. That would have to go into the bag. Unfortunately, so would a great many other things. The badge was soon joined by: my uniform, my socks, my combat gloves; basically anything I was wearing before...
But my disguise wouldn't be just clothing, oh no. That's not what that container of hair dye in the chest said. No doubt Johnston's doing... I'd probably also have to give myself a haircut...
Fast forward one hour later and out of the bathroom steps not Gordon Richard, but Daniel Lee. And boy was Mister Lee just... oozing style... He wore a ragged pair of jean shorts and a thick pair of leather sandals. His vibrant tropical t-shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a white undershirt and a necklace of black beads. A pair of gaudy sunglasses sat on top of his nose, just below a banded straw hat. Ah, I almost forgot to mention his... blonde... hair.
Gah, I miss my orange hair... I lifted my hat up and ran my fingers through my hair, which was now nothing more than a shaggy mess of blonde. It was a sacrifice. I reminded myself. Yeah, a damn stupid sacrifice... Sighing, I figured that the sooner I finished my business, the sooner I could get back to dressing like I had a clue.
My plan for the day (God, how I hoped it would be the only one) was simple: I'd plan a route out on my map, walk and talk, then bag it and tag it... I didn't really know just what else Johnston had expected me to do, that was the thing. One way or another, though, I knew I'd be getting an earful from him no matter what. So, I'd stick to my plan. Heh, if there was a bright side to it, it was that I'd be the one planning.
That being decided, I stepped out and took a glance at my surroundings. Yep, still beautiful. It just wasn't going to be easy...
"Eh, quit your whining, gingerbread man." The Johnston in my head scolded me.
Tempted as I was to just bang that little nuisance out of there, I knew he was probably the only thing keeping me on track. So I stuck with my game plan. My particular route would span from my house, through the central marketplace, and end at a nice little park on the other side of the city. Then I'd swivel on my heel, make the trek back, and store whatever information I found.
Being Daniel Lee wouldn't be too hard, anyway. I did have experience, despite what some people may have thought. Besides, it wasn't exactly the hardest thing to act like an ignorant tourist when you essentially were one. I didn't have a clue about Alto Mare, except that it looked nice on that postcard I saw once. And after this was over, I would be thoroughly content with that.
So I became just another face in the crowd. It was... alarmingly easy. Not a single local seemed to give a damn as me and the other middle-aged-looking, camera-toting, sunburned people wandered aimlessly through the streets. It was almost... depressing. So many people, packed like sardines, and... I was no one. It was certainly an interesting experience, I could say that much. Just a boring one.
"Damn it, man! Get your head out of la-la land!" My imaginary general friend hissed.
Shaking my head and allowing myself to slow down, I realized I was in the marketplace. Despite being the very heart of Alto Mare, the market was surprisingly vacant. If anything, the tourists were only using it to reach other areas. There was a distinct smell of seafood wafting in the air as merchants and their aides rushed to and from their stalls. My eyes rested briefly on a fountain in the dead center, topped with a statue of some pair of mythical creatures.
I rolled my eyes. Probably just some local drivel. Redaen has its 'extraterrestrial beings' and these people have... whatever those are... I gave the statues a wary look.
Whatever was being depicted was flying with its rocket-like wings. The figures had long necks and pointed ears, not to mention a pair of stubby arms on their forefronts. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there were supposed to be two of them... But, hey, who was to say when they looked so similar? Despite that, I couldn't help but notice how the statue on the left seemed to capture a distinct look of... what was that, happiness?
Nrgh. Why am I wasting my time looking at this..?. I shook the thought and continued my walk. I had to be honest with myself, at that point, I was so totally right. There was nothing on Alto Mare! I really just wanted to scream it in the face of The General, but... you know...
The people I had asked about 'strangers', 'cultists', and 'tattooed men' all gave me looks of disbelief and shrugged. My faith in Johnston's intuition began to wane as this became the pattern. Then again, most of the people I had asked were tourists, probably just as clueless as I was.
As I neared the end of my little trek, I rubbed my hand across my face, defeated and frustrated. I figured that at that point, I'd probably created a bit of a stir anyway, so I'd just turn around and make my way back. Then this whole cycle would repeat itself tomorrow, and the next day, and every week after until Johnston had his fun...
He always did call me incompetent... I thought, grinding my teeth. I wanted to dwell in my anger, but when I slipped on something, I couldn't.
As I came to, pain surging throughout my leg, I noticed that I was in the park. And damn, it was just as, if not more, picturesque as the rest of the island. Rolling green hills with grass as soft as cotton, sprinkled with flowers of every size, shape, and color... Not to mention the towering trees and the way the afternoon sun shined through their leaves. The scent of honeysuckle was lingering throughout the air, like a freshly-lit candle.
But I wasn't about to let nature distract me. Not again. I thought. I pulled myself to my feet and dusted my shorts off. Well, of course, I had managed to land in a puddle.
Maybe if I just laid down in the sun for a little... I slapped myself for the thought. No thank you, nature! I grunted as I felt the heat from the sun hit my hand. ...Ten minutes. Tops. I eventually settled, finding a particularly warm spot on the top of a hill.
Little was I aware, my mind was intent on tricking me into wasting even more time. The thought never struck me, though, because I fell asleep. By the time I was back to my senses, I had to resist the urge to strike myself again.
"That's what I'm here for!" The little Johnston in the back of my head shouted.
Cursing myself mentally, I prepared to trudge back to the safe house with what little knowledge I had gained.
"Wait up!" A voice came from overhead, sounding almost like it was inside of my head.
I cocked my head up just in time to see two blurs buzz past me without so much as a care. Whatever they were, they stirred up a wind so fierce it knocked that cheap straw hat right off of my head and sent it flying away.
Of course, I was still in shock, so I had yet to realize that. "W-what?" I gasped, my head flashing from the ground where I was sitting back up to the sky. I knew I was at least a little tired, but not to the point where I'd start hallucinating.