The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us. – Ashley Montagu
Samantha
"Jess? Jess, are you there? Come in!" The quiet that held the other end of the mic was alarming. "Jess? Hello?!" More silence followed and then Sam heard a faint snicker. Is someone else there?
"Jess, what in the hell is going on?"
She heard her youngest utter a few unintelligible noises and then came she shouted, "Yes! Yes, I'm here! Sorry…." Jess swallowed hard, "I, uh, just met our contact…Mr. Oh is here with our, um, information…" And he has obviously sidetracked you.
Sam shook her head, "Ah, that explains the silence. Tell him to wait there. I'm on my way to you."
"Um, ok….We're on the opposite side of this big ass room near the main kitchen…" Another small laugh came from the man who could only be Mr. Oh in the flesh. The nervousness in her sister's tone was as unmistakable. Sam decided it was best if she hurried to them.
To maintain her cover Sam made the effort to stop at a few tables with her dish bin. She had forgotten what it was like to work a job like this. Concluding that she could never be jealous of the actual staff members, she placed a particularly disgusting set of bowls in the container. On the other hand, she would never covet being in her current situation if she were any of them and was aware that a government agent was hiding amongst their ranks.
Sam stopped at one last table to retrieve a stack of dirty plates and cups. As she collected them, she became conscious of a couple far off to her right whispering to each other. She couldn't see the man's face but the cute woman looked absolutely thrilled to be conversing with him so Sam thought he must be attractive as well. Or at the very least the man had to be ridiculously charismatic. The woman grinned and giggled endlessly. Must be nice to be that carefree right now.
Sam didn't covet the role she was forced to endure, but she was envious of that sight. How lucky you are…. She heard the lady chuckle once more and then suddenly stop as she noticed the eldest watching them. The woman made a sour face and then nodded in Sam's direction. Shit! Stared too long. Oh hell, that sounds creepy….
Quickly going back to the dishes, Sam ducked her head to avoid their gaze. As the last plate went in the bin, she scurried away embarrassed. Jesus, that was so lame of me.
Seeing Jess after that was a breath of fresh air. From the look on Jess's face when she saw her sister approaching, she felt the same. The man sitting next to her – right next to her – watched Sam like a hawk as she got closer to them. That must be him. Taking note of his unmistakable handsomeness: Ah, wow, I think I get why she was getting so flustered now. Mr. Oh in person is way better looking than his picture suggests.
The dish bin hit their tabletop with a *thud* that was a little louder than Sam intended but she just shrugged it off. Damn thing was starting to get heavy anyway. Sehun didn't give Sam a chance to speak first.
"Uh, can we help you with something?" He asked in a holier-than-thou tone of voice.
Taken aback, "Yeah…I'm here to see a man about a flash drive." Sam placed both hands on the table and looked him in the eye, unappreciative of his cheekiness. "I assume that's you?"
His eyes widened and then swiftly went back to being critical. "Sorry, other Agent Wilson, I didn't recognize you. I thought you'd be," he looked her up and down, "a contestant."
Jess's turned her red face to glare at him. Sam retorted, "I guess we weren't all fortunate enough to get to wear a tux to the party. That however doesn't mean I don't still need you to give me the drive, Mr. Oh." Sam was trying to be patient but his look of superiority was irritating as fuck. "So how about you hand it over?" I'm in no mood for this shit. She was still reeling from her previous embarrassment.
"Ah, but that outfit doesn't make you seem qualified." Sehun stated with a smirk. Whatever games you been playing with my sister will not work on me. That I can assure you.
Jess groaned and put her face in her hands. Sam exhaled noisily, "We're in the business of deception, Mr. Oh. You can be certain that my non-assuming appearance is tactical advantage. Besides that, no one in our bureau but me has the necessary skills to un-code the information you've just recovered. And you have orders, so how about you just cut the crap? Do what you're told and give the damned thing up." Sam stood up tall, held out her palm, and derisively added, "It's in good hands."
Sehun was quiet as he processed her response while Jess looked up to sneer at him triumphantly. She must have been having some serious trouble dealing with him up until now. He closed his eyes briefly and then took in a big gulf of air as produced the drive from his pocket. The drive slid across the table and Sam snatched it up and promptly shoved it her own pocket. No one nearby had time to observed the transaction.
"Nice to have met you, Mr. Oh, but I must be going." Sam bowed courteously and picked up the hefty bin. She spoke directly to Jess then– who looked distraught that she was leaving – and said, "Stay here until you get the call, and then find Greco in the auxiliary kitchen on this floor. See you on the outside. Be safe."
Jess choked, "Good luck…." And with that Sam left the two alone and headed to the main kitchen. The eldest honestly felt bad about leaving her sister to deal with such an obnoxious man but she figured that somehow Jess would be ok. The youngest had a tough skin and could handle herself well, so one annoying guy shouldn't be too much trouble. I hope.
More people began filling the tables as Sam passed them. Most of them were full when she reached the swinging doors, all except for one. One table was missing a previous occupant, but Sam didn't have time to note the change. Her mind only pushed her body forward.
Sam ridded herself of the dish bin and moved hastily through a crowd of chefs and servers prepping for the next segment of the show. She exited the kitchen and entered into a service hallway thankfully void of surveillance. Radioing Greco, "I have finished my shift. Headed home." The code indicated that it was time for him to shut down the camera feeds.
At the far end of the hallway a set of stairs led down to the sub level of the convention center. Sam strode over to the stairs gradually, waiting for the signal that she was in the clear before descending.
Greco's husky voice replied, "You're free to go." Sam carefully walked down the stairs and turned a corner before coming to a door that lead to the maintenance hallways. They stretched from one end of the building to the other, giving her a perfect, mostly unattended route to the parking lot were her ride waited for her.
She made sure to walk as speedily as possible. Sam wanted to relieve her sister as quickly as possible of Mr. Oh, and Jess would most definitely appreciate that. Poor thing had been so infatuated with his good looks that she must have been disappointed with his less than favorable demeanor upon meeting him.
The passage in front of Sam seemed to go on forever. With only the sounds of her footsteps to break the silence, Sam's mind began to wander. Unfortunately her thoughts focused on the one person she was trying to avoid thinking about.
So far Greco had been generally indifferent about seeing her again, but the look on his face as he left the hotel room before haunted her. Was that sad look in your eyes genuine? Were you really disappointed that I wasn't as over the moon about reuniting you as you were about meeting me again?
She and Greco had been lovers once upon a time. It seemed so strange now that they were merely colleagues. Having him along on this mission was not only awkward but nerve racking. She hated how much his presence was throwing her off.
Out of nowhere, a set of footstep behind her matched her steps. Sam halted immediately and turned to look over her shoulder, her left hand reaching for her sidearm. She found the passage just as empty as she had left it. What in the hell was that?
Sam turned back around slowly and then almost sprinted to a break in the hall in front of her. She disappeared around the corner and put her back against the wall. The footsteps started again and were coming closer to her. What the fuck, is someone following me?! I was sure that no one saw me come down here….
She raised her weapon to her chest and prepared herself to get the jump on her stalker. As she inhaled, Sam's muscles tightened and her heart sped up. Unexpectedly the footstep stopped at the edge of the hallway. Sam heard the *click* of a safety slide back and she gulped. Now or never!
Sam rounded the corner, her gun leading the way. The barrel of another gun and a man - who momentarily caused her concentration to waiver - met her. The man in question was striking to behold to say the least.
He had a beautifully angled face with a broad chin and amazingly prominent cheekbones. His shadowy eyes were fixed on her underneath an upwardly side swept reddish-brown hairstyle that flattered his appealing features. The man's cat-like lips parted slightly as if he were going to say something to her. However, he just stared as hard at her as she was staring at him. Sam's heart began to beat even faster as she discerned that she had never seen a more stunning-looking man in her life.
"Who-" Sam was cut off by the sudden sound of alarms and the flashing of red lights overhead. The man blinked a few times and then lowered his weapon and grunted, annoyed. Still holding up her gun, Sam gave him a confused look. Before she could try and ask him who he was again, the pounding of heavy boots on the concrete floor behind the mysterious man caught her attention.
The man looked behind him as a crowd of guards came running, automated weapons pointed squarely at them. They didn't bother telling the two to drop their own weapons before opening fire. Sam didn't think about what she was doing in those few seconds; she just acted.
She reached out and grabbed a fistful of the man's shirt to his surprise and pulled him around the corner along with her. A hail of bullets ate huge chunks out of the wall next to them, and Sam turned her head to avoid the debris flying at them in chunks.
The security discontinued their fire and starting sprinting at them again. The man pushed her aside and threw something around the corner. Then he grabbed her arm to pull her away from the blast that resulted in a thick cloud of smoke. Sam barely had time to process what was happening before she spotted her new companion jogging away from the smoke that had started to fill the corridors.
*cough* *cough* "…hey…wait!" Sam took off after him once she gained her composure. He turned back to look at her briefly but kept running. And then she realized something: He's the guy I saw talking to that pretty woman in the dining hall…What the fuck…Who is he?!
Despite feeling almost as disoriented as the guards by the man's actions, she was grateful for the diversion he created. If he hadn't had that ace up his sleeve, the combination of the guards' numbers and firepower surely would have overwhelmed them. Sam tried to rack her brain about what could have gone wrong to put her in this situation in the first place.
Everything was going according to plan and then suddenly this super sexy stranger shows up and it all goes to shit. Did he trip an alarm or could it be something else? There's something about this man that I can't quite place...The way he looks is just so…wait…dammit! Now is not the time to get distracted by his pretty face! I need answers and more importantly a way out of here! Sam shook her head, trying to focus back on the task at hand.
The man was far ahead of her and as she watched him round a turn in the corridor, she heard a very audible *crack*. In the next moment he was on his back. Shit, now what? Sam slowed her pace and poised her weapon. She reached the bend and the man on the floor but saw only emptiness stretched out in front of her. Looking down, she noted that he appeared to be out cold.
"What in the hell-" A very sharp elbow to the back of her neck sent her to her knees. She barely had enough time to flip on her back and roll out of the way before her attacker fired a shot. It missed her head but left her right ear ringing. Sam fired in retaliation and the bullet grazed the attacker's hand, sending the weapon flying out of it.
The assailant held up their hands in submission as Sam gradually got up. She kept her gun pointed at them as she rose. They backed up a few steps, almost tripping over her companion – who began to regain consciousness. Sam was about to shoot them but the man grabbed them by both legs and tackled them to the floor before she could.
Both thrashed about for a while, leaving Sam without a clear window to fire. The assailant got the upper hand and freed themselves from his grasp long enough to dodge roll and pick up their weapon. They were quick to avoid the man who lunged for them again and disarm Sam with a swift kick to her forearm.
Then the attacker ducked under her counter punch and pulled her arm behind her back. She felt cold metal against the nape of her neck causing her to freeze. They forced her to her knees, rendering her helpless.
Leaning down to speak in her ear, "Hand over the fucking drive or I'm putting a bullet in your skull." The inflection sounded feminine and somehow familiar…. Sam struggled to free herself but they held her firmly in place and pressed their gun harder into her skin.
"Fuck. You," She winced, grinding her teeth. The assailant pulled the gun away and then smashed the butt of it hard against the back of Sam's head. She fell to the ground with a grunt and her vision went momentarily dark.
Sam heard the man shout in a very attractive voice, "Drop it now!" Then he took a few steps closer to stand over her. Is he protecting me…? No…he can't be. He barely knows me.
The attacker back-stepped and laughed, "I didn't anticipate Agent Wilson having a bodyguard…at least she has good taste."
Sam recovered some of her sight long enough to catch sight of his smirk as he retorted, "She didn't expect me either. I guess I'm good at that sort of thing."
"Maybe, but you obviously weren't clever enough to avoid me. Now give me the drive or I'll kill you both."
"I don't think so. In case you haven't notice you don't exactly have the advantage here anymore." He stood a little closer to Sam as she struggled to lift herself.
"Oh, don't I?" They asked defiantly. The sentries appeared as they spoke and raced toward the three. The assailant laughed for a second time while the man yielded to the command of one of the guards to stand down. In the next second a punch was thrown to his abdomen and he fell down next to Sam.
The attacker grabbed Sam's ponytail and pulled her head back roughly as they dug in her pockets for the drive. Upon finding it, the attacker kicked her in the gut, "So much for being one of the best, Agent Wilson. I guess your good fortune has finally run out."
"That...voice…" Sam held onto her stomach, the agony from the kick making her want to vomit. The man grimaced and stared daggers at the assailant. Sam knew by his expression that he wanted to leap at them again, but both knew he would be put down before he could reach them.
The attacker turned to walk away and flatly commanded, "Kill them." The security raised their weapons but they weren't fast enough. To Sam's surprise, the man had enough strength to shove her out of the line of fire while sliding behind the wall across from her. Bullets ripped through the concrete.
Sam put her weight against the wall and bit-by-bit ascended to her feet. As the guards progressed in their direction, she saw the assailant sprint through a door and disappear. She felt compelled to chase after them. I have to get the data back!
The man poked his head out and then pulled back as more bullets flew in his direction. Sam snapped her attention to him and their eyes locked. Her already pounding heart felt like it might burst out of her chest.
"What are you waiting for?! Go after them!" His bitter words and her own instincts ordered her to give pursuit. However, the pleading look in his eyes told her that he wanted her stay and help, and that left her torn. The job always comes first…but if I just leave him here….
It was supposed to be a simple choice, but where did she draw the line? When did duty stop being more important than human lives...? Sam's mind flashed back to her mission in Prague before she forced the memories away. No! I won't that happen again!
Sam got down on her haunches, "Listen to me! I'm going to draw their fire so you can make a break for it!"
"What?! Are you insane; you have to go after the data!"
Sam scowled, "Do you want to live or not?!" The man went quiet and glowered back at her for a long time. He then pulled himself up and waited with an irritated expression for her to make her move.
She took a deep breath and then spun around the corner to discharge a few shots. Preoccupied with her, the guards fired in her direction as the man took the opportunity to dive for cover. He dodged most of the shots, but one bullet managed to scrape his left shoulder.
"Ah!" He went against the wall beside her, holding on to his shoulder and sinking down from the pain. Sam bent down next to him and helped him up and he shook her off. "I'm fine," he hissed.
Sam drew back from him, aggravated by his attitude. "You got any more of those smoke bombs, tough guy?" He shot her a sideways glance and then handed her a dark gray pellet. She threw it down the hall as the two of them lumbered away, both trying to ignore their injuries.
They had made it ways down the passage before an abrupt series of explosions from the floor above sent them crashing into each other. He caught Sam by her waist with his wounded arm and she went to support his upper back before they both hit the floor. Having him so close to her made her blush somewhat.
"What was that?" She asked to no one in particular and the man replied with a pined groan. Sam thought of Jess then and she mentally prayed that her youngest hadn't been caught in the blasts. Please, I can't lose her too…Jesus Christ, what the fuck is going on?
Sam pulled them both upright and to her astonishment he didn't move away from her as quickly as before. He gently released himself from her grasp and rested against the wall. Sam brushed herself off and forced her face to return to its natural shade.
"Whatever is happening," he breathed, looking serious, "it looks like we're stuck with each other. For now, it looks like I have to trust you." The man narrowed his eyes in frustration at the idea.
She rolled hers and spat out, "Whatever. I really don't need you slowing me down. But because we're both injured…I guess I'll make an exception just this once." Sam placed her gun in the waistband of her pants, "If that's how it's going to be and seeing as how I just saved your ass twice, you owe me your trust and your cooperation at the very least."
He sighed, "You've got me there." He pushed off the wall, unexpectedly finding the vigor to stand tall. "Fine, we'll do things your way. But don't expect much else from me other than that." Ungrateful asshole.
"Oh believe me, I won't be asking you out or anything after this. You've just been a pain in my ass so far anyway." She sassily placed a hand on her hip, "And since we're doing things my way, I want to know the name of the man I have the displeasure of dealing with until this is all over."
He didn't reply right away but instead grinned widely at her. Sam noted that his smile was breathtaking and tried to hide the blush threatening to burn her cheeks. She didn't know if she was more annoyed by his disposition or by the fact that his undeniable sexiness was making her a little weak in the knees.
"Agent Kim Jongdae. Nice to make your acquaintance, Special Agent Samantha Wilson." Of course his words came out sarcastically, but she decided in that instance that maybe putting up with him wouldn't be so bad after all. Unlike Mr. Oh, he seemed to know – mostly in any case - when he was defeated.
Oh, this outta be interesting.