I managed to get a new laptop! So here is an early Christmas present to my loyal readers. Also, if any of you also read Going on an Adventure/Finding Something better, I lost the bit that I had and that next chapter is having problems being written. Maybe you could give me some ideas on what could happen whilst Bilbo is unconscious? I just need a little help to get started.
Chapter 3
It had been a few weeks since Cassie's little seizure and the two agents still knew pretty much nothing about her, except that after her seizures she drank lots of fluids and whilst she could drink tea, she really wasn't a fan of it. They had tried talking to the 'minions' as Cassie had affectionately started calling them, but they all said the same thing; they didn't know where she came from or anything else about her. The only thing that was discovered in the few weeks they had devoted to figuring her out, were the names of her two other pets; Matches the lizard and Corvus the crow. When asked about the peculiarity of the names, she merely replied she didn't believe in giving silly names to animals; Corvus was the name of the crow constellation and she found Matches in the dessert; apparently the little bugger kept stealing her matches when she tried to start a fire. They had tried to look at her personal file, but were shocked when all that turned up was the name she had given as well as a serial number. Neither agent liked what that implied; their own files had more information than hers, nor did either have a serial number. But on hers there wasn't any real information; no blood type, no allergies, not even the epilepsy was listed. They had tried Franklyn, to see if he had gained anything when they touched, but that was shot down when he reminded them that she had shut off his powers just before she touched him. She was a true mystery; nothing on paper, her mind was protected by the psychic serpent, and she had shut off the psychometrics powers before touching him. Not even Silva could find anything on her and considering his own skills with computers; Raoul could openly admit that she was very good at hiding herself. When Raoul said that, there was more than a hint of admiration in his voice, causing Alec to tease the cyberterrorist about being yet another to develop a crush on the mysterious young girl, to which Raoul replied that at least his 'crush' was based on what he had seen of her mental skill and not her physical skills or her physical beauty.
It was as they were trying to figure out how to get more information on her that they were again called into M's office for a mission.
"You two have been called here for two reasons; one, it has reached the ears of our government that Russia has been developing a new weapon that could have devastating effects if it comes to fruition. The weapon is called Goldeneye. You will get the details from the Quartermaster and Cassandra." That appeared to be all, so James asked,
"M, you said that there were two things; Goldeneye is only one thing."
"The other item is that on this mission, the two of you will be taking Cassandra along with you; 002 and 003 have returned from their mission with her and have agreed to work with her again in the future. After the two of you return with her and give me your report, in a timely fashion this time, then she will have her mission with 008 and 009." The two looked at each other before Alec asked,
"With all due respect to both you and Cassandra, is this really the mission you want her second debut on?"
"It was the Quartermaster's idea to have her assigned to this particular mission; he feels that this mission is right up her street. As a matter of fact, he requested that this mission be a solo for her, but I wanted at least two agents to guard her, and this mission is too important for 008 and 009 is still in Nicaragua. Now both of you get out of here and get down to Q Branch." Both men got up at the dismissal and headed down to the aforementioned Branch.
"Curiouser and curiouser, wouldn't you say so, partner?" James asked as they got into the lift and Alec nodded.
"Instead of seeing how well she does flying solo, she wants two agents to go with her?"
"And why would Cassie need guarding? We saw that she can handle herself just fine. I would be more worried for the enemy that has to go up against her."
"The deeper we get into her mystery, the more uneasy I feel about this whole thing." Alec confessed, making James to look at him.
"You know that we can just leave this alone and go on with our mission." But Alec shook his head.
"I get the feeling that it's actually important to figure this out. I can't explain it, but it's almost the same feeling that told me to trust you." After that, the lift doors opened but James silently promised to leave it alone, as he could hardly argue with the feeling that brought them together. The two agents then entered Q Branch and were privy to hear Cassandra and Q arguing.
"I still don't understand why I have to get on a plane to do this mission! All I have to do is give one of my translocation medallions to Trevelyan and I will be there in no time!"
"Cassandra, I'm sorry, I tried for an hour to explain that to M, but she wouldn't hear of it; you will have to get on the plane with Bond and Trevelyan. Just try to think of something else when you're on the plane." At the comment, James got an idea of her problem and couldn't help but smile.
"Cassie, are you afraid of flying?" One didn't have to be a genius to hear the teasing quality in James' voice and as Cassie spun to face him, those near enough to him heard Alec mumble under his breath,
"Here we go again."
"For your information Bond, any idiot who says that they fear nothing, is not only an idiot, but also a fool. Fear makes you stronger, makes you faster and can make you cleverer. Just because you are too much of a fool and a coward to ever admit that you are afraid, does not mean the rest of us have to be that stupid." James never liked being called a coward, and so replied,
"Do you deny that for some fear is literally paralyzing? What good is fear if you are too frightened to move? To respond?"
"Without that fear, you can never know true courage. Courage isn't a matter of not being frightened; its being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."
"Did you just quote Doctor Who to me?" James asked.
"It doesn't matter if the quote came from a television program or Alexander the Great or Churchill. If it applies to life, it's a valid quote."
"Well, here's a real quote: Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins. Charles Stanley."
"Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvellously. Our eyes still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones. Thich Nhat Hand."
"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it. Chanakya."
"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it. Jiddu Krishnamurti. And, to follow, Fear, indeed, is the mother of foresight: spiritual fear, of a foresight that reaches beyond the grave; temporal fear, of a foresight that falls short; but without fear there is neither the one foresight nor the other; and as pain has been truly said to be 'the deepest thing in our nature,' so is it fear that will bring the depths of our nature within our knowledge. . Sir Henry Taylor." Before James could respond, Alec and Q got between the two, and Q had Cassie go and retrieve their equipment, with Alec going to help her.
"I can't understand how Bond honestly thinks that fear is a thing to be suppressed." Cassie said as they entered the armoury.
"Well with his upbringing, out and out admitting you were afraid just wasn't done. I have to ask though; do you fear death?" Alec asked.
"I respect death, I am not afraid to die, but in the same breath, death is going to have one hell of a struggle if he tries to claim my soul. That fight, that desire to get as much as I can out of life, it's what will keep death and I from meeting for many more years."
"Then why are you afraid of flying?" Alec saw Cassie glance at the surveillance cameras and saw her twitch her fingers.
"We are in a pressurized tube thirty thousand feet in the air, I can interact with machines and there are more than a few people in that plane with me. Being separated from the earth like that makes me very nervous." Alec understood why she was nervous now.
"You are worried that if you lose control of your ability, people are going to be killed. It's not your own death you fear, but being the cause of others that frightens you." Cassie nodded, then waved her fingers again and Alec didn't doubt that she had made the cameras not record what they had talked about, not that he blamed her. As they came back to where James and Q were waiting, Alec sent a message to James, telling him not to antagonize Cassie on the subject again.
"Ah good Cassandra. Now, for the two of you, we have the standard watch, as well as your new car; BMW, agile, five forward gears, all points radar, a self-self-destruct system, and naturally, all the usual refinements. Now, this I'm particularly proud of; behind the headlights, stinger missiles." Q said with no small degree of pride as he showed them the car they may be needing.
"Excellent; just the thing for unwinding after a hard day at the office." James replied. At this, Cassie walked over to him and said,
"Must we remind you, 007, that you and 006 have a licence to kill, not to break the traffic laws?" At her fierce glare, James quickly replied with,
"I wouldn't think of it."
"Good, because with Cassandra around, you will actually have to take care with your equipment, since I have given her full permission to use whatever means necessary to ensure that we get at least half of our equipment back." As Q said that, Cassie sent them a look that bordered on devious.
"Right, now let's get onto more practical matters: typical leather belts, male, size 34, buckle, notch." Before Q continued, he saw that James and Alec were fooling around on one of the laptops.
"Are you both quite finished?" Cassie asked with a very irritated tone.
"Yes." Both replied.
"Good, now, typical leather belts -"
"Q, Alec and I are well acquainted with those devices."
"Not ones with a 75 foot repelling cord built into the buckle; fire, and out shoots a piton, with a high tension wire built to support your weight. But only your own, so if you damage one, you'll have to glide with Cassandra."
"But I thought they only supported one person at a time?" Alec asked.
"Yes, but when she studied animals for her animal magic, she also studied arthropods, including spiders." Q explained.
"So she's spider girl?" James couldn't help asking, only to regret it as Cassie shot a wad of webbing at his mouth.
"That should wear off by the time we get to the airport." Cassie mentioned as James tried to remove it to no avail. Alec of course was no help whatsoever as he was trying and failing to stifle his laughter. Q then presented them with their tickets.
"Flight 878 to St. Petersburg. Now you should rather enjoy this 006; this pen is a class 4 grenade: three clicks arms it and another three disarms it." Alec then took the pen and clicked it three times.
"And how long is the fuse?" Cassie then grabbed it back, clicked it another three times, and replied,
"Four seconds mister wise guy. Kindly act your age when handling explosives."
"Well, they always did say that the pen was mightier than the sword."
"And thanks to me, they were right. Look, let's ask Fred here to demonstrate. Sorry about this Fred." Q said as he put the pen on a testing dummy, and the four of them watched as the pen blew up the dummy.
"Don't say it Trevelyan!"
"The writing's on the wall?"
"Along with the rest of him! Now Cassandra dear, why don't you go grab those guns you were working on for 006 and 007 as well as your laptop and knives?" As Cassie went to do as she was told, Q turned to the two agents and levelled them with a rather harsh glare.
"Rest assured you two, if Cassandra comes to any harm whilst under your care, I'll make you both wish you had never come back." Both agents simply nodded, this time meaning it; never before had the Quartermaster looked so dangerous than that moment. As Cassie came back with a shoulder bag and two guns, Q's glare dropped and he smiled as she presented them with their guns.
"Now, these guns are specifically designed to fire only for you respectively. Not even a shapeshifter can use them as they are set to your individual mental patterns." Cassie watched unimpressed as James and Alec tried firing each others guns at each others heads, only for them to click uselessly.
"Impressive."
"I got the idea when I saw Lukas get shot with his own gun on our mission together. Now, the sooner we get to the airport, the sooner we can get the bloody aeroplane ride out of the way." So saying, the three drove to the airport, and just as the webbing on James' mouth evaporated, they got on the plane, and both men saw that Cassie seemed to be getting more and more green around the gills. Since she looked ready to be ill, they decided that James would get the window seat, Alec would sit in the middle and Cassie would sit in the aisle seat. As they started to take off, Alec watched as she gripped the armrests with a death grip. Alec and James glanced at each other before he gently put his hand on Cassie's and tried to help her relax.
"Do you want a tranquilizer? The steward should have some." Cassie shook her head.
"No good; I can't swallow pills."
"Just try and take your mind off of it; it'll only be a few hours." James pointed out. They saw Cassie nod, then watched as she started mumbling something under her breath. Alec leaned closer to her and tried to hear what she was saying.
"... conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure."
"Are you reciting the Gettysburg Address? In Latin?" Cassie nodded again and stopped just long enough to say,
"I will repeat it in as many languages as need be until we land."
"So much for that bit of kindness." James replied to Alec, which just made Alec want to swat him; it was hardly the girl's fault that flying affected her so badly. Only for Cassie to respond with,
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Aesop." Cassie then went back to reciting the Gettysburg Address, this time in Spanish. For the rest of the trip, James and Alec were quietly talking about nothing in particular and keeping an eye on Cassie so that she wouldn't accidentally cause problems. As they started to land, both agents saw her becoming worried again. As they felt the plane start to experience turbulence that was not natural, James was about to try and breach her mental defences and stop her, when Alec felt her grip his arm accidentally instead of the armrest. He felt her strength in the grip and knew that James would not be able to penetrate her defences, so he did the only he could think of; he manoeuvred her hand so that it clasped his. At the sudden contact, she looked at him and he gripped her hand tightly. As he did, she seemed to calm down, and the turbulence eased.
"You don't have to worry so much; James and I won't let anything happen to you." Sensing that Alec was telling the truth, Cassie soothed their trip so that they landed smoothly.
"Next time, give us one of those translocation medallions things that you mentioned to Q, even if M refuses. You shouldn't have to go through that." James said as they got off the plane and went into the terminal. He may have teased Cassie about her fear of flying, but he hadn't known her fear ran that deeply.
"Thanks for that, but I'm afraid they don't work that well when you have to cross the ocean. You see, the medallions go along the electromagnetic ley lines that cross the world, but when they cross the ocean, something wonky happens and when you intend to land in Nova Scotia, you end up in Poughkeepsie. I still haven't been able to fix that since I don't know what I'm doing wrong; if you don't know how something is broken, it's kinda difficult to fix it." Cassie said as they stepped out of the terminal and tried to locate the CIA man who was supposed to work with them. That was when James took a good look at Cassie and saw that she had on only a simple wind breaker; hardly fit for however long they'd be in St Petersburg.
"Did you forget to grab a decent coat when we left Q Branch?" James asked and Cassie looked at him strangely.
"This is the coat that M sanctioned for me. Don't worry about it so much Bond; I don't feel the cold." Both men looked exasperated at this.
"I don't care if you feel the cold or not, I am not going to be the one to explain to Q why you developed a cold whilst under our care. There's a store just over there, go and get yourself a better jacket. We'll wait for you." Cassie gave them a strange look but went to the store James pointed out to her. Again the two men looked at each other before Alec said,
"The coat M sanctioned for her? That coat is hardly suitable for English weather, let alone St Petersburg. Even if she doesn't 'feel the cold' as she said." James nodded then saw the man who matched the CIA's description.
"I think I just found our contact, wait for Cassie." James said as he started walking towards the man in question. As he came up beside him, James said
"In London April is a spring month." Instead of replying with the proper code, the man said,
"Oh yeah? And what are you, the weatherman? I mean, for crying out loud... another stiff-stiff-ass Brit, with your secret codes and your passwords. One of these days you guys are gonna learn just to drop it. Come on, my car's over there." As the man had his little tirade, Cassie, in a much warmer coat, and Alec had walked over.
"After you." Cassie said and the men noticed an iciness to her voice that hadn't been there since they arrived at the airport. As the three walked over to any ugly little Volkswagen, James and Alec could not see any tension, so they assumed it was to do with something else. When the CIA man opened a door for Cassie, she again said,
"After you."
"Thank you." As the man started to get into the car however, Cassie slammed the door on him, grabbed his gun from its holster, tossed it to Alec and, using the car door to pin the man to the car, drew a knife faster than a man could sneeze. James and Alec were highly impressed with how fast she moved; the whole interaction happened in under a minute.
"Like you said, 'Drop it.'" Alec said so the CIA man quickly said,
"All right, in London April is a spring month, whereas in St Petersburg we're freezing our butts off. Is that close enough for government work?" Again the man tried to move, only for Cassie to push the knife closer to his throat.
"You know, I generally don't like Americans; your people have some of the biggest egos there are, and consider your nation to be the best there is, despite others having been around long before you. You also only ever talk about yourselves in wars; you talk about the Korean conflict of the 50's, but you never talk about how when your troops fled Seoul, the Canadians stood their ground and even fought hand to hand combat. In the battle of 1812, because the Canadians only repelled you and didn't take over your land, you say that they lost, when they proved to be better; you tried to expand your land, a they didn't let you, but instead of taking some of your land, they merely said stay out. Now, with all of that in mind, you are quickly dwindling down my last nerve. Now watch." As Cassie spoke, she put her knife away and the three men watched as quills came up through her arm and through her coat, though that wasn't the end, the quills seemed to shine in the light, and that shine had a rather venomous look to it.
"These are porcupine quills, alone, they are quite painful as they can go deep enough to practically warrant surgery. But what I draw your attention to is the venom coating them; the venom is of one of the most feared snakes in the world, as well as one of the most aggressive and something of a favourite of mine; the dreaded Black Mamba. Its venom acts almost lightning fast, attacking the central nervous system and shutting down major organs. Twenty minutes after being bitten you may lose the ability to talk. After an hour you're probably comatose, and by six hours, without an antidote, you are dead. And here in St Petersburg, do you really think that they have an antidote to Black Mamba venom?" Cassie never looked away from the man's eyes as she said this, and the men could tell she was dead serious.
"Unless you want to experience that, I suggest that you show us the rose." James said.
"Please no." The man pleaded, only for Cassie to bring her arm closer to him.
"All right, all right, all right, one of you call this pit bull off OK?" The man asked as he started to lower his trousers. When they saw the tattoo on his thigh of a rose with the name 'Muffy' written over top, Cassie retracted her quills and Alec asked,
"'Muffy?'"
"Third wife. Jack Wade, CIA." Jack said as he pulled his trousers up and shook James' hand as the three started to introduce themselves.
"James Bond, stiff-assed Brit."
"Alec Trevelyan, partner in crime. And this pit bull is-" Alec was cut off as Cassie cut in with,
"Jessica King, and I am the one who has the dubious pleasure of making sure these two morons don't start world war 3. Sorry about the quills mate, but if Goldeneye is anywhere near operational, we can't be too careful." Jack was so interested in Cassie that he never saw James and Alec glance at each other.
"Are you kidding? With that kind of coldness, I may just ask if we can borrow you for extreme interrogations. You do any other venom besides Black Mamba?" Jack asked as the four all got into the Volkswagen.
"Of course, I just used Black Mamba because most people are deadly afraid of them, seeing as they have a 75% mortality rate, previously 100%. And it's not just snakes, it's also arthropods like spiders and scorpions as well as mollusks like the sea dwelling cone snail."
"The what now, honey?" Jack asked.
"Don't call me honey and I said the Cone Snail. You usually find them on the beaches of Australia, and they look like perfectly normal sea shells until you disturb it by picking it up. Then it stings you; it won't kill you but you will be in agony for months to come; one man who was stung said that he could still feel the pain of the sting six months after the incident. It can sometimes go on for even longer. And I'm afraid working with you would be a waste of time since I wasn't lying when I said I hate Americans."
"Ah, just ask for me darling; I'm the cuddliest guy you could ever want to work with. Now, we're going to stop off at our hotel and you little lady are going to fill us in on just what Goldeneye is, since it was too case sensitive to reveal otherwise. Especially if those nut jobs in S.P.E.C.T.R.E. are listening and waiting for it to be completed." The rest of the trip was spent in silence as Jack drove them to their hotel. As they arrived and stepped out, Jack said,
"So Jimmy and Alex are sharing a room and I guess you're sharing with me Jesse." Jack then went to help Cassie with her shoulder bag, only for her to violently flinch away.
"Sorry, but no one handles my bag but me; anyone who tries loses their hands. And is infected with a vicious form of the flesh eating virus. You would be dead within two hours. And because it's magically induced, only another magical like a shaman would be able to lift it in time. And his name is Alec, with a 'c' at the end." Cassie then went into the hotel to wait for the three males.
"Hot damn but she's one hell of a vicious little hellcat; actually infecting someone with the flesh eating virus for touching her stuff, reminds me a bit of my momma." Jack then followed Cassie inside.
"Not only vicious, also highly paranoid." Alec said and James nodded as they followed their future Quartermaster and Jack. As they checked in, the two agents saw Cassie constantly looking around in a nonchalant manner. When someone almost bumped into her, she moved away quickly and bumped into Alec. As she mumbled her apology, Alec again gently gripped her hand and kept her close. It appeared that the plane ride had disturbed her a bit, hopefully the debriefing would help her calm down. James also made sure people didn't get too close to her with his telepathy as he was beginning to understand Alec's bad feeling; she was an excellent fighter but her social skills were severely lacking, signs that someone may have bred her to be a soldier and little else, they did not need her having a panic attack with so many people around. As they took the elevator up, James noticed her taking deep breaths to stay calm. That was when he had a revelation; it wasn't flying that Cassie hated, it was the pressurized tube with so many people; Cassie suffered from claustrophobia. As they entered the room that would be James and Alec's, Cassie sat near the window and relaxed as Jack took his suitcase to his and Cassie's room.
"Feel better, Jesse?" Alec asked with emphasis on her name.
"Look, even if Cassandra Knight is an alias as well, doesn't mean I'm going to use it on every mission. I don't even understand why you use Alec Trevelyan and James Bond on every mission."
"Maybe because those are our names." James said and Cassie looked at them dumbfounded.
"You mean to tell me that you use your real names on missions that sometimes have enemies surviving? Names that the right person could use to track you down and kill you?! How the hell are you two still alive?!" The two simply shrugged as Jack knocked and Alec let him in.
"OK, now, do any of you know what we're doing here? They just told me to pick you three up and help in whatever way I can. Whatever this Goldeneye thing is, it's got my bosses pretty scared." Jack asked as he sat next to Cassie on the couch.
"I'm not surprised; if S.P.E.C.T.R.E gets their hands on this technology, no one is going to be safe, they could literally hold the world for ransom. Now, as to what Goldeneye is, in a nutshell, it's an E.M.P. emitter." Cassie summed up and the three men looked at each other.
"So they could take out our computers?" James asked only for Cassie and Alec to sigh in an exasperated manner; James could be a little narrow minded sometimes.
"Not just computers James; anything that gives off an electrical signal. So not only would our computers be out, think of people who have pacemakers; without that signal, hundreds of people would be killed. Think of the hospitals; people who have been in serious accidents need machines to breathe for them, the newborn babies whose lungs aren't working yet. All of them would die. Traffic lights going out, accidents occurring all throughout the area, and the emergency response units wouldn't have a hope of responding, phones all dead, car batteries kaput. And think about all we use computers for; criminal records, credit card ratings, land ownership's, medical records and so much more. Our civilizations are so dependent on technology, that Goldeneye is a threat to the entire world. Now I hope you are aware of how badly we need to find Goldeneye and stop it." All three men all looked properly worried.
"So how do we find Goldeneye?" Alec asked and Jack said,
"I guess that's where I come in. I know an ex-KGB guy who may know where it is. He's a tough mother, limp in the left leg, scar on his right cheek; fellow by the name of Zukovsky." Before Jack continued, James and Cassie both said,
"Valentin Dmitrovitch Zukovsky?" The two glanced at each other as the two realized they had a shared person in their shady pasts.
"Yeah, you two know him?"
"I gave him the limp." James said.
"I gave him the scar. I was here in Russia studying its wild life, he offered me a place to stay. What he didn't mention was that it would be in exchange for becoming his mistress; I told him no, he tried to detain me, so I slashed his face. And I may have stolen his car." Cassie mumbled the last bit, but Alec still heard her and chuckled.
"So with all that in mind, we need to ask Zukovsky for a favour by asking him to point us at Goldeneye. How are we going to do this? Appeal to his heart?" Jack asked.
"No, his wallet." James replied.
"Well now, that might work." And that was how the three agents ended up in Zukovsky's club. All three disarmed.
"I told you this wouldn't work." Cassie said as she shook her head and the three were seated in a booth, with James closest to Zukovsky, then Alec, and finally Cassie.
"Keep a close eye on Nikita, she is as dangerous as a wolverine." Zukovsky said as he sat down in front of James.
"James Bond and Alec Trevelyan. Charming, sophisticated secret agents. 'Shaken, but not disturbed.'" Zukovsky and his men laughed before they heard Cassie say,
"Oh they're disturbed all right; what else do you call men that come to talk to a crime boss and don't make sure his men are sufficiently distracted?" This again drew Zukovsky's attention to her.
"And Nikita Sterling, unassuming but beautiful, deadly as a snake, patient as a spider, with the temper of a badger. But, the most astonishing thing about her looks; her tiger eyes. Ordinary green one second until angered, then they show their viciousness."
"I see you haven't lost your sense of humour or poetry, Valentin. Or your need for an audience. Who's strangling the cat?" As Valentin looked towards the stage, Cassie face-palmed.
"James, the woman you just insulted is his mistress. I can smell the pheromones from here." Valentin then fired a shot between James legs.
"Nikita is correct; Irina is my mistress." James nodded and said,
"Very talented girl." Alec then added,
"Tell her to go." Zukovsky again looked towards the stage and said,
"Irina, take a hike!" Irina looked particularly peeved as she stomped off the stage.
"So Mr. Bond, Mr. Trevelyan, and dear Miss. Sterling, what is it that brings you three together and into my neighbourhood?"
"I have the dubious pleasure of working for MI6 now Valentin. I am going to be the new Quartermaster someday."
"So these two have licences to kill, and you will have a licence to hack? Still, I'm surprised to find you working for MI6, after what happened with your family." James and Alec looked at Cassie at the comment, but she was looking only at Valentin.
"The reason we're here is we need a favour. And kindly tell your man to take his eyes off my legs."
"They want *me* to do *them* a favour! I needed almost twelve stitches in my face after you slashed me, and I had an infection! Meanwhile, my knee aches every single day! Twice as bad when it is cold. Do you have any idea how long the winter lasts in this country? Tell him, Dmitri. And Sergei, I would recommend taking your eyes off of Nikita's legs."
"Well, it depends..."
"SILENCE!" Zukovsky shouted. Sergei, while he did take his eyes off of Cassie's legs, put a hand on them.
"Valentin, for an ex-KGB man, you seem to be rather short sighted. Obviously, by shooting you in the leg, I did you a favour by sparing your life." James said as Cassie kept pushing Sergei's hand away.
"So why did you not kill me?" Zukovsky asked.
"Call it a professional courtesy." Alec managed to growl out as Sergei actually gripped Cassie's leg, and he could feel her becoming ticked off.
"Then I should extend you the same courtesy." Zukovsky said as he drew his gun again, only for Cassie and Sergei to jump up and Sergei slammed his mouth onto Cassie's. He then drew back with a cry of pain. As blood started coming out of his mouth, Alec saw Cassie spit something out of her own mouth. His eyes and mind were able to piece together what happened; in a fit of temper, Cassie bit the tip of the man's tongue off. He watched, mildly fascinated as the man started foaming at the mouth as well as convulsing. As another man rushed at Cassie, Alec prepared to send him flying, only for Cassie to open her mouth wide enough for her canines to be exposed, and then something actually shot out of her mouth and into the man's eyes. As it hit, the man fell to the floor, screaming.
"You've learned a few new tricks since I saw you last Nikita." Zukovsky said as he watched in interest as two of his men writhed in agony.
"I have had the opportunity to study venomous creatures since our last meeting, Valentin. Now, the favour we need is the location of Goldeneye."
"Why should I help you? And must I remind you that if you kill me, you will be back at square one, so can we skip the threats to my life?"
"Valentin, look at your men; are either of them dying? Idiot number one has been infected with a watered down version of Brazilian Wandering Spider venom. People usually start to feel effects within 30 minutes, where they may experience high or low blood pressure, fast or slow heartbeat, nausea, stomach cramping, hypothermia, vertigo etc. The venom is also why he hasn't lost his erection; the venom has rather high levels of nitric oxide. If you hurry, you may be able to save him, as St. Petersburg has a high number of healers in their hospitals. Meanwhile, idiot number two was hit with Spitting Cobra venom, a cocktail of toxins that consist of nerve poisons and other components harmful to tissue. It won't necessarily kill him but he will be blind unless you've got a warlock healer stashed away. Now, unless you want to see what other venomous animals I can conjure up whilst keeping you alive for hours, I wouldn't push this. Also, must I remind you, that if S.P.E.C.T.R.E gets their grubby hands on an E.M.P. transmitter, then we are all dead meat? They are loyal only to their organization, not to any one country, so even if they have Russian operatives, they won't care if Russia is taken out."
"You may have a point, Nikita. Alright, but you did not hear this from me. Word has it that Goldeneye is set up in a secure, remote location in Severnaya..." So Zukovsky told them what he knew, which Cassie said was enough for her to find out where and how to get to Goldeneye.
"So she really intimidated Zukovsky into giving up info on Goldeneye?" Jack asked James as they came through the door to where Alec and Cassie were working in Alec and James' room with supper for the four of them.
"Partly intimidated, partly reminding him that if Goldeneye comes online in the hands of S.P.E.C.T.R.E, then we're all fucked." James said as he handed Alec his curry and Jack pulled out his hamburger. When Cassie tried to refuse, saying once again that she wasn't hungry, Alec gently moved the laptop away from her, picked her up, and set her down between her and James.
"You're not getting back on that laptop until you eat at least half of that curry." Alec said and her shoulders slumped as she reached and ate the curry in front of her.
"So, any luck in finding Goldeneye?" Jack asked.
"I think I have, thanks to Valentin's information. Now, we need to get in and basically examine Goldeneye, possibly stealing it in the process. I have a plan, but it will only work if I know what Goldeneye looks like. So, after I'm done eating I'm going to hack their systems to see if I can find anything. If I do this right, we may be able to complete this mission without any bloodshed." Cassie said this and Jack couldn't help but ask jokingly,
"And take away all the fun?"
"Spilling of blood when there's no need, is nothing more than senseless violence. We do this wrong, Russia could see this as an act of war and war, no matter how justified or necessary, is a crime. If I can avoid that crime by making sure this doesn't escalate, I will be a very happy person." Jack simply shrugged, he hadn't thought that the girl would take him seriously, but she had struck him as the kind who had trouble understanding jokes. He noticed her finish her curry, then try to go back to her laptop, only for James to grab her arm and tug her back down and pass her a drink. She glowered at him, only to chug her drink back, put the empty cup down, and go back to her laptop.
"How'd she do that so fast?" Jack asked, to which Alec responded,
"One of the tricks of her ability is that, when she needs it, she has oxygen independence. Whilst she was drinking, she didn't need to breathe, so she could take the whole thing quickly."
"Won't she need to go to the bathroom in like ten minutes?" Jack asked, only for Alec to shake his head.
"Another aspect is she can go long periods without having to use the loo, or even needing to eat or drink."
"Guess she'd make one hell of a sniper, huh?"
"For your information, Wade, I am a damn good sniper." This got James and Alec's attention, as this was the first real bit of information they had gotten on her. They heard the printer go off a few minutes later, but before they could look at the papers, Cassie grabbed them and looked at them.
"Alright, I'm going to make a copy of Goldeneye with the help of these, we'll see about getting a helicopter to fly us out there, go in, make the switch and erase all information on Goldeneye."
"You make it sound so simple." Alec couldn't help but chuckle; the plan was theoretically a good one, but with all the security bound to be around such an important commodity, it would hardly be so simple.
"I think you'll find it to be very simple, Major Kuznetsov." Cassie then showed the men her laptop, and all three were surprised to see James, Alec and Cassie, all looking very official as Russian officers. She then pulled up a memo, saying that three soldiers, Major Kuznetsov, Captain Orlov and Major Zolnerowich, would be coming by in the next week or so to check up on Goldeneye's progress.
"Why am I only a captain whilst you and Alec are majors?" James asked
"Because you are too young to be colonels and Alec has the air to pull off major whereas you scream captain. And, had I been in the military, I would have been a major." Cassie explained as she turned her laptop back towards herself, looking up places where she could find the parts necessary to duplicate Goldeneye's access key.
"Despite your age?" James asked, and Cassie simply replied,
"With my skills pal, I would have been a colonel before I turned 40." James was about to say something when Alec gripped his arm and shook his head; Cassie talked when she was relaxed, when she was irritated, she clammed up.
"Alright, we dress up as Russian soldiers, somehow make the switch and get out of there. How do we make the switch and make sure that our faces aren't the ones that ignite a war, because I can just see S.P.E.C.T.R.E trying to use this to incite that war you're worried about." Alec asked and that was when his phone rang. As he went to answer it, he saw the number was blocked.
"That will be for me, and half of your answer. M wouldn't allow me a phone so I gave my contact your number." Cassie said, holding out her hand for the phone, which Alec gave.
"/Da? U vas yest' imena trekh vy uvereny predateli?/" James and Alec looked at each other as Cassie talked to her contact. Cassie was typing on her laptop as the two talked, only for her to pause and ask,
"/Da? I vy uvereny, o nikh? YA imeyu v vidu, u yest' neoproverzhimyye dokazatel'stva, chto oni predateli?/" Cassie continued typing until she again stopped typing.
"/Khorosho, tak dolgo , kak nichego ne idet nepravil'no, vy bol'she ne budete bespokoit'sya o tekh predateley . Yesli ya uznayu, tem ne meneye , chto vy ispol'zovali etu missiyu na dal'neyshiye sebya vmeste , ya uveren, sdelayet Rossiya vidit vas kak predatelya , chto vy nakhodites'. Krome togo, yesli vashe myshleniye shantazha mne pozzhe , vy uznayete istinnyy smysl 'miloserdnoy smerti', kak budet vasha zhena i deti. /" Cassie then hung up and passed the phone back to Alec, who looked at his phone.
"Aren't you worried that he recorded the conversation to use against you at a later date?" James asked and again Cassie gave him the look that said she thought he was an idiot. James was sadly getting used to that look from her.
"If he tries anything of the sort, that recording will be one of him talking to one of the traitors we are going to be framing for the Goldeneye heist, confirming everything for the heist. Remember Bond, I can control electronic devices; over the phone, I can alter my voice without the device, so that is what will happen. He will be seen as a traitor, shot, and I am but a figment of his imagination. Meanwhile, the secretary of security or whatever his title is will receive an email assuring him that the family aren't traitors; I just added that part to scare him."
"Well, darlin', is there anything I can do to help? Seems like you three are doing everything, and I should be doing something." Jack said, trying to look good so that if they needed to work together again, she would request talking to him. She acted like the little sister he never had!
"OK, if you want to help, here's a list of places in the general area that may have pieces I will need to duplicate Goldeneye's key. Meanwhile, leave your phone here and take James'; I need to phone a very special seamstress to make our uniforms, but she'll never pick up a British number, but an American one? She'll pick up if the person waits eleven rings." Cassie said as she held up a sheet, which Jack took.
"But our numbers aren't listed." James said even as they switched phones.
"They are to her; she is even better at access and occlusion than Emily is. She could be a great thief, but she is content being a good seamstress who makes interesting clothes for the right price."
"And for something like this, how much is it going to cost?" James asked as Jack left the room and Cassie turned to look at him.
"Not money if that's what you're thinking. She makes good money for her normal clothes, let alone the special ones. What she wants is the safe return of her daughter and two grandchildren; her daughter is over in America as a mail-order bride, in an abusive relationship with a barbaric brute that has started to possibly turn his attentions to the children, if she read the last letter correctly. A boy three years old and a girl of eighteen months, there would have been a third child but the brute threw the mother down the stairs whilst she was in her fifth month, the poor girl miscarried. But, the monster has the daughter's passport, and won't give it up voluntarily. I have an associate in the states who will kill the husband and make it look like a mugging gone wrong the minute I give him the go-ahead. Wife gets his money, no trails lead to the wife so she's in the clear in case the police get suspicious, she returns home to live with her brother and his wife, and my associate is in Canada watching a hockey game, with no apparent motive for killing somebody he never even met." Cassie laid out as she dialed her seamstress friend.
"Ana? This is Nikita, I need three Russian uniforms of good quality, but not too good, we're going to be two majors and a captain, so a little wear and tear is to be expected, but it's for an important meeting, so not too much wear and tear. You know I wouldn't be calling you if that was all; we need a special spell woven into the threads and you are much better at weaving spells into clothes than I am. Yes illusions are one of my specialties, but I'm working with two non-magical post-humans, a telekinetic with enhanced instincts, as well as a telepath with ghost physiology. We are going to a government facility, there are bound to be a couple power disrupters, we can't take the chance. Look, a mild illusion woven into the clothes before we step onto the site will still be active even with the power disrupters. You do this, my comrade will kill the scumbag holding your daughter and grandchildren hostage across the pond. You do this within the week? Your daughter will have an airtight alibi so the cops couldn't pin this in a million years. You do this even quicker? She won't have to wait around for the insurance policy beyond two days and she and her children will fly home first class after having won the lottery. Two males, both over six feet tall, broad in the shoulder, the major's legs are a little longer than the captain's, both quite muscular but the captain's muscles are more compact, like a swimmers. Hope to see your handiwork soon, call me when you're ready to deliver." Cassie then hung up, then erased all mention of her call to Ana before handing the phone back to James.
"For someone who is anti-social, you seem to know a lot of people." Alec said as he handed over his phone without being asked.
"Yes well, a person can only go so far in life on their own before they need someone to lean on whilst walking the path. Besides which, the people I know, actually know a few things about loyalty. They know I would never truly do the things I threaten, but apparently there is something about me that intimidates them into behaving for some reason." Cassie said as she rung up the person she needed.
"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you could destroy everything they've worked so hard for with a keystroke?" James asked, only for Cassie to ignore him.
"John? This is Maria, your target is Peter Lugash from New Jersey; make his wife a widow. I would love for you to do that but it has to look like a mugging gone wrong. If you want, you can beat him to death, that might be better actually; his wife can in no way be implicated and beating's seldom suggest planning. And a beating would suggest that things got out of hand, the brute has a short temper and is also short on brains. A mugger sometimes looses control when he's insulted and then he just keeps going, right? Remember, wait for a night when the husband is away from the wife, but she has to have a strong alibi. Yes, since there will be no money transfer in anyway to anyone I'm probably overreacting, but you know how I am; I burn anything that has a scrap of my blood or hair on it so it can't be used to control me. John? John? The woman is belittled and beaten almost every day, and he almost broke his son's arm last week, we can't take the chance that a determined cop who always suspects conspiracy will find anything. She could lose the life insurance policy, which is what is going to be keeping food in her kids bellies until she gets a job, she could go to jail, thus potentially putting the kids into foster care, or they could just take the kids away from her, period. She's been through enough John, get her and her kids out of there." Cassie then hung up and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"He's a nice enough guy, for an American, but he is also a tad obnoxious. He has to be told exactly how you want a person to die or something could go wrong and an innocent person, like Aloysha, or Alice as that moron calls her, goes to prison." Cassie explained as she handed the phone back. Alec saw the name of the recipient before Cassie erased their call.
"'John Wilkes Booth?' He seriously calls himself that?" Alec asked in a joking manner. Cassie smirked,
"He's a little full of himself, but he's a good killer with the ability to teleport within 20 miles of where he is currently. There's no smell, no sound, no flash of light, and no sudden displacements like when a speedster runs by you. With those skills he could call himself Marcus Aurelius, Dorothy Gale or Orson Welles for all I care, so long as he does what he's told." About a half hour later, Jack returned with his arms loaded with a multitude of bits and pieces.
"I hope what I got is enough, as soon as I mentioned the name Nikita Sterling, the shop owners couldn't seem to hand over the stuff fast enough." Upon fully realizing she had been caught in a lie, Cassie glared at James, before saying.
"About that, I-"
"I've known you were a magical since you pinned me to the car darling, and I know that magicals seldom give out their real names out of protection. That's what my gift is; figuring out who are mutants and-"
"Don't say that word!" Cassie almost screamed, causing her to shatter the glass in the room, as well as crack the mirror in the bathroom and the windows. Upon seeing what she did, she sighed, looking ashamed, and waved her hand, repairing the damage she had caused, and left the room.
"I didn't mean to insult her, it's just the word we use." James and Alec both nodded, they had been offended by the word, but having an extra decade on Cassie, they were possibly more used to it than her.
"I think I better go talk to her; as the record stands, I'm the only male in this room who hasn't insulted her accidentally." Alec said as he too left the room. He tried knocking on the door to her room, but when she didn't answer, he used his seismic sense to see if she was in the room; he could have unlocked the door, but that might not have been the best move, as he liked his head exactly where it was, thank you very much. When he felt that she wasn't in the room, he expanded the search and found her on the roof of the hotel. When he got there, he found her still on her laptop, but again without her jacket, not even the windbreaker was on.
"Are you trying to develop pneumonia?" Alec said as he shrugged his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"What do I have to do to convince you and James that I don't feel the cold?" Cassie said as she looked up from her laptop. Getting an idea, she set the laptop aside, stood up (and here a few would be snickering at how Alec towered over the woman who would eventually become his superior) and put the hand that should have been freezing cold, but was really quite warm, on Alec's scarred cheek. As she withdrew her hand, Alec found the heat lingering on his cheek.
"I wanted to apologize for my tantrum back there; it was childish and unprofessional. I will also be apologizing to agent Wade and will understand if you don't wish to work with me again." Alec couldn't understand how someone could treat this girl the way she obviously had been; militarily, and not allowed slip-ups of any kind. Sure, he was that way too, but not to her lengths, and he had been in the military.
"I am hardly going to be mad at you for showing post-human pride at being offended by that word. Do you really think James and I weren't offended by the word? Not to mock you for your age, but our extra years have given us a chance to getting used to it."
"It was still childish that I lost control to such an extent." Alec sighed as he flat out asked.
"Who was it?"
"Who was what?" Cassie asked him, looking confused.
"You have a very military attitude in that you don't allow yourself mistakes of any kind. Whether they be comments, your emotions or control over your powers, any missteps in your control and you make yourself feel horrible over it. So I'm asking if it was your mother or your father who was military." Something flashed in her eyes and this time it wasn't annoyance or anxiety that made them do it; it was anger. No, it wasn't even anger, for the coldness there was far to great to be mere anger; it was closer to hatred.
"Don't act as if you don't know 006, I may be bound to work for MI6, but I will not be mocked by someone who works for the organization that created me and is now trying to put a leash on me! You and your fellow nincompoops may believe what you wish about my father, but he was one of the sweetest, most affectionate, and most lovable men that I ever knew and the reason I'm like this is because of people like you and what you did to my family!" Cassie then stormed off and went back inside, and Alec took a moment to absorb everything, and that bad feeling had gone up quite a few notches, but he couldn't think much more on it as he went back in as well as a storm suddenly came in and it got much colder.
One Week Later
Cassandra, James and Alec were all dressed rather smartly in Russian uniforms; Jack had said that it was a good thing he had stayed in the room as James and Alec changed since, the moment they finished the outfits by putting their caps on, they no longer looked like themselves. As they looked at each other, they did not see any difference.
"It's no use trying to see any difference; while we wear these clothes, we look the same to each other, but if one of you were to even take your cap off while the other didn't, you would understand what Jack is talking about." Cassie said as she came out of the washroom in her own uniform. Both men were rather surprised by how good she looked in it, as it showed off her body rather well, unlike the clothes she normally wore. She might not have much in the chest department (if you looked at her in the wrong light, she almost appeared male), but there was still something attractive about her.
"Is the helicopter ready Jack?"
"Sure thing Cassie, you got the fake Goldeneye key? You sure you don't want me to fly you guys there?" Jack asked as Cassie put her cap on and the illusion completed itself on her before shaking her head. After she had calmed down and Jack had returned to their room, the two had talked, Cassie had told him the name Q had given her of Cassandra Knight, and Jack promised to try not to say the 'mutant' word around her. She was still cold around Alec and James, which had confused James until Alec told him what she had accidentally let slip, believing they already knew. James and Alec had talked and came up with a few ideas; maybe the military had been trying to create the perfect weapon and found her too perfect but without the necessary loyalty, so they had given her to MI6? Maybe she had been taken from her family at a young age and they tried to create a sociopath? Alec realized though that they had one clue as to where she had come from, which might give Silva something to work with; instead of saying police, she had said Garda, quite possibly as in the Garda Síochána, or Guardians of the Peace, the Irish police service. So, Irish female babies that had been born the same year as Chernobyl, she may have deleted her birth certificate, but there was no way she could have deleted everything about herself. But the fact that she had centred on her father, made Alec nervous. Things may be beginning to line up, but where that lead, MI6 may be even worse than what they had originally thought.
After the mission and our three heroes return home
James and Alec could hardly believe how well the mission had gone; as Cassie had hoped, no blood had been shed, unless you wanted to count the three Russian agents who had been discovered working for S.P.E.C.T.R.E, that had stolen Goldeneye's key, and replaced it with a dummy that would have blown the place up, had it not been for a skilled programmer named Natalya Romanov discovering the virus before it hit. The three traitors had been killed in their stead. M had wanted to know how it was that the cameras had not seen their true faces, Alec and James both pointed out that the power restrictive devices would have been inside the compound, not outside, so Cassie simply hacked the cameras before they went in, and displayed what she wanted displayed. Neither man had felt it prudent to mention how it was that three real traitors had been killed in their spot, nor the payment for the uniforms that had hidden their true faces from those that worked on Goldeneye. Cassie had also remarked that she had liked working with Jack Wade, despite him being an American, and he had been a help when, after they got back to their hotel room, Cassie went into seizures. Apparently Jack had a cousin who used to spend summers with him as a kid that had epilepsy so he hadn't been frozen when she went into convulsions; he jumped into action. About a week later, Alec was called into M's office, and James waited outside, trying to make sure they didn't kill his partner. When Alec came out however, he had a look of annoyance on his face, and motioned for James to start walking.
"What is it?" James asked as they left M's office.
"Apparently when medical checked us out after Goldeneye, they found that my left eye has been slowly weakening. They figure that I'll probably lose complete use of it within six months." James knew what that meant; without both eyes, Alec could not be a proper agent, as he had to read body language as well as inflections in tone. He also could not afford to have a blind spot that could cost him the mission or his life.
"Is there anything that can be done?" James asked, knowing it was his fault with those thrice-damned bombs.
"If I want to be Q branches guinea pig, then yes."
"What do you mean?"
"For some reason, Q branch has been working on electronic eyes for quite some time, but they've been unable to give them a real field test as everyone in MI6 had good enough vision not to volunteer for such a crazy thing. So, if I don't go with the procedure, I become a desk jockey with one good eye. If I do and they screw it up, I'll lose vision in both my eyes and have to buy a seeing eye dog just to get around London." Both men knew however there was only one real choice; Alec would sooner die than lose his ability to be out in the field with James. It took two weeks for everything to clear up; one week to get Alec prepped for the surgery, and another week to give his eyes a chance to heal. Today was the day the bandages came off, and it was taking a lot for James not to show his worry.
"Alright now, put your hand up in front of your face, as we don't want to shock your eyes with such bright light so quickly. Now, very slowly open your eyes and tell me if you see anything." The doctor instructed as he finished removing the bandages and Alec did as he was told, and was beyond relieved to see his hand smack dab in front of his face.
"It looks like the eye is working."
"Good, do you feel headaches of any kind? Dizzy? Nauseous? Anything?"
"Nope." Alec said with a big smile, which the doctor didn't see drop ever so slightly as he wrote a prescription for antibiotics. As Alec looked at James, he saw all kinds of information on him appear, from his abilities and power levels to his hormone levels.
"Doctor, why is the eye glowing yellow?" James asked, to which the doctor replied,
"Q said that that would be the sign that the eye is online. It should clear up before the day is out." The doctor then gave the prescription to Alec and left the room, happy to get away from the annoying 00's.
/*Why did you look shocked when you looked at me?*/ James mentally asked as he helped Alec stand up and they headed towards Q branch.
/*Because the moment I looked at you, I got a detailed layout of everything about you. They didn't mention that little tidbit of information when they proposed the eye.*/ Both men were silent as the elevator took them to Q branch. When they stepped out and a few saw Alec, now with scars and the yellow eye, a couple started snickering, only for a small storm cloud to appear over their heads and start pelting out hail on their heads. Q then came out, sighed as he saw some of his people being hit by hail almost the size of a golf ball, picked up an umbrella, and came over to the two agents.
"Good afternoon 007, 006, I hope the eye is working alright for you? I see that it's on but is it relaying what it's seeing to your brain? However nonexistent it may be?" Despite the strangeness of the situation, both men couldn't help but chuckle.
"It appears to be working alright Q, but why am I getting statistics on everyone I come into contact with?" Q was thankful no one could hear the agent over the hail. He beckoned both to follow him back to his office. As they entered, Q put the umbrella down and the two agents saw Cassie working on what looked like a robotic arm, with a robotic heart next to it.
"I suppose I should have guessed when M said Q branch she meant you." Alec said as Cassie sharply looked up and went to put the items away but Alec only raised his hand to stop her. Cassie looked down before raising her head, squaring her shoulders, again removing her glasses, and said
"I suppose you're hear to yell at me?" James and Alec both shared a confused look.
"Why on Earth would I be yelling at you?"
"I'm the one who told medical to check your eye for weakness. I noticed that during our mission, you kept squinting through your left eye and I remembered reading how close you were to the explosion at Arkhangelsk. So I asked the one examining you to pay special attention to your left eye. When he came to me and confirmed what I feared, I asked him to wait until the eye was ready to inform M about your development. I also knew to have Major Boothroyd present the eye as M would never sanction anything I presented and, considering how reckless Bond acted when you were presumed dead, I knew that this had to be done immediately."
"Then why am I seeing so much more than I should be?"
"To make the idea of the eye more attractive to M, I installed many features; you can tell post-humans from regular human, they're power levels, detect any sign of lying (within reason of course; even the eye can't tell the difference between a real truth and a perceived truth.), and see through illusions as the eye can't be tricked by telepathic illusions, light illusions, or magical illusions. And, because I just so happen to be that good, there are technical inhibitors which mean that E.M.P inhibitors won't be able to shut it off and other technopaths can't touch it nor can it be hacked. I already had the blue-prints for the eye and a number of other prosthetic replacements, all I needed was the parts and MI6 had them and didn't even realize it. If I may say so, I am very good." Cassie said with a small degree of pride as Q looked at her with pride. James thought to himself that Q looked like a proud father whose child had just solved Einstein's equation. /* She is beautiful! */ Raoul said loud and clear in their minds, and they had to admit, she certainly was.
"And I imagine that the others being pelted by hail was your doing as well." At this, Cassie lost her playful look and looked quite serious as she pulled up her sleeve to reveal a rather nasty looking scar.
"See this? A wolf once attacked me as I had unknowingly wandered into his territory as a child. I raised my arm to defend myself and he bit right into it. He shook me like a rag doll, and it took all of my strength to keep him from going for my throat or him snapping my spine. If Rai and Zumi had not of come running to my aid, I would have died. The doctor where I lived did not give me anything for the pain because of what I was, nor did he try and reduce the size of the scar or its appearance. When I remarked on how it looked, my grandfather told me to be proud of it, as it was proof that what I experienced was not a nightmare, it was real; a wolf had tried to kill me because I wasn't watching where I was going, but I lived to learn from my mistakes. That is what scars are: reminders that the past was real, that we experienced something and are here to tell the tale. Just because these pampered idiots have never had to experience what you went through, does not mean I am going to let them get away with mocking you when you survived an explosion that would have killed other, weaker beings." Alec and James were shocked; many of the men and women they came across detested their scars as they thought it detracted from their beauty. But this girl, who wasn't even thirty years old, seemed to, if her tone was anything to go by, find them both beautiful and badges of honour. Alec did something that shocked everyone; he walked over to Cassie, leaned down and gave her a small peck on the lips.
"Your not just good; you're a damn genius." As if no one had ever told her that, her cheeks gained a light dusting of pink as she blushed and ducked her head. Both men thought she was rather cute in that moment. As she looked at him, she had a real, if small, smile on her lips that neither man could help but reciprocate. The smile was rather cute too.
Translations:
Da? U vas yest' imena trekh vy uvereny predateli? - Yes? You have the names of the three you are positive are traitors?
Da? I vy uvereny, o nikh? YA imeyu v vidu, u yest' neoproverzhimyye dokazatel'stva, chto oni predateli? - Yes? And you are certain? I mean, you have irrefutable evidence that they are traitors?
Khorosho, tak dolgo , kak nichego ne idet nepravil'no, vy bol'she ne budete bespokoit'sya o tekh predateley . Yesli ya uznayu, tem ne meneye , chto vy ispol'zovali etu missiyu na dal'neyshiye sebya vmeste , ya uveren, sdelayet Rossiya vidit vas kak predatelya , chto vy nakhodites'. Krome togo, yesli vashe myshleniye shantazha mne pozzhe , vy uznayete istinnyy smysl " miloserdnoy smerti », kak budet vasha zhena i deti. - Alright, so long as nothing goes wrong, you will no longer have to worry about those traitors. If I find out however that you have used this mission to further yourself along, I will make sure Russia sees you as the traitor that you are. Also, if your thinking of blackmailing me later, you will learn the true meaning of 'merciful death', as will your wife and children.
Author's note: I know it was confusing for Cassie to have almost 4 names here and I apologize for any headaches. But remember, to a magical names have power so Cassie would never feel safe giving out her true name to anyone. And yes, Cassandra Knight is not her real name and we will learn her name in a few chapters, but not for some time. Some of you are probably wondering why she gives out different names instead of just one alias for everyone; in Hollywood, a lot of actors give themselves screen names and, in the public's mind, that is who they are; they're not Archibald Alexander Leach, they're Cary Grant. So, even though they are still the person that they were when they were born, they are also the actor that everyone has come to know, so that is their name as well. Does that make any sense? Please excuse the undoubtedly bad Russian; I use google translate.