Fierce
The first time Lelouch met Suzaku was in Moscow. He was on a retrieval mission to arrest Sméagol Smial, main supplier of the new drug the people call O.R. It was a kind of steroid that enhances strength and coordination. However, unlike anabolic steroids, these don't exhibit physical symptoms. The user does not gain an unseemly amount of muscles, nor do they grow breasts, or lose their testicles. In fact, the drug can't even be detected in urine tests. The only manifestation of the drug is the dangerous levels of aggression long time users exhibit. Some of them can even become extremely paranoid, and in some cases, the user becomes schizophrenic.
So, after months of digging, hacking, interrogating/torturing, and sneaking, Lelouch finally tracked down the elusive dealer in Moscow. During the bloody cold Russian winter.
Lelouch sighed and scanned the area looking for Sméagol. In a high-class crowd like this, the spindly man was easy to spot. His face was much too light, and his eyes were big and round. His body was often hunched and his limbs were gangly and long. He was currently chatting up a tall woman in a short red dress near the pool tables. She was a brunette with bright green eyes, red painted lips, long curled lashes, and golden skin. Even Lelouch would admit that she was a very lovely woman. But there was something about her that made his solider senses buzz loudly.
She was much too well timed. When Sméagol made a joke she laughed, when he made a flirtatious motion, she flushed and giggled obscenely, and sometimes when he made a suggestive comment she would flutter her lashes cutely. Yet even through all of that, her eyes stayed the same cool green.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes suspiciously. His hand inched towards his gun. The woman could be a member of a mob who wanted Sméagol, or an assassin hired to kill the man, or she was hired to get rid of Lelouch. The third seemed to be the most logical assumption.
The woman turned and noticed him staring at her, and then to his surprise, she smirked and winked flirtatiously at him.
In the second it took for Lelouch to analyze this fact, she was already back to her original position and giggling at Sméagol.
Lelouch sighed and went back to staking out the place. He would have to wait until Sméagol left, and the woman might be a slight wretch in his plans if she were to go with him.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, things did not happen that way. Instead, one of the local mob families burst into the club with their guns raised in the air and shooting the place down. It was mass chaos after that. The patrons screamed and stampeded out of the room towards the exit. In the rush of things, Lelouch lost sight of Sméagol, and he was left dodging the gunfire and formulating a new plan to take down the mobsters, stay alive, and get Sméagol. So far, it was looking pretty bad.
After the initial gunfire died down, Lelouch took the chance to peak over the bar he hid behind. There were currently nine men inside, all of them with their guns down, and looking under the tables for their target. The rest of the men would have gone outside to make sure none of the patrons were Sméagol.
Lelouch pulled his gun out and snapped the silencer on. Nine shots later the men inside were taken care of, and Lelouch was hurriedly walking towards the exit. He burst out the door with his gun in the air and he was met with…well a war zone really.
The remnants of the mob were all sprawled in awkward angles and Sméagol was slumped unconscious by the wall. Towards the end of the street, the woman in red was fighting off the last three mobsters, in heels.
She threw her leg over one man's neck and snapped it effortlessly. The mobster crumpled like a deck of cards. The other one she caught with her elbow and smashed his feet with the sharp point of her heel. He screamed and bend over enough for her to smash her elbow into his neck. He too, fell like his friend. Unfortunately the last mobster pulled out his gun, but the woman kicked it out of his hand. It fired a shot, but only hit air as it skidded down the pavement. The mobster growled and took out a knife, but Lelouch had fired and shot the man in the head before he could charge at the woman.
He slumped down with blood running down and pooling underneath him. The woman looked up and smiled at Lelouch.
"Thanks for that." She said.
Lelouch didn't drop his gun, "Who are you?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes and flipped the stray hair out of her face. "Mycroft sent me."
"I didn't need backup." Lelouch said as he lowered his gun.
The woman smiled. "And yet I'm here anyway." She sauntered over to him and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for the rescue." She said teasingly. "I'll see you later, Dragon."
She pulled out a set of keys from some pocket near her upper thigh and a second later a sleek red car rumbling the street.
"Oh and don't worry about Sméagol." She said as she glided in. "He's just taking a nap." And she drove off into the snowy night.
Lelouch sighed exasperatedly and then called for his pick up. He would have some stern words with Mycroft when he got back.
-0-0-
Three days later Lelouch is back in London, and summarizing his report to Mycroft in the spacious office.
"Well, it turns out Mr. Smial is a squealer." Mycroft said as he flipped through the file. "We got the lab and the head scientists, even the financial backers; it was all very convenient really."
"Good to know my hard work was put to good use." Lelouch replied.
Mycroft smiled, "Oh it always is Mr. Lamperouge." He said. "But I must ask, who is this "woman in red" I keep reading about in this report?"
"I thought you would know since you sent her as back-up." Lelouch growled in annoyance. "Back-up I did not need, if I may add."
Mycroft smirked and hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I thought a little field immersion would be good for Phoenix."
Lelouch raised his brow in disbelief. "You sent me a newbie on a grade A mission?"
"If I remember correctly that was the same thing I did with you." Mycroft chided, "Besides, if your reports are true, I'd say that Phoenix did an excellent job on the field. And if I may quote "she is a competent and fierce agent in the field" so I'd say that Phoenix did rather well."
"Why do you keep using her code name?" Lelouch asked.
Mycroft waved a hand, "Oh I think it's much nicer when you learn the name from the actual person." He said. "Besides I think you'll meet Phoenix soon."
True to his word, the door opened and Mycroft's secretary walked in, head down to her blackberry, and behind her was a young man with brown hair and familiar light green eyes.
Lelouch was gobsmacked. "You…"
The man seemed to notice Lelouch's wide-eyed expression, and smiled amusedly. "Good morning Dragon."
"You're not a woman." Lelouch said.
The man laughed, "No, I'm not." He said and he held out a hand. "Suzaku Kururugi, or Phoenix as the official papers say. It's nice to meet you."
Lelouch numbly took the hand. "Good to meet you too."
Suzaku laughed and handed Mycroft the file. "So do I pass?" he asked Mycroft.
"With flying colors." Mycroft replied with a wide smirk.
Suzaku returned it with a smile of his own, and he gave his thanks. "Well, I better go get the paperwork done then." He said. He turned to Lelouch, "I'll see you later Dragon." And he tossed a sly wink at him before he left out the door.
After a minute, Lelouch finally turned to Mycroft and said, "You're such a bastard."
Mycroft smiled, "Oh I think Mummy would say otherwise."
"I hate you."
"Yes, I get that a lot." Mycroft replied breezily, "Oh and you'll have to fix your report. You used the wrong pronouns."
Lelouch glared, "I think you should try a more effective diet." He quipped, and he stalked out the door.
That fat comment might bite him in the ass later, but for now, that felt pretty good.
