(AN: I'm sorry for the delay in getting this out. Work has been nuts, and I've been behind on everything. Hope you enjoy!)
The sun was setting as Kitty Hawke pushed the door to the Hanged Man open. Inside she was greeted by the familiar sounds of glasses clinking and the smell of liquor and unwashed bodies. The stranger Michael was nowhere to be seen, so she walked across the common room and climbed the stairs to the second floor, and then crossed the hallway to Varric's private suite. Inside she saw Michael and the dwarf in a lively discussion.
"-I'm telling you, Bright Eyes, it's one thing to for us dwarves to make things, but unless you explain this formula for your gaatlock, or gunpowder, in layman's terms you're wasting your time."
Varric picked up one of the bullets Michael had put in front of him and examined it.
"Although I admit anyone who does unlock this secret would make a bloody fortune."
He looked up.
"Oh, hello Hawke."
"I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
Michael spoke up.
"We were just finishing up a business discussion."
Hawke smiled.
"And what's my favorite warrior discussing with my favorite dwarf?"
Varric held up one of the cartridges.
"Bright Eyes is seeing if we can replicate the explosive powder that propels his, what do you call them again?"
"Bullets, Varric, they're called bullets."
The dwarf chuckled.
"Right. Anyways I was explaining to your boyfriend that we can't just magically replicate his bullets like that."
He handed the bullet back to Michael.
"If you want your explosive bullets to magically replicate themselves you should talk to Daisy or Sunshine."
Michael accepted the bullet and inserted it back into his spare magazine. He looked over to Hawke.
"So Hawke-er, Kitty-"
She smiled at him. He continued.
"-are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Kitty shrugged.
"We need that map. And besides, I have a nice strong man protecting me, I'm not worried. Come, I need to stop by the house and pick up a few things."
As Hawke led Michael to her uncle's house, she spoke up.
"There's something I should tell you about a certain member of the family."
Michael checked an alleyway as one unsavory character shuffled out of sight.
"You mean your younger brother Carver? Or your Mother?"
Kitty giggled nervously.
"Er, no. It's my dog Fifi."
Michael smiled as they climbed the steps.
"You mean you're afraid your lapdog might not like me and nip my ankles?"
Hawke giggled.
"Something like that. But don't worry, Fifi is energetic, but very friendly."
Michael chuckled to himself about how some things, whether in the real world or this bizarre world of magic, never change. He was still thinking about women and their fetish for small dogs that yip instead of bark as he opened the door to Hawke's uncle's house, when something furry and the size of a beer truck collided with him and pinned him to the floor.
When Michael finally got his bearings he was staring in a wide open maw with lots of sharp teeth. The Mabari warhound gave Michael a cautious sniff and barked happily, and then gave the former spy a large, slobbery lick. Michael pushed the large dog's head out of the way in time to hear Hawke's voice.
"See Michael? He likes you!"
She pulled the dog off Michael, and he picked himself up, wiping the dog saliva off his face.
"You named a large, lethal attack dog…Fifi?"
Kitty didn't seem to hear Michael as she cooed at her dog.
"Awww, did Fifi miss his mummy? Who woves his mum? Who woves his mummy dearest?"
Michael was about to speak but was interrupted by another voice. An older, gruff looking make shuffled over.
"So Katarina, this must be your new boyfriend."
He looked Michael up and down, taking in his unusual clothes.
"I don't suppose it's too much to ask that he is some wealthy noble who can take you and your slobbering mutt in?"
The large dog paused and growled at Hawke's uncle, but then perked up at another voice.
"Kitty, is that you?"
Bethany entered the room from an adjacent doorway, she embraced her sister and turned to Michael.
"Hello, Michael. I'm sorry for the mess, if I knew sister was bringing company I would have cleaned up."
She looked over to her older sister.
"Are you going through with Anders' quest?"
Hawke nodded.
"It's the only way to get that map to the Deep Roads."
Bethany looked concerned.
"You sure you don't want me along?"
Hawke shook her head.
"If it involves running afoul of Templars, I don't want you getting outed. Besides-"
She gestured over to Michael.
"-I'm bringing backup, I'll be safe."
After dark Michael and Kitty Hawke set out. Before they set out, the former spy did an ammo and inventory check. He had two spare magazines for his G36, making a mental note to conserve his ammo, as they'll need at least one mag for the Deep Roads expedition. He also had his Sig Saur P229 with fifteen rounds, his SealTac knife, the two rogue daggers courtesy of Hawke, and his Iphone with about half a charge. He also noted his two flash bang grenades, courtesy of Fiona and their last mission.
Briefly Michael wondered how Fiona was doing. They had broken up weeks ago, and she had moved on to a new boyfriend, an EMT, but for Michael it was still a very raw emotional wound. He then thought about Sam, the former Navy Seal turned friend and compatriot. The man who had an affinity for mojitos and rich divorcée's, who always had Michael's back from the first day he set foot in Miami. Michael wondered what Sam would think of Hawke, Varric, the pirate queen and the elves.
His thoughts were interrupted by Hawke speaking to him.
"Are you sure you don't want to bring Fenris or Merrill along on this mission, Michael?"
He shook his head.
"When performing a risky mission involving infiltration, whether it be a top secret military installation or a monastery guarded by fanatically religious knights templar, the fewer members to the to the team, the better. A three person team can slip by guards undetected easier than a platoon of soldiers."
"Negative. This mission requires stealth, the fewer people infiltrating, the better."
When they reached the Chantry courtyard, Hawke saw a lone figure standing by the door, and recognized it as the former Grey Warden. He nodded at Hawke.
"I saw Karl go inside a few minutes ago. No sign of Templars so far. Are you ready?"
Michael spoke up.
"We didn't see anyone suspicious, let move in fast and quiet, the sooner we're done the better."
Anders looked a bit put off by the former spy's brusque manner.
"I'll handle the talking, you watch for Templars."
He then pushed the large door to the Chantry open, and ducked inside. Hawke and Michael followed. Inside the darkened interior Michael was struck by how much it resembled the interior of a cathedral, complete with incense and burning candles everywhere. He caught sight of Anders scurrying up a flight of stairs and motioned Hawke to follow up.
At the top of the stairs there was a corridor off the main hallway that seemed to function as some sort of dormitory, complete with beds. There Anders had reached a person, probably the one he was trying to reach. The man, presumably Karl, spoke up.
"Anders I know you too well. I knew you would never give up."
Anders looked perplexed.
"Karl, what's wrong?"
The man called Karl turned around.
"I was too rebellious, like you. The Templars knew I had to be made an…example of."
Michael felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"When entering into a potential combat situation, the element of surprise is crucial. Of course that works both ways. If your enemy has a hostage and knows you're planning a rescue op, one of the easiest ways to get the upper hand is to stage an ambush at the place where your hostage is being held. In the business, it's a 'bait and switch.' Of course, if the enemy has turned the hostage, it makes their job much easier."
Michael watched as the mage continued to talk to Anders as if he were a small child, and heard the clanking of boots behind him. He swung around and saw several Templars approaching them. The mage gestured to Anders.
"This is the apostate you seek."
Immediately Anders fell to his knees, and when he arose, he was glowing. The possessed Anders brandished his staff and spoke in a sinister voice.
"You will never take another mage again, as you took him!"
Michael inwardly cursed as he watched the Templars draw their blades.
"When the infiltration mission goes sideways, and the alarm is sounded and your position is compromised, then suddenly the size of your team ceases to be an asset and instead becomes a liability. As a spy if you're in this situation then precious seconds count before things escalate and people die."
He unclipped flash bang grenade from his vest and grabbed Hawke. He threw the grenade at the Templars' feet, and they stared at it in curiosity. Even the possessed Anders paused in his rant to stare at it. Michael flipped the bed over and pulled Hawke behind it, pulling her in close.
"Close your eyes and cover your ears, Hawke!"
A second later there was a blinding flash.
"The M84, also known as a flashbang or stun grenade, is the currently-issued stun grenade of the US Army and countless counter-terrorist organizations. The reason it's so popular is that it is classified as a 'less lethal' weapon. Upon detonation, it emits an intensely loud bang of 170–180 decibels and a blinding flash of more than one million candela. With that sort of power, it doesn't matter if you're a roomful of coked-up cartel thugs, or a group of hardened religious knights or a possessed magic user, you're going down."
Michael pulled himself up from cover and examined the grenade's handiwork. All of the templars, and both mages were out of it. He walked over to the former Grey Warden. Anders had stopped glowing but he was still on the ground and incoherent. Michael clubbed him with the butt of his rifle, and hoisted the mage over his shoulder. He turned over to Hawke, who was still staring at the unusual sight.
"Hawke, we need to get out of here, now!"
"For a spy, there's no shame in retreat. When faced with a more powerful enemy you're trained to get out of the way and keep moving. It's not about running away or giving up. It's all about surviving to fight another day."
For once Kitty didn't chide him on using her family name instead of her first name, but followed the strange former spy past the stunned Templars. If not for that odd blinding flash, they would have been forced to kill the Templars, and it would have been a bloodbath. She didn't think of herself as that religious, but as she followed Michael out of the Chantry she thanked Andraste for sending him to her.
(AN: Yeah, I know I'm really dogging on Anders, but in fairness and in the context of the story the guy really shouldn't have allowed a demon to possess him. That's Mage Survival 101. And for the people who are probably seething that I didn't have Michael deliver a curbstomb battle to the Templars, it bugged me that Hawke and co. could kill a roomful of Templars, in the Chantry no less, and not suffer any immediate consequences. That and Hawke was outnumbered, so I thought, 'what would Michael Westen do?' Anyways, hope you enjoyed it, next update won't take so long, I promise.)
