October 3, 1975
LANGLEY, VA
"Must admit that I'm surprised to see you," Aquamarine said, more interested in her dagger than the woman in front of her. "Word is that you were shot at point-blank range and bled to death. Obviously those reports were mistaken."
"Only half-mistaken," Jasper rasped, then coughed. A deep, hacking cough that brought mucous from her lungs onto a handkerchief.
That Jasper was still alive seemed miracle enough, after Lapis Lazuli shot her in the chest (Lapis, of all people! That sick, sorry little brat!) and Pearl handily defeated her in swordplay. She had lost an awful lot of blood, and in all honesty the past week or so was an indistinguishable blur. She probably couldn't recount what happened to her if she tried.
But she was still here, if not entirely intact. Her chest, already wracked with a cold, wasn't made any better by Lapis's bullet or a week of bleeding and infection. Still, she was walking. And while Jasper wasn't especially religious, she decided it must be for a purpose.
Though Jasper, at this point, felt it was less about saving the country or defeating Communism or saving the Company's face than something much more personal.
"You fucked up, big time," Aquamarine scolded. "You had a very easy mission and a large amount of operatives to play around with. And you get your arse kicked by three women..."
"Four women," Jasper corrected.
"Whatever. Four women who are not professional killers or any kind of trained operatives. I'm a bit surprised. And just a mite angry."
"You weren't there," Jasper said quietly, fighting down the shame with an excuse. "One woman was an excellent swordfighter..."
"Really?" Aquamarine laughed, spinning her dagger's point towards Jasper. "Swordplay is so eighteenth century!"
"...The other had a shotgun..."
"And you had automatic weapons," Aquamarine reminded her.
"Goddammit, what more do you want me to say?" Jasper roared, her voice breaking as another coughing fit overtook her. "You're not gonna drag a fucking apology out of me, Aquamarine," she rasped. "We lost a fight. Against people who were tougher than we expected. That's all there is."
"Really? Tougher than you?"
Jasper scowled. Aquamarine seemed to be actively enjoying her subordinate's discomfort and shame.
"We'll see about that," Jasper said quietly.
"You know I don't like giving second chances," Aquamarine said, leaning back and putting her feet on the desk. "If one operative can't do the job, I find another. That's always been my policy. Or, worst case scenario, I do it myself. And I already have someone new helping me on the case."
Jasper arched an eyebrow. She could guess who Aquamarine meant.
"So, why should I give you another chance?" Aquamarine demanded. "I assume that's why you're here and not in hospital."
Jasper considered this for a long moment. She coughed again, quieter this time, as she pondered what to say.
"Because...I'm too far into this," she muttered.
"Excuse me?" Aquamarine said, sitting up and leaning forward to better hear Jasper.
"I've been executing Project DIAMOND for months," Jasper said. "I only have two names left on my list. It would be...it would go against everything I work for to back off now."
"Not good enough," Aquamarine mocked in a sing-song voice.
"All right," Jasper growled. "Fine. I have a score to settle with Lazuli."
Aquamarine grabbed her dagger again and began twirling it in her fingers, suddenly interested.
"Go on," she prodded quietly.
Jasper smiled; she should have known that would have gotten her boss's attention.
"The reason she's on the list, I assume, is because she knows where the third copy of the Family Jewels are," Jasper said. "And I know how she found them. Around the time they were being compiled, someone sent a copy to an office in Shaker Heights, and I was sent to retrieve them. I arrived in Cleveland the night before, expecting it to be a routine, uneventful errand. Until I met a strange girl with blue hair..."
"...Yeah, I kinda dropped out of college. It just didn't seem like my kinda thing, you know."
"You don't say."
"I mean, I've never been that good at school anyway...It just seems like there are better uses of my time than what you learn from books."
Jasper's guard was completely down. That's what surprised her. She'd been with the Agency long enough that she should always have been on guard. Especially when an attractive young woman started chatting with her. When Jasper was younger and prettier, she pulled this off herself, with both men and women. She kicked herself for not seeing it coming.
Still...somehow she couldn't see the fragile, skinny girl with blue hair as any kind of threat. A bit weird, maybe; probably a progressive type who protested about stupid shit. Not Jasper's type, ordinarily. But hell, it had been a long time since anyone had paid Jasper much attention, and she didn't figure on any kind of complications.
At that point, nobody outside the CIA even knew about the Family Jewels. Possibly the White House, though by 1973 Tricky Dick had problems enough not to worry about it. Several copies had been compiled, filed and relocated to different field offices across the country. Jasper's mission - really the tiniest of errands - was to get a copy that wound up in a small office in Shaker Heights, a sleepy little Cleveland suburb, and return it to Langley. Piece of cake.
So, how could she have suspected anything? What reason did she have? It's not like there were many Russians or Vietcong running around the Midwest. She wasn't really afraid of the Weathermen or any other radical groups, whom she expected she could smell coming from a mile away - if only because they rarely bathed.
That was her mistake. Drinking with a strange woman in a bar the night before a scheduled document pick-up. Espionage 101.
"What are you in town for?"
"Business."
"That's not very helpful," the girl said, with a shy little chuckle and a mischievous smile.
"If you must know, insurance business," Jasper said as she sipped her gin and tonic. "Meeting a big client in Shaker Heights tomorrow."
"Oh really? I'm headed that way, too."
"Oh?" She looked up and down at the girl, dressed in a skimpy blue top with a frilled skirt. She had to admit she enjoyed the view.
"No offense kid," Jasper rasped, "but you don't seem like the type they'd let in the Heights."
"I have friends there," the girl said. "Shaker Heights is more progressive than you think."
"Great."
God she was beautiful. And she had a shy, vulnerable quality that appealed to Jasper, who was anything but those things.
But was she really coming on to Jasper? A much younger woman? In a public, ostensibly heterosexual bar? That was indiscreet, to say the least, especially in Ohio. Which, Jasper knew from experience, was far from America's most progressive area.
Maybe the alcohol went to Jasper's head. Maybe she was stupid. Maybe she was tired and hadn't gotten laid in a long time. Maybe Lapis was just that hot.
But either way, as the conversation pattered on, as the drinks went down, only one idea occupied Jasper's mind.
"My name is, um, Linda Zaffre," the girl offered. Jasper suspected it was a lie, just from that little awkward pause. But didn't care. She figured the girl was a runaway or maybe a small-time crook. Or a hooker. Didn't matter.
"My name is James Shaffer," Jasper said, employing her latest alias. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking, James is a weird name for a woman..."
"No, it's fine! It's...unique." And "Linda" flashed Jasper a smile that melted any further resistance she had.
"So, uh, Linda," Jasper said, taking one more drink to fortify herself before making the move. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"
"Linda" flashed another smile.
The next morning, Jasper woke up with a hangover in a hotel room. And read a newspaper article, once she lurched out of bed, that someone had burned down the CIA office in Shaker Heights, killing two people.
It didn't take much effort to put two-and-two together. Jasper had been played, like a mark or a shave tail.
And God knows what became of the Jewels. Just possibly they were destroyed, a setback but forgivable. Or someone had them.
It didn't take too long, either, for Jasper to find out who Linda Zaffre really was. And not long for her to start imagining the horrible things she'd do to the young honeypot if she ever caught up with her.
But she had evidently been trained well by her handlers, because she disappeared completely off the radar. Jasper had too many things going on to devote to tracking her down.
Until Project DIAMOND. And now that she'd come so close to completing it, she could now focus herself on ridding the world of Lapis Lazuli. Of punishing a sinner for her endless, assorted, sordid misdeeds.
Why else would she still be alive? God meant for her to complete this mission. It was just Pearl White's bad luck to be part of it, too.
Beach City, DV
"Sorry we didn't get to spend much time together today," Peridot said to Lapis as they bolted up to the bedroom. "It's just been...man, I'm acting like I even still have a job and the Senator will even care what I have to say about anything any more. But, holy crap Lapis, Pearl told me pretty much her whole story! And it's a total scoop! The people have to know about all the heinous things the FBI got away with over the years, one way or the other!"
"Maybe not all the things," Lapis said airily.
Peridot scowled. "You need to stop talking like that," she said.
"Like what?" Lapis asked.
"All cryptic and foreboding. Look Lapis..." Peridot sat on their bed and clasped Lapis's hands.
"You know how I feel about you, and...I think you feel the same way about me. Or, you do a very good job pretending. And that's great! So I'm not going to take advantage of you, or make you talk about anything you did or didn't do. Certainly I'm not going to make you testify or go public. But please, stop talking like you have some dread secret you want to get off your chest. It's annoying and it makes me want to ask when I'm trying so hard not to."
Lapis didn't know what to say about that.
"Yeah, sorry," Lapis offered lamely. "Guess I shouldn't be, um, priming the pump."
"You really shouldn't," Peridot agreed.
"I promise you, Perry, we will talk," Lapis said, as sincerely as she should. "I'll at least let you know what you need to know...for your own sake. Then we'll go from there. It's just...the time needs to be right, you know? I don't want to scare you off with anything I've done when we're still getting to know each other."
Lapis put a hand on Peridot's shoulder. Peridot smiled, but couldn't help noticing the scar on Lapis's wrist again.
"Okay," Peridot said.
"Hey lovebirds, you turning in early?" Amethyst poked her head in the door. "It's only midnight!"
"Only midnight?" Peridot said, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, the night's still young and all that jazz," Amethyst said, apparently wired from the party. "Don't tell me you guys are already sleepy! Guess it's a bit different from your nine-to-five deal though, right?"
"Ha! When I worked for Senator Dewey" (Peridot was a little surprised to be referring to that in the past tense...but she went with it) "I would function on like four hours of sleep every day!"
"And look where that got you," Amethyst teased, ruffling Peridot's hair. Peridot growled.
"What about you, Lapis? You up for some tunes?" Amethyst bolted outside and downstairs, with Lapis and Peridot following cautiously after her.
"Too bad Greg doesn't drink," Lapis said. "All that soda must have gone straight to her head."
"I saw her sneak a beer or two when we got back," Peridot whispered, watching Amethyst shake her booty to nonexistent music.
Finally, she put a record on the turntable. Soon the sounds of Carly Simon started blaring through the beach house.
"Amethyst, please!" Pearl yelled from her room. "It's way too late to play that racket!"
Garnet just walked downstairs past Lapis and Peridot and unplugged the record player. Amethyst yelped and grabbed her friend's arm.
"Aww, come on Garnet! You can't be tired."
"I'm always tired," Garnet said, though she looked as awake as ever. "Dealing with all your mess is a full-time job."
"I never knew you felt that way about me," Amethyst pouted.
"You're just high on sugar and alcohol," Garnet said. "Which can be better than dealing with Pearl..."
"Guess so," Amethyst said, still dancing until she fell backwards into a chair.
"You must have really done a number on her to get her to come out with us," Amethyst said.
"No more than I do with you," Garnet said, sitting down on the couch and rubbing her temples. "You girls don't give me much chance to relax, I'll tell you that much."
"Well, you do a good job of keeping things together," Amethyst said, walking over to Garnet and patting her shoulder. Then she belched in her friend's face.
"It's a constant struggle," Garnet growled under her breath, before standing back up.
"In any case, time to get up to your room." She put her hands on her hips and stood over Amethyst, adopting a tone and stance more familiar in Pearl than her. "You can dance or whatever you like up there, but it's too late to be messing around like this."
"Thanks, Mom," Amethyst groaned, rushing up the stairs.
"Good night Perry, Lappy," she said to their guests. "Guess the fun's over before it really started."
"It's...Lapis," Lapis said, unamused by Amethyst's nickname.
Peridot snickered. "Lappy...I'll have to remember that one."
"You do that and I'll never, ever speak to you again," Lapis said in a deadpan, deathly serious voice.
Then the two burst out laughing and rushed back into the bedroom together.
"Good night, you two," Garnet said, smiling as the couple disappeared. Then she sat back down on the couch and leaned back, sighing. She didn't see Greg come in until he plopped down next to her on the couch.
"Wiped out, huh?" he offered. "Yeah, I could use some shut eye."
"Sorry, I forgot you were sleeping down here..."
"It's cool. I feel like kinda the fourth wheel around here...well, I guess it's fourth wheel on a tricycle? Maybe I should think of a better analogy."
"Or set it to music," Garnet joked. "You know, you're welcome to the bed I've been using..."
Greg waved her off.
"You know," he said, looking up at the ceiling. "Thank you for whatever you said to Pearl."
Garnet nodded in response.
"I mean, a smile and a look isn't much, but...it's better than nothing."
"It's a start," Garnet agreed, standing up. "You're both good people who loved Rose. You should be friends."
"Friends?" Greg didn't quite buy it, though at least that finally seemed like a possibility.
"Maybe someday," he muttered, closing his eyes and laying back.
"Good night, Greg, and thanks for the chicken," Garnet said, starting upstairs.
"Oh wait," Greg said, sitting back up. "Damn, I forgot something." He went over to the kitchen table and grabbed a small manila envelope.
"Saw this when I came in, but forgot to give it to you," he said. "Addressed to Garnet. No return address."
"Hmm." Garnet said. She started back upstairs, carrying the envelope in one hand as she moved. Greg turned over on his side and pulled a blanket over his head. Garnet turned the light out, casting the room into darkness.
Garnet left the hallway light on for now. She heard Lapis and Peridot laughing and whispering in their room, and smiled thinking about how nice it was to be in love, and hoping she'd know that feeling again someday. Amethyst, strangely, was silent, and Garnet wondered if she'd passed out or just run out of energy.
The door to Pearl's room was still cracked open. Garnet went inside and saw Pearl with a lamplight on, reading an issue of Reader's Digest.
"Pearl, do you need anything?" she asked, poking her head in the door.
"I'm fine, Garnet," Pearl assured her. "Just getting a little light reading before I go to sleep."
"Reader's Digest? Talk about light reading!"
"Hey, they have an excerpt from Teddy White's new book..."
"Thrilling. Well, you know where I am if you need me."
"Of course. Good night, Garnet, and...Thank you."
Garnet shot Pearl a thumbs up and retired to her room, quietly closing the door behind her. She'd almost forgotten the envelope until she was alone.
She tore the end open and saw that it contained a small piece of paper which fell onto the floor.
She bent down and picked it up. It wasn't paper.
It was a tarot card.
She recognized it as The Tower: a large building in peril, being struck by lightning, fire emanating from the windows, several hapless human figures falling or jumping out to escape. She knew roughly what it meant, a portent of danger. And she could certainly guess who sent it.
More than anything, she knew that their peaceful interlude in Beach City was finally nearing its end.
