A month later, Rita was only modestly surprised when Kate's termination paperwork crossed her desk. She knew from prior experience that covert manipulations of agents were a tricky business that could end badly. She unlocked a special cabinet to retrieve a separate folder with the original input from both Jackson and Secretary Read. Though their association was now over, Rita would argue that her brief, but tumultuous record was a net positive for the agency.
She had taken a calculated risk with Kate, and the gambit had unfortunately backfired. How Kate caught wind of the deception was a nagging, but now largely moot question. It wasn't the first time an agent quit over the callousness with which they were used. Rita was focused on the bigger picture and did not lament much over these rather bitter partings. The threats kept coming, and fortunately, there was a steady supply of likely candidates ready to wallow in the muck of those hellbent on doing ill. In hindsight, Kate's unrelenting quest for her mother's murderer and her career at the NYPD created the perfect fodder of both idealism and pragmatism from which to harvest an effective operative. Yes, her deceased husband's initial surmise about Kate had been both shrewd and prophetic - no doubt about it.
At about the sametime as Rita perused her file for the last time, Kate was in another training camp that was much less spartan than any in her prior experience. This group preferred to use the cold as the environmental irritant. The PT was done using water, geography, and body weight. A mountain lake nearby was set up with buoys marking courses of various length. Morning swims were usually followed by moderately steep incline runs to high meadows where grueling body weight workouts were performed under the very critical eye of the trainers. Return runs could go directly to the camp or detour back to the lake depending on how things went so far. By lunch all were exhausted and in dire need of something less strenuous.
In the afternoons weapons training took the spotlight. Much to Kate's surprise, this group shied away from handguns whenever possible. They much preferred the intimacy and silence of a properly used knife. That was new, and she spent many tedious hours getting proficient with the many ways a blade could be devastating effective.
Evenings and nights were quiet unless you were deemed deficient during the day. Those unlucky few, including Kate on more than one occasion, had a a date with the wall. It was a simple, silent, and solitary punishment. Face the wall directly, lock your fingers behind your head, and force both protruding elbows to maintain constant contact with the wall while your torso remained rigidly upright. Trainers monitored your pose and loudly extended your punishment for any failure to maintain position. It was just you, the wall, and your elbows until the rest of your torso rebelled with a blossoming agony that comes from holding a rigid position for long periods without any reprieve. Time was the real enemy here. Sometimes all were dismissed at once. Sometimes a tap on the shoulder nearby left you praying to be next. More often than not, your prayers were not answered. Some adapted better than others. Kate was one of the better wall huggers drawing on her past experience letting present agonies wash over her. Still, it was an experience she would rather not repeat.
When she was about to leave, her hosts called her in for a discussion about her future in the field. Gamma wanted guidance so assignments could be offered out appropriately. Most newbies hedged their bets wanting to see how things played out, and Kate was no exception. Although now more lethal than ever, she was not ready to declare herself ready for any assignment. Instead, the idea of being a private bodyguard seemed like a prudent first step. Kate was pleasantly surprised no one belittled her choice. She learned later that most relented on those early parameters as their confidence in their skill set improved.
In the next year, she took just nine assignments. All went well until the last in Bogota where her charge was attacked by three assailants just after a leisurely dinner with his host. The first two didn't expect to feel the full force of a baton within seconds. The final assailant dodged her swing and began a brief exchange of blows until a hastily produced knife tore a bloody gash in his arm. A hasty retreat was the only option.
Most people would be repulsed by the carnage taking place right in front of them, but her client was not one of them. He was in awe, and once safely ensconced back in the hotel, his effusive praise did not stop. On the way home he broached the idea of a more exclusive relationship. She listened to his plans for expanding his business in Central and South America provided he could be safe while doing it. His name was Owen Reynolds, and her employers had described him as single, studious, and shrewd.
For his part, Owen saw the acquisition of Kate's services as simply a cost of expanding his business. His foray into this lawless world would carry additional personal risk, and Kate had shown the exact kind of ruthlessness he was looking for. The problem was she remained coy about how just far she would go to protect him. He wanted an explicit affirmation of her willingness to use lethal force. Moreover, he wanted her to say it directly to him. He had a vaunted opinion of his ability to read people, and he wanted that face-to-face acknowledgement since his very life might depend on it.
Kate and her handler left the meeting without offering any feedback. The handler had perused Kate's file and understood this was well beyond what Kate had agreed to. Though Kate's self-imposed limitations were not the optimal outcome from Gamma's perspective, they were not unhappy with her sporadic missions over the past year. This was an unexpected opportunity for a more lucrative arrangement, and if Kate declined, they had a cast of alternatives quite ready to make the lethal pledge Owen was looking for.
They parted with little said and nothing decided. Kate saw the question in terms of opposites. Any body guard might in some extreme scenario foresee using lethal force, but it was a blurry contingency. It could happen, but probably wouldn't. Owen's plan put this harsh reality in the spotlight without any room for nuance. Could she commit to kill without hesitation or would she prefer to keep her intentions ambiguous?
Her decision to accept was a bit of a surprise for her handler. The meeting for the face-to face promise took place in a very plain coffee shop while others jabbered on about work, Washington, or the weather. None of it was hardly earth shattering, but what she promised that cloudy morning could be if you were the unlucky one caught on the receiving end of her defense. He was ever so pleased; she was far less giddy. Yes, she had taken more than a few lives in her career, but almost every time except for LOKSAT, there was no joy to be had for the one responsible.
Over the next year she had roughly twenty or so missions with Owen. Some were as simple as a faux date when a social event required a plus one to ward off some aspiring dilettantes hoping to score with the very engaging Owen. Others were longer with stints spent in Central and South America. Those trips involved multiple venues, but the threats were usually minimal except for some of the socially obtuse who needed a quick knee to the groin or a hard slap across their makeup to understand it was time to giddy up. Experience led them to employ an innocuous bit of banter that told her it was time to intervene.
The only real confrontation occurred in Lima. Three thugs made their move in a parking garage, and the first two were quickly dispatched with punches and very painful heel stomps. The ringleader pulled a knife hoping to tip the balance. It wasn't a fair fight. Her recent training with the blade had, of course, included defense, and the fool and his knife were soon parted. It ended when Kate landed a hard foot kick to his chin and throat. It knocked him to the ground, and before she could pounce, he was running for his life sensing that the tide had turned decidedly against him. In the car later, Owen commended her performance and silently congratulated himself on his exemplary powers of judging people when it most counted.
For the next three years, Gamma, Owen, and Kate had no complaints about the relationship. Kate actually grew surprisingly fond of Owen and particularly admired his work ethic. On overnights, suites were generally bought with two separate bedrooms, and that was where the first lapse happened. In hindsight she considered lapse a poor surmise for their first time. It had been a rambunctious couple of hours of feverish lust that was often repeated and never discussed. It always happened in the shared space of the suite. Kate would discard her professional attire upon entering the suite and returned provocatively dressed observing both his gaze and groin. More often than not, things progressed nicely from her point of view. They were consenting adults in stressful situations with time on their hands so why not make the best of it.