Disclaimer: Ethan, Nyah and Luther may not be mine, but I'm going to borrow them for a while and play. ^_^
Author's Notes: YAY you guys like it! Hehe, seriously though, the reviews and requests for more were so encouraging and uplifting (it really doesn't take much to get us writers going, does it?) that I felt guilty for not being able to write more right away. (I encountered a bit of a block on it, however, and then ff.net decided to go completely haywire, so posting took quite a while, and then I went on vacation. Everything was just conspiring against me, huh?) Even though it's summer, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I'll do my best. Oh, any suggestions for missions -- or titles, 'cause I suck at those -- would be great. (Yeah, "Mission: Impossible - III?" was about all I could think up when prompted, and I wanted to post quickly.) But most of all, I love feedback! Thanks to everyone who already reviewed! And specifically:
jen - Hehe, I don't know where this is going to end, but I love Nyah too, so don't you worry, she's sticking around. (As for whether Ethan will have her or not, well, you'll just have to read and see.)
darkangel - Hey, shameless plugging never hurt anyone. I certainly don't mind, since you did read and like and review my story. Thanks! (And keep writing! I'm very intrigued by your trilogy.)
Oh, I saw Minority Report, and yay, Tom Cruise was really good in it. Ya know, it always makes you feel better when the stars of your favorite movie can actually act. *grin*
Anyway, on with the show! (Yeah, finally.)
Chapter 2: Nyah Makes a Friend
The meeting had gone... smoothly. After Nyah's entrance and Ethan's initial shock, he had given Manning his full attention, asking the appropriate questions and asserting his own opinions. He'd even exchanged some easy banter with MacIntyre. Everything he normally did. Yes, the meeting had gone surprisingly smoothly.
Too smoothly, Nyah thought.
She rounded the corner, halted when she saw him. "Ethan!" she called out in the parking lot. Her voice echoed, reverberated through against the painted white cement until it was only a hollow imitation of herself.
He stopped quietly, his back to her. "Yes?"
She recognized the dangerous edge in his tone but swallowed her fears. An IMF agent didn't back down, she told herself. And that's what she was now: IMF. "Aren't we going to discuss this?"
He clenched his jaw before answering. "I wasn't aware there was anything to discuss."
The blunt dismissal stung. "Ethan..."
"I won't be home til late."
And that, she knew, was to be the last word.
She watched his back move farther and farther away, listened to the calm, steady click of his shoes on the pavement. She heard a door close, and a car screech angrily out of the lot and into the street. She heard the scared, enraged honking of startled drivers.
Then she put her face in her hands and just stood there, trying not to weep.
Nothing more was said about it.
Of all the ways Nyah had pictured it playing out, the tense omission of the subject had been ruled least likely, and least pleasant. She had hoped for a heated argument, maybe even the hurling of a few handy household items -- that ugly pink lamp they'd been given as a wedding present, for example -- which would have, of course, ended in Ethan's understanding and a very mutually satisfying evening of making up in the bedroom. Instead, Ethan had come home that night -- late, as he'd warned -- and quietly slipped into bed next to her. In the morning, they ate breakfast, read the papers, and basically went on just as before. Only without the warmth.
It was, quite frankly, driving her mad.
Fortunately, they were due for a meeting with MacIntyre at five o'clock that afternoon to discuss the mission and choose the other team members. Surely that would force Ethan to address her new position in the IMF, wouldn't it? Maybe he would come to understand and accept her decision, and, God forbid, even respect her on a professional level.
Actually, she knew that her presence at the meeting was hardly required. George and Ethan, both veteran pointmen, were more than capable of picking the rest of the crew themselves. But Manning -- whether as a courtesy or a cruel joke was uncertain -- had named her as one of the heads, an equal, despite the fact that this was her first mission. He'd cited her past experience both as a thief and as an integral part of Operation Chimera as reason enough. Everyone knew that was a thin cover story.
When four o'clock rolled around, Nyah began wondering how she was going to broach the subject of getting to the meeting. Riding in one car certainly wouldn't entail stimulating conversation -- or conversation of any kind, really -- but taking separate cars would mean something entirely different and much more unpleasant, not to mention provide grounds for speculation for anyone at IMF headquarters.
Ethan, however, had already considered all this, much in advance, and had asked MacIntyre to meet at their apartment. George had agreed, and resolved internally to make no judgement on the matter, but when Nyah greeted him with a surprised "Oh, hello! What are you doing here?" he really couldn't help himself. Ethan hadn't told her, and that certainly signified something. If they were having hard times relationship-wise, he definitely needed to keep his eye on it. Not because he would be able to swoop in on Nyah -- contrary to popular belief, he did have a code of honor -- but because personal problems tended to affect team cohesion. And he'd be damned -- or more likely, killed -- if he ignored the potential risks of that kind of conflict.
"Okay, let's get started," Ethan said in an amiable tone that betrayed nothing of his inner turmoil. "Who do we need?"
George sat down at the circular glass table and pulled out a small Mead notebook like the kind that reporters used. At Ethan's amused look and Nyah's raised eyebrow, he said, "What? So I'm not gadgetized. Excuse me for not being into the whole high-tech world."
Nyah smiled. "Don't worry about it. That's my role in this mission anyway."
Ethan said nothing.
Flipping through his notepad, MacIntyre read over his notes on the mission brief and quickly called out his findings. "Well, we've got mostly surveillance work, so we'll need two guy--" He caught himself, glanced at Nyah. "Er, two agents to watch the cameras and two to walk the beats. Nyah, you'll be in charge of that team, and Ethan and I will take care of the extraction."
Nyah nodded.
"Sounds good," Ethan joined in. "I want Marcus on this. He's one of the best footmen I know, and he can pick a pocket or a lock faster than you can blink."
MacIntyre nodded and wrote the name down on a clean sheet. "What about Duncan? Or Mollini?"
Ethan shook his head. "Duncan's fine, but Mollini broke his arm last week in Indonesia. I was thinking Daniel Perez could handle the screens with Duncan. They've worked pretty well together on a couple other missions, and Danny's good with both grunt work and cameras. So we just need one more to round out the team."
George was writing and nodding simultaneously. "Any ideas on the fourth man?"
"Westin?"
"Nope. Wife's having a baby."
"Oh really? I'll have to send them something." He frowned. "Bobby Chang?"
"Doing some contract work for the Russians."
"Gallegos?"
"Vacation."
"Lubjova?"
"Vacation."
"Nidee Kumar?"
"Vacation."
"Okay, so everyone else gets to go on vacation, but when I try, I get lectured?" Ethan clenched his jaw. "Yeah, that's fair. Anyway, I'm out of suggestions. You?"
George shook his head.
Until now, Nyah had been silent, respectfully acknowledging her lack of expertise and, really, right to participate. But now that the guys were out of ideas, she didn't see why she shouldn't offer an opinion or two. "Well," she began tentatively. Ethan and George both looked to her instantly, as if surprised she were still there. Trying to ignore that, she pressed on, "What about Eddie Burns? He helped Luther in training me. He'd be better on the technology end, but you said this Daniel Perez bloke was good at both. So he could partner Marcus, and Eddie and..." She peered at George's notepad. "Eddie and Duncan could work together."
If they had been surprised that she'd spoken up, they were practically floored by her idea. Because it was a good one. Still, George hesitated at writing it down, until Ethan nodded, his face a mix of shock and grudging respect. "Great," he said, not giving Ethan the chance to change his mind. "Then we're done, we've got our team." He stood, slipping the notebook into his shirt's breast pocket. "I'll notify IMF, and we'll head out tomorrow."
Nyah and Ethan walked him to the door in silence, but just before they closed the door, George impulsively called out, "Good job, Nyah." He gave a casual wave, as if to diminish the significance of his support for her, but Nyah beamed anyway.
Fortunately, she missed Ethan's sour expression.
Author's Notes: YAY you guys like it! Hehe, seriously though, the reviews and requests for more were so encouraging and uplifting (it really doesn't take much to get us writers going, does it?) that I felt guilty for not being able to write more right away. (I encountered a bit of a block on it, however, and then ff.net decided to go completely haywire, so posting took quite a while, and then I went on vacation. Everything was just conspiring against me, huh?) Even though it's summer, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I'll do my best. Oh, any suggestions for missions -- or titles, 'cause I suck at those -- would be great. (Yeah, "Mission: Impossible - III?" was about all I could think up when prompted, and I wanted to post quickly.) But most of all, I love feedback! Thanks to everyone who already reviewed! And specifically:
jen - Hehe, I don't know where this is going to end, but I love Nyah too, so don't you worry, she's sticking around. (As for whether Ethan will have her or not, well, you'll just have to read and see.)
darkangel - Hey, shameless plugging never hurt anyone. I certainly don't mind, since you did read and like and review my story. Thanks! (And keep writing! I'm very intrigued by your trilogy.)
Oh, I saw Minority Report, and yay, Tom Cruise was really good in it. Ya know, it always makes you feel better when the stars of your favorite movie can actually act. *grin*
Anyway, on with the show! (Yeah, finally.)
Chapter 2: Nyah Makes a Friend
The meeting had gone... smoothly. After Nyah's entrance and Ethan's initial shock, he had given Manning his full attention, asking the appropriate questions and asserting his own opinions. He'd even exchanged some easy banter with MacIntyre. Everything he normally did. Yes, the meeting had gone surprisingly smoothly.
Too smoothly, Nyah thought.
She rounded the corner, halted when she saw him. "Ethan!" she called out in the parking lot. Her voice echoed, reverberated through against the painted white cement until it was only a hollow imitation of herself.
He stopped quietly, his back to her. "Yes?"
She recognized the dangerous edge in his tone but swallowed her fears. An IMF agent didn't back down, she told herself. And that's what she was now: IMF. "Aren't we going to discuss this?"
He clenched his jaw before answering. "I wasn't aware there was anything to discuss."
The blunt dismissal stung. "Ethan..."
"I won't be home til late."
And that, she knew, was to be the last word.
She watched his back move farther and farther away, listened to the calm, steady click of his shoes on the pavement. She heard a door close, and a car screech angrily out of the lot and into the street. She heard the scared, enraged honking of startled drivers.
Then she put her face in her hands and just stood there, trying not to weep.
Nothing more was said about it.
Of all the ways Nyah had pictured it playing out, the tense omission of the subject had been ruled least likely, and least pleasant. She had hoped for a heated argument, maybe even the hurling of a few handy household items -- that ugly pink lamp they'd been given as a wedding present, for example -- which would have, of course, ended in Ethan's understanding and a very mutually satisfying evening of making up in the bedroom. Instead, Ethan had come home that night -- late, as he'd warned -- and quietly slipped into bed next to her. In the morning, they ate breakfast, read the papers, and basically went on just as before. Only without the warmth.
It was, quite frankly, driving her mad.
Fortunately, they were due for a meeting with MacIntyre at five o'clock that afternoon to discuss the mission and choose the other team members. Surely that would force Ethan to address her new position in the IMF, wouldn't it? Maybe he would come to understand and accept her decision, and, God forbid, even respect her on a professional level.
Actually, she knew that her presence at the meeting was hardly required. George and Ethan, both veteran pointmen, were more than capable of picking the rest of the crew themselves. But Manning -- whether as a courtesy or a cruel joke was uncertain -- had named her as one of the heads, an equal, despite the fact that this was her first mission. He'd cited her past experience both as a thief and as an integral part of Operation Chimera as reason enough. Everyone knew that was a thin cover story.
When four o'clock rolled around, Nyah began wondering how she was going to broach the subject of getting to the meeting. Riding in one car certainly wouldn't entail stimulating conversation -- or conversation of any kind, really -- but taking separate cars would mean something entirely different and much more unpleasant, not to mention provide grounds for speculation for anyone at IMF headquarters.
Ethan, however, had already considered all this, much in advance, and had asked MacIntyre to meet at their apartment. George had agreed, and resolved internally to make no judgement on the matter, but when Nyah greeted him with a surprised "Oh, hello! What are you doing here?" he really couldn't help himself. Ethan hadn't told her, and that certainly signified something. If they were having hard times relationship-wise, he definitely needed to keep his eye on it. Not because he would be able to swoop in on Nyah -- contrary to popular belief, he did have a code of honor -- but because personal problems tended to affect team cohesion. And he'd be damned -- or more likely, killed -- if he ignored the potential risks of that kind of conflict.
"Okay, let's get started," Ethan said in an amiable tone that betrayed nothing of his inner turmoil. "Who do we need?"
George sat down at the circular glass table and pulled out a small Mead notebook like the kind that reporters used. At Ethan's amused look and Nyah's raised eyebrow, he said, "What? So I'm not gadgetized. Excuse me for not being into the whole high-tech world."
Nyah smiled. "Don't worry about it. That's my role in this mission anyway."
Ethan said nothing.
Flipping through his notepad, MacIntyre read over his notes on the mission brief and quickly called out his findings. "Well, we've got mostly surveillance work, so we'll need two guy--" He caught himself, glanced at Nyah. "Er, two agents to watch the cameras and two to walk the beats. Nyah, you'll be in charge of that team, and Ethan and I will take care of the extraction."
Nyah nodded.
"Sounds good," Ethan joined in. "I want Marcus on this. He's one of the best footmen I know, and he can pick a pocket or a lock faster than you can blink."
MacIntyre nodded and wrote the name down on a clean sheet. "What about Duncan? Or Mollini?"
Ethan shook his head. "Duncan's fine, but Mollini broke his arm last week in Indonesia. I was thinking Daniel Perez could handle the screens with Duncan. They've worked pretty well together on a couple other missions, and Danny's good with both grunt work and cameras. So we just need one more to round out the team."
George was writing and nodding simultaneously. "Any ideas on the fourth man?"
"Westin?"
"Nope. Wife's having a baby."
"Oh really? I'll have to send them something." He frowned. "Bobby Chang?"
"Doing some contract work for the Russians."
"Gallegos?"
"Vacation."
"Lubjova?"
"Vacation."
"Nidee Kumar?"
"Vacation."
"Okay, so everyone else gets to go on vacation, but when I try, I get lectured?" Ethan clenched his jaw. "Yeah, that's fair. Anyway, I'm out of suggestions. You?"
George shook his head.
Until now, Nyah had been silent, respectfully acknowledging her lack of expertise and, really, right to participate. But now that the guys were out of ideas, she didn't see why she shouldn't offer an opinion or two. "Well," she began tentatively. Ethan and George both looked to her instantly, as if surprised she were still there. Trying to ignore that, she pressed on, "What about Eddie Burns? He helped Luther in training me. He'd be better on the technology end, but you said this Daniel Perez bloke was good at both. So he could partner Marcus, and Eddie and..." She peered at George's notepad. "Eddie and Duncan could work together."
If they had been surprised that she'd spoken up, they were practically floored by her idea. Because it was a good one. Still, George hesitated at writing it down, until Ethan nodded, his face a mix of shock and grudging respect. "Great," he said, not giving Ethan the chance to change his mind. "Then we're done, we've got our team." He stood, slipping the notebook into his shirt's breast pocket. "I'll notify IMF, and we'll head out tomorrow."
Nyah and Ethan walked him to the door in silence, but just before they closed the door, George impulsively called out, "Good job, Nyah." He gave a casual wave, as if to diminish the significance of his support for her, but Nyah beamed anyway.
Fortunately, she missed Ethan's sour expression.
