Ch2
The plane was worst then anything he could have experienced in his life. Storms were building up in the clouds around them and began to rock the plane back and forth with no mercy and the child that sat in his mothers lap was screaming like a banshee.
He tried to fall asleep but couldn't. He spent the rest of the ride looking out the window with his head rested on his fist and watched the storms in the clouds build and bounce in their prison before they broke free and the droplets pelted the earth.
Hours later the plain landed and the earth around the small airport looked like it was encased in a fine glass. He breathed in deeply and it smelled like wet earth and freshly cut grass. Two small children, girls, ran past him laughing and his mind snapped to what Yelena had asked him.
He stepped into the airport and it immediately became impersonal. People of all shapes and sizes rushed passed him to get to places they really didn't want to be. He saw the man that Gibbons told him would be there.
In Xander's opinion, he was a short, portly middle-aged man with thinning sandy blonde hair and indirect blue eyes. His eyes shot to Xander and eyed him scrupulously him slight disdain.
"You must be Xander Cage. I'm Tim Corey"
"Yeah. You're the partner?"
"Hmm, fortunately not, I'm supposed to take you to Agent Bell. Once we collect your bags, we must go, Agent Bell does not tolerate lateness"
Xander rolled his eyes behind his dark glasses and took long strides towards the baggage claim while Tim stood by annoyed. Holding a thick black leather suitcase in his hand, he followed Corey out to the waiting taxi. The driver was wearing a musty gray shirt and work jeans with sneakers, not Xander's idea of a taxi driver, so he was instantly on his guard.
They drove about 10 minutes to a cold looking little wooden shack that only had one widow and a mediocre looking door, but the locks and bolts were first class, which again, heightened Xander's guard. Corey got out of the cab and motioned for Xander to do the same as he paid the cabby.
Corey knocked on the door in an odd pattern and the door slowly creaked open.
"What, have we entered the twilight zone?"
Corey sent him a dark look before he walked into the shack and Xander slowly followed him. The room smelled stale, but there was an underlying smell of roses. A small yellow bulb flickered to life and showed a ratty looking couch with a semi-polished coffee table and an ancient coffee maker with equally ancient looking coffee.
Corey led him into the kitchen and there was a person sitting at the table with a thick black leather jacket, a baseball hat and sunglasses perched on their nose while they were reading a newspaper.
"Agent Bell"
The mysterious person rose and shook his hand.
"Agent Corey"
Xander's eyebrows raised as she removed her baseball cap and it seemed like miles of gelled curly blonde hair rained down her back, but she kept her glasses on her pixie nose. Her voice sounded, like an obsessed man once compared it to, like sandpaper wrapped in velvet.
"Mr.Cage, this is Katie Bell, she'll be your partner of this assignment"
Xander eyed her closely. She was willow slim, couldn't be a day over 29, and as the glasses slipped down her nose, Xander could see she had misty green eyes.
"Ms. Bell, this is Xander Cage"
"Yes, I know who you are Mr.Cage, I've been following your work for a while, and I've got to admit, you are amazing"
Xander smiled widely,
"Thank you Ms.Bell. What is this assignment about?"
"You mean Gibbons didn't tell you?"
Katie asked a little shocked. Xander shook his head and at a sharp look from her, Corey left the little barren shack and Katie sat on the couch and motioned for Xander to sit next to her.
"Is it alright that I call you Xander?"
"Sure"
"Call me Katie then, but I can't lie to you"
"Lie to me about what?"
Katie took a deep breath and said slowly.
"There is a mission, but we both have very different assignments"
"What are you talking about?"
Katie looked down at the wooden floor that was attempted to be decorated with a semi-expensive oriental rug. Xander's voice was at such a low rumble that it was a surprise it didn't set off car alarms.
"My assignment was to make sure you don't return to America"
"You mean kill me"
His voice hasn't changed and Katie realized this was a man who wasn't afraid of death. He took his glasses off and ran them back and forth through his hands.
"Fuck, can't I go someplace where someone's not trying to kill me"
"I'm sorry"
"Yeah. Well are you going to?"
He asked as he picked up the police issued revolver and handed it to her.
"Um,"
"You'll never get a cleaner shot"
Katie looked at the gun he had given her like it was a pretty flower.
"Is it what you want Xander?"
She asked with her head cocked to the side, her hair falling over her shoulder.
"That's good, no one else who tried to kill me asked me that. It's your call"
Katie searched his face with pity on her pretty face. The gun seemed to turn to a lead weight and began to get heavier and heavier in her hands, slowly she gave in.
"You know I can't do it"
Xander smiled and indiscreetly took the gun from her.
"Good girl"
He murmured softly and placed the gun back on the table.
"Well it seems like the bad guys had a plan"
Katie said as she slipped the faded Yankee's cap over her hair
"The real question is, what the hell is ours?"
The plane was worst then anything he could have experienced in his life. Storms were building up in the clouds around them and began to rock the plane back and forth with no mercy and the child that sat in his mothers lap was screaming like a banshee.
He tried to fall asleep but couldn't. He spent the rest of the ride looking out the window with his head rested on his fist and watched the storms in the clouds build and bounce in their prison before they broke free and the droplets pelted the earth.
Hours later the plain landed and the earth around the small airport looked like it was encased in a fine glass. He breathed in deeply and it smelled like wet earth and freshly cut grass. Two small children, girls, ran past him laughing and his mind snapped to what Yelena had asked him.
He stepped into the airport and it immediately became impersonal. People of all shapes and sizes rushed passed him to get to places they really didn't want to be. He saw the man that Gibbons told him would be there.
In Xander's opinion, he was a short, portly middle-aged man with thinning sandy blonde hair and indirect blue eyes. His eyes shot to Xander and eyed him scrupulously him slight disdain.
"You must be Xander Cage. I'm Tim Corey"
"Yeah. You're the partner?"
"Hmm, fortunately not, I'm supposed to take you to Agent Bell. Once we collect your bags, we must go, Agent Bell does not tolerate lateness"
Xander rolled his eyes behind his dark glasses and took long strides towards the baggage claim while Tim stood by annoyed. Holding a thick black leather suitcase in his hand, he followed Corey out to the waiting taxi. The driver was wearing a musty gray shirt and work jeans with sneakers, not Xander's idea of a taxi driver, so he was instantly on his guard.
They drove about 10 minutes to a cold looking little wooden shack that only had one widow and a mediocre looking door, but the locks and bolts were first class, which again, heightened Xander's guard. Corey got out of the cab and motioned for Xander to do the same as he paid the cabby.
Corey knocked on the door in an odd pattern and the door slowly creaked open.
"What, have we entered the twilight zone?"
Corey sent him a dark look before he walked into the shack and Xander slowly followed him. The room smelled stale, but there was an underlying smell of roses. A small yellow bulb flickered to life and showed a ratty looking couch with a semi-polished coffee table and an ancient coffee maker with equally ancient looking coffee.
Corey led him into the kitchen and there was a person sitting at the table with a thick black leather jacket, a baseball hat and sunglasses perched on their nose while they were reading a newspaper.
"Agent Bell"
The mysterious person rose and shook his hand.
"Agent Corey"
Xander's eyebrows raised as she removed her baseball cap and it seemed like miles of gelled curly blonde hair rained down her back, but she kept her glasses on her pixie nose. Her voice sounded, like an obsessed man once compared it to, like sandpaper wrapped in velvet.
"Mr.Cage, this is Katie Bell, she'll be your partner of this assignment"
Xander eyed her closely. She was willow slim, couldn't be a day over 29, and as the glasses slipped down her nose, Xander could see she had misty green eyes.
"Ms. Bell, this is Xander Cage"
"Yes, I know who you are Mr.Cage, I've been following your work for a while, and I've got to admit, you are amazing"
Xander smiled widely,
"Thank you Ms.Bell. What is this assignment about?"
"You mean Gibbons didn't tell you?"
Katie asked a little shocked. Xander shook his head and at a sharp look from her, Corey left the little barren shack and Katie sat on the couch and motioned for Xander to sit next to her.
"Is it alright that I call you Xander?"
"Sure"
"Call me Katie then, but I can't lie to you"
"Lie to me about what?"
Katie took a deep breath and said slowly.
"There is a mission, but we both have very different assignments"
"What are you talking about?"
Katie looked down at the wooden floor that was attempted to be decorated with a semi-expensive oriental rug. Xander's voice was at such a low rumble that it was a surprise it didn't set off car alarms.
"My assignment was to make sure you don't return to America"
"You mean kill me"
His voice hasn't changed and Katie realized this was a man who wasn't afraid of death. He took his glasses off and ran them back and forth through his hands.
"Fuck, can't I go someplace where someone's not trying to kill me"
"I'm sorry"
"Yeah. Well are you going to?"
He asked as he picked up the police issued revolver and handed it to her.
"Um,"
"You'll never get a cleaner shot"
Katie looked at the gun he had given her like it was a pretty flower.
"Is it what you want Xander?"
She asked with her head cocked to the side, her hair falling over her shoulder.
"That's good, no one else who tried to kill me asked me that. It's your call"
Katie searched his face with pity on her pretty face. The gun seemed to turn to a lead weight and began to get heavier and heavier in her hands, slowly she gave in.
"You know I can't do it"
Xander smiled and indiscreetly took the gun from her.
"Good girl"
He murmured softly and placed the gun back on the table.
"Well it seems like the bad guys had a plan"
Katie said as she slipped the faded Yankee's cap over her hair
"The real question is, what the hell is ours?"