Part 11: A New Partner
Clover was on the run for killing the man she'd thought of as the only father she'd ever known for the last year. Mandy had helped Clover escape. Now Alex had freed Mandy and left them all behind, presumably going to find Clover. Everyone Sam knew was gone... all for the sake of Jerry's killer. How could they possibly refute the hard facts and evidence? Clover was a murderer... maybe they were all murderers. All except for Sam herself.
Sam's eyes opened tiredly when she heard her compowder beeping from the nightstand beside her bed. She'd been resting since Alex's blow had put a pretty nasty bruise on her face. She would have liked to stay here, rest up a bit before going back, but she knew Richard wouldn't let her.
She grabbed the compowder and flipped it open, putting one hand over the bruise on her face. "Yeah Richard?"
"Sam, I need to see you right away. I just thought I would give you some warning since you're injured." He told her. Sam blinked before suddenly her entire bed slid into the floor. She screamed and grabbed the bedposts
The bed slammed into the steel floor in Richard's office with a loud clang, where she found the older man sitting behind the desk watching a news channel on the large screen in front of him. "The U.S. occupation of the nation of Lyrobia continues into its second day today, as the American soldiers bravely search for the terrorists that, intelligence says, are in hiding there."
Richard turned off the TV, twisting his chair around to look back at her with his fingers pressed together in front of him. "They slipped out of our fingers Sam... they've all turned against us, and they've all gone missing."
"I've heard as much." Sam replied softly. "You don't have any leads at all?"
"Only hunches and suspicions." Richard told her, leaning back in his seat. His sharp brown eyes seemed to sweep through her head as if searching for any trace of fear or doubt. Sam held her ground, holding her head high and her back straight. She wasn't going to let a series of betrayals break her. "You were closer to them than even their own parents."
"I was." Sam replied simply. Things had changed around the WOOHP offices in the last week and a half. The warm, homey feeling that the office had once contained were leeched out of the building, replaced by a hard, cold, businesslike atmosphere.
"Then you should be able to find them." Richard told her. "But the only question is... where does your loyalty lie, Samantha?" Sam stared at him behind the desk, her gaze narrowing. "How can we be sure you won't turn renegade like all of your friends?"
"I work for justice, first and foremost, sir." Sam replied. "It doesn't matter who committed a crime or betrayal... my job is to find them and bring them to justice. And I will do that." Richard nodded and pushed himself out of Jerry's chair, walking around the steel table to approach her.
"Would you kill them, if you had to, Samantha?" He asked.
"Yes." Sam replied truthfully, her emerald green eyes hardening under his piercing gaze. Richard nodded in satisfaction and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Then you are still on the case, Sam." He told her. "Take every gadget you feel that you'll need. Bring us Alex, Clover, Mandy, and Queen Tassara. If they resist, kill them all. You'll find your new partner already in the gadget room."
"New partner?" Sam asked curiously.
"WOOHP agents don't work alone, you know this as well as I do." Richard told her. "Now if there are no objections, go meet her and ready yourself for your mission."
"Yes sir." Sam replied coolly. Richard gestured for her to leave, so she nodded curtly and walked out of the office, walking through the winding steel hallways of the WOOHP building. Honestly, he didn't have to tell her to try to find those traitorous ex-friends of hers. She couldn't believe she'd let Clover play her all this time, and now she'd turned Alex against her too. This new partner though... she had to wonder who it was.
She pushed open the door to the WOOHP locker rooms on the bottom floor, stopping when she saw a familiar figure looking through the myriad of gadgets hanging up against the wall. She wore a blue WOOHP uniform, with blue-tinted hair and light skin the color of a delicate yellow flower. She looked back at Sam as she entered, flashing her a smile.
"Sam, it's good to see you again." Brittany moved away from the gadgets and walked up to her. "I'm your new partner."
"How did..." Sam trailed off.
"I volunteered when I heard what was happening." Brittany replied, her gaze suddenly turning to one of pity. "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that Clover had turned against WOOHP and become a terrorist... and then Alex, it just didn't seem right."
"Trust me, I know. But it is real. Nothing can change that. I've seen the evidence." Sam walked past her new partner, walking to the locker with her name on it. She pulled the locker open and pulled her civilian clothes off, stuffing them into the locker and pulling out her green WOOHP uniform. The gold and silver locket that was Jerry's parting gift hung loosely from her neck.
"What's that?" Brittany asked, looking down at the necklace lying against Sam's chest. Sam reached down and grabbed it, running her fingers over the smooth metal surface kept warm by her body heat. She popped open the locket, staring at the picture of the three spies standing in front of the White House with Jerry standing off to the side, watching them proudly.
"An old lie..." Sam snapped the locket closed suddenly, dropping it to her chest so she could pull on her green WOOHP uniform. She looked over at Brittany. "Listen, I'm sorry Brittany, but I'm just not in a very good mood these days. Sorry if I seem... discourteous."
"Hey, no problem. I understand completely." Brittany replied. "So, partner, what's our first mission together?"
"We find Clover and Alex." Sam replied. "And get them off the streets by any means necessary." Brittany blinked in surprise, but Sam pushed past her and left the locker room after gathering up a generous assortment of gadgets from the wall. She heard Brittany follow behind her. She'd find Clover soon, and bring justice down on her traitorous empty blonde head. There was nowhere her former friend could run now... Sam would find her.
TO BE CONTINUED
Clover was on the run for killing the man she'd thought of as the only father she'd ever known for the last year. Mandy had helped Clover escape. Now Alex had freed Mandy and left them all behind, presumably going to find Clover. Everyone Sam knew was gone... all for the sake of Jerry's killer. How could they possibly refute the hard facts and evidence? Clover was a murderer... maybe they were all murderers. All except for Sam herself.
Sam's eyes opened tiredly when she heard her compowder beeping from the nightstand beside her bed. She'd been resting since Alex's blow had put a pretty nasty bruise on her face. She would have liked to stay here, rest up a bit before going back, but she knew Richard wouldn't let her.
She grabbed the compowder and flipped it open, putting one hand over the bruise on her face. "Yeah Richard?"
"Sam, I need to see you right away. I just thought I would give you some warning since you're injured." He told her. Sam blinked before suddenly her entire bed slid into the floor. She screamed and grabbed the bedposts
The bed slammed into the steel floor in Richard's office with a loud clang, where she found the older man sitting behind the desk watching a news channel on the large screen in front of him. "The U.S. occupation of the nation of Lyrobia continues into its second day today, as the American soldiers bravely search for the terrorists that, intelligence says, are in hiding there."
Richard turned off the TV, twisting his chair around to look back at her with his fingers pressed together in front of him. "They slipped out of our fingers Sam... they've all turned against us, and they've all gone missing."
"I've heard as much." Sam replied softly. "You don't have any leads at all?"
"Only hunches and suspicions." Richard told her, leaning back in his seat. His sharp brown eyes seemed to sweep through her head as if searching for any trace of fear or doubt. Sam held her ground, holding her head high and her back straight. She wasn't going to let a series of betrayals break her. "You were closer to them than even their own parents."
"I was." Sam replied simply. Things had changed around the WOOHP offices in the last week and a half. The warm, homey feeling that the office had once contained were leeched out of the building, replaced by a hard, cold, businesslike atmosphere.
"Then you should be able to find them." Richard told her. "But the only question is... where does your loyalty lie, Samantha?" Sam stared at him behind the desk, her gaze narrowing. "How can we be sure you won't turn renegade like all of your friends?"
"I work for justice, first and foremost, sir." Sam replied. "It doesn't matter who committed a crime or betrayal... my job is to find them and bring them to justice. And I will do that." Richard nodded and pushed himself out of Jerry's chair, walking around the steel table to approach her.
"Would you kill them, if you had to, Samantha?" He asked.
"Yes." Sam replied truthfully, her emerald green eyes hardening under his piercing gaze. Richard nodded in satisfaction and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Then you are still on the case, Sam." He told her. "Take every gadget you feel that you'll need. Bring us Alex, Clover, Mandy, and Queen Tassara. If they resist, kill them all. You'll find your new partner already in the gadget room."
"New partner?" Sam asked curiously.
"WOOHP agents don't work alone, you know this as well as I do." Richard told her. "Now if there are no objections, go meet her and ready yourself for your mission."
"Yes sir." Sam replied coolly. Richard gestured for her to leave, so she nodded curtly and walked out of the office, walking through the winding steel hallways of the WOOHP building. Honestly, he didn't have to tell her to try to find those traitorous ex-friends of hers. She couldn't believe she'd let Clover play her all this time, and now she'd turned Alex against her too. This new partner though... she had to wonder who it was.
She pushed open the door to the WOOHP locker rooms on the bottom floor, stopping when she saw a familiar figure looking through the myriad of gadgets hanging up against the wall. She wore a blue WOOHP uniform, with blue-tinted hair and light skin the color of a delicate yellow flower. She looked back at Sam as she entered, flashing her a smile.
"Sam, it's good to see you again." Brittany moved away from the gadgets and walked up to her. "I'm your new partner."
"How did..." Sam trailed off.
"I volunteered when I heard what was happening." Brittany replied, her gaze suddenly turning to one of pity. "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that Clover had turned against WOOHP and become a terrorist... and then Alex, it just didn't seem right."
"Trust me, I know. But it is real. Nothing can change that. I've seen the evidence." Sam walked past her new partner, walking to the locker with her name on it. She pulled the locker open and pulled her civilian clothes off, stuffing them into the locker and pulling out her green WOOHP uniform. The gold and silver locket that was Jerry's parting gift hung loosely from her neck.
"What's that?" Brittany asked, looking down at the necklace lying against Sam's chest. Sam reached down and grabbed it, running her fingers over the smooth metal surface kept warm by her body heat. She popped open the locket, staring at the picture of the three spies standing in front of the White House with Jerry standing off to the side, watching them proudly.
"An old lie..." Sam snapped the locket closed suddenly, dropping it to her chest so she could pull on her green WOOHP uniform. She looked over at Brittany. "Listen, I'm sorry Brittany, but I'm just not in a very good mood these days. Sorry if I seem... discourteous."
"Hey, no problem. I understand completely." Brittany replied. "So, partner, what's our first mission together?"
"We find Clover and Alex." Sam replied. "And get them off the streets by any means necessary." Brittany blinked in surprise, but Sam pushed past her and left the locker room after gathering up a generous assortment of gadgets from the wall. She heard Brittany follow behind her. She'd find Clover soon, and bring justice down on her traitorous empty blonde head. There was nowhere her former friend could run now... Sam would find her.
TO BE CONTINUED