The Gift
Episode 4: Secret Agent Man
By Sulia Serafine
This is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE fic. This is the sequel series to It Could Be Worse, which will end with season 4. NOTE: You can read it if you have not read ICBW. It's possible. You won't get the foreshadowing and the cameos, but you will, eventually. I'd explain them. Credit goes to Tamora Pierce. I'm broke, so you can't sue me. Any other copyrighted things that don't belong to me in here in fact belong to other very businesslike people. Could you believe that? I guess that's why I'm broke.
~~
Winston's Log, Day 31:
The days are hot, humid and most of all—perilous. I predict that I shall drop dead at any moment, falling prey to the merciless, bloodthirsty predators of this mysterious new world that I have unwittingly stumbled into…
Okay…
Reality check.
Once again, I had been napping in the backseat of the convertible, while we drove toward some unknown destination. By the position of the sun, I assumed we were going south. What was south? I had no idea. I should have known. But then again, that's why they call it wandering.
My muscles were stiff from the position I slept in. Trying to eliminate the tension I felt in my back, I began stretching as far as I could in the confined space. A pair of inquisitive sapphire eyes watched me from the front passenger seat.
"Yes, Faleron?" I droned
"When are we going to have our adventure?" he asked almost accusingly, as if I was to blame.
I sat up and searched for prepackaged food in one of three paper bags. The car was more organized ever since we finally decided what would be stored in the trunk. Trying to look preoccupied with my task, I also partially hoped that ignoring the boy's question would ultimately force him to turn around and shut up. Unfortunately, he wouldn't.
"All that we've done is drift around Mithros! What's the purpose of this trip? You will tell me!" Faleron demanded. The authority with which he spoke seemed out of place, considering his high-pitched, childish voice. He truly must be the grandson of the Vice President to have the guts to speak up like that.
"Yvenne is trying to avoid a guy named Donelly, who wants to kill her, and I just happen to be our tour guide. That's all there is. There's no adventure," I answered smoothly. "If we stayed in one place, the DJPF would find us and charge us for kidnapping you."
The boy rolled his eyes. He turned around in his seat and began fiddling with his seatbelt. "You underestimate them. They'd find you even if we weren't staying in one place. They're tough. I should know."
Yvenne grinned, but did not take her eyes off the road. "Uh-oh. Looks like someone's a juvenile delinquent."
"I know because most of my parents' friends are in the DJPF! Both sets of my godparents are officers!"
That wiped the smile off Yvenne's face. She almost looked panicky, which was pretty unusual for someone as wildly confident as her. Her eyes darted back and forth from the road to our young friend. "You're bluffing."
"He's not," I sighed, wondering idly if it would look too weird if I started banging my head against the side of the car's interior.
"Don't worry. As long as we have a grand adventure, I won't let them near you!" Faleron promised. His words did nothing to ease Yvenne's mind.
She muttered incoherently to herself. "Don't worry, he says. I won't let them near you, he says! Ha!"
I refrained from making a sarcastic comment about her ramblings. It just wasn't worth the smack I was bound to receive. Instead, I concentrated on my breakfast and wondered if there was a rest stop within a mile or two where rows of glorious vending machines awaited me. Never look down upon vending machines. They can hold the best, lowest-priced food in the world—just the sort of thing a cheapskate like me needs.
Two and three quarters of an hour later, we stared at a large billboard posted beside the road.
"Welcome to Maren."
"I know lots about Maren! It's a large place, just scattered about so you have to take a highway or a Federal road everywhere you go!" Faleron piped up. I had an urge to stuff his mouth full of something so he would stop talking, but I foresaw that both my companions would be give me grief for it. All this…and I hadn't deserted them yet. Beats the hell out of me, too.
Yvenne pointed ahead. "Hey, Vinny—"
"A theme park with a place for the kids and a place for the adults. Yeah, I know. That sign up ahead is for the entrance."
"Whoa, are you farsighted or something? I can hardly make out the words," she mumbled. "So, do you want to take a break for the day and go? There's gambling and drinks, I bet."
My lips curled into a sly smile. "Oh, but of course. But I want to go into downtown Maren and do some personal errands."
Faleron frowned. "What sort of personal errands?"
"I can't tell you, Squirt. That's why they're personal."
He glared at me and started looking out the window at the theme park. The natural barriers of trees and hills made it difficult to see anything but high roller coasters reaching up into the air.
When we arrived and entered, Yvenne made an agreement with me. I loved bargaining with her. I always knew what exactly to bribe and offer, thanks to you-know-what, and I must say that I snatched the better end of the deal.
We would spend a good portion of daylight relaxing and taking Faleron around to the rides and attractions. During the afternoon, I would take over kiddie patrol while Yvenne contacted her stockbroker and other such important people who kept her well financed.
Then, I would be allowed to try my luck in the adult bars and game rooms for the rest of the night. We would check into a hotel sometime around midnight and I wouldn't have to pay if I didn't make a large sum of money. (And she would never find out how much money I really had since the "Hands-off Pants" Decree was still in effect.)
Most importantly, the next day I was not to be hassled about whatever my personal errands were. A whole night to myself… I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to walk somewhere and not have two whiny voices yapping right next to my ear. Privacy is all I could ever ask of Yvenne and Faleron. They've disregarded this unspoken request many times, but when it came down to it, they didn't push me any farther than they would like themselves to be pushed.
If this is what friendship was, then I thought I just might survive. If it had consisted of all the idealistic, wonderfully impossible things that I've read in my books, I didn't believe I'd be capable of adjusting to them. I wasn't the sort that feels naturally comfortable about expressing my emotions to others.
I felt my overactive mind predict Yvenne's thoughts after we had been in that farming town. She was starting to get too close for comfort for me; she doesn't seem to look at it that way. What a nightmare that would be if we actually talked about that night in the faming town! I simply wasn't ready. When will I be? It's the one thing I'll never be able to foresee.
~~
"Is it me or is that oversized carrot following us?"
"He's a Buddy-Veggie, Vinny. From that Holoscreen show meant to teach kids to eat right," Yvenne answered, trying to appear tolerant of the imitation vegetable with cartoon plastic eyes and umbrella-like green top. She imagined herself standing under the carrot for protection from the rain. Contrary to her daydream, the sun was hot and there were no clouds in sight.
I poked Faleron in the shoulder. A tingle on my neck told me that I was going to be snapped at, but I couldn't help it. "Want to have your picture taken with the Buddy-Weggie or the Cruddy-Veggie or whatever?"
He glared at me. "Since I know you're asking me out of spite and not out of good intentions, I'll have to insist you take the picture with me."
My hand slapped him on the back. The squirt was okay, sometimes. In the future, I saw that he'd always be a little small for his age, but that matured mouth of his would be able to tell off anyone that gave him lip.
"This is a nice change of pace," Yvenne commented, taking a deep breath of air. An almost imperceptible bounce was added to each of her steps, creating a young woman whom neither Faleron nor myself had ever seen before. All things put aside-- it scared me.
"What?" she asked when she perkily turned around, inquiring why we had halted.
"You were humming the opening song to Sesame Street."
"No, I wasn't."
"Yes, you were," we replied simultaneously.
She stopped bouncing and humming after that and scowled whenever we teased her about it. The majority of the morning was spent wandering. We occasionally rode an attraction that jostled us about in a small cart or we tried our luck at winning stuffed animals. I refused to lug around a large pink thing of cotton and polyester nylon, so I missed all my hoop shots on purpose. The rubber ball bounced off the rim and Yvene caught the rebound.
"Man, you're terrible. I wanted that stuffed Coldfang." She gazed up at the soft plushie.
I shrugged. What was that supposed to do? Make me feel guilty? Yeah, right. I don't think so.
"Well what are you waiting for?" she scolded and smacked the back of my head. It was a growing habit of mine to force myself to stay still rather than dodge what I knew was coming.
My hand reached into my pocket for another Noble. I'd win this time and get her off my back. Let it be known that I'm not usually so easy to coerce, but some days, no matter how bright they are, I don't like being messed with. The faster I completely this request, the sooner I would be allowed to do whatever I wanted again. I handed my money to the theme park employee and took the rubber ball into my hands. My arms raised and poised to shoot when, suddenly, my Gift struck me down.
Ever imagined what it would be like to have a gun fired right beside your ear?
Yeah. Try that multiplied by a hundred.
The ball dropped from my hands and I jerked back as if shoved by some invisible force. My head was ringing and I was too shocked to put my hands over my ears. My companions steadied me.
"Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?" Yvenne asked me. She had both hands against my back, propping me up like I might fall over at any second like a bowling pin.
Faleron picked up the rubber ball and put it down on the counter. "Vinny?"
I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to calm myself down. I rarely reacted so strongly to any of my abilities. Fear crept into my heart as I attempted to decipher the images replaying themselves in my head. My body trembled with the unfamiliarity of the circumstances.
"Maybe you should sit down," Yvenne prompted.
"No. I'm okay. It's nothing." I picked up the ball and without really concentrating, tossed it at the metal hoop on the backboard. It went in, swooshing through the net and never touching the rim once. The attendant at the hoop retrieved the ball and a stuffed Coldfang from the rack above. He handed it to the short ex-bookie with a fake cheerful expression.
Yvenne let Faleron hold onto her prize as we walked toward a water fountain. Against my insistences, they made me sit and take a break. And for once, I didn't fight back as much as I could have. I put one shaking hand to my forehead. I couldn't suppress it. And worst of all, I couldn't feel any pain. There was no control for me over my own limbs. I willed my body to remain still as a statue, but shivers went up and down my spine.
My mouth was dry, but I forced myself to speak. In a coarse voice, I croaked, "Squirt, come here."
The young boy scooted closer while Yvenne, trying not to appear offended at her exclusion, leaned away with her eyes downcast. I thought to myself that I shouldn't alienate her, being a source of money like she was, but much more important things occupied my mind.
"What's wrong, Vinny?"
I placed a hand on his shoulder, meant to reassure him of any ailment he imagined had conquered me. He relaxed a bit. His smile was full of relief and gratefulness. And at that moment, I saw in his mind that I had become the wandering knight in his imaginary storybook land. I was his hero.
How could I be anyone's hero?
Ignoring the mental image of myself sitting astride a white stallion, I cut to the chase. "What district do your godparents live in? Where do they work?" It wasn't that difficult to sound nonchalant and refreshed from my rest at the fountain side. "Well?"
His small button of a nose twitched. "They travel." He frowned. "Why?"
"Nothing. Just killing time," I muttered. I dragged my hand over my face. There was nothing left to do but wait the extra five minutes at the fountain. It wasn't as if we hadn't had fun already. Yes. We'd had our fun. Now it was back to business.
Faleron clutched the stuffed Coldfang closer to him. He hopped off the fountain ledge and approached Yvenne, leaning against her knee and whispering something that I assumed to be his concern for me. She didn't betray his confidence by glancing at me. Instead, she bent down, brushed a sisterly kiss on his forehead, and scooped him up onto her knee.
For a boy as intelligent and refined as him, he certainly had no qualms about resting on the lap of a gorgeous young lady as if he were truly as young as he appeared. I remained a short distance away from them, lost in my own thoughts.
My eyes looked up from my shoes only a split second before a masculine voice spoke. I knew what was about to happen, but I had yet to figure out why its earlier announcement had shaken me to my core.
"Faleron? Is that you?"
The boy slid off Yvenne's thighs, turning around and staring saucer-eyed at two strangers. They were a man and a woman. The man possessed bright red hair and dark green eyes. He was taller than me, most definitely, and broad shouldered. He might have been very slim in his youth, but a decade or so had made him into a solid foundation not to be pushed over. His female companion owned a fair pale complexion with midnight black hair and shining deep blue eyes. She was as aged as her male counterpart, being perhaps in her mid thirties, but slender and curvaceous as a spry, giggling schoolgirl.
Both were dressed in all black. It was this that set off the alarms in my head. The images from before replayed themselves in my mind. DJPF officers—spies, to be specific—had seen Faleron from across the way and had come to investigate. They were not just there because the boy was the Vice President's missing grandson. No.
He was their Godson, too. And oh, I could have lived peacefully without knowing that. But since I did, I tensed my muscles, trying to foresee any need of my fighting skill. But of course, against these high-ranked, undercover officers… I was way out of my league.
"Hello, Uncle Cleon. Hi, Auntie Kalasin," Faleron said in a faint, abashed voice.
"What are you doing here?" the redheaded man exclaimed at once, marching forward and placing his hands on his hips in the regulatory lecture-fashion. He didn't bother looking at me or at Yvenne. He didn't see us as a threat. Normally, I would be insulted, but better to be insulted by a DJPF officer than arrested and jailed up by one.
The kid tried his best to keep face during the awkward confrontation. "I'm having a little vacation with my friends, Uncle."
The proclaimed 'uncle' stared at the short boy in front of him with a mixture of emotions crossing his face. He finally shook his head and crouched down to Faleron's level. "You don't know these people. How could you go off with them and not tell anyone? Do you know how worried your parents have been ever since they heard from your chaperone?"
"I'm sorry, Uncle! I didn't mean to stir up any trouble!"
It was quite a feat not to eavesdrop on them. So I didn't feel entirely awful that I was hearing everything clearly and storing it in my memory for later reference. I'm sure Yvenne was doing the same. The woman, who I assumed was Kalasin, remained where she was, like a sentinel.
"Faleron—"
"I did have good reason!" Here, he lowered his voice. "I saw him play at cards, Uncle. It's just like Dad always told me… you know how he described the ease at which—"
Cleon closed his eyes and shook his head. "You're too smart for your age to listen to your father's stories and take them so literally. They happened, but they're over and done with." He lifted his head again and gazed sternly at his Godson. "You shouldn't try to re-enact anything that we did when we were younger. When we did those things, we were still so much older than you are right now."
"I know, it's just… I couldn't pass up the chance. Didn't you ever feel like that, Uncle? Like there was only one chance and you just had to take it?"
The man stood up to his full height. He turned to the woman and announced, "I need to have a private talk with him. Will you stay here with… them?"
"Be quick. This wasn't the only thing we came here for." The woman fixed us with a disdainful glare. Having now heard her voice for the first time, I found it to be deep and filled with something raw and alluring. But at the same time, it commanded such emotionless authority that I found it impossible to be attracted to the sound.
Cleon and Faleron walked away from us, taking shelter under the shade of a palm tree. Yvenne looked like she wanted to storm over there and demand some answers from the redhead, but what else was there to know? It was a known fact that Faleron had run away on his own free will. The two DJPF officers had perfectly good reasons to take him back home.
Worrying didn't make a difference since I knew what the outcome of the private family drama would be. But personally, I continued to consider what might have happened anyway. Faleron would be taken home. He'd beg for no charges to be pressed against us, and his adoring Godparents would not mind letting us go. Yvenne and I would be alone again, snapping at each other like we always do. She would always be wary of casinos and their owners. I would hide my personal agenda like one hides a dirty little secret. We'd wander aimlessly for the rest of our lives at that rate.
"Vince," Yvenne whispered.
"Everything is going to be fine. Just fine," I told her impatiently. And why wouldn't it be? It's not like we would lose anything we really cared about. The truth was, I didn't want to care that much. Why did Yvenne suddenly think she could go to me for comfort?
I hated it. I didn't want to be anyone's emotional crutch. The life that I had accustomed myself to had disappeared overnight, through no real fault of my own. Ugliness festered in the pits of my stomach and I felt the urge to dunk my head in the fountain beside me.
When the two had come back from their intimate chat, the woman known only to me as Kalasin still had not spoken a word to either or us, nor budged an inch from her spot. She vaguely reminded me of an unattached nurse watching over her patients with a cruel critical eye. But we weren't any sick persons with need of care. We just needed to be guarded while the mock "father-son" talk was underway.
"Where are his things? We should send him back as soon as possible with an escort," Kalasin began. Her impatience and practicality had a tinge of ice to it. How in the world is it that a man such as Cleon came to be partnered to one who did not falter under his soft, smoldering gaze? I did not think they suited each other, but it was no business of my own.
Cleon affectionately brushed a hand over Faleron's shiny black hair. His mood had transformed from protective to morose, like a secret magical spell had cursed his heart and sent him into melancholy.
His hand jerked up from his Godson's head, almost as if he had forced himself. I stepped forward. His foreboding actions confirmed my guess that he wished to talk with me alone as well.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," he said softly.
"Cleon, what are you doing?" Kalasin demanded, her eyebrows coming together and her brow creasing. She seemed ready to pick up Faleron herself and take the redhead by the ear.
Yvenne, uncharacteristically tender in voice, moved closer. "What is it?"
"Just a few questions," I told her. My eyes locked onto the dark green ones of my inquirer. He slowly walked back toward the tree where he had been a few minutes previous. I followed without fear. I was glad for my gift. Foreboding atmospheres such as this would often scare or create anxiety in normal men and women.
It was like a play where only I knew the script.
"Your name?" he asked me again.
"Vinny," I replied. It crossed my mind to volunteer Yvenne's name as well. But it's a good rule never to supply more information than asked for. What he didn't know couldn't possibly hurt him.
Cleon nodded and leaned his back against the tree. He was already halfway to trusting me. I imagined a great man like him intimidating the evilest of people, yet here he was relaxed against a palm tree in Southern Mithros. His voice held neither malice nor suspicion.
"He wants to stay with you. I don't know what to make of it," he said.
"And you think I do?"
"Faleron is a very smart boy. He's resourceful and capable of so much. With all the possibilities his future holds, at the present, he wants to continue traveling with you." He made apparent a note of disbelief. Yeah, I would be most likely be that way, too, if I had a nephew or someone involved.
I placed my hands calmly in my pockets. "Will you let him?"
"Will you have him?"
"I haven't thrown him out of the car yet, have I?"
With each word spoken, the man before me sunk more into his own thoughts. He glanced at me. Then, he stared at a random spot on the ground. Eventually, he lifted his head and smiled.
"If you would so kindly answer some questions."
"Depends."
"On what?"
"If you're asking as a Godfather or an Officer. I know my rights. I can find a lawyer within 24 hours."
He was deterred from his original request. "Oh. Well, I'm asking because Faleron means a lot to me. I don't have children. He's the closest thing I have to a son, and I'd appreciate some truthful answers."
"Go ahead." I had nothing to fear. Remember: this whole scene has already played itself out in my head.
"First, how old are you?"
"Seventeen," I answered without hesitation. There was no need for me to lie to this man, and his nature wouldn't allow him to look down upon me because of my age. He would treat me as an adult, whether his partner would or not.
He seemed satisfied with the answer. "Are any of the motivations or details of your 'road trip' in any way connected to drugs, alcohol, theft, prostitution, and/or treason?"
The question could have been taken off a survey. I smirked and shook my head. "Neither will there be any tattoos, piercings, and/or any body alterations for the members of my party, thank you."
"Mm-hmm," Cleon nodded. He squinted up at the sky. "If one hair on his head is harmed, you know I won't rest until I've hunted you down, right?"
"Yes, Sir."
He let out a deep breath. "Then have him home before school starts and I won't mention this day to his parents." He scratched his chin. "His mother is going to kill me if she ever finds out."
"Shouldn't you be more worried about his father?"
The chuckle was immediate. "In comparison with Lalasa? Oh, but you're a funny one. When the vacation is over, come to Tortall for a bit. Just for laughs, okay?"
"Gladly, Sir." I spotted Yvenne trying to strike up a conversation with the female spy. All her attempts were being shot down like enemy fighter planes. Crash and burn. "If you don't mind me saying, your partner seems a bit… preoccupied… or something."
"We had other plans here. You and the other one were a surprise, showing up here with little Fal." He shrugged.
My senses tingled. The tiny blond hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I now knew why my reaction had been so strong—why I'd trembled and shook with a weakness I'd never felt before. The mixed emotions and troubled thoughts of this man had been sent into me. And it was worse than being hit by a train. Why did he feel like that? Why did I care?
I cared because I felt it, too. I didn't want to care about Faleron or Yvenne. I certainly wished not to care about that woman named Kalasin. But this man… he was like an old friend I had not seen in a long time. Like a high school buddy who had fallen into hard times when he actually had all he needed in the world.
"You're not suited for each other. It doesn't seem like it," I said boldly.
His eyebrows rose, caught off guard by the observation. He gazed across the sparse crowd at the dark haired woman who had accompanied him there. "Not much anymore." He chuckled again. An inner light glowed brighter within him as he recalled the past. "I was stark raving mad about her. And then things… matured."
"Oh?" Tell me. Tell me because I want to know why I'm experiencing your gut-wrenching sadness. Why does it haunt you?
"I still care deeply about her. Love need not always be expressed through physical actions." He paused and said decisively, "She is a good companion for me."
"Just her? Don't you have any other friends?"
He frowned and it was like a horse was kicking me with its hind legs in the chest. I gasped a little, but he didn't seem to notice my physical ailment. He was lost in remembrance.
"Hmm. Kalasin's brother is Faleron's father. We don't keep in touch as much as we used to. He never meant to grow up and turn into his own father. It sort of happened overnight, and then everyone else moved away." He blushed. "Why am I telling you this?"
"It's all right. Who would I tell?"
"True, true. Come on. They must be wondering what's taking us so long."
As we walked back, I found myself so much more interested in the officer than I was ten minutes ago. Again, I proposed another question. "How do you like being a secret agent?"
He shrugged. "It never gets boring. But everything else does when you try to settle yourself down after that sort of life. So I never quit. What about you?" Cleon cleared his throat. "Faleron told me you were skilled at cards."
It was now my turn to shrug. "I'm decent."
I was not proud of the understatement. It was like saying, "oh sure, lemons are sour, but not that much." There was nothing else to say after that, since we were back at the fountain and Cleon went to Kalasin to tell her of the change in plans. Whether she approved or not wasn't shown in her face. She simply nodded.
Faleron amidst all this fuss made over him, had sought solace in the Yvenne's stuffed Coldfang. I predicted by no special power of my own that it would permanently stay in his possession, even if he happened to be at the stage of his life when little boys rejected stuffed animals.
"I shouldn't have to remind you to brush your teeth and all that nonsense, so just give me a hug, okay?" he said to Faleron while crouching down. The boy obliged gladly, simply overjoyed with the decision. Cleon stood and shook hands with Yvenne, who seemed pleased to be receiving some sort of attention. Finally, he faced me.
It hit me that he'd aged within the last five minutes and I did not have the deep mind to notice it. He shook my hand warmly. I'd never forget the look in his eyes. So weary, but full of hope for the future. I had yet to find the same worldly hope of my own, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I borrowed from his strength.
"Hey," he whispered, eyes glistening with a shine that was not quite tears. "Don't forget to make some jokes every now and then. Faleron always liked my jokes. Even the corny ones."
And the pain he unknowingly inflicted on me turned into warmth. It remained that way for days after our parting.
~~
Author: CLEON! KALASIN! Yay for them! Yay for… *looks at the episode again* gosh. Sadness. How did I mix that up in there? What does it all mean? Well, at least you know that Cleon and Kalasin *stay* together. They're both spies now (hence, the title: Secret Agent Man) and working together. I haven't decided if they're husband and wife, or just lovers. *shrug*
And yes, we have verbal confirmation that Faleron is Roald and Lalasa's kid! If you look very closely, you can see implications of Faleron and then certain implications of the other Faleron. So. Enjoy that brain-teaser, because I'm not telling.
Tell me what you think! Emails and reviews are appreciated. Constructive criticism is a must!