CHAPTER 3
"Have a seat, ladies," said the Director, hidden from Kitty and Kristina's view by the back of her chair.
Kitty and Kristina sat down at the two office chairs that faced the Director's large, oak desk. After a momentary pause, the Director spun around slowly in her chair to face the two women.
"Ah, good of you to make it at short notice," said the Director, a thin, pale-faced woman, who looked like she was in her fifties, but was actually in her late forties. "I hope all is well with both of you," she said in a rough voice that had inhaled too many cigarettes over its lifetime.
"Yes, it is, madam Director," smiled Kitty. "How are things with you?"
"Well, not as good as they should be. And I'm afraid not for you either, Katherine, after what I am about to tell you."
"Oh, what could that be?," Kitty stated, sitting up a little straighter in her chair and looking at Kristina, who had a worried look on her face. "Are you okay, madam Director?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," the Director said quickly. "But not some of our fellow agents. It seems that Sabretooth has escaped from his maximum-security cell at Fort Lee."
Kitty and Kristina looked at each other in disbelief. "What!," said Kristina in a loud voice. "I thought we had put him away for good last year!"
"Yes, so did I, after the work Katherine here did for us. But somehow, he managed to break through his security barriers overnight and escaped right out the front door of that place. Plenty of soldiers and agents tried their best to stop him, but he ended up destroying them." The Director reached on to her desk and picked up a piece of paper. "According to the figures I have here, he killed 12 soldiers and 4 agents, and severely injured another 40 or so more soldiers and agents combined. Word is that there hasn't been this bad of an incident at one of our facilites since the sniper went crazy over in Austin a couple of years ago."
"What would drive him to do such a thing as this?," Kristina said as she looked over at Kitty, who had a look of anger across her face.
"Well, the answer might be this. Take a look, Katherine." The Director slid an 8x11 picture over to Kitty. She picked it up, and looked at it closely. She then looked at the Director, who nodded her head sadly in agreement.
"What is it?," Kristina asked. Kitty handed her the picture. Kristina's mouth dropped in shock at what she saw. Carved on the wall of what was once Sabretooth's cell were some words. The words read "Come and get me, Kitty cat."
As Kristina put the picture back down on the desk, the Director started to speak to Kitty. "Well, I assume you know what your next mission is. The government has authorized for you to use any means necessary to capture, and if necessary, eliminate Sabretooth. Are you willing to take on this mission?"
Kitty looked at the Director with a look that could kill anything that got in its way. "Oh yeah, I willing to take this mission, and Sabretooth is going to pay."
The tone of voice Kitty used sent shivers down Kristina's back. Kristina pulled out a notepad and a pen from her briefcase, and wrote some notes on it. "Okay, Kitty, who or what do you need?"
"Right now, I only need the help of three people. These three people will join me in becoming the strike force that will eliminate Sabretooth once and for all. I'll need Wolverine ..."
"No problem. I'll call the Canadian government right after we are done here," remarked Kristina.
"I'll need Psylocke ..."
"British security office. Got it."
"And finally, I'll need you, Kristina."
"Need ... huh? Did you say me?"
"Yes, you. I think you will be perfect for this team."
"But, I haven't done any fighting in the field. I have only done desk work!"
"Hmm, Kristina. Not a bad choice, Katherine," said the Director. "She did do well in the Academy, didn't you Kristina, in self-defense and, let's see," as she pulled out Special Agent Abernathy's file from a pile of papers on her desk, "Oh yes, sharpshooting."
"Yes, Kris, you are very good," stated Kitty. "I've seen your file before. I'm surprised you never became a field agent."
"I was never given the opportunity. I got placed in the secretary pool by my instructor at the Academy, that creep."
"Now is your chance to prove that instructor wrong and provide a great service for you and your country. We know you can do it!"
"I always wanted to be out in the field. All right, you guys win. Count me in!"
"Good show, Agent Abernathy. Well, I guess that concludes our meeting. If, and when, you ladies bring Sabretooth in, those guys higher up will want to thank you personally for your work. Maybe even, the President. Good luck!"
"Thank you, madam Director," they replied in unison. And with that, Kitty and Kristina left the room, closing the doors behind them.
"Do your best, ladies," the Director thought to herself, "I fear the world may be at stake."