AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone for being patient! The semester has been BUSY beyond belief and a lot has been going on in the past few weeks, including my 21st birthday on 9/11! So I haven't had much time to write. Chapter eleven has been started but I'm experiencing a writer's block and lack of available time. But finally, here it is, chapter ten! And be sure to check out DarkwingPsycho's fiction The Sins of the Father which features Jake's Normalverse counterpart, Jacob Mallard, who will be making an appearance in this fiction in later chapters.
TO PAST REVIEWERS: Thank you so much for your reviews and kind comments! They're what really keep me writing and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I think you will. Please keep the reviews coming!
DISCLAIMER: Jake Mallard, Ava Blackfeather, Agent Anderson, and all other minor characters are © me. J. Gander Hooter is © Disney.
CHAPTER 10
I should have known better. I shouldn't have ignore the little voice in the back of my mind that was warning me not to trust Ava.
The following day, I returned to SHUSH, prepared for work and eagerly anticipating the congratulations I would receive from J. Gander Hooter in return for my successful mission. I sauntered my way inside the headquarters with a proud stride. Following my usual routine, the first stop I made that morning was to my office.
Ironically, I hadn't seen Ava yet that morning. Normally I'd pass by her on my way to the office. I should have taken that as a sign that something was amiss.
When I stepped into my office, there was the expected memo from J. Gander Hooter on my desk. The memo requested me to come to his office immediately. I grinned widely to myself as I turned on my heels and made my way out of the office. As I made my way towards Director Hooter's office, I knew that the previous day's success would be another step towards becoming SHUSH's next chief agent.
I arrived at the closed door of J. Gander's office. I adjusted my tie and smoothed back the feathers on my head. Taking a deep breath, I knocked, opened the door, and stuck my head inside.
J. Gander looked up from the mountain of paperwork on his desk. "Ah, Agent Mallard. Come in."
Obediently, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I moved forward and stopped in front of his desk at a respectful position. "You wanted to see me, Director Hooter? I assume it's about yesterday's successful mission?" I went out of my way to put emphasis on 'successful.'
"Your assumptions are correct," he responded and set aside the paperwork he had been studying. "First of all, congratulations. You and Agent Blackfeather successfully broke through FOWL forces and retrieved the weapon in question, which our lab has identified as their new dimension atomizer. Our labs are dissecting the atomizer so that we may put it to our own use."
I grinned with an air of cockiness. "Just doing my job the way it needs to be done, sir."
J. Gander laced his fingers together and leaned forward to give me his full attention. "I've read over Agent Blackfeather's report of the mission and I am most impressed with the accomplishments yesterday."
Once again, I smiled at the praise I was receiving. But I wasn't prepared for what I was about to hear next.
"Agent Blackfeather's work especially impressed me. Luckily, I followed my instincts to assign her to accompany you on this mission. Otherwise, you might not have made it out alive and we wouldn't have the atomizer in our possession. Her knowledge on the situation was most beneficial."
My smile instantly faded. I stared at J. Gander questionably. "Agent Blackfeather, sir?"
"She went into in-depth detail in her report about the difficulties the two of you encountered. The way she immediately located the lab in the vast facility and identified the weapon accurately were most impressive," he continued to explain with praise. "I also read about the wrong turn you took which led to you being wounded by enemy agents and nearly ended with the two of you being captured. You're lucky Agent Blackfeather is very decisive on her feet and talented with a firearm."
My bottom jaw fell open as I stared in disbelief at the words coming out of J. Gander's beak. Ava had written the report, just like she said she would. But she twisted the story of what had really happened into her own words to make a favorable impression of herself to Director Hooter! And in the meantime, she decided to go the extra mile to make me look like a helpless dunce!
"B-But Director Hooter! Sir, I have to protest, that wasn't what--!" I began to argue, but he had cut me off.
"I'm very happy with Agent Blackfeather's progress. I'm convinced that she will be the first woman to climb the ladder of potential here at SHUSH. In fact, after yesterday's mission, I'm considering putting the two of you on more future assignments with the promise of the same results."
My hands clenched into fists and I could feel the heat of anger rising to my face. I silently vowed to myself that I would make Ava pay for the humiliation she had just caused me.
After leaving J. Gander's office, I went in search of her. I roamed the hallways with my fiery eyes narrowed, searching for her familiar form. Fifteen minutes later, I still had not found her. I went to the SHUSH service desk and slammed my hands down on the desktop, startling the secretary on duty.
"Agent Blackfeather. Where is her office located?" I growled lowly.
The secretary quickly snatched a clipboard from the corner of the desk and began flipping through the pages. Her finger slid down the sheet and then stopped. "Agent Blackfeather is in office 213 in the East Wing, Agent Mallard."
"Office 213, eh?" I repeated and the secretary nodded affirmatively.
As I hastily turned to go in search of the office, the secretary urgently called after me, "Wait, Agent Mallard! She won't be there!"
I stopped and turned back around. "What?"
"She won't be there. Director Hooter gave her the day off."
"Oh, really?" I asked curiously with a raised eyebrow. I slowly swayed back towards the desk with a sly smile on my bill. "And would you happen to have her address on that form? It's for official business. I have some urgent paperwork to get to her..."
As soon as I was off duty that evening, it didn't take me long to arrive at Ava's apartment building. I parked my car and marched up the stairs to the floor she was located. The rage inside me was as strong as ever. Ava had more spirit and was more conniving than I had given her credit for. Normally, those were traits I admired and found attractive in a woman. But Ava had used those traits against me and made me look like a fool in front of my superiors.
Finally, I came to her closed apartment door and banged several times. I waited several seconds with my arms folded over my chest until the door opened. Ava stared at me calmly, as if my sudden visit wasn't out of the ordinary. Her hair was wet and she was dressed in a thigh-length robe; apparently, she had just finished showering.
"Agent Mallard? What brings you here?" she asked, feigning her curiosity. But I could see the devious sparkle in her eyes, knowing the real reason I was there.
"You know very well what brings me here," I accused bitterly.
I shoved my way past her and inside her apartment. She closed the door and turned around to face me. "What are you talking about?" she asked, continuing her charade.
When I spun around to glare at her, my bill curled into a snarl. "Don't play that stupid game with me! I gave you permission to write the report to give to J. Gander. I didn't give you permission to make me look like a moron!"
"You don't need my help for that," Ava shot back in a silky voice as she folded her arms over her chest.
From a mirror on the wall, I noticed the feathers on my face turning an angry red as my patience wore thin. I stormed towards her, stopping with just a few feet of space between us, and pointed accusingly at her. "J. Gander told me everything. You wrote the report to make yourself look more reputable and degrading my reputation."
Ava scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Get over it, Jake. This isn't kindergarten, this is a criminal agency. You can't even trust your own fellow agents at SHUSH. You should have known better."
"Alright. Then why?" I demanded, staring coldly into her eyes. "What was in it for you? Are you really so insecure about your abilities at SHUSH that you need to resort to sabotaging me to make yourself look good?"
Her eyes narrowed angrily at me. "You're not the only one who wants the position of Chief Agent, Mallard."
I suddenly burst out in cruel laughter. "You! You honestly think you have what it takes to be SHUSH's chief agent?" My mocking laughter continued.
Now Ava was the one beginning to lose her patience. Her expression was cold and hard as she turned away and began to storm across the living room towards the kitchen. "I have more talent and ability than 'certain others'..."
Even though she had muttered, her words were still audible. I grew serious again and returned to my goal of settling this dispute in my favor. I darted across the room after her and grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to spin around and face me. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she stared up at me.
"You pull a stupid stunt like that again, I'll make you sorry that you ever joined SHUSH," I seethed threateningly at her.
Her shocked expression was quickly replaced with one of defiance. "Save your threats, Mallard. You don't scare me. You're just antagonized by the fact that I, a woman, am smarter than you and will soon be your boss."
I kept my firm grip on her arm. "Keep it up. If you continue to provoke me, I won't hesitate to keep that promise!"
Ava's muscles in her arms noticeably tensed. She growled dangerously at me, "Get your hands off of me, Mallard."
My hold didn't loosen in the slightest and I continued to push her patience. "Or else what?"
She struck with the speed of a cobra. Ava's free arm shot up with an open hand to strike my face. But I was just as quick. My free hand intercepted hers and clamped around her wrist. I held both of her arms helpless and craned my neck towards her, our bills just inches apart and our icy eyes bearing into the other's.
The smell of her shampoo wafted through my nostrils. We were so close that I could feel the breath being exhaled from her bill. She locked her eyes with mine for a long moment. Suddenly, our bills thrust forward and were locked in a fiery kiss. The spontaneous action of passion lasted what seemed like hours until we forcefully pulled our bills away from one another.
Ava glared at me, her words coming out in panting breaths. "You're despicable," she seethed spitefully.
"The feeling is mutual, sweetheart," I replied sarcastically between my own sharp breaths.
Before either of us could object, our bills were forced together again. My hands let go of her arms and clamped around her waist. Ava's hands tightly gripped my shoulders while she continued to repeatedly kiss me. I began to forcefully push her backwards until her back was pressed to the wall.
The kisses didn't stop. Her fingers eagerly began to undo the knot of my tie until she pulled it free and tossed it to the side. She continued to pull of my jacket and then ripped the white shirt from my body. I moaned contently while she firmly ran her fingers through the feathers on my chest.
My hands hurriedly began to untie the sash of Ava's robe. Once accomplished, I pulled the robe off of her slender shoulders and let it fall to the ground at her feet. With our bills still locked, my hands excitedly slid over her naked body. Her feathers were incredibly soft to the touch and her body possessed perfect, desirable curves.
While I gently caressed her bare breasts, she pulled her bill from mine to tilt her head downwards. My breaths were becoming labored while she busily tugged at my belt. Finally, she pulled it free. I leaned my head back with a pleasurable groan and closed my eyes, my arousal becoming stronger as I felt Ava pull my slacks down from around my waist. Her hands ran up my chest as she straightened up and I returned my gaze to hers.
She smiled wryly at me. "I always assumed your ego was compensating for something. Obviously, I was wrong," she whispered seductively into my ear.
The sinister tone in her voice made me shudder with desire. Years of suppressed longing for a woman were finally coming out and I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I pressed my bill to hers again and pressed my body against hers, pinning her to the wall. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders and clamped the feathers on my back tightly between her fingers. My left hand moved to her thigh and pulled her leg upwards around my waist.
Ava let out a desirable gasp as we engaged in our night of intense, fiery passion. The hostility we expressed towards each other earlier had become non-existent and our minds quickly became clouded with our lust. We soon moved into her quaint bedroom and continued our intimacy well into the late evening. That night, I didn't return to my apartment.
A storm had rolled over St. Canard. The rain poured heavily outside. Thunder boomed, accompanied with the occasional flash of lightning that illuminated the bedroom through the window. The quick bursts of light reflected off of our entwining bodies beneath the bedsheets.
The stormed lasted all night, even after our exotic escapade had come to an end. The hands on the nightstand clock read 1:28 AM. But I was not asleep. I listened to the rain fall outside while I lay on my side in her bed. Ava was fast asleep, laying on her side turned towards me. The expression on her delicate face was peaceful. My arm was draped tenderly around her waist as I watched her sleep, noticing every silent breath she took.
Years had gone by since I experienced an intimate relation. I missed having the warm body of a woman in bed beside me. There were times that night when I wondered if I had made a mistake; if I had let my bravado take control over my mind.
I stroked Ava's cheek, gently so she wouldn't wake. We both had made mistakes in our lives and we were both paying for those mistakes. It seemed so right for the both of us to try and heal our wounds together.
For months we continued our relations. At SHUSH, we were nothing more than associates. But when our shifts had ended, I found myself at her door and would wake up the following morning beside her. We agreed that going public with our relationship would be a foolish move. SHUSH strongly discouraged its agents of holding any sort of relationship outside of the work place. If romantic involvement between agents was discovered, the superiors would deal with the situation through means of strict and fierce disciplinary action. Ava and I went out of our way to remain undiscovered. There were few occasions when a rumor would be floating around headquarters about my involvement with Ava. But every rumor that surfaced was very short lived; I made sure of that. No one was able to bring forward any evidence.
During the next several months, the two of us were assigned more missions together, each one being successful. We continued to impress our superiors with our rapid progress. It was only a matter of time before one of us would become Chief Agent. Things were going great for me. I was beginning to wonder if they could get any better.
I had been returning to my office one day, a folder of analysis on the most recent weapons to come into SHUSH possession in my hand, when my old friend walked up beside me.
"Hey, Jake!" Derek Anderson exclaimed as he slapped me heartily on the back, causing me to reactively grunt. "I just saw the new stock you brought in the other day. Some pretty impressive stuff. I could use that Magnum rifle in my collection," he joked.
"Derek, only you could hide an unhealthy obsession under a snappy suit," I said to him, disinterested.
His smile fell into a childish frown. "Hey! I happen to think I look sharp in this suit!" he retorted. When he didn't receive a reply from me, he continued to follow alongside me. "Alright, Jake. Tell me what's going on. For months you've been mentally distracted and yet you've been excelling in your work."
There was a pause as I refused to answer. My personal life was something I preferred to keep locked away, hidden from everyone. On top of that, it was crucial to my career, and life, that I kept 'certain factors' of my personal life secret.
But Anderson jumped to the first conclusion that came to his mind. He jumped in front of me to block my path and accused excitedly, "Oh, it's a woman, isn't it?"
My eyes widened ever so slightly. But I refused to admit to his accusation and remained calm. "What? You're crazy."
"You're in denial!" he continued as I side-stepped around him and continued on my way. But Anderson kept on my heels. "Quit denying it, Jake. Come on, you can tell me!"
"There's nothing to tell!" I insisted and kept walking at a pace that wasn't suspicious.
"Oh yeah? What about this?"
Anderson grabbed the collar of my white shirt beneath my jacket, bringing me to a stop. He rubbed his thumb over a red, pastel-like smudge and raised a curious eyebrow at me. "I do hope this belongs to a lady and not you."
I scowled and pulled myself free from him, adjusting my collar to hide the smear of lipstick beneath my lapel. "So what if I'm seeing someone? It's nothing serious and it's not a big deal."
"You mean as long as J. Gander doesn't find out." He snickered and gave me a playful punch in the arm. "So? Who's the lucky lady? You can't keep that secret from me!"
"Keep it down!" I hissed my warning with a glower. "And it's none of your business! Just drop the subject."
Anderson pouted, defeated for the time being. "I WILL find out sooner or later, Jake. You'll see! You can't keep things like this from the best friend for very long!"
"Mallard, there you are."
The two of us turned our heads to see Ava approaching us. She possessed a professional stature in her skirted business suit, just like any other day. I remained calm and cool as she stopped in front of me.
"I just dropped off the reports from last week's mission at your office," she informed directly to me, ignoring Anderson's presence, "They require your signatures and then they can be given to Director Hooter. He needs them by the end of shift."
I nodded in reply. "I'll take care of it."
She returned the nod, the slightest smile playing on her bill. When she turned to walk away in the opposite direction, I must had been smiling wistfully, because Anderson took notice.
"Oh, my God. It's Agent Blackfeather."
I blinked out of my trance to stare at him, then shook my head. "Don't be insane."
"It's Ava? It's you and Ava!" he exclaimed louder.
"Shhh! Keep it down!" I hissed at him while my eyes darted back and forth to make sure no one else was present.
Strangely, Anderson was more excited about the subject than I had been. He grabbed me in a headlock and proceeded to give me a hard noogie on the top of my head. "You stud! The hottest piece of tail in SHUSH and you got her!"
"Alright, alright!" I growled and I struggled to free myself from his hold. "Let me go!"
Chuckling with amusement, he let me go and smiled snidely back at me. I scowled back at him, the feathers on my head frayed in a ridiculous mess.
"Relax, Jake. I won't spread your little secret. You can trust me," he promised me in a sincere voice.
"I know I can. Because if this gets out, I'll know where to find you and make you very sorry that you ever found out," I threatened lowly. Even though he laughed in return, I was serious, and he knew it.
"Yeah, yeah. I've got to get back to looking like I'm working but I'll see you at 1:00 this afternoon," Anderson said nonchalantly, assuming that I was aware of what he was talking about.
Unfortunately, I wasn't aware. I gave him a puzzled expression as I smoothed the feathers on my head back into place. "What's happening at 1:00?"
He tilted his head. "You didn't get the memo? J. Gander has called a meeting with his leading agents regarding an urgent matter."
"I see. Well then, I'll see you there."
When one o'clock rolled around, I was in SHUSH's main meeting room, sitting at the briefing table with the other leading agents. Anderson was in the seat next to me, Ava across the table and two chairs down. I was having a difficult time keeping my focus off of Ava and paying attention to J. Gander speaking at the head of the table.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have come across some disturbing information late yesterday evening," he began to inform us with a dissatisfied frown on his face. "It appears that we have a spy among us at SHUSH."
A few concerned mumbles passed between some of the agents.
"A spy? From where?" an agent asked.
J. Gander answered with a single nod. "We have reason to believe we have an enemy agent from FOWL among us. And it's most disturbing to believe that this spy could have been hiding in our ranks for months or even years."
"Any idea which department this spy could be operating in?" the agent sitting to my left asked.
"No. This agent could be anywhere among us. It's crucial to uncover this spy before anymore information can be exchanged with FOWL," J. Gander said grimly. "I'm counting on you, the best agents here at SHUSH, to expose the enemy spy as soon as possible. You're dismissed."
The dozen chairs screeched along the hard floor as I and my fellow agents pushed away from the table and got to our feet.
Before I began to make my way out of the briefing room, J. Gander's voice called from behind me. "Mallard? A word please?"
I nodded from across the room. While everyone was dispersing from the room, I edged my way through the crowd to where he was standing. "Yes, Director Hooter?"
"Jake, this spy breaking past our finest security greatly concerns me," he said in a low voice as the last of my fellow agents left the room. "I know he will be discovered eventually, but the sooner, the better."
"I understand, sir," I answered firmly, like a soldier answering his drill sergeant.
J. Gander began to gather his opened files on the table while he continued to converse with me. "Chief Agent Taurus Bulba has resigned. Apparently, his moral fiber became too tough to stay with the agency. The position for chief agent is now open."
My eyes flashed excitedly. I was one step closer to what I wanted. While I tried to contain my excitement and remain calm, he tucked the file under his arm and stared up at me sincerely.
"You're one of my finest agents, Mallard. That's not debatable. If you bring me this spy, the position is yours."
"I won't let you down, Director Hooter," I promised with professional confidence.
He gave me a slight smile before striding past me and out of the meeting room. I watched him disappear out the door and chuckled lowly to myself. With my bill in the air, I strutted out of the room, knowing that I would find this spy and unveil him to J. Gander in exchange for the promotion to chief agent. I had better uncover the sky. I saw J. Gander's motive behind his offer. Even SHUSH's director trusted no one. IF anyone could find the spy, it was me. If I didn't find the spy, then it would be concluded that I was the spy.
A startled grunt got caught in my throat as I slammed into a solid form outside the room.
"Omf!"
"D'ah! Oh, Ava," I greeted and adjusted my disshelved tie.
"Hello to you, too," Ava smirked up at me. "So, an enemy agent from FOWL. It's about time we got to see some more action around here. Think you can uncover this spy?"
"Yes, I do," I said in a conceited manner. "And J. Gander seems to believe so, too."
She snickered deviously at me. "You think so? Well, not if I find him first."
"Ha! We'll see about that!" I shot back at her. A large portion of our relationship consisted of competition towards one another, which kept us both on our feet. "Tonight after shift?"
"My place. Don't be late," Ava said with a wink. And as I walked past her to continue on with my shift, she took the opportunity to deliver a playful smack to my rear. I let out a startled gasp and scampered on my way down the hall with a light red hue rising to my face.
The day was going great for me. In fact, it was one of the best I'd had in a long time. Later in the afternoon, I followed up on the research being done on the dimensional atomizer, which would put me even higher on J. Gander's list. Before long, the atomizer would be ready for testing. SHUSH was altering the device for a different purpose than FOWL had intended. If research and alterations were successful, the atomizer would create a gateway passage to a parallel universe, giving us opportunity to acquire potential ideas and forces.
To end my day on a high point, I would rendezvous with Ava that evening. I took my usual path to her apartment in the high-rise building, discretely taking the stairs instead of the elevator located in the lobby. A man courting a woman and spending the evening together in her residence was frowned upon in 1970's society.
I knocked on her door and grinned slyly as she opened the door. She had changed out of her SHUSH uniform and was dressed in a simple but elegant red dress.
"Well, hello, Beautiful," I said and gently kissed the top of her hand in a charismatic manner.
Ava giggled and gave me a light swat over the head. "Oh, Jake. Cut it out and get in here!" she exclaimed as she grabbed me eagerly by the shoulders and yanked me inside.
I staggered inside and closed the door behind me. The lights throughout the apartment were dimmed to almost complete darkness. The majority of the light in the rooms was glowing from the dozens of lit candles scattered about.
"Well, well," I mused aloud while taking off my long coat and hanging it up in the closet. The setting was something I hadn't been expecting but it was a welcome surprise. "Someone went through a little extra trouble this evening."
"I was feeling a little playful and a bit more romantic this evening," Ava said, leaning towards the mirror on the wall to carefully apply her fire engine red lipstick. Once done, she sauntered towards me and slid her arms over my shoulders and around my neck. "This sort of setting quickly puts me in the mood."
"Oh? Is it working?" I asked with a menacing chuckle as I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist.
She smiled and nodded. "Mm-hmm."
My bill lowered and pressed against her own. What was meant to be a simple welcoming kiss turned into an exchange of rampant passion that lasted several minutes. I moaned and greedily pulled her body tightly against me
That would be the last night Ava and I would spend together. That would be the last night I would display any positive emotions for her. The following day, everything between us would change. And my life would change again.
The next day started out just like any other. The two of us lay besides one another beneath the silky sheets. Ava had awaken before I and woke me with a gentle kiss on the cheek. I groaned and furrowed my brows in protest before pulling the blanket tightly around my body. She sighed and clamped a hand over my shoulder to give me a firm nudge.
"Jake? Come on, get up. We're running late again. J. Gander might start getting suspicious."
But I replied with a stubborn grunt and pulled one of the pillows over my head. I was not ready to greet the day yet. Ava growled impatiently and gave me a light smack.
"Well, when you decide to get your tail out of bed, I'll be in the shower," she whispered seductively into my ear.
I felt the bed move as Ava climbed out and onto her feet. Her footsteps padded gently across the wooden floor and faded until she reached the adjoining bathroom. Seconds later, the sound of water running from the shower reached my ears. Sunlight began seeping through the blinds covering the window. The rays of light shone directly over my closed eyes, causing me to flinch in discomfort. I pulled the pillow tighter over my head and I was ready to stay in bed for the rest of the day. Until the telephone on the nightstand suddenly rang.
There was no chance of drifting off to sleep as the telephone rang repeatedly. Finally, I gave a defeated groan after the fourth ring and reached over to pluck the phone off of the receiver. I sat up and groggily muttered into the phone, "Hello?"
The only answer from the other end was a few concerned mumbles before a click and then the sound of a dead line. I raised an eyebrow and stared blankly at the phone before setting it back down on the nightstand without a second thought. I let out a yawn and stretched my arms over my head. Pushing the blankets aside, I planted my feet on the floor and stood up. Still half asleep, I trudged across the bedroom and silently made my way into the steamy bathroom. I couldn't go to SHUSH smelling like sex.
The outline of Ava's sleek yet curvy body was visible through the blanket of steam. I suddenly felt more awake. The water raining down from the shower slid over her feathers and drenched her shiny, black hair. With a sly smile, I slunk into the shower behind her. She didn't notice my presence until my arms wrapped around her waist and I brought my bill to her neck.
Ava turned her head when she felt my touch and smiled. She chuckled and lifted her hand to stroke the side of my face while I planted gentle kisses on her slender neck. "Jake, as much as I'm enjoying this, we have to hurry if we don't want to be late."
"I'm sure we still have plenty of time," I argued and continued to nuzzle my bill into her neck.
"Jake? It's 7:30."
"What!" I exclaimed, instantly letting go of her. "If I'm late again, J. Gander is going to demand what's been going on!"
"Here," she said as she snatched a towel and handed it to me. "Get dressed and head out without me. I don't have to be in until 8:30 and I have something to take care of on the way in."
I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around my waist as I hurried out of the shower. Scampering back into the bedroom, I quickly gathered my clothes from the floor where they had been scattered the night before. That morning, I dressed faster than I ever had before. Within minutes, I was fastening the buttons of my suit jacket and tucking in my tie. I took a final glance in the mirror before striding out of the bedroom just as I heard the running water from the shower shut off. I scooped up my keys from the doorside table and opened the apartment door to leave. But I quickly stopped myself, remembering my coat.
Closing the apartment door, I turned around and opened the closet to fetch my coat from where I had hung it the night before. Suddenly, the telephone rang again. I thought nothing of it as I pulled on my coat and prepared to leave. But I stopped as I head Ava answer after the first ring.
"Yes, sir. I'm terribly sorry for that happening," her voice came from the bedroom. "I had intended on being available to receive your call on schedule, but I hadn't intended on him staying as late as he did this morning."
My eyebrows raised. Curiosity getting the better of me, I silently slid into the closet and pulled the door close. I left the door open a crack, just enough to see Ava step into view with the phone in her hand and wrapped in a towel. Keeping my breathing light and quiet, I watched and listened carefully.
"SHUSH is almost complete in its research on the atomizer. When it's complete, I will report with the information required for a successful breach of their security and apprehension of the device. But I regret to inform that whether or not the research is complete, the breach may have to be put into motion sooner than anticipated. J. Gander has discovered the presence of a spy and has all of his finest pursuing the problem. I have time, but not much."
My breath was caught in my chest and my eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. All I could do at the moment was freeze and continue to listen.
"Don't worry about Agent Mallard, High Command," Ava continued to speak into the phone. "I've got him in the position where he doesn't suspect a thing from me. I have him eating out of the palm of my hand. He won't give us any problems." There was a pause as she listened to the voice on the other end. "No. That is one thing I must insist, sir. No harm is to come to Agent Mallard. Yes? Yes, sir. I understand. I will report back tonight. Agent Moore out."
She hung up the phone and retreated back into the bedroom to dress. When she was out of sight, I exhaled the breath I had been holding throughout her entire conversation. My bottom jaw was hanging open and I leaned against the back wall of the closet, shaking my head in disbelief. I wanted to believe that I hadn't heard the words from Ava's mouth, but I knew I had heard everything clearly.
Still, I wanted more proof. I insisted to be convinced further. So I remained in the closet, waiting impatiently and rubbing my sweating hands together. Finally, I saw her form, dressed in her SHUSH suit, calmly step back into view. I watched her with suspicious eyes as she picked up her car keys from the table, pass by the closet, and quickly make her way out the door. For several minutes, I cautiously waited. Convinced that she wouldn't walk back through the door, I opened the closet door and stepped out to begin my search.
I had been in Ava's apartment dozens and dozens of times. It wasn't until then that I realized there were many areas of her residence I had not explored. In fact, I noticed that she made the extra effort to keep me away from certain rooms and closets. Usually, we would make a beeline for the bedroom. So I began my search of her apartment.
An hour went by and I had found nothing. I searched every nook and cranny, every closet, beneath every piece of furniture, and I found nothing. I was in the bedroom when I began to feel relieved, believing that what I heard earlier was a misunderstanding. After making sure everything was back in its proper place, I closed the dresser drawers, prepared to end my investigation. But when I turned to make my leave, a red flag shot up in the back of my mind. My eyes slowly shifted to the base of the bed. Before I could give a second thought, I dropped to my knees and lowered my head to peer beneath into the musty darkness.
My eyes adjusted and I made out the shadowy form of a slim, rectangular object. Reaching out, my hand grasped the object and I withdrew a black briefcase from under the bed. I stared at it fearfully as I slowly rose to my feet and sat on the edge of the bed with the briefcase on my lap. I hesitantly ran my hands over the smooth surface, momentarily reconsidering. But I ultimately flipped open the latches and lifted the lid.
Inside the briefcase were files, blueprints, maps, data, and personnel files. With a blank expression, I began to flip through the items. Everything inside would serve as a purpose in an attack against SHUSH. The blueprints were of headquarters, the maps displayed security locations, and personnel files provided leverage information on SHUSH agents that could be a potential problem of FOWL.
I was convinced that I had seen enough. Just as I was about to slam the briefcase shut, a file caught my attention. The label tab read 'Mallard, Jake.' I slid the folder out from beneath the other files and opened it without hesitation. Copies of my entire personal file from SHUSH were neatly compiled together along with my headshot. Everything, from my high school transcripts to my performance test results from SHUSH, was on paper in front of me. Even my single criminal record.
"Ava, no..." I whispered and shook my head in denial.
She was the FOWL spy. She had been fooling SHUSH the entire time. And she had been fooling me. Using me. I felt a twisting pain in my chest as I remembered everything we had shared in the past several months. I suddenly felt nauseated and felt as if I would throw up. I didn't want to believe it were true, but the evidence was crystal clear in front of me.
Slowly, my eyes narrowed as a thirst for vengeance overcame me. I closed the file and replaced everything back into the briefcase. I slammed the briefcase shut and stormed out of the bedroom with my evidence in hand.