Chapter Three

"Question?" Buffy asked. "New Destiny - they're criminals, right? So why would they have to hire an assassin? Wouldn't they...um...use someone from within?"

"That's a very good question," Oscar told her. "And yes, normally they'd have a whole team to handle that, but Jaime and Steve have already put most of their associates behind bars."

"Which is why they're out for revenge," Buffy deduced.

"Right."

"What do they do, exactly?"

"They front as a medical research team," Jaime answered, "but the only thing they research is government secrets, any way they can get their hands on them. Then they sell them to the highest bidder."

Buffy looked up at Oscar again. "And they wanted Jaime and Steve for all the stuff they know - for the secrets in their heads." She didn't notice husband and wife exchanging a glance, as if to say That's enough of an explanation for now.

Oscar smiled broadly. "I like you, Buffy. You're a quick thinker. And yes, you're right." He looked over at 'his' bionic duo. "Steve, you'll need to see the handlers, to change your appearance enough that they won't recognize you. And to answer your unspoken question, yes - you'll be firing a real gun, with real bullets, because of course they'll want to check that. We'll put Jaime in one of our strongest bullet-proof vests, and we'll fake her death. By the time they figure it all out, we'll have every last one of them in custody: case closed, for good."

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Jaime and Buffy sat by the Tranquility Fountain, going over details, until they saw Steve leave the building. Even his own wife barely recognized him. His skin was darker and his hair - shorter now - was nearly white. They watched him go, then Buffy closed the photo file she'd been studying. She fingered they keys to the little blue sports car she'd been issued from the motor pool.

"I'm ready," she told Jaime. "Time to rock." She, too, was soon gone, and Jaime headed back into the building to talk to Oscar.

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The bright blue sports car screeched to a fancy, skidding stop just outside the heavy, chain link fence that surrounded New Destiny's current (scaled down) compound. Buffy could feel the guards eyeing her as she stepped v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y from the car, one bare leg at a time. Clad in denim shorts, a tank top and an air of supreme confidence, she approached the front gate. Two good ol' boys, newly imported from Texas, strolled out to meet her.

"Well, hel-lo there, Missy," the older one drawled. "Just who might you be?"

"Why, I'm Caitlyn, of course, Roger," Buffy said in her own version of a soft, Southern accent. Roger and his co-hort had no name tags to identify them, but Buffy had done her homework well. She turned to the younger man, in his late 20's, not too bad on the eyes, and smiled her brightest smile. "Bobby, honey, didn't Susanna tell ya I was comin'?" she asked, naming the man's younger sister.

"Haven't talked to Susy in weeks," Bobby twanged. "I'm sure I'd remember mention of a pretty li'l thang like you." He wanted to do his job, but he really wanted Caitlyn.

"She thought we just might get along like corn dogs and catsup, so she sent me to meet y'all."

Bobby reached up to open the gate, but Roger grabbed his arm. "Call your sister first, just to be sure."

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"So, what'd you think?" Jaime asked, sinking into a chair.

"Of Buffy?"

Jaime rolled her eyes. "No, Oscar - of our new trade agreement with the Soviets."

"Well, I always liked the old one better," Oscar retorted, grinning at her. "And I think Buffy will be just fine. By the way, Young Lady - most people would even think of talking to me like that."

"And when have I ever been like 'most people'?"

"Got me there, I suppose. You went over New Destiny's details with her, right?"

"Yup. She won't need a lot of training. Most of the early stuff you taught me, about stealth, surveillance - stuff like that - she already knows from her...previous employment."

"Vampires," Oscar noted, with just a touch of irony. "Not such a big jump, I guess, from that to criminals."

"I think someone has already tried to tell you that..."

"Just remember, Jaime - until she's been fully hired, Buffy has a level five security clearance, so -"

"No bionics; I know. She already saw me use them, that night in the graveyard, though, a couple of times. I think Steve may have intimidated her, though; she never said a word about it, then or now."

That worried Oscar. "She's...easily intimidated, then?"

"Oh no - not at all."

"Good. Because you know how bad New Destiny can get."

"Still see it in some of my worst nightmares."

"We've gone ahead and covered some basics for her. The guard she'll be going after has a sister - Susanna - who's one of the reasons we know what we know. She didn't like the sound of what her brother might be getting into, so she contacted the FBI, who contacted us. While she won't lie directly to her brother and won't go in wearing a wire, she did agree to take a bit of an extended vacation, so if the brother decides to call her to try and confirm Buffy's cover, he'll get no answer. Hopefully, she and Steve can get the job done before he tries to check further than that."

"What, exactly, do you want me to do?" Jaime asked.

"When we're done here, you'll go down to see the handlers. They'll set up several different 'dead' pictures we can use, depending on the angle Steve takes his shot from."

"Joy. Can I have a copy to frame?"

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