Thank you, Whitemiko12, for your review! I'm excited that someone already loves this story and the idea. Here is another chapter for you :)

Max had been practically vibrating with excitement as he and 99 boarded the plane. He didn't care that 99 looked bored out of her mind because this was something she did practically every day. He only cared that this was his first mission, and he was determined not to screw it up. It took a while before they were actually in the air. When they had leveled out and been flying for a while, he scanned the people on the plane because it was important to look for clues or suspicious people. When he didn't see any of either, he turned his attention to 99.

"I have a very good feeling about us as partners," he said. 99 barely glanced at him.

"You do, huh," she commented.

"Yes. As 23 always says, 'Trust is a must.'"

"Fascinating."

"We just have something in common, you and I," Max went on. "I mean, we both used to look in the mirror and hated what we saw."

"I wouldn't say hate..." 99 started, but Max cut her off.

"Look, this is me," he said, showing her his picture from when he was very overweight.

"Congratulations," she said back, nodding. He did detect a little bit of surprise in her eyes, though.

"Since we're sharing," 99 said almost reluctantly. She pulled out a photo and showed him.

"Wow. You were so...ugly...back then," Max said. He couldn't understand why she would have had the surgery done. It made no sense. 99 didn't offer anything else about it as she tucked her photo away. Max had a feeling there was a story behind it and that she would eventually share it with him. He had that affect on people. She went back to her magazine as Max scanned the plane again. Everything still looked normal. He briefly thought about Susan and how jealous she must be feeling over him finally becoming an agent. He made a note to get her some kind of trinket from his trip, not that it would make her feel better. Well, it might. He wasn't sure. Susan had that way of being sweet and then ultra pissed off within seconds, so he was never really sure what made her be on an even keel of both emotions.

"We should probably come up with our back story," he suggested after a moment. "Since we're married and all."

99 looked over the magazine she was reading, her expression thoughtful.

"You're right," she agreed. "Okay, we met in Vegas..."

"Doing what? Gambling? I'm good at gambling," Max interrupted.

"No. A marketing convention."

"Where's the fun in that?" Max asked. "Meeting in a casino is more fun."

"Max," 99 said impatiently, giving him a look.

"Okay. We met at a convention," he sighed.

"We married a year later," she went on.

"Not in Vegas that same weekend? That would have been cool. A true love story."

"Max!"

"Sorry."

"We don't have any children, and my relationship with your parents is better than what yours is with mine," 99 finished finally.

"Are kids on the table?" Max asked, curious.

"Why does that matter? We're not even married," 99 huffed.

"I just want to know. To make it realistic, of course," he added.

"Fine. You want them, but I am focusing on my career for now."

"Which is what again?"

"What?"

"Your career. What is it?"

"I'm in marketing," 99 snapped. "Pay attention!"

"Right, right...the marketing thing. So I'm in marketing too then?"

"We met at a marketing convention, so yes, Max, you're in marketing," 99 growled.

"I might have changed careers. You never know."

"Oh my God, Max," 99 said, annoyed.

"You might not want to wait too long," Max pointed out then. "To have kids. You're getting older."

"I'm almost as old as you," she snorted. He stared at her.

"How?"

"I had them take some years off when they redid my face," she shrugged. "Might as well since they're digging around in there."

Max grimaced at the sudden visual of doctors working on 99's face. He put a hand over his stomach to try to stop the nausea from building. He put his focus on her age just to keep his mind off of the image he was creating.

"You really need to think about having kids then. I mean, your eggs are running out of time, you know? They might just shrivel up and fall out altogether..."

He stopped talking as 99 gave him a death glare. He had gone too far. He hadn't meant to go that far.

"Stop talking," she ordered.

He played with his fake wedding ring, trying to think of a way to make this conversation better when 99 turned to look for the drink cart and swung back around quickly.

"What?" he asked.

"Big guy at six o'clock," she answered. She grabbed him when he started to turn around. "Don't actually turn around! He'll see you! Use your peripherals."

Max did his best, but he wasn't seeing anything.

"It's not working," he told her. "I think I'm just widening my eyes..."

"Okay, look, but be quick about it," she ordered. "He's the huge man that might as well be wearing a sign that says he's here to kill us."

"There's no need to profile just because he's supposedly huge," Max said as he turned to look. He turned back, his mouth gaping open now. "Oh, wow. Yea, that's a bad guy."

"Right?"

"Did you see his face?!"

"Of course I saw his face," 99 answered roughly.

"His head..." Max trailed off. "No, I can't do that. I am not going to profile him. Just because he's a big guy doesn't mean he's a killer."

99 rolled her eyes at his comment. That's when Max noticed gum on the bottom of his shoe.

...

Susan had her head propped on her hand, staring at the computer screen before her. She kept thinking about Max and where he was and what he was doing. The lucky duck was actually out in the field. It was still annoying her even though she was working really hard to be happy for him at the same time.

"Why so blue?" Nancy asked, coming up behind her. A file slipped from her hand and fell to the floor, and she instantly bent to grab it, only to bash her head on the desk while coming back up and proceed to drop everything in her hands onto the floor.

"Nuts and bolts," she sighed, getting onto her hands and knees to pick it all up now. Susan helped her.

"My friend, Max, got to become an agent," Susan explained. "I'm just feeling bummed is all."

"Aww, Maxie is an agent now?" Nancy clarified. "Good for him." Susan had told her about their friendship a while ago. Nancy thought it was sweet.

"Yes, yes, good for him," Susan said impatiently. "When is it going to happen for me?"

"It will happen," Nancy promised. "I know it will."

"I hope it doesn't take all our agents getting burned for it to happen," Susan sighed heavily. She had found out afterwards through the grapevine that was how Max became an agent. It was because no one else could do it.

"I hope not," Nancy agreed. "Look, you're brilliant, and your time to shine will come. I have faith."

"Thanks, Nance," Susan smiled. That was when Bradley Fine and Rick Ford came in, and her stomach flipped at the sight of Agent Fine. As if he would have the name "Agent Fine" too. He sure was fine. The song, "Oh, Mickey, you're so fine" started playing in her head, but it was switched to "Bradley" from "Mickey."

"Cooper," Bradley smiled at her.

"Mi-Bradley," Susan corrected quickly. Her head was a jumble now. Stupid song.

"Word has it from a pilot that some CONTROL agents are in trouble," Bradley went on. "I'm being sent to assist."

"What? In trouble?!" Susan exclaimed. Naturally, the CIA knew that CONTROL was doing a mission in Russia since they had been the ones to give them the tip about Siegfried. They didn't stop investigating just because CONTROL told them to.

"There was only supposed to be two packages drop from the plane," Bradley explained. "There were three."

"Oh no..."

"I'm going to check it out."

"I can come with you!" Susan cried, waving her hand.

"You will be in my ear," Bradley promised.

"I don't wanna be in your ear. I wanna be standing next to your ear in person in Russia!" Susan huffed loudly.

"Sorry, love."

Oh, the love word was so nice to hear out of his mouth. Susan gave a shake to her head, making herself focus.

"I'd really rather..." she started.

"Susan, it's in the ear or not at all," Elaine said, approaching them then.

"Yes, ma'am," Susan said meekly.

"Fine, go gear up," Elaine ordered. "Find them before it's too late. Stay back and only assist if needed. Got it?"

"Got it," Bradley nodded before going off to get ready. Elaine gave Susan a once over and then carried on, and Susan and Nancy were soon left alone again.

"Virtual is better than nothing," Nancy pointed out.

"Ahhhh shut up," Susan said, imitating a popular cartoon phrase from long ago. She sat in her chair and swiveled it to face the computer again. She hoped Max was all right, wherever he was. At least she'd get to see him virtually and know what was going on.