AN: Like, am I ever going fully give up the Assassin!verse…? Probably not. Directly follows the previous chapter. And I'm pretty sure I'm AUing an AU.
"See me walking down Fifth Avenue
A walking cane here at my side
I take it everywhere I walk
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York.
If "manners maketh man" as someone said
He's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety
You could end up as the only one
Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society
At night a candle's brighter than the sun
Takes more than combat gear to make a man
Takes more than a license for a gun
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can
A gentleman will walk but never run."
Englishman in New York, Sting
She honestly believed she had killed Agent K. It had been a stroke of genius, an attempt to make progress against the Lunar crime syndicate, who had been seeking vengeance against the Dark Kingdom for the better part of a decade. Part vigilantes, part prodigies in their respective fields, the young women operated in a shadow organization. Rarely seen in public (with the exception of the raven-haired daughter of a politician who hid in plain sight with a cadre of bodyguards), the team was notoriously private. Members would appear in one location, only to go underground for months at a time. And yet they had somehow drawn out the most dangerous of the group, Code Name V. For reasons beyond him, the circumstances of the hit and ensuing fake funeral felt altogether strange a manner of melancholy he could not define, but then, burying his mentor also made no sense (even at the request of said mentor).
Ace's job had been to remain out of view at the funeral and tail the striking blonde. Less memorable than the so-called 'four kings' he worked with, it had been easier for him to blend in. He'd done so to the letter and they had staked out what he assumed was a safe house.
But somehow it wasn't.
From the offices of the Dark Kingdom, he'd been tracking her movements for the better part of eighteen months. Rio. Dubai. Bucharest. Havana. She only stayed long enough to complete her mission and move on.
And now she was still. Complacent. Stationary. Adjectives he would never define her with.
Food was delivered at odd hours, the only contact she made with the outside world.
She routinely ran ten kilometers a day without fail, but for the most part, she remained in the townhome.
Why? He could not say.
"Any difference today?" Agent K asked, leaning his cane - affectation, weapon, or necessary item, Ace could never quite determine.
"None, sir."
Although he could not place it, his mentor, notoriously private, had pulled within even more since his faked death. Perhaps being almost buried alive would do that to a person, Ace mused. He never wanted to find out. And then there was her reaction. They had leased an apartment one door down and across the street from V's safe house. Ace could swear she knew when Agent K was present. There was a strange undercurrent of kinetic energy that all but pulsed over the street - through the brick and mortar and asphalt and wires between them.
Agent K would eschew the telescope and lift the blinds to quickly glance through. For a world-renowned assassin, she cared not for privacy. It was if she was inviting danger. Ace understood he was not supposed to care, that she was a target, after all, but the hours spent 'with' her had started having an impact on the young man. Ace wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what to add to the conversation.
"That will be all, then." The clipped British tones of Agent K's accent sounded a dismissal and Ace was suddenly reluctant to depart.
"What will you do?" Agent K lifted a silver eyebrow and Ace winced. He knew better than to question a superior. With some degree of difficulty, Ace swallowed. "Will you be needing a cleaning crew?"
"That's enough, lad."
"Certainly."
Ace backed slowly to the door - suddenly torn between running to the apartment across the street and the need to follow orders. He remained frozen, until Agent K said, "On your way. Do not make me ask again."
Ace sighed and left, locking the door behind him.