" The White Lion " Cafe. ( Owned by the ATLAS corporation )
Baltimore
Maryland, USA
7:45pm
" I think...you are whoever I tell you to be. "
Twisting his voice into the best Slavic one that he could manage, Gideon reenacted the line Ilona had delivered to the French scientist they'd bagged and dragged out of Detroit.
" Exactly like that ! It was a work of damn beauty. ", he concluded, looking up at the others with a wide grin appearing across his goateed face. " That limp-wrist twat folded like a lawn chair ! "
" I...don't doubt it, boss. ". Joker grunted. " But, you think you could let me up now, maybe ? "
Aside from parroting what what Ilona had said to Dr Dubios, Gideon had copied what she'd done: seized the back of his shirt, and shoved him face first into the tabletop. Needless to say, he'd been considerably more gentle, but even so, the Arkansas country boy had still sworn out loud when his forehead and nose made contact with the wooden surface.
And, evidently, he'd actually gotten the gist of Gideon's story.
Watching it all go down, Mitchell couldn't help but smirk. After their mission in that carcass of a city, the team had come out of it covered in dust, grime, and with a strong desire to get a breather before they were inevitably sent to chase down the actionable intel against the KVA that would inevitably come from working the doc over the coals.
Well, it sure had:According to the now-frazzled Frenchman, the head honcho of the entire KVA itself was hiding out somewhere in Greece. Having acquired such dynamite information, ATLAS's intel division was working furiously to fully verify it. Every second counted; Mr Irons wanted results, and the team that'd brought in the doctor for him had already delivered some. Now, all that was left was for the interrogation data to be confirmed and vetted. As soon as it was, Irons would have a flawless plan to action to present to the US Joint Chiefs and the NCA.
That the sluggish wheels of bureaucracy would turn quickly enough to actually be able to use the Detriot intel wasn't something anybody here was banking on, though. It was a forgone conclusion that ATLAS would have to take point on taking out the KVA leadership. Which was more than fine with Mitchell- that's what ATLAS did, anyway. They got things done.
Speaking of which, that evidently included embracing the age-old tradition of beating the tar out of your squadmates during R and R
" What ? Oh, is something the matter, hillbilly ? ", the SAS man asked. " You can't take the pain, can you ? "
" I think I helped grab that doc to begin with. ", Joker protested. " Maybe I missed the memo where I was actually the target ! "
He attempted to push himself up, working to loosen Gideon's hold, but the other man simply forced him down harder into the cedar.
" Maybe you are, eh ? Maybe you're his mole ! "
Laughing roughly, Gideon kept Joker's face stuck in place. " 'Fess up, then ! Come on ! "
" Son of a...! Agh, come on, boss ! ".
" I don't mean to take his side, Gideon, but I think he gets it. I know he's a certified dumbass, but even so: I think he understands what went down. "
Mitchell's show of support may have been laced a dose of teasing, but it still was enough to finally get Gideon to release the struggling Joker. With a shrug, he let go- and smacked the back of the other man's head.
" OW ! "
" You're both pansies. You ruined some good fun. ", Gideon pointed at the other two as he returned to his chair, leaning it back on its legs.
" What that was ? Freaking massage compared to SAS selection. This muppet wouldn't have made it through. And we'd have used Dubios for target practice. "
" In Russia, all of you would be target practice. ".
Having watched and listened Gideon's impromptu stage performance of her interrogation of Dubios without saying a word ( despite his utter butchery of the Slavic accent ), Ilona finally spoke up.
The 3 men with her ( including the one who was still occasionally and gingerly rubbing the back of his head ) all turned to look at the Russian.
In keeping with her usual self, the plus sized woman had been mostly tight lipped. She was not one to speak much, or at length, and her recent comment was certainly keeping with that trend. Plus, her pronounced Slavic accent in the midst of such strong American ones ( well, aside from Gideon, of course ) was definitely an attention grabber.
Not flinching a bit under said new attention, though, she simply took another sip of her bottled drink, set it down, and continued in her usual shamelessly blunt way. " We do things real in the Spetznatz. No daycare antics for us. "
" Daycare. ". Gideon barked another laugh. " You underestimate the Queen's Special Air Service, love. "
" I've seen you fight, suka ( bitch ). I have yet to be impressed. "
" Ohhhhhh ! "
Observing the exchange, Mitchell raised his glass. " Here's to the best burn of the evening. "
" I'd second that. ", Joker agreed, chuckling. " Getting your own medicine ! "
" That's ' Getting your medicine, sir. ' " the burn victim immediately corrected.
Ilona scoffed from the back of her throat, shaking her long dark ponytail. " So undisciplined. "
Beneath the table, Mitchell reached over, and deftly tickled her thigh with brushed of his fingertips. It was a inside gesture- only he knew she secretly liked getting tickled, and especially on her legs. It was something he'd done to her more than once on many a morning, and it'd always succeeded in the best way possible: getting a laugh out of her.
That was worth gold.
At the moment, though, given that they were in public, and in the presence of two of their colleagues, Mitchell knew she could ( probably ) play it off as another example of lack of discipline, as long as she didn't laugh. That would give it all away.
As it was, her eyes widened with surprise, but she succeeded in hiding her true reaction. Rather than a laugh, she audibly gasped, then turned to direct a glare at the Marine.
" Mitchell ! You mudak. "
" Hm ?! What- What'd he do ? " , Joker leaned to one side, trying to get a different view angle.
" Pinched me, is what. And hard. "
Blinking, Joker was clearly not expecting to be told that, but quickly accepted it anyway.
" Well, ok, jerk move, but what does ' mudak ' mean ? Don't think I've heard that one before."
" Oh, its too harsh for your virgin ears. ", Ilona replied.
" Yeah. Don't look it up, you choir boy", Gideon advised, taking a sip of his own drink.
" Hey. I was a damn good singer way back when, in those days. ", Joker defended. " Maybe I'll go back to that if I leave the company of you mean folks. Which I kind of want to do even more right now."
" You're a bloody snowflake. ", the British man jabbed.
" Permission to speak freely, sir."
" Oh, I know what's coming. Granted. "
" Screw off. "
" Yesh. That was rude ", Mitchell objected, with an amused grin.
Gideon shrugged. " Eh. I've heard worse. "
" Yeah, I bet. ", Joker grumbled, shaking his head.
His own glass had mostly been drained enough anyway, so he swirled the dregs left in it around for a second, staring into its depths, before remarking: " I think we're all getting side-tracked here, though. "
" Really ? From what ? ", Ilona asked, not bothering to hide her skepticism.
" Heh. Vhat . "
Joker's mocking of her pronunciation was rewarded with a swift punch to the shoulder that had him yelping.
" Ow ! Jeez, woman ! "
" Told you before: Leave that alone. " , she succinctly reminded him.
" She's not wrong on that front. ", Mitchell came to the Russian's aid, as Gideon cackled.
" Crying out loud- is it ' Beat up on Joker ' night, and nobody told me ?! ", the shoulder-punch victim complained, rubbing the sore spot.
" Every day, I'm getting my ass beat ", Gideon began to sing, in a deliberately mocking tone.
Mitchell laughed out loud at that, leaning over slightly from the effects. Joker huffed, muttering a string of choice expletives that were barely audible.
"Anyway-as I was saying ! ". Raising his voice, Joker got his platform back.
" We're getting sidetracked. I thought we were talking, about the interrogation, back with the French doc. And what I want to know , is: Did Ilona really slam him into the table with one arm ? Because I've only seen that happen in cop shows. "
At that, Gideon's brows shot up,as did Mitchell's, and they both promptly stared at him. He'd essentially- no wait, he actually had- straight up accused Ilona of embellishment. And, technically, of them of not reporting it right.
Although, arguably, the former was a considerably more serious issue.
" Only saying, y'know. ". He looked around the table, palms out. " Like that ? Boom, simple as that ? "
" Joker, man- ", Mitchell muttered.
" Why are you doubting me ? ".
Sensibly, Joker refrained from making the obvious quip. Getting hit by Ilona once tonight was enough for him.
" Oh. Um, well, I didn't say- "
" Yes. You did. ". She fixed him with a cool stare.
Mitchell had seen it before. He'd taken to calling it the " Hunter's Gaze ". It was a directed, focused look of both eyes that were aimed at something with laserlike bearing.
It was the kind of look that seemed to shoot right through you, and when it came to most folks, they found they were temporarily made of tissues. Granted, Joker wasn't quite as flimsy, but he still didn't last long under its full effect.
" Ok- maybe I was. But only a tad. "
" That is still more than nothing. ". Ilona pointed out, her logic unassailable.
" Right again. ", Mitchell observed.
" Who's side are you on ?! "
" Hmm-Hers. Obviously. "
Beneath the table, Ilona's hand glided over, and rubbed Mitchell's leg. She pressed her whole hand down as she moved it, and the even distribution of pressure resulted in a subtle massage that hinted at more to come.
Sitting up a minute amount straighter, it was now Mitchell's turn to hide his true reaction. He inhaled, then visibly bit his lip.
" You ok, man ? "
" Hm ? Oh, yeah, yeah. She pinched me back right now, that's all. Payback for earlier. "
Joker cackled. " Good ! Glad someone else is getting a taste of her wrath. "
" Ok, though: I didn't say I doubted you, Ilona. Its more that, well, I kind of need to see things happen to believe them. In your case, I still believe it; wish I'd actually watched it happen, is all. "
It was a decently articulated explanation, and it actually seemed to do the trick. Ilona looked at Joker for a moment longer, then slightly nodded. " Ok. I'll buy that. "
" Oh, thank God. ". Joker sounded grateful, as he slid down a bit. " I was getting nervous. "
" Why- you thought she'd give you a live demonstration of the event ? ", Gideon took another sip.
" Wait, no- I mean- another one. Except its the real deal. "
Truth be told, Mitchell had been thinking of that himself. As good a performance Gideon had put on recreating it, having the original experience completely brought back ( with the sole exception of having the French doc himself back to get grilled again ) would be even better.
Well, not for Joker of course, but anyway-
Oh, wait. He had something even better. A veritable epiphany had come to him right now, and it sounded exactly as good as watching Joker getting his head bounced off the table twice, if not outright better.
Mitchell decided to float it.
" Hey, hey- How about this.", he exclaimed, raising both hands. " How about you arm wrestle him, Ilona ? "
An expression of shock appeared on Joker face. " What ?! "
" Man-"
" I'm talking here, hillbilly ! "
" So, anyway: You vs Ilona, in arm wrestling. Right here, right now. You're probably still gonna get a beating, Joker, but at least this way, you got a fighting chance. "
" Hmm. So, instead of bashing an annoying man's head into a table, I can snap his wrist ? ",
Having been paying close attention, Ilona sounded as if she actually was open to doing so.
" The heck-"
" I don't think I'd mind. "
The by-now visibly apprehensive Joker held up his palms. " Hey now. Nobody's serious about this, right ? "
" Right ? "
He looked to the others in turn, but none of them were exactly jumping forward to say it was. Gideon was grinning with obvious evil anticipation, Mitchell was doing a terrible job of playing innocent, and Ilona was as inscrutable as always.
He was up a creek here.
" ...Damn it. Damn it. "
" Ok- are we ready ? "
" No ! "
" That was rhetorical, you twat. "
Groaning, Joker kept his elbow braced on the tabletop, right hand up in the air. His attention was aimed at said tabletop, though, as if he'd already accepted the fact he was about to get something of himself slammed into it.
Again.
" What- you want to play the role of Doc Pansy again ? ", Gideon demanded. " Because that can be arranged. "
" Hell no ! But this- "
" - is not something you can escape from. Now suck it up, boy. "
" Oh, Jesus..."
Off to the side, in a perfect vantage point, Gideon was acting as the judge- and clearly, coach to the reluctant competitor/victim. Nearby, Mitchell was the eager ( and lone ) spectator, also well placed to easily see everything about to go down.
Across from Joker, his opponent coolly dismantled him visually.
" Tell her to stop looking at me like that. ", Joker complained. " She's like a lioness about to pounce. "
" You scared ? ", Mitchell needled.
" I rode a hover-bike through Detroit at 88mph ! ", retorted the so-called hillbilly. " That was scary. This is terrifying. "
" Its about to get worse, too. ", Ilona warned.
" Vorse ", Mitchell whispered.
" What- ? "
By way of response, Ilona undid the zipper on her white fleece jacket- the one with the red stripe down the left arm- and shrugged it completely off, tossing it onto the table.
Underneath, her grey t-shirt fully exposed her toned and well muscled arms. Even under the jacket, their outline could be seen, but out of it-
Joker's gaze flickered over to the tattoo of the VDV that sat proudly on one of the rock-solid biceps.
" I am screwed...", he stated.
" Da. ". Ilona casually loosened up her neck with a graceful head rotation. Then, putting a hand on each sculpted shoulder, she loosened those up too.
" Very much so. "
It was a calculated display of psychological tactics, and it was paying off. With calm fluidity, Ilona braced her own elbow on the table, and leaned her right arm forward.
" Anytime, Gideon. "
" Ohhhh, the suspense ! ", Mitchell called out.
He was looking forward to this. His girl was going to utterly destroy this peasant.
" Shut. Up ! ", Joker hissed.
" Wanna switch ? ", taunted the Marine.
" Enough, you two. ", Gideon commanded, stepping closer.
He pointed at Ilona, looking at her.
" Ready ? We're about to kick this off. "
" Yes. "
Gideon then addressed the Joker.
" And you ? "
With the mood of a man on death row, Joker huffed, and nodded. " Yeah...let's do this. "
" Right then. First wrist to touch the table loses. If you get deadlocked, I'll call it a tie after 30 seconds. Clear ? "
" Da "
" Sure, sure. "
" Ok. Then, in 3..."
" 2. "
" 1. "
" Go ! "
And so it began.
Joker went full power right out of the gate. His face contorted as he immediately diverted energy into forcing his arm downwards. Gripping the edge of the table with his free hand, he was already straining to win.
Ilona, meanwhile, was as placid as if she was behind the scope of her GM7 Lynx .50 cal bullpup sniper rifle. She was putting in effort as well, of course- the tightening of her muscles showed they were being put to work- but aside from gentle twitches in her face, she didn't appear to be having much trouble.
It was obvious Joker was trying to not to look at said muscles, but that was a lost cause. They were attention grabbers as much as her accent was.
Joker gritted his teeth, the sleeve of his long sleeves brushing the wood as his elbow moved an inch. The arm he was employing to win began to vibrate, and then shake.
" Trouble ? ", Ilona queried.
" Maybe ! Kinda.." Joker conceded.
" This is better than Vegas..! ", Mitchell crossed both arms, watching with immense interest.
" Hey, pansy, this girl is kicking your arse ! ", Gideon scolded.
" Hey- don't call it yet...! "
" He will soon, mudak ", declared Ilona.
" Verbal assault on psychical assault ! Throw him off his game ! "
Fighting desperately had held off the inevitable for long enough, but now, Joker was clearly on a losing trajectory. Like a chopped tree keeling over in slow motion, his arm began to descent toward the table.
A minute or so went by, as the struggle continued.
" Oh, ohhhhhh ! ", Mitchell pointed. " You're running out of room, man ! "
" Screw...off...! "
Knuckles turning white, Joker closed both eyes , and poured maximum effort to avoiding total defeat.
" Take it like man ! ", Mitchell heckled.
Ilona promptly amped up her own application of force. With a low growl, she injected even more power into her drive to slam Joker's wrist down.
And, it was working.They were only a few scant inches off the table now, and getting closer and closer. Slower than before- Joker was putting up a notable last ditch defense- but Ilona was simply too strong.
. Gideon leaned forward, watching closely as the contest was reached its end.
Thnk !
" Aghh ! Damn ! "
"And, that's the ball game. Match point ! ", Gideon yelled.
" Ilona wins ! "
" Yeah-agh. My shattered wrist can testify to that..! ", Joker cringed, rubbing the sore spot fiercely.
" Ha ! ".
The corner of Ilona's mouth curved up in a richly satisfied smirk, and she leaned backwards.
" Was there, any doubt ? ", she asked, relaxedly lacing her fingers behind her brunette head. The movement distinctly showed off her biceps, much to Joker's chagrin.
" Not from me. ". Mitchell came over, and gave her a one amed hug. It was arguably a rather affectionate one, but he was real proud of- and attracted to- her right now, and didn't care if the others saw. She'd really taught the hillbilly a lesson.
Their secret would come out soon enough, anyway.
For now, though, there was something to crow about: Because weather by winning by a quarter mile, or a quarter inch-
Winning was winning.
"So, how was it: Getting whupped twice in one night ? "
Gideon was clearly savoring Joker's lingering mood of getting trounced. As the group was filing it way back outside, the British man didn't let up in endlessly giving Joker misery for his humiliating getting curb stomped.
" Twice ! Man you're a bigger pansy than Dubois ! "
" Not even dealing with you right now ", Joker didn't bother to look at the other man, as he kept both hands jammed deep into his pockets. " Sir. ", he remembered to add.
" Maybe you wish you had, eh ?! I'd have been less cruel. "
" No, wait- I wouldn't have been ! "
He laughed out loud at that. Joker retaliated with a choice of swear words that would've been banned even in US Marine Boot Camp. Which, of course, only got Gideon to laugh even more.
Walking alongside the harbinger of Joker's humiliation, Mitchell had to fight the urge to sling an arm around Ilona's shoulders. There was barely enough of a height difference between them for him to able to look over the top of her head, and right now, he really want to pull her close and use that head to rest his cheek on.
The sentiment was mutual, because the tough Slavic girl's hand soon found its way to Mitchell's lower back. In another quick and subtle gesture, she gave him a pat there before withdrawing.
The wait, was agonizing.
" Glad I could get smacked around so heroically for y'all. " , Joker huffed. " But I need to hit the sack. We might get called up to chase down Hades tomorrow, and I'd rather not be running on 3 hours sleep when we find that bastard. "
" Its not even 11pm, you nancy ", Gideon pointed out.
" And if I wait till then, it'll be 3am before I get any rest ! "
" Allright, if you really need your beauty sleep so bad.. ."
"After tonight ? Its recovery. "
" Fine. I'll walk you back. You think you're safe now ? "
As the other two went back and forth, Mitchell stole a glance at Ilona, and managed to catch her eye.
She turned her head to look at him, and in that brief moment ( only for Mitchell, he knew ), that reserved demeanor of hers slipped.
It was a glimpse of what was going on in her mind right now, and if Mitchell's own confidence was anything to go by, it was similar to what was going on his his: They wanted to be alone tonight. They wanted to get away from the others, and get some space all to themselves.
Joker had a point: Maybe they would get shipped off tomorrow. Their R and R might have to be postponed that quick; they had to take advantage of it now while they could.
One of them needed to make a getaway plan-
" Hey, boss...", Mitchell spoke up.
" Hm ? ". The Brit turned to face him.
" Ilona and I ? We're gonna go hit up that Krispe Kreme we saw on the way over here. ". Mitchell gestured vaguely in where it was.
As excuses went, it was the first credible one that he could think of, so he simply went with it. It'd have to do.
" If you want us to get you an extra box..."
" Woah, woah, wait up- now you want doughnuts ? ", Joker asked, stepping in.
" Its kind of late for those, isn't it ? "
" Joker.Don't question a desire for Krispe Kreme ", Ilona scolded. " They're good anytime, and I want some. "
" Well, I once had ice cream for breakfast as a teenager. ", Gideon revealed. " If they want doughnuts now, that's fine with me. "
He eyed them for a moment. " Still seems a bit random, sure, but I've worked with weirder. Go have fun, you two. "
" Thanks, sir ", Mitchell nodded. " We might get you an extra dozen anyway. "
" If you do, be sure they're glazed, ok ? "
" Da ", assured the Russian.
" Good enough. Alright, see you both later. Come on, Joker."
With that, the Brit headed off. After one last slightly confused glance, the Arkansas man followed him.
As soon as they were out of sight around the street corner, Ilona promptly grabbed Mitchell's hand, and began to pull him along the other way. Well, towing was more like it- when Ilona began pulling you somewhere, you were kind of compelled to go that way.
Not that Mitchell had any desire to resist, of course. This was going exactly according to plan.
He easily began to jog along with Ilona, as they reached the end of the other end of the street, and rounded its corner without letting go of each other's hands.
As soon as they did, Mitchell decided it was his turn to take the initiative.
Before another second went by, he firmly ( but not roughly. He wouldn't ever be rough with her, God no ) took hold of Ilona, and turned her around so her back was to the wall.
He eased her up against it. All the while, he was keenly aware that if he'd been that kind of person right now, Ilona would've punched him with all her considerable strength in the throat long ago. Which Mitchell would've richly deserved.
Needless to say, that wasn't who he was.
Instead, she did nothing to stop him, as he leaned in and began to kiss her.
She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't think straight.
Digging her fingers into his upper arms, hands hooked beneath his, Ilona held onto Mitchell as tightly as she could- but she didn't want it to hurt him. It'd be easy to, but she didn't want to.
What she did want, in this moment, right here and now, was for him to keep kissing her, his hands( even that robotic one that he hated, but that didn't bother her ) caressing her jawline. So she could keep kissing him right back.
And she didn't want either of them to move, either. Her back was pressed against the wall of the building they'd rounded, and Mitchell was leaning her into it. She was essentially boxed in, with nowhere to easily run to.
As big as she was, the man in front of her was even bigger. If he'd been an enemy, Ilona was sure she could take him, but it'd be a real close fight.
But, an enemy was the polar opposite of who Mitchell was to her.
" Hhh "
With overlapping gasps, they mutually pulled back.
Their foreheads bumped gently, as their breathing went back to normal.
" Worth..worth it. ", Ilona told him. " Every second. "
Mitchell smiled at her.
" I agree. Amazing."
" Absolutely. "
" God, I hate sneaking around. Its hard to keep this under wraps. "
Ilona noted the frustration as Mitchell talked, and it stirred something in her.
Everyone knew her as someone who always seemed to have walls built up. Someone who was hard to put at ease. Not hostile, or even cold- but distant, and reserved. Like she was keeping herself back from everything, and everyone too.
Being around Mitchell, though- even thinking about him- it was like knocking holes in those walls. Opening gaps in them. Or rather, it was like building doors into them, and allowing others through at last.
But, she knew that nobody would ever get through every one of those doors. Except, one.
The one, right here.
" I- I do too. "
" Its, suffocating, isn't it ? "
" It is ", Mitchell kissed her again, quickly but firmly, and it got her pulse racing.
" That wasn't, but I'd rather not skulk around to do it. We have nothing to hide, do we ?"
" No. Not at all. "
ATLAS had no rules against it. That wasn't the issue.
So, what was, then ?
There could only be one thing.
" We're...I think we're scared to reveal it. ", Ilona ventured to say. " It means so much to us. Telling others, though- "
" I get that. Its a leap, isn't it ? "
" For us, yes. "
They had to fix that. They had to get out, and stop living in the shadows. They knew what they had to do.
And they both planned to do it. But, for right now-
Tonight-
They didn't have to worry about anyone else.
" We'll do it together. Won't we ? "
" Damn straight, moy morskoy ( My Marine ) ."
Not wanting to wait anymore, Ilona pulled Mitchell in and kissed him again-
- and was captured by the moment, all over again. And she knew she wanted to stay there.
Because, no matter how much of a VDV Speznatz she was, no matter how strong of a woman she was ( psychically and mentally ):
With Mitchell, someone she loved and who loved her back-
She had happiness. They both did.
And without that, her strength would be so very hollow indeed.