Author's Note: I know this chapter is pretty short, but I've got some logistics to iron out in the next piece so I thought I'd separate them. Thanks so much again for all your reviews; I really appreciate them. I did however notice that in Tuesday's episode, Annie called Auggie "August." Drat, I thought. Oh well, it worked okay for my purpose.
Disclaimer: Covert Affairs is not mine. Neither is Brazil.
When Auggie woke, he spent about ten minutes researching Rio Branco on the internet. Rubber and Brazil nuts were the city's main exports, so, if Valmor was attempting to hide a large munitions facility, he would have to hide it under the guise of a rubber or nut farm. Either way, both Valmor's prospective covers offered Auggie a chance to get onto his property by being physical labor. Auggie then threw on his clothes, grabbed both his bags, and headed down to catch a taxi.
During the taxi ride (and the subsequent waiting to catch his flight), Auggie mulled over the finer points of his cover; like how he was going to explain away his inability to speak Portuguese. Several ideas popped into his head, but Auggie dismissed them; he didn't look Brazilian at all, and it would be difficult to pass himself off as a native. He finally decided on a simple explanation; he was a college exchange student that had decided to stay in the country and had fallen on bad luck. Though the education factor would put him on a higher level radar, if he played his cards right, he could still be poor, in need of a job, and virtually invisible. If Auggie pretended to be just like any other person scraping by, he would still be flying under the radar.
As Auggie waited for the plane, he wondered where this adventure would lead. After all, Annie had made it clear on several occasions that she liked Jai; she even had invited him over to her family's barbecue! And yet, Auggie realized that in his own heart, he really and truly cared about her. He didn't get the same vibe from Jai; it was as if Annie was a game to him. To Auggie, Annie was someone special, someone different. She reminded him of a butterfly newly hatched; she was naive about the spy world around her, yet fluttered through it with joy and cunning. She had received very bad luck during her first few ops, and yet she continued to serve faithfully and well. She was probably too naive to know that the ops weren't supposed to be that way. Auggie wanted her to stay that way; he didn't want her to become as jaded as he had become over the years. Yet, he didn't want her to leave either; he needed her around. She had become a part of his day; the way that she would always greet him in the hall, the way she would sip coffee with him, and the way she would guide him in a strange setting. And Annie always trusted him; even when others doubted his loyalty. Auggie found that he couldn't focus well unless she was safe. However, she was brilliant at this line of work, and would make a great agent. That is, if she didn't die first.
Once on the plane, Auggie settled back for a long ride. His time in the military had taught him to be so disciplined in mind and body that he could almost shut his brain down and sleep on command; which was very useful for long trips. Auggie reclined his chair and let his mind wander; in moments, he was asleep.
Auggie knew he shouldn't be surprised to see the room again in his dreams. But the vivid color of the floor clashing with the stark whiteness of the walls overwhelmed him, just as the instantaneous change from the frigid plane to the hot humid air took his breath away. Auggie closed his eyes for a moment to orient himself, then opened them again and looked around. The sunlight was intense; it had to be around noon. Annie was no where to be found. Slowly, Auggie turned in a circle, the small room panning oddly in his vision, until he found her.
Annie had been behind him all along, but she was lying on a bed (the only piece of furniture in the otherwise empty room). The bed was along the wall adjacent to the window, and Annie lay looking out into the hot Brazilian jungle.
"Annie?" Auggie asked, afraid that she might be dead yet again.
Annie's open eyes turned on him, their brown-hazel coloring looking almost green when being compared with the foliage outside. "Auggie?" she whispered. "Is that you?"
"I'm here, Annie," Auggie whispered, and he moved to sit beside her on the bed.
"I've been seeing you in the shadows, Auggie," Annie said tiredly. "You were there, looking to see if I was okay. They came in, and you looked very angry, but you were stuck in the shadow. How did you get out?"
Auggie felt his throat close up; he forced his emotions back into the box where they belonged. "You're delirious, Annie," he said lightly, stroking her face with his hand.
Annie smiled wanly. "Well, I'm sick, Auggie," she whispered.
Auggie tried to smile strongly and he took her hand in his. "Aww, don't worry, you'll get better. Help is on the way!"
Annie laughed bitterly. "Help... nothing can help. Nothing at all; except Prussian Blue."
Auggie tried to process this bit of information. Annie "worked" for the "Smithsonian," so it made sense that if she were delirious, she would be spouting off random bits of information she knew (like dyes they used in the 1700's). But this dream was different than the others had been, and the differences bothered Auggie. For one thing, Annie did not start off healthy and then suddenly die. Here, in the dream, she was slowly fading away. And for some reason, this dream seemed even more real than the others had; it was as if he were actually there with Annie!
"I'm sleepy," Annie groaned, and she nestled down into the covers. "I feel so weak; I hurt everywhere. Stay with me, Auggie?"
Auggie smiled; it was the one request he was glad to grant. "As long as my dream allows," he whispered.
Annie fell into a restless sleep then, and Auggie went about checking her vitals. Her pulse was rapid, and her heartbeat was shallow. Auggie noticed again that there seemed to be no wounds of any sort on her; she was just dying for no apparent reason.
"It's got to be a poison of some kind, or a drug," Auggie thought as the room finally began to cool. As he sat there musing, the room began to fade. Auggie held on to Annie's hand until the last, when yet again he was plunged into the darkness. His heart picked up speed as his mind regained its senses; they were landing in Rio Branco!
"Annie, help is on the way," Auggie stated, his heart prepared for battle.