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Be the Serpent Under It: Suspicion
Betty dropped through the roof of her brother's latest base and looked around, eyes narrowed. Gemini was starting to pose a problem. He'd been hassling her people while she was otherwise occupied, so now she'd hassle his. thanks to her job at HenchCo, she'd learned Sheldon had a little plan all his own going on. She'd wondered about that when his name had come up as a HenchCo client. An investigation had revealed that 'Gemini' was putting together an organization sworn to counter her own. To be its shadow in every way. WEE was the name he'd taken for it; the Worldwide Evil Empire. How he was funding it was beyond her.
Dr. Director peeked around a corner and spotted her twin brother with a group of men. Quietly she drew a gun, took a deep breath, then swung out of hiding. "Sheldon, give it up!" Or Gemini now, she supposed.
Gemini spun around in shock. "Betty!" he exclaimed before scowling darkly. "Here to spoil my plans, little sister? I don't think so. Not this time. Get her!"
Immediately his men ran at her. She put away the gun. This she could handle hand-to-hand. No one needed to die. Quickly she met them, throwing one over her head and delivering a powerful kick to another. She dodged around the rest as Gemini watched in fury, then backflipped over to her brother. She attacked, but he was ready, meeting her strikes. He wasn't great at hand-to-hand, but he didn't have to be. The gauntlet he wore was high-tech, and though it was in its prototype state and tended to malfunction, it still could do the job. She dodged every missile he shot at her.
Leaping over the final projectile and rolling, she said, "I have more important things to deal with than your spite right now!"
"Oh? And what, pray tell, would those be?" he demanded, reloading and firing again.
"None of your business!" she snapped, diving out of the way.
"Something to do with that little attack on GJ no doubt?" her brother mocked, firing again.
"Was it you?" she demanded, dodging quickly behind a pillar.
"I only wish it were!" he replied.
"Ugh, I don't have time for this, Gemini!" she shouted.
She realized her mistake the second she heard her brother catch his breath and stop firing. She whispered a curse under her breath, hitting her head back against the pillar. They hadn't spoken in forever. Maybe her finding his hideaway could be explained by GJ, but she wasn't supposed to know about his code name.
"How do you know that name?" he darkly asked. She was quiet, glaring at the ground in frustration. "There's only one source from which you could have gotten that information." She sighed in frustration, feeling a headache coming on. "You think HenchCo is behind it," he realized, sounding stunned. "You've infiltrated them!"
"I'm doing what I have to do to get to the bottom of what happened. People died, Sheldon!" she retorted.
"And just how did you plan to get close enough to Jack to even do any damage?!" Gemini demanded. Suddenly he gasped as if he'd just figured something out. "Wait, he mentioned you," he realized.
"Excuse me?!" she demanded, swinging out from behind the pillar with eyes wide in shock.
"We were having lunch. He told me he'd recently hired a new secretary. Smart, smooth, quick-witted, beautiful auburn hair... He was fishing for information. He wanted to see if I knew anything. He wanted to see if I would let something slip."
"You're on a first-name basis with Hench?!" she demanded. "So that explains how you could afford all of this! He's helping you!"
Gemini started, realizing he'd said too much, and clamped his mouth tightly shut. The siblings glared at one another, Betty scowling and Gemini tight-lipped. "Walk away, Betty," he at last said. "While he still lets you."
"What?" she asked coldly.
"What do you expect to even find?" Gemini asked.
"Everything," she answered, clenching a fist.
"And how do you intend to get it?!" Gemini demanded.
"Sheldon, I'm a woman. You heard it from the horse's mouth. Intelligent, smooth, quick-witted, beautiful... I think I can manage to swing this," she answered.
Gemini's eyes widened a bit in shock, and she tilted her head in confusion. What was with him? "Excuse me?" her brother at last asked.
She pursed her lips. "Put it together, Gemini," she at last replied.
"We need to talk!" he immediately and sharply snapped.
"Excuse me?!" she demanded, taken aback. Had he really just said that?
"Agents, off with you! All of you!" Gemini ordered. Though her brother's men hesitated a bit, soon they slipped away leaving the two siblings alone. Gemini made sure they were gone then turned sharply back to his twin, eyes narrowed. "All right, here's how this is going to play out. I'm going to throw you pearls, which you will promptly step on for the sole purpose of defying me. Understandable, little siblings do that..."
"We're twins!" she cut off, put out he was still harping on about that.
"I'm older!" he yelled.
"By four minutes!" she shouted.
"No matter! Your lack of respect for my authority will cost you someday!" he said.
"Oh please," she replied. "Get on with it, Sheldon. What are these so-called 'pearls' you're throwing my way?"
Gemini thought a moment about how to phrase his next words, then harrumphed. "Betty, play off of the man's baser urges if you must, but try not to go too far with him," he said.
"What are you implying?" she icily asked, eyes glittering as she crossed her arms.
"Have you heard the saying 'why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?'" he flatly asked.
"Oh I cannot believe you just went there! I'm not sleeping with the man, Gemini!" she snapped. "It won't come to that! Ever!"
"If you're not careful, yes, it will," he answered, his own arms crossed now. "He's exactly your type."
"What? Billionaire playboy with a massive ego and a whole lot of entitlement? Oh please. Give me a break!" she replied. "Within the first ten seconds of meeting me, he was pouring on the charm!"
"As he does with everybody. Where has he gone with that since?" Gemini asked. She started and blinked blankly at him. "If he's the type of man I suspect you think he is, why hasn't he been more inappropriate? He told me about this 'new secretary' almost a month ago."
"You don't know what he has or hasn't done!" she replied.
"By all means, inform me," Gemini replied. "Has he touched you in any manner you didn't invite?" She stared at him blankly. "Excessively flirted? Flirted without your invitation? Tried to get you somewhere alone? Tried to lure you into an inappropriate situation?"
"He took me to a bistro!" she replied.
"In public? With many eyes watching?" Gemini asked. She shifted a bit uncomfortably. "You play a very, very dangerous game. So does he, I think. If he was fishing for information from me, you're already on his radar. What stupid thing did you do to get there, I wonder?"
"Stupid?!" she demanded.
"The attack on GJ was a little over a month ago, correct?" he asked.
"I took a chance, okay?!" she defended, crossing her arms and turning her back on him.
"You jumped into a shark tank!" he snapped.
"I can't believe I'm getting this from you!" she replied, whipping back around to face him.
"He's exactly your type, and you want to know something else? You're exactly his," Gemini replied, holding his ground, arms still crossed. "Back out of this now. While you still have the will to. If you don't, the next thing you know you'll be pregnant, he'll be dead, and you'll be raising his child alone."
"It won't go that far! You know what? I'm out of here! I'm going to be late for work. You carry on doing whatever you're doing here and failing at, Sheldon," she said, storming away from her brother.
"Mark my words, Betty! Sooner than you think I'll be saying I told you so!" Gemini called after her angrily, shaking a fist after his twin. She sharply laughed and slammed the door behind her. He shifted a bit uncomfortably, a worried expression crossing his face. He couldn't help the surge of protection he felt race through him, but promptly he discarded the feeling and turned his attention back to his developing base. It seemed she'd forgotten what she'd even come here for in the first place. Fortunately for him. Humph, the sooner he established WEE, the better.
HenchCo
Betty walked into her office about ten minutes late. "My apologies for being late, Mr. Hench, but...!" she began. She stopped upon hearing a commotion coming from inside her target's study. "Mr. Hench?!" she called.
"In the office!" he replied, but his voice sounded scratchy as if he was having trouble breathing.
She started and quickly went to the door. She pushed it curiously open and gasped, eyes going wide. Inside was a robot holding the man in a vice-like grip, dangling him high above the ground with a robotic hand wrapped around his neck! "Jack!" she exclaimed.
"Good morning, Miss Director. Experimental prototype gone wrong, I'm afraid. Had a little…" He choked as the robot tightened its grip on his throat. He kicked the bot's head, making it loosen its grip again. "Had a little escape," he gasped out, prying at the metallic hand. "Do me a favor and find a little black remote somewhere, will you?"
She gaped in disbelief. How could he possibly sound so calm?! He was getting the life strangled out of him by some rogue robot! Hardly able to believe her eyes, she ran toward a dresser in the room and pulled it open. She started. It was filled with black remotes! "A black remote, huh?!" she testily asked, pulling out the whole drawer and showing it to him.
He coughed in pain as the robot's hold tightened again. "Knew I should have color-coded," he choked, now starting to look a little concerned.
Betty frowned, emptied the drawer, then walked calmly over to the bot, raised said drawer above her head, and cracked it down on the robot's head. The metal immediately caved in. Disoriented, the machine beeped and began to malfunction, lowering the arm holding Jack. The second the businessman could reach his desk, he snatched a water bottle off it and poured half the contents out onto the metal menace. The robot beeped and booped, whirred, made a growling sound, then groaned and stopped working, shorting out. Its grip loosened completely and Jack gasped for air, falling against his desk and rubbing his throat in pain.
Betty hurried to his side. "Are you okay?" she asked quickly, resting her left hand on his left shoulder. Her right hand gripped his arm gently.
"Fine. Just fine," he replied, voice still sounding painful. "Darned thing nearly crushed my windpipe." He drank what was left in his water bottle, hoping it helped. He cleared his throat once more and stood up, straightening his tie. "Nice hit," he praised, sounding a bit better.
She smiled a little. "Thanks," she said.
He rubbed his neck painfully again and she frowned a little in concern. "Ugh, that's going to bruise," he said.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Fine. Miss Director, remind me to notify my staff all remotes will be color-coded from this point on," he said. She snorted a bit then began to laugh. She wasn't sure what she found so funny about it, Maybe just his utter indifference to the ridiculousness of the whole situation, but she couldn't stop. He looked at her, startled and slightly offended. "I don't see the humor in this," he protested.
"N-no, of course n-not," she said through giggles. She cleared her throat and put on a neutral expression. "There was nothing humorous about it at all." She couldn't keep the straight face and began snickering again. "Have you ever read the book Frankenstein, perchance? It's about this man who creates a monster that turns on him."
"Funny," he dryly said, crossing his arms and looking unimpressed.
"I'll get someone up here to clean the mess up straightaway, Mr. Hench," she said, giggling fit over and done with now. Her smile stayed on her lips though.
"Be sure you do. The quicker the better," he replied.
She nodded. "Put some ice on it, Mr. Hench, and here's a balm I use to help heal bruises," she said, taking a small container out of her purse and giving it to him. Turning, she left his office with a wave. He couldn't help but smile a bit. She was clever. Pretty too. He'd always liked clever and pretty.
KP
Dr. Director closed the door to his office behind her and leaned against it, an affectionate grin spreading across her face. Almost immediately she remembered her brother's words and caught her breath, eyes widening. Oh no. Was she actually starting to feel somewhat attached to the man? Vehemently she chastised herself. He was her enemy, not her friend, and she had promised her people she would do whatever was necessary to bring him to justice. No matter what form it took. Even if it meant his death... She felt her stomach clench at the thought. She really didn't want it to go there, ever, but they'd lost twenty-three good agents to that attack on GJ...
"Miss Director!" Jack suddenly exclaimed, pulling open the door. She gasped, falling back with a cry. Reflexively he caught her, startled. She blushed deeply and scrambled out of his arms.
"Oh, Jack, you caught me off guard," she quickly said, flustered.
He raised an eyebrow, thought about asking why she'd been leaning against the door, then decided to let it go and put on a smile. "How do you feel about lunch?" he asked, tenting his fingers.
"Lunch?" she asked.
"My treat," he said.
"What's the occasion?" she wondered.
"No reason," he replied, but she wasn't buying that for a second. There was definitely a reason, and her interest was piqued. Maybe she would finally find something.
Putting on a smile, she said, "I'd be honored, Mr. Hench."
"Wonderful! Twelve sharp?" he asked with a grin.
"Twelve sharp," she confirmed.
KP
They sat in a little fusion restaurant about twenty minutes from HenchCo by car. He hadn't taken her in his vehicle, though. He'd taken her in a company limo where a driver would be present. Clever man, she noted. Upon arrival, he'd gotten them a corner booth. It wasn't private, but it wasn't right out there either. They were seated and the waiter took their drink orders before heading off. Jack began looking around. She frowned a bit, curiously. "Are we meeting someone?" she asked.
"Business associate," he replied, surprisingly forthcoming. He turned his attention back to her and smiled a bit ruefully. "My apologies for turning pleasure into business, Miss Director."
"It's certainly a switch," she said, smiling a little. "Most would try turning business into pleasure."
"Glad I could break the mold," he said with a winning grin, leaning forward a bit. The waiter arrived with their drinks and Jack glanced briefly at him with a frown before putting on the smile again. "Waiter, another menu, please. We're waiting on some company," he said.
"Of course sir. Have you decided on your order?" the young man asked.
"Pad Thai, please," Jack replied. "Miss Director? Err, Betty?"
She started, pleasantly surprised. It was about time he played that card. She smiled back. "Betty, please," she replied. She turned to the waiter. "Chicken and shrimp burger, please."
"Excellent choice, ma'am," the young man said. "I'll go get that extra menu for you two."
"Thank you," Betty said. The waiter walked away and she rested her elbows on the table, entwining her fingers and resting her chin on them. "I'm not usually one for burgers, but I've never seen a chicken and shrimp one before. I have to admit, I'm curious."
"Let me know how it is. I may have to try it sometime," he replied with a smile.
"Jack Hench, is that you?" a voice asked from the side. The two turned and Betty was immediately on the alert. No doubt this was the business associate Jack had come to meet.
"Rudy, a pleasure to meet you again," Jack replied, rising and taking the man's hand in both of his own, shaking it firmly. She couldn't help but wonder if that was even the man's real name or if he'd even met Hench before today.
"The pleasure is mine. I've been meaning to contact you about some of your merchandise. I'm glad we could finally meet up," the man said.
"Of course. It was no trouble at all," Jack replied. "Allow me to introduce Miss Betty Director, my personal secretary." He gestured to her.
She rose with a smile and offered her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, sir," she said.
The man looked her over slowly and she couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. The man looked up into her face again then smiled darkly before turning to Jack. "How personal?" he asked.
Jack kept the smile plastered on his face, but Betty could practically feel the change in the air. "Hmm... Miss Director, do you happen to have a notepad handy?" Jack asked, ignoring the man's remark completely.
"Of course Mr. Hench," she replied, pulling it out of her bag along with a pen.
"Please, take a seat Rudy," Jack said, gesturing to the booth. This 'Rudy' looked at Betty, smirked again, and made to sit next to her. "Over here," Jack said, guiding him to his own side of the table. The man frowned at Jack in mild annoyance but fell into line. Betty and Jack sat next. The waiter returned with a menu in hand and handed it over. 'Rudy' took it with a cold, impersonal smile then began looking it over. "So, have you figured out the numbers?" Jack asked.
"I have," Rudy answered without looking up from the menu.
"Please, take your time. We have all day," Jack said in thinly veiled sarcasm.
The man frowned at him, huffed, then looked over at Betty. He began to recite numbers to her. She, though confused at first, soon caught on, eyes widening a bit, and began scribbling them down. Codes. They had to be! Likely the product numbers of whatever this particular client was looking to order. Numbers only Jack knew, she would bet, but she'd look them up in the system if she got a chance anyway. Just in case. Maybe they were bombs. Doomsday devices perhaps? Presently the man stopped and waited for her to finish the numbers off. "Read them back," this 'Rudy' ordered.
Betty began to recite the numbers she'd written, trying her best to commit them to memory before they were snatched away from her. She finished just as the waiter returned to take Rudy's order and deliver her and Jack their own. Rudy gave it and the waiter walked off. The man turned back to her. "Did I miss anything?" she asked him.
"No," he replied. "Surprised you managed to keep it all straight is all."
"I'm good at my job, sir," she replied.
"Oh I'll just bet Hench can testify to that," the man replied.
Jack began tapping his fork against the table in a measure of agitation. "I can," he coldly confirmed. The man glanced quickly over at him, then down at the fork, then huffed and went quiet. "Now, was there anything else you wanted to add?"
"What's her number?" the man replied, looking pointedly at Betty with a dark smile. She frowned at him, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"If you want to call the office, you have my direct line," Jack replied, playing it off. She had to admit, she was impressed at how easily he could spin words to his advantage. Even more impressed at how easily doing so seemed to check the client at his side into proper behavior. "Now, about payment..."
"You'll receive your money after I receive the shipment," the client replied.
"Mmm, be sure that I do," Jack replied, a coiled smirk planted on his face. "Any problems with the last batch?"
"No. Excellent quality as always, Mr. Hench," the man answered.
"Good to hear! We at HenchCo strive for excellence in all our capacities," Jack replied.
"So I see," the man replied, giving Betty a slimy smile again. She huffed, picked up her burger, and bit into it without hesitation. It was large, so it probably wasn't the most graceful look she'd ever sported, but sue her. She was hungry. "Seems she's looking to ruin your record for quality," the man bit.
She started and scowled. "I'm not starving myself because I'm afraid of what some slimeball will think of the way I eat!" she snapped viciously. "I'm not afraid of the way I look. I have nothing to fear!"
Jack began to laugh. "Marry me, Miss Director!" he said. She started and couldn't help the wave of heat that washed over her, coloring her cheeks.
"S-sexual harassment suits are a dog to talk your way out of, Jack," she replied, too stunned to respond with anything else.
"Honey, I could talk a cat out of eating a mouse," he bragged with a wicked grin. She'd seen him in action, so she had no doubts about that. "We should finish up here. Lunch hour is fast dwindling."
"Has your driver had anything to eat?" she lamely asked, still a bit flustered.
"Any meal he has while on duty is on HenchCo's tab. If he's hungry I can guarantee you he's eaten," Jack replied. He turned to Rudy. "Lunch is of course on me, Rudy."
"Fine by me," Rudy replied, glaring at Betty in clear annoyance. Obviously, he was still put out by her backtalk. Good, she spitefully thought. Harrumphing, she bit into her burger again.
The Next Day
She was busy going over some documents at her desk, pencil to her mouth, when he approached and placed a piece of paper down in front of her. She glanced curiously at it, then up at him. "Recreation spot. End of the day as requested," he said with a smile.
She blinked at him then smirked a bit, removing the pencil from her mouth. "Did I impress you that much?" she asked.
He smiled. "Keep up the good work, Miss Director," he said, walking into his office. She watched after him, still smiling.
KP
Jack shut the office door behind him and went to his desk. Sitting, he opened a computer file and began scanning through it with a frown. This was all the information Foggman had managed to dig up on Betty Director. For the past three nights, Jack had been reading through it. There was nothing there. Absolutely nothing. Not even a parking ticket. Just your typical birth certificate and school slash employment records. Something about her didn't ring true, though, and he couldn't shake that feeling. Finishing the records off, he sighed in exasperation and closed the file. So much for that investigation. He stood up and went to the window. Why was he so interested in her anyway, he asked himself?
He pursed his lips and returned to his desk, picking up the phone. He dialed a number and waited for a response. "Hello?" a voice asked on the other end.
"Sheldon, how's every little thing?" Jack asked.
There was a beat. "Hench. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Gemini replied.
"Hench? So formal, old friend," Jack replied. Gemini huffed a bit. "Tell me about your twin sister."
Another beat. "Why?" Gemini asked warily.
"You know that new secretary I hired about a month back? Turns out she's your flesh and blood. In retrospect, I suppose the eyepatch and overall appearance should have been a dead giveaway," Jack replied.
"And you're not at all disturbed you thought the female version of your dearest friend was absolutely stunning?" Gemini flatly asked.
"No offense, but she has a whole lot more going for her than her brother does," Jack replied.
"Like the parts you're interested in?" Gemini bit.
"Information, Gemini. Information. Information is power," Jack said.
"I'm not helping set you up with my little sister. She's on my hit list. It would only complicate things," Gemini replied.
"Hitlist?" Jack asked, sounding a bit interested.
"We never got along. I am her opposite in every way, her dark reflection," Gemini flatly replied. "Think of it as me saving you heartbreak."
"So sure she couldn't hold her own?" Jack asked.
"Who's the one with an organization under their belt?" Gemini asked.
"You tell me," Jack replied.
"Meaning...?" Gemini fished.
"She showed up out of the blue two weeks after GJ was hit by a bomb. Understand my suspicion. If she's half as ambitious as her brother is - her brother who considers himself her dark reflection and exact opposite - well, the imagination runs wild," Jack said.
"Even if she were GJ, what on earth makes you think I would tell you? You can't deduce for yourself that I would be the one who wanted to deal with her?" Gemini asked.
"If she's GJ, I'll hand her to you gift-wrapped," Jack replied.
"I get the feeling you'd much prefer that little delight," Gemini replied. Jack started and flushed deeper than he wanted to acknowledge. "Jack, I've hardly spoken to my sister in years. I have no idea what she's up to these days. I wasn't even aware she had a job until you brought it up just now," Gemini continued.
"You know, Sheldon, our relationship is built on a foundation of absolute trust. You tell me anything, I tell you anything, so spill. What's the five-o on kid sis?" Jack asked.
"You're her type," Gemini flatly said. "As long as she reciprocates - because as much as I despise her she is still my sister - have at her." Jack started, blushing a bit. Gemini chuckled a little on the other end. "Goodbye, Hench." With that, he hung up, and Jack was left wondering what had just happened here. Grimacing, he put the phone back down on the cradle. Well, Gemini would be no help it seemed. Why was he so desperate to find something on her anyway, he dryly wondered. With a sigh, he slid off the desk. Fine. He would play the waiting game for however long it took to figure that woman out. In fact, he anticipated it. He smirked a bit to himself.