It's been so long. So long…
For those who have been waiting, I apologize for taking 3 years to update.
The security service company was in turmoil after the deliberate explosion they orchestrated in front of its building. Vermouth alongside Bourbon, were tasked to infiltrate the agency and take possession of tangible evidence that might have a potential link to ano kata and compromise the black organization as a whole.
They were inside Bourbon's car, carefully assessing the surrounding areas for probable danger when Vermouth spoke, "It's time." She covered her face with a black fabric face mask and put on a cap.
Bourbon looked at his partner through his peripheral vision, a mischievous spark hinting in his eyes. "Your exceptional skills in disguise would have been a massive advantage and would've aided us tremendously in this situation. Don't you think so?"
Vermouth answered him with a piercing glare. It was the initial plan to use latex masks, but she had an encounter with the FBI kitten and her silver bullet, which resulted in a car chase. She found herself without escape, therefore, ditching her vehicle along with those hyper realistic masks.
"Well, if it weren't for your sluggish behaviour when I asked for back up and putting those brain cells of yours to use, we wouldn't have any problem. Don't you think so?"
A genuine smile threatening to form on his lips. He sometimes found it oddly satisfying to see her annoyed and out of character that there were moments he would intentionally piss her off to get a glimpse of her displeased reaction.
When she didn't get a rebuttal, she glanced at him with a raised eyebrow as if challenging him for a counter-argument.
They locked their gazes in a long, sideways glance. The moonlight illuminated her whole face, while his face was looming in her direction. Under the faint glow of the moon, she looked ethereal and enigmatic. He decided it was almost immaculate. He blinked away his awe and turned his attention forward. He was accustomed to seeing her in a wicked light that made him despise her a great deal. Seeing her appear so divine in front of him nearly erased his bad impression of her in his mind.
However, the Rotten Apple was not so rotten after all. Vermouth turned out to have a soft spot for two individuals, he recently learned. She would only show vulnerability when the detective kid and Mouri's daughter were involved. Those instances were rare, but nevertheless reminded Bourbon that perhaps in the deepest part of her soul hid a more humane side.
The arrival of the police jerked them out of the momentary peace.
"This is a bit more troublesome than I had anticipated", he grimaced.
"My, this is such an improvement on their part. They actually arrived right on time. How wonderful." She smiled villainously, and he couldn't help but sigh.
They had successfully managed to sneak in through the back door, creeping up behind and drugging utility personnels who were taking smoke breaks outside. Being two of the most notorious and skilled members of the organization, they executed in a quick and calculated manner. After dragging their bodies deeper into the dark corner, they trapped them inside a delivery truck blindfolded, gagged, and hands bound. They took their clothes for extra disguise and ID cards for access. It was midnight and only a few workers were present which gave the two the advantage to slip in without attracting too much attention. As soon as they walked in, each went their separate ways to start working on their assigned tasks.
Vermouth was in charge of cutting off the electric power to the entire premises, while Bourbon was to acquire the purpose of their infiltration mission. The huge diversion they made in front of the building proved to be effective as Vermouth, who was hiding in a corner with eyes like a hawk, could sense agitated footsteps and panicking voices heading towards the building's main foyer. She smirked deviously at the hurrying figures. When she was certain the long hallway was vacated, she came out of her hiding place and cautiously made her way to an adjacent corridor that would lead her to the electrical room.
"Phase 2 commencing", she uttered through the earpiece as she continued her path down the corridor.
"In position. Ready for phase 2", Bourbon responded.
She made a few more turns before reaching her destination. Prior to entering the room, she scanned her surroundings to assure herself she was not seen by anyone. She was wearing a fitted utilitarian jumpsuit in addition to the cap and mask to conceal her true identity. She made sure her face was never visible in the direction of security cameras, utilizing her knowledge of blindspot locations. All the necessary steps were carried out with considerable finesse and dexterity.
After successfully disrupting the flow of electricity, the place went completely dark which was the go signal for Bourbon to move forward with the plan.
"We have 20 minutes before the power turns back on again - get everything done by then and we clear out"
"Roger that"
"I'll be on standby in case you get yourself caught in a trap."
"Thank you.I appreciate your concern, but I think I can handle the situation just fine if uncertainty might arise."
"But still, you can never be too sure. You'll make me feel guilty if you meet your end here," she said teasingly, matching his nonchalant attitude.
"Always such a supportive partner"
"Indeed. What would you do without me?"
The exchange of banter did not last that long as they moved forward with the mission.
Their mission was only to obtain the necessary records as discreetly as possible, but sometimes things would not always go according to plan; it turned out a slight hiccup caused quite an inconvenience.
"A power outage perhaps?" She immediately retraced her steps in the shadows after hearing the voice.
"We have the backup generators for that matter."
"Isn't it odd? Why is it taking so long to turn on?"
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"Everyone is distracted because of the commotion outside. But still, we should not lower our guards down."
"Old man, we're not exactly agents or anything. The maintenance department is our only concern here. You're being overly dramatic."
When the voices died down, she proceeded with her head down but came to a halt when someone spotted her, "Hey you! "
She froze but didn't turn around.
"It's past midnight. What are you still doing down here?" Cautiously, the man craned his neck, trying to get a good look at the woman's face. Vermouth's first resort was to bring out her gun and solve the problem by killing him. There was a high probability of escape since she equipped her pistol with a silencer. Nobody would notice unless another individual found their way there. That would be troublesome. So much for being discreet. Thus, she opted for the next best alternative, which was to run, and so she did.
The man followed after her. She could hear him talking through a walkie-talkie while giving her warnings to stop. She continued on at an accelerated speed, but it appeared to her that she would be dealing with more trouble this time. More footsteps were coming from both directions. She tried to open some doors and managed to find an unlocked one after her fifth attempt. It was spacious inside. There were a few more doors and a shorter hallway. She could hear her pursuers trying to break in every door. She heard one man order others to scatter and thoroughly check every room. There were only 10 minutes left before the lights and cameras turned back on. It would be harder to escape once that happened. Her pursuers were relentless. If she reached a dead end, it would be over. Right at the end of another hallway was a huge double door. She quickened her pace and just as soon as she opened it she was welcomed by a man on the other side, a gun pointing directly at her.
"Drop your weapon. Now."
The scenario quickly unfolded. The next thing she knew, the man was down on his knee squirming in excruciating pain. Then, a strong punch came that left him unconscious.
"Bourbon…"
He was panting.
He smirked, "We're close to the fire escape. Let's go."
When practically the entire building was on the lookout for you, an exchange of gunfire was inevitable. And, of course, getting shot was also part of it.
A limping and disgruntled Vermouth spoke, "I am going to bleed to death before we reach that fire escape you're claiming to be close by." A gunshot to the upper thigh was preventing her from running fast.
"We're almost there. It's at the far end of this hall."
However, they heard more footsteps coming from the direction they were aiming, forcing them to come to a halt and take a different route. Their predicament was far from over though. It would only take a few moments for them to catch up.
"Here," Bourbon pulled Vermouth by the arms. Together, they slipped into a dark, cramped room.
"What now?" She grimaced. She muttered as she struggled to control her breathing.
Bourbon surveyed the place. They were inside a storage unit. Only the broom closet and a few other cleaning materials were there. He had to think quickly about what to do next. He needed to find a way out before they completely barricaded the whole building. He attempted to look around once more. There must be something they could use to - and there right up above them on the ceiling was the answer he was looking for. He smirked victoriously at last.
"Bourbon...Bourbon… Hey, Bourbon…" The faint call brought him back to reality.
"I can hear them outside. Any moment from now they will break in here."
"I can see that. So now is not the time for mind wandering."
He drew her inside the broom closet, which thankfully was empty. Before she could react, Vermouth found herself face to-face with Bourbon, their bodies pressed against each other. She blinked in confusion. It took her a full 10 seconds to process what was happening. She was about to say something when the door swung open revealing a group of 5 men.
"They're not in here either."
"Where the hell did those two go? Damn it!"
"Check the cameras right now!"
"Yes, sir."
"What if they really managed to escape?"
"Are you an idiot? We have them surrounded. There's no way they just magically vanished."
The closet was somewhat constricted on the inside. They dared not move for fear of making even the tiniest noise. Vermouth was sandwiched between the closet door and Bourbon. It was hot and suffocating and not to mention their position was far from ideal. The men exited as quickly as they entered. They both let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding in that situation.
She was about to jerk away in protest at the proximity of their bodies when Bourbon held both her arms and whispered, "Just wait a little bit longer. They left the door open. Someone might come in again or walk past us."
Vermouth glowered at him. Lately, they were sharing a lot of close physical contact with each other. The young man must have developed a habit of pulling her to him like a kid. She intensified her glare but Bourbon only looked at her obliviously. It infuriated her, so she attempted to break free from his grip, but her efforts were in vain.
"We need to stay still for a little while." They met each other's eyes briefly before she conceded and relaxed.
A memory flashed in her mind. It was that case with the elementary school teacher who fell down the stairs at Haido park. They were inside his car, him leaning in so close to her just to look out of the car window on her side. Another one was that infamous night they shared a bed and she woke up on top of him. She shook the memory away and sighed exasperatedly.
She unintentionally rubbed herself against him and groaned frustratingly.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't move too much. We might touch something here that would make a sound."
Her fury ignited at his words. "I'm sorry for being such an inconvenience. I just can't breathe here properly and your sweat is getting on my clothes."
He glanced at her. Too close. It annoyed her more. Then he moved forward as if he wasn't invading her personal space already. She unconsciously stepped back and hit the back of the closet door, which made a soft thud.
"Shh.."
She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.
Bourbon placed his face against the side of her head. His breath was warm and hot close to her ear. It caught her off guard.
Vermouth remained still as Bourbon peered through the narrow shutter openings of the door. They breathed heavily, waiting for the right moment to come out. Her wound hurt like hell. She rested her forehead on his shoulder as she tried to suppress a grunt of pain.
When they were certain the men wouldn't be coming back soon, Bourbon led Vermouth out and assisted her up the ceiling vent. They crawled their way through the vent hastily, with Bourbon leading the way.
"Did you get it?"
"Of course," he smirked.
She nodded, pain was still visible on her face.
He examined her wound briefly and asked, "Can you still manage?"
"I can. Let's go"
Note: Part 2 coming up soon