Futuristic Spy Games: Close to the Chest

[Elle Joyner]

Spy Games: Close to the Chest

Out of an orange-colored,


purple-striped,


pretty green, polka-dot sky


Flash! Bam! Alakazam!


And goodbye!
​

“Eddy…”


As she bobbed from side to side to the old Nat King Cole hit, the faucet ran at full blast, sluicing suds from a clean dish before she added it to the pile in the dish drainer. Music pulsed through the headphones at a decibel one might expect for Psychological Warfare, but Edith Montgomery was oblivious to the volume, her own slightly off-key vocals resonating through the kitchen.


“Eddy!”


Looking up, the brunette caught sight of the man behind her and grinned, slipping the headphones back behind her ears.


“Hey, Lucky! What’s up?"


“Geez, Ed. I’ve been calling you for like… twenty minutes. You’re gonna need a hearing aid in a few months, you keep playin’ those things so loud. We’ve got a briefing in ten, from D.C.”


“Another one? Suits don’t have anything better to do then bust our humps, huh?”


Lucas Granger, an undercover specialist for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, was easily one of the best looking sons of a gun Eddy had ever encountered. With sandy blonde hair, freakishly blue eyes, and a physique Adonis might be jealous of, he looked more Abercrombie model than agent. Still, despite his looks and his charm, he was one of the most professional men she’d ever had the pleasure of meeting… but that didn’t stop him from being an unmitigated flirt.


“Bust our humps…” He said, with a smirk, his leathery baritone carting more than its share of implication, “Here I thought that was my job.”


“You wish…”


“Hell yeah, I do.”


Lucas winked and Eddy grabbed the towel closest to her, snapping it in his direction, “Down boy.”


“Hey, now! Watch the goods…” He caught the edge of the towel when she snapped it a second time and yanked her in, close enough that Eddy could see he needed a shave, “Save the foreplay for later.”


“Ugh…” Eddy pinched him and Lucas let her go with a laugh, “You’re a pig and half, Lucky.”


“And you wouldn’t have me any other way, Ed.”


The viewing room where the team received their instructions was held in one of the two guest houses on the enormous Mediterranean property. The Eight bedroom house, just two miles east of the Del Mar beaches was more luxury than most of them were used to, complete with a chef’s kitchen, a gym, an in-ground pool, a bar and rec room, a home theater and a multi-car garage, stocked with the latest in both luxury and terrain vehicles. The second guest house had been transformed into a training facility complete with a dojo, a lap pool and a fully stocked firing range.


It was a short walk, but it was unseasonably warm and by the time they entered the smaller of the two guest houses, Eddy’s shirt was already sticking to her skin, the nape of her neck drenched. Slipping into the refreshing air conditioning, she followed Lucas to the round table in the center of the room where they, and the others would receive their instructions from Washington.

 

[BloodThunder27]

Inside the Dojo was Jasmine Minamoto, a young up and coming Special Agent in the Diplomatic Security Service. Her strong point was Hand to Hand Combat, so of course she would be in the Dojo. In addition to her Hand to Hand Combat Training when she first became a D.S.S Agent, Jasmine was also a Master of Martial Arts, being trained in Judo, Karate and Jujitsu, all of which she had been studying since her youth. For a girl who weighs less then most, she sure did pack a punch and was also known for her speed. As a result, her co-workers gave her the nickname, which later became her call-sign, 'Minamoto Thunder'.


While beating up the punching bag before her, Jasmine seemed to have quite a bit on her mind. It had been four years since her Mother passed away and even longer since her Father betrayed her. When she was twenty-one, her Mother died of Lung Cancer shortly after she graduated from College. Her Father on the other hand chose another woman over her. Namely, she didn't get along well with her stepmother and only saw her as someone who was trying to replace her mother and no one more. Eventually, the two got into a heated argument and Jasmine would be kicked out of the house. Angered, feeling heartbroken and betrayed, she cut all ties with her Father, not answering her phone calls, replying to his emails and absolutely refusing to see him or even hear his voice. To this day, she still doesn't understand why her Father would choose his wife over his own daughter, his own flesh and blood. It surprises her co-workers that even someone as resilient as her would be quite a crybaby. "Mom...I'd give anything to have you back..." To brush off the fact that she might even start crying, she started focusing on her training.

 

[DrCompton]

Dmitri opened his eyes and looked around the sunlit room for a moment, before sitting up. He was hot, and covered in sweat and he loved every second of it. He had joked when the Americans flew him here that he would spill any information he had and would defect to the FBI if they just let him stay here forever. The Russian had hated the climate for Russia and decided he was born in the wrong part of the world at a very early age. He knew there was a meeting he was supposed to go too, which was fine.


He stood up and walked toward the restroom, he finished his business first before leaning on the sink and looking at his face. He put a towel on his right shoulder, lathered up his face, and grabbed the straight razor he used and began shaving. To him, his solid black razor was one of the most important weapons he had. They were easy to conceal, and a very handy weapon when someone tried to break into your room, which he found out the hard, or fun (Depending on how one looked at the situation), way. He finished shaving and washed off the remaining lather and cleaned the razor before putting it back into his kit. He put the shower on as hot as it could go without burning him and stepped in. Everything about the heat was amazing to him.


Wearing pink shorts and a white t-shirt, Dmitri started his way toward the meeting building. As he started to sweat again he smiled. He walked in and saw Eddy and Lucas and smiled to them. On the compound Dmitri didn't try to hide his accent,but he softened it a bit because his actual accent was extremely thick, and sometimes would be very hard to understand if he was excited, or intoxicated.


"My friends! When I am done with all this spying shenanigans, I am moving here to spend the rest of my days. The weather here, is perfect, unlike the frozen, barren wastelands that is my beloved country."

 

[Gh0st]

Bam! Bam! Bam!





The sound of gunshots echoed through the firing range as Charlie, an NOC Agent of the CIA, kept his accuracy sharp. He wore a white, v-neck shirt with a pair of dark jeans and converse as he looked down the range. H is shots all had hit the inner most circle of the target, a very good thing. Although Charlie was good, he knew he probably wasn't the best shooter in the team. In fact, he was sure a lot of the other Agents wondered why he was even there. Sure, he was good, but the rest of the team had special abilities that made them stand out. However, Charlie was not like that. He was of the best Agents of the Agency, but unlike him he didn't have a special ability. These were all things Charlie himself had wondered when he was asked to join the team. Until it was all explained to him...


A few weeks before...





"A special team in California? I'm a NOC Agent, I don't work with others. Besides, I don't have anything to offer the team. I'm one of the best, but these guys all have specialized fields in a way. I'm an all-around guy" Charlie told his boss talking to him on a burner phone as he hid behind a wall to avoid the gunfire being directed at him. "Plus, an official team is not a good match with a non-official guy like me"


"Look, House, first I've taken care of the "non-official" thing. Second, that's the very same reason this team needs you. You go in without back up or help, you're use to improvising and adapting in the field more then they are" his boss told him.


"No, that's not good enough, Moore. You're hiding something from me. Why am I really being sent out there?" Charlie asked him still dealing with the gunfire aimed at him.


"Alright, alright, but you're not gonna like it. It's because of your father..." Moore finally admitted and there was a silence. Before Charlie could say anything, Moore continued on, "These guys are all patriots. They're Agents who are all about protocol. Because of how you grew up, you think like a criminal. It's why you're a NOC, ruled just hold you back" he said.


There was another silence before Charlie responded, "Yeah, well sweetheart, I'll think about it" he told Moore and hung back concentrating back on the task at hand.


Present





Charlie had counted and only had a bullet left. He was about to take his final shot when his eyes fell on his watch. "Damn it" he muttered as he realized he was gonna be late for the brief, which wasn't unusual for him. Barely glancing at the target, Charlie fire his gun the bullet landing between the target's eyes. He then took out the clip of the pistol and made sure it was empty before putting it back in its original place. With that, Charlie made his way over to the brief.

 

[DividesByZer0]

From the hubbub and bustle of the busy city streets, where old cars rattle noisily over cobbled streets, a long flight of marble steps ascends to an equally regal door. A brass plaque proclaims the premises "Guest House". The faint tones of softly played music drift through the cracks between wall and door.


Beyond it, a softly lit, grand room opens up, the panels of the walls were long lengths of aged cherry wood that appeared as it could have stood there since time immemorial. The room built around it bears the learned air of regal elegance of a Mediterranean Villa; and it's rooms were invitingly ready to accommodate. The corners of the grand room seem to draw soft words, and the heavy, floral scents of exotic plants do better than the thick walls to mask the conversations of the people inside the briefing room.


Dominic, a bear of a man of indeterminate age and temperament, his blazer pulled tight over the smooth olive skin of a muscular man underneath a pate lined with luxurious black tresses, makes his way down a hall that leads to the briefing room. A small girl takes main stage and he immediately wonders about the professionalism of the others that he will prospectively be working with. If he had a dime for every kid that joined up thinking this job was like the movies he would have enough to retire.


There were files on the tables and a view screen that framed her behind, her smile seemed to glimmer invitingly. "When I heard about this assignment I was expecting my SO to be a man, with a name like 'Eddy' and all." He says in an accent as hard to place as the rest of him, "I'm Dominic, as I'm sure you already know." He took a seat and awaited her briefing, unsure of whether or not he actually wanted to take the assignment working with people still wet behind the ears.

 

[Elle Joyner]

As the others began to join them in the Guest House, Eddy watched the black face of the com screen for any signs of life, eager to start the briefing and find out what their next mission would be. As entertaining as the past few weeks had been, particularly as more and more members of their team arrived, they all had a job to do and Eddy was itching to discover just what that job would be.


Looking up when Dimitri entered, Eddy laughed softly, looking to her left to see Lucas grinning as well. The Russian was certainly one of their more colorful house mates, and he never failed to entertain. Eyeing him up and down, Lucas shook his head, "You're a spy, Dimitri because no one in their right mind would ever expect you to be one. What is that get up? You borrow your wardrobe from a middle aged Florida retiree?"


Chuckling again, Eddy winked, "I think you look just fine. Lucky doesn't know what fashion is... All he ever wears are black t-shirts one size too small."


Lucas kicked her chair and Eddy laughed again, but fell silent when the door opened and another figure... one she didn't recognize walked in. She was halfway out of her hair to greet him when he spoke and a brow quirked.


"That's funny, I was about to say the same thing... with a name like Dominic, and all. But lucky for you, I'm not the SO."


As she spoke, the com screen flashed bright white, and Lucas pressed a button on the table top, the face of a rather pinched looking man with a full beard popping into focus. Eddy gestured to the screen with a smirk.


"He's your SO."


Clearing his throat, the man spoke, his deep void echoing off the low rafters, "I realize not everyone is in attendance, but I'm afraid this cannot wait and they will simply need to be briefed along the way. We have just received Intel that known terror-suspect, Hazeem Khalil and the terror cell Black Tide have been in communications. As of recently, these two have not seen eye-to-eye on very much, so you can only imagine what they're cooking up. It is imperative that we get more information. There's a man, Akbar Yuri, an informant we've utilized in the past. We've reached out to him and he seems to think the strike will happen this weekend at the fund raising gala being held at the Plaza Hotel. Our window on this is increasingly small, and we're running out of time. I'm sending the team to New York this evening - you're set to touch down at o-eight hundred. Find out what you can as fast as you can and report back to me with any information you pick up. We'll move from there. Any questions?"

 

[BloodThunder27]

Jasmine walked into the Room to see that the briefing had already started. She had just gotten into her BDU Pants, Combat Boots and a Black Under-armor Tight-Fit T-Shirt, but not her combat gear, which she normally keeps on at all times, especially when on missions. She also had her D.S.S Badge around her neck. "Yes, one question, sir. With all due respect, I'd like to know why you'd jump straight to mission briefing when the team is not fully assembled."

 

[Gh0st]

Moments before the briefing began Charlie slintely slipped into the room. Being the last one to have arrived at the team's headquarters, he had yet to see his teammates. He immediately noticed the man and women laughing. From years of doing missions which included women, he immediately noted their chemistry and flirting. Before Charlie could observe the other people in the room the screen turned on and the video began.


It was strange being briefed by someone with a team. When you're a NOC like Charlie all you ever get are envelopes with mission files, never any meetings. Even so, he made sure to listen closely to who he assumed was his SO. After the man was done Charlie became more exited, after all, he hadn't been back home in years.


Quickly dismissing his thoughts of home, Charlie turned to the other people in the room. One man wore bright clothing, not something you typically saw someone in their profession do. Moving on, Charlie turned to thenother man in the room and saw the face of an old friend. This was a strange sight due to the fact that Charlie could count all of his friends in one hand so an old one was even stranger.


"Dom? Really? They got you in here?" Charlie asked a playful grin already in his face.

 

[DividesByZer0]

Dom laughed at the cute quip from Eddy and took his seat. He liked a smart mouth, but he didnt have time to play. There was a job that needed to be done.


He was surprised the briefing wasn't very informative. He didn't like flying blind, but he knew it only meant they either had jack squat and were desperate to stop what ever it was this terrorist cell was up to... or more likely and he hated to admit it, it was need to know and they didn't think he needed to know.


No one usually leaves it up to the imagination their is good Intel and there is bad intel, we don't work off of imagination--wmd in iraq aside--it wasn't like the brass to throw in an elite team into a situation blind. Something smelled fishy and he didn't like where this was going.


"Yes, I have a question what's the fund raiser entail? Is it something we can infiltrate as potential donors or are we monitoring from hacked security feeds? What other operatives are on my team and what are their skills?"


Then a familiar voice called out to him. It was an old army buddy. As glad as he was to see him, part of him really wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face. The guy always had that happy go lucky attitude even when they were stranded in Afghanistan. "Charlie, how've you been?" Dom greeted him with a hearty handshake.

 

[Elle Joyner]

The man on the screen frowned, an expression that made his thin features look sharp and pronounced. His fingers steepled beneath his chin, before he straightened upright, "I was under the impression, Miss Minamoto, that you were aware that any briefings you were called should be considered a matter of urgency, which you are to attend promptly. I apologize, if you were too preoccupied putting on your make-up or doing your nails to be punctual. I will be sure, in future, to make myself more clear."


The unveiled sarcasm in his tone slipped away, as he continued, "The fund raiser is a Red Cross benefit. There's a black tie dress code, but we have arranged for your wardrobe to be delivered to your hotel rooms, once you've landed. Your roles will be explained to you in your dossiers, which you will need to read on the plane. It's a five hour flight, so I trust you'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with the remainder of your team members.


"I apologize for the haste of this briefing, but there's very little time to waste. If there's nothing else, I'll ask that you pack up and prepare for departure in two hours. You are dismissed."


The screen went blank a moment later and Eddy sat back, a brow quirked, "...Well... That's that, then. I guess we've got our first little field trip, boys and girls!"

 

[BloodThunder27]

"Good, cause I was getting a little bored." Jasmine did seem a bit frustrated when her superior made the assumption that she was busy putting on make-up and doing her nails, when really she just got out of the shower because she did some extensive combat training. "That was a little sexist though." she remarked looking at her nails. She did seem irritated because she would have to dress formal again. "Well, I guess you can fill me in on the plane." Despite being part of the new team, Jasmine still had trust issues concerning her teammates. However, she did not show it, not wanting to make her superiors look bad.

 

[DrCompton]

"So." Dmitri looked around the room, "Who wants to be my date?" His voice switched to his flawless American accent and he smiled. "Im really not that bad of a date, I'll even pay for the movie." He looked at Jasmine and winked.

 

[DividesByZer0]

Dominic's eyebrow raised at the SO talking about giving him a suit to the event. Did he not notice the Valentino suit and Salvatore Ferragamo shoes? Not that Dom really cared for expensive stuff he just knew how to fit in and rub elbows with the upper crust. He had hoped his teammates knew a thing or two and wouldn't out themselves. Nothing was more determental to cover than a pauper who didn't know proper etiquette.


He was silent at the comments being exchanged in the room. He laughed to himself about Dimitri. He must not have learned the valuable lesson Dom learned the hard way: "Don't s**t where you eat."


Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

 

[Gh0st]

Charlie shook his old friend's hand, smile still plastered in his face. He knew that Dom was often bothered by how Charlie was, they had always been that way especially back in the Army. That's what made their teamwork and friendship so successful, in fact, there was no one Charlie trusted more in the entirety of the world.


The thing was, in a sense, their personalities clashes, but they completed each other as we. Dom was straightforward, more open in ways, and more responsible. They were...different from each other, which was exactly what they needed to click together well. They were two sides of the same coin.


"Ah, you know me, I'm always doing good. What have you been up to? Well, on your off time I mean" he asked him, wondering what had been going on in his life since their times of getting drunk and doing ridiculous stunts.


He turned to the flamboyant man and gave a laugh trying to hide his internal cringe as he realized he'd soon regret what he'd said. The poor guy was going to learn the hard way that he should not have asked that.

 

[BloodThunder27]

"So." Dmitri looked around the room, "Who wants to be my date?" His voice switched to his flawless American accent and he smiled. "Im really not that bad of a date, I'll even pay for the movie." He looked at Jasmine and winked.

Jasmine just shot him a glare, because she was just there to complete her mission, let alone she didn't trust anyone on her team at the moment. Although she did value Teamwork, it was hard for her to get along with most because of her trust issues, so most of her teammates felt like they were being a burden on her, which did make them feel bad whenever they were around her. "Not Interested." She told him bluntly, having quickly shot down the date, hating the very idea of it. She then left the Briefing Room to go wait until it was time to head to the Airport.

 

[DrCompton]

Dmitri laughed as Jasmine left, "Guess she doesn't like my American charm." he stood and walked toward the exit stretching, "Oh well, guess I'll just go as a single man, and pick up all the women I can. Maybe make it a game." He opened the door and felt the hot air hit his face and he just smiled, "I will miss this wonderful weather."

 

[Elle Joyner]

((Sorry to break the wall here, but just as an aside folks -- try to remember the three paragraph rule, if you can! Just gives us a little more to respond to! ))


~~


After her comment, when the room filled with voices again, Eddy stared at the blank screen for a moment. It wasn't just a simple recon mission, and there were real, human lives at risk... It was all happening incredibly fast, considering. But this was what they were trained for... this was why they had been chosen. They were the best. The fast-on-your-feet thinkers. The trigger-happy. If anyone could stop the pending attack, she was sure they could.


Glancing first to Lucky, then watching as Jasmine and Dmitri exited the guest house, Eddy stifled a laugh, shaking her head, "Five hour plane ride... This is gonna be fun, I think."


Shifting she looked to the other two men left in the room, slipping over to where they had gathered, "Hey. Sorry about that, earlier... The whole "You're a chick" thing, it's always kind of been a pet peeve of mine. Not being a girl, just having it pointed out all the time. But no sense going into a mission with the wrong impression. I'm Eddy, and this..." She said, gesturing over her shoulder, "Is Lucky. Hell of a first mission, right?"

 

[Elle Joyner]

.

 

[DividesByZer0]

"Don't get me wrong," Dom replied. "It's not that I'm surprised that a woman is in the business nor do I think it's a job you can't do, I was just taken back by the name."


"Nice to meet you Lucky." He shook his hand with a firm grip. "I look forward to working with you both and I hope this goes smoothly. We seem to have an unusual team." He glanced around the odd balls in the room.


"I hope they are professionals." He eyed Dmitri especially.


"Anyway I look forward to getting to know all of your unique skills and specialties. I beleive getting acquainted with you all during this flight will help us figure out how we are going to run this op."

 

[X3 Infernal Infinity]

Daciana stood through the briefing in silence. As always she maintained a position in the most secluded and shadowy area of the room she could find. If she had to guess she assumed that no one had noticed her enter, or even that she was present at all. Of course that was just the way she liked things. It wasn't that she was antisocial, she was actually quite friendly outside of work and civil at least during work hours, but she simply preferred to be the observer and not the one being observed. Since their little group was so new she was going to have quite a bit of observing to do before she figured out what made each component of this team tick. It would be fun.


As the briefing wrapped up her mind went not to the casual chatting her associates were doing but to getting out of the room and either back to her little corner of the office or outside. She needed a smoke break. Usually she just lit a cigarette wherever she was, hence the fact that her little work area almost always smelled of cloves and she had an ashtray with piles of neatly extinguished cigarette nubs in one corner of her desk. Her uncle had been trying to get her to kick the habit for years but it was the one sure fire way to ease her stress and this job was nothing but stress. The thought of a five hour plane ride just reinforced the need for a smoke.


Pushing off from the wall she signed, reaching up to run a hand through her hair, which was hanging freely around her shoulders. As always she was dressed in all black, having eschewed the traditional suit for tight yet flexible black leather pants and a black tank top with black combat boots. She always considered herself one to dress for comfort and practicality while still maintaining some semblance of style. The thought of inevitably having to wear a dress and rub elbows with some stuck up rich people was not a pleasant one, but she would do what the job demanded.


Reaching into her pants she pulled out a pack of clove cigarettes shaking one into her hand. From another pickier she manages to pull out a lighter. Heading into the hallway she lit her cigarette and took a long pull. Workplace etiquette could kiss her ass.