Skirted Spies: Season 1

Episode 5-1: What A Fox

Unknown Location: A few months later

The gun is pressed against my head with excessive force. Usually I could break out of a hold like this, but not when my opponent has the same amount of training as I have.

"You can't be serious, Clyde! You're making a huge mistake!" I yell, barely able to contain my temper.

"Look," he says, "I don't know what to believe right now! But in those data banks, that's definitely you killing these people!"

"No dammit, it's not me! I've been with you and Archer the whole damn time!"

He presses on my arm harder and twists the gun against my head. He digs into the temple, causing a small flash of pain.

"Ow, stop that!"

He stays silent for awhile. Archer enters through the door and into the small torture room they put me in.

"Restrain him," Archer tells Clyde. He obeys and ties me up to the chair again with the thick ropes. "Now Troy, we just want to know what the pattern is between these murders."

"For the last time, I didn't murder anybody! How could I go on a killing spree with you two by my side the whole time!?"

"Yeah right. You've been a very talented spy for what, three years now? Don't sell yourself short kiddo, we know what you're capable of. Of course you could slip away unnoticed, that's what you do for a living!"

"Troy," Clyde begins, "we're all friends here. Nothing bad has to happen, we just need you to help us out."

I calm myself down a bit and cleared my throat, "Look, these murders have been taking place all across the globe. The only reason why we know they link up is because of the security camera footage that has caught all of them by some miracle. Please explain to me on how I was able to travel the country without assistance from you two?"

"You mean the most cunning agent I've ever met doesn't have methods of transportation at his disposal?" Archer laughs sarcastically, "Ha ha, try harder!"

He circles behind me as Clyde just stands there reviewing the evidence they've accumulated over the past few months. The security cameras have caught several murders happening out in the open. It looks like the killer was doing it in front of the camera on purpose. What's worse? The killer just so happens to look like a spitting image of me!

"You know," Archer says while he leans on my shoulders from behind, "I use to think you were cute, Troy. Date-able even."

"You should know that I'm an expensive date."

"With the dresses you wear? I already know that."

"Please, Archer. You know me well enough to know that I don't kill unless it's absolutely necessary. That's what we do! We're spies, not assassins."

He looks down at me, gazing into my eyes as if he's looking for some hidden truth in them. He walks away and pats Clyde on the shoulder, signaling him that he is tagged in for the interrogation. He puts the papers down, and cracks his knuckles as he glides towards me.

"Not the face!" I shriek.

"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you...unless you give me a reason."

"Well that's comforting."

"It should be. I just want to dig a little deeper on this situation. So tell me, is it possible for some sort of doppelgänger to be running around using your face to commit crimes?"

"As impossible as that sounds, it's really the only outcome I've got. I didn't do it! I couldn't have done it! It's some sort of demon or something!"

"A demon? Really?"

I shrug the best my binds would allow me to. No, of course it wasn't a demon. It's some super intelligent being that knows me and my face. I don't know why he'd use my face, it's notorious to bad guys who've actually heard of Ispio and the work we do. Hence the complex disguises I wear to ward off prying eyes. I still don't know why they never recognize Clyde, he stays the same gender in his disguises!

"Clyde," Archer calls from the computer desk, "let him go."

He does so with no questions asked. I guess his trust for me never dwindled. Nice to see that Clyde's still got a soft spot in his heart reserved just for me. We walk up to Archer, who has a camera feed playing on the computer of yet another murder happening. My clone even winks at the camera this time!

"The camera picked up another facial recognition for Troy, but look at the date this was committed," he says.

The date stamp on the bottom right corner had today's date. The time it was committed was 16:47 hours. They've had me locked in here since 06:30 hours.

"Ah-ha!" I blurt out.

"I told you it wasn't Troy," Clyde says.

"I'm sorry, Troy. I never should have doubted you," Archer says.

"Am I still cute?"

"You're still cute."

"Where did this murder happen!?" Clyde asks.

"Las Vegas, Nevada."

"Damn, I was saving that spot for a vacation one day!" I say.

*** *** ***

The RV drives inconspicuously through the country, with the climate becoming more desert than I'm naturally use to. While we eat up the roads, we discuss the plan of making contact with my clone, and perhaps securing him too if necessary.

"It's already a crime to steal an identity, but it's a serious felony to take a face as beautiful as mine," I joke.

Clyde rolls his eyes, "Yeah, right. Anyway, we should really be careful with this one. What kind of person can kill on camera and not be caught afterwards?"

"Someone with excessive training and experience. They've probably been doing this all their life, but with a different face."

"So he's been changing his face throughout the years and committing murders all around the country? Makes sense, it explains how he never got caught. But wait, why commit five murders with the same face?"

"Maybe my face is special."

"Enough with the ego, Troy! This is serious."

"Okay, okay you're right."

"Hey, I just thought of something. How are you going to get around in Las Vegas? You're face is plastered all over the news. There's bound to be cops looking for even the slightest resemblance."

"Do not doubt my skills, Clyde. I'll be fine. The clone looks feminine enough, but I could go much farther than that. Besides, he committed those murders in a full body black stealth suit. Talk about a lack of showmanship."

There's a sudden bump in the road, shaking the RV and knocking me off the stool I'm sitting on. Archer leans out of the driver's seat and bellows a "Sorry!"

"You all right?" Clyde asks.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good. I'm gonna go over the notes again. Try to get some research done before we get there."

It would be fourteen more hours before we arrived in Las Vegas.