Arresting Eyes (On Hiatus)

Chapter 2

            Casey sat in the passenger seat of the sporty dark sedan, arms folded over her chest. The tension in the car was an almost physical weight on them, something Casey did nothing to ameliorate. Frost had no right to poke around her trauma. She wasn’t sure how much of her background was in her personnel file, but regardless, he ought to know better than to act like her fear was any of his business. She hadn’t ever let it interfere with her work before. And it wasn’t like everyone in the agency didn’t have some kind of horror story, generally one they didn’t want to talk about. After all, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be in the agency.

            Gazing out the window at the traffic they passed as Frost eased the car through the forest of looming skyscrapers, Casey couldn’t help but remember the first time she’d seen the city, through the small window of a bus. It’d been impressive to her then, her small town eyes not used to the massive buildings and crowds of people. The fact she’d survived was nothing short of a miracle and was mostly due to Boss’s help.

            She smiled slightly at the thought, and what her father would say if he could see her now. She thought he’d be proud, glad that she was doing something good with her life and helping others. He’d always been very big on giving back.

            “Mustache said that one of her agents will meet us at the hotel,” Frost said, interrupting Casey’s musings. “They’ve tracked the hacker to the Hazelton Hotel, but with the way the hotel’s set-up, her agent can’t actually get in without drawing attention to himself. He didn’t expect the target to go somewhere of that caliber, and any attempt to go farther in will only cause problems and potential scrutiny of the agency. We’re to pretend to be a couple to gain entry without raising suspicion, apprehend the target, then call in for some Scrubbers so they can cart him off for Intelligence to deal with.”

            Casey pursed her lips, considering the problem. “He picked a difficult spot,” she replied, thinking of the stores surrounding the hotel. The whole area was normally full of people, and with it being a one-way street, they only had one route they could take the car on. “We’ll have to do this quietly if we don’t want it to turn into a full blown incident. You know if you use your ability, there’ll be half a dozen tourists with cameras who’ll get the whole thing on tape. Even the Scrubbers will have difficulty with that.”

            Frost snorted but nodded. “Which is why this needs to be done quietly. Mustache also requested that we try and take the hacker in before he can contact anyone. She doesn’t want him tipping off whoever hired him. From what they’ve gathered, are target is a hacker-for-hire, who will steal any kind of information from anyone for the right price. His is also a gun enthusiast who may be heavily armed, which is why only combat capable agents are being used in this, and why we were pulled in. All the fighting Intelligence agents are already out on jobs.”

            “Then it’ll be best if I go in first. As long as we can get him to open his door, we should be able to finish the job relatively easy. Assuming of course that he’s in one of the rooms, and not elsewhere in the building. Did Mustache say which of her agents is meeting us?”

            “Touch. Not someone I’ve worked with before.”

            Casey shrugged. “I’ve never met them either. Did she at least give us a description?”

            Frost, with their car sitting at a red light, turned and gave her a look. “Yes. I also asked her for a picture. It’s in my jacket pocket. And Mustache sent him our descriptions, so we should have no difficulty meeting up. He should have the latest information about the target and his whereabouts.”

            “Good. If he’s in a public area, we’ll have to try and lure him somewhere private if we’re going to subdue him. Your power’s too flashy, and mine will get noticed if I use it for more than a second or two. Of course, it could be worse. Thunder’s ability isn’t at all subtle.”

            “Yes, getting him somewhere private, without cameras is what we should be aiming for. And not just to hide our abilities. If he’s as armed as he’s rumoured to be, innocents could get caught in the crossfire if he starts shooting.”

            Casey shivered faintly and rubbed an arm. The memory of staring down the barrel of a pistol, while her side continued to seep blood and send bolts of pain shooting up her rose in her mind. She shook herself mentally, trying to shove it back down. That had been years ago and she’d survived. More than survived, she’d become the Gorgon she was today.

            Frost eyes her for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something. Casey didn’t let him, knowing his reply was likely to condescending or sarcastic, or more likely, both. “Is this hacker known for being violent or taking hostages?”

            Her supervisor frowned. “Not that I’ve seen in the initial report that Mustache sent me this morning, but our contact should know more. We also need to go over our cover stories, in case we’re asked.”

            Casey shrugged. “We’re supposed to be a couple. What else do we need to know?”

            He glowered. “Our names, for starters. We can hardly call ourselves Gorgon and Frosts. And using our real names is just inviting trouble. We should also have the basics of our relationship in case people ask. Neither of us is wearing a ring, so we’ll have to say we’re only dating, but with this kind of place, I’d say we’d have to have been going out for at least a year for it to make sense.”

            “You seem to already have a story in mind,” Casey replied, eyes going back to the window beside her. “So I’ll just go along with the details you want.”

            “Fine then. You’ll be Gladys and I’ll be Frank.”

            Casey whirled to glare at him. “I am not being Gladys. No one would believe it! Who names their children Gladys nowadays anyways?”

            Frost smirked. “You told me you’d go along with what I chose.”

            “You’re just being an ass about it,” she retorted. “I’ll be…Gabrielle, and you can be…Flint.”

            He snorted. “Because Flint’s not a stupid name. I’ll be Phillip.”

            “Fine,” Casey replied, eyes going back to the window as Frost slowed the car, his gaze scanning back and forth for a parking space. “But if you think I’m calling you anything like baby or sweetie, I’ll take my sunglasses off and stare at you.”