Secret Service

chapter one

chapter one

• kieran •

          "I've got the sex appeal of a broccoli." the pudgy teenage boy with a face full of acne said.

A girl just two or three years older than the boy laughed delicately and reached across the metal table between the two and stroked the boy with a manicured finger.

The boy tensed but closed his eyes and a sigh fluttered out of his open mouth. I grimaced when I saw the half-chewed cookie sitting on his tongue.

"Aw, Billy- can I call you Billy instead of William?" the girl crooned, pale blue eyes widening slightly, exuding innocence.

"Mmhmm..." the boy mumbled, too entranced by the girl's mesmerizing gaze. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought the girl was genuine.

The girl continued, her voice soft and full of conviction, "Broccolis can be quite sexy - with those wild, untamed afro-shaped crowning heads of theirs." 

I scoffed out loud and turned away from the middle of the room, where the hologram of the scene was playing, to throw Sybil, my assistant, an incredulous look. "This is the girl you expect me to work with to bring down Ananke?"

Sybil blushed but didn't look away from my glare, which I would have to give her credit for. She cleared her throat and fidgeted with the pen in her hands. "Mr. Ryder, Alice Quinn is one of the best operators in the world."

I huffed in annoyance but turned back towards the wall-screen.

"I don't even have an afro!" William moaned, patting at his floppy hair forlornly, and I could see a hint of irritation briefly flash through Alice's blue eyes. The young woman was quick to hide it, though, and her smile didn't waver. I had to give it to her, she was a pretty good actress.

"Afro or not, you're still a real catch." Alice said soothingly, leaning away to sit back down on her seat. "Any girl would be lucky to have you."

William's eyes lit up and he asked hopefully, "Even you?"

A cat-like smile stretched across Alice's thin, heart-shaped face. Her pale blue eyes sparkled as she said quietly. "Yes, Billy." She popped the Oreo cookie William had offered her earlier into her mouth. "Especially me."

Billy swooned, and I laughed humorlessly, annoyance building up inside of me. "Why doesn't she just get to the point? She's supposed to force information out of the kid and then kill him, not flirt with him and then break his heart." I barked out, biting off my words.

Why were they wasting my time with this? I could be getting ready for the New Year's Eve Gala hosted annually by Ananke. I could be preparing for the mission.

The door swung open and I looked over to see B sauntering into the small conference room. Her short white hair was pulled back in a tight bun, making her dark brown eyes look like black holes.

"Ms. Quinn's job is to get information out of Mr. Smith, not force. How she gets the job done is her own choice. As long as it's done." the lady said calmly, taking a seat next to me. "And while your methods, Mr. Ryder, are good,"

Even though I didn't want to, I glowed from the compliment. B, the head of the entire secret service agency of the United States, didn't easily throw around compliments.

"Ms. Quinn's are more fitting for the job right now." she finished. I raised an eyebrow challengingly. I was pretty sure killing the two guards standing in the room and then beating the answers out of the kid would be more efficient than... whatever the girl was trying to do.