REM

JN-WX

"Here's your case file," announced the chief as he walked away toward his office.

"Thanks, chief." I stopped typing up my latest report to have a look at my undercover assignment I had recently finished with my partner.

"You have all the fun, don't you?" asked George, turning around in his swivel chair to face me. "Cross-dressing asian aliens. What's next?"

I lifted an eyebrow as our eyes met. "Did you even read the case file? Or listen to whatactually happened?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Cross-dressing"—he counted on his fingers—"Asian. Aliens. Did I miss something?"

"Nope," I replied, looking down at the case file to make sure details were entered correctly about the events leading up to us losing our suspect.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see him roll his eyes in frustration. "Can you tell me again?" he pleaded. "I swear I'll listen. I won't get any details mixed up."

"Really?" I wasn't entirely convinced. George was the type to stretch the truth and spread rumours around the office after each case, making them sound more exciting than they actually were. I honestly thought he did it for his sole enjoyment, but others were really entertained by what he added, or changed.

Holding his hand over his heart: "I swear."

"Fine, but no interrupting me, and no changing details," wagging my pointer finger. He responded with a scouts honour hand gesture, so I began:

Frank and I were undercover. We were both assigned the task of security details for the son of a Chinese prince. The king had recently been attacked, so there was a need for heightened security. We managed to get the jobs without much hassle, and started immediately.

It wasn't difficult learning about the customs and following them. Frank and I used chopsticks, wore traditional attire to blend in, and noticed that most of the other security details were white males. As much it surprised us, it furthered to help us blend in.

As the assignment dragged on, I honestly thought that there would be no attack on anyone in the royal family. We were told we were protecting a young man, yet there were only women at ceremonies and other gatherings. The day we learned who was cross-dressing, was also the day of the attack.

George stared intently at me as I took a sip of coffee, then continued.

Frank was standing near one of the entrances, while I knelt next to three females at the front of the room. The one in the middle stood up and then began to speak. Since I don't know Chinese, I couldn't understand what was going on at first, but then he unveiled himself.

For whatever reason, he had let down his guard to present his true self to those present. I was surprised to say the least, but then shocked as the woman next to me began to change. In my peripheral, I could see her pale skin turn scaly blue, with a hint of gray. She was an alien, just like the ones that had attacked the king.

Before the prince noticed her change, she lunged for him. I reacted quickly, pouncing on her as she did so. People began to scream as Frank jumped on top of her as well, while other guards quickly whisked the prince out of the room. She was a lot stronger than I thought, her legs dislocating to be in reverse of ours as she leaped, tossing us into the golden stage.

Once I got my bearings back, Frank and I both chased her out of the room and down a hall. She entered into a random room where we seemed to have cornered her, but she was nowhere to be found as we held our laser guns at the ready.

There was a kitchen in the room. A vent overheard was open, which meant she had escaped through it, but not before setting a trap. As I holstered my weapon, Frank inspected a teabag tangling over an active element.

"Run!" he yelled, pulling me with him before we both fell flat on our faces outside the room. The explosion destroyed the entire room, sending a fireball out the door, which singed our clothes and thankfully nothing else.

A yawn took over my face as I stretched.

"So that's it?" George asked, eager for more.

"Yeah, that's it," I replied with a nod. Reaching for my coffee again, I saw disappointment spread across his face. After swallowing another mouthful, I asked, "Let down by my story-telling ability?"

"No," shaking his head. "But I still like the idea of a cross-dressing asian alien, even if she was the bad guy."

Rolling my eyes, I set my coffee down and returned to typing my report.