The Other Agent

"You're late, Twenty."

Twenty had barely gotten into the Knees position in the cavernous office when her summoner had spoken from behind the desk at the far end of the room. His voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it and his chair was turned away from her. "I-I'm sorry, sir."

"Care to explain why?"

She briefly entertained the idea of telling him the truth. The latest assault had left her rattled, but she knew she wasn't likely to find a sympathetic ear among the male employees at Mizutomo Tower. "My last assignment ran over, sir. I apologize again for being tardy."

The man was silent for a few moments. "Wasn't elevator trouble, was it?"

A bead of sweat slid down her temple before dropping onto a heaving breast. What was with this line of questioning? Twenty thought to herself, wiping perspiration from her face with the back of her hand. She hadn't taken any time to compose herself before arriving to her destination, but now she wished she had. She was likely to get a demerit either way, but at least she could have tried to clean herself up. As it was, she was covered in sweat, her hair was clumsily tousled and her pussy was soaked. "It did get hung up for a minute or two as I was ascending, sir."

"Is that so? Well, then I think it is hardly fair to charge you for something that was out of your control, don't you think?"

Something about the whole exchange rubbed Twenty the wrong way, but she could do little except offer a puzzled "Sir?" in reply.

The chair finally swiveled around. "Do you agree?" Cash asked again, revealing himself as the speaker.

"Y-yes," Twenty stammered, slightly taken aback. Had he remembered her from the previous day? And if so, did he summon her specifically?

Cash chuckled as he stood up. He was dressed in an expensive looking suit that fit his tall frame well, which only served to remind Twenty even further that she wasn't wearing anything at all. She knew to avert her gaze, but even so, she could track his movements with her peripheral vision as he walked towards her. He had a little swagger in his gait that spoke to a well-cultivated self-assuredness. Despite herself, she realized that she was not only evaluating him as a potential threat, but as a man as well.

"I thought you might," he said, coming to a stop just in front of her while she tried very hard to focus on a spot on the carpet behind him. "Do you know why I summoned you here?"

"You need to have something couriered, sir?" she asked, acutely aware of how hard her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Not quite. If I did, I'd have one of the other mailgirls in the area do it, not one coming from over forty stories down." He crouched down, putting him almost at eye level with Twenty. "No, I summoned you here because I think we can help each other, Twenty. Or should I say, Agent Claire Holliday?"

She felt as if she'd been struck by lightning at his use of her real name. Abandoning protocol, she jerked her head up to meet his gaze, a look of startled incredulity crossing her delicate features. "W-what? How?"

He grinned at her and shrugged. "You're not the only agency running an op in this building."

The reality of it hit her like a ton of bricks. "I can't believe... it can't be. Who are you with? NSA? DHS? Why are you here?"

Cash raised his hand to forestall any further queries. "We'll get to that, Agent Holliday. Just know that we've been here longer than you have." He allowed himself a glance down at her naked body. "Gotta say though, never thought the CIA would have the stones to send one of their own as a mailgirl."

Twenty was acutely aware that she was completely nude in front of someone who appeared to be a fellow federal agent and the paradoxical urge to cover herself almost overrode her discipline. Instead, she balled her fists behind her back. "How do I know I can trust you?"

He sighed, reaching into his pocket and producing a golden badge. "Satisfied?"

She'd seen enough badges in her career to know that the gold Federal Bureau of Investigation insignia he carried was legitimate. "You're Bureau. What's the play here?"

Cash stood up, towering over her. "After what you saw yesterday, you can probably venture a guess."

It clicked in her head after a couple of seconds. "Mansfield," she breathed. "You're going after him. Human trafficking?"

He nodded. "Something like that. Damn near untraceable though. Great at covering up his tracks and we've run into a wall. That is, until you came along."

Twenty blinked, then grimaced as realized the potential implications. "You want him to take me? Like they took Sixteen?"

"Too risky. Besides, don't think the Agency would take it real well if we jeopardized you. We've got something else in mind." He took a step back, his eyes fixed on her exposed breasts. "Will definitely make use of your assets."

She bit back the retort that threatened to escape her lips. "What do you need me to do?"

"We have to impede part of his operation. Going after one of the weaker links in his scheme and getting them to flip for us will be key. To do that, we need leverage."

Twenty knew how to read between the lines. "You need blackmail," she reasoned. "Jesus."

"You can say no, if you want," Cash offered with a shrug. "But by the time we get close enough to Mansfield to take him down, Sixteen might already be lost forever."

Goddammit, she swore to herself. Cash was playing dirty and that didn't sit well with her, but she didn't see any other alternative. "How does this help me?"

"I've seen the intel on your op. Let's just say that whatever you're getting into in the Emirate will make what's going on here look like a walk in the park. Better start getting used to really stepping out of your comfort zone."

She allowed herself a small, exasperated sigh. Running into another undercover investigation was the last thing she expected to happen, but she had been given a chance make something of it. And it wasn't like her to waste those. "When do we start?"

"Just so happens we have an opportunity at this very moment. You happen to be just the type for one of Mansfield's accountants. Give us leverage on him."

"Won't I get demerits for this? I still have a couple of hours left in my shift."

"The beauty of my cover is that I have an executive-level supply of credits," Cash informed her.

Twenty swallowed hard. "How far do I have to go?"

Cash favored her with a wry expression. "You know the rules regarding Mailgirls. Play the part. Compromise him. The more, the better. And don't worry, I'll be watching and making sure things don't get too out of control."

She was sure that wasn't the only reason he was going to be watching. "And you'll be recording all of this?"

"Don't worry. Whatever's recorded is only to be used as leverage on our target. Black boxed as soon as we get what we need."

The lengths she had to go through to advance her career. "Fine. There isn't much time. Let's get this done."