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James sighed as he slumped down in his seat.. He looked to his right and slightly behind him at the other agents that were with him in the airliner. James would be the only TIDA agent until the end of this mission. The Prime minister's visit in Trinity had been cut short after the daring assassination attempt back at the hotel; luckily the Prime minister had gone down to the lobby with several agents to get a drink when the attempt took place. He had planned to go to the large port town of Veridian, but it was decided that it would be safer to just go back to Oceania a day early.
James welcomed the change of schedule.. he hoped that it meant the trade agreement would be signed earlier and he could get back home ahead of time.
He saw Jennifer, who was sitting a row of seats back next to a window across the cabin, looking at some papers and he decided to get up and see if it was anything important.
"Hey Jen, what have you got?"
Coswell was once again back in her standard large baggy black suit and dark glasses..
"You may address me as 'agent Coswell', and it's just some plans for the ceremonies when we're back in Thames."
James nodded at what Coswell had said and sighed to himself as he crumpled down in the passenger seat next to her..
James wondered why she was so unfriendly to him... He couldn't remember anyone ever treating him so frigidly, especially not women.. Then James thought about it for a moment, he could remember someone that used to treat him similarly, but that was so long ago, and everything had changed since then. When he'd first met Jessie she was a very bitter young girl... full of resentment towards the world, however, she'd slowly softened up after years with him.
James pushed the thoughts aside to make way for business.
"Mind if I get a look at those too?" James asked leaning over to look at the papers on her briefcase.
Coswell sighed almost inaudibly, "Sure."
Coswell pushed some of the papers over onto James' lap and went back to looking at her own.
James cocked an eyebrow then organized the papers on his lap into a neat stack. They were just procedural and architectural plans for ceremonies and buildings that they'd be in during the next few days before the treaty was signed. There was going to be one more public appearance for Bergeron before the day of the ceremony. It was going to be a short speech, much like the one in Vector, to be televised to the general Oceania populace as well.
James quickly scanned over the building blueprints and street layout. The speech would take place at Ford's theater.. James cursed as it looked to be a dangerous location, hiding places everywhere, catwalks above the stage, and an effects level below it..
James finished looking at the papers and got up to go back to his seat.
"Kojiro."
James turned around, "what?"
"It's 8 hours later in Thames than it was back in Vector." Coswell extended a hand to him with a little green pill in it.
James looked at her strangely and took the pill, "what is it?"
"It's melanin, just take it now, it'll help keep the jet lag down."
James smiled and popped the pill in his mouth, swallowing it, then returned to his seat.
James checked in and hauled his suitcase up to his room on the fourth floor. He offered to carry Coswell's bag as well, as she was to stay in the same hotel as the Prime Minister until the end of the operation, but she refused his chivalry and they rode in an uncomfortable silence up the elevator.
James sighed as he shut the door to his room and turned on the television. He flipped the channel to Mtv. When he saw all the beautiful dancing girls he got the idea to give Jessie a call, after all, she should still be in Paris.. He pulled a small slip of paper with the number to her hotel written on it and picked up the phone, the numbers beeping as he pressed them, and heard the familiar ring.
"Sheraton front desk, how may I help you?"
"Yes, could you please connect me with room 324?"
"Just a moment.."
James heard the phone begin ringing again, and after several rings he heard it get picked up.
"Who is it?!"
"Um.. it's James.."
He could tell it was Jessie, and she didn't sound happy...
"Oh! I'm sorry if I sounded mad, it's just kind of late here."
James breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
"That's ok, how did everything go?"
"Oh, it went great, I sold lots of designs! And I'll be flying home tomorrow night."
"Well that's great, unfortunately I won't be there to meet you.."
"That's ok.. when will you be back?"
"Looks like I might get home earlier than I thought, but I'm not sure.. we're over here in Thames already."
"Oh really? Where are you staying?"
"We're in the Rio Grenada, looks like this will be my temporary home till it's time to go back.."
"Well I'll be waiting patiently in skimpy lingerie for you to get home."
James laughed and heard her giggle on the other end of the line as well.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
"Ok, don't go getting yourself killed or anything..."
James sighed, he felt guilty about how dangerous his work could be.. he thought about Eric and Amanda.. He quickly pushed it back aside though.
"I love you, I'll see you when I get home."
"I love you too.."
James added a last good-bye and hung up the phone, sighing as he lay back on his bed..
He proceeded to his normal routine, bathing, shaving, and dressing in his standard black suit.
After James looked in the mirror and decided he was adequately prepared, he stepped out of his room and into the hallway. As he looked around he could see Coswell's easily recognizable short blonde hair as she walked away down the hall.
James yelled and ran over after her, "Coswell!"
He could see her shoulders slump for a moment, then she slowly turned around to face him.
"Agent Kojiro.."
"Where were you going, Coswell?"
"I was going to the CIA headquarters.. not that it's any business of yours."
"Mind if I come along? I'd kind of like to see what it's like there, after all, you got to see what TIDA was like.."
James stared at Coswell's dark lenses as she paused.
"Yeah, you can come along, but keep it low-key.."
"Great!" James said with a smile.
The two took the elevator to the ground floor and walked out into the parking lot. Coswell led James to a silver Porsche Boxster and disarmed the alarm.
He stood staring at it for a moment when she said, "aren't you going to get in?"
"Yeah, sorry, just I've never drove in one of these?"
"A car?"
"Hah hah... A Porsche."
"Do you even have a car?"
"Of course I do.."
That wasn't exactly the truth.. James did have a car, but he rarely drove it, it was basically Jessie's car and James just used it occasionally. James had an old Honda motorcycle that he usually used.
"What kind is it?" Coswell said as she started the engine and gave it a couple of revs as the convertible top retracted.
"It's a BMW..."
"Oh, well that's not bad at all."
Coswell pulled out of the parking space her car had occupied and took off onto the street, James being pulled hard to his left by the quick acceleration and turn.
After a rather quick drive the two pulled up to a stop in front of a federal building..
James was rather happy the experience was over, as Jennifer drove quite fast..
He followed her in the entrance and through a gun checking station near the front door, then to an elevator.
As they rode the elevator up to the fifth floor she reminded him once again, "Low-key..."
James just nodded and they soon stepped off the elevator.
The floor was a wide open room with cubicles separating computer stations, some occupied, some empty. As James followed her through the maze of separators he heard occasional whistles, and a "hey sexy."
James looked around, but never seemed to see the source of them, and Coswell just kept walking along, acting as if she hadn't even heard it.
As they rounded a corner they came face to face with a group of three agents, all tall young men with short dark hair and dark glasses.
The nearest of the three men spoke upon seeing Jennifer and James come to a stop in front of them.
"Hey there Jenny, heard you're stuck in that hotel for the next few days."
"Yeah.."
"Don't worry, babe, you can come sleep with me instead, I won't tell on you.."
The two men standing behind him began laughing.
"No thanks, Fred."
Coswell turned around and started to walk in a different direction as James just stood there with an astonished look on his face.
James followed after her as she walked away, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder.
"How could you let him talk to you like that? Isn't that against the law?"
"Let it go James.. it doesn't matter."
"Do they always act like that?"
"It doesn't matter I said, come on."
"Hell no, I'm going to teach that bozo how to treat a woman!"
James turned around and walked back to the corner where they'd encountered the three agents.
Coswell grabbed his shoulder and said, "no, wait, James!" but he just pulled away.
Fred and the two others were still standing where Coswell had left them, and they were all still laughing about the scene a few moments earlier.
James walked right up to Fred, who was about 5 inches taller than himself, and demanded that he apologize to her, as well as addressing her as 'agent Coswell' in all future encounters.
Fred and the other three just continued to laugh and Fred shoved James away saying, "and just what are you going to do if I don't?"
"I'm going to kick your fucking ass"
The three men began laughing again. Then Fred tried to take a cheap shot, he came across with his right hand, but James just ducked under it. Fred quickly followed with a kick, but James caught his leg and laid him out on his back.
"Maybe I'll just get rid of these and you can learn to use something else to think with!" James said as he stomped on Fred's groin.
"James, stop!"
James looked up to see the other two agents had their guns drawn to him, and Coswell had come to stand in front of him.
Several security guards came around the corner and the four were taken away to director Foster's office..
Foster looked like he had a serious case of indigestion as he saw Coswell and Kojiro walk in with the other two agents.. Fred was still rolling around on the floor where they'd left him.
"Williams.. Davis.. wait outside.."
The two agents filed back out the door without a word.
"Now, Coswell, tell me what's going on.."
"I'm sorry sir.. This wasn't my fault.."
"Well then who's fault was it?"
James spoke up, "It was Fred's fault?"
"Fred who?"
Coswell answered, "Fred Jackson."
"What does he have to do with this?"
"He was harassing agent Coswell back there!" James responded.
"So you decided to take it upon yourself to go back and hit him?"
"He swung at me first."
Foster looked at Coswell and she nodded.
"We can take care of this ourselves, you didn't need to go back there and start a scene Kojiro."
"Sir, with all respect, it appears to me that what I did was long overdue.. do you even have sexual harassment laws here?"
"Of course we do."
"Then why aren't they enforced?"
"Because nothing was brought to my attention."
James looked at Coswell, who had her eyes turned to the ground..
"Look, Kojiro, I know how you feel, but you've got to let us work things out for ourselves here, you're not in Trinity."
James grimly nodded.
"What did you come here for, Coswell?"
Agent Coswell looked back up, her face a little red, "oh, um.. I had to get a file.."
"Well then go get the file and get out of here, and send those other two clowns in here when you walk out."
Coswell and James got up and walked out the door. Director Foster could see James motion with his thumb back over his shoulder as he exited, and Williams and Davis entered.
"What's in the file?" James asked.
"Just some photos."
James nodded and turned his attention back to the road in front of them.
"You know, James.. you shouldn't have done that back in there.."
James smiled ear to ear.
"What are you smiling about?"
"You called me James." he said with a wink.
Coswell growled slightly and tensed up again and didn't speak the rest of the way back.
It was close to noon, when Coswell parked her silver Porsche in the Rio Grenada parking lot.
The two walked into the building together, but James stopped her as they were walking towards the Elevator.
"What?"
"Coswell.. look over there.."
James motioned with his head towards one of the doors into the large Hotel lobby.
"What is it?"
"That girl... she's the assassin.."
".."
The young woman was dressed rather normally, just a white shirt and some black slacks..
As James was pointing her out to Coswell she saw them looking at her, and recognized James. She took off like a bullet, knocking over a luggage carrier and running out the door as James and Coswell took chase after her.
The young woman was very fast and very agile, as she jumped on the hoods of cars and ran straight over them rather than around them, the two agents giving chase the whole way.
She ran out into the busy street and just narrowly avoided being hit by traffic as Jennifer and James followed her more cautiously. The girl ran into a restaurant across the street, the two agents still in hot pursuit. They ran past tables and into the kitchen. The young woman knocked people out of her way as she ran out the back door.
When Jennifer and James had gone out of the back door they looked around, they didn't see the girl.. Then James grabbed Jennifer's shoulder and pointed at a fire escape on the next building. The girl was climbing up it to the rooftop of the short 5 story structure. Jennifer took a few shots, but there was too much railing in the way..
The two climbed after her.. The girl was well ahead of them, but they didn't give up. James reached the roof first, just in time to see the girl running on the next building. He immediately took off after her, using a narrow platform to cross the short gap between the first two buildings.
James could hear Jennifer just behind him, and he heard her take several more shots with her gun, missing badly as they ran. The girl was at least fifty yards ahead of him, but James knew if he got lucky and she slipped, or came to the end of the buildings he could catch her. He reached another gap between buildings and easily made the ten foot jump between them.
James was breathing heavily, but he continued on by willpower. The sound of Jennifer's steps seemed to trail off then stop, and he heard her yell for help. He stopped and turned around to see her hanging off the edge of the building.. She hadn't made the last jump..
James ran over and took hold of her right hand just as she lost grip. He pulled her up on top of him as he lay on the roof.
"Damn.." James said as he turned his head back and scanned the rooftops ahead of them seeing no sign of the girl they were chasing..
He sighed and let himself lay back against the roof after the extremely tiring chase..