Guys, Lies and Deadly Spies. (rewritten)

26- Brains and Brawn.

The hissing of machines was the first thing that caught my attention then a pungent burning scent that wafted me awake rather aggressively. Though still muffled, I could hear two familiar voices quarrelling above me.

"I don't think you're allowed to smoke in here."

"Who's gonna stop me?"

"It's not a matter of stopping you, it's a serious health hazard, plus you could trigger the smoke alarms and get us all wet."

"And so? She's been in bed almost two days, she could use a shower."

"Could you stub it before the doctors kick us both out?"

"You're so damn frantic, I see what B92 was talking about."

I heard her shuffle to probably kill the cigarette just as light appeared in my eyes.

"You're awake!" Trent's bright expression was the first thing I saw. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel like I got runover by a truck... twice," I croaked.

"Good to see you're alive," Valak said. Her lipstick was matte black today, just like the rest of her outfit. She had on this ridiculously large lacy headgear on, but I was grateful for it because it sort of shielded the sun from piercing my eyes from where she stood.

"Why are you dressed like you're going to a funeral," I asked.

"I came prepared for anything," she shrugged.

"The doctor says you suffered minor internal bleeding and a few broken bones but you'll be fine."

"Minor?" I seemed to remember waterfalls of blood gushing out of my mouth.

He opened his mouth to answer but closed it and smiled instead. "The good thing is you're going to be fine."

"And you?" I asked Trent. It couldn't possibly have been easy for him to pull that trigger.

"I'll be alright. My arm is going to take longer to heal now of course and I'm probably scarred for life but... well."

"Mh, first one is always the hardest," Valak sympathised sarcastically. "How ever will sleep with just one death on your hands?"

She earned herself an eye roll from Trent and a painful chuckle from me.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"The base hospital," Valak answered. "You completed your mission."

"Oh, you won't believe the story I've got for you!" Trent's tone was eager and rather too loud for me in that moment but I didn't have the energy to stop him. "You remember Lincoln Cavern right?" The science guy who was behind the first experiments of the pill. "Turns out he was married but had a child out of wed-lock. A child he insisted be kept a secret, so he asked the Agency in the UK to raise him and train him."

"Grayson."

"Exactly. Now, homeboy grows up and tries to find his daddy but hears he's dead thanks to-" he nudged his head towards Valak. "So obviously he's angry because they don't tell him the full story that his father was actually real sick in the head. Instead, some guy named Voss Wagner, who was a close associate of Lincoln tries to 'winter soldier' Grayson and manipulates him into helping his operation because turns out he was still doing tests of his own and trying to purify the drug."

I smirked at the Marvel reference then asked what Tyme's involvement in all of it was.

"Tyme's an old friend of Grayson's from the UK. He fell victim to the medication because of his PTSD but it messed him up so bad he literally forgot everything, including his own name. His real name."

After being recruited agents weren't allowed to tell anyone their real name for many safety reasons but it was basically the only thing about you that remained you. To have that taken away was to completely cease to exist.

"Now I pieced together other bits of this story but it's possible Voss promised Grayson he'd fix Tyme if he got him more of the chemical? It would explain why he broke into the Agency bunker and why he didn't want us getting in the way."

"What about Mr Takahashi?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"We brought him in for questioning yesterday," Valak answered. "He's not saying anything... for now. Later I have a few methods that will most definitely ply his lips open." She sounded a bit too enthusiastic about the last part.

"What about the boys?" I asked. I wondered what story they'd fed them about Grayson's sudden disappearance.

"Xenon knows his father is in trouble, he just isn't sure what for. They all believe Grayson has gone on one of his delivery trips, a week from now he'll be declared dead or lost at sea for all I care," Valak shrugged. "That's enough questions now, you don't need to worry, everything is taken care of."

Her long figure towered over me when she stood and took my hand in hers. I expected her to be cold, but warmth radiated off her soft skin as though a furnace was lit beneath it. She squeezed lightly and leaned in so her flawless face was a mere metre from mine. "Focus on getting better, we have many more missions to master you and I." She said it with a smile that told me she was proud, hopefully she'd remember this moment forever and forget all the extra screw ups I'd had along the way.

After she left , Trent propped himself on my bed and gave me a look.

"He wasn't the one who sent the text was he?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"The text that Grayson received from 'Mr Takahashi'? You're the one that sent it. You knew Grayson was coming."

I stared him dead in the eyes for what felt like an eternity before I gave in.

"You're getting pretty good at this whole detective thing."

He pumped his good fist in the air for figuring it out.

"I expected the whole thing. Well except the part where you end up killing him. How're you feeling about that by the way?" The last time I saw him he was covered in vomit with a gun still stuck in his hands.

"It's like you said, it felt wrong but I did it for a good reason so I don't really feel so bad. Perception and all that." He seemed to be doing alright, but then again don't we all.

"Thank you," I told him. "I'd probably be dead if it weren't for you."

"Don't you ever forget that," he said and I rolled my eyes. I'd picked the worst person to owe my life. "So what's next?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean after you're up and running again. Our department up North could use someone with your skills, we could partner up permanently."

"Absolutely not," I deadpanned.

"Why not?"

"G69 I'm grateful for your service but I do not want to be stuck with you for the rest of my life."

"Why not? We make a killer team. I'm the brains you're the brawn!"

"You're the brains?" I'd laugh if my body didn't physically forbid it.

He kept yammering on about how he'd terminated the target, so he in fact was both brains and brawn and all I could think in that moment was how badly I wanted to slip into a coma so I didn't have to continue hearing his annoying voice.

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