Chapter 20: Sneak Attack

Sousuke stood at the window of their current hotel room staring out feeling as if he had lost control of the situation too long ago for his own liking. It wasn't something he liked to admit but he felt as if at any moment it was all going to crash down around him. This wasn’t like his many encounters with Gauron where he knew more about his enemy than anyone else; this was Amalgam and they were so obscure that even Intelligence had little to offer.

Kaname watched him from her seat on the edge of the bed. Several different expressions crossed his face and she swore he almost looked scared, which was odd because she had never known him to be scared of anything. On top of everything he was dealing with now: guarding her, keeping them safe, running all over the world...he was also dealing with his emotions concerning their relationship.

She took a deep breath. “Are you scared, Sousuke?” she asked calmly lowering her eyes to the floor.

He turned his head just slightly confusion in his eyes. “No,” he lied looking back out the window.

“It’s okay to be scared, you know,” she said standing up walking across the room to him. “I know that you’ll get through this just like you have gotten through everything else that has happened.” She smiled kindly leaning casually against the wall next to him.

He continued to stare out the window his expression like stone. “It’s not that easy, Chidori.”

“What do you mean?” she asked sighing heavily.

“Amalgam will stop at nothing until they have me,” he said closing his eyes. “The fact that I am able to pilot the Arbalest and use the Lambda driver is reason enough.”

“But don’t they have their own pilots who can use it as well?” she asked in confusion. “Why do they want you so badly?”

“You don’t understand,” he said turning to her their eyes locking. “They don’t want to recruit me, Chidori. They want me dead.”

Kaname felt her heart drop to her knees and the entire world around her just stopped moving. It had never occurred to her that they wanted to eliminate him; Tessa had left that part out when she explained what was going on.

Suddenly, she felt such a dread spreading over her that she almost collapsed. He wasn't allowed to die! He had promised that he’d always be there to protect her! All her senses came alive as adrenaline began pumping through her body.

“Well, I’m not going to let that happen!” she screamed stamping her foot.

His head snapped around and you would think he would be used to her defiant, courageous attitude but it still surprised him on most occasions.

“And I’m not going to let you stand here and act like this is eventually the end for you,” she added with annoyance. “I’m so sick of you acting like you’re the martyr in all this,” she continued poking him in the chest.

He began backing up until he collided with the wall.

“This is so typically you, Sousuke! You never think about how you affect the people around you. Don’t you get it?! If you died we would all never be the same! I would never be the same! I would feel it, forever, right here!” she said jabbing him in the chest where his heart was. “So, stop acting like if you died it wouldn’t destroy me inside!”

“I didn’t mean it that way!” he protested suddenly feeling like a complete jerk.

“Well, you could have fooled me, you idiot!” she said her voice still very aggravated.

He stared down at her not just admiring her forthright determination but also the way she made him think about himself. It was as if she knew him better than he knew himself. It was all becoming clear now, why he had these feelings for her. She made up the better half of himself, making up for all his inadequacies. She completed him when he felt empty inside and when he felt helpless.

How did she do that? he thought.

“Well, are you going to just stand there and act like you don’t understand me as usual?” she demanded tapping her foot impatiently.

“Uh...”

“Dammit, Sousuke!” she screamed twirling around giving him her back.

“Chidori, I’m under a lot of pressure here,” he tried to explain but felt as if no matter what he said to her she’d still be angry with him.

“I can’t believe you’re going to that club even when you know you could get hurt!” she added in the same high pitched tone as just seconds ago. “Don’t you care how this makes me feel? I’m going to be sitting here worrying about you the entire time!”

“I don’t have a choice,” he argued. “This is my job and I have orders.”

She spun around trying to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes. “It’s always about orders for you! If Mithril asked you to kill yourself, would you? Because that’s exactly what you’re doing by going to that club. I am so sick of you putting your job above your own safety!”

“It’s not like that!” he protested following her as she crossed the room in a huff.

“Then what am I supposed to think about this? Am I supposed to just ignore the fact that you could die out there tonight?” she snapped.

Sousuke knew she was right but he had a job to do, a safe one at that, and if he disobeyed orders not only would the captain not be able to help him again, but he would surely be removed from the organization completely. Melissa once told him that he needed to think about his future, his future with Kaname. How was he going to protect her and take care of her if he couldn’t take care of himself?

“I have to go,” he said grabbing his jacket off the bed.

Kaname watched as he prepared to go and she wanted to knock him over the head unconscious with something. But instead she just stormed off into the bathroom slamming the door behind her. But when he didn’t come after her and she heard the hotel room door close, she swung the bathroom door open and chased after him. But it was too late, he was gone.

She stood in the hallway wanting to collapse into tears. I am so stupid!

.o.o.o.o.

Leonard cleared his throat as he slid the envelope across the table towards the other person sitting across from him in the quiet darkened restaurant. “Can you handle this?” he asked calmly a certain arrogance in his voice.

“I can handle myself,” the woman replied a little arrogance to her own voice.

“I have arranged that the girl not be there,” Leonard said leaning back in his seat. “But in the case that she somehow shows up, I need to know that nothing will happen to her.”

The woman chuckled lightly. “You are so pathetic when it comes to her, its almost laughable.”

Leonard took a deep breath and looked away trying to mask his growing anger. “You have no idea of her potential.”

“Do you even know what she can do?” the woman questioned taking a sip of her drink. “We Whispered don’t all hold vital information like you may think, Silver.”

“I know firsthand what she is capable of,” he retorted calmly. “And once that rogue boyfriend of hers is out of the way, I can show her exactly how important she is...to me and to Amalgam.”

Serena laughed. “You are such an idealist, Leonard.”

“Just take care of Sagara,” he said keeping his tone down.

Then Kaname would be free to see the truth, about herself and about her so-called knight in shining armor, Sergeant Sousuke Sagara.

.o.o.o.o.

“You ready, guys?” Melissa said as they exited the rental car just outside the club. The pounding of the music could be felt in the pavement beneath their feet and Melissa stared over at the bouncer standing just in the doorway. This was going to be easier than she originally planned, she thought as she eyed the large man.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Kurz said leaning against the side of the car.

“Once she is spotted we are to observe from a distance, is that understood?” she said but mostly directed it towards Sousuke. “We’re to call HQ once she has left the building; Intelligence will take it from there. If anything goes wrong, then we take action and not one second sooner.”

“Roger,” both the guys replied as they walked behind Melissa.

Melissa flipped her internal switch to seductress and sauntered up to the bouncer batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. “Hey there, handsome,” she purred flashing him a twenty dollar bill. “Mind if we join the party?”

The bouncer eyed them briefly then took the bill stepping aside letting them pass. As they walked in the large club it was dark, yet lit with flashing strobe lights and colorful lasers. Tons of people littered the dance floor as they pushed their way through. It was hard to hear anything over the loud music and they found a small table in the corner of the club where the music wasn't so loud.

“This should be easy enough,” Melissa said with a sigh as they all sat down. “I’m guessing the VIP room is up there but I bet she’ll enter from some hidden entrance.”

“The file stated she’s in her early twenties but about 99 of the women in here are,” Kurz said with excitement as he scouted the room eyeing all the scantily dressed women.

“Pay attention!” Melissa said slapping him on the back of the head.

“We’re flying blind here,” Sousuke said looking around.

“Relax, Sousuke,” Melissa said with a smile. “We’re more than qualified to handle this kind of mission.”

“That’s what worries me,” Sousuke replied shooting her a steady glance. “Why were we assigned this recon mission when Intelligence has plenty of operatives more than capable of pulling this off? We’re SRT; we should be out in the field not on the inside like this. This has been bothering me since I got the briefing earlier this morning.”

Melissa stared off into the distance; she hadn’t thought of that. She just assumed that it was something they didn’t want to entrust to just anyone considering the severity of the subject matter. She and Kurz could easily pass themselves off as Americans but Sousuke? He couldn’t behave like a normal Japanese teen, let alone a club friendly American party-goer. Maybe he had a point, she thought as she glanced over her shoulder at the VIP box.

“Look, we’ll just do our jobs and get out of here,” Kurz said leaning back in his seat. “I’m not going to question anyone’s orders unless I feel like getting another lecture from Commander Kalinin.”

A little while later after watching inconspicuously from their table Kurz grabbed Melissa’s hand and drug her out of her seat. “Better start blending in, babe. We look like a bunch of spies sitting her watching everyone else have fun.”

“Weber, dammit!” Melissa protested as he drug her to the dance floor.

Sousuke watched as Kurz dragged the unwilling Sergeant Major onto the dance floor but kept his eyes on the crowd making sure to check the VIP box in case Serena showed up. This whole thing was beginning to smell foul the more time passed by and there was no sign of her.

“You idiot, I can’t dance,” Melissa screamed over the music trying to convince Kurz to let go of her. But he kept dragging her out and she knew if she did anything forceful to him it would attract attention. It took all her self-control to keep from punching him square in the face.

Kurz yanked her arm slamming their bodies against each other mimicking what every other couple was doing on the dance floor. Melissa had no choice but to follow his lead as he grinded his hips against hers to the fast beat of the music but she really wanted to wrap her hands firmly around his neck and strangle the life from his body.

“Relax, sis,” he whispered in her ear. “We’re under cover, enjoy yourself.”

“You are so dead when we get back to the de Danaan,” she sneered as he grabbed her by her hips and pulled her closer.

Sousuke stood up peering around the room trying to assess the crowd. That was when he spotted a tall slender young woman enter the club from an entrance in the back, a large entourage following her. This had to be her and he signaled to Kurz and Melissa who nodded in response.

He was about to cross the dance floor to Kurz and Melissa but a small woman suddenly blocked his exit. “Hey sexy, want to dance?” she said with a sweet smile.

He looked down shock in his eyes. He said the first thing that came to mind. “I’m sorry, but I am not proficient in the modern dancing rituals of this culture,” he replied in perfect English.

The girl just laughed and grabbed his hand. “It’s easy, I’ll show you.”

As she was dragging him out he shot Melissa and Kurz a pleading glance and Kurz just laughed and grabbed Melissa’s ass. Melissa gasped then growled inwardly knowing she was going to mutilate more than just his face after tonight.

Sousuke just stood there unable to move. He nervously glanced around trying to keep his eyes on Serena as she crossed the club and up the stairs into the VIP room, her bodyguards closely following behind. All they had to do was watch her until she left then alert HQ.

The girl moved close to him and giggled. “Loosen up!” she screamed over the music as she tried to get him to dance with her. “What’s your name?”

“John,” Sousuke said giving her his cover name for the night. His eyes never left Serena as she made herself comfortable at the small table situated on the high balcony above. Objective in view, he thought as he just stood there slightly swaying back and fourth to appease the young lady in front of him.

“Do me a favor?” she said into his ear as she continued to dance in front of him. She moved real close to him and something jabbed into his ribcage. “Don’t do anything stupid unless you want your friends to get hurt, Sergeant Sagara.”

He stared down at the gun now pressing into his middle and looked up realizing they had been setup.

Dammit.

To Be Continued...