The Double Cross

[LeoHawk35]

He shoved her face under the water again, waited a few seconds, and pulled her back up.

"Are you lying to me?" he demanded.

Oh, what fun he would have if she was. There we so many more things they could do. He could get out the clamps and his blowtorch and tie her down to the chair again. And the ring would come in handy. Very few can stand the searing clamps and the shocks.

Leo

Leo tilted his head slightly at the look on Evelyn's face. There was something about that...

He had seen it before.

He quietly left the security room and entered the room with the torturer and Evelyn, the door not making a sound as it opened and closed. He stood and watched.

 

[Ravvyn]

Again her head was thrust into the water, this time she managed to close her mouth to prevent any more from seeping into her lungs but hadn't caught her breath entirely. After what felt more like minutes than a few seconds she was brought out to face him.

"Are you lying to me?"

She shook her head vehemently to deny her knowledge being unable to speak as she choked for air fearing he would put her head back in if she didn't answer right away. Through water and tear-soaked eyes she looked at the man, feeling her resolve weaken. She knew that her father would be using the information from the mission in conjunction with the UN/NATO but that was only an assumption.

"I don't know... I don't know what he's us.. using the data for. Let me go." The last three words she whimpered out, the trauma and fear she was experiencing was something she'd never experienced or been trained for outside of basic instruction. She had no idea Leo was in the room with them but hoped the camera recorded sound as well.

"Leo... ple...please sto.." She began choking again the burning feeling in her lungs stopped her from finishing the sentence.

 

[LeoHawk35]

The man just grinned and turned the woman to face him.

"Not even Agent Informer can help you now." he said sadistically.

He raised a fist with a set of claws attached and started bringing it down towards Evelyn's face. Leo caught it at the wrist, throwing the man off balance temporarily.

"That's enough, Mr. Eldritch." Leo said in his usual low voice.

The torturer nodded and replaced his toys on the cart. He covered it and left the room. Leo looked down at Evelyn. He kneeled so he could look her in the eyes.

"Evelyn, I want to believe you, but I'm not sure I can." he whispered to her, eyes uncharacteristically soft.

 

[Ravvyn]

As she saw his fist coming down at her she flinched and tried to turn her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she anticipated the impact, the claws causing absolute dread. The hit never came though as she heard Leo's voice. He stopped the man. After he left Leo crouched and their eyes met.

"Evelyn, I want to believe you, but I'm not sure I can."

She took the time now to compose herself, finally able to catch some semblance of breath. She thought carefully how she answered, not wanting to betray her father or FIST but fearing any more time with the man he called Mr. Eldritch.

"I don't want to die in here." Her tone was vulnerable and as honest as the words she spoke.

"I don't know what Mr. Falcon will do. You know what I do. They tell me what to do. I do it. Even if I was his daughter, I don't know what happens. Where that data goes." She still wanted to maintain a distance between her relation with Gabriel, she didn't want to confirm for them what they already knew.

"Who are you?" She forced herself to ask him, afraid to know the answer.

 

[LeoHawk35]

Leo sighed and stood. He pulled her up off the ground with him and cut the bonds on her, then set her down in the chair. He took a seat opposite her and looked across the table at her.

"My name is Leo Storm. At least that's how you know me. The men and women of this agency know me as Agent Informer. 'The man with no past, present, or future.' I don't technically exist." he shrugged. "I'm a double agent sent into the FIST organization to try and stop them from accomplishing whatever it is they were trying to do. This company is the SIS, more commonly know as MI6. The company that you work for, FIST, is an organization with terroristic tendencies. Now I want to believe you, but neither I nor this organization can believe you if we think you still work for Gabriel. Now I really do not know what Falcon has done to you, or how much he has brainwashed you into thinking that FIST are really the good guys, but I can assure you that they are not."

Leo stared at her as he talked, eyes taking on an icy appearence. He is capable of doing physical torture, if need be, but his gift for interrogations was in the physchological portion. He always seemed to know exactly where to apply pressure to break his subjects.

"Do you really think Falcon will try and get you back? He has probably already made plans to have you executed in order to get that data back. You know how he is. Remember O'Brien?"

O'Brien had been one of Falcon's other employees. He went off the radar for a few days and was executed by one of Falcon's enforcers. The truth was that he was just at his summer home to get away from his wife for a few days. Leo had personally inspected the home after O'Brien was killed. He really had just been there to get away, and Leo had relayed the information to Evelyn upon his return.

 

[Ravvyn]

Anabelle rubbed her arms where the bonds had been as she sat down before Leo went into his spiel. Her jaw surely dropped as he explained the situation to her but she didn't notice, she was too busy trying to comprehend it all. He worked for the British? FIST was a terrorist organization? He mentioned the O'Brien incident to reinforce his point but she couldn't simply believe his word. This couldn't be the truth.

"Believe me? How am I supposed to believe you? You... you drug me, kidnap me, torture me. Don't tell me why or what for and start interrogating me on my fa... Mr. Falcon." She felt anger brewing in her but she couldn't tell if it was all from him or that there was something in her that made her believe what he told her.

"He won't kill me." She said to convince herself as much as she did to convince him.

"He paid for everything for me. School, training. He invested hundreds of thousands of dollars for my education, my living expenses. There's no way... even if he is who you say he is that he would do that." A growing sickness was forming in the pit of her stomach. She was beginning to doubt everything.

 

[LeoHawk35]

"I did not want to do this. It was the only way to make you see the light, though." Leo mutters.

He was getting to her. He could see it in her eyes.

"He paid for all of it to make you an asset. When your usefulness ended, he would want you killed." he said to her grimly.

One more push.

"You know this to be true, Evelyn."

 

[Ravvyn]

"NO!" She screamed at him, unable to take the thought. She burst out of her chair, straight for the door. Desperately twisting on the knob which wouldn't relent, she finally collapsed to the floor partly from the after-effects of the drugs and partly from her world collapsing around her.

She had barely known her father her whole life but he was a good man, looking after her and her mother for so long. How could it be true that she was merely a tool for him? She didn't want to believe it but something in her heart told her there was merit to what he was saying. She just wished he would stop. The torture she'd endured before was nothing compared to what she felt now. The emptiness, the violation of her soul.

"How long... how long have I been here?" Anabelle still held out hope that maybe her absence from FIST wouldn't be enough that she couldn't return.

"I want to go back to him. I want to see my father."

 

[LeoHawk35]

((My apologies, Ravvyn. It won't happen again, I assure you.))

Leo stood slowly and followed her to the door, unerred by her sudden escape attempt, as they both knew she had nowhere to go. He gingerly picked her up and placed her in the chair again. He kneeled down so he could look her in the eyes.

"You know we can't let you do that." he told her. "It would be a breach of protocol."

He brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes.

"We could use someone like you on our side, Evelyn. Someone with your skills would help to bring FIST down."

He shook his head slightly. He needed her to join them. For his sake as much as her own.

 

[Ravvyn]

(Like I said before, post at your leisure. I've kept myself busy and I don't ever want you to feel obligated to post. So no apologies necessary. (=. )

She managed to compose herself as he talked to her, she'd always found him a calming influence before and needed that now. Still trying to cope with what she had just learned. She would need proof.

"I.. I will help you... if you can prove to me that I am working for the right side. I can't just take you at your word." She didn't know if she would get her wish, they had just tortured her and who knew if they were just using her to bring down FIST.

The door opened and a young man stepped in. A gun brandished in his waist, clearly visible for the sake of intimidation. He looked at Leo then over to Evelyn.

"Miss Devereaux. We understand how you may feel confused but we are under a deadline. Gabriel Falcon is a very dangerous man and we have reason to believe that the technology he has gathered, in the wrong hands could prove... well.. catastrophic. Mr. Storm here has gone to great lengths in convincing us that you could be an asset, otherwise we would have eliminated you during extraction. He believes you are different than your father and truly wish to do the right thing. Prove that he hasn't made a mistake in his trust and help us stop the terrorist cell your father is behind."

She eyed his gun as much as she watched him. He noticed this and smirked, but still awaited her response. She took into account that they could have killed her if they wanted to, it was believable that what she knew of Leo he would help her. They were partners after all but she apparently didn't know as much about him as she thought.

"It's true you could have killed me. I still won't help you until you prove beyond a doubt that you are not the terrorists."

He anticipated that response and snapped his fingers at the camera. A third man entered with a yellow folder, handing it to the man who had yet to name himself. He opened the folder and pulled out a picture of a man, one she knew to be Joe Carmonte.

"You recognize this man I can tell. Though You know him as Joe Carmonte a special agent for the Italian Secret Service. You helped him gain access to a high security facility. Though you weren't told anything else. Well this man is in fact Giorgio Strozzi member of the Camp crime family. He is throwing a party tomorrow night at his palace. We've secured two invites from agents within the organization. If you want your proof you will go with Mr. Storm to this party. I will leave you two to discuss it." His last look was to Leo, something unspoken passed through his eyes to the agent before leaving them alone once more. She was at a loss for words and looked for answers in Leo's face.

 

[LeoHawk35]

Leo debated over how to answer her question when a man entered the room. He had me this man before, but couldn't place the name. He gave a brief speech to Evelyn and then another man came in with a folder. This one was just an aide, and not very important. The folder contained information and a picture of a man whom Evelyn seemed to recognize.

Ah yes, a member of that crime family. Leo always enjoyed a good infiltration. He was slightly put off by the man's next words. Another party? He really hated those. Easy to infiltrate, though, so he supposed it was alright. He left with a last glance at Leo, who nodded in return. He would think of it later. He turned his eyes back to Evelyn's.

"So, Evelyn. Think you can put up with me for another mission?" he asked her, a slight joke in his voice.

 

[Ravvyn]

"It's not like you all are giving me a choice now is it? I say no and you put a bullet in my head. So fine, let's just do this." She was angry but couldn't tell if the anger was entirely at Leo, at this organization or if some of it was at herself or her father.

The following day she sat in her holding cell, awaiting the mission thinking of whether she could use the party to escape from Leo and get back to FIST. There was a good chance she could get away but a nagging in her gut that she had to find out if what they were saying was true.

Finally her cell door was opened and the man from the day before entered with a meal and a dress.

"Hello again Miss Devereaux. I thought you might appreciate a warm meal. I do apologize for keeping you locked up but for security purposes we just couldn't allow you out and about." As much as she begrudged her incarceration she was hungry and took the meal gladly.

"After you eat I will escort you to the showers and then you will wear this gown. I don't believe it will come to it but there is a tracking system implemented in the gown and if you attempt to run away we will be able to find you. After you see what you're going to see however I don't believe that will be an issue." He checked his watch and smiled at her.

"I will return in half an hour. Enjoy your meal." He took his leave of her and went down the hall to a briefing room where Leo was waiting.

"Informer. I apologize for the secrecy but the powers that be thought it prudent considering the nature of your relationship with Falcon's daughter. My name is Edwin Jones I will be your handler for the remainder of this mission. As far as this mission is concerned, you will need Miss Devereaux to gain access to Strozzi's server. We believe there is information pertaining to an arms deal which will be occurring between Camp and the Koreans. After you get that information, you are to eliminate Strozzi and Devereaux. I understand your attachment to the girl but if Camp believes Falcon is behind this and sent his own daughter it will work to great advantage for us. You will make your way to the extraction point and we will then plan our sting mission on the arms deal. Are we clear?"

 

[LeoHawk35]

Leo watched silently as the man entered the room and explained the mission. He also explained how he was to take care of Evelyn after the mission was accomplished. He didn't like the thought, but his loyalty was stronger than his mind.

"Understood." he replied in a low, colder than usual voice.

Mr. Jones gave Leo some of the finer details of the mission and then took his leave. Leo stayed straight in the chair and thought over some things. He'd need a suit. And a few toys that would fit in aforementioned suit. Maybe he could...no, don't think about it.

Leo left the room and saw Mr. Jones stepping out of Evelyn's room. Leo stepped in, looking at her.

"He give you the rundown?" he asked her.

 

[Ravvyn]

The food was bland but she felt like she hadn't eaten forever, in fact she didn't remember the last time she did eat so she stomached the paper-like taste and finished the meal just in time for her partner to come in.

"Yeah. I mean he didn't tell me anything other than that I'm going to be tracked but I understand. You guys don't have anyone who can get the information you want. You need me." She didn't really believe that any international spy organization didn't have resources available that equaled or eclipsed her own abilities. She gripped the knife from her meal tightly in her hand, momentarily contemplating it's possible uses before setting it and the plate to the side.

"Question is. What happens next? You get the information you need but getting out will be a lot harder than getting in. I know why I am going. You'll need someone to take the fall, I'm perfect for it. Three birds with one stone. One I get you the information you want, two you cripple the arms deal with the Korean, three you all but discredit FIST to their customer-base since the daughter of Falcon is caught sabotaging one of the clients. It's clever really." She stood and smiled at him. When they were out of this building she would unveil her own changes to those plans. The information would be sent to a private mainframe that she had made a couple years ago, information was powerful and she knew that one day there would be information someone wanted out of her that she would need to wield in a way to protect herself. That time had come. She would send the information to that mainframe and only when she was assured of her safety would she release it keeping back ups for herself as insurance.

 

[LeoHawk35]

Leo watched her calmly. He noticed her pick up the knife and then set it back down. She certainly had been a wildcat when they were still back at FIST. There was this one time in Amsterdam...no, no. Moving along.

He listened quietly as she outlined the supposed plan they had in mind for her. He hesitated and vaguely considered denying it. He decided against it. He needed her to trust him. Trust was a commodity, and very hard to earn.

"That is true." he said simply.

He figured that she would guess the plan of his organization rather quickly. She was brighter than most. He also needed her to trust him if they were to make it out of this in one piece. He wasn't sure what he would do once it came time for him to fulfill his orders, but he would think of something.

"We will have to get going soon."

He glanced over at her, then back at the door.

"We will trust eachother...before the end." he murmured, and then stepped out of the room.