Season 1, Episode 4: Ice Ice Baby
Part 2 of 5
“You’re
kidding, right? This is a joke?”
Nick Carter
threw the file folder down with such force that its top-secret contents spilled
across the meticulously clean desktop. If you looked closely enough, you would
have seen the muscles under Agent K’s jaw clench ever so slightly. Otherwise, he remained completely calm during
the interruption.
Kevin’s
eyes fell to the clutter, and then up to the office door, where a nervous
secretary was now leaning against the frame to catch his breath. “I’m sorry,
Sir. I know you said no interruptions, but as much as I would love being on the
receiving end of some manly brute force, Agent Carter scares me when he’s
really angry.”
Agent
Littrell of the CIA eyed the man curiously and was about to say something when
Agent Jay subtly shook his head, suggesting it wasn’t worth the effort. Brian
looked curiously at his cousin and was amazed to see the corners of his mouth
twitching as if he were trying not to break out into a smile. “It’s alright,
Mr. Lancybassy. I somewhat expected him. Just try and keep everyone else out.”
“Okie-dokie, boss, cross my heart!”
Lancy
smiled and winked Brian’s direction as he practically skipped out of the room.
Once the door was securely shut behind him, Kevin calmly scooped up the loose
papers and placed them neatly back in the folder. “I never joke about work,
008.”
AJ
and Brian looked at each other and giggled, thinking that Kevin had no idea
just how true that statement was, until Kevin met them with a glare that sent
chills up their spines. Nick followed his boss’s gaze and met Brian with a look
of pure hatred. “Boss, you can’t trust the
Brian
looked into Nick’s icy blue eyes, and the fire on his short fuse was now
officially lit. “Excuse me?”
“I
don’t think I need to repeat myself, but just in case your hearing is as good
as your judgment, I said the
Brian’s
knuckles went white as he clenched his fists tight enough to turn coal into
diamonds. “This is the kind of person you’re trusting the fate of the world
with? Kev, I respect the hell out of you, man, but there’s a reason you and I
are not on the same team.”
“Damn
right, there’s a reason! Lucky for us, the gene pool is pretty broad in your
family.”
“Nick!”
Kevin hissed. “You will get control of yourself right now, or you will find
yourself without a job.”
Nick
literally forced his teeth sharply into his tongue to keep it from running away
from him, but he was still so angry that he jumped when AJ placed a supportive
hand on his shoulder. Kevin also placed a hand on his cousin’s shoulder.
“Different styles, but one purpose. That puts us on the same team. You are both
exceptional agents, and I expect you to set aside your personal issues and find
that missing weapon.”
Nick
and Brian continued to stare one another down, and Kevin was quickly reaching
his boiling point. “Now,” he grumbled,
“would be nice.”
AJ
forced a smile to the man he only trusted because K trusted him. “Why don’t you
head down to the lab; we’ve already got someone working on it. With any luck,
she’s cracked the system already.”
Brian
headed for the door, making no mature effort to miss Nick as he passed. Nick
felt the force of The Rok smash into his shoulder, and he quickly whirled
around to confront the smaller man, but AJ wisely stepped in his way and
grabbed hold of his punching arm. “Let’s go for a walk, kid,” he said,
practically dragging Nick out of Kevin’s office.
AJ
strolled lightheartedly down the hallway, but never loosened his grip on Nick’s
arm. They were just about to find sanctuary in AJ’s office when they ran into
Shazam. He smirked when he saw that Nick was agitated and ignored the warning
look AJ gave him. “So, 008, I heard your first mission back went so well that
they’re letting the CIA baby-sit you. They can’t even spare Diamond this time
around; that’s too bad, man. Better luck next time.”
AJ
felt Nick’s arm harden in his hand, and he could have held him back, but he’d
never really cared much for JC’s sparkling personality, and he figured better
him now than Brian later, so he let go.
The moment Nick was free, his fist connected with JC’s face, sending him
flying back against the wall. Nick didn’t stop to admire the damage he’d done
to the pretty face, and he barely herd the muffled, “What the fuck, Carter!” as
he stormed into AJ’s office and plopped into the chair behind the desk.
AJ
shut the door behind him and the moment it was secure, he burst into laughter.
“Dude, if anyone asks, I tried my best to hold you back.”
Nick
sat for a moment, wanting to brood in peace, but watching his so-called “boss”
crack up over the interoffice violence forced an unwanted smirk to appear on
his face. AJ smiled when he saw it and took on a more serious attitude. “Got it
out of your system now, man? Because you’re already on thin ice, and shit like
that is not the best way to prove that you’re ready to be back.”
Nick
let go a long sigh of frustration. “You know I can handle it. This ain’t about
that.”
“I
know you can. I am the one that assigned you this case.”
“Then
why the CIA?”
“Hell,
I don’t know. Personally, the guy creeps me out with all the smiling and the
‘pleases’ and ‘thank-you’s.’ And that damn accent! I had to listen to Emerald
blab on for an hour about ‘that hot CIA guy’s sexy voice.’ You think I liked
that shit?”
Nick
smirked at the thought of someone as obnoxious as Emerald crushing on such a straight-laced
fuddy-duddy. “But I know Kevin, man,” AJ continued, “and if he wants him to go,
then like it or not, you’re stuck with him.”
“Have
you read the file? Do you really want
“Part
of the glory of being the boss is that I get to read all the files, even yours.
I know all about your sister.”
Nick
flinched in surprise at AJ’s confession, and his eyes glossed over with the
tiniest hint of moisture. AJ squatted down to eye level with Nick and dropped a
hand firmly on his shoulder. “If Kevin says we can trust him, then we can trust
him. But more than that, I need you to stay focused on this mission. We have
reason to believe that whoever stole that weapon is the same organization that
was behind the World Idol scandal.”
Flashes
of his previous mission whizzed through Nick’s mind, and AJ now had his full
attention. “You let Brian worry about that weapon. If we’re dealing with the
same people, then there’s a chance that we might be dealing with-
“Drums.”
“You
gotta find him, man. He’s our responsibility.”
Nick
nodded his head with new determination. He was responsible for that monster; he
was. Not AJ, not Himitsu Takana, but he, Nick Carter. And he was going to be
the one to stop him.
± ± ±
Footsteps resounded through the metal laboratory as
Brian made his way down. It seemed larger and surprisingly more advanced than
the many he knew of at the CIA. Kevin had told him to go here for more
information on the Russian weapon taken for their next mission, while Nick had
been pulled aside by one of the other agents.
Nick, heh. The guy had no self-control and was a
poor excuse for any type of agent, and he knew the government never would let
someone like him become an agent for the CIA. He was amazed Kevin had let him
in. Now his cousin thought it was a good
idea to pair them together? Was this some unfair joke?
Brian's sky-colored eyes glanced around for the
scientist he was supposed to meet. The "best in the business," as
Kevin said, for technology and the ability to get the information they needed.
Sitting at the main table, surrounded by a
complicated-looking computer system with many video screens – many displaying
what he assumed to be other agents on missions – sat a young woman, younger
than him, with loose, curly, blonde hair and bright, blue eyes. Hearing him, she turned with a small smile.
"You must be CIA boy." She smirked.
"I could hear you and Blondie fighting all the way down here."
"Blondie?"
"Nick. Jay told me about the new mission, and
so I'm trying to hack into the Russian government system." She patted the
chair beside her. "Take a seat; shouldn't take too long. The Russian
system is easier to hack into than the
Was everyone at Himitsu Takana annoying? Or just
the ones he was forced to interact with? "Wait a minute-"
"Chill. Call me
"I want to keep the world safe too, ya know.
Her slender fingers flew across the keyboard as her
gaze skipped between the main computer screen and Brian. This woman, this
person who was so young (in this business), was the scientist? He wasn’t sure
whether to be surprised or impressed. Yet she did annoy him a bit, much like
his new partner. “I hear you do things differently at the CIA than their other
agents-”
“Whatever is right and gets the job done.”
"So we get each other. ‘Cause it’s really just
different ideas, same goal. Can’t say I’m a fan of government-related agents
myself, but you seem okay. You're K's cousin, so I know you wouldn't be here
unless he trusted you." Her lips curved into a grin as Nick began to make
his way into her sanctuary of technology, weapons, and metal. "I like that
southern accent of yours, by the way."
"Pearl..." Nick started as he stepped
beside Brian, still fuming. Agent Jay had calmed him down a lot. He had a way
of doing that, always able to relate to him. Still, the idea of working with
this government pawn irritated him to no end. "How's the hack job?"
"Allll-most done. By
the way, Blondie, I loved that ‘Mambo No. 5’ performance. I saved that cute
little moment on video."
“You can’t…that’s just wrong!”
“What can I say?
A performance like that is pure gold.”
The government agent raised a brow. "Maybe
instead of trying to play wannabe-hero, Carter, you can sing and leave the
world saving to the real agents."
Two pairs of blues met angrily. If looks could kill,
both men would have been frozen to death by now from the cold, harsh stares
alone. "Not even five minutes, and I am already sick of your ass,
Littrell! You couldn't handle this mission on your own. All the government
pawns do is fuck things up anyway. I'm on this to save your ass and keep it out
of trouble." To Nick, nothing he said was false. The man angered him
beyond measure; all that Brian represented was, in his mind, worthless, for
more reasons than one.
"You want to try saying that again?" Brian
demanded as he stood toe to toe with the taller man with the thicker frame.
Still, his eyes never lost that determined look. There were several reasons why
he was known by many as The Rok, and this was one of them. This poor excuse of
an agent didn’t scare him in the slightest.
"Hey! Agents acting like teenagers drugged up
on hormones, I just got into the system!"
The two leaned over to take a look, putting the
squabble on hold for the moment. Brows furrowed at the site before them. Nick
shifted his eyes over to his friend. "I can't read any of it."
"You and me both, buddy. This baby must be
big; it's encoded. And I’m almost positive it's in Russian, to boot. A language
I only know the basics of. Perfect. I'm okay with codes, but this isn't my area
at all, and I'd muck it up. Ugh, we're gonna have to dig up the cryptographer,
unless CIA boy knows how to decode this."
"We have a cryptographer?"
"Yeah we do; we just don't need him that
often. Okay, where is my communi-com that links me to the specialized
areas...?"
The southern man shook his head as he brushed
himself free of invisible lint idly. "Forget it. I know a person. She's
the best."
"Great, more government people."
"Ya need to shut it right now."
"Why? I'm only speaking the truth. It's like
how the
A grin slowly made its way across the CIA agent's
face, his dimples popping up amidst his defined cheekbones and lighting up his
face. Just the thought of his girl made such a difference and easily helped
soothe the frustrations he‘d been dealing with. Ashavari… he couldn‘t wait to
see her again. "She's the best, and she's in LA."
Knowing what she meant, Nick smirked. Ignoring it,
he started towards the garage, the door connecting it to the laboratory opening
as he did. He paused and turned his head back towards Brian. "Let’s go.
Oh, and we're taking MY car."
± ± ±
Once at the car, even Brian was impressed by the sleek
appeal the vehicle had. He smirked as Nick used the remote to open the doors.
"I'm driving."
"Look, you can't drive."
"Of course I can drive; it's just a car."
Nick rolled his eyes. Stubborn. Typical government,
ignoring the people, right? Fine, let
him try, but he'd still show him. They
both got into the car, Nick discreetly pushing the remote to open the door so
Brian could get in thinking all was normal.
"No, I mean you cannot
drive, you American Idiot." To add on to the insult, he then started
singing the Green Day song that inspired said comment. Turning the IPod on, he
played the song, letting his own voice blend in.
Don't want to be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck
Head banging soon accompanied the singing of the
Himitsu Takana agent, as his unwilling partner attempted to ignore him, turning
the key in the engine yet again.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.
Well maybe I'm the faggot
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Seeing the other agent’s face fuming, Nick skimmed
back to the last line again, singing it even louder as Brian began to attempt
starting up the car. “I’m NOT part of a REDNECK agenda…!”
Snickers were hard to keep in as Brian’s eyes
exploded with rage as he kept trying to start the car.
“Your singing is worse than a bunch of starving
donkeys wailing for some hay. And your car is a lemon.”
“Heh, told you that you can’t drive it.” Then, just
amused by watching, Nick continued singing, his arms waving around for this
line like a mocking dance. “Now everybody
do the propaganda... And sing along to the age of paranoia...”
Brian smirked back then, agitated and already
wishing the mission was over and done with. His accent came through as a result
of his inner rage. “Told ya you’d be better off leaving the world-saving to the
real men and go off to sing pretty ‘ole songs.”
“Shut up.”
“Stop singing.”
“Hell no. Heh, I don’t care what K says; we can’t
trust you, and I wish this mission is done.”
“Well, buddy, that feelin’s mutual. Now why can’t I
get this car to start?”
With a roll of his eyes, Nick climbed out of the
car. One way or another, they had to save the world. And so they would. He just
didn’t have to like it. “Get out.”
“Why?”
“I’m serious, aight? Get out.”
“Fine.”
Nick motioned for him to get in the passenger seat
as he took his own seat at the steering wheel. He let a grin escape as the car
recognized his fingerprints and suddenly sprang to life. With just a hint of a
smile forming, the younger blond agent sped out of the garage.
The car raced down the highway, nothing but desert
all around them. Green Day‘s song “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was now on
the IPod and made its way through the speakers.
Nick took a sideways glance at Brian, whom he knew was wondering why the
car wouldn‘t start for him.
Maybe Nick could try the calmer, more mature
approach.
“See,
Brian glanced the car over, took in the add-ons and
new technology a classic car like this wouldn’t have. The CIA didn’t give out
such neat toys. “It’s alright.” He smirked calmly. “I guess a below-average agent would need aid
of extra equipment.” The smirk grew mockingly at Nick.
Or maybe the mature way was stupid.
“Or…” He shrugged, very simply, looking not even
bothered by the verbal jab directed at him. “You just wish you had one…” His
hand came off of the steering wheel and was soon pointing at Brian. “But you
don’t…” The hand went back to the wheel so he could drive, as a set of chuckles
escaped. His voice rose in false excitement. “Sucks for you!”
Both men set their jaws, determined not to kill the
other, no matter how tempting. One thing
was painfully obvious to both. It was
going to be a long mission.
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