freshoffthefarm | [SPIES LIKE US] ... for Clay

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Current Location: Washington DC

[SPIES LIKE US] ... for Clay

A simple drop and recover. That's what Joan had told her... because it had gone so well the last time.

Only, just like last time, this time wasn't going as planned at all. Why? Because the guns those two guys were carrying weren't the fake ones that were part of the exhibits. Add to that, the suits were expensive and fit too well for a random tourist. Speaking of tourists, with it being so late in the day, there weren't that many of them around, making the two men heading in her direction stand out even more.

Annie turned and walked toward the exit at a brisk pace, not quite hurried. There was no need to draw attention to herself, was there? After all, they wouldn't exactly make a move in a public place-

When the bullet whizzed past her head, she ducked instinctively to avoid another and that's when she began to run. The irony of a spy showdown happening the International Spy Museum was not lost on her and her hand held tight to the package as she pushed open the door into the fading evening light.

Taking a deep breath, her eyes scanned for an escape route. The metro was too obvious - Chinatown would be easier to get lost in and she ran in that direction.

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Webb just finished dinner at his favorite Thai restaurant, located in Chinatown. He'd stopped questioning the location after he tried the food. It was as good as the dinner he had with the ambassador's daughter all those years ago. Granted, it didn't end the same way...but it brought back some good memories and didn't wrinkle his suit.

He'd just stepped out of the restaurant's foyer and into the street when he saw a woman, about the same height and build as Annie Walker, run passed him. This wasn't good, and did his best to catch up with her.

"Annie? There you are. The car's this way."

Annie recognized her name before she recognized the voice and it brought her hurried steps to a slower pace, her head whipping around to see who could possibly have recognized her without shooting at her. Eyes wide, she shook her head.

"What are you doing here?" She turned another corner, trying to follow protocol. If she'd gone the other direction, she would have hit the FBI building in two blocks. Hindsight.

The FBI building probably wouldn't have been the best choice, since she'd have to explain why a CIA Agent was working on American Soil. The mandate for The Agency became a little more fuzzy around the edges after 2001, but the FBI still viewed it as stepping on toes. Webb really didn't want to cause an inter-agency scene...this week.

He fell into step with her and slid his arm around her waist, "Looking for you. I had a feeling you forgot where we parked. What made you run out of the restaurant like that? The food was ok...wasn't it?"

Webb hoped she took that to mean what he intended. He won't be able to help unless she filled him in.

When his arm slid around her waist, Annie startled. The light bulb came on when he started talking and she reached up to take her hair down out of the bun it had been in - anything at all to change her appearance. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

"Sorry, honey," she said with an apologetic smile, her arm going around his waist to mimic his gesture. "I forgot this little errand I had to run, and then things got complicated. Really complicated. Honestly, with the way things were going, I thought it was going to turn into the OK Corral."

The smile turned sweet, but her eyes said, 'So much for week seven'.

He was trying his best to put the pieces together, and leaned over to give the appearance that he was kissing her cheek, "How many and how far back?"

She resisted the urge to look. Instead, she closed her eyes to both actually remember and to give the impression of someone enjoying the romantic advance.

"At least two and I'm not sure. Not far."

Webb smiled in acknowledgment and decided to take the lead, heading in the direction of the nearest alley way. The mess he assumed was going to happen would be easier to clean up out of the public eye.

"Well, at least they don't have the advantage of having more guns than you anymore."

Annie ducked her head to smile. After reading his file, pared down as it must have been, she wasn't at all surprised at his statement. Instead, she let him hurry them both into the alley, her heels clicking on the pavement.

At the last minute, she turned her head and caught the eye of one one of the men from the museum fifty feet away.

"Clay-"

Webb backed her up against the far wall of the alley, and whispered in her ear again, "Gun's in my jacket's breast pocket. Where's yours?"

Annie tilted her head up so she could keep an eye on the entrance to the alley while she whispered. "Small of my back."

Well at least that was going to be easy enough to get in the position they were currently in. If they fired before he was able to move, they'd shoot him not her. Then she'd be able to take out one of them.

Webb decided to handle this in with the biggest cliche in the spy game, and leaned forward to kiss her. His hands slid up her back to grab her gun. He hoped she'd follow suit.

It could have been worse. He could have been a bad kisser.

One hand went to the back of his head, the other to his chest. When she came in contact with his gun, the hand in his hair tightened ever so slightly to indicate she had the gun in hand. The rest of her body, to the outside observer, looked perfectly at ease.

She wasn't too bad herself, which was something he figured he'd regret knowing.

Webb backed away slightly, so she can bring his gun between the two of them, "Watch over my shoulder, when they're close, say my name. I'll move left, and take the one on the left. You move right, take the right. One shot each," then trailed a few kisses down her neck to give her a better view of the alley's opening.

Edited 2010-08-27 15:47 (UTC)

The kisses down her neck were just this side of distracting, but she watched the alley's entrance with the expression of a woman who wasn't at all bored with her companion's attentions.

She saw the first man enter and then tensed slightly, feeling her pulse quicken. It could have been because of the way Clay's lips brushed over her collarbone, but she was going to believe that it was the appearance of the second man. "Clay."

Webb did exactly as he said and moved left, pulling the trigger on Annie's gun before her pursuer even knew what happened. One shot, between the eyes. Webb's target hit the ground as Clay turned to aim at the other man, hoping Annie was a good shot.

She'd pulled the trigger less than a second after he had, her shot a little lower. Arms still extended, she swallowed and hard looked at Clay. "Through the throat works just as well, right? He won't be talking to anyone anytime soon."

"It'll take a little longer...but it's effective."

Webb handed her gun back, before taking out his cell phone to make a call. He figured a Director calling for a clean up crew would cause one to show up faster than if the rookie called.

He put his phone away and looked over at Annie, "You ok?"

Edited 2010-08-27 16:07 (UTC)

"Yeah, I'm okay."

She nodded, maybe a bit rapidly to be completely believable, but she was okay. Just a simple drop? It was never simple. The box in her jacket pocket was still there and she was going to have to explain all this to Joan. NOT something she was looking forward to.

Plus, her neck was still tingling a little and she rubbed at it without thinking.

He watched her rub her neck, "Sorry about that. It was the easiest way I could think of to..."

To what Webb? There really was no higher reason to do anything that just happened. They weren't in view of anyone. They both could have just been waiting for the men, guns drawn and he had to go and do that

"...make them think I didn't suspect anything."

He didn't even believe himself.

Annie hadn't even realized what she'd done until he'd made the excuse and then she lowered her arm with a smile. What he was saying was complete BS and it was obvious. There was nothing to say, though. He'd given her the out in his office and it was only fair that she return the favor.

Nodding, she said, "It was a good plan and it worked. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up."

THAT much was true. Another truth? No matter how hard she rubbed? The tingling wasn't going to go away.

There was no way she actually could have bought that line of crap he just fed her, but at least she wasn't going to press it. He'd be lying if he said he wouldn't be thinking about that kiss for the rest of the night.

"Just coincidence. Though I'm glad you ran passed me. One agent and two men with guns never turns out well."

"I'm glad I did, too." She ran a hand over her pocket. "I should probably finish this."

There were certain protocols in place for when a drop went bad. The museum was closed and taking it back to the office was probably in her best interest. Being there when the cleaning crew showed up was probably not in her best interest.

Involving Clay was... well, already too late. He was involved. "I need to get back to the office."

He raised an eyebrow, "What were you trying to do?"

Annie gave him a look. He knew better than that, didn't he? Still, he'd probably saved her life and he was already showing up on her report.

"Drop and recover."

He did know better, but right now he was up to his eyeballs in a DPD op. So the question is, would they be less aggravated if he and Annie got it done or if Annie went back to the office and he stayed behind and played dutiful federal agent when the clean up crew arrived.

He decided to get it done, "How far into it did you get?"

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