- 3 months later -
It was close to dusk here at Costa Dorada beach. A slight chill is settling in for the night, and only but a few brave souls wrapped in large towels dared to remain on the sand, gazing out to the vast darkening expanse of the Mediterranean Sea.
On a small paved walkway just farther inland, a lone young woman walks steadily. A local might just regard her as another of the many tourists that come by the area, and one might even stop to ask if she needed directions. But Max knew exactly where she was going, having memorized every street within 10 blocks of the meeting point. Not that she suspected she was in any extra danger today. She did it mostly from habit.
The athletic dark-haired agent continues to stroll until she reaches behind a bench, where a tall blonde was sitting. In this blonde's hands were a pencil and a sketchbook. As Max approaches behind the woman, she takes a peek at the drawing, and sees a near-perfect pencil silhouette of the wooden pier straight ahead of her.
"You've gotten even better." Max starts, knowing full well Amy knew she was right behind her.
"Thanks." Amy replies, keeping her gaze ahead of her, studying her unmoving subject. "I still have some trouble with water surfaces, but I'm working on it.
Max smiles. "You're broadening your horizons. I remember you used to always draw people."
Amy lets out a small laugh, with more than a small hint of embarrassment. "Blame that on my teachers. They say I need to submit more than just pictures of my girlfriend all the time."
The two women slowly tread down the path alongside the beach. Amy had collected her sketchbook and supplies in a large, flat case she slung around her shoulder. A case Max later finds out she now almost never goes without.
"...So are you going to tell me what happened after? How you both got here, and even using legitimate passports?" Max asked, as though she had been eager for the answer for a while.
After a short pause, Amy finally answers. "The media never found out who released those files exposing Bill Page. But I made sure that certain people of high influence knew it was me, and made sure they knew that I had more than just what was released."
Max appeared concerned. "That might have been foolish. You of all people know that for them, all it takes is one phone call and you'd have half a dozen top assassins hunting you down."
"I know. But I also know they had too much at stake to risk it. All it took would have been one failed hit and everything would be out. What I had on them could destroy everything they value in their lives. There would have been a huge public outcry like you've never seen. It would easily bring down the entire Administration, and pretty much turn the US political arena into utter chaos. They were eager to negotiate considering that my asking price is relatively low..."
"Lucy's freedom." Max finished for her.
"Yes. And mine. ...And Bobby's too."
Max's eyes perked up at Amy's at that moment, more than a bit of surprise in her expression.
"After they found Bobby on the grounds, they took him to the hospital. Once he recovered, he was charged with everything they could think of, from Unauthorized Government Computer Access to Trespassing of Military Grounds to Conspiracy, Treason, and Terrorism. Even his dad wasn't able to convince them to lower the charges. Considering the counter-terrorism laws in place now, his life would have effectively ended. Despite what he did at Endgame, I wouldn't have Lucy now if it weren't for him. So I couldn't let that happen to him. He can now rebuild his life, but he will never be allowed to hold another Government position again."
Max thought for a moment. Never would she have thought this meek little ex-agent-in-training could have been capable of bringing the US government to its knees. There was just one more question on this subject.
"So why did you target Bill Page and the rest in the bribery scheme? Sounds like you brought down the small fry while keeping the big fish in power."
"I left them in, because I know even if they go down, there'll be more of the same kind elected to replace them. Greed isn't limited to one President, or one Party. There's a shit-load of bad money in the political pool, the only difference is who happens to be swimming in it." Amy's face then clenches a bit in disgust. "But Bill Page was no small fry, Max. He was the leader in a truly despicable network that took in profits from people engaged in everything from child prostitution, to weapons sales to extremist groups, to counterfeiting of insulin and cancer drugs ...the list of vile things his group did is enormous. Most politicians usually just meddle with stock prices, take corporate bribes in exchange for favors, or hide tax money. I took out who I thought was the greater of two evils. And it just so happened the lesser of the two had the power to do what I asked them to."
After she let it settle in a bit, Max's eyes bulged open. "Wait... did you just say you blackmailed the President of the United States?"
Amy smiled, almost smirking. "There are not many people in the world who can just, unofficially of course, tell the FBI to cross a few names off their most-wanted list, Max."
Max continued to gaze at Amy, her expression one of shock and admiration.
Amy walked on with an indecipherable expression. While she did harbor some pride in what she was able to pull off, she was mainly just happy it was over and done with.
"What I wasn't able to interfere with was the possible consequences for you and the team." Amy added in a regretful tone. "But I'm glad it seemed like you were able to come out of it pretty much unscathed."
Max thought for a moment and recounts, "For several days, we were half-expecting to be criminally charged. To our relief, we weren't. To our complete surprise, we weren't even reprimanded by the Agency for the complete failure in the mission. ...Maybe we got lucky, lack of evidence perhaps."
"It wasn't luck." Amy replied with certainty in her voice. "I doubt it was a coincidence you were the ones they sent in that night."
Max looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I have no proof, and she will never admit it, but I believe Ms. Petrie knew Lucy was there."
Max's jaw dropped. "How?"
"I don't know. Maybe she was one of the select few who knew in the first place. Maybe she found out by accident. But if I'm right, that means her goal all this time was to either to find a way for me to stop myself from stealing, which will satisfy her job mandate, or try to get me to release the files I obtained in order to reveal the corruption, or probably both. Either of which she knew I would likely do if I knew Lucy was alive and was back with me."
Max still looked a bit confused, so Amy continued. "Anybody as high up as Ms. Petrie in the intelligence community, with still a shred of conscience in them, would wish for the files I had on Bill Page to be revealed. But of course they would never do it themselves out of concern for their jobs or their personal safety."
"So how does that relate to our assignment?"
"Homeland Security quietly asked for security reinforcement after suspecting of the unauthorized access on their own computers. Ms. Petrie immediately volunteered your team for the job, despite the fact it was completely unrelated to your skills and training." Amy then smiled gently. "...But I believe that since she knew Lucy was there, she knew it was likely going to be me going after her. So she sent you in, because my friends are much more likely to let me take Lucy back."
A shot of guilt passes through Max at that point, knowing that amongst the three of them, she was the one who tried the hardest to stop her.
Amy notices the change to a somber expression on her former squad leader, and immediately tries to reassure her. "It's okay Max. Really. I can understand why you were angry with me. I had more than a few less-than-stellar moments over that whole timeframe as well." She sighs, and then continues in a regretful tone, "It's difficult to believe how differently you view the world when the one thing you treasure most is taken away."
Max's footsteps begin to slow until she is just standing still. Her mind is swarming in a dizzying haze of images from the past she tried to forget and refused to reveal for so long. She closes her eyes, and her face angles down in contemplation.
Amy then halts her own feet, and turns curiously to look at her friend.
After a moment passes, Max turns her eyes back up, her face and voice solemn and serious. "...I can believe it."
Amy continues to just gaze at her former squad leader; her curiosity now peaked.
Max takes a moment to collect herself, then starts, "...Long before the school, even before the SAT exam, I was with the guy I thought I'd be with for the rest of my life." Max says in a soft tone. "In fact, at the time I was certain we'd be married before I finish college."
Amy stood with her mouth slightly open, but trying not to look too shocked. Even as best friends through the Agency, Max had never mentioned of anybody that she was serious with, ever.
"His name was Brendan." Max continues. "He was the top shooting guard at our high school, and was considered one of the top basketball prospects in the country. One evening, three days before the regional championship game, he was walking me home, and these boys wearing masks jumped out and attacked us. We fought back hard, much harder than they expected, and so they panicked. One of them hit Brendan in the head with a baseball bat, and then he just stopped moving.
Amy gasped quietly, and a look of sympathy appeared on her face.
"But they didn't get away with it. The Police found the baseball bat in some trash bin, and compared it with the DNA from skin and blood samples from the attack scene. It took almost two months before they were identified.
They were all players from the team that had just won the championship against our team, a prize they won because Brendan couldn't play against them.
They were arrested, charged, and convicted. And after Brendan's parents had to pull the plug on his respirator, the charges were upgraded to murder and accessories to, and so their sentences lengthened drastically. Four of them are still in prison now. It was a textbook showcase of a modern society dealing with crime: Scientific. Efficient. Ethical. ...And agonizingly unsatisfying.
So when the opportunity eventually came for me to be the one to go after those who choose to commit crime, I embraced it. I reveled in it. And what I went through has shaped how I go about my work. ...I hunt them down like animals. And this is why, as you put it, I loved the chase. But that night, I was reminded of why I did all this, how I put my love for someone above all else, and how everything wouldn't mean a damn thing if I was offered the opportunity to be with him again. And so that's when I knew; it was exactly what you were going through right then."
Amy steps ahead and wraps her arms around the muscular girl. At first, Max didn't respond, but after a moment, she finally let herself relax and leaned her head onto the taller girl's shoulder, and let out an enormous relaxing sigh.
Amy later let go of her embrace, and they resumed their walk on the concrete walkway in silence. After some thought, Amy smiled and said amusedly, "I guess we're not that different, are we?"
Max smirked. "Not really, I guess. Except you know, I don't like... cats."
A deep rose-colored hue invaded on Amy's cheeks. "Well... cats... can be quite ...enjoyable, as I have discovered."
Max chucked and rolled her eyes. "Spare me the details, please. I'll take your word for it."
Both erupted into a prolonged giggle fit. After that tapered off, Max said smiling, "But nonetheless, I'm really glad we're still friends." Then the face of the dark-haired girl turned slightly apologetic. "...We are still, right?"
Amy turned towards her friend gleefully. "What did I tell you the first time we met?"
Max gave a quick thought and remembered. "That oatmeal scrubs do wonders for your skin?"
Amy paused. "Before that."
Max smiles with surprising bashfulness. "That we'd always be friends."
Amy's smile returns. "I am certain of that much more now than ever before."
Their arms encircle each other over the shoulders, and they stumble along in their stride playfully as they finish the remainder of the paved beach trail.
The two women reach to an intersection farther inland, across from a small dessert place, and after the road clears, they begin to approach the establishment.
"Janet and Dominique are inside." Max explains. Amy seems a bit amused by that.
"Was that your idea or theirs?" Amy asks.
"Theirs." Max answers. "They said they wanted to make sure we're not going to start a gunfight before they join us."
Amy giggled. "Ah, safe precaution." She then gives Max a wink.
As soon as they notice Max and Amy approaching, and in apparently good mood, Janet and Dominique both rushes outside to join them, each crushing Amy into delighted hugs.
During the contact, Amy immediately notices a piece of rubbery plastic on Dominique's neck. She stares at it as she pulls back, which Dominique notices.
"Nicotine patch." Dominique says proudly, pointing at the little square. "No more cigarettes pour moi!"
Amy's eyes brighten as her face shows a joyous smile. She practically squeals as she re-wraps Dominique back into a firm hug. "I'm so proud of you!"
They eventually pull away, and Amy turns to Janet, noticing the new wardrobe. She cocks an eyebrow. "What's this, no sweater today, Janet?"
Janet straightens her back and twirls a bit, showing off the chic, sleek, elegant attire she has on. "This is Europe, Amy! I gotta do the whole Couture thing, ya know?" Then she leans with a wink. "Plus, I have to take advantage when Scud's feeling generous with his Visa!"
Amy laughs. "Looks great on you, Janet." Amy's bit of fashion praise causing Janet to bounce in her spot giddily.
Max slaps her palms together excitedly. "Okay, who's up for some local cuisine? Amy? What's good within walking distance?"
Spotting something she knew all too well in the corner of her eyes, fast approaching their direction, Amy smiles mischievously.
"Well, who says we have to walk?"
Just then, a shiny light-blue Bentley Continental GT convertible, with the top down, rolls in and halts to a stop next to them. The dark-haired female driver turns to give an alluring look at the girls, especially to the taller blonde, while tipping her sunglasses up to her forehead.
"Can I interest any of you pretty girls for a ride?" Lucy asks seductively. Amy's heart fluttered at the so-sexy voice, then walks over to the former Pirate-wannabe, and leans in for a soft, lingering kiss.
The squad members look at each other briefly, and then each nodded to each other. They all begin to pile into the car. Amy took the passenger seat after placing her case in the trunk. The backseats aren't exactly roomy but the three slim girls seem to be comfortable enough snuggling together. Max eyed the two front occupants, and the car, with overwhelming suspicion.
"Amy, I thought you returned all the money you stole."
As she buckles her seatbelt, she says matter-of-factly, "I kept what I thought was a fair recovery fee." Then she turns to the driver with a sly smile, "But it was nothing compared to the combined accounts Lucy had hidden away a long time ago."
Lucy grins as the car begins to roll, her right index finger wagging in the air to make a point. "Legitimate accounts, by the way, inherited from my parents. It was hidden so that I can use it when I decide to retire."
"Uh-huh." Max replied. Not really sure if she believes that, but surprisingly, it didn't really matter in her mind at this point.
As the group cruised through the streets, likely headed for some exotic restaurant that corresponded with Lucy's expensive tastes, Lucy acts the role of the designated tour guide for the newcomers. Amy relaxes; her mind begins to wonder as she considers her life as it stands now. She thinks about what might have been and what has now become. She considers what might have happened had Bobby not pulled that trigger that fateful night, and as well, how grim her world would have been had she allowed herself to be consumed by her torment.
She realizes that no matter what happens around you, that as long as you keep that core of yourself that keeps you being you, nothing in the world can possibly change.
Amy breaks out of her reverie as she feels the warm fingers of her dark-haired angel slipping in between hers, intertwining into a gentle, but seemingly unbreakable hold.
Yes, Amy smiles contently as she says silently to herself, the world is finally as it should be.
- Fin -