Author's Note: All characters are over the age of 18. This story is a work of fiction. Please do not republish on other platforms without my express permission.
Constructive criticism welcomed. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!!
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"That has got to be the dumbest thing...ever. You're telling me that serum...was actually stolen by our boss?"
Winston tugs his shirt collar nervously as Carrie glares at him. "Well, stealing is a bit harsh. Technically, he was a prominent investor in the program-"
"That doesn't matter," exclaims Carrie as she slams her palms on the wooden desk which makes him jolt. "We're being targeted by the fucking MI6! What the hell are we supposed to do about this?!? I didn't sign up to have my ass iced by James Bond!"
Winston unconvincingly tries to answer her while staring at the exposed cleavage which was visible through the loose shirt. "Ahem...well, we...um..."
There is a loud beep which causes Winston to scramble, groping wildly around his desk. He finally finds the flashing red button and presses it.
"Winston! There you are! Where the hell have you been?!?" Carrie recognized the harsh tone of their boss and she straightens up crossing her arms.
"Oh, sir! Um, well, I'm busy with Carrie right now..."
"Huh? Carrie? Oh, good! It saves me time. I need Carrie to go over to Belarus. We need to get a bio guy over there. Fuck, it's been a while! The guy's name is Strawman...Stromhand...or something. He's on vacation and we need him fast cuz he's trying to give us the slip. Shit, that's my pager! I gotta go! "
Before she could interject, the line goes dead. Carrie sighs, "Succinct as always."
"Yeah...well, I have the brief right here and-"
"Oh no you don't! You're not getting away that easily!" Carrie snaps as she points a finger accusingly at him.
Winston groans. "Look, I know you want answers, but I can't really talk about it, ok? It's a sensitive subject."
The blonde wasn't impressed and her body language mirrored it. "Uh huh. Well, I'll make this very easy for you. Either you tell me or I quit right now. Have fun explaining that to the boss."
Now it was his time to stand up. "I-wait. Come off it, Carrie; don't be dramatic. I know you're upset-"
"Of course I'm upset! You idiot! You keep dancing around it! Does...does that stupid serum have something to do with any of this?!?"
"Uh...well...er," replies Winston nervously as he looks away.
Her eyes widen and she gasps. "No way! Come on, spill it!"
"I can't! It's confidential!"
She huffs and swivels around, moving towards the door.
"Wait! Look, you can get your answers if you do this mission."
Carrie's hand is on the door and she waits a second before retorting tersely. "Yeah? That sounds like bullshit."
"I...may not be able to tell you, but this German guy...he's a bio expert and he can give you answers."
Her hand grips the door handle and she turns it. "Just send me the report."
She walks the hallway when she spots Jimmy walking towards her. He looked more miserable compared to the last time she saw him. It would have been easy to pass by without a word because he had his head down, but something was off and she felt a prick on her conscience.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
It took him a second to register that she was talking to him and he looks up as he replies glumly, "Why do you care?"
Carrie rolls her eyes. "Don't be a brat, Jimmy. Just answer me."
He grumbles to himself incoherently and she sighs.
"Ok, if you're going to be difficult, how about we go to the cafeteria to talk?"
He gives her a skeptical look as his arms cross.
"You don't have anything better to do, right?"
"Yeah...I guess it's better than doing those stupid tests..."
"Ok then! Stop moping around. It's my treat."
Later, as they sat at the small table, Jimmy was poking at the food with his fork. He looks up at Carrie and frowns. "I don't like peas."
She scoffs. "You're skin and bones, Jimmy. Try it. It won't kill you."
He sticks out his tongue defiantly. "No way! I hate peas."
Carrie shrugs. "Suit yourself. So, how're the tests?"
"What do you think? They suck," grumbles Jimmy as he takes a bite of the meatloaf. "All I do is wake up and go through tests the whole day...this sucks! What kind of life is this???"
He glares at her accusingly, but she doesn't react. Instead, she looks him directly in the eyes. "Would you rather be a savage monkey man swinging from tree to tree? With no way of contacting your family? Mindlessly acting on instinct instead of making your own decisions. Does that sound any better?"
"...I just...I just want to go home," whispers the young man as he adjusts his glasses.
"Mmm. You have been here for a while, huh? Maybe I can talk to the geeks, but no promises."
He perks up and grins. "Really?!? You will?"
"What? You think I won't? I'm not completely heartless," teases Carrie.
"Well, I mean, you were kind of giving me the cold shoulder."
"I've been busy with back to back missions and I usually block things out to prep for them. You know...I'll make it up to you. I have a secret, special place we can go to after this."
"Huh? Where?"
"Uh, it's a secret, genius!" replies Carrie. "But first you have to finish your peas."
"Aawwwww! No fair!"
After they ate, they begin to walk. Jimmy runs ahead of her and leans against the railing as he looks out the glass panels.
"Whoa! No way! This is awesome!"
Carrie's pink lips curve into a small smile. Seeing Jimmy so dejected reminded her that he was still a kid at heart. It was unfair of her to blame him for what happened in the jungle. He was actually a pretty nice kid and his enthusiasm for animals was a bit endearing.
"...and that is a rare subspecies of the-"
"Oh? And how do you know all of this?"
"Books, books, and more books! In fact, that's why my vision is so bad," said Jimmy sheepishly.
She chuckles. He was so much different from his jungle alter ego. "Is that right? I guess that explains the thick glasses. Since when did you become so interested in animals?"