[DPA Station Nine]
"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Ayako said to Valerie after the two women decided to take a break from their training session.
Valerie nodded before using her towel to wipe the sweat from her brow. "Sure, go ahead."
Just like Cyrus and Skylar, the two agents were currently doing their best to sharpen their skills in preparation for the raid. Since they were going to be partnered up to deal with Aaron, the two of them needed to be in sync for when they inevitably confronted him.
To most in sorcerer society, pairing a 'water magic' user and a 'fire magic' user together on the same team was always a recipe for total chaos, whether good or bad. Their attributes were quite literally on the opposite end of the spectrum when it came to general compatibility. So, Chief Chandler's decision to put the two of them together could be seen as questionable to most.
That being said, given the circumstances, it was actually a good idea. Aaron was a particularly dangerous brand of 'fire magic' user who needed to be kept in check from all possible angles. With Valerie's abnormally strong body, even by sorcerer standards, and Ayako's proficient use of her water, they were a good fit to stop the raven-haired teen from incinerating everything in sight. And based on the last few days, the two were actually a pretty solid team. Not perfect by any means, but more than adequate for the task at hand.
"Are you dating the Commissioner's kid, Evan?"
"W-what?!" Valerie immediately blushed at Ayako's question. "No, I-I'm not! Why?"
"No reason. I heard from Skylar that you've been spending a lot of time over at his place recently." The senior agent said with a nonchalant shrug.
"That motherfucker…."
Of course, that asshole, Skylar, would somehow find the time to mouth off about things that didn't involve him whatsoever. Why what the tall blonde did in her free time was any of his concern was a complete mystery to her.
Sure, it was true that Valerie had been spending a lot of time with Evan over the last couple of months, but it wasn't like that. They mostly just spent their time working on her flying issue and hanging out at the MacNamara residence. Nothing weird was happening between them.
Now, don't get her wrong, Valerie was more than happy to spend some time with the guy whenever she could, but it wasn't like she was actively thirsting after him or anything. All she really ever did was steal a few choice glances at him whenever he wasn't looking, but that was perfectly normal. Or, at least, that's what she kept telling herself to avoid feeling like a total creep.
Plus, she was still reeling from Elaine's not-so-subtle threat to her back when she came to visit them the night they all received their enchantments.
Ayako suddenly let out a quick laugh after hearing the tall blonde's response. "I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you were. I saw him that day you all went to go visit Cyrus after he got back. The guy's hot as fuck. And from what I've heard, he's a pretty nice catch."
"Yeah…"
"I did hear some crazy stuff about him from my relatives down in Florida, though. Something about him being a total party boy."
It was then that Valerie remembered that Ayako herself was half-Owens through her mother. So, it made sense that she would have some info on what went down in and around their territory. Actually, now that she thought about it, didn't that mean that Ayako was technically related to the MacNamaras? Evan and Elizabeth's grandmother was from the Owens family. And their aunt, Evelyn, was married to one of their more prominent members, one of the DPA's Regional Directors.
Compared to other big families like the Blairs and Conleys, the Owens family were probably the most interconnected of the bunch. A ton of their members were either married to other sorcerers from a big family or had children with them. Hell, even one of Valerie's cousins, Olivia, was the biological daughter of one of their Chief Agents. Something that further proved how wide their net was in terms of their connections to the American sorcerer society as a whole.
"Aunt Zoe did mention something like that back before we went with them to the beach." Valerie then said. "I never figured out what she meant by it, though."
"I don't really know all the details, but my cousin, Julian, said that they always used to see him hanging around in nightclubs around Miami. And that he was known for blowing money on whatever pretty woman he had had with him that night."
There was also another unsavory rumor that Ayako heard about the young genius hacker, one that she wasn't too inclined to tell Valerie about at the moment. But the 'water magic' user decided to keep that little detail to herself for the time being. She wasn't the type to go around gossiping about people and what they did or didn't do. Even if it might've involved some pretty hardcore drug use and the whispers of some less-than-appropriate relationships with women of a certain disposition.
"Really?"
"Mhmmm." Ayako nodded. "I can't really confirm any of it, though."
"Gotcha." Okay, Valerie was definitely going to be doing some digging into whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. From her perspective, Evan was a stand-up guy who didn't seem like he was into that kind of stuff. But to be honest, she really didn't know that much about him. Then again, they hadn't known each other all that long, so something like that was to be expected.
'Argh! Why am I even thinking about this right now?!' The tall blonde then asked herself. Evan wasn't what was important right now. She needed to focus on her impending fight with Aaron. All of this could wait until after they dealt with that.
After a few more minutes of idle chatter, the two agents went back to training. They still had some things that they needed to work out when it came to their coordination, and time was of the essence.
That being said, Valerie did make a mental note to ask Evan about his time in Miami later. There was something there that just felt weird. And she really wanted to see what that was all about.
-(o)-
[Station Nine, APS Training Area]
The training room hummed with the steady rhythm of exhaustion, the hiss of labored breaths, the slapping of shoes against the training mats, and the low, electric whine of the overhead lights. And beneath those lights, Maria Ortega wiped the sweat from her brow as she once again squared her stance as she faced off against her partner, Sebastian.
Compared to how she was when she first joined the team, the young 'beast magic' user moved like a shadow; fast, fluid, and relentless. Although she still wasn't at the level of most of her colleagues, the improvements she had made were not to be questioned. Each strike she threw at the senior agent carried both precision and a hint of fury. And as the sweat rolled down her temple, stinging her eyes, she didn't stop.
On the other end of the equation, Sebastian Conley watched in silence. His arms crossed over his chest while expertly dodging each and every one of Maria's attempted strikes like a seasoned boxer. He knew this rhythm. The sharp, controlled violence of someone who was trying to outfight their thoughts. Maria wasn't just training; she was exorcising something.
They'd been at it for hours, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. Every movement was a test, not just of skill, but of will. Their upcoming mission was no simulation, nor was it any sort of laughing matter. It was real, and its name was Mikayla.
"You seem extra motivated today." The elder 'beast magic' user said with a smile while still dodging the woman's fists. "Wanna talk about it?"
Maria exhaled, lowering her hands. "Is it that obvious?"
"Pretty much." He replied after putting some distance between the two. "What's going on?"
For a moment, Maria said nothing. The faint scent of sweat and rubber filled the air, and in the distance, the sound of some of the other agents sparring echoed through the APS's training area. She then looked down at her hands, and then at the floor, where shadows stretched beneath her feet like questions she didn't want to face.
"It's Mikayla…." She finally said. "Every time I think about what we have to do, I... I feel this knot in my stomach."
Maria's eyes then flicked up to meet his before she continued. "You've read her file. She pretty much grew up the same way that I did. No money, no chances, no one to help her. The kind of place that teaches you how to survive."
Sebastian nodded, silent encouragement for her to go on.
"I kinda feel bad for her."
"Is that right?"
Sebastian could somewhat understand what the young agent was trying to tell him. He knew that Maria grew up in what could only be considered as less-than-ideal circumstances after her father was killed. So it made sense that she would empathize with their target on some level.
"It's just… strange, feeling pity for someone you're supposed to hunt down." Maria then said after taking a knee to catch her breath.
The bearded man was quiet for a long moment, letting her words hang in the air. Then he decided to add his own thoughts. "It's not a bad thing to feel pity for someone. It means you still see people for what they are. But you also know what Mikayla did to your friends."
Maria's jaw tightened. The image of Freddy's face then filled her vision. His kind grin, the way he used to joke to keep everyone's spirits high. Then came the memory of the funeral, the sadness, the sound of the muted cries when he was finally lowered into the ground.
Although many would describe Maria as stoic and emotionless thanks to her general demeanor, in reality, she was quite the opposite. Sure, she never outwardly voiced her opinions unless it was necessary, but that didn't mean that she never had them. But for the life of her, she just couldn't understand why she was feeling so sad for someone who was supposed to be her enemy.
Maybe it was the fact that her magical attribute allowed her quite literally to feel the feelings of beings beside herself. Or something else that she couldn't quite understand. But the idea of taking down someone who probably would've had the chance to be better if her circumstances were different just didn't feel entirely right with her.
Maria's eyes then met Sevastian's once again, searching for something. Maybe justification, maybe forgiveness. "You really think she deserves to go down like the rest of them?"
Sebastian exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Deserve's a tricky word. I don't know if anyone deserves what's coming. But I do know that this girl's dangerous, and she's part of a criminal organization, something that's already hurt too many people. You and I... we don't get to choose the easy path. We just do the job, and we do it right."
Maria looked down, fingers tracing the edge of her sweatshirt. There was truth in his words, heavy and steady like the weight of her badge.
"I just wish…" She whispered. "That it didn't have to be this way."
Sebastian gave a small nod. "So do I. But wishing's not gonna stop Iznana from hurting more people whenever they get the chance, rookie."
For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence that followed between them wasn't uncomfortable. It was the quiet of shared understanding, of two people who knew what it meant to carry the burden of doing what had to be done.
Before long, the two agents moved back into position. The hesitation was gone now, replaced by focus. Every motion was a reflection of her decision. Maria Ortega wasn't just training her body. She was training her conscience.
Because when the time came to face Mikayla to end what Iznana had started, she needed to be sure. Sure of her aim. Sure of her cause.
Sure of herself.
These people had hurt her friends, and they needed to pay for it.
And for the first time in days, Maria felt at peace with that.
-(o)-
[The Next Day, Mid-Afternoon]
To say that Chief Chandler had been waiting for this moment for far too long would be putting it mildly. After months of investigations, stakeouts, interrogations, and planning, the time had finally arrived.
Just a few minutes ago, the brunette woman had received word from Robin that her companions had spotted a bunch of Iznana operatives gathering at the warehouse in Concord. Probably in preparation for some kind of meeting. But not only that, all three of their individual targets were isolated from one another. It was as if the universe itself had served them up on a platter exactly the way that she wanted them.
This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. All of the pieces were in place, and all of her people were just waiting for her to give them the green light. Now was the perfect time for them to strike while the group of criminals was still getting together. A chance like this was simply too good to pass up. And she sure as hell wasn't about to waste it.
With her mind made up, Chief Chandler pressed the intercom button on her office phone and let out a deep breath before speaking into it.
"All agents, suit up and get ready to head out! Operation Gangbuster is officially a go!"