January 19th, 8:30 AM - HYENA HQ - Chicago, IL Azura's POV

*****

"Agent 69, please have a seat."

Azura smirked. Mr. Goodwill was finally able to call out her number without choking, coughing or blushing profusely. Pulling out a chair, she placed her self down, one leg crossed over the other. The air of arrogance around her came with being part of a pilot espionage program from the time she knew how to walk. Her years of experience in the field of lies and deceit were on par with the older gentleman in front of her.

"Joseph, how are you?" The smile that accompanied the question only made him clear his throat before answering with a curt response. "Fine. And you?"

She leaned back in her chair, fully aware of how her deep V neck fast stretched with her. "Fine, could be better."

And there it was, the light pink at the tips of the ears.

She wanted to laugh, honest. This rigid FBI agent was just one of the many she encountered in her line of work. They either warmed up to her, realizing she was harmless if you paid your respects, or they remained just as stiff and eventually developed SPS.

Azura promised to him silently that she would end her tortured and patiently waited for her handler to join their briefing.

As the clock hit 6:00 AM, the doors opened, and an immaculately dressed man entered the door with a young girl and boy in tow.

Craning her neck to get a better look at the newcomers, her eyes widened as she recognized the playful glint in her eyes and the unruly mess of black curls.

"Johnny!"

Ignoring her previous poised position, Azura sprung to her feet to catch the girl in a hug.

The laugh that came from her friend made her smile more. "Hey, Azu, long time no see."

She rolled her eyes before ushering her into the chair beside her. "And who's fault is that? You went AWOL, and Amir didn't even tell us you were back!"

Her foot shot out to kick him, but he had anticipated it, easily dodging it. "My bad, Zu." That was his form of apology before he took a seat.

Ignoring him, she turned her attention back to Johnny.

Her friend and recently made comrade laughed again, grinning that mischievous grin which Azura claimed won over her childhood friend's emotionless heart.

"Well, you see, these guys," obviously gesturing at her supervisor, "have been shipping me off all over the world to get small odd jobs done. By the time I finished in Peru, I had another mission waiting for my inbox. But to my surprise, it was back here, and the mission was yours."

Azura's delight turned sour when she heard that her younger co-worker was getting overworked. She glared at the man who had taken a seat beside Mr.Goodwill.

"Mano, is this true? Are you working my sister to the bone, and just because she's new?"

But Manuel (Mano) Watson didn't even bat an eye at Azura's anger. Why would he when he was all too familiar with her attitude and her protective tendencies when it came to her close friends.

"Ms. Maroon has been given a long, well deserved leave of absence after the successful completion of Phase 1."

She nodded in approval before turning to Johnny, who watched her with an amused expression. "Good. And you let me know if they make you go start another fire."

"Yes, ma'am."

Before Azura could ask about her general well being,  Mano was quick to intervene. "If your reunion is done, I'd like to get this briefing over with."

He slid over a mission file to Azura, handing one to Mr. Goodwill as well, before standing by the projector.

"Alright. Before we start, a reminder, this mission has been the FBI's mission for a while. Only recently have they been able to secure a reliable lead. With that in mind,  HYENA is just acting as an assist. We will not be interacting with the main target, but our job is just as vital since Target 109 is a crucial pawn to this plan."

With that, the first slide popped up, showing an image of a man. He seemed like your typical run of the mill gang member, his face decorated with tattoos, piercings and, of course, the slit on the eyebrow.

Can't lie that slit is doing him wonders.

"This man, by the name of Dano, is the head of the Blood gang. He's capture is the main objective."

With that, Mano nodded to Mr.Goodwill, who took over. "The Blood gang is known to be the second most notorious group in America. But that's about to change when he manages to export these."

The slide changed to show an array of boxes with an assortment of military-grade weapons ranging from hand grenades to M107s. As her eyes glossed over the images, she frowned. This was not unusual since gangs were known to smuggle such items. In fact, from the items listed, nothing stood out as highly disastrous. Unlike a 25 megaton hydrogen bomb, which was 25 million tons of TNT, a handful of assault riffles and guns were nothing in comparison.

She kept her thoughts to herself and listened as information on her target began. But before they could get past his name, the doors to their meeting room burst open. A slightly dishevelled woman almost fell through, but quickly caught herself.

Her wide Bambi eyes jumped from person to person. "I'm sorry! I had to deal with a cat infestation."

Azura tilted her head in confusion while Mano heaved a loud sigh. "Ms.Jordan, take a seat."

The late arrival scurried to the spot beside Azura and dumped herself upon it unceremoniously.

Mano gave a quick introduction for Ms. Jordan, who happened to be working two jobs for the sake of this mission. Acting as a temporary staff withing the housing department at the University, she was also Mano's secretary.

Azura offered her condolences through a pitiful smile, which the older woman accepted with one of her own.

"Right, back to the target. Preston Andrews, 21, and in his second year of Biomedical Engineering, is being placed under HYENA's protection. "

On the screen was a young boy, with sunkissed, brown complexion, and matching dark brown eyes. A mope of short curls sat on his head, with a single delicate strand falling out of place. The smile on his face was shy, and Azura couldn't help but scoff to herself.

Great, I get to babysit, a timid nerd. They activated me for this?

"On January 17th, at 12:37 AM, Agent 13 and 11 completed Phase 1. Target was seen fleeing the scene to safety, and there were no casualties." Azura held out her hand, to which Johnny quickly slapped in return. Their high-five was met with Mano's heavy-lidded stare, and the girls could only smile in return.

"Phase 2 is where you come in Agent 69. Given the extensive damage to the Target's unit after the fire, Ms.Jordan has officially placed him as your roommate through the University's housing system. Your objective will be to protect Andrews at all costs. HYENA Tech support has also managed to add trackers on his temporary phone, laptop and watch. After the extensive work done by Ms.Jordan, Agent 13 and 11, to move him into your custody, he is now your responsibility. You are to ensure he keeps a low profile, and that he remains unaware of your objective."

"Seems easy enough." But her comment, meant to reassure her superiors, instigated a word of caution.

"It is not to be taken lightly, Agent 69. I trust that even though you have been offline for the last two years, your time as a sleeper agent will not hinder your performance, correct."

Azura pursed her lips, batting her eyelashes at him. "Come on, Mano, have I ever failed you before?  My tracklist speaks for itself, so you can show that to whoever is being difficult."

It was the art of subtle shade that Azura had to master during her years as a female agent.  But even her perfect track record wasn't enough to win over every misogynist. What's more, was that she still couldn't fully win over her handler for seven years. Mano's words had done its damage even if she did a pretty good job concealing it. It had awoken the annoying voice that questioned her place in the agency and her ability as an agent.

Mano continued, "All information needed, such as schedules, passwords, a personal profile that has been compiled for you, can be found in your mission file. Any additional information, should you be notified off, will be directly delivered to you at your biweekly training sessions at the Playground. That concludes our debrief. You are all dismissed."

Wait, what?

Azura knew not all information would be provided to her, especially since the FBI, parent agency to HYENA, had always regarded its agents, such as herself as small fry.  "Mano, you forgot to conclude with any questions, comments or concerns."

Her handler stopped his departure, along with the rest of the individuals in the room. "I'm assuming you have all three."

Azura smiled pleasantly.  "You know me so well."

"First off, how is my target related to the FBI's mission objective? There's clearly is a significant connection, if you went through all the trouble of placing Ms. Jordan in housing and got Johnny and Amir to start a fire deliberately. The extremity of phase 1, all to get this boy into my dorm...concerns me."

Mano could only release a tired sigh, while Mr.Goodwill started at her, perplexed.

"Please be advised that this mission is the FBI's, meaning that if the supervising agent, Mr. Goodwill, does not deem the information vital to the success of your mission, then we are not obligated to share."

Azura's triumph cracked upon hearing the words she was all too familiar with. "Is that right?"

She slowly sidled up to Mr.Goodwill's side, her fingers brushing his shoulder while she smiled coyly. "Mr.Goodwill? Do you have anything to share?" Her voice was a low whisper, and before the man could be made a tomato, Mano had moved him away from her. "Mr. Goodwill, if you would follow me, I can take you to director Price's office."

As the men exited, all Azura could do was watch them leave, clenching her fist in silent protest.

Word Count: 1722