Evenfall (79 page)

Boyd scoffed. "I am not as skilled in the kitchen as you may believe, so you'd best watch what you request." He gestured to the bag. "Keep going."

Sin pulled out two more books. A Terry Pratchett book and a large, wide hardcover anthology of Neil Gaiman's best novels. Both were from the earlier part of the 21st century. He sat on the floor absently, folding his legs as he read the back of each book. His face took on a thoughtful expression and he began picking through the pages, becoming completely engrossed for several long moments.

Boyd leaned against the counter and watched.

After perusing the books, Sin stacked them on his pile and looked into the bag again. He reached up to the table and caused his shirt to ride up slightly, a movement which Boyd's eyes followed. Sin pulled out The Art of War from the bag. "I've wanted to read this for a long time. I first saw it when Kassian had a copy during his rank 10 training."

"Kassian?" Boyd asked absently as he watched Sin. "I haven't met him."

Sin added it to his pile before reaching into the bag once again. "You are not missing much by not being acquainted with Kassian. He is a poor attempt at a replacement for me." He pulled out more books, and glanced at Boyd. "How much stuff did you buy?"

"Enough to not fail your test," he said with a faint smirk. "You told me you were bored and needed entertainment so I decided to provide you with plenty of material."

Sin didn't answer, instead opting to look at a book about animals. He'd liked animals since he was a child, likely because he could interact with them without having them actually speak. As a child he'd never been able to own a pet, but he clearly remembered times when he had wanted one before leaving China.

A smile growing across his face, Boyd sat on the counter and watched.

After several long moments, Sin looked up at Boyd and closed the book abruptly. "What are you smiling at?" he asked defensively.

"No." Boyd waved at the book. "Go back to looking at the animals. It was endearing."

"Endearing?" Sin asked disdainfully.

"Yes." Boyd's smile spread further, and although he seemed amused his expression seemed largely genuine. "You were very intrigued. I wasn't expecting that."

Sin gave Boyd a withering look and nudged the book towards his pile. "Whatever..."

He turned his attention to the bag and the last book inside. He pulled out a copy of Milton's Paradise Regained.

There were very few things that ever embarrassed him or put him at a complete loss for words but for some reason Boyd was having that effect on him at the moment. It was humiliating in a way and for a moment he almost wished that he could go back to his completely untouchable act and his removed attitude. But the satisfaction alone he got from the knowledge that Boyd knew him well enough to understand his taste in literature and to remember his preference for Milton... He knew returning to that mentality wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"You did very well on this test," he observed, casting an appreciative glance at his partner and not giving away his thoughts.

Boyd smiled, appearing to be pleased. "Good."

Sin stacked the books and looked over at Boyd again. "Thank you," he said again. "That should satisfy my boredom for a long time."

Boyd's smile increased briefly as he slid off the counter. His feet made quiet thumping sounds when they hit the floor. "I'm glad to hear that." He turned toward the door but didn't yet leave. "Now that I've done what I came here for, I suppose I should leave."

"You--" Sin cut off abruptly and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't want Boyd to leave, but for some reason it was apparently difficult to say this out loud. "Do you have somewhere to go?" he asked instead.

Boyd's gaze caught on Sin's face, his eyebrows lifting briefly. "Well--" He glanced at the door as if it held the answer to the question. "No...""Well, you don't have to leave then. Not right away or anything." Sin shrugged, feeling awkward. "Unless you want to."

Mild surprise flitted across Boyd's face followed by a smile that softened his lips. He turned away from the door, his body tilted toward the living room. "No, I'd be happy to stay."

"Ah. Well. Okay."

Sin looked around, not entirely knowing what to say after that. It occurred to him that this was the first time he'd invited Boyd to stay longer, and he didn't really know what to do as a result. Even so, he couldn't deny that it was pleasing that Boyd agreed.

C
h
apter
26

The downtime lasted until the end of March. When he finally received notice about a briefing, Sin was almost thankful. In the month-long lull he'd reread most of his books, some twice, and had succeeded in getting very little else done. He'd returned to his regular exercise regiment although it didn't seem wise to go to the gym after the Harry incident so for the most part he'd stayed confined to his apartment. Confinement had never bothered him considering the fact that he'd spent large periods of times in much smaller spaces, but this time the lack of cameras caused the isolation to be almost pleasant.

Even so, Sin couldn't deny that he had been becoming slightly stir crazy. As he wandered to the conference room with his hands in his pockets, he was pleased to note that most people no longer bothered to look at him or comment on anything other than the usual 'monster' or 'freak.' He hoped that Boyd had noticed a change as well.

Harry's death had finally been investigated by Connors. Carhart had posted several notices as a warning to anyone who chose to act in the same "disgraceful" manner as Harry and to any other guards who got any bright ideas about messing with the surveillance cameras around the compound. Sin noticed that many of the guards had been replaced or demoted and he didn't really care what had happened to the old ones. He'd have gladly disposed of them himself if given the opportunity.

When he entered the conference room he noticed that Carhart and Jeffrey looked incredibly pleased with themselves. Despite the usual cocky expression on his face, Jeffrey gave him a wary look when he entered.

Sin flashed a disarming smile and threw himself down into a chair unceremoniously. "Hello, cupcake."

Jeffrey rolled his eyes and didn't deign to comment.

Ryan looked at Sin and then at the door. "Where's Boyd?"

Sin's gaze flicked to Ryan in an almost disinterested manner. Despite the fact that Ryan obviously meant well, there was something about him that irritated Sin as of late. Perhaps it was the fact that he apparently was allowed to hang around Boyd's house while Sin had never been invited there. His irritation over that had grown considerably over the past couple of weeks although he'd never shown it the few times he'd seen Boyd. He'd decided instead to accept it as yet another oddity that came with this friendship thing.

"How should I know?"

Ryan blinked at him for a moment, nonplussed by Sin's tone. "I don't know?"

"Well I thought you were his new best pal. Perhaps I should be asking you about his whereabouts."

Ryan's face turned from confused to amused in an instant. He raised one dark eyebrow over his square rimmed glasses and gave Sin a small, knowing smile. "Ah, I see."

Sin narrowed his eyes. "What is it that you see?"

"Jealous, are we?" Ryan asked, voice light, teasing and a far cry from the awed tones he'd previously used when speaking to Sin.

Sin leaned forward and smirked lecherously. "Yes. Very. Didn't you know? I want you all for myself."

Ryan's smug expression vanished and he reddened, mouth dropping open silently as he stared at Sin in surprise. "W-What—"

Before he could continue, the door opened and Boyd appeared in the room. He nodded at everyone in silent greeting before taking his place beside Sin. Ryan stopped speaking, blushing furiously, and offered a weak hello to Boyd. Sin smirked at him and winked. Boyd gave Ryan a strange look and glanced curiously between the two of them.

"I hope you two had a good vacation," Carhart began as he typed commands into the laptop in front of him. "Because it's officially come to an end with a big assignment." It seemed that he was going to begin the briefing without Owen present, most likely because the man was still working on whatever large project he'd been assigned.

"It's still a vacation if you ask me," Jeffrey said rather snidely.

Sin raised an eyebrow at him but didn't comment. When Boyd didn't either, Carhart continued in the same self-satisfied tone. "After months of working diligently on the files that Thierry provided, Jeffrey finally decoded it in its entirety." He looked up from the computer as if waiting for the impact of his news to set in.

When he was only met with two blank stares, he made a face and brought up an image on the projector. The image appeared to be a colossal building in the middle of a metropolitan area. It was mammoth; the building itself and surrounding courtyard appeared to take up several city blocks.

"Do you recognize this building, Sin?" Carhart asked, his tone casual although his eyes appeared more intense.

Sin gazed at the image dully. "Should I?"

"I assume you've been to Monterrey considering it was where one of your father's residences was," the General continued in the same tone.

"I wasn't allowed to leave his home," Sin replied acidly and his green eyes narrowed at Carhart. He had no desire to speak of his father or anything relating to his father, but Carhart never seemed to remember that. "Does this have relevance?"

Carhart held his gaze for a moment before sighing in defeat and gesturing to the projector. "This is the Joel K. Solar Convention Center, located in the heart of Monterrey, Mexico," he explained and hit a few more commands on the computer, causing several other images to slide past the screen in slow succession.

"Before the third World War, Monterrey was an important industrial hub in Mexico and one of the leading centers of business in the country. It was one of the few cities in Mexico that sustained heavy damage during the war but within years of the destruction, there was a large scale restoration operation headed by former mayor Joel Solar. Because of that the city is now one of the few booming places of industry and commerce left on this side of the globe. Unfortunately the mayor died before the project's completion due to complications from radiation, but the convention center was named after him."

Carhart paused and looked at the two agents as if to make sure that they were paying attention before he continued. "As with most major cities in the post-war era, although Monterrey is in Mexico only 50% of its population is made up of Mexicans. The other half is a mix of nationalities from countries around the globe, mostly wealthy artists or businessmen who do not wish to linger in dead cities such as New York or London. Because of this it is not uncommon for large businesses to be run by or owned by people of foreign descent."

"And?" Sin asked impatiently, wanting to get to the point of this. "So there was a history lesson on the disc?" There was a reason why he'd never bothered showing up for briefings before.

Jeffrey glared at him. "Don't interrupt and he will get to the point."

Carhart continued before Sin had a chance to reply. "So it is unsurprising that at this time, the JKS is directed by a former American who has the privilege of being related to a core member of Janus."

"So… you want us to blow it up?"

Carhart glared at Sin. "No," he snapped and paused for a moment as if collecting his thoughts. "Anyway. The place sits on a lot that is 2 million square feet, rivaling New York City's once famous Jacob Javits Center. There are hundreds of exhibition rooms, conference halls and auditoriums. On November 11 of this year, eight months from now, there will be a large event at the JKS called the Global Arts Exposition, an exhibition of works by several famous artists who specialize in works visualizing freedom, hope and the new world. It will be so grand in scale that no other events will be held at the JKS that evening."

Carhart paused and folded his hands. "Or there shouldn't be, anyway. According to the data on the disc there will be a large conference on the night of the Expo held in a separate wing of the Convention Center. Representatives from all of Janus' cells will be there as well as its core members and leaders."

Carhart paused again and looked at Boyd and Sin, not speaking until he was satisfied with whatever expressions he saw. "This is a chance of a lifetime. Never have we had
Intel
this good about something this confidential. We cannot locate a single member of Janus' core group usually; let alone the whereabouts of all of them at once." He shook his head and gave Boyd a mildly impressed look before glancing down at the information in front of him again. "I'm sure you both have figured out the purpose of this assignment."

"Wide scale assassinations?" Sin asked in a bored tone.

"Precisely," the General replied and slid a packet of information towards Boyd, who pulled it closer but did not look through it yet. "There you will find the names of everyone who is supposed to be in attendance. Our key targets are marked off at the top of the list. This is our chance to decimate this organization and we are taking every measure to ensure that it is handled delicately. The eight men at the top of that list need to be taken out and then that entire wing of the building is to be destroyed, hopefully taking care of the rest as well. So yes, Sin, you get to blow something up." Carhart smirked at him. "And you're going to love this part."

Sin raised an eyebrow dubiously. "Oh?"

"In order to effectively accomplish this mission, you will both go deep undercover in Monterrey," Jeffrey said smugly. "And we all know how you love undercover assignments, Sin."

Boyd blinked and looked mildly surprised by the proclamation. Sin, on the other hand, just stared at them blankly, the corners of his mouth turning down into a dark scowl.

"There will be tons of security around the time of the Expo, not only because of the Janus meeting but because the real event will attract the wealthy and the aristocracy from many nations. Three months prior to the event, as with all of the JKS' major events, they will begin hiring and specially training new security specifically for the Expo. Sin will be one of those new trainees." Carhart slid a folder across the table at Sin. "And that is your cover."

Sin opened the folder and stared at the picture in front of him. The guy was his height, complexion and had a similar build but that is where the similarities ended. He had brown eyes, choppy black hair that was streaked with white, as well as various tattoos and piercings. "No."

"Yes." Carhart dismissed Sin and continued. "Jason Alvarez was an American citizen who had family in Northern Mexico. He was back and forth between both countries quite frequently and had various jobs in the security field at major companies and two museums. I'm not precisely sure how he was able to obtain such prestigious positions considering his appearance and notorious bad attitude but he was a very hard worker and good at his job. However for reasons that are not relevant, he was arrested during a skirmish between our agents and rebel forces. After it was clear that he was not involved, he was offered a position here. He was on the compound for three months before dying during training. He had no friends since he was constantly on the move, and he no longer has any living relatives so it is not known that he is deceased. His background fits the qualifications for a position at the JKS completely."

"He looks like an idiot," Sin complained.

"That isn't the issue here," Carhart continued. "You will arrive in Monterrey in the first week of April. You will find an apartment and you will seek similar employment until the JKS sends out the notification for their hiring fair. That gives you six months to lay down roots and connections in Monterrey that will prevent you from looking conspicuous to anybody connected to Janus."

"And what the hell is he going to do during this time?" Sin asked as he glared over at Boyd, highly irritated by the description of his duties. He hated undercover missions, even short term ones, and now he was expected to work around civvies for months at a time and pretend to be a normal person. With stupid hair and body art. Wonderful.

"During this time Boyd will be learning the city. After the Expo, if everything goes successfully, it is likely that Monterrey will be in chaos. It is quite possible that you will be unable to leave the city and you should both be familiar enough with it by that time to find a place to lay low or find alternate routes out. It is also likely that you two will become separated after the mission's completion so he will also need to school you on the ins and outs of the city."

"Wow." Sin wasn't impressed with Boyd's role. Boyd, however, smirked.

"He will also have a cover," Carhart continued and slid another folder across the table at Boyd. "Kadin Reed, a member and the chosen representative of Sector 53, has agreed to let Boyd impersonate him at the Janus Conference. During this time he will be holed up and under heavy surveillance in Hawaii."

Looking down at the folder, Boyd quirked an eyebrow and sounded bemused as he asked, "Is his name truly Kadin?"

Carhart nodded. "Yes. After 53 was successfully recruited as a Janus cell, he was chosen as a representative for the conference. Once there you will be able to mingle at will and get to know the faces of your targets. However, you are not expected to arrive in the city until three days prior to the conference and it is highly unlikely that they will keep track of Reed or any other representative's movements, so until then your main concern is learning the city. For this operation to work we need someone who knows the JKS and someone who knows the city itself. Mr. Reed has always been an adventurous man who loves to travel and experience new things. It will not seem out of character that he is in the city early since he has been known to make sudden moves in the past."

"I can handle that." The hint of a smile played on the edges of Boyd's lips as he perused the information. Sitting next to Boyd, Sin saw some of the details as Boyd flipped through. "No tattoos," Boyd noted, seemingly mostly to himself. "Ah, but I'll be a redhead. Scandalous."