Martini & Salsa

Cynthia glanced back at the doctor, and a small smile played on the corner of her mouth. "He seems distracted."

"Thank you by the way," she said by way of segaway softly. She might have expressed herself more, but there were people walking pass them in the hall and she wanted to try to emulate the same air of professionally that Martini had, though perhaps not the robot like tendencies.

Her humanity did start to remind itself to her as she felt her stomach feeling very empty. "Do you suppose we could get some food? Unlike you, I didn't have time to pick up a sandwich. I haven't eaten since before my apartment exploded."
 
"Then we'd better go upstairs." Martini replied before noting Cynthia didn't have a door card yet. "Stay close." He took her arm and headed back the way she had escaped through, though this time the guard at the door instead of smiling and opening looked from Josh to Cynthia. "Shes with me." He explained, "And Daddys decided to make her official." the guard nodded but still spoke on the radio before opening the electronic lock.

Out in the crowd Martini spoke more freely. "More privacy our here and I'm guessing you have questions. Ummm..... Italian or Chinese?"
 
In actuality Cynthia was glad to see the guard at the door more cautious. What if she had taken out Daddy, Martini and the doctor before she had strolled out of the building?

Once outside she felt a bit more relaxed. "I suppose Chinese." It seemed more casual to her and she wanted to be comfortable while they talked about slightly uncomfortable things.

Josh quickly lead her to a small Chinese restaurant, and she had to wonder if he went there often. She was overly aware that inside her purse was still the gun. She was going to need to get a holster for that soon.
 
Despite being in a mall the restaurant was family owned and was bedecked on the inside with various brickerbrack as their oldest son rushes over to greet them. He seemed pleased to see Josh and even called him Mr. Smith as the two spoke in Chinese. The were quickly showed to a table and wish a snap of his fingers the waiter brought a slightly younger boy running with a basket of dimsam that was placed between Josh and Cynthia. Before the younger son rushed off to get another order.

"So anything I can get you." the waiter asked finally "The usual before your business trips?"
 
For some reason it surprised Cynthia that Josh was a regular here. Then she realized she'd be surprised if he was a regular anywhere, but it made sense. It was close to the main building, but with so much in the area he'd always be able to easily get lost in the crowd before returning.

The ease that Josh spoke Chinese made Cynthia slightly envious. "I'll let him order for the both of us," Cynthia figured that he knew what was good here, and it was better then trying to order on her own. Besides, she was curious as to what Josh's usual was.
 
"The usual." Josh confirmed, "Two." the waiter bowed and left after scribbling the order down on his pad. "The coconut cream soup, it not strictly speaking Chinese and not on the menu but it is excellent." He looked after the waiter " He thinks I work for an import firm and thats why I speak Chinese, it was my cover when I met him, before his family came here."

He glanced around. "But the important part is we can talk here, this table, everyone in the agency is trained in lipreading but we're out of view here. So you can speak freely."
 
Cynthia looked around, and now that Martini had pointed it out, she could see how this was an ideal spot for not being over heard, literally or otherwise. She then looked back over at the agent. Except right now he didn't see like that to her. Or rather he seemed more then just an agent.

"I suppose," she finally said, "I should start with asking the question that's nagging me the most right now. If this," and she patted the purse, "is my father's gun, why would Daddy have it and consider it her own."

It wasn't that Cynthia didn't have other questions when it came to her father. It was just this one was the most striking and puzzling and though Cynthia had the pieces to the puzzle she didn't want to make the mistake of putting it all together wrong.
 
Josh blinked, "I promised wouldn't lie to you." he said "But I can't tell you the answer to that question. Yes, the gun was your fathers, but it came to our possession after an incident in 2003. Its must be obvious that daddy knew him and you can think that as the reason she kept it, unless you were thinking it was because its just that nice a gun." he paused as two bowls here placed between them along with a pot of tea and two mugs. "They were close friends, thats all I can say, and she does not like to talk about his death."
 
This did not sit well with Cynthia and she was silent until she took her first sip of the soup. "This is good," she finally told him before taking another sip. "I suppose I'll have to go to the source someday, but until then..." she sat back to collect her thoughts and she looked younger then she had seemed during all of this.

"My relationship with my mother was never as good as it was with my father. I loved her, still do, but she didn't get me like he did. She was closer to my older sisters. They had more in common honestly."

Cynthia lifted her tea cup but didn't drink, she just looked at the warm liquid.

"After my father died, when we were told he was in Cuba of all places, mother became convinced that he'd been cheating on her. I knew that wasn't right. I knew she was wrong, and I couldn't believe she would think such a thing, let alone tell people that and then when she got remarried..."

Cynthia finally took a drink of her tea. She didn't say anything again for a while. She just closed her eyes and took another sip of tea. When she did finally open her eyes, the hurt was still there, but it was no longer so raw.

"Like I said, I'll have to wait a little longer it seems. I guess maybe I should just ask me what you can tell me about my father."
 
Josh looked at Cynthia his eyes reading into her without really meaning to. "I can tell you he would never cheat on your mother and that he though about his family constantly. Believe it or not, I met him a couple of times, he helped up out of a bad situation."

He sipped hie tea and he too went quiet, he wished he could tell Cynthia more. "In the time I knew him I came to respect him, as did everyone, but it would be difficult for you to find out more than I can tell you, which is it seems you really want to know, yes he really died, it wasn't faked like ours, and no he wasn't really in Cuba."
 
Cynthia rubbed at one of her eyes but smiled at Josh. "I was starting to wonder what to believe anymore. Thank you." She then went back to eating her soup. She still had many questions, but they no longer pressed down on her like a burden. She could wait, and if not all her questions were ever answered, she knew the most important things now.

Silently she ate for a bit before pausing and looking up at Josh again. "When I was little my father would have us girls watch action movies with him. He would then ask us what parts we thought could work, and which was complete fiction. Rebecca, she's the oldest, she was better at asking if things would be allowed. She was interested in how the system worked and how people reacted. Julia on the other hand was good at picking out things that just couldn't happen. Hollywood physics we would joke about." She went back to her soup and tea once more.
 
Josh ate in silence, though a small smile appeared on his face. He had heard that once before in a convocation between two agents. 'And its Cynthia who always points out a better way the hero could do things.' the last part went through his memory completing the sentence. "We should be getting back before long." he pointed out when he failed to think of a reply, she was reminiscing and he, for all his negotiation training was bad with people going through emotions that didn't have anything to do with the hidden world of espionage. "They should have a report about your apartment in the morning and I doubt we're going to have the morning off, though I'd just like to say, I'm happy you're aboard."
 
Cynthia nodded to what Josh was saying. It made sense and lingering too long over dinner wasn't going to do any good. The last bit though did make her smile. "Thank you, I just hope you won't be eating those words before too long."

Once they finished eating, and Josh paid for their bill, the two of them headed back to the hidden facility under the donut shop. Once more she though how sterile the place seemed and hoped that at some point soon she'd be able to go back to, if not her own apartment, a place that was more homey.

"So how early should I be up and ready?" Cynthia was very inclined to want to sleep in, but she doubted that was going to be a luxury she could afford anytime soon.
 
"Early, around sunrise, unless you don't mind being woken up by a man in full body armour whose just had an earful from daddy." Martini said before standing. In a second the waiter was back and Josh paid before he and Cynthia were bowed out of the resturant. "Oh and just so you know, we have a lead on his location, thats out job tomorrow."


Back underground Josh walked with Cynthia to her door, he had been quiet since the restaurant and seemed to be in thought. "Cynthia, I know this is a tough time for you, but I must ask you not to let that get to you. Thats one of the first things I learned."
 
Cynthia gave Josh a weak smile. "I can understand why. I'll do my best not to let you down." It was more then just letting him down of course. If she fucked up she could get herself and him both killed and she understood that much at least.

"I should be fine with a good night sleep," which was mostly true. She was still going to have to deal with everything that had been thrown at her today, but she wasn't going to let all that rule her thoughts and emotions.

She opened the door to the room then turned and looked at Josh one more time. "And thank you again," she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then headed inside. Only after she had closed her room did she realize that perhaps that wasn't exactly work appropriate.

"Oh well, I'm an emotional wreck still, right?" she muttered to herself as she looked around. On top of the dresser there seemed to be several pieces of clothing. Upon closer inspection, Cynthia realized someone must have been sent out to get her some new clothing, because Cynthia had never owned a blazer in her life. It was very professional looking, and had no personality. When she picked up one of the blouses she realized that it was also a lot more expensive then anything she'd boughten herself. At least it should be comfortable to wear she thought.

When she looked around some more she noticed a key badge. The type that she'd seen just about everyone down here wearing. Cynthia only mildly wondered where they got the picture to put on it, but considering all the security cameras in the place, it wasn't too hard to guess. She had to smirk when she noticed her name wasn't on there. It was likely the only people that knew her name here were Martini, Daddy Dearest, and Doctor Winestein.

Cynthia got herself into a night shirt, something else not from her wardrobe, and went back over to a desk. She looked through the drawer and found plenty of pieces of paper and a couple of pens. She sat down and started writing.
 
4:29:55 Josh sat up and moved his hand to the bedside table to turn off the alarm before it sounded.

4:29:59 His bare feet touched the cold floor.

4:30 then his alarm was set for he was already standing. He pulled open a drawer and pulled out a vest and shorts, it was time to his the gym.

5:40 The lukewarm water of the shower pored over his skin clearing away the soap as he eased the shampoo from his hair. Outside on a peg was a suit bag, no need to go back to his room.

5:56 He knocked on Cynthia's door, dressed and ready to report. He know the base's morning routine like clockwork and right on time the coffee cart trundles by towards Daddy's office telling him she was awake. "Cynthia?" he called knocking again "Are you dressed?"
 
"Come in," came the voice from the other side of the door. When Josh entered he saw Cynthia buttoning the bottom button on her blouse. Her wavy dark hair was already tied up and she looked very much awake, even smiling when she looked up and saw him.

"I still need a gun holster," she said, nodding to the open purse sitting on the bed next to her. She was not going out on the field with her father's gun still in that hand bag.

On the other side of the room where the desk was, Josh could see that Cynthia had either not gone to sleep right away, or that she had been up very early. There were several pieces of paper. Single words, symbols, and numbers were written on them. It was not unlike notes a college student might make, with things circled and arrows pointing to other items. Or a flow chart.

There were more pages on the floor, but those seemed to have big Xs on them.
 
Josh tossed something made of leather to Cynthia. "Put it under your blouse." his eyes paused on the papers aside from memorizing the general pattern of arrows on them he didn't pay them much attention. New recruits did strange things, it looked Cynthia was writing her mementos. They'd never be published though.

"I have to admit I was half expecting you to have left again. Wouldn't have blamed you, just, I'd put those in a drawer if I were you."

He turned to wait while Cynthia put the shoulder holster on going through the memory of cleaning and assembling his own sidearm making sure he did it correctly. "We'll eat after we see Daddy."
 
Cynthia grinned as she caught the holster, putting it on and making sure she could move in it, before putting the mahogany handled revolver in. The weight was going to be something she was going to have to get use to. She then put the blazer on and buttoned it.

"Leaving wouldn't get me what I want, would it? Besides, I'd have to be a lot more creative to walk out of here without notice a second time if I wanted to." She wasn't above trying to figure out exactly how she would do that if need be though.

Cynthia then walked over to the desk and picked up the papers on top of it, thumbing through them quickly. "Actually," she turned and looked at Josh, "Is there a place to shred or burn these?" She knelt down and collected the discarded ones as well.
 
"Just put them in a folder, mark it a confidential and for shredding and give it to anyone. That or there a chute to the furnace in a copy room next to Daddy's office." He eyed her for a second wondering what was on the papers. "Daddys probably waiting, I saw her coffee cart in the hall."

He led her out into the hall and to the familiar enterence to the head office and pointed to another door a little way off, "In there, the red hatch in the wall, it opens downwards."
 
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