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He could not help but keep his eye on Carter as he strolled around the office in search of something.

He had moved cautiously into the shadows as the agent passed him on his way towards his secretary.

He’d watched as Nick pulled Mr. LancyBassy into the closet and caught muffled conversation.

Before he could be noticed, he’d quickly turned and walked in the opposite direction, as Nick had emerged from the closet and started talking with Red Jewel.

A smirk had crossed his face as he watched Nick move in the opposite direction of what he desired. It had been close; he’d thought he was almost caught when the two had looked over in his direction before making their way elsewhere, presumably to Red Jewel’s office. It had been easy to make his way across the rest of the office unnoticed; no one else would be looking for him, and no one else knew what it was he carried.

He sat at his desk as a flash of blond hair went by, signaling that Nick was on the move again. He almost jumped from his seat, but felt safe again when, just like that, the blond was out of sight. He was almost joyous at being able to pull the wool over the agent’s eyes for as long as he had. He was sure Carter would have caught him by now.

Running his hands through his hair, he sighed and wondered if the item Nick searched for would be safer elsewhere. He looked around, wondering where to put it, and then he grinned, as he knew the perfect place to keep it out of Carter’s reach.


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In the hallway, Nick happened upon a sight that lifted his mood… three of the hottest girls in the agency. Unfortunately, they were flirting with Agent 006, otherwise known as Shazam.

Nick’s smile quickly morphed back to a frown.

In his mind, many questions whirled. Scratching his head, so that his hair went back to its original messy shape, he started to walk towards JC and the ladies. He was getting a clear vision of what had happened.

Who would dare to invade the secrecy of your own den, Carter? Who would give himself the privilege of sneaking into your space and stealing from you? It would be none other than 006! Nick thought, scanning the hallway sharply . Joshua Scott Chasez, you are too damned dead.

He needed a plan to get this proud Shazam out of his cool state, for only he would know what had happened to his jewel.

Again, Nick found himself stuck with no answer to his one very important question, his one quest for the day, his mission of the decade: where had the precious gone? All of his attempts to investigate and locate the precious had gone in vain, which made him rather itchy.

He needed his precious.

He walked straight to JC. With a sly smile drawn on his face, he looked at the ladies

"Good day to you, dear ladies. How honored am I to see the three of you at the same time." Flashing his teeth, he grinned at the girls. He could see their smiles shaping as they were distracted from the charming yet piercing blue-eyed Shazam.

"Glad to see you too, Carter," one of the ladies answered. "What brought you here?”

"Well, my dear beautiful ladies, it seems to me that there is a naughty fox hanging around, and I thought you might be in need for our protection. Right, Shazam?" Nick said, throwing a cold look at JC.

JC, noticing the look, raised his brow in a sarcastic act. "You know, Carter, it depends on what you are trying to say here."

"You know full well what I mean, and you know how I hate to see such beauties wasting their precious time on something that isn’t worthy."

"Carter… I could have killed you by now," said Shazam, looking straight into Nick’s eyes. Nick returned the electrifying look. Anyone passing by could see that it wasn't a normal conversation that was going on.

"Are you suggesting that you are too proud to fight me here?" Nick, at that point, had realized that it was time he shot his last bullet on whatever kept JC silent. "Come on, Shazam, everyone knows how skillful you are!" Nick continued his mocking, praying that he could lead JC into his game of trap, then question.

"You’re dead, Carter," said Shazam. "To the training room! I'll be merciful and let you pick your weapon there." Fire was spewing from 006's eyes and words.

The ladies thought it was finally time for someone to break the dullness of that day; they could watch and enjoy those two fighting.

It didn't take the men but ten minutes to walk to the training room. Both quickly realized that, somehow, the news had broken into the offices, and now the bet was officially set on who would win in the Carter vs. Shazam fight. Already, there were a couple of witnesses to watch the fight.

As Nick entered the room, he headed to the weapons cabinet; nothing could have made him enjoy the battle with Shazam more than something traditional, something he loved using, so he picked the wooden bamboo Bo.

"My weapon is set, 006. But I’d love to add a game to this: I stick you down, I win an answer, and you must give me the right one. You stick me down, you get an answer. What do you think?"

"Can't you grow up, Carter?" JC smiled at the thought of being asked a question in the middle of a fight. He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, then walked to Nick.

"Even though it sounds silly, I would enjoy beating you, and you know that," said JC as he held his own Bo.

"I don't think so," came the reply out of Nick's mouth, right along with a hit towards JC at a time he wasn’t expecting it.

Shazam fell on his back, yet quickly bounced back to his heels. "Carter?"

"So, since it is my first point, it is also my first question. Where were you at about 1400 hours today?”

"You are that damned serious about it??" JC raised his brow along with his Bo in a defense position. "Jesus."

"Nah… Wrong answer, JC Boy. You didn't own your question; you must answer," said Nick, while trying to charge his second attack, maneuvering to reach for JC's balance.

JC realized that, somehow, Nick was determined to win, and hurried to stop him. But he was shoved aside by the speed of Nick's attack, and he found himself losing a second point to Nick.

"I’ll repeat my question: Where were you at 1400 hours today, Shazam?"

JC felt that something was wrong, but he didn't want to lose a game, especially not to Carter. “Around 1400? I guess you’d have to ask K about where I was; he knows better."

"That's not…" Before Nick had time to complete his sentence, JC managed to hit Nick, a straight strike right above his ankle that made him crash down to the hard floor.

JC smiled as he stood looking down at Carter. "My turn..." he said. "Why the heck do you want to know where I was?"

"Not your problem," answered Nick and went back to his feet, feeling the pain in his ankle. But he was a double 0 agent; no pain was allowed. So he started another attack. This time, it was rather an offensive one.

"Why do you think you have the right to know where I was at 1400 hours, Carter?" JC asked as he pushed Nick to the wall and tried to take a chance to hit him again.

Nick rushed back to his feet. "Because I told you the rules. I hit, I ask, you answer!" answered Nick as he gained his balance.

"But you didn't answer my question!" JC said as he tried to black Nick. Nick managed to elude him and sway the Bo to send JC back to the floor.

"Carter wins another one. Where is it, Sneaky?" Nick was in another point of concentration; he had to know where the precious was, and nothing would stop him.

"Where is what, Carter? What are you talking about?" JC threw his Bo aside, since Nick wouldn't stop this silly game. He knew he couldn't attack an unarmed person and tried to figure out what Nick was talking about.

But Nick just did the same, throwing his cane aside, and rushed to him. "I would rather not make this a fist fight. You better answer my question, 006. Were you anywhere near my office today?" Now, as he was catching his breath, Nick looked at JC. "You have ten seconds to answer, or I'll ask it in another way. ... 9… 8… 7…"

"Carter, if you have anything in your mind, just shoot it and don’t waste my time here." JC looked straight into Nick's eyes. "Are you trying to accuse me of something here?"

At that point, Nick did a double back turn with a kick right at JC, forcing him back on the floor for the fourth time, with his knife hand kick just close to JC's neck.

"I am just asking you, 006, were you near my office today at 1400 hours or what?" Nick was staring back into JC's blue eyes. Even though those eyes were piercing, they had the advantage of intimidating enemies. Yet Carter felt immune to that effect.

"I think you are forgetting that my office is just six steps away from yours, Carter."

"Did you enter it?"

"NO. I did not."

"Are you convincing me that you didn't try to sneak a peek into my office, and you weren't seduced by the red precious thingie that was on my desk?" Nick asked firming his grip on his shirt.

JC couldn't help himself from smiling at the notion.

"First, yes, I snuck into your office and saw it, but no, I didn't touch your ‘thingie,’ as you call it. You better find another suspect to intimidate, Carter. Weren't you taught how to interrogate? Geez, your tricks won't work on me.”

Just as Nick was about to retort, he heard a voice, a very distinctive one to him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” The interjection came the woman behind him, who, in seconds, grabbed his shoulders from behind and tried to pull him off of JC. “Knock it off, both of you!” her voice was bursting angrily right behind his ears.

It took him a couple of moments before he came back to his senses and let go of JC, whose face was turning a bright shade of red. He pushed himself back to his feet and turned around to see the woman who was still clutching his arm tightly.

Diamond Divine.

Without another word, she almost dragged him inside the main building. Nick just followed her lead, trying to collect his thoughts and, at the same time, trying to estimate Diamond’s reaction.

“You were good out there, but I think you need to start training the martial arts again. You were lacking between moves,” were the first words slipped from her beautifully shaped red lips, followed by a soft giggle. Nick frowned; this girl never ceased to amaze him for one single day.

“How the hell do you know what was going on out there anyway?”

She smiled coyly. “I have eyes and ears everywhere, Carter.” She left him hanging there and turned around, walking down the hallway, only to hear his footsteps following her closely. Indeed, she had just given him a slight lead to follow on his mission.

“You were in the surveillance room again, weren’t you?” Nick questioned, as they walked through the long corridor, silence being broken only by the sounds their shoes made on the dark marble floor.

Diamond gave a small nod. “It’s become kind of a reality TV addiction for me. I like to keep an eye on what everyone’s up to. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you half of the things I’ve seen,” she said with a chuckle.

“Oh no, so you have juicy secrets on everyone hidden in your closet?” Nick replied, wiggling his eyebrows, as he stopped in front of the elevators and pushed the up arrow button.

Diamond stopped by his side. “I only have your juicy secrets hidden in my closet, Nick dear.”

Nick looked at the petite blonde incredulously. This was Diamond Divine for you. Perfectly matching the initials of her real name, Desiree Dubaiser, she was quite a handful of a woman. They had been especially close since she earned her rank as Agent 009, and they had this unsolved chemistry between them. Nick couldn’t help but flirt back and forth with her every once in a while, knowing full well she enjoyed it as much as he did. From many perspectives, she was a woman to die for: smart, witty, blonde, and sexy, not to mention her undeniable talent for being an agent. Her flirtatious behaviors were a killer for many men, unfortunately including Nick, to an extent.

Stop staring at her like a drooling high school kid, dumbo, he thought to himself. You have to focus on your mission. He darted his eyes away from her and looked at the numbers above the elevator, noticing it was only one floor above where they were.

“I won’t say a word until you interrogate me, sitting on a chair with a light bulb above my head,” she claimed suddenly, causing Nick to startle. He turned to look at her one more time, more incredulous than ever. The elevator beeped, and she walked in, only to add seductively, “But elevators work fine for me too. Didn’t know you had such a fantasy, Carter.”

He gulped and tried to forego the rush of blood in his veins and stepped inside the elevator. Once the doors were closed, he was able to make sentences again.

“So you know about my mission.”

“You think I wouldn’t? This is what everyone’s been talking about… or at least what Lancybassy was talking about.” She giggled. “And my answer is no.”

He looked at her suspiciously. “Should I believe you?”

Diamond smiled, with a feigned innocent look on her face. She stepped forward, facing Nick’s body with only an inch left between them. Moving her right arm around his neck, she slowly pulled him to herself, mumbling a soft “yes” in his ear. Totally caught up in the heat of the moment, as her hand traced down to his chin and along his tie, slowly pulling it, Nick even forgot what she was saying yes to, inhaling her sweet magnolia smell. Just as his hands were about to grab her thin waist in her red dress, the inevitable beep of the elevator was heard again.

Diamond gently pushed Nick away from herself, when the doors opened to a large hallway, where Agent Jay stood waiting in the middle, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Good timing, 008. I’m glad you didn’t make me push the dial button again. Now please follow me.”

Nick’s shoulders slumped as he stepped out of the elevator and followed Agent Jay, only to look back to see Diamond waving a small bye to him, with a smug smirk upon her lovely face.

Nick followed Jay down the hall with a furrowed brow. There were only a handful of agents left for him to question, and he wasn’t any closer to finding his precious. He glanced curiously at the man whom he called his boss, although one would never know it by his appearance.

Agent Jay was a colorful character, indeed. Despite the strict dress code at the agency, Jay proudly sported several pieces of jewelry that dangled from random piercings, and his extensive body paint protruded from the neck and sleeves of his suit.

Yes, Agent Jay was just radical enough to be the man Nick was searching for. But Alexander James McLean was no fool, and Nick knew that better than anyone. He looked up to the man, much like a father, and owed him credit for everything he knew. If Nick was going to get answers from Jay, then he was going to have to be crafty about it. His typical interrogation methods were no match for his mentor.

“What have you been up to today?” he asked as he casually strolled through the door to Agent Jay’s office.

“I have a mission for you, 008.”

“A new assignment? Really?”

Nick’s personal vendetta was momentarily forgotten at the idea of a job. Jay gave a light chuckle, and his eyes climbed a bookshelf at the far end of his office. A big box rested on the shelf nearest the ceiling, well beyond the reach of Agent Jay. “Agent 008, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get that box for me.”

Nick’s hope was crushed, but his annoyance was kicked into overdrive. Apparently, his hiatus was still in effect.

“Do you think this is a joke?” Nick said, holding onto his temper by only a mere thread. “I’m going crazy sitting around here all day while everyone else is busy saving the world. And would you please stop calling me 008? You know I hate that!”

Jay contained his laughter. Although he found his protégé very amusing, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. What happened to Nick would have shaken anyone up. Jay was concerned for Nick, but he also knew the young agent well and knew a little harassment may just be what the doctor ordered. “Well, we have to call you something, and 007 is already taken,” he continued to tease.

“Well, why can’t I have something cool like you?” Nick whined.

“When you’re as cool as me, then you can have a cool nickname. Until then, why don’t you just get that box for me?”

“Why don’t you just get it yourself? I’m not that desperate for an assignment yet.”

Jay finally let go of his laughter and pointed to a chair that stood at the base of the bookshelf. “Even standing on that, I can’t reach that box. You’re well over six feet, dude. That makes you my number one point man.”

With a grunt, Nick huffed himself up onto the chair and retrieved the box without difficulty. “Mission accomplished, Sir,” Nick spouted sarcastically as he dropped the box onto Agent Jay’s large, messy desk.

The box dropped with a thud, sending a stack of papers flying from the desk. Nick was stunned by what had been hiding beneath the documents. He leaned forward to examine the evidence: a thick red substance splattered on the tabletop. Nick wafted the air around it toward his nose, and a distinct aroma filled his nostrils.

This was the clue he’d been looking for. The object of his desire had been here, sitting atop this very desk.

Nick spun around, sending his boss an accusing glare. “Where have you been today? Say around 1400 hours?” he questioned with intensity.

“What is this?” Jay giggled, “An interrogation?”

“I’m on a mission!” Nick demanded.

“Not any mission I assigned you.”

“It’s a self-imposed mission. To find something that was taken from me.”

“And just what would that be?” Jay asked, deciding to play along.

To Agent Carter, this was not a joke. The missing object was precious to him, and he wanted it back! His eyes narrowed, and he found himself in a stand-off with the very man he looked up to more than anyone. “The truth,” he answered. “I’m in search of the truth!”

Nick slid his index finger through the cold, wet substance on the desk and held it out where Agent Jay could see it. “And you, my friend, look very guilty!”

Agent Jay’s deep, chocolate eyes sparkled playfully as a wide smirk spread across his face. “Give it up, 008,” he challenged deviously. “I don’t have what it is that you’re looking for.”

Nick studied his opponent carefully for a moment. “No,” he replied, “but you know who does!”

Agent Jay raised an eyebrow, daring Carter with his eyes. “A Himitsu Takana agent never talks,” he said with an evil laugh.

Nick knew this to be true firsthand. No matter what kind of torture he put Jay through, he would never give up the location of his precious.

Nick backed off respectfully, but did didn’t back down. “No matter,” he said confidently as he made his way to the exit. “Agent Carter… Nick Carter… always gets his man.” Nick slammed the door shut behind him as he left the office with renewed determination.

Agent Jay relaxed, and a proud smile crept over him. With a slight shake of his head, he smirked and then whispered to the empty office, “Good luck, kid.”


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