Several days later, Karma and Freeman were formulating a new plan for the operation. Freeman followed through with his plan to send Jynx to see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist reported that she was perfectly fine, just stressed out to her limit and needed some time to rest.
At the time, Jynx and Karma were sitting around HQ. Jynx watched how the HQ functioned. Freeman had several groups of agents that would come and go on any given day. Meanwhile, Karma, Indigo, and Apex commonly worked together. Hetz, Gearbox, and Texas worked together on other projects. In the Intel Room there were even more agents listed on the wall that she had never even seen.
While she was looking over the intel, Freeman walked in and saw her. She turned to see him as Freeman turned around and left without saying a word. Jynx shouted at him, "Oh come on, said I was sorry. Don't be like that Freeman." Freeman came back to the Intel Room and dropped off some papers. Jynx once again apologized, "I am sorry I took you hostage. It was for the greater good."
Freeman nodded then said, "When I first became an agent for Mirage, I took the American embassy in London hostage. We had intel that there was going to be a terrorist attack that day. If we caused a hostage situation then the streets would be flooded with police vehicles for the car bomber to blow up the building."
Jynx was intrigued, she asked, "Sounds interesting, did it work?"
"Yes and no." Freeman adjusted his glasses and said, "The bombing was thwarted, and the terrorists were eventually caught. But they could not just brush off the embassy being taken hostage. Someone had to take the fall. That was me. I was thrown in jail for taking the embassy hostage. The judge gave me six years jail time."
Jynx's jaw hit the floor, "Six years? How long ago was this?"
Freeman waved his hands around while he was talking, "I only ended up serving three months of those six years. My handler pulled some strings and got me out of there. But whenever things get rough, I remember that mission. We committed a crime to save hundreds, possibly thousands of lives. That's our job. We do terrible things to save lives. If you can't handle that then you should probably get out while you still can."
4:00 p.m. July 14th. Karma, Jynx, Indigo, and Leo all waited in the briefing room for the meeting to start. Freeman showed up and was followed by Opal. Karma took note of this. It would seem Opal was now Freeman's recruit. Freeman said, "Apologies everyone for the late start. We had a disaster in Krakow." Freeman looked for his paperwork, but Opal handed him the correct file she already had in her hand. Then Freeman said, "We have had a turn of events in the last week. If you have not heard, then you must be living under a rock."
"This is Operation Rockbreaker. We have some new missions that will hopefully bring us closer to the Exstrusis program than we have even been." Freeman pointed to a picture of Sidewinder on the cork board and said, "Our good friend Sidewinder, may he rest in peace, was handing over a series of phone numbers to an agent that he referred to as Marx. The numbers he was handing over were in fact Safe House phone numbers. What and why they wanted the Safe House numbers is beyond me, even Sidewinder himself didn't know why they wanted them. We have a team going around with some expensive equipment checking each house for bugs and wiretaps. So far, they have found nothing. If they find anything at all, they will let us know."
"On a positive note, the name Marx is directly linked to the Exstrusis program and Agent Death himself. Opal made some phone calls to MI6 and they faxed over some intel that calls out both Marx and Death in the same document. Bravo Opal." Everyone clapped for Opal.
Freeman waited until the clapping was over to continue, "We have a theory that Agent Death and Agent Marx are the same person. No guarantees, but if it is true, we may have just blown this thing wide open. We have reverse engineered the phone number Sidewinder provided. The number leads to this building in Prague, Czech Republic. According to public records, the building contains multiple businesses and countless civilians. So, we can't just blow it up and call it a day. Floors three and four are both targets of concern. We are going to send a team inside to find Marx. We capture Marx, we use her to find Death. With both of them out of the game, Exstrusis is in a world of hurt. Luckily, the building has already been scouted. The Recon was completed by Apex and Raptor last night."
"Now the plan is to have a pair of Agents move to the location. One team will watch over the building while another infiltrates and finds Marx. If they can't find Marx, they need to find intel that leads to Marx's capture, information on Death, or the location of the Exstrusis facility. If they can't find any of that then the whole operation is a flop."
Freeman went back to the cork board and pointed out the building and layout. Then he said, "We have all the exits and elevator shafts on the map. The building should be easy enough to infiltrate with the multiple businesses on each floor. We can't afford any screw ups in this operation, so Karma and Indigo will be infiltrating while Leo and Jynx are spotters. The rest of the information is in your reports. Any questions?"
Indigo asked, "What is our cover?"
Freeman answered her, "You and Karma will be in business suits posing as executives. Your cover is that the building has been falling under the 10% growth margins and you believe someone inside to be embezzling funds. The word "Embezzling" scares the shit out of corporate scumbags. I doubt anyone will question you when you walk in and out with a mountain of paperwork in hand. The IDs are legit, and they had better be, they were damn expressive. Any other questions?"
Jynx asked, "When you say we are spotters, does that mean we get rifles?"
"No." Freeman said with a stern voice. "Spotters have binoculars and/or radios. I don't need someone to trigger happy and blow this operation. If a spotter sees something dangerous, he or she will use their radios. So, everyone is aware of the threat. No guns needed. Now, does anyone else have any questions for me?"
No one said anything. Karma could tell Jynx seemed disappointed but ultimately accepted Freeman's answer.
After a moment of silence, Freeman concluded there were no questions. So, he said, "Alright. Get it done. Call me if there are any problems."
Everyone got up from their seats. Leo came over and shook Jynx's hand as he said, "I guess we are study buddies this time around." Jynx nodded as Leo started talking. Karma was sure that she knew the danger of the situation.
Karma walked over to Indigo as she was reading her project report. He said, "Nice to see Opal is getting the credit she deserves." Indigo did not respond. She was still reading the report. Karma didn't give up, he asked her, "Hey Indigo, how is your recruit? Is he any good?"
Indigo looked at Karma like he was crazy and said, "He is green. Very very green."
Karma looked at Leo as Jynx and him were chatting. Then he asked Indigo, "Do you think they will be okay together?"
Indigo did not answer right away. She looked at Karma with a stinky eye then she asked, "Are you getting sweet on your recruit Karma? That's not your style. You have always been a mission-first kind of guy."
"Of course not, we are keeping everything professional." Karma cleared his throat as he continued, "I am just curious. We are sending two recruits to work together armed only with good intentions and binoculars. If something bad were to happen, which I am not saying it will, how would they defend themselves?"
Indigo agreed, "Leo has Army hand-to-hand combat training. He couldn't go toe to toe with anyone with real training, but it is better than nothing. Other than that, let me just say that Leo should probably follow Jynx's lead. He takes orders well, but he tends to freeze under pressure. It's a bad trait to have in this business. Luckily, Jynx has a strong head on her shoulders. We will let her take the lead this time."
Karma reluctantly agreed, "I guess so. How are you getting to Prague?"
"Flight." Indigo responded, "Leo and I have a flight scheduled for tomorrow morning at 6am. How are you getting there?"
Karma opened his file and said, "Umm, train. We are leaving tonight." He stopped and thought about it for a second. He hatched a devious plan in his head.
Indigo saw this and said, "What are you planning? I have seen that look on your face before. What are you thinking about?"
Karma defended himself, "Nothing, I just love trains."
Indigo's look of disbelief said it all. Then she remarked, "If you blow this operation, you better become a train conductor and never come back. Because Freeman will kill you. Then he will transform into a ghost, hunt you down, and kill your spirit too."
"Thank you, Indigo. You always know how to cheer me up before an operation." Karma walked over to Jynx and grabbed her shoulder. Then he said, "Hey what are you kids talking about?" Leo started to explain, but Karma cut him off, "That's a great story, but you can save it for another day. We have work to do. Are you ready, Jynx?" Jynx agreed and followed Karma out of the room. As they were walking, Karma asked her, "Leo seems friendly. What did you think?"
Jynx replied, "Yes, very friendly. Where are we going?" Karma didn't say a word. He just led Jynx to the Armory and started looking through cases. Jynx watched without saying a word. Eventually Karma found the case he wanted. He opened the case to show Jynx the gun inside. Her jaw nearly hit the ground. "Oh my god, that is a Remington 700." She looked over the weapon marveling at its impressive attachments. "Equipped with the long barrel, threaded end for a suppressor, folding bipod, and X3 bell. AND the whole thing snaps together so it can fit into a smaller case! It's beautiful."
Karma closed the case and said, "Oh, you like it?"
"I love it. My dad had one with a nice wood grain. He let me shoot it all the time."
"Good." Karma handed the case to her. "It's yours." Jynx took the case from him with a confused look. She held the case like it was made of gold. Karma turned and walked over to the ammunition box and grabbed some spare boxes for her. He threw them in his personal bag and said, "Ready to go?"
Jynx was still holding the case with both hands. Then she said, "Freeman said I didn't need a weapon…"
Karma agreed, "Yes, Freeman is your handler and knows what is best for you. However, consider the situation. If your location is compromised, and you and Leo are about to be swarmed by enemy agents. It's going to take me at least three or four minutes to get to your location to help you. Do you really want to be completely unarmed?" Jynx shook her head no. Karma smiled and said, "See you agree. Let's go, partner."
As quietly as she could, Jynx carried the rifle case out of the Armory. She looked around and said, "This rifle is about $2,000 with all of the attachments. Am I going to get in trouble for this?"
"Of course not, remember rule number three. Rules need to be broken sometimes." Karma collected his things from his bed and picked up his business suit. It was in a bag as he carried it over his shoulder. As he walked past the intel room, he spotted Indigo. Karma pointed at her and said, "See you in the field." Jynx followed him with a scared look on her face. Karma led her over to the equipment room and opened the door for her. Seeing her face he said, "Remember, act like you are doing nothing wrong and no one will question it."
Jynx straightened up and put the rifle case on the table. Karma found some luggage and blankets in the closet. They packed up the gear, so the rifle looked like a suitcase. After it was well hidden, Jynx smiled and said, "Women usually bring more clothes than men anyways."
They walked together to the exit. Passing by Freeman, Jynx tensed up but retained her composure. Freeman nodded to Karma. Karma nodded back and said, "See you in a few days, boss."
Outside a taxi was waiting for them. Karma took the luggage and threw it in the back. Jynx and Karma rode together in the back seat. The taxi driver drove them to the train station. Karma pulled out the tickets and handed one to Jynx. Jynx took it as Karma noticed a little smirk on her face. She elbowed Karma and said, "I saw your business suit. We are finally going to see you out of that bomber jacket and into a nice set of cloths."
Karma looked down at his bomber jacket. Then he said, "Business suits are expensive. Someday when you need to carry a holster under your coat, then you will find it difficult to stay stylish. There is a fine line between effective and stylish. Military surplus jackets are on the effective side."
Jynx touched his bomber jacket and said, "What if I buy you some nicer clothes? Would you wear them?"
"Probably, as long as they are NOT bright colors. I will try to keep a low profile." Karma pointed at his faded green bomber jacket and said, "You see red is the most eye-catching color. That is why fire trucks and ambulances are red. Green, however, is the easiest color to overlook. Like military camouflage."
Jynx nodded, "I have a red shirt! So, if I wore red you would notice me?"
"I don't recommend it." Karma desperately tried to change the subject. "You stand out enough as it is. You should wear baggy clothes and put your hair under a hat. Here take this." Karma took off his gray hat and gave it to her.
Jynx ran her fingers through her hair and said, "I can put my hair in a bun then put the baseball cap over it." Karma watched as she spun her hair into a bun and put the baseball cap on. Then she said, "How do I look?"
Karma looked at her hair and said, "Pretty good. You can change hats quickly if needed. You can also add glasses and wigs if you need to change your appearance quickly. If you realize you are being followed you can duck into a corner and ditch your wig, glasses, and coat in a trash bin. Then change directions. The person following you will walk right by you."
Jynx retorted, "I could try some different hats. I don't think I would look good in a wig."
Karma shook his head, "The objective of a disguise isn't to look good. You want to look different. Not better. Be forgettable, not memorable."
"I got it, I got it." Jynx agreed, "So if you get the chance are you going to lose the bomber jacket? Oh! I know. A reversible jacket. Black on the outside, blue on the inside." Then she gave him finger guns again.
Karma thought about it for a second then said, "That is actually a good idea, but then you followed it up with a rule number two violation."
Karma checked his watch as they arrived at the train station. 5:19 p.m. They unloaded their luggage and carried it inside. As they walked, Karma noticed Jynx struggling a bit with the heavy luggage. He stopped her and said, "Since, I owe you one." He took the luggage with the rifle in it and continued to walk.
Jynx caught up with him and asked, "How do you owe me?"
Karma explained, "The other day when we had a hostage situation. When YOU took everyone hostage. I was out gunned. Freeman and Sidewinder would have killed me if you had not done what you did. I figured I owe you one."
Jynx smiled again, "Awww, this is a beautiful moment! Like when a teacher graduates as a student to the next grade."
"That is a stretch." Karma walked over to the countertop and waited in line. He added, "It's more like a pat on the back."
While waiting in line, Jynx reached into Karma's pocket and took out his ticket. Then when the line was clear, she stepped forward to the clerk and said, "Hi, my boyfriend and I have never ridden a passenger train before. Which way should we go?" Jynx showed the tickets to the clerk to get directions. Karma's brain was on fire. Does she think this is a game or something?
When Jynx was done talking with the clerk she handed over the tickets. Then she grabbed Karma's arm and said, "This way sweety." She led him to the loading area. While she was all smiles, she could tell Karma was dead on the inside. She asked, "What's wrong?"
Karma responded, "What are you doing right now? Do you think this is funny?"
"Relax," Jynx stopped and looked at the train platform numbers. Then she looked back at him with a smile and said, "It's our cover story." With that said, Jynx climbed on board the train and waved for Karma to follow her. Despite being annoyed, Karma got on the train and followed Jynx to their seat. Luckily, the train was not overly crowded. Upon making it to their seats, Karma threw the rifle luggage and her personal pack in the overhead compartment. He kept his personal bag.
As he sat down, he said quietly, "Cover stories are for dangerous situations. We don't need a cover story to ride a train. No one cares if we are related or if we are mutants from the sewers of New York City."
Jynx had one last smile as she said, "I get that reference." Then Jynx's happiness faded as she said, "Stop freaking out, it was a practice cover story. I am a trainee here. You have to let me build up my confidence." With that, Karma let it go. It seemed he more or less got his point across. He pulled out the files and handed them to her. Jynx looked them over and asked, "Is this some light reading for the trip?"
Karma agreed, "Yes, last time you didn't read the mission briefing because technically you weren't supposed to be on it. This time I want you to read everything. Memorize every number, call sign, radio station, and address. Then I will test you on it."
"Oh, so much for enjoying the ride." Jynx started flipping through the pages, "Did I even mention that they don't use transport trains in the U.S.?"
Hours passed. Jynx was clearly bored of reading the files. Karma checked the time, it was 8:53 p.m. Jynx was looking out the window and watched the scenery flow by. Karma was exhausted too. A combination of early morning and long train rides. He wiped his face with his hands and said, "Okay are we ready for the final exam?"
Jynx looked back at him and said, "What exam?"
"The exam on the material you are reading." Karma pointed to the file that she had been neglecting for the last hour or so.
Jynx nodded as she said, "Oh yes, how about you ask me a question then I will ask you a question. Deal?"
Karma agreed, "Sure why not. What floor are we going to be checking?"
"Floors three and four. My question is, what state were you born in?"
"What?"
"I said, what state were you born in?"
"I heard that part, your questions have to be pertaining to the file and the folder in front of you. Those questions."
"I never agreed to that. Stop avoiding the question, what state were you born in?"
"Denial."
"You can't be born in a state of denial." Jynx laughed a little bit saying it out loud.
Karma took the file and said, "Okay, I think it is time. We need to have THE talk."
Jynx was very interested in this. She asked, "The Talk?"
"Yes," Karma was prepared to crush her hopes and dreams. This had to be done. He said, "This is literally the hardest lesson to learn."
Jynx looked puzzled and asked, "And therefore, I need to learn it right now on this train?"
"Yes, you are new to the business, so you don't understand. But…" Karma was having a hard time finding the words, "…you can't get emotionally attached to anyone. And I mean anyone. Not your closest allies, your fellow co-workers, your handler, or anyone. It makes you vulnerable." Jynx did not say anything. She was stunned. Karma continued, "Pretty much all emotional attachment is deadly. I can give you an example." Karma reached up and touched her hat and said, "Image that, I absolutely love this hat. This is the greatest hat of all time. I can't live without it. While on a mission I dropped the hat. I realize it's gone, so stay there to try and find it. But I wasted too much time and now there are three enemy agents waiting for me and they shoot me dead. Boom. It's over."
Jynx listened to the whole story and then she said, "I understand that you like hats. But if what I am hearing is true then you are telling me that if you are on a mission with a friend and that friend goes down, you are supposed to run the other way?"
Karma retracted himself as he said, "That sounds really horrible doesn't it. But yeah, in a way it's true. If I am shot and dying on the ground, and you have the files…" Karma handed her the files. Then he continued, "…this is all that matters. If you stay, you can't help me. I am fatally wounded. And you can't help yourself while you are trying to save me. Then they catch and kill us both. It's ugly, and it's hard to talk about, but you have to put the mission first. Always."
For the first time ever, Jynx was without words. She was clearly disturbed. She looked at the file and then to Karma with shock in her eyes. Then she asked, "Do you really believe that?"
Karma nodded, "It's not personal. I can't say it is the most honorable system. It's just business."
Jynx shook her head and said, "You're wrong."
"I didn't say it was easy. Putting the mission first is the hardest lesson to learn. But an ally could die or fall into the hands of the enemy to be tortured for days... And you still have to leave them." Karma continued, "Imagine you are carrying information that could save a thousand American lives or more. Your friend went down. Shot to the chest. It's over for him. All you have to do is complete the mission and leave a friend behind. Could you do it?"
Jynx couldn't answer. She knew the right answer, but she couldn't suppress her true feelings. Finally, she said, "No, I would at least try to help." Jynx then looked at the files and returned them to Karma. Then she asked, "If it was you and I was shot, would you leave me behind?"
Without missing a beat Karma said, "Yes." Karma flinched at his own answer but then followed up with, "Thousands of lives at stake. Husbands, sisters, mothers... possibly the future president? I would expect you to do the same." That was the end of their talk. Jynx was clearly distraught by the idea of leaving friends behind. She went back to reading the file while Karma thought about the conversation that had transpired. Was it cruel to let an ally fall into the hands of the enemy? Definitely. But the mission came first. Karma never got to ask her questions about the file. The exam was over.
The train finally arrived in Prague. Karma yawned as he checked the time. It was 11:40 p.m. Leaving the train, Karma grabbed their luggage and carried it over to the exit. It was dark outside. No moonlight to illuminate the night. Few cars, and few people on the streets.
Karma waved to signal a waiting taxi. The driver did a U-turn to come to their position. While they waited for the taxi, Jynx spoke. She asked, "It sure is late. What is the plan, bossman?"
The taxi pulled up next to them as Karma said, "Nothing tonight. Indigo and Leo won't be here until tomorrow. We have a room set up." Karma put the bags in the back and walked over to the taxi man and said, "Corner of Cakovicka and Freyova?"
Jynx smiled, "Oh nice, hopefully it has room service and a nice view."
Karma rolled his eyes seeing that Jynx was back to her playful attitude. But secretly he was happy that the talk had not brought her down too much. Karma replied, "Don't get your hopes up too much. It's just a safe house." Jynx and Karma piled into the backseat. The taxi took off down the road as they left the airport. There was nothing to see outside the windows. The city was dark. Most people were sleeping or getting ready for bed. After a few minutes, Jynx leaned over to Karma and whispered, "Not that you care, but I want you to know that I forgive you."
Karma was confused by this, he asked, "What for?"
Jynx whispered again, "For leaving me behind on a mission... and for being a dick most of the time."
Karma replied, "Forgiveness is divine I guess, but the lesson wasn't about me. It was about you. I wanted to see if you are capable of putting the mission first."
Jynx paused but then said, "No."
Karma was shocked, if only a little bit. Even after all she had seen and learned in the business, she still held firm to her own ideology. Then he said, "It's okay. You aren't expected to learn everything in the first week. Maybe I can explain it better for you." Karma thought about it for a second then said, "Rather than looking at it like you are leaving a friend behind to die, you need to think of it as... Understanding that you have a job to do while respecting that your friend will get out on his or her own."
"After getting shot in the chest. I don't think that is something I can learn... I don't think I would want to learn it." Jynx looked at Karma and asked, "Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever left a friend behind?"
Karma shook his head, "No. I don't have any wood to knock on. I have taken extreme steps to prevent my friends from getting killed. Because I always knew the outcome if they did. An ounce of prevention goes a long way."
Once again, the taxi fell into silence. Jynx looked to the darkness outside but eventually started to smile. She leaned over to Karma once again and whispered, "If it does happen…"
Her words were cut off as the taximan said something to them. The car came to a stop as Karma pointed to the building. He looked at Jynx and said, "This is our stop." He climbed out of the car and grabbed the luggage from the trunk. After doing this Karma walked around the taxi to see Jynx had already paid the taximan. She must have had money left over from the last two missions. The taxi drove off as Karma walked toward her. He told her, "You didn't have to do that. The cost of travel comes out of the mission fund."
Jynx smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. You carry the luggage and I pay the cabbie. Teamwork." Jynx joined him and pointed out a restaurant nearby. She said, "Oh sweetie, look. The place looks good. We should try it sometime."
Karma laughed as he said, "Sorry Sweetie, but eating at restaurants and public places make us a target. If we do eat at a restaurant we eat in the back. Out of sight kind of thing."
Jynx smiled and said, "This is our cover, remember? We are tourists. We eat at neat little
places like that." She leaned in and hugged his arm. For the first time, Karma did not pull away. This was a part of their cover story but also, he didn't feel uncomfortable letting her touch him. Karma remembered Indigo's words. She was right, Jynx was still a recruit. She needed to be treated as such.
Karma pulled away from her hug and pointed to the emergency exit door in the building. Then he said, "Can you get that for me?"
Jynx opened the door and looked inside. Karma walked past her and started climbing the stairs. Jynx followed him asking, "I can tell this isn't your typical safe house. Mostly because it is not a run-down donut shop. What kind of place is this?"
Karma answered her as he climbed the stairs, "This one is actually a one-bedroom apartment that we repossessed from an asset. I don't remember all the details, but she was a KGB informant who eventually went into hiding. The apartment is definitely a step up from the rest of our safe houses. We call it Charlie 9, but the C is supposed to represent the word Color. You will understand why here in a second." They climbed the stairs and eventually got to the third floor. Karma pulled out a key and unlocked the door. Once inside he turned on the light and looked for Jynx's reaction.
As she walked in, her jaw almost hit the floor. Jynx said, "Holy cow! That's a lot of purple." The living room was very colorful. Every shade of purple was plastered on every wall, floor, rug, and piece of furniture. You don't see them very often.
Karma threw their bags on the couch and said, "Yeah, being an asset, she had a lot of money to throw around. The bedroom is a soft green color. The kitchen is all white and the bathroom is an extremely bright color of orange. You will probably need sunglasses to go in there. It is really bright." Jynx walked over to the bathroom, turned on the light, and admired the extremely bright orange paint. Karma took his shoes off, jacket, and pistol holster. Jynx went to the bedroom to look at the insane mixture of green colors.
She returned to the living room and said, "This is a huge upgrade from the donut shop. It's colorful and there is a shower with this new fancy stuff called hot water. I approve." Jynx watched as Karma opened the closet to get some blankets out. Then she asked, "Are you going to bed already?"
Karma threw some blankets on the couch and said, "It's almost midnight. We have to be up and functional by 7am. So, coffee and showers will need to be done before all that. I recommend that you get some sleep too."
Jynx crossed her arms and said, "But I am not tired. I thought that maybe we could stay up and talk for a bit."
Karma laid down on the couch and covered himself up with the blanket. Then he replied, "No problem, you have at least two minutes until I fall asleep. Fire away."
Jynx looked at the bed in the green room then back to Karma. She smiled and said, "You know this bed in here is a queen size?" Karma nodded. Jynx bit her lip and said, "You know, if you didn't want to sleep on the couch you… you could sleep on one side, and I could sleep on the other. It's not weird or sexual to me. It's just two people sleeping… on a bed."
Karma gave her a questionable look and then said, "Are you putting the moves on me? I thought Freeman gave everyone a speech about fraternization in the workplace."
Jynx retorted, "It's not fraternization! I was just pointing out that there was a huge bed in here… and couches are uncomfortable… and…" Jynx was out of ideas. Then she said, "You know what. You can sleep out here. Good night."
Jynx walked away from the bedroom door toward the bed. When she was out of sight, Karma said, "Good night Jynx. Don't forget your bag on the floor." He smiled as he pulled the blanket over his head. A few seconds later, Jynx came back to grab her bag from the foot of the couch. Then she returned to the green room without saying a word. Karma could hear her unzip the bag and pull out some clothes. She was clearly upset, but Karma knew he had to set boundaries. Inviting another agent to sleep in bed with you can lead to… problems.
Jynx eventually turned off the light and climbed into bed. After a few minutes she said, "Karma?"
"Yes?"
Jynx had to word herself in a manner that didn't sound offensive. Then she asked, "Are you afraid of relationships? Like, are you afraid to get close to someone because you might have to leave them behind on a mission? Is that why you are the way you are?"
Karma responded, "I am the way I am? No, actually. In fact, when this operation is over, Exstrusis is shut down, and Agent Death is behind bars, I plan on picking up on my personal life. My new job at the CIA will hopefully give me a lot of freedom to… maybe go on a few dates. Have fun. That kind of thing."
Jynx waited, then said, "Oh, well… Why wait? You should start while you are still young, you know?"
Karma realized the implications to her question. So, he responded, "I will. Eventually. But right now, it doesn't make sense to start a relationship with a fellow agent when I am trying to put the mission first." Jynx started to talk but he cut her off, "Also, when Agents hook up, it creates a horrible long-distance relationship that is doomed from the start. It's a brutal set up for a world of heartache, and the relationship is dead in less than six months."
This time Jynx was silent. But not for long. She waited a few minutes then she replied, "Okay. Goodnight, Karma."