The White Feather- A story of infinite worlds

Humans, but Better

“Do you think we can trust her?” Gabriel asked Tony on their way back to the hotel.

“Who said we need to trust her? We will keep our matters secret from her, and and the same time get out as much information as we can. As far as her child is considered, I guess we could check out the place. Or we can tell her that her child was moved before we could get there, I think this is what our predecessors did too.” Tony said, clutching his hands on the metal bar attached to the roof of the bus.

“I like the second plan. We can’t afford to waste time in futile rescue missions while our brothers and sisters suffer in captivity. We must suck out as much information as we can, while also keeping up the illusion that we are searching for her son.

Besides, if we return her son to her before we take the general, she might become scared and refuse to help us. Hell, she might even give us up if interrogated under pressure. We can’t take that risk, can we boss? After all, the baby is our key to that intel. As long as he is gone, she will continue to help us.” Gabriel said, looking at the passengers in the bus.

The other passengers were not paying much attention to this group of Americans, and this made Gabriel a little suspicious. Emma and Olivia were standing in the back and were busy in their ‘girl talk’.

“Did you notice Tony? He looks like he has undergone a whole facelift in one single night. He seems to have taken the command over the team again. Yesterday, he was all weepy and weak, but today he’s all fearless and muscle-ey. Giving orders instead of counseling with the team, that's bold. I just hope he knows what he's doing.” Emma said to Olivia, who was resting her body on the back of a chair.

“Definitely, but isn’t it a change for the better? I don’t know about you, but I think it’s rather hot!” Olivia said and giggled.

“You're one naughty girl, aren’t you Olivia?” Emma said and laughed.

“Oh come on, don’t you agree with me? I like when he takes control.” Olivia said and smiled mischievously.

“I guess I could say that I like him much more this way. But we can’t let the team become a dictatorship. After all, the word TEAM means democracy of decisions among the teammates.” Emma said, rubbing her palm on her left hand.

“Oh come on now, we will never let that happen. And you can’t deny that his techniques are working. And if it gets too far, we can get the agency to intervene.” Olivia said and bumped Emma’s shoulder, making the air a little lighter.

“I guess you're right. Now that I see, he seems a little more handsome when he’s all bossy.” Emma said, looking at Tony, who was tapping Gabriel’s shoulder and trying to explain something to him.

“There’s our stop, let’s go get some decent sleep.” Tony said and signaled the girls to get down.

“Seriously guys? This is the place you chose?” Olivia said as soon as they reached the entrance of the hotel.

“Trust me when I say that this is the best hotel you can get in this city. The other big ones are reserved for the government officials travelling here for diplomatic work. I guess we could make some fake ID’s for us, but it’s too dangerous. And besides, the agency wouldn’t allow it in this life, being it all high-profile and shit.” Gabriel said.

“Okay, time to get some rest. Go to your rooms, have a drink and get some sleep. Meet me in the meeting room tomorrow morning. I’m gonna see if these cigarettes are as good of the stress busters as they say.” Tony said and walked up to a small tobacco shop.

“Okay guys, you heard the boss. I’m gonna go get a shower and see if these beds are good enough to sleep on.” Emma said and yawned.

Gabriel followed her inside, but Olivia stood on the entrance, watching Tony try to negotiate the price of cigarettes in a language he didn’t understand. After two minutes of futile words and meaningless actions, he gave a bunch of notes to the shopkeeper and took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

As Tony lit a cigarette and puffed out the smoke, Olivia noticed something strange. The shopkeeper whistled and tilted his neck towards Tony. Right then, she saw a thug sneak up to Tony with a pointy object in his hand. It clearly wasn’t a knife, but something like a broken liquor bottle.

“Give me money or kill you!” the man threatened Tony as he placed the bottle on Tony’s spine. In a series of mistakes, this would be his first.

“Oh come on, of all the people in this city, you thought I was the one who would get mugged by you?” Tony said and continued to smoke.

The thug didn’t know much English, so he started speaking something in Afghani language, which Tony of course didn’t get. Seeing that Tony wasn’t giving his theft attempt much attention, the thug decided to push the blunt edge further into his back. This was his second mistake.

“Oh hey, come on now. I’m giving you the chance to walk away alive, you really want to blow it off?” Tony said, getting a little uneasy as the edge started making him uncomfortable.

“Give money or kill you!” The man said again. This was the only English phrase he seemed to know.

But still, Tony was Far from scared. So the thug pierced the knife further into the back of Tony's shirt. This time, Tony shivered a bit from the sudden impact and the cigarette fell from his hand. The thug was delighted to finally see a reaction and unconsciously made his grip over the knife a little loose. This was his third and final mistake.

Tony was now furious that he couldn’t enjoy his first cigarette with contempt. It wasn’t tasty or good, but it was still his first. The sound of the vendors screaming in the bazaar and the lean man threatening him went silent as Tony focused on the knife and the placement of the mug’s hands. He turned around in a fury of lightening and with his right hand, he snatched the knife and placed it on the man’s throat.

The thief was not a man, he was a f*****g BOY. He was no older than thirteen years, and it seemed like he was hungry for a few days now. Tony could sense the feel of hunger pangs in the boy’s eyes, and he had no idea how. He felt like he had been in the same position as that boy was in now, a long time ago. And who knows, he probably had been. But the agency wiped his memory out, so he really had no way of recalling.

Anyway, the knife fell from his hand as he looked into the boy’s burning red eyes. The boy was frozen from the sudden turn of tables, and just stared back, dumbfounded.

He was sure that his time had come, as his past experiences in the city might have taught him. So he closed his eyes and started praying in his native language, waiting for his fate to hit any moment now. But Tony wasn’t the kind who took innocent lives (kinda dumb for an assassin).

He watched the poverty-stricken creature for a second, and then placed his hand on the boy’s trembling head. It was burning with fever.

When the boy opened his eyes after some time, Tony was gone and when he looked at his shirt pocket, he saw a bunch of bills stuffed inside. The unsuccessful attempt at robbery had just been transformed into his most successful one yet. So he wiped the sweat from his eyebrow, took up the knife from the ground and started to walk towards the liquor shop. By the time the tobacco shopkeeper arrived, he had already ordered five beers and finished two of them. Well my friend, moral of the story is that looks can be quiet deceiving. And Tony was simply too young for him to understand the outside world.

“Quite the gentleman, aren’t you Mr. Rabada?” Olivia said when Anthony stepped inside the hotel, trying to spark the flame on the lighter for his second cigarette. He didn’t like the taste of the first one, but apparently he felt like smoking another one (addiction alert).

“What are you talking about?” Tony said, a little taken aback.

“I saw you with that boy near the tobacco shop. You could have killed him with a nice right hand punch, but instead, you got robbed by him intentionally. That's a bit strange for someone like us, isn't it?” Olivia said and smiled.

“He was a good lad, just lost in this cruel world. I hope an act of kindness would help him find his way.” Tony said and started walking towards the stairs.

“Eh….good sir, sorry but no smoke inside hotel. Everything wood, fire boom boom....” The receptionist said humbly. His nose was still swollen and red after the gift he had received in from of a magnificent punch earlier that day.

Tony looked at him with a firm and cold look, and eventually the receptionist gave in and waved his hand, signaling surrender.

“You're a good person; always remember that when you feel lost. Also, just in case you think it is a curse, it’s not. Rather than that, it’s a gift that not many people possess in this modern world.” Olivia whispered as Tony walked past her and stepped on the stairs.

The words were just the ones that Tony needed to listen, and he looked back and observed Olivia’s face. She was looking at him too. Her face looked as innocent as a child’s, and some strands of black hair blocked the vision from her deep green eyes. Tony broke his concentrated gaze before it became awkward and nodded, continuing on the journey to his room.

The wall clock made a ding dong sound, signaling midnight. Tony was twisting and turning on his bed, trying to sleep as soon as he could. But sleep was as far away from his eyes as the sky is from the sea. The train of thought was on the move, moving from platform to platform. Sometimes he thought about Jamaila- her cute face, the neatly tied dark black hair and the determination in her eyes to get her son back. And in the next minute, he was thinking about Olivia- her lightning fast decisions, witty talks and constantly testing and intimidating attitude. Not to mention the stunning toned body.

Oh come on, give the man a break. You want that if this is an action story, the hero should be thinking about plans to blow up buildings and killing enemies without them seeing him coming. But he’s a human after all, and a very soft one apparently. Like other boys, he also thinks about women before going to sleep.

After all, his body had just escaped teenage, and his hormones hadn’t exactly balanced again. He was just a grown up kid, who was sent to a warzone after a few months of training and no prior warning. Sure, he was smart and had a strong sense of duty and honor. Otherwise, he would have ran away as soon as he killed the first guy. But keeping that all aside, he was just a kid, looking for the slightest piece of love and affection.

And needless to say, Olivia provided him with affection, now he was only looking for a way to convert it into love. But given that he had no memory and they didn’t teach how to impress a girl at the agency, he was f****d!

And then, he heard a slow creak. It was his door. The door opened as Tony reached for the pistol under his pillow and c****d it. But he decided to wait and see who it was and kept the pistol hidden.

His heart beat crossed 100 beat per minute as footsteps approached his bed. And then, there was a flash. Tony didn’t waste time and pulled his gun from below the pillow. He turned around and pointed the gun straight into…….Olivia’s face?

Yes my dear friend, it was Olivia. And she wasn’t planning to kill Tony in his sleep. In fact, she was carrying a pillow in her hand and the flash that startled Tony was the light getting switched on. But I guess you already knew it. After all, I’ve got a comparatively smart audience. So by the looks of it, Olivia was either here to sleep or for a pillow fight.

“The f**k are you doing here so late?” Tony asked, still pointing the gun subconsciously at her calm face.

“Take a chill pill, fiery pants. I couldn’t sleep and clearly, neither can you. The spies were taught that the body warmth of someone of opposite s*x could really help. So I thought why not take that chance. After all, we need to be well rested for tomorrow’s mission. So……” Olivia said, making a pout face.

Tony looked at her for a second and then lowered the gun, shrugging his shoulders. He showed like he didn’t care whether he slept alone or by her side. But we both know that in reality, this was the very thing he was wishing for a minute ago. And Olivia was a spy, so she deduced it from his body language instantly that Tony was as happy as she was.

Tony moved silently as Olivia sneaked under the blanket. The bed was meant for one person, so it was obvious that Tony couldn’t keep away from her however hard he tried. But anyway, the intention was to share body warmth, not to keep as far away as possible, like a couple on the verge of divorce.

“Why didn’t you sleep with Emma?” Tony asked, adjusting his pillow.

“She’s erotophobic (a phobia of being in intimate contact with anyone else), so she can’t really make intimate contact with anyone.” Olivia said, pulling the blanket to her side.

“Even with girls?” Tony asked, a little surprised.

“Even with girls. How about you? You also seem rather awkward.” Olivia said and teased Tony by pinching him.

Tony giggled like a little girl, and tried to push Olivia away, but she was too quick.

“Well, what would you do if I barged into your room and said I wanted to sleep with you?” Tony said when Olivia finally stopped. Tears rolled out of his eyes from continuous laughing.

“I would be rather happy. After all, you're not so bad compared to the other guys. Some girls would say you're hot.” Olivia said and smiled.

Tony was shocked at this boldness and couldn’t find words to respond. He just turned around, facing Olivia and looked at her face.

“Well, are you one of those 'some' girls?” Tony asked hesitantly.

“There there Mr. Rabada, don’t you go falling for your junior officer now. You do know that there's a policy against that?” Olivia said, smiling mysteriously.

“You still didn’t answer the question. Are you some girls?” Tony asked, clutching his pillow.

“Maybe, maybe not. The policy dosen't care if I like you or not. What is wrong is wrong, no way around it.” Olivia said and tried to look disappointed. And Tony fell for it, like the fool he was.

“I understand. Well, let’s sleep now and start fresh in the morning.” He said, brushing her hand through Olivia’s hair. He couldn't get that she liked wanted him to say that f**k protocols, We're meant for each other. But, as much as he’d like to believe that she liked him, he couldn’t really trust her words.

The thing with spies is that they are masters of deception, just like our Thomas. So even when they are telling the truth, we find it hard to believe and just look for the hidden intention behind it. And Tony was thinking that Olivia was doing all this to gain his goodwill. After all, he was the boss. And having an advantage with the boss can never hurt, right?

So he decided to consult the only person he could talk out his heart to. Yeah, you guessed it right, it was our old buddy Thomas. As soon as he was convinced that Olivia was asleep, he got up. He took the pack of cigarettes and stuffed it in his pockets, so that even if Olivia was awake, she would think he went to smoke and wouldn’t follow him.

He walked up straight to the roof and pressed the button on his watch. He took the option of safe teleportation instead of fast transportation, so that there was no bright flash in the middle of the night.

After five minutes, a dark blue portal opened and Thomas stepped out in his night suit. He looked like a complete cartoon in his cap and had a cigar stuffed between his fingers.

“What the f**k kid? Get a sense of time before thinking of calling.” Thomas said and asked for a lighter.

“How did you know I would have one?” Tony asked, surprised.

“Every leader starts smoking as soon as they enter the other worlds. It gives you pleasure, removes stress and there’s no threat of cancer, as the body resets when we return to our world.” Thomas said and lit the cigar.

“Now, tell me what’s bothering you. I’m in the mood for some inspirational s**t today.” Thomas said, blowing out a puff of smoke in the dark night sky.

“I…..I..” Tony stuttered.

“I…I…? I get it. You think you're in love with someone or you killed someone who was innocent.” Thomas said and waved his hand, gesturing Tony to relax.

“I…I think you are partially right. I’m actually attracted to my teammate.” Tony said and gulped.

“Which one?” Thomas said, trying to make rings from the cigar smoke but the wind was too fast to allow that.

Tony was surprised by Thomas’ coolness. He thought there would be an angry reaction and Thomas would forbid him from doing something like that. But here he was, asking which one of the girls he liked.

‘Ol…Olivia.” Tony said and lit up his cigarette.

“Yeah, she’s a good one. From what I recall, she’s a spy. That means a beauty with brain, good for a dumbass like you.” Thomas said and smiled.

“What if I said that I liked a girl from this world too?” Tony said.

“Then you're stupid. I made that mistake once, and as much as I’d like to do it again, I know it was idiotic of me. Even if your attraction changes to love, you MUST leave her when you bade farewell to this world. And trust me, it WILL break you from inside." Thomas said and sighed in disappointment.

"On the other hand, if you love someone from your team, she will stay with you for hundreds of years and your bond will be somewhat eternal. You'll have a partner who will truly understand you, because she's been through every one of your ups and downs WITH you. But I doubt you’ll live that long, given your ‘expert’ skill set.” Thomas explained.

“But there’s a protocol against dating teammates…” Tony was saying and Thomas’ tone changed altogether.

“Then f**k it, if a protocol forbids something it means IT IS forbidden. No matter what you do, never ever break a protocol. They are there for a reason, and love is the most worthless of reasons to break them. If a protocol wants you to keep yourself out of that broad’s panties, then…” Thomas was saying but Tony pounced on him.

“Don’t you dare talk about her lik….” Tony said while jumping on Thomas, but Thomas was no fool. He reacted with a big right hand straight to the chin, knocking out Tony flat on his ass.

“First of all, protocol 17 says never be aggressive towards your counselor. And if I’m your counselor, you don’t need a protocol to understand that. But still you made a move on me, that shows that you really are interested in this girl. Well, in that case, my advice is to take your chances and not get caught. Rest is up to you…” Thomas said and walked back into the portal.

“And remember, don’t be too harsh on yourself. Just because we can travel in time dosen't mean we are gods, we’re only humans, but better. And humans have a right to enjoy, thus so do you.” Thomas said and saluted Tony, who was lying on the ground, rubbing his chin.

When Tony came back into the room, Olivia was sleeping profoundly. Tony captured her sleeping face in his head and slowly climbed into bed. He was a little startled when she suddenly placed her hands on his chest, but soon enough, he was sound asleep, feeling her soft fingers on his chest. I guess the heat treatment worked after all….