Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor

October 25th, 1995

The night was waning and the morning would soon come. In the dusty basement under a noodle shop, a woman in a turtleneck sweater and slacks was on the phone. The room was dimly lit and a bit drafty, but it was secure; like the landline currently in use. Papers shifted on a desk as a hand pushed folders aside. The other hand held the phone receiver.

“I got the dossiers. Are you sure about this?”

“We don’t have a lot of time for this, Susan. It’s a delicate position for everyone.”

“When isn’t it?”

“Exactly.”

“So we make them assets. Then what?”

“We need them to do the leg work. This new coven of vampires is giving us a run for our money, but they’re also running scared themselves. They might be looking for a new benefactor for their larger organization.”

“Are they looking to throw in with the yokai?”

“Not sure, but I doubt it. The yokai are still as much Japanese as their own citizens, and they might not like having these Westerners muscle in on their territory.”

“I think they got a lot to deal with already. The local shinto priests and priestesses are out in force with the police. Lots of people accidentally finding new yokai roommates around this time, especially in October.”

“Right. The biggest blip on my radar right now is the yakuza. If there’s a crime family of vampires around, it’s news to me. Still, doesn’t mean there can’t be. We have to get a lid on this before these neckbiters go underground and we lose them. Do whatever you can and remember to utilize your network.”

“I know. I was in the OSS, remember?”

“I’ll be in touch.”

Susan hung up the phone without so much as a “goodbye” and leaned back in her chair. She immediately lit up a Lucky Strike cigarette. She looked up to the ceiling and took a moment to go over her life choices that got her this far. She wouldn’t have much time to do so once the new recruits showed up. She looked over the field reports and the dossiers for the two new assets. Official channels had been used to request two “specialists” for this operation. Unfortunately, the liaisons didn’t seem to understand how much it mattered that they got experienced assets.

Or maybe they were already experienced. Maybe they had enough to finally get them a real mission like this, and the coven and church were using the CIA as much as the Company was using them. Susan pulled the dossier of the first asset and set the other aside. The manila folder was a bit thick, which meant there was a lot of official paperwork to look at.

The first one was a man. Thirty years old. Brown hair. Green eyes. Strong build. Catholic. A priest, even. Born in Massachusetts in 1965. Enlisted in the US Army and deployed with the 82nd Airborne division to four different hot zones before getting honorably discharged. Moved to Maine after he got out. Took up the mantle of a priest after he left the military and assisted in at least two known exorcisms last year. It was a good pick if Susan had to make a choice herself. She wondered if this priest was trying to find absolution in his new life for what he might’ve done in his old one.

Susan set the folder aside. There would be plenty of time to go over the attached DD-214 and the after-action reports. The next one was a woman. Twenty-two. Jet black hair. Blue eyes. Much shorter than the man. Smart looking. Doing studies abroad for her bachelor’s degree and an interesting choice in electives. But what caught Susan’s eye was the woman’s last name. It was very familiar, and a smirk crawled across her face as she put the relatively thin dossier folder on top of the first one.

“Hell’s bells. I’m really getting old now.” She said to herself, shaking her head.

Shizuoka Airport, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

The flight over was abysmal. Coach class the whole way. But it was bought and paid for. By whom, it was uncertain. A company had called her up using a name she was familiar with. Her mother’s name: Margaret Whitfield. She knew her mother had traveled a lot, but she never said where or why. And now, as she walked off the plane and through the gate, she wondered if something her mother had done was the reason she had been whisked away to Japan.

The air was cool and pleasant as she stepped out of the terminal. A car was waiting just where they said it would be. A man stepped out and walked toward her. He had a brown leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses on, which was weird for it being night. He had a smirk like a used car salesman and a light gait.

“Sable Whitfield?” The man asked.

“Uhm…yes?” The girl replied.

“I’m Brooks. I work at the embassy. I’ll take you to where you need to go. Get in.”

“Okay.”

Sable opened the door and sat down. She found herself next to a man in the back. He was tall, brown-haired with green eyes. She eyed him nervously but he remained stone-faced and facing forward. She took that as a sign and also faced forward, hugging her jacket to herself. As they got under way, Brooks spoke up.

“So where you from, Cliff?”

Sable looked to the man next to her and watched him eye her for the first time before answering.

“Maine.”

“That so? What about you, Sable?”

“Oh uh…I’m from Illinois.”

“How ‘bout that. You go to Chicago?”

“No, I live down near the border to the south. Countryside. It’s nice and quiet.”

“I see. What about you, Cliff?”

“Seaboard town. Chilly. Noisy. But I like watching the sea out of my window.”

“Just my luck, I got stuck with the two lone souls on this trip. You guys better not be boring.”

Sable and Cliff shared a glance but said nothing. The ride into the town of Fuji was quiet the rest of the way, leading Brooks to put on some J-pop just to have something to listen to. Sable looked out the window at the passing landscape and allowed herself a moment of wonderment as she marveled at the sights. She had never left her home state but a few times, let alone her home country. It was awe-inspiring to see how things were in Japan.

She looked back at the man named Cliff and noticed he wasn’t looking with the same intent as she was. He was also wearing an old military field jacket that was woodland camouflaged. She saw the American flag on his shoulder but nothing else. She returned her gaze to the window, wondering where they were going exactly. She didn’t have to wonder long as Brooks pulled up outside of a noodle shop.

“This is your stop. Head down the alleyway and take the stairs into the basement. I’ll see you ‘round.” He said to both of them.

Sable nodded and stepped out of the car. She hadn’t packed much in the way of luggage, as she was told she could get things here once she arrived. The jet lag was also getting to her a bit. As she rounded the car, she caught a whiff of the noodles and resolved to grab some before she went to bed that night.

Cliff was already halfway down the stairs by the time she caught up to him. He moved with a purpose as they walked into the basement. It was dank and dusty and a bit smokey too. Sable coughed a bit as she looked around and noticed a woman sitting at a desk. She stood and put down her headphones. Her jet black hair was pulled back into a bun and paired well with her glasses. She looked mature, but couldn’t be older than 34. In fact, she looked really good for her age.

The woman walked towards them. She had a black turtleneck on and a pair of brown slacks. She adjusted her glasses as she moved, and Sable caught sight of her blood red eyes. She felt her hair stand on end from a glance alone. Cliff bristled next to her. She noticed the entire mood shift. He was on edge.

“You? What is one of your kind doing here?”

The woman looked down over her glasses at him and gave a smirk that was meant to be disarming.

“Why, whatever do you mean?”

Cliff started chanting in Latin. He brought a crucifix out from around his neck and held it up. Sable couldn’t make out what he was saying but the woman suddenly darted towards them. In a flash she had shoved Sable aside and took Cliff up by the neck, closing her hand around his throat and letting his chant die on his lips. Sable stumbled backwards and fell, looking up. The woman’s eyes glowed red with slit pupils.

“Demon!” Cliff choked.

“Oh, I’m not just a demon…I’m much worse than that.” Her voice was much more intense now. “Were I not on my own agenda, I’d have taken your attempt on my immortal life as a challenge. Fortunately for us both, we are partnered in this new game.”

“I’ll never work with a demon like you!” Cliff spat.

“You don’t have a choice.” The woman said, smiling from ear to ear.

She let him drop and fall onto his back. Cliff reached up and held his throat, coughing to himself. She stood over him and smirked.

“You’re mine, boy. Both of you are. And you’ll do as you’re told.”

“I know your kind.” He spat.

“That may be, but there are other more important things to worry about.”

“What could be worse than your kind walking the Earth.”

“Come with me and I’ll show you. Book of John, chapter 8 verse 32.”

“Wh-what?” Sable asked as she went over to Cliff and helped him up.

“And ye shall know the truth,” Cliff answered, “And the truth shall make you free.”

The woman smiled and held her arms out dramatically as she stood in front of her desk.

“Precisely, priest.” She sneered.

“What did you mean earlier?” Cliff asked as he stood up.

“About what?”

“About being worse than a demon?”

She dug her hand into her slacks pocket and pulled out a wallet. She dumped out a large coin and tossed it at Cliff, who caught it like a baseball catcher from the force put on it. He looked at it. The eagle’s head above a white shield with a star on it on a blue background. He read the words around the edges of the coin and looked up at her with wide eyes.