Neon Tiger

[WolfofWords]

Moonlight climbed off of his light racer and keyed his security code deftly into the ignition panel, locking the vehicle in place. He brushed his jacket back into place and then headed toward the main entrance of the Clash headquarters. Moonlight had joined up a few years prior, wanting to make a difference and he held the record for resolving criminal incidents. He stepped inside the front door.

“Agent Sirius Moonlight,” he said, flashing his badge. “Here to see Captain Farrell.”

The man at the desk blinked for a moment as he studied Moonlight and his badge. “Agent Moonlight,” he said slowly. “I caught your most recent intervention on the news. I can’t believe nobody died.”

Moonlight shrugged and smiled. “Just a few lucky shots,” he said. “That’s what I’ve trained for.”

“Speaking of your sidearm, you’re going to need to check that in here,” the desk sergeant said. He saw Moonlight hesitate to give up his sidearm. “We all have to do it. You’ll be safe inside.” The last was said with a small, mocking smile.

Moonlight shrugged again. “I don’t need a sidearm to defend myself,” he said.

“You’re going to have to give up your sword too,” the sergeant said. Everybody knew that Agent Moonlight favored a sword as his backup weapon. He pressed a button and a small box opened next to the desk.

Moonlight took his sidearm out of its holster and placed it in the box. He then pulled the collapsible sword from his jacket. He made sure that it was in a locked position and placed it in the box as well. The box closed and a moment later the door opened that led further into the building. Moonlight nodded to the desk sergeant and headed inside. He had not been at main headquarters too often but he still pretty much knew where he was going. He saw people notice him but he did not really like being a celebrity. He knew he was good at his job but that was because he was dedicated to it. He paused outside of Captain Farrell’s office, smiled, and showed his badge.

“Agent Moonlight to see the Captain,” he said. “I’m expected.”

Janie Gunn, the Captain's assistant, smiled and nodded. “I know you are Agent Moonlight,” she said. “You can go right in.”

“Thank you,” Moonlight said and opened the door and walked into the office.

Captain Farrell stood up from his desk and reached out his hand for a shake. Moonlight reached out and shook the man’s hand gladly.

“Thanks for coming uptown so quickly, Agent Moonlight,” the Captain said. “I hate to interrupt your good work.”

“I go where ordered, sir,” Moonlight said. “I’m happy to come up here to meet with you.”

“Good,” the Captain said. “This won’t take long. It’s come to my attention that you’ve been running without a partner for a while.”

“It has been a while,” Moonlight said, an eyebrow slowly raising. He had a bad feeling about where this was going. “It’s been since my training partner but I do work with others sometimes.”

“Well, then you’re due to get a new partner,” the Captain said. “That’s where Agent Jones comes in. She’s also between partners.”

It was only then that Moonlight noticed the woman sitting silently in the corner. She stood up and offered a stiff smile. Moonlight shook her hand. For what it was worth, she had a firm grip.

“So, if I connect the dots correctly, Mrs. Jones here is my new partner,” Moonlight said.

“It’s Miss Amanda Jones,” Jones said. “But really it’s Agent Jones. Let’s keep this professional.”

“Sorry,” Moonlight said. “You’ve got a ring on your hand. I just assumed.”

“It’s to keep people from barking up the wrong tree,” Jones said. “Forget about the ring.”

“This is where I’m supposed to get bent out of shape about having to deal with a new partner?” Moonlight asked. “I’ll bite. I work best alone. I’ve worked alone for years.”

“You’ve gotten lucky,” Jones said. “Lucky doesn’t last forever. We both need somebody to watch our back.”

“Obviously I have no real say in this,” Moonlight said. “So I guess we’re partners.”

“I guess so,” Jones said.

Bennie Jett
Dexy Midnight
Maxwell Silver