Chapter Text
Rose always hated satin gloves. From the very first time she played dress up, she learned that she couldn't do anything in them without a single thread snagging and ruining them. They didn't keep you warm or protect you. They squeezed her arms and were far too short for her fingers. Nothing screamed “I'm wearing a garment that makes my limbs useless if I actually try to use my hands” better than a pair of satin opera gloves.
She couldn't hide anything in them nor could she move her fingers in them. And right now, more than anything else, she couldn't get a decent enough grip on the lapels of her fellow agent to get him to focus at the mission at hand.
oOo
Rose never was one to work with a partner in the field. The “Bad Wolf” preferred to work alone but from time to time she would pair up with other agents as the assignment saw fit. When this particular mission came up to infiltrate an embassy dinner, she thought “Legs” and “The Centurion” were a shoe-in for it. They worked seamlessly together and although it was never official, talk around the armory requisition counter was that the two may have broken quite a few fraternization rules in the agency.
Much to Rose’s chagrin, this particular assignment required not only her charisma but her gymnastic skills for one integral part of the operation. The target of the mission was a server located on the second floor. Within it contained encryption decoding that the agency had been tasked in obtaining. The job would be simple enough: go to the dinner, slip away from the party, locate the server, download the files using the small flash drive artfully embedded in her hair clip and then leave with no one the wiser. The room was protected using motion detection and pressure sensitive tiles; nothing the Bad Wolf couldn't get past.
Since the dinner was to be held in one of the great halls at the embassy, she was paired with an agent that could provide technological support as well as charismatically pose as her husband.
During the strategy meetings and planning sessions, “The Captain” had been more than the perfect partner. They had poured over every inch of the building to determine access points, blind spots in surveillance and exit strategies. All of the specs of the room were compiled by combining dozens of work requisitions as well as creating hypotheticals of every device currently on, and off, the market. Point by point, the pair went through contingency plans for anything that could be thrown at them to ensure that every possible outcome had been thought of. The Captain and Bad Wolf worked in brilliant synchronicity as they planned, each testing one another with a “what if” scenario and feeling confident in the other's answer.
“You know, I like the way you think when the shit hits the fan.” The Captain smirked as he downed the last of his coffee. “Honestly, I’m impressed. Every scenario I throw at you, you don’t even flinch. Why has the Bad Wolf played lone wolf for so long?”
As he binned his empty cup, he stood in front of Rose, well into her personal space. She could smell his cologne and see the strength he commanded in his broad shoulders. She smiled back and looked into the Captain’s eyes. “I should be insulted, but I’ll take the compliment. I have no aversion to working with a partner, but most of my targets command a singular approach by the female persuasion.”
The Captain laughed. “Oh I’ve had my fair share of honey pot missions, and believe me I can be anyone's preference.” He took Rose’s hand and kissed her fingers. “After this, wanna swap stories over drinks? I’m sure we could learn a lot of techniques from one another.”
“Oh my god! You did not just try to pick me up.” Rose guffawed as she tried to get out her sentence without completely doubling over. “Seriously?” She looked at his blue eyes and saw a bit of hurt in them but also a bit of affection.
“Can you blame a guy? But I’m serious about swapping stories sometime, even if just as comrades in arms. I think I could learn a lot from a lady that can turn down all this.” The Captain threw his arms wide and did a spin to show off all that he offered. “Now my darling wife, would you do me the honour of accompanying me to the White Stag? We’ve got a date with two marks in about an hour.”
Extending his elbow, the Captain asked if he could lead the way. With a shake of her head, she took his proffered arm and walked down the hallway to the on-site agent housing to change. By no means were the living quarters meant to be permanently used by the agents. Each agent had a small studio within the compound used for respites, long hours at the agency or when debriefing took longer than hoped. In cases like tonight, it kept both agents looking fresh and perfectly dressed for their roles of a well to do couple having a night on the town.
The Captain’s American bravado paired well with her English grace when it came time to frequent various restaurants and social clubs weeks before the night of the event. They made the necessary acquaintances they needed to at these hot spots around town, so that on the night of the dinner, they already knew who to mingle and disappear into the crowd with.
The Captain was a natural flirt, and in his current role as Jack Harkness, retired USAF pilot turned board member of a British transatlantic airline, he could spin stories of his wartime heroics as well as grouse about budgets and shareholders. With his wife on his arm, they would work the room and reacquaint themselves with a few of the elite friends they made over the past two months, catching up and learning more about the people who would unknowingly help them blend into the party as they expertly maneuvered through the mission.
As a matter of security, agents never used their real names so other than their code name, aliases were as plenty as grains of sand on a beach. Only the most egotistical of agents used the same alias, despite reprimands from higher up the chain of command. Jack was one of two agents notorious for this. Rose, on the other hand, abided by the rules; however, tended toward a floral theme. Tomorrow, Mr Jack Harkness and his beautiful wife Lily would enter the embassy as husband and wife, and exit as agents with another mission completed with honours.
Unfortunately, the Captain would not be able to make it to the party.