{"id":216,"date":"2014-12-30T03:05:55","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T03:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/?page_id=216"},"modified":"2021-11-13T17:43:34","modified_gmt":"2021-11-13T23:43:34","slug":"part2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode2\/part2\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Episode 2: \u00a0Idolize Me<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 2<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pearl smirked as she sat next to her controls. She had upgraded the car herself, so Nick should have known she could control it from her own database.<\/p>\n

A retractable projector screen hung from a slot in the ceiling and blocked one entire wall. While sitting next to Pearl, Jay monitored the dozens of images showing various exotic locales or rooms around Himitsu Takana\u2019s headquarters. Side-by-side, the largest two images displayed Nick and Diamond\u2019s reunion at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. One jumped around between the car, the ground, and Diamond laughing. The other focused on Nick getting riled up, which clearly amused Jay as he roared in laughter and clutched his sides.<\/p>\n

Nick angrily tried to figure out how to talk to Pearl through his watch. \u201cDamn it, Pearl!\u201d he exclaimed again when he finally got the thing to work.<\/p>\n

Pearl jumped at the sudden shouting in her ear before she pulled up the feed from his watch on the large screen and touched a button on her headset, allowing her to speak. \u201cNo need to yell, dear. Just my payback for the last little gift you left me during your hiatus. You really thought I wasn\u2019t going to get you for that? I never forget, Blondie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna get you back!\u201d He tilted the little camera towards his face, though one would never suspect it was a camera. He stuck his tongue out at it, and Pearl giggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t wait for it. And don\u2019t you have a mission? I\u2019d rather not see a porno, so try not to seduce Diamond out of doing the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jay snickered as he turned from the sunglasses he was looking over. \u201cDiamond I wouldn\u2019t mind, but no amount of money would ever get me to look at 008\u2019s ass willingly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c00Carter!\u201d Nick cried out, annoyed.<\/p>\n

Jay flinched back in his seat, then blinked several times.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet going on your mission. Oh, and don\u2019t forget your underwear,\u201d Pearl replied simply, making a robotic crane come out of the car, taking the underwear from Diamond\u2019s hands and tossing them into Nick\u2019s. Diamond\u2019s blonde hair bounced as she laughed loudly at Nick\u2019s pouting and now annoyed face. Pearl chuckled along with Jay as the crane went back inside the trunk, the hood of it shutting as if nothing happened. \u201cAnd read the guide to the car \u2013 I know you haven\u2019t. It\u2019ll explain the toxins and everything else in the trunk you\u2019re confused about. And how to use the cool toys in the car I didn\u2019t mention. Hop to it, Blondie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine, but I\u2019m still gonna get you, Pearly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking forward to it.\u201d She pressed the button on her headset once more so Nick couldn\u2019t hear what she said and turned to Jay as Nick and Diamond headed into the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on the screen.<\/p>\n

Though the tattooed man\u2019s wide grin reflected his enjoyment, he had obviously come down to check on Nick; he\u2019d known Pearl would be keeping a close eye on him. Pearl was used to higher agents coming down to watch the trace cameras, but it was typically K or Grasshopper. This time, Jay had wanted to and already figured she would as well. Himitsu Takana, like any agency, kept track of its agents. Tiny audio recorders and cameras were placed on every agent, with Pearl\u2019s own personal touch, of course. Today\u2019s bugs, for instance, were hidden in the tiny diamond pendant on Diamond\u2019s necklace and one of the zipper pulls on the chest of Nick\u2019s jacket — he always refused to let her add tech to his jewelry for missions. Although, this was Nick\u2019s first mission since\u2026<\/p>\n

Pearl, you gotta help me… please… god… Kitana, I got no one else to go to!<\/em><\/p>\n

She shook the thought away. Because of that, she and Jay obviously wanted to keep an eye on things.<\/p>\n

Jay\u2019s snickering brought her back to the laboratory. \u201cThat was classic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as I work, I can afford a little fun,\u201d she mused. She and Nick had a history of pulling jokes on each other. They were always careful not to endanger any missions, though. Otherwise, K would have their heads on a platter.<\/p>\n

It had started when Nick used to prank her during training, so she\u2019d made sure he would be stuck deciphering 004 speak as Pearl watched, laughing. Since then, they\u2019d had a mischief war between them. The pranks were part of their friendship.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should have seen him in his car earlier, Jay. I had it on just in case, but I was busy and distracted from it, \u2019cause I was working on this new automatic bra–\u201d<\/p>\n

He smirked as he tilted his sunglasses down to look at her. \u201cAutomatic bra?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs in, automatic machine gun, a small one that can fire from the bra. Secret agents… secret weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be around when Diamond uses it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think I\u2019m making it for Diamond?\u201d She pushed a curly lock away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems like her kind of weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be for Red.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou already made her two specialized weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be for Emerald.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, she doesn\u2019t like stripping unless she\u2019s alone with a guy,\u201d Pearl replied with a knowing smirk. \u201cBesides, she has the sleeping gas bra. Still, don\u2019t assume.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jay just laughed. \u201cYou could give it to Shazam…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can barely handle himself, much less a woman to wear it. Though…\u201d She grinned. \u201c…It would be fun to see him crossdress just so he could have an armed weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was pretty well-known that easygoing Professor Pearl, who could get along with almost anyone, had little or no patience for JC. She and Nick had that in common, and Jay would always watch the rare times the three of them had a mission. He was just waiting for the day Pearl would use one of her devices to teach him not to try and tell her how to make her gadgets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d pay to see that. You\u2019re too professional to give it to him. What you do to Nick is one thing; K would burst a vein if you did that to JC.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jay laughed loudly and fiercely, his face beginning to turn red. \u201cLike you\u2019d wear that! You\u2019re too…\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Pearl gave him a look, and he chuckled, regaining his composure quickly. One should never mess with the one who made your weapons. \u201cSorry, continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working on it and wasn\u2019t paying attention, \u2019til I heard Nick cursing like no tomorrow.\u201d She snickered. \u201cMaybe I should have told him I tweaked his car\u2019s iPod just a bit. He battled the thing \u2019cause I programmed it to not skip songs every time it played Mambo #5. And of course I had it play more than once.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, I just imitate it well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think he can handle this, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

A nod. \u201cOf course…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re watching \u2019cause you\u2019re worried.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sigh. \u201cYou remember the last mission. Hell, you were there with us. Can you blame me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, and it took out a great agent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJustin was one of the best… I just wish it turned out differently. I wish a lot of things when it comes to that, Jay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all do, Pearl.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dark-haired agent drummed his fingers against the table. On the screen, Nick and Diamond wandered the casino, surrounded by many tone-deaf, wanna-be singers practicing for their auditions. Immediately, Pearl turned the sound on the screen down. There were far more contestants than they had expected. Her eyes focused on the screen as the agents began to interact with the contestants. Any one of them could be the enemy they were looking for.<\/p>\n

Jay scanned the screen for suspicious activity. \u201cIf nothing else, this will be interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes took in the surroundings of the laboratory as he ran a hand through his dark hair. \u201cThey have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Diamond scrutinized the thin sheet of paper, pursing her lips. After adjusting the audition bib, she smiled satisfactorily.<\/p>\n

\u201cUpside down, it\u2019s still sixty-nine.\u201d Nick laughed with a shrug. \u201cOr sideways, it\u2019s Cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to look the part.\u201d Diamond flipped out her phone casually, then pecked Nick on the cheek and snapped a picture before texting again.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you always give Lancy the play-by-play on your missions?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly ones where cute 00s go back to fieldwork…\u201d Diamond glanced up from her phone, catching Nick\u2019s furtive glance at the ground, before adding, \u201c…Wearing equally cute pink boxers with hearts on them.\u201d She gave Nick\u2019s butt a quick squeeze.<\/p>\n

For a moment, she caught the slight flush of his face and the twinkle in his eyes before his small smile became a sly grin. \u201cAnd what if I wasn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat can\u2019t be comfortable in jeans. Guess we\u2019ll have to take them off upstairs.\u201d Diamond ran her hand through her long hair lightly. \u201cAfter I audition. I\u2019ll probably be out this round, but Lancy gave me the best idea for a song.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust focus on the things you\u2019re good at and have fun. Do a sexy dance or something.\u201d Nick crossed his arms. \u201cWhat\u2019s the song?\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond winked and placed her finger to her lips. \u201cIt\u2019s a secret. Just listen in.\u201d She tapped the bottom of one of her dangling earrings — a hidden removable earpiece. The other earring held the hidden microphone for the feed that connected just the two of them throughout the mission.<\/p>\n

Nick pouted as he pulled the mic\u2019d earpiece from one of the pockets on his chest and adjusted it in his ear. \u201cToo bad I won\u2019t get to see your dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll show you upstairs.\u201d She whispered and walked her fingers up his chest as she leaned in for a kiss.<\/p>\n

\u201cEntry number 006969,\u201d a male voice called.<\/p>\n

Diamond squealed, then pressed a quick kiss to his lips. \u201cWish me luck, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck.\u201d He pulled her closer by the waist. \u201cDon\u2019t worry too much about sucking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot what you said last time.\u201d Diamond flashed a large smile at him as she pulled away, then sauntered over to the door being held open by the production assistant. As she walked through the door, she turned back and blew Nick a kiss. Both Nick and the production assistant cocked their heads to the side, though Nick briefly glared at the man holding the door. In response, Diamond flounced through the door, slightly exaggerating the flirtatious shake of her hips as she adjusted the earpiece from her earring.<\/p>\n

When Diamond reached the stage, she flashed her smile at the judges. \u201cI\u2019m Desiree DuBaiser, and I\u2019ll be singing \u2018Hey Mickey.\u2019 I want to dedicate it to a special guy watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

The British judge rolled his eyes and muttered a sarcastic, \u201cLovely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Nick grumbled through the earpiece, \u201cYou definitely owe me that dance later.\u201d<\/p>\n

The female judge in the middle of the panel beamed and nodded perkily. \u201cGreat song choice! Whenever you\u2019re ready, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond put her hands on her hips and gave a suggestive little twirl, hoping to hide her nerves at singing in front of others. After a deep inhale, she silently repeated what Nick had told her: Just focus on the things you\u2019re good at and have fun. Do a sexy dance or something.<\/em> Then, she turned back to face the judges with a large grin and gave a little shimmy. \u201cOh Nicky, you\u2019re so fine\u2026\u201d<\/em> Taking Nick\u2019s silence as a sign of his approval, Diamond began concocting an impromptu dance involving a lot of pirouettes, shimmying, and butt shaking as she sang.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re so fine, you blow my mind<\/em>
\nHey Nicky! Hey Nicky!<\/em>
\nOh Nicky, you\u2019re so fine,<\/em>
\nYou\u2019re so fine you blow my mind<\/em>
\nHey Nicky!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

She began strutting toward the judges with a flirtatious smirk. \u201cHey Nicky!\u201d<\/em> When Diamond reached the table, she leaned against it and thrust her hips before climbing on top of it. Putting her hands on the slightly overweight, African American male judge\u2019s shoulders, she continued the impromptu table-top lap dance. \u201cYou\u2019ve been around all night and that\u2019s a little long\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think you\u2019ve got the right, but I think you\u2019ve got it wrong.<\/em>
\nWhy can\u2019t you say \u2018goodnight,\u2019 so you can take me home, Nicky?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

She then crawled over to the British judge and repeated her previous display, going so far as to put her hands upon his chest. \u201c\u2019Cause when you say you will, it always means you won\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re givin\u2019 me the chills, baby, please baby don\u2019t<\/em>
\nEvery night you still leave me all alone, Nicky.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond performed a spiral roll across the table until she sat in front of the female judge. Placing her hand against her forehead and seeming to let out a sigh, her dance became cute rather than seductive as she held her hands to her heart. \u201cOh Nicky, what a pity you don\u2019t understand, you take me by the heart\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The British judge held his palm in front of her face to stop her song.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesiree, Desiree, Desiree\u2026\u201d The heavyset black judge shook his head and frowned. \u201cI dunno what\u2019s going on here, but wow\u2026 sorry, but that just wasn\u2019t good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the perky female judge next to him was all smiles. \u201cI loved your enthusiasm! You put such great energy and spirit into that performance, I think the whole audience fell in love with \u2018Nicky.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemind me to kill Lancy when we get back to HQ.\u201d Nick\u2019s voice groaned from the earpiece.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026and you\u2019re such a beautiful girl,\u201d the woman continued to gush. \u201cWe\u2019re not just looking for a good singer; we\u2019re looking for a performer, and I think you\u2019ve got real star potential. You\u2019re a born entertainer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Paulette,\u201d the older British judge cut her off in his dry, lolling voice. \u201cNow for some meaningful feedback. Honestly, I thought it was abysmal. You were off-key. It was a poor song choice. Even the dancing couldn\u2019t make up for it. But\u2026\u201d He paused dramatically and arched his brow before finishing. \u201cYou\u2019re a pretty girl, and I think you do have a way of captivating your audience, so\u2026 I\u2019d like to see what you\u2019d do with a better song. You\u2019re through to the next round.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The rows of monitors in front of them displayed various angles of footage from inside the Global Idol<\/em> auditions. But so far, they hadn\u2019t picked up anything interesting, and the dark-haired agent was getting bored. His brown eyes started to glaze, while his female companion\u2019s remained sharp. Meanwhile, his butt was growing alarmingly numb; he rose from his swiveling armchair and tried to rub it discreetly.<\/p>\n

He heard a snicker next to him and turned to find her laughing at him. \u201cGot an itch down there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d he snapped and sat down hard, fuming. She must not have known what it felt like to have your butt fall asleep. She had enough junk in her trunk that it probably never happened to her. She had a built-in cushion. Beneath his muscle, he was all bone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen are they going to get in? This is bullshit,\u201d he said, trying to take the attention off his rear end as he gestured to the monitors.<\/p>\n

All day, they\u2019d watched audition after bad audition play out in the MGM Grand. It pained him to see the contestants mocked and humiliated by the snarky judges. He knew what it was like to be told you weren\u2019t good enough. It hurt. And they were using it as entertainment. If he\u2019d had his way, his agency would have nothing to do with this obnoxious show. But then again, it was a worldwide phenomenon. Of course a villainous organization would want to infiltrate it; they could reach half the world through this show. And so, here he was, watching the cameras and waiting for something to happen.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the woman next to him drew in a sharp breath. \u201cLookie here,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up and saw a familiar-looking blonde sashaying onto the audition stage. Suddenly alert, his brown eyes grew large and round.<\/p>\n

Then… \u201cLook!\u201d A clawed hand grabbed his chin and turned his face toward a different camera. As his companion pointed with one long fingernail, he saw what he was supposed to be looking at: the male figure skulking through the shadows in the back of the audition room, heading for the sound booth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s started,\u201d he observed, eyes flitting anxiously between the dark figure on one camera and the blonde agent screeching an obnoxious rendition of \u201cHey Mickey!\u201d on the other. \u201cAnd it looks like we\u2019ve got company.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part 3<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Episode 2: \u00a0Idolize Me Part 2   Pearl smirked as she sat next to her controls. She had upgraded the car herself, so Nick should have known she could control it from her own database. A retractable projector screen hung from a slot in the ceiling and blocked one entire\u2026<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":124,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"templates\/template-onecolumn.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-216","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5xaHX-3u","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":871,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/216\/revisions\/871"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}