Agent Gray, Red with Love

Epilogue/Finale

  Four years later, Paris, France:

  "Ooooohhhhh.... And there goes Devineaux," Shadow commentated on the intercom as the Frenchman slipped on the deck of the speed boat Shadow, Julia, Zari, Lucianna, and Devineaux were tailing Le Chèvre and Tigris on the Seine River.

  Shadow had made a sharp jerk on the steering wheel that had made his French partner lose balance. Struggling to get up, he was about to declare in an entirely Devineaux fashion, "Aha! I am okay!" before catching a breeze and falling again, also in an entirely Devineaux fashion. This time however, his back hit the boat's windshield, causing a crack to break out in the clear glass.

  Julia groaned. Zari sniffed. "Serves us right for not using a car."

  "Hey!" Devineaux protested as he just managed to sit down on the plush seats.

  "Aw, chin up Zari— the boat's insured," Lucianna reminded her.

  "It's also rented," Zari said.

  "Well, I mean, technically it's stolen—" Shadow began to correct her.

  "Shadow!" Julia interrupted him.

  "Right, 'borrowed'. Pardon me, Lia," Shadow quipped. "Hey, do you think—"

  "Eyes on the water!" Zari yelled, grabbing the wheel and swerving as Le Chèvre yanked at the wheel, causing the CUBE boat— a bright yellow think with a pink stripped hull— to make yet another sharp turn. Devineaux was starting to look increasingly green.

  Chief has sent them to protect a preserved French flag from the Napoleon era, beloved to have been present at the Battle of Waterloo. CUBE had recently been attempting to steal one historical flag from all the nations of the world. Some heists had been prevented, others, less so. This was just another in the string of attacks.

  "Why'd you think he'd want the French flag anyway," Devineaux complained, "There's so much cooler items in that museum."

  "All history is cool," Shadow chided, sitting down next to him as Zari took control of the boat.

  "Whatever," he grumbled in response.

  "The Battle of Waterloo was a famous battle in then Belgium, between Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Empire, against Britain, Prussia, and the Allied Forces," Julia explained as they continued to tail the CUBE operatives, "When Napoleon lost, it marked the end to the Napoleonic wars, a bloody conflict that had lasted for 23 years, officially putting a stop to Napoleon's plans to conquer Europe for France. That makes this not just any flag, but potentially the flag that was lowered when France surrendered, and thus the symbol of the ultimate defeat. So it's a very significant artifact of European history."

  "Ah," Deveinaux said, pretending to have understood a word of what she was saying.

  Zari huffed. "When did their boats get so fast?" 

  "Oh you know, probably engineered by Headroom or something. Evil stuff," Shadow sighed

  Lucianna cursed under her breath, but could not argue otherwise.

    The stars' reflection glittered on the small, river waves. It was a dark, Paris night. The Eiffel Tower was looming above, gradually becoming larger as they  darted ever closer. Tigris, one of the operatives on the boat, glanced behind herself and hissed at them.

  "So rude," Shadow grumbled.

  Deveinaux asked, "Didn't you date?" Shadow punched him in the arm.