My Hubby the Action Hero 2: The Spy who hugged me

Steak and Stake out

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Johnny returned to the storefront sometime later to find Joe on a pedestal and dresses to the nines.

"Ah, excellent." Dangerfield bounced on his heels. "A vast improvement!"
"This watch shoots lasers." Was the first thing Joe's brain could come up with. "Why does my watch shoot lasers?"
"Because your enemy shoots guns, and you can't be seen carrying one," Dangerfield replied, hands in his pockets. "Now we can move on to the next phase."

"Okay. Now I know we have reconnaissance to do and terrorists to apprehend..." Joe held his hands up. "But can we please eat?"

"World peace is at stake, Aboringo." Johnny narrowed his eyes at him.

"World peace is always at stake, Mr. Dangerfield." Joe narrowed his eyes back. "Chau aside, someone is always trying to destroy something somewhere. Also, " He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Is this a spy shop. Like, for SPIES?

"A regular Poirot aren't you? Yes, this establishment caters to the needs of those in a special work class."

"This. Is. So. FREAKING COOL!" Joe beamed. If there was any silver lining to his current situation, it was that he was now in possession of a watch that shot laser beams--

"Your hat is ready sir." The Tailor appeared with a hat box.

--And a hat that turned into a deadly frisbee.

As they climbed into a plateless car with tinted windows that definitely had not been there when they entered the shop, Johnny observed Joe's giddy behavior. It wasn't long that he was protesting the idea of entering the field, and now he was acting like a child with shiny new toys. Perhaps he had made the right call.

"I trust you have everything you need now." Johnny checked his reflection in the rearview mirror.  "I would like to get things rolling."

"I hear what you're saying but like, is there somewhere around here I can get fish and chips to go or something?"

Johnny blinked in disbelief. "Are you honestly asking me about food when the world is in danger?"

"The world is ALWAYS in danger." Joe rolled his eyes. "Look, I hear you but I can't work on an empty stomach. Even though my  l337 hackers skills are programmed into my head, they don't work if I'm not feeling a hundred percent."

Dangerfield resisted an eye roll. This American was getting more childish by the second. Still, he could not jeopardize their mission over a lack of fish and chips. "We'll get you some takeaway. You can eat it on our way to the hotel."

"Great. Ha. Takeaway. I love that you guys call it takeaway."

"I can't imagine what would be so amusing about a word as simple as Takeaway."

"Takeaway. Take it where?"

"To your domicile, I would think."

"Domicile? Really? Your codename should be Oxford.  Dictionary Dangerfield."

"Keep being cheeky and all you'll be getting is a spoonful of Vegemite."

"What's vegemite?"

Johnny smirked. "You can try some later."

As Johnny drove, Joe kept his face plastered against the window, looking for landmarks. After a block or so Johnny purposely drove into what he figured what would be more familiar territory.

An audible gasp let him know he was right.

"Recognize something?" Dangerfield inquired.

"I've seen this street before!"

"I bet." Johnny turned another corner. "Baker Street isn't far from here."

"Shut up!" Joe yelled, startling him. "Uh, shut up in a good way. Can we go there after?"

"After what?"

"We thwart Chau's evil plans?" Joe replied with a hopeful glance.

Johnny cracked a smile. "You make it sound like a skip in the park. It's not as if we can do it all in one night, you know."

Joe shrugged. "That's what happened last time. Destroyed the base in one day, destroyed the island another day...Well, that was a Rag strike but..." His eyes widened. "Wait! A Rag strike! Is that what Chau used?"

"Come again?" Johnny glanced at him. "I'm not sure what you're referring to. If that's code for a Valkyrie procedure, I would not be privy to its meaning. I'm not one of Okumbe's minions you know. I work for--"

"MI6, yeah. A Rag strike is how they vaporized Chau's island a while back. I never looked into it, but the Rag strike is a high velocity, concentrated burst leaving practically nothing behind. Doesn't that sound a lot like--"

"A railgun." Kana said, her voice coming in through the car's radio.

"Exactly!" Joe waved at the dashboard. "Hi Kana!"

"She can't see you." Dangerfield said.

"Yes, I can." Kana replied. "You would be correct Joe. The Rag strike is an extreme measure, but it involves the cooperation of a certain nation to use their railgun."

Johnny looked at the dashboard. "Good lord. I knew the Valkyrie's operatives had a few tricks up their sleeves, but I didn't realize you were blasting things out of existence."

"Like I said, it's an extreme measure. It's not something we're allowed to do all the time. That was probably the first rag strike in years--I don't have the clearance to research or discuss anything else."

"That'll do Kana, thanks." Joe replied. "But this is good and bad. Maybe Chau is using the same railgun that the Valkyrie did. Can you look into that?"

"I'll try. In the meantime, I have some info for you guys. If you're going to the hotel now, you may have a tough time snooping around. A celebrity is throwing a high profile party on the hotel's roof, while local lawmakers are holding a meeting in the hotel's tenth-floor conference room. Hotel security has increased by 300 %."

"Sounds like a fun time." Joe glanced over at Johnny. "You want to reschedule?"

"There's no need." Johnny took out a small cell phone. "Kana dear, which celebrity is having a party?"

"It's the singer Fizzie Pop."

"That will do nicely." As they sat at a red light, Johnny texted back and forth with someone.

"What are you doing?" Joe asked.

"Getting us a proper invitation." Johnny replied.

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Just as they were nearing the Hotel, Johnny was stealthily arming himself. Joe looked up at the tall building ahead. "So what like, you hang out with famous people too?"

"We do not 'hang out' as you put it." Johnny fixed his cufflinks. "But it pays to have a few associates in high places."

"Cool~" Joe took another bite of his takeaway food--a small steak and kidney pie. "Okay, Kana. What's the layout here like?"

"Okay. From the lobby to the fifteenth floor we have regular rooms and civilians--confirmed via hotel records and surveillance. Various residencies exist between floors sixteen to nineteen--please avoid these areas as there are other agencies at work here. Floors 20 to 30 are shrouded in mystery--most likely under Chau's control. Floors thirty-one and higher are clear. The roof is occupied by Fizzie Pop's party with over three hundred guests--try not to make a scene up there."

As Kana relayed the information they had gathered, the three formulated their plan.

"That should do it. I'll be on comms." Kana concluded.

"Very well. Shall we crack on?" Johnny asked, looking at his face in the mirror. 

Joe tilted the mirror away from Jack. "Let's get cracking."