Jack & Coke

Ginger & the Butterflyman

Here is my second story. I was watching Kingsman: The Golden Circle yesterday and just hated what they did to Agent Whiskey. I thought he deserved better or at least a more fleshed out backstory. So here's the idea I had. Meh...
Please note that I own NOTHING!
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The Rodeo had to be one of the hardest tests Sodapop has ever taken. It was a comfort, though, that both Javier (now Cholado) and Lingshan (now Chai) passed the final trial. Cholado's weakness was his daughter and Chai's was her little sister. It was explained to them later that a Statesman always had to put the mission first and secrecy was key. If you were going to be a Statesman, you had to be willing to sacrifice even those closest to you to complete your mission. It's always a risk that some nefarious force would discover a Statesman's true identity. That's why this test was the most important. Each new recruit was given some leave to recover from The Rodeo before heading to The Ranch.

Sodapop decided to spend some time with Pa. The Loyalty Test really hurt his heart. He thought back to what Tequila said about how bad did he wanted this. He didn't know if losing his only family would've been worth it, but at the same time he knew that if this happened for real he'd remain loyal to the Statesman without question. He laid on the couch in Whiskey's quarters in New York. The apartment was dead silent save for the hustle and bustle of the city life. He was waiting for Whiskey to come home so they could talk about what came next.

"There's my Sodapop!" Whiskey exclaimed. He carried a box of pizza in one hand and a six pack in the other. "What's with the long face? Thought you'd be over the moon."

Sodapop stretched and made his way to the kitchen island where Whiskey dropped the pizza and started opening the bottles of beer. He sat down and hesitantly picked up a slice. "I don't know. I guess I'm still shook from the Loyalty Test."

Whiskey nodded sympathetically. "Yeah. I remember after my test, I just held on to your momma like my life depended on it."

"She was your test?"

"Yeah, I almost failed too. I was ready to spill my guts of everything I knew about the Statesman." Whiskey bowed his head and sighed. "I already know you feel like shit for your choice. I just want you to know that I'm ok. We're ok."

Sodapop grabbed a beer and raised it up for a toast. "To the Statesman."

Whiskey raised his bottle and responded, "To Sodapop and his future."

They tapped each other's glass bottles and said in unison. "To Jack and Coke."

For the rest of the night, Sodapop and Whiskey laughed and swapped stories about their time at The Rodeo. Whiskey shared stories about past missions and Sodapop tried to absorb as much of this advice as he could. When Sodapop finally crashed into his old room, Whiskey quietly cleaned up the mess they made. He smiled at his son's soft snoring and turned the photo Rhett kept in his bedside table. It was a candid photo of him and his sweetheart. It was one of the few photos they had of Rhett's momma and Whiskey thought his son deserved to have it.

I think I did alright raisin' our boy. He thought. I just wish you were here to see the kind of man he became.

*****

Rhett took the jet back to Kentucky. Now that he passed The Rodeo, it was time to head for The Ranch. He was excited to see Cholado and Chai again and hoped he'd work with them more in the future. Everyone already told them that The Rodeo was the hardest part and The Ranch was just like any academy. They'd gain extensive training and go on some easy missions until they found a place within the organization. Junior agents like Sodapop, Chai, and Cholado would mostly prepare for the field of intelligence gathering.

Before Sodapop went to his first class, he decided to check on Ginger and what she was up to. He was also curious to find out about the man she saved. Last time he checked, he was still on the nannite table. He navigated his way through the busy lab and found Ginger talking to a small group of technicians surrounding a workbench with new gadgets for field agents.

"For me?" He smirked as he walked up to Ginger. "You shouldn't have!"

Ginger smiled and rolled her eyes. "Do you want to lose a finger? They're not ready yet!"

"Aw man," he feigned disappointment. "I was hoping to test out some new toys."

Ginger laughed and motioned for him to follow her to another room. "You rascal. Glad to see you made it to the finish line. I'm also happy that they made your nickname your new code name."

"Yeah, makes things easier to remember." Sodapop followed her. "I didn't have to twist Champ's arm too hard. So tell me about the guy we were working on before I left."

"Oh, you mean Butterfly Guy?"

"Butterfly Guy?"

"Yeah, that's what Tequila is calling him." She motioned toward the two way mirror. He followed her gaze and saw a man in a padded room doodling in a notebook. The walls were decorated with scribbles and sketches of butterflies of various colors and sizes.

"Any update on who he is?" He asked.

Ginger sighed and shook her head. "There are no missing person reports matching his description and he can't tell us who he is or where he came from other than he studies butterflies."

"You sound worried."

"A man with no identity and fancy gadgets...what does that tell you?" She motioned to the table in the corner.

Sodapop analyzed the glasses, pen, and the blade hidden in one of the shoes and was reminded of the gizmos Ginger's department created. "He's a spook?"

"Question is, who does he work for?"

Sodapop turned to Ginger. "I reckon his people will come 'round once they figure out where he is. Until then I guess he'll just have to stay here."

Sodapop watched the Butterfly Guy mull around his room adding a few more drawings and notes. He paused and looked around his room and sighed. It was like watching a caged bird flutter around before realizing there's no way out.

Sodapop felt sorry for the man and hoped he didn't find himself in the same predicament.