Codename: Tea

Agent Tea knew how to take a blow to the chin. In fact, she knew how to take several. In fact, she was in the midst of taking several on an overcast London evening much like many others. She and her partner, Agent Biscuit, had finally tracked down the criminal duo Evie Cromwell and Olivia Heath to their offices. They owned a number of legitimate businesses that they funneled their illegal profits into, and on this night the Stone agents had found them at their pawn shop.
Instantly Olivia took flight out the door behind the counter. Agent Tea exited through the front door and sprinted down the block, hoping she could cut her off in one of the alleys. When she realized her partner wasn’t racing alongside her she figured Evie had chosen to stand and fight.

As the agent raced through the slick London streets, she shot a quick glance down one of the alleys and saw a shadow quickly move past the end of it. Agent Tea needed to cut her off. She pumped her arms and pressed her legs to their limit. She dodged a few stray pedestrians and spun around a biker, causing her to detour into the street. Facing an oncoming car, Agent Tea leapt and planted her foot into the hood. She tucked and rolled over the roof of the car, down the boot, and landed in stride on her feet. She continued to race around the street and then back onto the path. She banked a sharp left and ran towards the alley gap between a florist and a flat building. Olivia came bursting out of the gap and darted across the street. Tea changed her direction and galloped behind her target. The criminal scurried into another alley, but Agent Tea had gained enough ground to leap and shoestring tackle her.

The two women crashed into brick and slid a few feet from each other. Olivia’s back slammed into a rubbish bin while Tea’s knee banged against a wall. The two women stood and began to trade blows. The chase had zapped both women of their stamina, and as their fight carried deeper into the alley their style lost the elegance it would normally hold. The momentarily ceased when Agent Tea had been able to get ahold of Olivia’s blouse and slingshot her into a metal sheet garage door. Tea advanced on the girl, but a quick elbow to the jaw sent the agent staggering backwards. Olivia pressed her advantage and slammed her fist into Tea’s jaw three straight time. The agent collapsed to her knees. Olivia grabbed the top of the rubbish bin and began to slam it down onto Tea’s head. She brought her arms up to defend herself, but the sheer force caused her to drop down completely onto the ground.

Olivia grabbed Agent Tea by the back of her hair and brought her up to her knees. Then she nailed her with a right knee that Tea thought surely broke her jaw. It didn’t, but it throbbed like all Hell. Tea began a desperate crawl towards the street. Oliva meanwhile began to rummage around the rubbish before emerging with a long black cable. She wrapped either end around her hands, dropped down onto the agent’s back, and wrapped it around the woman’s neck. Agent Tea hacked out in agony as the cable dug into her skin. She grabbed at the cable, trying to pry it from her neck. That just made Olivia pull back even more. Agent Tea cried and coughed as she felt her back bend upwards. Tears began to run down her cheek as her face felt hot. She didn’t know it but it was turning beet red.

Tea flattened out her hands and reached all around her radius. She needed to find something… anything. Just then she felt her index finger barely scrape the edge of a bottle. Oliva yanked her head back even more. She couldn’t see, but Tea had turned purple. She felt her strength losing her. One last desperate lunge for the bottle… She felt it slip between her index and middle finger. She slipped it into her palm, pointed edge out, and then swung it towards Olivia’s leg.

The street thug howled in pain. The glass sunk into the side of her thigh. Instinctively her grasp on the cable loosened. Tea gasped and inhaled as much air as possible. Then she slipped her hands between her neck and the cable and pushed forward. With a gap formed, Tea slipped her head under it and pushed herself up onto all fours, bucking Olivia off of her. Agent Tea scrambled to her feet and began to wobble towards the wall. Just then she heard a voice. A familiar voice, yet one she had not heard in years.

“Hey Liv,” the voice said.

Agent Tea turned to her left and saw the unmistakable beautiful face of Evangelina Yates. She was smirking. With her arms crossed across her chest and shoulder blades leaning against the wall you’d think she was just off for a casual stroll.

“Eva, what the…?” Agent Tea began.

But then Eva nodded towards Olivia who had gotten to her feet and decided to try to use this opportunity to fleet.

“Oh just brilliant!” Agent Tea shouted as she took off after her.

“Wait Liv…” Eva began, but the woman was quickly out of ear shot. “I have a car.”

Evangelina shrugged and began to stroll back toward the street.

Meanwhile, Tea was back in pursuit mode. She chased Olivia through the weaving London alleys. She lost her a few times, but luckily was able to follow the sound of her footsteps to catch back up to her. That’s when Tea realized where she was. Olivia was leading her back to the pawn shop. She could only hope that Biscuit had been able to overcome the stiff challenge that was Evie Cromwell. If they let them slip through their fingers they'd never hear the end of it from Her Majesty.

As Tea turned the corner, she spotted Eva getting out of her car and racing over to her. She put her hands up and caught her in her arms.

“Wait Liv, wait!” Eva said. “I have to tell you something!”

“Not now, Eva!” Tea said, shaking free from her and continuing to sprint towards the pawn store.

When she entered the store her worst fear was confirmed. Evie Cromwell lifted an unconscious Agent Biscuit clean off of her feet and slammed her down onto the display case, crashing her straight through it and onto the floor. The door closed behind her. Tea whipped her head around and saw a smirking Olivia Heath. She was now all alone with Banger and Mash.

Agent Tea attempted a quick right hand at Olivia, but she felt a strong pair of arms hook around her biceps. Yanked backwards, Agent Tea was strung up by Evie. Olivia advanced, but Tea kicked both of her feet upwards and got the smaller girl on the chest. Olivia flew backwards against the door. However, Evie still had Tea by the underarms and made sure to stretch her out before twisting her and ramming her face-first into the wall. A few more rams into it and Tea felt her body faltering. Evie must have felt it too, because she turned Tea around and sunk an uppercut into her gut. The agent slid down the wall, but Olivia stepped forward and grabbed her by the hair. She straightened her up and then cocked back her right fist.

“Nighty night,” Olivia said.

Just then Tea heard the sound of a bell. Olivia and Evie turned towards the door. Eva had entered and carefully stepped over the wreckage that Banger and Biscuit had left in their wake. She cleared her throat and folded her fingers together, cupping them by her waist. She stood with perfect posture. She gave off the aura of complete and utter calm. Then she gave a professional smile, no teeth shown of course. Just the curling corners of the lips. The type of smile that was more a curtesy than an expression of joy.

“I’m going to need you to release my sister,” Eva said.

The pause had given Tea just enough time to send a kick between Olivia’s legs. The gangster howled in pain as her hand fell from Tea’s throat. Agent Tea dug her other foot into the wall and used it to propel herself towards Evie, who caught her. Tea brought her legs up around Evie’s waist and began to slam right fist after right fist down onto her cheek. Evie eventually tossed Tea off of her, who slammed her ribs into the half-shattered display case. Tea began to push herself up when she felt a hand in her hair. It was Olivia, who had seemed keen to try to finally put an end to her pesky rival. Tea caught a glimpse of what was happening in the reflection of what was left in the display case.

Eva ducked a wild right hand by the flustered Evie and was able to land three quick jabs before the brute knew what hit her. Meanwhile, Olivia was focused on making Tea’s face one with the carpeting. Luckily, the agent was able to catch herself before her forehead smashed down into the floor. She brought her right hand up and latched onto Olivia’s hair. She tugged the smaller girl off to her side and rolled on top of her. Tea wasn’t much of a wrestler, but it turned out neither was Olivia. Within seconds the agent took control of the situation. Another blow between the legs weakened her foe just enough to open her up for a one-two combo that put Olivia to sleep. Relieved, she pushed herself up to her feet and turned her attention to Eva.

Agent Tea was impressed. She hadn’t seen Eva fight in years. She fought with elegance, the way every Yates girl had been trained. As Agent Tea looked down at Olivia she actually blushed. There was very little elegance in the way she had dispatched her. Meanwhile, Eva was dodging just about everything the bigger and stronger Evie threw at her. However, a single right hook was all Banger needed to turn the tide. She caught Eva with it and the younger girl looked as if she had just been hit by a car. She flew a few feet backwards and Evie advanced. She grabbed Eva by the throat and slammed her up, down, and all around the pawn shop before finally launching her through the display window out onto the street.

Evie whipped her head around to Agent Tea. However, Tea had already picked the unconscious Olivia off of the floor and wrapped her hands around her jawline.

“Stop,” Tea demanded. “One more step and I snap her neck. Lord knows I’m well within my rights to do so.”

“You do that and I’ll kill you, your partner, and your pathetic sister,” replied Evie.

“Well then, we have our stakes set. Now, shall we negotiate?”

Evie clenched her jaw along with her fists. After a few moments though she relaxed.

“Fine,” she relented. “What is your offer?”

“You put these handcuffs on,” Tea said, tossing her a set of handcuffs. “Then we bring the two of you in. Otherwise you’ll leave me no choice.”

There was a rustling of glass. Evie snapped her head over towards where the previously unconscious Agent Biscuit had begun to stir. She pushed her slender body up to all fours before finally getting to her feet. She held her head and wobbled over towards the counter, which she used as a support.

“Time is running out,” Tea said.

Evie narrowed her eyes. She tried to think of every out she had. When she realized every single one would end in the death of her partner however, she slapped the cuffs on herself.

“Alright Biscuit?” Tea asked.

“Yeah…” her partner mumbled.

“Good girl,” Tea said.

Biscuit moved towards Evie, but before Tea could tell her to stop it was too late. Evie lunged towards the agent, trying to wrap her handcuffs around her throat to even the playing field. Before she could secure the hold, though Eva had leapt back through the window and onto Evie’s back. She wrapped her arms around her throat and her legs around her hips. She squeezed as hard as she could. Biscuit slipped away and watched with Tea as Evie thrashed around like a wild bull. Eva held on for dear life until finally Evie’s movements became sluggish. Finally, the second half of Banger and Mash fell to her knees. Then she fell to her face, body limp. Eva rolled off of her. She started to catch her breath before shooting a wink over to Tea. Agent Tea simply shook her head and put the cuffs around the Olivia’s limp wrists. Agent Biscuit called in for a transport, and within minutes Evie Cromwell and Olivia Heath were carted out of sight.

The three remaining women stood in the wrecked pawn store. There was a thick tension in the air between all three of them. Agent Tea could only assume Biscuit recognized Evangelina, however she had yet to make any sort of comment about it.

Finally Eva broke the silence.

“So, Liv…” she said to Agent Tea. “I have to tell you something… in private.”

“She’s not going anywhere alone with you,” Biscuit said as she stepped between Eva and Tea.

Agent Tea put her hand on Biscuit’s shoulder.

“It’s fine Bis,” she said. “Eva is my sister.”

“Wait…” Biscuit said. “If Eva is your sister, does that mean?”

“Uh-huh…” Tea replied. “Beatrix is my older sis. Kari Langwell is my aunt. And Madelyn Yates is my mother.”

“Well correction,” Eva said. “She was your mother. She’s dead. Passed away three days ago. Bea said I’m to bring you home.”

Agent Tea felt her world swirl around her. She hadn’t spoken to her mother in nearly a decade. So why did it feel as though she had just been shot in the gut? Her knees wobbled. Her breathing intensified. For any other STONE agent the death of Madelyn Yates would come with relief. For Agent Tea, it made her nearly pass out.

“Beatrix sent you…?” Tea finally asked. “Not Aunty Kari…?”

“Well,” Eva said. “There’s a matter of discussion that is to be had between the daughters before Aunty Kari gets any input. Beatrix is insistent you come. Either voluntarily… or by force.”

Agent Biscuit brought her hands up into her fighting pose and Eva did the same in instinct. Tea waved her hands though and stepped between the two. She turned to Biscuit.

“Tell Her Majesty I need to leave for a few days,” Tea said. “She’ll understand. Just tell her that I’m going home.”