The Houston Squadron

|| Volume 1, Chapter 9 || ''The Finest Amber''

Another successful night had passed for Amber's Antique Electronics. Amber was in her office, typing on her computer, ensuring all of the files were correct. She felt her phone vibrate and took it out of her pocket, looking at the text and smiling. It was a picture of Barry putting a thumbs up to the camera with a smile on his face, Aurora beside him cooking something with a bored expression. The caption read, "Not too enthusiastic yet, but this is the most edible-looking dish our leader's ever made lol" Amber laughed and texted back, 
"She's a better shot than I am when it comes to that. lol" and she pressed send, placing the phone on her desk and smiling. Her associate, Jasper White, walked in, setting a box against the wall. He turned to her. "So, uh. Why are you keeping the shop closed tomorrow?" Jasper asked, Amber looking at him. 
"Heh, as shocking as it may seem, Jasper, but even I need a day off once in a while." Amber replied, getting up and shutting her computer off. 
"Fair enough. How're you gonna spend it?" Jasper asked as he organized thing. Amber looking at a picture of Barry and her on her desk and picked up the frame.
"Hm. I had an idea. Maybe visiting an old friend I don't see very often anymore." she said, looking at the frame. Jasper noticed, and grinned. 
"It wouldn't happen to be that Barry fella you're always talking about, is it?" Jasper asked, Amber laughing, putting the photo back on her desk. 
"Oh, Jasper. You act like it's a mystery that I crush on the guy a little. But he's likely already taken! Besides, he's an FBI agent now. He's got no time for a silly lady that collects outdated technology for a living." Amber replied, Jasper sighing.
"You'd be surprised how much time someone would make when they're in love, kinda like how you're making yourself a day off tomorrow?" Jasper asked, Amber blushing a little.
"Alright, alright, you're asking questions above your paygrade. Let's close up shop for the night." Amber said, slightly embarrassed. Jasper smiled and nodded, as they left the office and closed the store. 

The next morning, Barry exited his room, stretching. He let out a loud, long yawn, cracking his back. "Will you keep it down out there? Some of us are still trying to fall back asleep..." Aurora called out from her room, Barry rolling his eyes. He walked down the hall, and towards the kitchen. He looked at the sofa, where Argile was watching TV and Kali was reading a book. "You guys are already awake...?" he asked tiredly, walking to the kitchen counter. 
"Yeah, not all of us stay up until three o'clock in the morning working on gadgets, Barry." Argile replied, Kali nodding. 
"Yeah. And I actually slept great last night! Despite yesterday's... troubles." Kali added, Argile smiling. 
"Yeah, yeah, sure. It's not like only one of us around here makes the gadgets." Barry said as he got the cereal out. He got a bowl out of the cupboard and put the cereal in, and then poured the milk. He yawned as he grabbed a spoon and joined Kali and Argile in the living room. He sat down on the chair next to the couch. 

The TV was a news report on the Museum of Natural Science. "Good morning, Houston! I'm Constantine, and you're watching the HCN channel! Good news today. Yesterday, the ancient artifact we did a cover on, the Olmec Maize God Mask, was stolen by well-known Feo Auncyen, who expressed a high desire to buy the artifact, sources say. But, when rejected, he was said to have stolen the piece. But, some think he had nothing to do with the actual robbery, as sources suspect he hired someone, or even a whole group, to steal it for him. Interrogations have been fruitless thus far, but we're told they're trying to track down anyone who might've been involved in the robbery. Thankfully, the artifact was found in Feo's penthouse and returned to the museum, thanks to the efforts of the Houston Squadron, once again! We're seeing that group a lot recently. Gotta say, I'm becoming quite a fan myself. So, once more, congratulations, Houston Squadron! And now, for the weather. Tom?" Constantine said while holding a few papers, the scene going to Tom, who started talking about the week's weather.  

Aurora entered the living room, stretching and smiling. She walked over to the sofa and leaned against the chair Barry was sitting on. "Wow. Couldn't even be bothered to eat at the table, Barry? Gotta be honest, it seems you've turned to the dark side..." Aurora joked, Barry rolling his eyes. 
"Whatever. I'm too tired to worry about what is and is not a place of eating." Barry replied disgruntled, Aurora chuckling.
"What's wrong, Princess? Did a frog interrupt your beauty sleep and ask you to bestow a kiss upon him?" Aurora joked further, Barry grumbling and flipping her off. Argile and Kali laughed as Aurora grinned, walking over to the kitchen to get a morning snack. She opened the pantry to find an unopened bag of Fleazits. "Ooo!" she exclaimed, grabbing the bag and joining the others in the living room. Barry looked at the bag and smiled. 
"Ha, well, at least I got a socially accepted breakfast item." Barry mocked, Aurora laughing sarcastically.
"And at least I can wake up without hating myself!" she mocked back, Kali giggling. 
"Ladies, ladies. You're both pretty." Argile joked, Aurora chuckling as she stuffed her face full.

Around thirty minutes pass. Barry has woken up enough to clean up his bowl and Aurora has finished her bag of Fleazits. Just then, the phone begins ringing. Argile shoots up. "MY TURN!" she yells, the others looking at her weirdly. She straightens up and coughs awkwardly. "Uh, ahem. You've all answered the phone before, so... Uh, I figured I could for a change." she said, Aurora looking at her confused, before shrugging. 
"Alright, go ahead, Argile. Nobody's stopping you." Aurora said, leaning back as Argile walked over to the phone, answering it. 
"Hello! You've reached the Houston Squadron! I am Argile Knapp, how may I help you?" Argile asked calmly, waiting for a response. 
"Hello, Argile. It's Thomas. I like your answering voice, very formal." Thomas replied on the other end, Argile chuckling.
"Thank you, sir. I've been practicing." Argile answered, the others looking at each other. 
"Well, I have an interesting mission for you all. An hour ago, there was a fire that broke out in the Houston Forest. A fire crew were sent out to extinguish the flames, and they certainly stopped, but the forestation reported that the fire crew never returned. Very strange behavior coming from Station 102's fire crew. I'd like you all to meet with the fire chief at the station and then investigate the disappearance of his crew." Thomas explained, Argile nodding, despite talking on the phone. 
"You can count on us, sir! We'll get right on it." Argile said, hanging up the phone. She turned to the others. "Another mission, guys. We gotta get to Fire Station Thirteen. One of their fire crews went missing while putting out a fire in the Houston Forest." Argile said, the others getting up. 
"Let's do this." Barry said.
"We'll find them." Kali said. 
"Let's go!" Aurora agreed. The agents got their things together and headed for the door. 

Suddenly, Barry's phone started ringing and he immediately halted, Aurora bumping into him. "Ow! Dude, what's the hold up?" Aurora shouted, rubbing her head, Barry looking at his phone. 
"Uh, just uh... Give me one minute." Barry said, walking over to the couch and answering it. Aurora crossed her arms, Argile and Kali looked at each other confused. "Uh, hey, Amber." Barry answered, Aurora immediately understanding.   
"Hey, Barry! How are you doing today?" Amber replied on the other line, Barry straightening up. 
"Uh, good! Really good. Uh, you...?" he replied, nervous.
"I'm good. I'm just walking in town. Hey, this might be weird to ask, but..." Amber said, Aurora and the others looking intrigued. "Well, I spent like, two weeks finding time to schedule myself a day off, and it's today! I was hoping you'd like to, I don't know. Get together? L-like, you know, to hang out! Go to some shops, check out some tech. Like we used to, you know? Ever since you joined the agency, we haven't really hung out much. What do you say?" Amber asked, Barry looking rather sad. 
"I'm so sorry, Amber. I would love to, of course! But, we just got called to a mission... And, it's-" Barry started explaining before Aurora motioned at him. 
"Hey, it's okay, Barry. We got this!" she said, Barry looking at her. 
"You sure...? It sounds like a big mission..." Barry said, Aurora nodding.
"It's okay, Barry. You go have a day with Amber. We'll take care of it." Argile said.
"Yeah, have a day with your friend!" Kali added, Barry smiling. 
"Thank you..." he mouthed. "Uh, hey, Amber? I think I just became available." Barry said, Aurora smirking. 
"Really?? YES! Uh, I mean... Yay! How about we meet outside of my shop?" Amber asked.
"Yeah, okay. I'll be there in thirty, cool?" Barry replied. 
"Yeah! Alright, nice! See you soon." Amber said, the call hanging up. Before Barry could process this, Aurora wrapped her arm over his shoulder. 
"Dude. You are SO in." she remarked, Barry rolling his eyes and pushing her back.
"Come on, it's just a hang out! But... Thank you. Really." Barry said, Aurora smiling.
"No problem, Barry. Alright, team. Let's go take care of that fire crew!" Aurora said as she walked out of the front door. Argile nodded at Barry as she followed, and Kali gave a thumbs up. Barry took a breath and went to his room to get something fancier to wear. 

He walked into his room and opened his wardrobe, browsing a little. "White, white, white, white... Man, I gotta branch out on my fashion choices." Barry said to himself as he looked at his shirt. He then found a orange shirt, one that's formal, but not too formal. "Hmm. Eh, okay, might as well fit the occasion." Barry said as he took the shirt and put it on, taking his casual shirt off. Once ready, he stepped out of his room and started heading for the front door. He exited the suite and headed down the hallway. He got to the lobby and saw Phil, and stopped, looking at him. "Hey, uh, Phil?" he asked, Phil looking at him. 
"That's my name, don't wear it out." Phil replied, Barry leaning against the counter. 
"Uh, I know you and I aren't really personal friends, but I need some advice... Have you ever gone out with a person you like?" Barry asked, Phil smiling.
"Well, yeah! I'm out with friends all the time! Heck, me and Thomas get lunch every Tuesday." Phil answered, Barry shaking his head. 
"No, no, I mean... Someone you, uh. LIKE like." Barry clarified, Phil leaning back in his chair.
"Ohhhh... Uh, no. I'm not really a romantic person, y'see. But! You should ask Daniel. He's been on countless dates! Not many of them fruitful, of course, but he has more romantic experience than I do." Phil said, Barry nodding.
"Thanks, Phil." Barry said, walking towards the main doors.
"No problem, Barry! Good luck." Phil replied with a thumbs up.  

Barry stepped out and started walking towards Amber's shop. His mind started wandering a little. "Do I look okay? Do I smell nice? Am I as presentable as I think I am?" he thought to himself. "I mean, Amber's amazing. But am I? Why did she even invite me to hang out? Eh... I'm overthinking it." he kept thinking. He turned the corner and saw Amber standing outside of her shop.
"Barry!" she exclaimed, walking over and hugging him. He wasn't sure how to react, so he simply hugged back slightly. She let go. "You got a nice shirt! How'd you know my favorite color is orange?" Amber asked, Barry smiling. 
"I, uh, had a lucky guess?" Barry replied. He had no idea what Amber's favorite color was. 
"Well, that's very nice of you! Are we ready to go?" Amber asked, Barry nodding. They started walking down the street. "So, I was thinking we could go to the park first. I've had a lot of good memories there, so it seemed like an obvious choice." Amber said, Barry nodding.
"Yeah, it sounds great. Uh, so, why'd you wanna hang out?" Barry asked, Amber hitting his arm playfully.
"C'mon! You and I both know we haven't hung out much since you become an FBI agent. So, I wanted to change that. Don't act like you aren't glad to hang out with lil' old me!" Amber explained, Barry chuckling. "I mean, you ditched a mission for me, I think that says something." Amber added, Barry blushing slightly.
"Okay, uh, let's not read into this. I just, uh, saw the opportunity to hang out with a friend and took it." Barry said, Amber raising an eyebrow.  
"Alright, tough guy." she said as they walked down the sidewalk.

They arrived at the park and walked the trail, Amber putting out all the flora around them. "That's the Pink Evening Primrose. Beautiful this time of year! It's a shame it's only in bloom for three months out of the year. OH, and that's a Bluebonnet! Such amazing shades. I'm surprised they're still blooming this beautifully." Amber rambled on, Barry smiling. He hadn't realized how much of an appreciation Amber had for flowers until now. They walked over to a bench and took a seat, enjoying the warm breeze overcast. "So! What's been going on with you, Barry? Feels like I've been doing all the talking." Amber said, Barry crossing his arms and thinking about how to put his words.
"Uh, good! Good. Uh, you know. Joined an FBI agency, so that's cool." Barry replied, Amber rolling her eyes. 
"Barry. I didn't ask about the agency, or that squad. I asked about you." she said, looking at him. Flustered, Barry scratched the back of his head. 
"Uh, right. Well, not much has changed. I still make gadgets. I still visit the junkyard for parts. And uh, I visit a really cool shop that specializes in preserving old-timey technology." Barry said, looking at Amber, who smiled.  
"I think I might know the shop. That's really sweet, Barry. Honestly, life for me got pretty boring. There was one person that made life exciting, but he went on to become an FBI agent, so. I don't know. I kinda envy you. I mean, going on missions all the time. I doubt you're ever bored." Amber said, leaning against Barry's shoulder. He turned full red. 
"Uh! Well, you know... It's an okay job. I like helping people. But, I'm gonna make an effort to see you more. I miss hanging out in your shops, talking about tech, experimenting. It was fun." Barry said, Amber grinning. 
"I'm glad to hear that." she replied. A few moments passed before Amber got up. "Well, I'm starved! How about we get some lunch?" Amber asked, Barry nodding as he got up. The two walked towards the exit of the park. 

They ended up at Pinkerton's Barbeque, in central Houston. Barry and Amber walked in, and were greeted with wooden tables, each with a roll of paper towels. The lights on the ceiling added a nice touch. A deer mount on the wall and a TV playing a football game, it was giving Barry very good vibes. "Woah... You really know how to pick a place, Amber." Barry said in amazement, Amber smiling. 
"Yeah, well. One thing I never forgot is that you'd always mention that you love going to places like this, so I figured it'd be nice. Let's get a table." Amber said with a smile. They walked over and took a seat, and within minutes, a waiter walked up to them with two menus. "Hello! Welcome to Pinkerton's Barbeque, the finest barbeque joint this side of town! My name is Reb, I'll be your waiter today! Here's your menus. And could I get you two lovebirds started with some drinks?" Reb asked, both Amber and Barry getting red in the face. 
"U-uh, well, uhm, we're not an, uh- ahem, I'll get Flute Beer." Barry replied nervously.
"Uh, yeah, I'll get a Dr. Woah." Amber said, the waiter nodding and returning to the kitchen area, Barry taking a breath. Amber chuckled. "That was... interesting." she said, Barry nodding.
"Uh, yeah. It was-" he replied. 
"So! This squad. When did you join?" Amber asked, Barry looking at her. 
"Hm. Well, we didn't really become field agents until Aurora joined a month or so ago. But, I would say I joined around a year ago, when it was just Argile and Thomas trying to form a squadron. I was one of the only agents that showed interest. Mostly because there aren't many tech agents I really got along with, so..." Barry explained, Amber resting her head on her hand, looking at him. 
"Well, if you ask me, they got one hell of an agent on their team." Amber complimented, Barry smiling. 
"Thanks, Am. I appreciate it." Barry replied, and shortly after, Reb returned with their drinks. The rest of that evening was relaxing for the both of them. They talked about the new tech Amber's team was uncovering from several locations, and they talked about some of Barry's new gadget ideas he was planning on experimenting with. 

Barry wiped barbeque sauce off of his face, Amber laughing. "You know, you could make an effort to be a little clean!" she said, Barry chuckling. 
"Amber, this is a barbeque restaurant. There's no such thing as 'clean' in these walls." Barry joked, Amber smiling. "Well, I'm gonna go pay. Alright?" Barry said, getting up.
"Oh, you don't have to!" Amber said, Barry smiling.
"I know. I want to." he said, walking over to the cashier. Amber smiled and pulled her phone out. A few minutes pass and Barry returned to the table. "Amazing, all that was only about thirty dollars." Barry said, sitting down. Amber nodded.
"Yeah, that's why I love this place. It's cheap AND delicious." Amber said, looking at her phone. Amber put her phone up. The two got up and exited the restaurant. They were walking down the street, enjoying the day as much as they could. "I really had fun today, Barry..." Amber said, Barry nodding. 
"Me too, I really missed this. I'm hoping we have more days like this." Barry said, as they continued walking. 
"Honestly, I haven't felt like this in a long while, so. Thank you." Amber said, Barry smiling. A few moments passed before Amber stepped in front of Barry, him stopping. 
"Uh, you okay...?" he asked, Amber looking at him.  

"Look, I..." Amber took his hands, holding them. Barry turned red, not sure what to say. "You don't know how much today meant to me. I mean, you're amazing. You're probably the only person I can really call a close friend. I don't mean to come off as weird, or strange, and I probably seem that way now, but... I really care about you. Can we have more days like this? Maybe?" Amber said, Barry's heart racing. He smiled and pulled her into a hug. 
"Yes. I promise, we'll do this more often. I, uh. I care about you, too. I'm sorry I let my job keep us from hanging out like we usually do." Barry said, Amber smiling. After a moment of this, they let go of the embrace. Barry wiped a tear. "Uh, ahem. Yeah." Barry said, Amber playfully hitting his chest. 
"Don't worry, you've deviated from your tough guy act enough, big man. You don't have to say anything else. But it seems our little friend date is over. I should be heading home now. Thank you again, Barry. You're a sweet guy." Amber said, Barry smiling.
"And you're my best friend. We, uh, should do this again sometime?" Barry asked, Amber nodding. She waved goodbye and started walking home. Barry sighed happily and started walking the opposite way, back to the apartment. 

He entered the living area, and saw the other agents sitting in silence on the sofa. Aurora was in a new outfit, a blue sweater and black sweatpants. Her hair, and body, were soaking wet, and she was sitting on a towel, and Kali was walking down the hall towards the bathroom. Argile's outfit, as well as her skin, was covered in soot and ash. Aurora's arms were crossed and she was visibly upset. Barry walked over, chuckling a little. "You, uh. You guys okay?" he asked, Aurora shaking her head subtly.  
"Yeah, uh... The situation took more to take care of than we thought. But, we handled it. Uh, how was your day with Amber?" Argile asked, Barry walking over and sitting on the chair. 
"It was... amazing. We went to the park, and then to Pinkerton's Barbeque, and then we walked through town. She was so... radiant." Barry said, Argile smiling. 
"I'm glad you had fun, Barry." she said, Barry smiling. 
"So... What happened to Aurora?" Barry asked.
"Arsonists suck." Aurora said in an annoyed tone, Barry snickering. 
"Damn. Guess you were fire today?" Barry joked, Aurora sighing.
"I sure was." she replied sarcastically, Argile chuckling.