Something He Can't Quite Remember

Probably Unpleasant For Both Parties

KENSINGTON, LONDON, ENGLAND

Hero sat stoically in the silk-covered armchair, her delicate fingers touching her lips, which still burned from his kiss. Meanwhile, the rest of her burned with embarrassment. She didn't even like him! What was she thinking? Even so, she was lost in the way it had felt, with him so close. 

So lost it took her approximately half an hour to realise he was gone. After coming to her senses, she leapt to her feet. Yes, he had left, but he couldn't hide. Somebody would catch up with him. She grabbed her charcoal-grey coat, and dashed out of the hotel room door. She left the room unlocked, there was nothing left in there of consequence anymore. 

Pulling out her mobile, she hit speed dial, and called James. It didn't ring, and went straight to a pre-recorded message. 

"This mobile telephone number is unidentified. Perhaps you have made a mistake?" a cool female voice asked, causing Hero to grit her teeth in frustration. He had already found a new phone, and disposed of the old one. She barely paused to wonder, whatever happened to managing business, James? before she was dialling another number. 

"Caesar?" she nearly shouted, as she ran onto the street. She looked around frantically, before hopping on a bus at random. 

"Yes, Hero?" the grey, monotonous voice replied. "What is it?" 

"I... I think I..." Hero mumbled, suddenly unsure of how to tell a man like Caesar that a woman like her had managed to lose a man like Hercules. 

"You lost Hercules, Hero," Caesar stated. "Yes, I know."

Hero was intelligent enough to not ask how. It would probably be unpleasant for both parties involved. "Umm, yeah. I'm sorry. But he has complete amnesia, he won't remember any diversion tactics or anything! I'll catch up with him in a few days, and we'll be back on schedule." 

"Doesn't remember any diversionary tactics? Really? Hercules, can you attest to that?" 

Hero heard a muffled voice at the other end of the line. It was James, and he was laughing at her. 

"YOU SON OF A *****!" she cried, causing several  of the unsuspecting bus passengers to look at her disapprovingly. Her phone buzzed, alerting her that an unknown number had joined the call. 

"I do hope you aren't talking to me, now, Hero?" James said, still chuckling. 

"So you call kissing me a diversionary tactic?" Hero said sarcastically, trying to regain some composure. 

"I admit it wasn't strictly by the book, but, I can say with absolute certainty that it worked quite perfectly." 

"I... you..." Hero gasped. 

"Moving on to more important matters," Caesar interjected. 

"Yes, of course," Hero said, at the same time as James said "Of course, down to business." 

"Well, Hero. You achieved your primary mission objective, retrieving the Subject before Jones, and then failed spectacularly at the secondary objective, keep the Subject in custody until instructed otherwise. However, as the aforementioned objective was in fact compromised by the Subject himself, and as the Subject came straight to the intended recipient i.e., myself, this appears to have worked out rather conveniently for all parties involved." 

"So....?" Hero asked tentatively. 

"You are no longer of use to my client," said Caesar. "We cannot have Jones catching up with you. Who knows what he might find out?" 

"No!" she exclaimed.

"If this is like the movies, I'm really not going to like this outcome, am I?" James said hesitatingly.

"We shall have to dispose of you cleanly, Miss Pierce. I don't appear to have any other choice." 

"Knew it!" cried James, almost joyfully. Caesar hung up. "Look, Hero. I'm sorry I walked out on you like that, but---"

"Just go away, would you?" she snapped, close to tears. 

"Hero, I want to help you, honestly!" 

"Yeah, right. WHY?" 

"Because I ----" There was a crash, and the line went dead.