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SPECIAL ACCESS

Chapter Two - The Winds of Heaven Change Suddenly - Chinese Proverb

Silver did not finish reading the morning reports and dealing with Academy business until lunch time, which he was going to pick up at the cafeteria and eat at his desk to make up for coming in late, but Tancred Williams appeared and changed his plans.

"I brought take-out from your favourite Japanese restaurant." The muscular golden fox told his friend and subordinate. "Let's eat it in my office."

Silver detected a false note in his old friend's invitation, but he kept his mouth shut until they were behind the soundproof door of the Director's office.

"Alright," he said between mouthfuls of ginger, sushi and wasabi, "what's the bad news."

"I'm retiring."

Silver decorated the wall with dragon roll in his shock. "What? But you love your job!"

"Everyone has to retire sometime. I'm not getting any younger."

"But you're as healthy as a horse!" Silver did not have to mention that there was no mandatory retirement age anymore in the service. "W was in much worse shape than you and he served right up until the end. Why he practically died in the saddle, so to speak."

Tanner chuckled. Silver did not now it, because he did not have access to the file, but Sir Wilbur had actually died of a heart attack, brought about in his weakened condition by a final sex act done as a favour by an old friend.

"I don't intend to hang on that long, Silver. I intend to enjoy life while I sill can, get in a little skiing, travel and actually get to see the sights, spend more time with Joel ..."

Silver was, of course, aware that Tanner was in a relationship with the Academy forger. It was permitted as long as all the personnel reviews that might affect the lemur's career were handled by a third party, Silver in this case. It was the same with his relationship with Vikki, where all her evaluations were written by Tanner. But he suspected there was more to his friend's decision.

"Does this have anything to do with the new minister?" He asked, suspiciously.

Tanner leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Yes, as a matter of fact. he gave me the choice today of retiring or being fired."

Silver crossed his paws on his lap and waited for Tanner to elaborate.

"He was demanding to be read into the Special Access files again." The Director continued. "I tried to explain, again, that he could not have access because as a civilian he could not contribute to the intelligence operations that were covered by the special access controls. I told him that even the Prime Minister didn't get access unless and until a political decision was required. It wasn't good enough for him, and he gave me the choice of reading him in or leaving FOX."

It had actually gone farther than that. "The Ministers of Defence and Industry have Special Access" the Terrier had complained.

"Their departments are involved in technical projects that require international consultation at the Ministerial level." Tanner had countered. "Ours do not. Ours involve plans and techniques and agents in sensitive positions. The fewer people that know the better. It's to protect you from exploitation, more than anything. What you don't know can't be coerced out of you."

"You think I'm a pushover?" The Minister had bristled.

"Everyone has a weak point." Tanner had rejoined.

"And I know yours." The terrier had countered, opening up a file that had been sitting conspicuously on his oversized desk. "It seems that you were a practicing homosexual in the RCMP back in the days when that was grounds for dismissal and conviction."

Tanner's face had flushed red with anger. "I never denied my sexuality, it's not my fault if my superior decided to overlook it and," he added with a sly grin, "practice makes perfect."

Things had gone downhill from there.

Silver leaned forward. "Tanner, this is unfair. You can fight this."

"Oh, I could," Tanner said with a sigh, "but I don't want to. He knows that I will never go public with this fight, because I value FOX too much. By the time the only tribunal with the clearance to know about FOX reviews the case and makes a decision it will be too late to reinstate me, and he also knows that I won't sue for compensation because the money would come out of the Academy budget. Besides, heads of agencies serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister, and our Minister is valuable to him for his political connections. The PM will need him on his side for the next elections and the inevitable party leadership review that will precede it. I'm a small sacrifice for him compared to that."

Silver grunted. What Tanner had said was correct, unfortunately. Good spymasters never went public, they just 'arranged' for their political masters to fall from grace. But Tanner was not that type; he would go quietly no matter how unjust the reason.

"I guess we need to talk about the succession then." Silver said with resignation. It had always been the plan that he would take over as Director when Williams left, if he was still alive then.

"Uh, there is another bit of bad news." Tanner said, looking at Silver from under his eyebrows.

"What? Does the Minister want me to quit too?"

"Worse. He wants to put his own person in charge. A political Aide that is loyal to him."

"Someone that will give him the access that he wants."

"Exactly."

"But the Directors have always been professional intelligence types."

"There have only been two." Tanner reminded his friend. "W was British Military Intelligence when he was seconded to Canada to stand up FOX, and I was his Chief of Staff, but I was never an intelligence agent or even an analyst."

"You were Counter-Intelligence." Silver complained. "Same thing."

Tanner doubled over in laughter. "If the boys and girls at CSIS heard you say that they would think they had died and gone to heaven. You, who have regarded counter-intelligence services with such contempt!"

Silver had to grin. "Professional rivalry." He admitted. "Their motto is 'spies get caught', and mine is 'Bad spies get caught'."

"Anyway," Tanner said with a grin as he helped himself to more shrimp tempura, "he wants you to stay on, mostly because our charter says that 'either' the director or his Chief of Staff need to be a professional intelligence operative." Then he looked serious again. "But rest assured, if you cause trouble for him he will replace you with someone else, someone he can control. He even hinted at going outside the agency."

Silver shuddered. There were several other intelligence agencies in Ottawa, and some of them were already top heavy with bureaucrats that had proved to be useless as analysts but experts at currying political favour. Having one of those in charge would be the death knell for FOX, he believed.

"I'll stay on as long as I can." He promised his friend, but in his mind the wheels were already spinning. "When does the new Director take over?"

"Not for another few months." Tanner told him. "She has to finish up some political work for the Minister first and it would be unseemly, as well as illegal, if she did it while serving as Director. But I am leaving today, and you will be acting Director in the interim. Acting pay and benefits will apply starting tomorrow of course."

"Jesus, Tanner, I don't want your job!"

Tanner grinned sadly. "I know, but the Academy needs you. You can appoint an acting Senior Agent and an acting Chief of Staff for up to 90 days at a time without it going to a review process but because you are the only one qualified to be acting Director and likely to pass the 90-day limit you will have to go through one yourself. Just the usual though, a review of your file to confirm your qualifications and a medical."

"A ... a medical?"

"Yes. Even though you won't be in the position long the Public Service rules require a medical to make sure you don't have anything that might cause you to drop dead in the near future. Don't worry though, if my replacement doesn't like the job and quits within that two years you won't have to go through it again to take the position permanently."

"Oh, good." Silver replied with little enthusiasm. He pushed the food aside and wiped his mouth on a paper napkin. "Thanks for the food, Tanner, but I'll had back to my office now. You've given me a lot to consider."

Tanner, who was staring out the window thoughtfully, thinking about retired life, said "I understand, old friend. You know how to get a hold of me if you need me."

As Silver left the office he heard Tanner on the intercom with Miss CC. "Maria, bring me the directives on acting executive positions."

Silver went back to his office and closed the door. Thoughts of the copy-cat operation in India had evaporated as he contemplated a more imminent problem. Tomorrow he would be named acting Director, and Doctor Jones would have to schedule a medical examination for him. During the very thorough exam the doctor was likely to discover one or more things Silver rather he didn't. None of them would effect his acting promotion, but any one of them could prevent him from returning to his current position once the new Director took over.

He would be forced to retire and whoever he named as the acting Chief of Staff and Senior Agent would become the permanent holder of those titles. And they would have to deal with the new Director and the tailhole of a Minister that controlled her.

Who, he wondered, do I curse with this promotion?

* * * * * * * *

Marcel did not get up as early as Silver, and for good reason. As a field agent he tended to go all out on assignments and rest between them. In addition, his cover profession as a professional skateboarder named Anthony Foxx was in hiatus as most of the international competitions had been cancelled because of the latest strain of Covid so there was no reason to get up early to train. He also lived within walking distance of the Academy and could be there less than thirty minutes after waking. Lastly, he was often exhausted by the late-night sexual battles he and his mate Geno engaged in.

Then there were the kids.

An assignment in Eastern Europe had awakened the maternal instincts in the feisty cheetah he had fallen for. Marcel had decided then and there to make the commitment she needed from him and had married her in a gypsy ceremony that the little black fox took more seriously than any of the rites or rituals or rules that governed marriage in Canada. They had joined their fates then and, unable to have children because they were from incompatible species, they had also agreed to adopt the red fox kit they had smuggled out of the Ukraine with them.

Adopting Aldwin had been only the first step in building a family that Marcel had never imagined he would have. Aldwin was followed by Belinda, an orphaned puma that Geno had brought back from a mission to South America. Then had come Charles, an arctic hare that Marcel had seen shivering on the streets of Helsinki, and Dwain, a paraplegic cougar who was considered unadoptable by the Child Services Agency until Geno heard about him.

They had decided to stop there because it was difficult juggling four kids on a secret agent's schedule. Fortunately, they were both working and there was the income that the Anthony Foxx products and endorsements made, a portion of which went to maintain his cover. Most of it was spent on the children, as they still lived in modest accommodations within walking distance of the Experimental Farm. The Academy's in-house daycare centre was a big help too. It was run by the retired Agent Brown, a vixen whose reputation for ruthlessness even exceeded Silver's. In addition to being probably the most secure daycare in the world it had flexible hours. For long absences Marcel could also call his mother, who lived nearby, in to stay with the kids.

Despite his relaxed schedule Marcel was usually up in time to get the kids off to school or daycare whether Geno was in town or not. Today had been no different. He had gotten up at seven-thirty and woken the kids, only to find out that school was cancelled again due to a new COVID outbreak. He had let Geno sleep and feed them an elaborate breakfast before making sure that they were signed onto their distance learning sites. He told them to stay in their rooms and keep quiet until their mother was awake.

Geno had just returned from a mission abroad. As he and Geno were married he could not be her supervisor in the field, so she had been under the supervision of Silver's mate, Vikki. Both Marcel and Vikki were senior agents now; She had the code name of Emerald, for her stunning green eyes, and he was Ebony, for his jet-black fur. The arrangement usually allowed for at least one of them to be home to look after the kids at any given time, so he was good with it, and she had come to terms with working under the vixen he had once been fixated on.

The welcome home sex was always good too, especially since sex was best when they fought, and they always fought when one of them came back from a mission. One would ask the other if they had screwed anyone while away and given the nature of their work the answer was most often "yes". And even if it wasn't, teasing the other with the possibility was a sure way to start the fight that would end in epic, athletic yiffing.

It had become so much a part of their routine that whenever one of them was due home one of their friends at the Academy would take the kids out for a play date for a few hours until the two had exhausted themselves.

Yesterday's session had been particularly strenuous. Geno's language and elicitation skills were in high demand in Eastern Europe where their NATO allies were all concerned about Russian troop deployments. She literally had to suck the information out of an elderly clerk from the Russian Embassy ... several times ... to get the intelligence they needed. Instead of the horny old goat she had encountered she had told Marcel that the contact was a handsome young wolf with a ten-inch cock.

"And twice as tall as you." She had boasted to her five-foot four mate. Marcel knew that would be impossible, but he called her a slut and a cunt and several other bad things before grabbing her, ripping her clothes off and taking her against the wall of the garage.

It probably would have been better if it had not been the public garage at the airport, but at least the concrete walls did not suffer too much damage.

Geno got up at noon. Instead of putting on one of her provocative 'working outfits' or something practical for Academy training she was wearing a pink and white pyjama combination with pants that hugged her ample ass and a top that proved she still didn't need a bra to support her DD breasts if she chose not to wear one. She waved sleepily at Marcel as she passed the kitchen and went down the hall to see the kids.

After hugging and kissing each of them she wandered into the kitchen, where Marcel had prepared her a late breakfast of eggs cooked on top of slices of ham and covered with cheese, served on toast. He set it down in front of her along with a turkey sandwich he had made for his lunch.

"I'm sorry I got on your case yesterday." He mumbled as he picked at his sandwich.

"Naw, it's my fault babe." She replied as she scarfed her eggs. "I should have told you the truth about that guy. He was so old and shrivelled I was beginning to wonder if I could ever get him off."

"As long as you got the info, that's all that matters."

No, really, you should have seen it. Looked like a gherkin when he finally got hard ... not as good tasting though."

Marcel was starting to frown. He accepted that Geno needed to use sex to achieve her mission sometimes ... most times ... as did he occasionally, but hearing about it made him mad and jealous, and then a fight would start and then ...

"You should keep your voice down; the kids are home." He reminded her.

A sly smile crept over her face as she pushed her empty plate away. "I'll just have to give you a quiet demonstration them." She slipped off the stool and crawled around to his side of the breakfast island.

"Geno ..." He warned.

"Shhhh." She cautioned from her knees in front of his stool. Her fingers were already undoing the buttons on the fly of his pyjamas with practiced ease.

"We can't ... the kids!" He whispered while keeping his eyes on the doorway.

Geno ignored him and reached inside his pyjama to pull his limp cock out. A few strokes brought it to life.

"See? This guy wants to know how I did it." She giggled.

"We ... I ... you ..."

"First I did a bit of tugging." She took his cock in both her paws and began to work it like she was stretching dough for noodles. "Of course, I only needed one paw for that guy, and lots of lube." She turned her head sideways and slathered the sides of his shaft with a tongue still warm from her breakfast eggs. Salvia mixed with egg and perhaps some cheese coated his cock.

"It took a while," she said as she continued to slide her paws on his stiffening shaft, "but by the time he got as hard as you are now I knew I would have to go down on him to get him to talk." When she finished speaking she lowered her head, her lips in a wide 'O' to take his cock in. Her mouth was as warm and wet as her tongue, which was now flirting around the sensitive under edge of his glans. After a few circuits she began bobbing her head up and down so that her soft lips brushed against the sensitive bulb with exquisite gentleness.

Marcel's eyes were drawn to the sight of her holding his cock parallel to the floor as she slid it in and out between those sweet lips.

"Hey, dad, what's for lunch?"

Marcel's eyes shot back up to find Aldwin and Belinda standing in the doorway.

He pressed his paws against the top of the breakfast island to steady himself. "H- ... hey! Don't you kids have schoolwork to finish?"

"We have all day to do the assignment." Belinda said as she peered at him. "What'cha doing dad?"

"I ... ah ... spilled some coffee." Marcel improvised. "Burned my ... myself."

"Oh! I'll get the first aid kit from the pantry." The pre-teen puma said, stepping into the kitchen.

"No, no!" Marcel exclaimed, holding up a paw to stop her. "It's not that bad, just ... uh ... embarrassing, given where it landed.

She and her older brother both looked at each other and giggled behind their paws.

"Okay dad, we'll leave you to clean up," Aldwin said, "but can you make us some lunch after you do?"

"Uh, sure." Marcel answered, dropping a paw below the countertop to try to push Geno off. "What do you want?"

"What have we got?"

Marcel hesitated. The lips on his cock were preventing him from thinking.

"Some sausage." Geno prompted from around his throbbing meat just loud enough for him to hear.

"Sausage." Marcel blurted out.

"And spicy meatballs". She giggled quietly as she pulled her head off his cock and raised it so she could suck on one of his testicles.

"How about peanut butter and jam?" Marcel suggested.

"With cream of mushroom soup?" Belinda asked hopefully.

"Sure." Marcel said as tried to breathe evenly. "You kids go play with your brothers. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Thanks dad!" They called in unison as they fled to the den where Charlie and Dwain would be online with their teacher as they were both in the same grade.

"Cream of mushroom, eh?" Geno snickered from below the counter. "His cock did look sort of like a mushroom, but there was hardly any cream." She paused to run her lips down his shaft and back again while she squeezed the base with one paw. "Kitties like cream." She continued when she was done. "Do you have any cream for me mister?"

Marcel would have uttered a few choice words but he had to grip the edge of the counter and gasp as she sank the full length of his cock in her maw.

"Mmmh." She moaned as she swished the tip around at the back of her throat. The paw on his shaft had moved down to caress his balls while the other kneaded his thigh through his pyjama.

Marcel's eyes rolled back as she began to nod her head on his cock, pulling back until her lips were sealed around the bas of his glans and then dropping down until he could feel her throat working around it for a moment before repeating the cycle. He had just enough sense left to know that he should not be caught looking like this if one of the kids came back, so he blindly pulled a butter knife from the drawer to his right and grabbed a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter from a nearby shelf.

He fumbled with the bread, laying out a couple of slices on the countertop then opened the jar, dropping the plastic lid but not daring to retrieve it. Brandishing the knife, he needed to look down to see what Geno was doing but became fixated on the sight of Geno's head moving back and forth on his cock again.

He dropped the knife on the counter and his paws began to clench and unclench unconsciously as she increased the pace. Her paw had worked its way under him and one digit was tickling the sensitive ring of flesh around his tailhole as his cock slammed into the back of her throat faster and faster.

He could not hold off any longer. He wanted to grab the sides of her head and hold it still while he came down her throat but instead he grabbed at something on the counter and squeezed it instead. A moment later he felt his balls hitch as what little sponge was left over from yesterday's session shot though the tubes into his shaft. It ached deliciously as it forced its way past her tight lips and out, filling her mouth.

Geno did not stop, but did pause to swallow and draw some much-needed air into her lungs. She continued to suck on his cock, but slowed the motion of her head, and made the dips shallower, so soon she was just sucking the last few drops from the tip.

When he had nothing left to offer she pulled off, gasped and laughed quietly before sneaking out from between his stool and the island.

"Mmmm." She said, standing up behind him and giving him a hug. "Happy Kitty got her cream."

Marcel turned to her, intending to give her a deep kiss, but stopped when he saw a large glob of his sponge handing from her whiskers.

"You'd, uh, got something there." He told her, pointing to the corner of his mouth to indicate where.

Geno reached over him and snatched up one of the slices of bread from the counter. Without breaking eye contact with him she used it to sop up the errant cum, then she rolled it up and ate it.

Sucking crumbs from the tip of each digit she walked to the kitchen door, looking back over her shoulder at him, her tail waving provocatively between them. "Now you owe me a diner out." She said as she paused in the doorway.

"Everything is still closed because of the Covid." He mumbled, not quite recovered.

"I'm sure you'll find some place to eat out." She replied as she rubbed herself suggestively between her legs. "Until then ..."

The prospect already had him drooling. "Yes?"

"Better get a new loaf of bread out before the kids start hollering for food." Then she disappeared in the direction of the bathroom.

Marcel looked down. He had mangled the loaf between his paws while she drained his plumbing. He quickly tossed it in the compost bucket before turning to the pantry for a fresh one. Before he reached it his phone went 'ping' with an irritating note that was designed to cut through any amount of background noise. It was the sound it made when there was an urgent message from work.

Geno came back from the bathroom after emptying her bladder to find Marcel standing in the middle of the kitchen with his penis hanging out of his pyjamas.

"What is it hon? She asked as she tucked his cock back in and fastened the middle button so it would not slip out again.

"It's a voicemail from Silver." Marcel answered. "He wants me and Vikki in his office at two o'clock sharp."

Geno frowned. Sudden summons like these were never good news. "He say why?"

"No, just that he wants to see us together, and he did not sound happy."

A brief image of Marcel and Vikki naked and entangled passed through her head but Geno shook it off. Marcel had made his choice years ago in a gypsy camp in the Ukraine and he had never shown any longing for the tall, slim vixen who was his fellow senior again since.

"Go grab a shower." She told him as she leaned down to retrieve the fallen peanut butter lid. "I'll take care of lunch."

* * * * * * * *

Vikki had gone back to bed after Silver left but not for long. Jet lag and the strengthening sunlight around the edges of the blinds had her up within an hour. She used to time to have a slow breakfast, a pot of her favourite flavoured coffee and a long soak in the tub before settling down to read the morning news on her tablet. Like Silver, she had gotten in the habit of keeping informed by subscribing to the best of the world's news services because their correspondents and analysts' reports were as good as some intelligence services, and sometimes better.

Most of the news had been depressing, as usual, but there had also been a good-news story about a young pup who had wandered away from home a week earlier that had been found safe, if somewhat thinner and exhausted. He had survived thanks to training provided by his Scout pack, of which he was a member.

His parents had admitted that they thought it was silly in this day and age, teaching kids from the suburbs how to build shelters and which parts of a pinecone were edible and all. They had not consulted a map when they purchased their home, however, and had not realized how close they were to one of the larger conservation areas, one with a deep ravine.

A record snowfall the first day had hindered the search and erased any trace of the pup's passage, but he had followed all the rules. He had made a shelter and found food and water where he could while he waited for the rescuers to come to him, which they eventually did, thanks to a camera drone one of the local enthusiasts had contributed to the search and the S.O.S. the boy had stomped into the fresh snow in the nearest clearing.

Vikki was just making a note to contact the local Scouting group to enroll Leslie when her phone made an irritating 'ping'. She was equally perplexed by the sudden summons. If it had been family business Silver would have just phoned on his personal line and she wasn't due for her mission debriefing until tomorrow. Could something have come up that needed both her and Marcel's teams? She hoped not. Silver had told her about the closing years of the Cold War and how he was always rushing off for one crisis or another. Now with tensions rising because of Russian expansion, Chinese aggression and the North Korean missile threats it was looking like those days were returning.

She dressed quickly and made a hasty lunch. Silver had taken the Cayenne in because there had been fresh snow overnight and it was better in the snow than the Boxster he liked to drive on nice days, but the plows would have had time to clear the roads by now, so she felt safe taking the lighter car. It too had snow tires, even though Silver grumbled that they made it feel like he was driving a truck.

The plows had indeed passed, leaving a low wall of snow and gravel at the end of the driveway. Vikki gunned the engine and burst through the barrier, jerking the wheel to skid sideways then hitting the gas again when the nose was pointed in the right direction. She silently thanked the Academy's Offensive Driving course as she sped off down the ice-covered rural road they lived on.

Traffic was light and she arrived with time to spare. She was buzzed into the executive suite after presenting her ID to the camera monitored by the Executive Secretary.

"Hey, Viks! How the fuck 'r' ya?"

Vikki's calm expression turned into a slight frown. The plain poodle with the purple Mohawk was filling for Miss CC again this afternoon.

"Hello, Miss Russell." Vikki replied. She had given up trying to get the earthy poodle to address her by her codename, Miss Beausoleil or even Vikki. At least she was wearing a top today, she observed, even if it was a Black Sabbath T-shirt. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Hey, no need to stand on ceremony for me, Viks. I'm only the acting Exec-Sec. You can call me Violet, or how about Viol?"

"How about Vile?" The words slipped out of Vikki's mouth before she could stop them, but the poodle had not heard, she was busy buzzing another person in.

"Now which fucking button ... come on Viol, you just used it ... fuck yah, there it is." The door buzzed and Marcel strode in.

"Hey, Marce, how they hangin'?"

"High and dry Viol."

"Ha! That's not what Genie tells me."

"Would you trust that feline over me? Damn disloyal dog."

"Tailhole fox."

"I love you too Viol." He turned away from the desk and stepped over to where Vikki was seated. "Hey Vikki! Any idea what Silver wants to see us for?"

"No idea 'Marce'. The mission in Poland went smooth as silk. You do anything to get into trouble lately?"

Marcel did not notice the emphasis on Violet's nickname for him. "There might be a complaint from airport security about the ... enthusiasm ... of our reunion," he answered, "but if it was that he would be having me and Geno up here, not me and you."

"How's 'Genie' doing? Did you let her get any rest last night?"

This time Marcel clued in. "You don't like Viol's names for us?" He asked in a low voice.

"I don't like her addressing senior agents by pet names. She calls me 'Viks', for god's sake, like I was some kind of chest rub!"

Marcel suppressed a laugh. "I have heard that you give a hell of a chest rub, as well as mean back massage."

Vikki's green eyes went as cold as the North Atlantic as they slid over to the door to Silver's office. "I'll kill him."

Marcel's eyes went wide in panic. "Hey, wait, he was just complimenting the way you rubbed him."

"You're not making it better."

"I mean, shit, it's just ...". He was interrupted by Violet shaking a glass jar full of change at him.

"Hey, what the fuck Marce? Swearing in the Executive Suite? That'll be a toonie in the swear jar."

"Shit, I mean ... got change for a five?"

"Fuck no, put it all in and you can have a free one next time."

While Marcel folded a five-dollar bill and stiffed it through the slot on the lid Vikki examined the jar. It was half full of loonies, the Canadian one-dollar coins, and toonies, the slightly larger two-dollar coin, along with a couple of fives, a ten-dollar bill and even a fifty.

"That your fifty in there?" She asked Violet while suppressing a smirk.

"Naw, that's from when Silver reviewed the budget returns." The poodle said.

"But you do contribute to the jar when you swear?"

"Shit no!" Violet replied, looking at Vikki as if she had grown a third eye. "Miss CC explained that the Executive Secretary takes a toonie out each time the executives do something stupid enough to make them swear. The money goes to pay for the stylish outfits we're expected to wear, seein' as we don't get a clothing allowance like you agents do."

Vikki's eyes dropped to the T-shirt and came back to challenge Violet's blue orbs.

"Hey, this is a fucking collector's item."

Before it turned into a fight the door behind Vikki opened and Silver announced, "Agent Emerald, Agent Ebony, please come in.

Silver closed the door behind them and indicated that they should sit in a pair of armchairs he had arranged in front of his desk before going around to sit on the other side. Vikki and Marcel each breathed a sigh of relief, if they were in trouble Silver would have left them standing. They still did not know whey they were there though, and the doubtful look Silver had on was not giving them any clues.

Vikki had seen that face on her mate before. It was the face he wore when he had made a decision but had come to doubt it, like when the highly recommended contractor they had hired to redo the bathroom had showed up four hours late and without half the materials needed to do the job. The contractor had claimed that these sorts of delays were to be expected but after two minutes staring into the abyss of Silver's grey-blue eyes the rabbit had begged for a second chance to make things right. The end result had been excellent, but what had she or Marcel done to elicit that expression?

Silver's eyes settled on Vikki. "You don't like Miss Russell, do you?"

It's me? Vikki thought, stunned by shock at first, but then anger welled up and she squinted with determination at her mate, who was also her boss.

"She rubs me the wrong way." She replied honestly. "Frankly, I preferred the obsessive skunk."

"Marcel gets along fine with her." Silver observed.

"They are closer in age and ... upbringing." Vikki said, not daring to look over at Marcel. She sensed that this was some kind of test. Practically everything Silver did was some kind of test, and she was damned if she would let the big fox fluster her.

"Shouldn't you try to overcome those differences, to be friends, or at least friendly? After all, you may end up working together some day."

Vikki was aware that the purple-haired poodle was doing well in the practical aspects of agent training, and if she graduated Violet may well end up being assigned to her. She stared directly into Silver's cold eyes as she answered.

"Someone once told me that in a small agency like ours we can't afford to be picky. 'You take the tools you're given and you use each to the best of their ability', they said, 'And by doing so you shape them into better tools.' So, if I had to work with her I would appreciate those ... unique ... talents she brings to the job and encourage her to work on those areas that may need ... improvement."

"Can't argue with that," Silver shrugged, "especially since I'm the one that said it." Then he swiveled his chair to face Marcel. "Do you think that Violet will make a good agent?"

Marcel shrugged. "Sure, she kinda reminds me of Geno, actually."

"So you wouldn't mind if she was assigned to work with you in the field?"

"Not at all."

"Who would you assign her to, other than you?"

Marcel looked at Vikki then back at Silver. "We don't have a lot of senior agents to choose from."

"So would you promote someone and assign her to a newly minted senior agent?"

"Uh ... I don't know ... maybe."

Silver swiveled the other way. "Vikki?"

She sat back and considered the problem. "We need another team in the field, and I can think of at least one agent that is suitable for promotion, but no, I would not assign her to a rookie team leader; she would be too much for a newbie to handle. She needs someone with experience to keep her in check."

The big fox nodded. "I agree, and I also agree with your earlier comments. I better, since you were quoting me." He sat forward in his chair, and the two agents leaned forward in anticipation. "This meeting is about promotions."

"Ahhh ..." Vikki and Marcel exclaimed together, somewhat relieved.

"Are you thinking of promoting Zac Ember?" Vikki guessed.

"That is for the next Chief of Staff to decide." Silver answered.

Vikki was confused. Marcel was biting the claw of his left thumb as he studied Silver's face nervously.

Silver decided to end the suspense. "Director Williams is retiring effective tomorrow." He informed them. He continued over their gasps of surprise, "I have been named acting Director for a few months until the Minister's appointee can take over. That means that we will need a Chief of Staff and a Senior Agent. I've decided that you, Vikki, should fill the Chief of Staff position and that Marcel will be the new Senior Agent."

Vikki began to fire questions about how and why Tanner was leaving and who and why the Minister was appointing to the position and how the little furry jerk thought he could get away with it, but Silver held up a paw to silence her and pointed at Marcel, who had, uncharacteristically, not said a word.

"You didn't say 'acting' Senior Agent or 'acting' Chief of Staff." The smaller black fox pointed out.

Silver slumped back in his chair. "It's likely that I will not be returning to those positions once my term as Acting Director is over."

"You have a plan to make the position permanent?" Vikki asked hopefully.

"No." Marcel said, still chewing on his claw nervously. "He means that he's done At FOX after that. We're stuck with the new jobs."

Silver nodded. "Exactly."

Vikki found that she was angrier than when confronted by the rude poodle.

"Does this have anything to do with your bad paw?"

Silver looked startled. "You know about that?"

"I live with you. I know when you're in pain and trying to cover it up. I see when you're rubbing your temples because your head hurts or squinting from blurred vision, and when you pretend to have a slippery grip when you drop something."

"Yeah." Marcel added. "And that thing you do with your paw all the time ... it's kinda obvious."

Silver frowned. "Does Doctor Jones know?"

Vikki shrugged. "Probably. He's very observant, and he does tend to stare at you whenever you are in the vicinity."

"Hmmmm." Silver reflected on the failure of his personal protective warning system that normally alerted him when people were paying too much attention to him. Apparently a few of those closest to him had managed to penetrate that shield. He wondered if Miss CC had noticed.

Marcel interrupted his musings.

"Uh, Silver, could you explain to me what the difference is between being 'a' senior agent and being 'thee' Senior Agent?"

"You'll write the performance reviews for the senior agents and review the reviews they write on the junior agents. You'll recommend those suitable for promotion to the Chief of Staff. You get to visit all the agents permanently deployed in foreign countries to see how they are doing and act as their advocate here at headquarters. You'll consult on deployments and assist in planning operations. Lastly, you act as our liaison to our allied agencies. In particular with the Americans and the British under the 'Red, White and Blue' agreement."

"What's that?"

"A special intelligence sharing agreement that goes back to the Second World War. The Brit liaison agent is codenamed Red, for the red coats their old colonial tunics. The Yank is Blue, for their revolutionary war uniform. We're White for ..." He glanced out the window where half a metre of snow covered the Academy grounds. "... for obvious reasons."

"Will I still be going on field operations?"

"Most certainly, though mostly on joint operations."

Marcel sat back. "I'm kind of relieved. I was afraid that you were going to make me the Chief of Staff just because I was here longest."

"Seniority only counts in a tie-breaker. No, the reason you're not going to be Chief of Staff is because I don't think you are ready to handle the political aspect of the job. You need some seasoning, and the liaison job with our allies will help you develop a world view."

Silver turned to Vikki. "I take that you're okay with the promotion?"

She was still a bit overwhelmed by his decision to quit rather than fight the politicians, especially without discussing it with her first. She shook her head to clear it.

"I would have thought that Bill Hanlan would have made a good Chief of Staff."

"The 'Professor' is a brilliant planner and the best supervisor the Operations Centre ever had but lacks the ruthlessness necessary for the job."

She had to admit that was true. Hanlan had been in the same class as her and she knew the grey fox lacked the killer instinct. Plus, if he was promoted who would run the OpCen? Kain Algorath? Possibly, but would he still be able to keep up his job as their chief hacker at the same time?

Silver could almost see the wheels turning in her head and knew he had made the right decision.

"Now," he said as he stood up, "we have some paperwork to complete to make everything official. Once it's entered into the system your new pay and benefits will kick in."

"Benefits?" Marcel asked.

"You're an Executive now, Marcel. You get incentive pay, performance pay, increased clothing allowance for the suits you'll have to wear when you are visiting Washington and London ..."

"Suits! Dammit, I knew there was a catch."

"... and you'll both need Special Access clearances, so that you can discuss the special intelligence projects we're involved in with them, Marcel, and contribute resources to them, Vikki."

Vikki frowned. "You never mentioned 'Special Access' programs before."

"That's why they're called 'Special Access'," Silver pointed out, "because you don't get to know about them until you have special access." He opened the door to the office and swept his arm toward the Executive Secretary's desk. "So, the sooner Miss Russel gets you in the system the sooner we can go see a certain mole."

"What!" Vikki and Marcel exclaimed simultaneously. They looked at each other and then back to Silver before Vikki's continued in a whisper.

"There's a mole in FOX?"

"A couple actually, but one in particular that we need to go see today."

Still confused, Silver led them to the desk where Violet had laid out all the papers that had to sign. They were all out of order and Vikki had some in her pile with Marcel's name and vice versa. While they were bent over sorting them out Silver stepped back, put his paws behind his back, grabbed his wrist with his left paw and unconsciously began to flex his right.

Violet, returning from the printer with another pile of forms, stopped beside him.

"Hey boss, paw bothering you again?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake ... does everybody know?"

"Pretty much." She said, putting down the papers and picking up the swear jar.

"Come on tailhole." She said, rattling the jar in his face. "No exceptions."

Kain Algorath © Marcus X Light

Ophelia Cassidy Sommer © Devil Kitty

Joel Grigori © Joel the Lemur

Geno © Coyotek

Dongo Fett © Dongo Fett

Zachary Ember © EmberWolf

Grey Muzzle © Grey Muzzle

Kyroo Echos © Kyroo Echos

Natasha Winters © EmberWolf

Violet © Gray Muzzle

Saira Rasielle © SilentRampancy

Carlos © Carlos the Penguin

Dante Draco © Dante Draco

The FOX Academy series:

Book I - The New Breed

Book II - The Werewolf of Odessa

Book II.5 - The Love who Spied Me

Book III - The Curse of the Yellow Monkey

Book IV - Wait for No One

Book V - Dawn of Vengeance

Book VI - Unnatural Selection

Book VII - Rogue Sword

Book VIII - Firestorm

Book IX - Diamonds in the Rough

Book X - Agents Lounge

FOX Flashback Novels:

Scarlet Necklace

The Finland Express

Other FOX tales:

Accounts Payable

A gambler's Share

An Opus for a Penguin

Daffodils

Deep Thunder

Fear

Hard at Work

It's a Wonderful Furry Life

La Vie en Rose

Life of the Party

Not a Bed of Roses

Rest Stop

The Dead of Night

The Mark of Cain

The Volunteer

When Worlds Collide (a FOX/MLP crossover)