0 comments/ 15890 views/ 3 favorites Giada: Widowmaker Ch. 01 By: WuddaWad Diane Sawyer did her best not to be noticed by any of the NBC news personnel, as she hurried through the backstage area. Some staffers passed her by; none seemed to notice her hiding behind large dark sunglasses. Taking quick peeks at the names on the doors to the dressing rooms, she found the name she was looking for. She felt the cold steel of her .44 Desert Eagle semi-auto pistol pressing against the inside of her thigh. Reaching under her knee length skirt, she withdrew the large caliber weapon. She kept it tight to her body and out of sight, while quietly and slowly turning the doorknob. Carefully cracking open the dressing room door, she made a quick check of the coast, then slipped her long, lithe, slinky and sultry body inside the dressing room, barely making a sound. She closed the door with the same stealth. Removing her sunglasses, Diane hooked them in her skirt. Glad that the intel she was given in the dossier was accurate up to this point, Diane watched her target sitting before a mirror checking her face. Wearing nothing but a lacey thinly strapped white bra and matching panties; Giada DeLaurentis was perched forward on her chair. Her bare feet were on tippy toes steadying her posture. Wiping a bit of something from her round cheek, she continued to check her face, smiling at herself in the mirror with her perfect pearly whites. Giada sat a little upright, back arched, shoulders back; she pushed her breasts together, turned semi-profile and pouted her lips. Satisfied with what she saw, gently touched her long highlighted auburn hair taming a wild lock. Giada was unaware of Diane's presence. Diane rolled her eyes. She made a quick visual scan, but didn't see a weapon. However she knew full well that Giada DeLaurentis always had one on hand at all times. In the dossier Diane learned that Giada was fond of wielding custom-made nickel-plated, dual Berettas, as well as being a master with knives, something Diane was already well aware of. Giada had killed the previous agent sent to neutralize her. He was found in a vacant lot with multiple slash and stab wounds, and his throat was cut from ear to ear. He left behind a wife and three small children, all of who were friends of Diane. "Well, well, well, if it isn't little Miss Everyday Italian, herself," Diane announced, cross stepping for a better vantage point. "You're a little far from the Food Network, aren't you, Giada?" Giada froze in place looking at Diane in the mirror, her body tensing a bit seeing the massive pistol aimed at her. Diane's reflection moved around behind her and in front of her. Giada kept her eyes casually fixed on her in the mirror. "I was invited to do a two day cooking piece on the Today Show and this is day two," Giada answered. "You might say I had unfinished business." Giada gave Diane a smug look in the mirror, "and you know I always finish my business." Diane knew what she meant. "Like you finished Gregor?" Giada defiantly tossed her hair, her petite curvaceous body looking quite relaxed and her demeanor portraying her to be unafraid. "Diane, you should know better. Gregor wasn't just business, it was also pleasure," she goaded, her pearly white teeth shining a little too brightly for Diane's liking. "You little bitch!" Diane gripped the handle of the Desert Eagle tighter, pointing the hand cannon dead at the back Giada's head, the barrel yawning wide. "Giada, five minutes," a voice alerted her with a knock on her door. Diane turned her attention toward it. Giada slipped both hands under the counter of her vanity table. With lightning speed she withdrew the two custom-made nickel-plated semi-auto pistols. Giada leapt from her chair with a ballet like precision. Diane spun her head back in time to see Giada, seemingly in slow motion, drawing down on her with both barrels of the dual Beretta's, their silvery surface gleaming, aimed right for Diane's chest. Giada landed deftly and almost silently, like a cat "You always were too easily distracted, Diane." Her breasts pressed firmly, roundly and proudly between her outstretched arms, weapons themselves, which Giada used on many a mission to seduce other spies to their doom. "Excuse me if I don't ignore people I deem to be beneath me, Giada." Diane kept her gun leveled; her eyes were steely and looking down along the barrel at the dainty but deadly, Widowmaker, as was her codename while Giada was with, The Board. "I guess we know each other a little too well." Giada smiled wickedly, "besides, we both know what this is all about, don't we?" Diane's questioning look made Giada laugh with disbelief. Diane kept her shoulder width stance, her black heels pinned to the carpet, slight bend in her knees, the gun still aimed. "You wanted the Beijing Assignment and couldn't handle it when The Board gave it to me," Giada said. "You stupid little twit! The only reason why The Board gave you the Beijing Assignment was because they knew you had been corrupted. They knew you were going to go rogue on them and turn double agent." Diane snickered, "how stupid are you? You think they didn't know that Gung Lao San turned you?" Diane shook her platinum blonde hair crowned head. "All the trips to the Far East you took under the guise of expanding your knowledge of Asian cuisine." Diane chortled, "Are you really that stupid? Or do you just believe their own lies?" Giada took two steps forward, squeezing the triggers tighter than before. "I should put bullets in you're fucking sagging ass tits right now, old woman!" Her eyes were wild. "Truth hurts, huh?" Diane mocked her. "What do you think you want to do about it, shrimp?" Giada hated to be called shrimp. Her demeanor stayed cool, but inside she was itching to get her knives and do some carving on Diane. She checked herself, keeping her emotions within bounds, as she had been trained to do. "Well, as fun as this is, I have to finish getting dressed. I have a cooking segment to do. So if you could just be so kind as to see yourself out." Diane was perplexed and looked at her incredulously. "What the hell are you talking about now, you crazy bimbo?" She took two steps of her own toward Giada. "You're not going on the air. I'm here to put you down like the mangy little minx that you are." "Is that right, Blondie?" Giada asked. "That's right." Diane kept her gun aimed with one hand, her body taught, her arm set with the aim. She put her right high heeled shoe on the chair Giada had vacated. Her black stocking clad foot forced to an extreme arch, toes pointed, shapely calf showing through the thin hose veil and her heel lifting out of the cradle of her shoe. Giada watched Diane hike up her skirt, exposing the garter that held not only the stocking up along her smooth, shapely and still well toned thigh, but holstered a capped syringe filled with clear liquid. "Is that what I think it is?" Giada made sure. "That's right, it's Infarctine X-3. When this enters your bloodstream, you'll suffer a massive coronary." Giada's eyes narrowed, she nervously slipped her tongue between her faintly glossed lips. "It leaves almost no signature, unless you are specifically looking for it. When they find you in here, it'll be nothing but Giada DeLaurentis having suffered a freak fatal heart attack at a very young age... Well, you're not that young now, are you?" "Look's who talking, Grandma." Giada spat out. Diane brought her leg back down to the floor. "You wish you could look this good at my age." Diane stopped, and then made a queerly sympathetic face. "Wait, you won't have to worry about that, now will you?" tilting her gun a bit. Giada kept her guns leveled at Diane's chest. "Do you think I'm just going to drop my guns and let you inject me with that shit?! You must be getting senile, old lady." She started cross stepping to the door, guns still aimed. "Oh, simple little dim witted, Giada," Diane moved to match her steps, creeping slowly in the opposite counter-clockwise direction. "I don't expect you to let me inject you with Infarctine X-3. I expect to watch you inject yourself," Diane told her. "Now I know you're completely off your rocker, Grandma, and I mean that figuratively and literally," Giada sniped, nearing the door. "That's pretty good, Giada. I'm glad to see those, English for Idiots audio tapes are paying off." Diane took a cell phone from a hip holster, switching it with the syringe. "Tango... Echo... Bravo... Charlie..." Diane smiled oddly at Giada, who was watching her, readying to make a dash for the door. "Yeah, it's me. Do you have him?" Diane looked down her nose and the barrel of the Desert Eagle at Giada. She knew Diane could mean only one, him...Giada's husband. "You do? Hold on..." Diane held the phone out to Giada. "Take it," she offered it to the younger spy. "I think you should hear this for yourself." Giada tucked one Beretta in the front of her panty waistband; the other still targeted and she suspiciously took the phone. "Who is this?" Her face turned a ghastly white. She listened, and then defeatedly handed the phone back to Diane. Diane clenched the syringe between her teeth, put the cell phone away, and stepped to Giada. She took the gun from the counter and slipped it into her waistband at the small of her back, still aiming with the Desert Eagle. Then took the gun from Giada's panties and did the same as she did with the other Beretta. Giada back stepped to the chair, defeatedly plumping down on it. "So this is how it ends?" She slowly brought her gray-green eyes up from the floor to meet Diane's stare. Diane's cool blue-gray eyes showed little sympathy for her comrade in espionage. "I'm afraid so." Diane eased up on her stance, relaxing her aim a bit. "Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do," Giada announced. She leaned toward Diane, reaching out for the syringe that Diane now extended to her. "Funny thing is, I kind of always knew it would go down like this, Diane." Diane wasn't moved by her words, though they seemed somewhat cryptic. Giada let her right hand nonchalantly fall between her thighs, carefully and quickly feeling under the chair. Giada grabbed the syringe with one hand, felt once, then twice and gripped the knife handle with the other just under the edge of the seat. "Just promise me you won't hurt him," Giada said softly. Diane nodded slightly, letting her know he would be okay. Simultaneously, she took the syringe from Diane and gave the knife back to her with a strong and blazing quick flick of her wrist. It found a spot in Diane's right hip. "Ahhhh!" Diane screamed, her mouth gaping, while her finger convulsed in response to the pain, discharging the massive .44 caliber gun into the floor, "BLAM!" Giada seized the moment. Tucking the capped syringe filled with Infarctine X-3 between her bulbous breasts, she ran barefoot to the door. Diane lunged for the diminutive woman, her left hand gripping and tearing the thin straps of her lace panties, stalling Giada briefly, the straps finally tore and Diane yanked the panties free. Giada's shaved pussy was completely exposed. Her bare, round, tan lined ass bounced and flexed, as she dashed for the door; auburn hair flying free behind her, disappearing last through the door, followed by a brief barrage of gunfire from Diane. The platinum blonde furiously expending four rounds after the fleeing Giada DeLaurentis, lining the far wall with a row of bullet holes in a futile attempt to bring her down. Diane winced in pain. She gripped the knurled handle of the long double-edged throwing blade and with a quick yank, pulled it free from her hip. She grabbed at the wound, "uhhhhhh!" Pain streaked along her body. The dressing room door swung open. Diane scrambled to her feet, pushing past a curious staffer, knocking them back into the hall and into a wall. She quickly looked down either direction and chose the one that led out of the building, trying to make up lost time as best she could. Her hip was a constant throbbing ache that hindered her progress, while she limped toward the exit. Outside on the streets of Manhattan, Giada had escaped. She had slipped away among the sea of New Yorkers who made their way along the busy streets of the city. "She can't have gotten far," Diane, reasoned, "a woman running naked through the streets of New York City?" Diane thought better and realized that, indeed, a naked Giada could get far... very far. Giada, ex-Board spy, turned double agent and rogue assassin who killed top Board agent, Gregor Lebenov. How could Diane explain this to The Board? Yes, she was just Diane Sawyer, sultry, sexy, highly respected and regarded by her peers in the news field. Known to Americans as the co-host of Good Morning America and ABC News division correspondent. But she was also, Diane Sawyer, international spy extraordinaire. She was a sworn secret agent of, The Board, the most guarded and powerful civilian spy agency in the world. An agency that employed a select number of politicians, news, television, movie and sports personalities for there abilities to reach behind and beyond the normal spheres of society, into the upper echelon of the financial, political and social elite, where others could not infiltrate. It was the first time that Diane had the thought that she might actually be getting too old for the job. She had failed in her mission to neutralize her target. Diane Sawyer, the best The Board had to offer, had let the beautiful, dangerous and deadly, Giada DeLaurentis: Widowmaker, escape. There was no telling what kind of destruction and chaos the petite, Food Network star / double agent and rogue assassin could unleash. She knew the identities of high level Board members, and their spies. Giada knew secrets about procedures and a wealth of other knowledge that could prove devastating to not just the Board and its members, but the world at large. Diane knew that Giada had to be stopped. Giada: Widowmaker Ch. 02 Giada DeLaurentis kept crouched inside the doorframe of a small basement apartment, pressed as closely as she could against the door and out of plain sight. It was below street level, and she could see the occasional pedestrian passing her by; they were unaware that the Food Network star was hiding half naked inside the doorway. The soles of Giada's feet were dirtied and darkened from the gritty and dirty concrete of the city streets. Adrenaline flowed through her, mostly from her encounter with Diane, but also from her nude dash for three city blocks. Her heart was still racing inside her chest. Her plump breasts, which heaved with oxygen grabbing breaths, remained the place where the syringe filled with Infarctine X-3 remained nestled in her cleavage. Giada kept her head on a swivel, constantly checking the coast for tails that may have followed her from Thirty Rockefeller Plaza, and also to keep watch for her ride. A black Mercedes rolled slowly down the street, tinted windows concealing the driver's identity. As soon as Giada saw the familiar car, she sprinted from her cover and bounded up the small flight of stairs, waving the luxury sport car down. The Mercedes came to a halt. Giada quickly ducked into the car, where a familiar face greeted her. "It's a little cold out to be running around in just a bra, isn't it?" the driver quipped. "Very funny, Lisa." Giada checked the clothes that were on the floor of the car near her bare feet, finding them adequate. Giada put the syringe of Infarctine X-3 in the center console. "I got here as quickly as I could," Lisa Ling told her. She was a former co-host of the popular daytime talk show, The View. Lisa still did work for news organizations and she was a long time operative of The Asian Consortium, the AC, as it was known to its' operatives. Lisa glanced over at the syringe. "Is that it?" Giada nodded back, "yeah." Lisa kept the car pulled to the side. "Where are we headed?" she asked, noticing Giada's clean-shaven snatch. Giada picked up the pair of black panties Lisa brought her, sliding them over her smooth thighs that still burned slightly from lactic acid buildup from her mad dash through the city. She wriggled them over her hips, making sure they were positioned well, around her narrow waist. "Central Park West." Before pulling the car back into traffic, Lisa held out a small plastic packet. "There are some baby wipes in here," Lisa handed it over, "if you need them." She glanced over at Giada, a cell phone in her right hand. "I guess you made the call to see if he's okay?" Lisa referred to Giada's husband. "Yeah, they released him already. He sounded out of it, so I guess they used the memory cleaner on him." Giada had been in hostage situations before where people were used as leverage, and she had been one of the abductors. Under ordinary circumstances, SOP (standard operating procedure) would be for the hostage to have been administered, "Windex", so called because it was a blue liquid that looked identical to the glass cleaner and because it wiped the mind clean. Then to be released, back in their home, unharmed, when the objective of a mission was complete, where they would sleep for six to eight hours. When they would wake, they would have no memory of the abduction, their memories would be of previous activities leading up to it. However, this was far from standard operations. Diane Sawyer was sent to assassinate Giada, so Giada was deathly afraid that her husband might be killed. She also worried that they may hold him longer, on account of the special circumstances. But The Board had kept mostly to SOP in the handling of her husband. Giada was thankful for that much. "You should have seen the face of the guy I took the cell phone from," Giada told Lisa. "I don't know if he recognized me, but he was so stunned to see a half naked woman snatching his cell phone, I don't think he knew what to do." Giada took the wipes. She pulled one foot up, crossing it over her knee, wiping the dirt free from them. Spreading her toes apart so she could wipe in between each one. Giada finished one foot, and then did the same to the other. "You're lucky she didn't kill you." "She's lucky I didn't kill her. That knife slipped out of my hand. I was trying to hit her in the chest with it," Giada told Lisa. "Where did you hit her?" Lisa asked. "In the right hip," Giada went on. "I still can't believe that bitch got my custom made Berettas," Giada grimaced. "And one way, or another, I'm going to get them back, even if I have to sneak on to the goddamn set of Good Morning America to get those guns back. I'll give that asshole, Chris Cuomo, a good swift kick in the dick, just for good measure, that dumb prick. Man, I can't stand that guy!" Lisa chuckled a bit. "So what's going on at Central Park West?" "I need to get over to Tavern On The Green. I was supposed to meet Connie Chung after I did The Today Show. She has my dossier outlining my next assignment." Giada buttoned up the green blouse and pulled on the dark brown pants. "Wait 'til she sees that," Giada directed her chin to toward the syringe filled with the clear liquid. She straightened her blouse and then worked on getting into the skirt, her hips thrust forward, back pressed back against the seat, lifting herself up so she could get the skirt on. Lisa drove down Fifty Third Street, turning the black Mercedes left down Sixth Avenue on their way to Sixty Sixth Street. "What's going to happen back at The Today Show?" she looked at Giada briefly. "I don't know. It's really not my mess to clean up." "They're going to be freaked out about what happened to you?" Lisa said quite certain. "Yeah, they will," Giada admitted. "But The Board has many connections and they're going to have to explain what happened in that dressing room. I'll wait until I can get in touch with my agent and see what NBC executives have said about it. Then I'll take it from there." She slipped one foot into the over sized heel from Lisa's personal collection of shoes. "Jeez, Lis, do you water ski in these things?" Giada said, sizing up the other black high heel shoe that she held in her hands. "You can always go barefoot, if you like." Giada slipped the other shoe on, "no, thanks. Just thinking about the things that have been on the ground out there makes me itch." Giada flipped down the passenger's side visor, checking her hair in the mirror. "You have a brush?" "In the glove box." Giada leaned forward, brushing her long auburn hair from her neck, down and out. She sat back up, flipping her hair back, letting her head fall back, her hair seemingly flying in slow motion, falling back and cascading down her shoulders. She brushed it out until she was satisfied with how it looked. "Do you have any...?" Lisa handed her the purse. "There's mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, lipstick, and concealer in there." Giada smiled at her. "A real life saver kit." Giada looked inside and saw a nine-millimeter semi auto pistol. "This for me too?" she held the gun down low. "I thought you might need a replacement," Lisa said. Giada checked the gun, made sure the safety was on and then put it back into the purse. She did her make up with the dexterous speed of a repetitive act repeated so many times that it came as second nature. "You know," Lisa said matter of factly, "I never did get the whole story on how you ended up with, The Board," Lisa said. "How did you end up as an agent for them in the first place?" Lisa asked, keeping her eyes on the road. Giada finished fixing her face. "It's probably pretty much the way you ended up with The Asian Consortium, I suppose," Giada answered. "Listen, if you don't want to tell me, it's..." Lisa started to say. Giada saw the sign for Fifty Fifth Street pass by. Her stare got caught in the smearing stream of cars, people and buildings that flowed past her eyes, carrying her mind back along the stream of linear consciousness. Her memories flowed along, blurred through time, slowing and steadily drawing focus on a place in her past, anchoring her mind there. On a sultry night in New Orleans, Louisiana, Giada was lending a hand in the kitchen at her friends' restaurant, Emeril's, owned by world-renowned chef, Emeril Lagasse. Mardi Gras was in full swing. The city was alive with music, libations, and a sinfully good-natured vibe that only the Crescent City herself could invoke from the French/Cajun soul that sustained it and the mystical voodoo spirit that fueled it. As fate would have it, sitting at one of the tables inside Emeril's restaurant was ABC News reporter, Diane Sawyer. Giada herself prepared Diane's meal, as she did the meals of the other members of Diane's dinner party. Diane, being a relatively unpretentious celebrity, asked if she could have one of her favorite meals made especially for her and her fellow diners, which were meatloaf sandwiches. The sandwiches were a huge success. Diane requested of her waiter to meet with Giada. She wanted to tell her how much she enjoyed her meal. The two got to talking and learned that they had mutual acquaintances. Giada was still working in the kitchen, so the conversation between the two was fairly brief. Giada had walked away from the table with an unambiguous liking for Diane and the feeling was mutual. It wouldn't be the last time the two would cross paths. "That was the first time I met Diane Sawyer and I liked her immediately." Giada remembered. "Diane later told me that she never forgot our meeting each other in New Orleans and had known that night that she was going to mention me to, The Board, as a perspective agent." Giada looked over at Lisa. "It was fate..." Giada said, "at least, that's what I had thought. Especially when I crossed paths with Diane a few other times; once in, Los Angeles and another time halfway around the world in, Hong Kong." Giada looked back out her window, seeing the street sign for Fifty Ninth Street. "But it wasn't until we crossed paths right here in New York four years ago, that she recruited me." Giada thought about the dinner party at Regis and Joy Philbin's, Central Park West apartment. It was a virtual who's who of some of the talk show and entertainment industry well knowns. Giada had her television show on the Food Network at the time, though she couldn't help but be a little star struck. Former Entertainment Tonight co-host Leeza Gibbons was there. Along with Giada, there were the likes of, Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford, Kelly Ripa, Charles Grodin and his wife, Bob Gelman and his wife Laurie, and of course, Diane Sawyer. It was a buffet style affair, kept very informal and similarly casual. Guests gathered about the Philbin's living room, where windows gave a panoramic view, looking out over Central Park, itself. The conversations, by and large, were light in nature, flowing between persons and small clustered groups, which themselves shifted, as the guests floated in and out of those groups, forming other groups, and then melding and merging as a collective. Diane, Leeza, and Giada were in their own group. Their conversation touching on the times that Diane had crossed paths with both women in their travels. However, Diane let it be known to Giada that their crossed paths were not coincidental at all. "After we met in New Orleans, I had brought your name up to members of an organization that I belong to." Diane motioned to Leeza, "an organization we both belong to." Leeza smiled slightly. "What kind of an organization?" Giada asked. "It's a group of like minded individuals who believe that there are certain matters that should benefit the masses, as opposed to a select few," Leeza stated. Giada looked a bit perplexed. "Meaning?" "Meaning," Diane answered, "that we use our professional status as a way to make sure the playing field is kept level and fair for each and every person in the world." Giada looked from Diane to Leeza, and back to Diane. "You're like the Free Masons, or something?" "No. We have a more broad approach to our efforts," Leeza told. "We try to influence matters that bring transparency to areas of world affairs, that would otherwise operate in the shadows, with impunity." Giada turned down the corners of her mouth, lifting her brow, intrigued by the concept. "So, you're kind of like watch dogs that keep world governments honest?" "Yes. Only, we take a more, hands on approach in our methods and we delve into other organizations that operate on the other side of the law." Diane knew this was the moment to make the pitch. "And we think that you have the kinds of innate qualities that would make you a valuable addition to the team." "Me?" Giada checked. "Absolutely," Diane assured her. "You get along well with others and have a way of putting them at ease. You're pleasant, incredibly attractive and you enjoy physical activities. Your job allows you to travel abroad." "It almost sounds like you're talking about spy work!" Giada said a bit excitedly. Then she ducked her head, fearful that the other guests would overhear the conversation. "It sounds like you're talking about spy work," she said in a voice just above a whisper. "Pretty much," Leeza answered. "And it's okay. Everyone here, to one degree, or another, is part of the team." "Really?" Giada said. Both Diane and Leeza nodded assuredly. "Even, Kathie Lee?" "Yes," Diane said. "That whole mess about the stewardess who supposedly seduced Frank Gifford," Diane reminded Giada. "That woman worked for another organization that was trying to get information from Frank about our organization. Frank wasn't actually cheating on Kathie Lee. He had been drugged by that woman and was manipulated into the situation that was captured on camera." "And the whole, child labor sweatshops fiasco that played out in the media over the manufacturing of Kathie Lee's clothing line? It was an attempt by the same organization that went after Frank, trying to extort information from Kathie Lee." "No, kidding?!" Giada said, unbelievably. "This sounds like real cloak and dagger stuff. Is it dangerous?" "It can be," Leeza said. "But every precaution is taken to keep agents safe. And our status in the media gives us a bit of a cover and security from rash actions from those we encounter." Leeza smiled widely, and then broke into a laugh. "When Geraldo Rivera was involved in it, that security as a known news reporter kept him alive when he dogged John Gotti for that infamous walking interview," Leeza recalled. "Or the non-interview, since Gotti wouldn't talk." "Holy shit," Giada marveled. "I heard that the Mob put a hit out on Geraldo." "They did," Diane said. "But cooler heads prevailed and realized that it would bring down too much heat on them if they killed him. Geraldo was actually working on an assignment that involved, Victoria Gotti, John Gotti's daughter. She had inside information about some of her father's dealings that would blow the lid off of the New York City Mob, Mob contract killings and their drug and prostitution rings. Victoria's whole act of backing her father to the wall, crying about how he was a good man being mistreated? It was all an act so she wouldn't be suspected as an inside source of information." Diane chortled, "Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano was just a shill used in the courts and public arena to take the blame and heat for it all, as a rat." "Incredible!" Giada said. "And you think that I can help with these kinds of things?" "You wouldn't be at this dinner party, and we wouldn't be telling you all this if we didn't," Leeza said. The black Mercedes rolled down Lexington Avenue, passing through the line of traffic lights that stayed green, doubling back on Sixty Sixth Street, and crossing Fifth Avenue. "That's how it really happened," Giada remembered. "The rest, as they say, is history." "You mean, her-story," Lisa playfully corrected her. Giada smiled, as they drove to Transverse One, across Central Park on their way to Tavern On The Green. "And now you work for us," Lisa beamed. Diane Sawyer stood inside the chamber room of the head Board Members, for the debriefing. They looked down upon her from behind a large semi-circle table, lights illuminating the area before the table, but not the members themselves, who sat as a mere mass of shadowy silhouettes in the gloomy darkness. She stood in the shallow alcove of the table, listening to Board members expressing their displeasure over the New York incident. They were not pleased about her having discharged her weapon, potentially blowing her cover. Not to mention endangering the lives of bystanders, which, they reminded her, "is an act in direct violation of Board field procedures." The favors that had to be called in to Mayor Bloomberg's Office, New York City Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly and NBC executives, to cover up the whole incident, expended years worth of trust that had been built up by, The Board. Diane wasn't privy to all the details of just how it was all handled. But it was made quite clear to her that any such incidents in the future would not be met with the same vigorous unified efforts to neutralize them, if they should occur. When The Board learned that Giada had made off with the syringe of, Infarctine X-3, they were stunned. They reminded Diane that in the wrong hands, the compound could be potentially synthesized to make more. "Infarctine X-3 could be used as a lethal weapon to carry out all kinds of assassinations, be them politically motivated, or otherwise." The Board was deeply concerned. "With the state of the world today," they chided her, "terrorism being a preferred means of political ideological expression, Infarctine X-3 could be used as a devastating terrorist weapon." Being aware of these facts they laid out to her, Diane explained that she considered these things when she had decided to fire her weapon and risk blowing her cover. "It's not an excuse," Diane said, "it's just one of the reasons why I fired in the open." Even if it were her excuse, it still would be no excuse at all. Diane should never have let Giada obtain that syringe. Diane received some of the worst rebukes, at least collectively before Board members, over the abduction of Giada's husband. Abducting Giada's husband was risqué, and quite bold, it was the kind of tactic openly applauded in times gone by. In today's spy game, the abduction method was frowned upon. It left too many potential loose ends that could prove difficult to tie down. Especially given the matters that unfolded the way they did in Giada's dressing room at The Today Show, in Thirty Rockefeller Plaza. After she had faced them collectively, a few high ranking members secretly applauded Diane's tactics in making sure she covered as many avenues of unpredictability as she could, even the abduction of Giada's husband. It was something that made Diane one of the best agents The Board had ever known. Diane did make certain that Giada's husband was returned home safely, and that he would never know he was abducted. His memory was indeed wiped clean using the concoction created by Board scientists, nicknamed, Windex. It had an eighty seven percent success rate, and it had worked in this instance. She always took great care to make sure that her operations on missions not only stayed within the parameters that were expected from Board field agents, but went above and beyond. That didn't happen when she faced down Giada DeLaurentis. Whatever the Board had said to her was never going to compare with the admonishments Diane gave herself over her own failures. Diane also knew she was too personally involved; Gregor and his family being close friends did let her emotions get in the way, to some degree. She didn't want to think of those things now. Diane wouldn't let it happen again. Not only because she would make sure that she wouldn't let it happen, but because much to the surprise of Diane, the Board had assigned her a partner. It was a new agent who would go face to face with Giada in the field. Giada: Widowmaker Ch. 02 "We decided to bring in someone Giada isn't familiar with. A new recruit to The Board who can operate without fear of their cover being blown." The Board made a unanimous decision on this. "You want to turn a case of this magnitude over to a new agent with absolutely no field experience?" Diane was dumbfounded. "This agent has tested incredibly well in simulated scenarios... even matching some of your results that had stood as the benchmark for female agents; all agents, for so long," The Board announced to Diane. Diane didn't initially agree with the decision, but it was all that they could do. Giada would be more alert than ever for potential attempts on her life, being certainly on high alert for Diane Sawyer. Throw on top of that the knife wound Diane suffered in their last encounter, and the decision to use a new agent to bring Giada down all but made itself. Widowmaker had to be neutralized fast and it would take an unknown entity and a physically healthy one to get it done. The Board told Diane; "This agent has been working on a probationary basis with us and has performed quite admirably." "Who is this new agent?" Diane asked. "You can meet her right now." The large chamber doors swung out wide. Light beyond the doors and behind the new agent set them against a wall of radiating light. Heels tapped on the hard tile floor of the large room, echoing softly off the walls, as the agent approached the interior of the chamber. Behind the agent, the doors closed and their silhouette morphed into a flesh and blood figure. Diane recognized who they were instantly. Dressed in gray, knee high, four-inch heel boots, with tight blue jeans tucked in them. The untucked blue-green, scoop neck, form-fitting blouse, exposed her tanned chest, accentuating and hugging her ample cleavage. The half-length sleeves reaching just below the toned biceps, and above the elbows. Blonde locks reaching down past the shoulders, the brown roots slightly grown in. Standing next to Diane, her eyes looked up to the gloomy shapes of the Board members. "Diane, we believe you know who this beautiful young woman is?" Diane looked at the agent. "Of course I do." She extended a hand. "It's good to see you, Jessica." "It's good to see you, too, Diane. And let me just say, that I'm honored to be working with you." Jessica Simpson's eye gleamed with life and sincerity. She bounced a bit excitedly. "I can't tell you how happy I am to be part of the team!" Jessica bubbled, hardly able to contain her excitement. "Jessica was on a special mission to undermine the 2007 NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys. We sent her in to seduce quarterback, Tony Romo, distracting him and his team enough to lose in the playoffs." Diane eyed Jessica curiously, still unimpressed. "What was so vital about the Dallas Cowboys losing in the playoffs?" Diane wanted to understand. She was told; "The Board had been interested in securing the services of New York Giants running back, Tiki Barber. Part of the deal was, after his retirement from pro football, we would do whatever was in our power to help The Giants reach the Super bowl for the 2007 season. Tiki was adamant about The Dallas Cowboys losing to his New York Giants in the playoffs as the determining factor of his decision to join us and they did. Well, The Giants beat the New England Patriots in The Super bowl, and Tiki will be joining us, thanks in quite a large part to the efforts of, Miss Jessica Simpson." Diane looked to, then away from the glittery singer/actress, still not impressed. "Tiki Barber is retired, why would he care if The Giants reached The Super bowl? He won't get a ring." The Board stated; "It seems that Tiki is still very close with his ex-teammates, Michael Strahan, and Amani Toomer, specifically. His loyalties to them and his former team run deep. Just the kind of character traits we look for in Board operatives. Tiki wanted to see them have a chance to get the ring that they were denied by The Baltimore Ravens in 2000." Diane shook her head, finding the explanation to be utterly insignificant and inconsequential to the Giada DeLaurentis case. "So let me get this right; she," Diane motioned toward Jessica, "managed to distract a quarterback enough to lose a football game and now you're willing to let a complete novice handle a dangerous woman, like, Giada?" "Jessica isn't part of the knowledge that Giada has about Board agents. We can send her in with minimal risk to her personal welfare," The Board said. "And Jessica has expressed that she is willing to do whatever it takes in the performance of her duties to get the job done. The Board believes that Jessica is someone that can be a very successful agent." Diane was obviously annoyed. "Well, then I guess we're done here." "Diane, you are an extremely valued asset and highly respected by The Board. If you take some time to think things over, we think you'll see it really is for the best." "I have no doubt that you believe that. But I couldn't disagree more with your decision," Diane asserted. She knew full well that Giada was aware of agent identities. There was really no other viable choice in the matter. "We could send in a cleaner team to take down Giada," Diane tried. She knew full well that was a bad option, but said it anyway. "That avenue has been considered and it's deemed too potentially messy, especially after your recent attempts in New York. If anything goes wrong, it could create a huge mess that would play out in the media. We wouldn't be able to control it." Diane knew there was no alternative, but to send in a new agent. She was still hesitant about it. "I'll respect your decision and I'll do whatever I can to help her (Jessica) be successful." "We wouldn't expect anything less from you, Diane." Inside a small conference room, Diane was briefing the newest agent, Jessica Simpson. The young starlet sat eagerly listening, absorbing all the information that Diane imparted to her. They went over every crucial aspect of Giada's habits and personality traits. Diane making sure Jessica was well versed in those traits and rehearsed in her response to many different scenarios. She made sure Jessica understood the importance and seriousness surrounding her assignment with, Giada DeLaurentis: Widowmaker. Though Jessica seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, Diane became concerned with Jessica's next question. She wanted to know, "what is my code name going to be?" "Agents earn their code names with their performance in the field," Diane said. "It usually takes a bit for that to come about." She saw Jessica's body noticeable deflate, her smile lessen, brow get heavier and her shoulders shrink. "You'll get a call sign though. It'll be something we use to identify each other over radio communications." "Really?" Jessica brightened. Diane smiled a bit, nodding. "What's my call sign?" Jessica asked excitedly. For Diane, the call sign was obvious, though she would never say, "Bubblehead." Diane pondered the question, then said, "how about, Dazzle?" Jessica brought her hands together to form a finger gun, which she held close to her face. She pointed the finger gun at an invisible adversary, while softly and dynamically said, "Dazzle!" Diane let her eyes roll upwards to the ceiling. "What's your call sign?" Jessica asked, putting the finger gun away. Before Diane could answer, "how about, Razzle?!" Jessica blurted out. She seemed to like it and instead of turning this into a bigger issue than it needed to be, Diane said, "I like it; Razzle, Dazzle." Jessica bubbled and bounced in her seat, golf clapping energetically. Diane smiled wryly at the young starlet. She could feel that there wasn't a nasty bone in her body. Jessica seemed to possess an almost childlike innocence, dare Diane say, a seemingly moronic intelligence. But Diane knew Jessica wasn't as dumb as she seemed, or let others believe. The thought quickly occurred to Diane that this seeming dumbness might actually be an asset. Diane considered that what Jessica did to Tony Romo, in service to The Board, must have been difficult for the bleach blonde starlet. Diane felt a pang of sadness, recalling things she had done in service to, The Board. Those things were the kinds of things that she would not have done in her normal day-to-day life. Jessica was having that same sense of duty and honor for a higher purpose that Diane had when she first joined. However legitimate it was, or wasn't, Jessica was being manipulated by an organization with objectives that were not altogether altruistic. The Board wasn't corrupt, not by any means. But there always existed gray areas, in any organization, where decisions and the motives behind them, were not always in line with unselfish pursuits. The saying, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely..." echoed in Diane's mind. She was hoping that Jessica wouldn't end up jaded, a cynical casualty of the shadowy world of espionage. A world where right and wrong went from existing in a side by side contrast of black and white, to a blending and bleeding mass of mottled grays that were hard to distinguish from one another. Ultimately leaving a head-swirling picture that made even the slightest in field decisions intricately complex and potentially catastrophic. Diane had let her thoughts absorb her attention. Her knife wound ached, a sobering reminder of how quickly things could turn bad in the field. A reminder of how easily that could have struck a more vital area on her body. A stark reminder of how quick and dangerous Giada DeLaurentis was. When the pain commanded her attention, the seasoned newswoman and agent grabbed at the bandaged wound. Taking a pill from a small bottle, she washed it down with water from the room's water cooler. Diane stood by the cooler, watching as Jessica used a pen and pencil as puppets in her own little brief puppet show. She hoped that Giada wouldn't eat this girl alive. But Diane saw a serious and focused side to Jessica. A disciplined side that the bleach blonde southern starlet must have tapped into to become the pop culture icon she was. It was a more intense aspect to her personality, which greatly allayed some of Diane's fears. She was beginning to believe that the pop tart, turned Board agent, very well may have the stuff it took to get the job done. So Diane made it a point to pass on as many pearls of wisdom to Jessica as she could. One that she couldn't stress enough was, "it's always best to neutralize a target with as little physical confrontation as possible. Especially when confronting someone as dangerous as, Giada DeLaurentis."