With an uncomfortable expression on your face, you sat in a brown office chair, listening to Hudson giving a presentation about World War II, nuclear threats and Russians.

It wasn't your first time at the White House, but the first time to be inside an office, close to the president of the United States.

At the table sat two more men, of which you knew the faces but not the names, Woods and Mason.

Adler was occupying the chair next to you. A cigarette dangled between his fingers while he listened with the facial expression of a bored child.

Every now and then his eyes jumped over to you.

You could tell he was looking, because the way the sun entered the room made the glasses of his shades turn slightly brown and transparent.

Letting out a deep breath, you slightly turned towards him and gave his shoe a gentle bump so that he didn't look at you like a child anymore.

He let out a low sound and leaned into your direction without it being obvious.

"You're injured.", he whispered while Hudson kept holding his little presentation for the two big fish. "Relax."

You rolled your eyes.

"Just bruises and abrasions.", you said. "Nothing serious."

"You're turning black and blue already."

"Would you stop worrying about me as if I'm your child?"

"I worry about you as if you're my partner."

"We haven't settled on that yet."

"I asked Hudson. He gave green light."

Annoyed, you smacked your tongue and turned your attention back to the front.

Right in that moment, Hudson started explaining the real issue at hand.

"Perseus.", he said and turned the TV off. "The CIA's analysts consider him the single largest threat to the Free World."

Annoyed by that typical American exaggeration, you rolled your eyes. Luckily, nobody noticed.

"Mister Hudson.", one of the two men asked, general Haig, presumably. "We're all aware of Perseus. We're also aware he's more myth than fact. I mean... personally, I think he's nothing more than the Russian bogeyman."

He poured himself a cup of coffee.

At the sight, you craved a taste too. It was a good few days since you've had your last proper cup. The withdrawal symptoms were starting to kick in.

Your fingers twitched, wanting to reach out for the can. But you were unsure if it was allowed to take something from that guy, so you left it.

Adler noticed your reaction.

Without saying a word, he reached out for a clean cup that was assembled on the table and poured you some of the liquid gold.

He placed it in front of you.

"It's cold.", he noted.

With a shrug of your shoulders, you took the cup and greedily took a huge first sip.

"Thanks...", you mumbled and kept the cup in your hands to keep your fingers busy.

"General Haig.", Hudson fixed his glasses. "Allow me to introduce the man best suited to respond to that: CIA Clandestine Special Officer Russell Adler. He's one of the few people to even come close to capturing Perseus."

Haig turned his head. But his gaze didn't fall on Russell. It fell on you instead.

"And who's the other one?", he asked, a bit too interested for your taste.

"That's my partner, general.", Adler said before you could get the chance to answer yourself. "The best I've ever had."

A low huff escaped you. Despite the hate and disgust for the people in the room, you couldn't help but smile at Adler's introduction.

It was rare to get a word of approval from him, let alone and compliment.

It was stupid, but it made you feel special and appreciate. As if he was truly your friend.

What a stupid thing to feel.

The other man, Baker, curled his lips in an uninterested manner.

"Mister Adler, why should we take this Perseus threat seriously?", he asked instead, visibly sceptical and not believing in it a single bit himself.

Adler threw a glance at you.

Shrugging, you just silently told him to appeal to what the man wanted to hear, but flinched a second later. You weren't seriously injured, thank god, but the bruises were enough make simple activities such as sitting and breathing as uncomfortable as imaginable.

Adler licked his lips. Grey smoke seeped out of his mouth. The strands danced through the air and stroked his skin.

All of a sudden, you felt the urge to touch him.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, slightly shook his head and shrugged.

"You don't have to, sir.", he said.

It was his way of cracking a joke.

Unfortunately, only Woods understood it.

The old man huffed.

"Yeah, but then a lot of innocent people are gonna die.", he said, grumpy.

You knew from his files that Woods had an issue with authorities, most likely going back to his years as a homeless teen. It was categorised as a potential risk, but you had soon found out that it wasn't affecting his loyalty to the USA.

He wasn't fit to manipulate and spy on.

Mason wasn't any easier of a target, but you didn't have such a good connection with him in the first place. You knew a good part of the gang from the Vietnam War and Mason wasn't part of that.

Adler, however, was so into catching Perseus and Russians that it was easy to win his trust.

All you've had to do was agree with him on everything without seeming like you had no head of your own. He was hard to approach but once you were on the other side of the wall, there was nothing easier than make him talk.

Perseus truly knew what he was doing as he had suggested that you should spy on him.

Baker frowned.

"Why do you say that?", he asked, now looking at Woods.

Adler put out his cigarette.

"Sir.", he leaned forward in his chair. "Every time Perseus has come into play it's shifted the balance of the Cold War. After thirteen years of silence, if he's active, something big is gonna happen. Something that will affect the Free World."