Guardians Of The Deep - Part I

GUARDIANS OF THE DEEP - Part I

"Why was she picked for the top-secret assignment? It’s dangerous, and only a man should do it. It appears this Rona always has her way. I think the chief has the hots for her, too.”

John listened to his friend and co-worker rant on about the special assignment given to the one female member of the special underwater task force that they worked for. They were both fresh out of college when John and Ned met for the first time at the training school for government agents. They had become fast friends and wound up in the same outfit, specializing in undercover work, mostly to retrieve stolen documents or tech equipment from the enemy. Sometimes their assignments carried them through exciting as well as near death experiences. Their regular office was in a business district in the City proper, but the main headquarters and most of their asignments were subterranean, even sub-ocean floor. The crowded conditions on the surface above proved too dangerous for the populace, and were prejudiced against safety and security. Passing ships, even subs would never suspect that the marine floor was the auspicious hideout of alien inhabitants and enemies of the Federation of Right Way.

They had just left the building and were heading for Ned’s seasoned white car, a 2190 Champion Runner in mint condition. The sheen on the car was as bright as the day it came out of the show room.

“C-mon, Ned, you know the chief wouldn’t give a girl a risky case if he thought that she couldn’t handle it.” This time John was doing the driving, and motioned for Ned to enter on the passenger side. They had a 10-minute drive to each other's apartment in the suburbs. Their office was based in the City, so they usually took Glide Way 9 instead of the Hover Fare. They could get home faster, if it weren’t for lagging traffic sometimes doing less than 200 miles per hour.

As soon as John reached his own building, he exited the vehicle. Ned slipped over to the driver’s side and placed his right hand on the digital pad in the dash.

“Pick me up at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning, Ned, old boy! Maybe if you get to know Rona better, and not just ogle after her in the cafeteria, you’ll change your attitude toward her. Actually, you have never talked to her. She’s really competent in anything that she does. You’ll see, Ned.”

With a scowl, Ned sneered, “Oh yeah, sure! See you tomorrow, John" He pressed the starter button on the pad and zoomed away.

-----------------------------------------------

Rona was a flaming redhead with limbs to die for on her 5’2" frame. Her waist measured 22 inches, if that much, and her breasts, although small, stood high up on her chest. Everyone wondered why she would want to be an agent. She knew she was strikingly beautiful, but it was her aptitude in the arts of self-defense and her ability to make fast decisions in tight situations that earned her the right to work side by side with any man in the field.

Her parents had died when she was in her early teens. The McKinneys were frequent travelers who toured the world round. Their daughter grew up among the different races of people. Rona’s lovely green eyes took in the hardships, turmoil and strife suffered by the inhabitants of earth. At the same time, she also shared in the tears of joy and the abundance of love and laughter that surrounded her throughout her travels to strange and distant lands. Her parents were killed in a freak accident while riding on a single railed high-rise train. There were no survivors. Luckily, at the time, Rona, stayed behind to finish some final exams that were required for students that didn’t attend school, but were tutored by parents or other eligible guardians.

This blossoming teen was not orphaned for long, though. Mr. Gaushu Komodo, a dear friend of her parents took over the role as her guardian. Like her parents, he was a traveler, and Rona continued to go with him everywhere in the same fashion she was so accustomed to. Although once married and then divorced, he never had any children, so he was very generous and patient with his new charge. Mr. Komodo was quite adept in defense arts and other strategies. When Rona asked him to teach her everything that he knew, he couldn’t refuse her. Rona usually got her way whenever she asked for something. All she had to do was roll her big wide eyes and pout a little. This wonderful man of Oriental ancestry cared for her just like a daughter. Rona called her devoted guardian and benefactor, Oouko.

It was sometime later that she found out that Gaushu was an agent for the Federation of Right Way. He would relate some wonderful tales about his adventures and missions, although he wasn’t as active in service as he had been in his younger days.

In a serious moment one evening, Gaushu said, “Rona, I must let you know that both your parents were attached to the Federation, too, but their service was exemplary. They were the ambassadors to all the branches of the FORW. That’s why they traveled so much. Had you ever wondered why you were routinely left in the care of a nanny for days at a time?”

Rona was so proud to learn of this, and blurted out “They should have told me. I never suspected anything.” Shaking with emotion, tears in her eyes, Rona sobbed, "Oh, Oouko, I want to be like you. I want to serve for the good and justice of the world. I know my mom and dad would have liked that. Please help me to get into service.”

Gaushu did his best to dissuade her, but Rona was persistent in her choice of career. Finally, her guardian gave up and then became fastidious in teaching his beautiful foster daughter everything he knew about the work he'd been so devoted to all his life. Gaushu made all the arrangements for her first interview and tryouts at headquarters on July 29, 2210. Since she was female, the instructors did their best to trip her up, but it was as if she was especially gifted in memory retention and endurance. Rona had already had the benefit of training in the arts of defense, and when she was accepted, her guardian revealed his most secret defense tactics to her. Miss McKinney proved to be one of the best agents they had from the very beginning.


Please don't forget to review and rate.
Part II begins in "Guardians Of The Deep - Part II"