Chapter Text
It had been two years since you’d joined the Animal Liberation Front, and you had never been happier.
You were able to do work that inspired you-mainly, animal liberation. Best of all, you had plenty of time to do research for your doctoral thesis. For the first time in your life, you were surrounded by a group of brave, supportive, and passionate friends.
The group members themselves were the best part of the experience. Silver and Blonde were like the older brothers you never had. Red was the best friend, and more supportive person, anyone could ever ask for. K was hilarious, and one of the funniest people you’d ever met.
And then there was Jay.
Jay, who had been your introduction to this crazy world. Jay, who was passionate, stubborn, and kind. Jay. He was your leader in the ALF, and your cheerleader in private. He believed in you like nobody else ever had- using your research to update the ALF credo, and supporting you when you felt overwhelmed.
Okay, you might have had a small crush on him.
Red had found the intelligence mission of a lifetime. MirandoCorp was holding their annual charity gala in three months, and she’d managed to score a handful of positions at the company that would catering the event. Three opportunities for ALF members to eavesdrop on drunk, power-hungry Mirandocorp officials.
And Jay seemed insistent that you shouldn’t go.
“My contact said he can take three people, maximum.” Red shrugged, “More would be too suspicious.”
The space around the table was crowded. The small house the ALF used as a compound was small to begin with, but it was overflowing with people. The entire team wanted to hear the details of the mission, and nobody wanted to miss the chance
“Then we will need at least two drivers.” Jay examined the map of the hotel, “We’ll need one for the north and south sides of the building.”
“How do we decide who goes in?” You asked.
You knew you weren’t experienced enough to wrestle a spot from any of the ALF veterans. If you were lucky, you might be able to drive the getaway van.
“Not me.” Silver shook his head, “I’ll drive.”
You gave him a curious look. Why wouldn’t he want to go?
“Whoever is undercover will need to serve meet.” Silver explained, “There is high chance I’d puke.”
“Red should go.” You offered, “It’s only fair.”
Red mouthed a thank you. Activism, unfortunately, was a man’s world. You both looked out for each other whenever you could.
The rest of the group nodded in agreement.
“That sounds fair.” Jay nodded in Red’s direction, “As long as it’s something you’d like to do.”
“Another chance to take down the Mirando Twins?” She grinned, “You’ll bet your ass that I’m in.”
“Have you ever worked catering, Jade?” Silver looked at you curiously.
Jade wasn’t your first name. To protect your identity and follow the organizations credo, everyone at ALF used a codename. The only person who knew your identity was Jay, since you’d met him before joining. He refused to use it and insisted that you use a codename. You had initially rolled your eyes at his insistence, but when you saw his pleading eyes, you let him pick the name himself.
You didn’t understand why he chose the name Jade, but you used it. You used it more often than your regular name, since you didn’t have many friends or family outside of the organization.
“All through high school, actually.” You replied.
“Blonde, didn’t your parents own a restaurant when you were younger?” Jay interrupted, “Surely you know your way around an event.”
You tried not to glare. Jay was impossible. Sometimes, he was the sweetest man on earth. Other times, he treated you like a goddamn child. It would have been easy to hate him.
Unfortunately, you were head over heels in love with him.
Jay had been your introduction to animal rights activism. Over the past two years, you’d come to admire his confidence, his intelligence, and his dedication to service above self. It didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous.
And as embarrassing as it was to admit, there were times when you knew his authoritativeness might be appreciated.
There was excited chatter in the room as it was decided that Blonde should take the second spot.
You were happy for your friends, but your heart lurched. There was no way Jay wouldn’t be the third member to go. He was a control freak and would be remised if he had to sit out the sidelines. He’d hate to put his team in danger if he wasn’t able to assist.
Or so you thought.
“I think we need to acknowledge that Jay and K can’t attend.” Red shook her hand, “Nancy Mirando has met them face-to-face. There’s too high a chance they’d be recognized.”
Nobody spoke.
Sneaking a glance at Jay, he was pinching his brow. With the other hand, he pointed at the map, tapping the spot where the getaway van would be parked.
The two senior members had been arrested at a SuperPig slaughterhouse before you had joined. Apparently, they’d met, and told off, the devil of MirandoCorp herself.
“You’re right.” He admitted, “It would put all of us in danger if Nancy recognized either of us.”
“The chances of her recognizing us are-” K began, but was quickly interrupted by Jay.
“Even if they’re slim, they’re too high. If either of us were caught, they’d sweep the entire building. That is not a risk I’m willing to take.”
“New York was years ago.” K whined. “There’s no way she would remember us.”
“Why don’t you drive, K?” Jay offered, “I’ll stay in the van and keep an eye on things, so you won’t be alone.”
“I always drive.” K pouted, “I never get to go undercover.”
“You went undercover once,” Red supplied, “That time you betrayed us in New York.”
Ouch.
It was a low blow, but Red didn’t flinch as she said it.
The events of New York were a sore spot for everyone in ALF. Not only had they all been imprisoned, but they also hadn’t been able to contact Mija after they were released. Nobody knew if she was alive or dead.
The room was silent. In retrospect, you weren’t sure if it was a coincidence or if it was strategic that Red waited until she’d stunned the room into silence before her next statement.
“I think Jade should go.”
“Jade is not ready to be in the field.” Jay snapped, looking at Red. “Not where the Black Chalk are present.”
The Black Chalk were MirandoCorps private security operation. They were relentless, and brutal. Several members of ALF still had scars, mental and physical, from the beating they’d received in New York.
“Everyone going will be heavily trained by the caterers. They won’t let anyone go in who won’t be able to keep their cover.” Red rationalized.
Jay frowned, chewing his lip.
You fought the urge to roll your eyes. Jay had moments like this. He treated you like gold, but sometimes it felt like he was holding you back, like he was afraid of letting you take the big risks. It wasn’t fair.
“Jade is the only one of us who has never directly interacted with Mirando’s Big Wigs.” Red continued, “Plus, she already said she’s worked catering. She would be the safest out of all of us.”
If Red wasn’t already doing such a good job of advocating on your behalf, you’d add that you’ve already worked dozens of operations. However, you let Red do her thing.
“She’s right.” K shrugged with a grin, “It’s about time we made her earn her membership card.”
Jay was staring daggers into the shorter man. However, a chorus of your peers commending you quickly filled the room, and Jay was forced to comply.
“Fine.” He raised both hands, showing his surrender, “Jade, Red and Blonde will go on the undercover mission to MirandoCorps charity gala.”
There was a small cheer from Red, who winked at you.
It didn’t feel like the victory you had hoped for. It was exciting to have a real mission to look forward to, and you appreciated that your peers, your friends, respected you. At the same time, it stung that Jay didn’t want you going.
The rest of the meeting went fairly quickly, and you were finished within the hour. When it wrapped, Red immediately walked up to you.
“Ignore Jay.” She whispered, “He’s coming from a good place. Even if he sounds like a sexist idiot.”
“A good place?” You shook your head, “I think he just sees me as a little kid.”
“He definitely doesn’t think of you a kid.” Her eyes flickered to your leader, “He sees you as a woman.”
You rolled your eyes. You didn’t consider yourself particularly attractive. Jay wouldn’t notice you in that way if you were the last woman on earth.
“Can I have a word, Jade?” Jay called as you began to pack up your stuff.
You shared a look with Red, who was already walking away. She laughed, leaving you.
Once she was out of earshot, he spoke.
“You need to understand that this mission will be dangerous.”
“I’m aware.”
“No,” His voice was abrupt, “I don’t think you do.”
You raised an eyebrow. You had made sacrifices- moving away from your family, switching your PhD studies to part-time, and nearly getting arrested. ALF was your life. You were dedicated to the cause.
“I am not trying to scare you, Jade.” He shook his head, “But I need you to know how dangerous those people are. We’re not dealing with low-level researchers anymore. Nancy and Lucy themselves might be at the event.”
“I know they might be there, that’s why this is important.”
“If the Mirando sisters are there, so will the Black Chalk.” He swallowed hard.
“Yes, you just said that. Remember, during the meeting I was also a part of?”
“They’re not security, they’re mercenaries. If you think the Mirandos hold no value for life, you should see the company they keep.”
His face was more bitter than you’d ever seen it. Jay was a handsome man, but the expression of hatred on his face was ugly.
“You’ve met them before?”
Jay snorted. “You could say we’re acquainted.”
You stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. He leaned against the table, sighing.
“We met them in New York, after we’d broadcast the video of Okja.” He bit his lip, “You know the footage, it was bad. Nancy dispatched them as soon as she realized things were going sideways.”
You nodded. You knew the events of New York like the back of your hand, both from reading the newspapers, and your experience with ALF.
“What was hidden from the cameras was the Black Chalk’s assault on our protestors. I was focused on getting Mija out of harm’s way, I didn’t notice them at first.”
Jay closed his eyes as he recalled the horrible day. As memories washed through him, his leg began to shake.
“By the time I’d realized the danger the Black Chalk posed, it was too late. They’d already surrounded us. They didn’t just arrest our allies, they beat them.”
His voice cracked, and without thinking, you reached across to grab his hand. You’d never touched him before, but it was the first comforting gesture you could think of.
He gave you a thankful look, offering a small squeeze of recognition.
“I was paralyzed, Jade. I was helpless, physically and emotionally.” His voice was barely above a whisper, “When they arrested Silver, they beat him so badly I thought he was dead.”
“They hurt you as well, didn’t they?” You whispered.
Jay shook his head, “I was fine. It didn’t matter.”
Of course, he would dismiss his own pain like it was nothing. K once confided to you that Jay’s injuries that day were nearly fatal. He was being too hard on himself.
“The pain didn’t matter, but what happened afterwards…” He trailed off. Jay was quiet for a long time before he spoke again, “When I was in prison, nobody would tell me if they were alive or dead.”
His face was flushed, tears threatening to spill over. You weren’t sure how to comfort him. You couldn’t imagine how awful that would have been. Quickly, you decided the best comfort was to give him the space to share.
You rubbed small circles into his hand with your thumb. Slowly, his hiccupped breathing slowed, and he looked at you sadly.
“I get anxious whenever we have a mission. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to any of you.”
He was staring intently at you, eyes searching for something in your face. You weren’t sure what it was that he was looking for, but he didn’t seem to find it.
Gently, he tucked a strange of hair behind your ear. His hand lingered at the side of your face.
“I invited you into this world, Jade. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”
You found yourself at a loss for words.
Jay’s story had filled you with empathy, but not fear. What he had shared with you made you feel even more strongly that it was your duty to bring down MirandoCorp and reveal their monstrous actions to the world.
Jay must have seen it in your eyes because his next words were barely above a whisper.
“I’m not going to stop you from being a part of this mission.” He shook his head, “You’re going to great things, and I would never stand in the way of that. I just beg you to be careful.”
You didn’t answer. You both knew that you’d already made up your mind. You were going to the gala.
You sat, hand in hand, for a long time.