PART TWO - THE GAME BEGINS

It was a cold, windy night in Viridian City, but Annie couldn't have cared less as she stood on the balcony of Severin's apartment in Viridian City, savoring the sweet smell of freedom once again. Like most Reds these days, Severin used his higher level of pay to get a place away from Team Rocket Headquarters for sake of privacy, and it served him well for this meeting.

Annie closed her eyes, split between her joy at being free once more, and the annoyance she felt at hearing the details of the life of James Morgan for the last 26 years.

After taking a last deep breath of the sweet night air of Team Rocket's hometown, Annie turned back into Severin's nicely furnished apartment.

Annie was now aware of Jessie and James' continual record of failure and mistakes, their disaster-prone, albeit successful, wedding, the problematic birth and infancy of their son Michael, the successful mission that had actually made them Black Rockets, and the troubles of their failure, run-away daughter Kat, A.K.A. Katastrophe.

Annie picked up her glass of the rich red wine Severin had poured earlier and took a drink, relishing another pleasure that had been denied to her for so long during her years at The Resort. "Katastrophe. How appropriate. A failure and a loser just like her Mom and Dad." Annie said bitterly.

"Precisely." Severin replied. "She came back for a while, but she was such a loser, the Boss just let her go. I don't have a clue where she is now, but one things for sure… she's long gone from the Team."

Annie chuckled evilly. "I love it." She said. "And what of the other kid- Michael, was it?"

Severin swallowed hard. This was it. He looked at Annie as she took another drink from her glass of Merlot. "Well, that's an interesting thing."

Annie swallowed the last of her drink. "Why?" she asked.

Severin reached over with the bottle and poured more wine into Annie's glass. "He's still with the Team." He said.

Annie snorted derisively, and began to drink from her glass. "Yeah. Probably a loser Grunt, right?"

Severin looked at the floor. "Actually, he's Red." He muttered.

Annie choked on her wine. "What?!" she growled angrily.

Severin looked at her. "Yeah. Has been for years, at that."

Annie's eyes narrowed to slits as her face became a mask of pure, unbridled fury. A low growl began in the pit of her stomach and moved up through her chest, then up her throat, and finally out her mouth, where it erupted as a loud, blood-curdling scream. "No!" she yelled angrily. "It's impossible! How could anyone even remotely related to that- that imbecile be Red?!?!?"

With an almost demonic screech, Annie threw her wine glass at the wall, where it shattered to a million pieces on impact, leaving a red stain where it hit. Her face was wrinkled with hate and rage as she sputtered, "It's- It's- It's simply inconceivable!"

Severin's humble, timid expression never faded, but silently he was jumping for joy. This was precisely the reaction he had wanted and expected from Agent Masterson…

"I know. It's utterly ridiculous that the rank held by one as legendary as you should be tarnished by a Morgan, isn't it?"

Annie glared at Severin. "Damn right." She growled. Annie flopped onto the couch and held her face in her hands. "I should have killed that fool when I had the chance." she said into her hands.

Severin sat down beside Annie, and put his arm around her. "That wasn't your fault. There was interference from his partner. But- perhaps it was for a greater good." He said cautiously.

Annie turned her head to look at Severin with angry, confused eyes. "A greater good?" she repeated. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Severin smiled at her. "Don't you see? Had you killed him then, you would've only physically tortured and then eliminated a thorn in your side."

"Yes?" Annie said, still uncomprehending the full scope of Severin's words.

"Now, you have a chance to do more. What better way to strike back at Morgan and reclaim your place in the Team than by killing his son in front of him? By showing him that even his greatest success can be taken away by you? By taking his child away- then his dear wife and partner, and then finally, his life itself?" Severin had laid the cards on the table. Now it was up to Annie.

Annie's mouth slowly curved into a vicious smile. "Yessss….." she hissed. "Oh, the payback…. His last 26 years taken a way in an instant! He'll see them die in pain and humiliation, and then…. Then it'll be his turn." Annie broke into a maniacal laugh as she imagined that pathetic fool sobbing and begging for his life- or maybe his death as he watched Michael and Jessie bleed to death on the floor at his feet….

Annie looked at Severin. One thing about all this still made no sense… "But why do you care? Why do you want to help me? You never even knew me."

Severin looked at Annie as he steeled himself to give the answer he had practiced and prepared to give her… "As I said, Ms. Masterson, I'm a great fan. When I first became Red, I followed the files of your missions with great interest. I spoke to many who had known you… Giovanni, Seth Bramwell, Butch Crandall, Cassidy Parker… they all agreed you where the best there had ever been, and it was a pity you had cracked… but I knew the truth. I knew it hadn't been your fault, that you had never cracked. That you were very, very sane. Misplaced, maybe, but sane." Annie looked at Severin, greedily taking in the words she had told herself for so many years in isolation.

"You became my idol, my Holy Grail of the Team. You were the template for my career, the Red I wanted to be- as if I could ever equal you. In fact, I guess you could even say…. I…" Severin paused.

"What?" Annie asked softly

"… that I fell in love with you." Severin finished. It wasn't true, of course, but Severin knew from studying Annie's past that it could be his way in, a way of gaining her trust somehow, of making her blind to the fact that she was merely a pawn…

Annie's lip trembled as she looked at Severin. Love? Never in her life had Annie been in love or been loved by anyone but her mother, and she had died when Annie was only 6. Her aunt Raven had adopted her then, and had cared for her and protected her, but the true bond of love had never existed there, never truly been there for her to experience. Annie looked at Severin as all these thoughts ran through her mind.

Severin studied Annie's face, watching for the reaction, knowing Annie had never been in these waters before. Oh, to be sure, she was no innocent. She had been around the block many times, but only in the line of duty, only for the mission, never for any other purpose. How would the great Masterson react to this???

The answer came when Annie leaned toward Severin without a word and kissed him. Severin smiled darkly as he returned the kiss. Full access. Masterson was his to use. His to control. It was this thought that made Severin the happiest as he led Annie to the bedroom and the two spent the night making love, one loving the control and power over the other and the other just loving the feelings she had missed for so long.

The Vendetta Part Three: Plans for the Pawn